It is easier to start preparation for the IAS exam. Too many books, practice questions and online video tutorials are available. Many coaching institutes offer comprehensive online and offline classroom-based courses. You can also join social media groups of civil services aspirants. However, a few things you must understand first before taking any step further in IAS preparation. Are you based in Bhubaneswar? This article discussed what any candidate looking for the best IAS coaching in Bhubaneswar must know.
Factor 1: Self-study vs comprehensive coaching
This is the question that many serious civil services and other competitive exam aspirants face while beginning their preparation. Both have their pros and cons. Self-study is a lot more flexible in terms of study time, as candidates studying on their own do not require following any class schedule. However, it does not save any time. In fact, self-studying requires investing more time in consulting reference books, preparing notes, practice materials, etc. Coaching institutes saves candidates from these burdens.
Regarding costs, self-studying may not offer much difference compared to classroom-based courses as you will need to buy books, periodicals and other study materials. Any of the best coaching for UPSC and other competitive exams offers all the materials necessary for preparation. Besides, you also get mentoring support from expert tutors in coaching programs.
Factor 2: Online vs. offline
Post-pandemic, online coaching gained a lot of popularity among competitive exam aspirants. Many top UPSC coaching institutes are offering online-only classroom-based courses and specially designed self-paced learning materials.
One of the major benefits of online classroom-based programs is participants can attend classes from the comfort of their home. Live classes are conducted at pre-scheduled times, and tutors usually conduct online classes in small batches. It helps improve learner engagement. Besides, online classes have also helped students from every corner in the country to access top quality coaching services. For example, an institute is offering top quality IAS coaching in Bhubaneswar, but you cannot move to the city. You can choose to join their course through online classrooms.
However, many candidates face difficulties in online interaction and prefer physical classrooms over live virtual sessions. Besides, face-to-face interaction is the best medium for clearing doubts and understanding difficult concepts.
Factor 3: IAS-only vs all competitive job exams
IAS and other group A civil services cadres are the most glamorous among college students. However, if we consider the recent pay grades in other groups of services under the UPSC CSE and other state-level civil services, opportunities are plenty. If you are interested in challenges, many of the jobs offer opportunities to perform and achieve. So, as a competitive job exam aspirant, you need to decide whether you will strive for only the IAS and other group-A services or attempt all the government job exams. After all, the wider the net, the better your chances of success in fishing.
Bottom-line
Bhubaneswar is one of the major cities in Eastern India. For IAS coaching in Bhubaneswar, you can check https://aptiplus.in/. They are the oldest and one of the best competitive exam institutes in the region.