Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQs

• UPSC Prelims Startegy – Dos and Don’ts

  Revise, Revise and Revise: Whatever subject and topic you are studying, make sure to revise and remember so you do not make lose marks in those topics. Without proper revision, you will probably carry more confusion into the exam hall and ….

• What is the current pattern of the UPSC Civil Services Examination?

  The IAS examination comprises of two successive stages. Those who make it through all the stages of the UPSC exam enter into the most coveted services of the Country like IAS, IPS, IFS, IFoS, IRS and others.

  UPSC IAS Exam Pattern

  The two stages of the Civil Services Exam (IAS Exam) are:

  1. Stage I – Civil Services Preliminary Examination

  2. Stage II – Civil Services Main Examination

  Civil Services Preliminary Examination

  Civil Services Preliminary Examination is conducted to select candidates for the Main Examination. It is objective type in nature and consists of two papers carryi…

• What is the pattern of UPSC CSE Prelims Exam ?

  UPSC CSE Preliminary Exam is a screening test to select candidates for Civil Services Main Examination. It comprises of 2 compulsory Papers that are conducted on same day in two – sessions via offline mode (pen – paper).

• What is the Main Examination?

  Ans.- The Main Exam (Subjective papers of 2000 marks) consists of 9 papers which are usually held from early December for around 5-7 days.

• What is the Interview or Personality Test stage?

  Ans.- The Interviews usually start 2 weeks after the Main Exam results are announced.

• How to Choose Optional Subject for UPSC Civil Services Exam ?

  Ans.- There are many important aspects to be kept in mind while choosing an Optional Subject –

• How to Prepare for UPSC Civil Services Exam ?

  Ans.- First get familiar with the process of UPSC Civil Services Exam.
  Generate interest and curiosity regarding the services and whole exam pro…

• How to prepare for the Civil Services Mains exam ?

  Ans.- The main examination is all about writing answers according to the demand of the questions.

• How to study Current Affairs for UPSC Civil Services Exam

  Ans.- The significance of Current Affairs in this prestigious Civil Services Examination is increasing every year. In both Preliminary Test and Main Exam, majority of the questi…

• When is the Final result declared?

  Ans.- This is computed on the basis of the total marks scored by candidates in Main Examination (1750) and Personality Test or Interview (275). The final result is declared

• When does the UPSC advertize about the Examination?

  Ans.- UPSC publishes the advertisement for holding the Civil Services Examination every year in the month of February for the Preliminary Test to be held by the end of May of the ne…

• What is the eligibility to appear for this Examination?

  Ans.- Students must be degree holders or graduates (degree recognized by University Grants Commission) to appear for this Examination.

• What is the minimum and maximum age required to appear in the exam?

  Ans.- Candidates belonging to General category and OBC (creamy layer) must have attained the age of 21 on 1st August of the year of the Exam but must not have attained the age of 32 on 1st August of the year of the Exam.

• What is the number of maximum attempts for different categories?

  Ans.- General category and OBC (creamy layer) category have a maximum of 6 attempts. OBC (non creamy layer) have a maximum of 9 attempts.

• What is the number of vacancies in Civil Services for which the examination is conducted every year by UPSC?

  Ans.- The number of vacancies reported by Union Public Service Commission varies every year.

• What is the competition level in UPSC Civil Services Examination?

  Ans.- Every year, for the 1st stage (Preliminary Test), the number of students aspiring for the UPSC Civil Services has gone up to more than 600,000 to 850000 who fill the form and the number of people appearing in the preliminary exam is about 400,000.

• What is the schedule of the Civil Services exam?

  Ans.- The exact schedule of Main exam varies every year and is usually notified by UPSC on its website http://www.upsc.gov.in.

• What are the optional subjects which students can choose?

  Ans.- Students have to choose any one optional subject from a list of the following optional subjects.

• How does Vajiram & Ravi help me in preparing for the Examination?

  Ans.- Ideally the Main Examination preparation needs to be done before the preparation of Preliminary Examination.

• How to Join Vajiram & Ravi ?

  Ans.- For the convenience of preparation of the students, we have divided our coaching programme into three sessions a year started, in May, July and the last session in the third week of August. The May, July and August sessions focus on General Studies (Prelim cum Main), Optional Subjects and Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT)…

• Which batch/batches I can join at Vajiram & Ravi?

  Ans.- We conduct three sessions in General Studies (Prelim cum Main) in May/ June, July and August every ye..

• Where do I find the details of joining the batches?

  Ans.- “May Session” details will be available on our website http://www.vajiramandravi.com in February that year. “July Session” Batch details will be available on our website http://www.vajiramandravi.com in May. “August Session” Batch details will be available on our website http://www.vajiramandravi.com in July.

• What is the Syllabus of the Examination?

  Ans.- Paper I – (200 marks) 2 hrs (General Studies)

  Paper II – (200 marks) 2 hrs (CSAT – Civil Services Aptitude Test)

• Which subjects are offered at Vajiram & Ravi?

  Ans : Subjects offered at Vajiram and Ravi are Public Administration, Geography, Sociology, Political Science, Economics, Psychology, Commerce & Accountancy, Anthropology, Philosophy and Mathematics.

• If vajiram doesn’t have hostels, How do I arrange my accommodation in Delhi ?

  Ans : Vajiram does not have hostel facility however there are plenty of PGs and Hostels available within close proximity to the institute.
  Also, Students can contact the following numbers to help with their accommations.
  List of PGs and Hostels in Delhi

  PG and Hostel list in Chennai will be updated shortly.

Postal FAQs

• When would I receive the first package of the postal/correspondence course?

  Ans.- A student would receive the first package in a week after successful payment is confirmed by the bank.

• How do I get a receipt for payment online or by Demand Draft?

  Ans.- The student would receive the receipt by email for online payment. The receipt would be sent by post along with the first package for demand draft payments.

• How can I change my postal address, during the postal coaching period?

  Ans.- You can change the postal address by communicating to us on xxxxxxx@gmail.com, quoting your admission number in the correspondence.

• What is the schedule of the books that I’ll receive through the postal coaching period?

  Ans.- The schedule of the study material is distributed through the period of August 2016 to June 2017. The sequence of books would be couriered after it is updated based on the past years papers.

• Where can I buy Vajiram & Ravi’s study material?

  Ans.- Vajiram & Ravi’s office in Old Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi is the only source of purchasing study material. A student can buy study material either by visiting the office or online on http://www.vajiramandravi.com/postal-series/

• Can you verify the authenticity of Vajiram’s study material and notes that are sold on online sites and photocopy shops?

  Ans.- The study material sold under Vajiram & Ravi’s name in photocopy shops and online sites are not verified by us and we cannot confirm that the material is the same as what we give out to our students. So, they could be spurious and fake material sold under our banner, which will cause harm to a students’ preparation. Only study material sold at Vajiram & Ravi’s office at old Rajinder Nagar,New Delhi and http://www.vajiramandravi.com are authentic and verified by us.

• Which Debit or Credit card can I use to make online payment?

  Ans.- The student may use Visa or Master card powered debit card or credit card of any bank to pay Online for the postal course. Debit cards that are sourced through visa electron or mestro card etc are not allowed.

• Since, the study material is delivered in phases, do I have to pay the whole amount in advance?

  Ans.- Yes, the whole amount for postal coaching is to be paid in full.

• How do I know that the volumes of study material received by me are meant for Prelim Exam and Main Exam?

  Ans.- Most of the books cater to both the Prelim and Main Exams. However, there are few books that cater to only the four G.S Main papers.

• The schedule on the website mentioned that the postal course ends by June 2017. Does that mean I would not receive any material after that?

  Ans.- The postal course is directed towards the Prelim and Main exams, held in a year. For the year 2016, the Prelim cum Main G.S study material would be circulated upto June 2017. Those students, who wish to extent their attempts to 2018, can contact the office by vrpostal@gmail.com, enquiring about the updated material for the next year.

• How do I receive the old current affairs magazine/Period of Current affairs?

  Ans.- The period between July 2016 to June 2017 contains relevant information to be followed under current affairs. Hence, the subscription period would be open between this period and student applying at a later month would receive the previous magazines from July 2016 to June 2017.

• Would I have to pay the same fee for postal coaching if I collect the material at Vajiram & Ravi’s office in Old Rajinder, New Delhi?

  Ans.- Yes, the postal coaching fee would not include the postal charges. However, this process is to be decided by the student at the time of application to the correspondence/postal course.

• How can I get refund of the amount in proportion to the amount of study material received by me, if I decide to discontinue postal coaching (return policy)?

  Ans.- The student can discontinue and cancel the postal course only within a week of joining the postal course, after which the admission would not be cancelled. Also, study material once dispatched will not be taken back, even if it is unused by the student.

• Is there any facility to purchase class notes of Vajiram & Ravi’s classroom programme?

  Ans.- Class notes and handouts are given exclusively to classroom coaching students and would not be available for postal coaching students.

• When do I receive the Current Affairs magazine every month?

  Ans.- The current affairs magazine is printed and ready for circulation by day 12th of every month. The student should receive the magazine by day 16th of every month.

• How can I buy the study material of Optional Subjects?

  Ans.- We have postal coaching only for Public Administration optional subject. At present we do not have study material for other optional subjects, in spite of them being taught as part of classroom course at Vajiram & Ravi.

• Are postal study material sufficient for CSE preparation?

  Ans.- The exhaustive study material has been prepared by subject experts based on the demand of this exam and past years’ question papers. However, it is difficult to exactly determine the syllabus of the Civil Services Exam and it would be obscure for any study material to claim that it completely fulfills the needs of this exam.

• Is there a provision to evaluate the students’ performance based on the postal course study material?

  Ans.- At present we do not have an evaluation process. However, we would be soon beginning a evaluation process for postal course students. Students, who are unable to join the classroom coaching in New Delhi, can evaluate themselves using the Online Tests, Answer writing practice, weekly articles and email support to help out in their preparation.