NEXT IAS Fees 2024 and Admission Counselling Review: GS Prelims-Cum-Main Foundation Course for CSE 2025

December 9, 2023

8 Minutes

Introduction

Dreaming of becoming an IAS or IPS officer may seem simple, but the reality is that the UPSC exam demands much more than what aspirants initially think. Success in this exam requires dedication, perseverance, persistence, and sacrifice. Every year, countless students flock to Delhi with high hopes, but unfortunately, many leave with shattered dreams. Witnessing this journey inspired us at Josh Talks to provide honest reviews of UPSC coaching institutes. I, Shivom Sharma, took on the responsibility to evaluate each institute firsthand and yesterday, I reached NEXT IAS to assess infrastructure, admission procedure, fee structure, counselling and NEXT IAS fees.

Location and Infrastructure

Most of the leading coaching institutes are situated within approximately a 50-meter radius of the Karol Bagh metro station. Upon my arrival, I encountered prominent hoardings of NEXT IAS. Following the signboards, I eventually reached the main office of NEXT IAS, which is a bit outside the usual coaching area.

To get there, you need to cross the Karol Bagh metro station (Blue Line) and proceed further on the main road towards Old Rajinder Nagar. After passing a red light and around a dozen shops, you'll spot the building adorned with the sizable logo of the institute. The multi-storey building itself is spacious, featuring a parking lot with ample capacity.

Notably, NEXT IAS is affiliated with the Made Easy Group, renowned for its IES and GATE coaching.

Reaching the Admission Desk

When I reached the building, a helpful security guard directed me to the first floor, where I found a reception with two admission counselors. I approached one of the admission counselors, who greeted me and asked me to have a seat, I shared with her that, despite being a 29-year-old with a current job, I aspire to pursue my dream of becoming an IAS officer. I expressed my determination to give my best and aim for the UPSC CSE 2025. In response, she promptly retrieved a sheet of paper containing course details and began explaining the specifics to me.

NEXT IAS Course Details

The counsellor recommended enrolling in the GS Prelims-Cum-Main Foundation Course for CSE 2025 at NEXT IAS, which is a comprehensive program covering both Prelims and Mains syllabus of General Studies. The classes are conducted six days a week for three hours each day and cover essential aspects of UPSC preparation. The course includes various important segments:

• Weekly Current Affairs Classes (Online)

  Online lectures on current affairs are provided every Sunday as part of the course. NEXT IAS doesn’t provide classroom sessions for current affairs.

• Doubt Clearing Sessions

  Regular doubt clearing sessions are organized, conducted by dedicated mentors who have undergone UPSC interviews multiple times, ensuring that students leave with zero doubts.

• Regular Tests

  Weekly class tests and a monthly class test, in both objective and subjective formats, are conducted to prepare students for both stages of the exam simultaneously.

• Current Affairs Crash Course for Prelims (CAP)

  A crash course for preliminary examinations is conducted to familiarize students with ongoing issues just before the exam.

• All India Test Series

  With this course, NEXT IAS offers All India Prelims Test Series and All India Mains Test Series, allowing students to compete with others nationwide. These tests help identify weak areas for focused improvement.

• Mains Advance Course (MAC)

  Qualified prelims students are eligible for the Mains Advance Course, offering a chance to revise vital General Studies topics before the Mains examination.

• Recorded Lectures

  Students can access missed lectures in recorded mode and revise them later during the course by logging into their portal. However, access to recorded lectures is limited to 90 days from the day of the lecture, and each lecture can be watched twice.

• Exclusive Study Material

  Students in this course receive 18 books for General Studies, 3 books for CSAT (for those opting for CSAT), CSE Prelims Solved Papers (2011 to 2023), Monthly Current Affairs Magazine, and access to NEXT IAS online study resources.

• Interview Guidance Program (IGP)

  NEXT IAS provides interview guidance to students who successfully clear the Mains exam, offering valuable support in the final stages of the selection process.

NEXT IAS Fees 2024

NEXT IAS provides a range of options with both classroom and online courses. It's crucial to highlight that the institute doesn't offer a hybrid coaching model. Consequently, if a student can't attend a live class in person, they won't have the opportunity to participate in a live lecture remotely and will need to depend on recorded sessions instead.

Explore the detailed NEXT IAS fee structure for various combinations of General Studies (GS) courses and Optional courses offered by NEXT IAS in the tables provided below.

Additionally, while live and online lectures are accessible on Windows, Android, Apple iOS, and iPad OS, it's worth mentioning that their portal is not compatible with MacOS. This implies that MacBook users may face limitations in watching NEXT IAS lectures.

I’ll also attach the pictures of the original copies of NEXT IAS fee structure at the end of the blog.

NEXT IAS Fees - Terms and Conditions

NEXT IAS has outlined specific terms and conditions related to fee payments, which include the following:

• The difference between payment of each installment of NEXT IAS fees is 30 days.
• If you fail to pay the installment on time, you’ll get barred from attending the classes, regardless of if you have enrolled in an online course or an offline course.
• In case you are not satisfied with the quality of the course, you can ask for a fee refund within 5 days of joining the course. If you don’t ask for a refund during this period, they won’t remit anything back.
• Even if you successfully ask them to refund, you will never get the admission fee that they charge during the registration. In my case, this fee was ₹35,000/-.

NEXT IAS Fees Payment Options

Currently, NEXT IAS accepts payments through the following options

• 1. Cash
• 2. Demand Draft in favor of “NEXT IAS (A unit of Made Easy Learnings Pvt. Ltd)
• 3. Debit Card
• 4. Credit Card
• 5. UPI

NEXT IAS does not accept payments through cheques as of now.

Additionally, NEXT IAS has also partnered with a third-party financial services provider called Propelld to provide 3/5/7/9 months low-cost EMI.

Also note that NEXT IAS charges extra ₹10,000/- when you opt for installment options provided by them. This is clearly visible in the NEXT IAS fee structure as well as the snapshot of their admission portal shown below.

NEXT IAS Admission Procedure

The admission procedure of NEXT IAS is purely online and you’ll have to register yourselves on their official website to take admission. I’m listing down the steps to take admission in NEXT IAS here.

1. 1. Visit the official website of NEXT IAS and click on Admissions
   

   NEXT IAS Homepage



2. 2. A click on the “Admissions” tab will take you to NEXT IAS admission portal.
   

   NEXT IAS Admission Portal



3. 3. From this page, click Apply New Registration and enter you basic details, including Name, Contact Number, Email address, Course name, Batch preference etc.
   
4. 4. Upon completing your registration, you will receive your login details via email. Utilize these credentials to log in to their Admissions portal. Once logged in, you will be directed to the payments page, as shown in the previous segment.
5. 5. After this, you need to pay your fees and complete the registration process.

Trial Lecture Experience

When I first reached out to inquire about a trial class, I was informed by a counselor at NEXT IAS that they do not offer demo lectures. However, they suggested I could view their sample lectures on YouTube. While watching a video might have sufficed for a basic review, I was keen on experiencing a live lecture to capture the essence of the actual classroom setting, something an online class couldn't fully convey. After some persistence and phone calls, I was granted access to two trial lectures, of which I attended a Science and Technology class by Mr. Ayaz Khan. The topics of discussion were Mars Exploration, NASA's Mars Rover, Chandrayaan, and India's space collaborations with international leaders.

Mr. Khan's teaching style was notably engaging. He maintained an interactive atmosphere, peppering the session with questions and important facts, and even humor to keep the energy high. He had a unique approach of not allowing note-taking during his explanations. Instead, he dictated notes afterwards. Throughout the lecture, he seamlessly integrated Previous Year Questions (PYQs) from the NEXT IAS modules and explained their application in real exam scenarios. From a teaching standpoint, the session was enriching and met my expectations.

However, the class setting presented challenges, primarily due to the large batch size. Arriving just minutes before the start, I found myself relegated to the back as the classroom was already 70% full. On observing, I realised that students at the rear were missing out on the interactive experience. It felt like they were in an online class environment as they could hardly talk to the teacher. With batch sizes at NEXT IAS ranging from 300-350 students, this issue could significantly hinder some students' learning progress and their ability to engage and ask questions during lectures.

For comparative analysis, I also viewed a YouTube lecture by Dr. K M Pathi, who teaches Ethics at NEXT IAS. Being an ex-student of Dr Pathi, I know that he is one of the most interactive teachers in the UPSC coaching circles. However I saw the same problem there. His teaching quality was great as usual but the interactive element was consistent with my live lecture experience.

My Review

Through both personal experience and feedback from fellow aspirants, it's clear that NEXT IAS holds a strong reputation within the UPSC coaching community. Their faculty roster features renowned educators like Mr. Hemant Jha and Mr. Ashish Kumar, among others, underscoring the institute's commitment to quality teaching. Having attended both live and virtual lectures, I confidently rank NEXT IAS among the top three UPSC coaching centers in Delhi. Their teaching quality and faculty are undeniably top-notch.

Yet, there are some concerns:

• The issue of large class sizes cannot be overlooked. Students who arrive just in time usually have to sit at the back and depend on speakers, which makes it harder for them to join in on the class interaction.
• The lack of offline lectures for current affairs, a critical element of UPSC preparation, is a notable gap in their offline course offerings.
• Although I was fortunate to secure a trial class, I recognize this is not a common opportunity. Considering the investment of time and finances that a student commits, coaching institutes should give them the chance to experience a live lecture firsthand. Feedback from trial attendees could further enhance the institute's offerings. I feel every coaching institute should be responsible for ensuring transparency and confidence for prospective students.

In conclusion, NEXT IAS boasts an impressive faculty and provides quality education for both General Studies and Optional subjects. If arriving early or sitting at the back without direct class interaction suits you, NEXT IAS is an excellent choice, in fact one of the best ones. However, if the above-mentioned conditions pose a challenge, it may be worth reconsidering your options.