Questions related to Full-Year UPSC CSE Complete Batch
1) Which exam is this program for?
The Complete Batch 2025-26 program is only for UPSC Civil Services Examination 2026. It is not for any other examinations conducted by the UPSC or MPSC. Students who are focussed only on the UPSC CSE should consider applying for admission to this program.
2) What are the eligibility criteria for this program?
The eligibility criteria for this program are as follows:
i. The student must have completed graduation/post-graduation before start of program on 16.06.2025.
ii. The student must be committed full time for preparation, and not enrolled in any other full-time or part-time academic program or job.
iii. The student should have completed reading all the NCERTs of 9th to 12th standard for the General Studies subjects. The student ideally should also have chosen their Optional Subject and begun preparing.
iv. The student must be ready to cover the basic content by self study and using online material.
3) What is the syllabus for the entrance test/interview for the program?
We conduct shortlisting of students for the interview based on the 10th, 12th and graduation marks and level of basic preparation, if any. The syllabus for the interview is field of study in graduation, NCERT 9th to 12th standard books for General Studies subjects – History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Society, Science and Technology and Environment, basic information about hometown, home district, parent’s profession and current events. The interview duration is 20-25 minutes, and the intention is only to test the focus, sincerity, basic preparation, approach to tackle questions, etc. Currently, there is no separate MCQ or written test but it may get added if we receive a very large number of applications.
4) What is the duration of this program?
The program is in four phases –
i. Phase 1 – June 2025 to December 2025 – Main Examination Preparation,
ii. Phase 2 – January 2026 to May 2026 – Preliminary Examination Preparation
iii. Phase 3 – June 2026 to August 2026 – Mission Mains
iv. Phase 4 – September and October 2026 – Personality Test (Interview) Foundation
If you are admitted to the program, you will be eligible for admission to all the Phases mentioned above. However, admission to the subsequent phases will also depend on satisfactory performance and discipline during the first two phases.
5) What are the fees for this program?
The fees for only the first two Phases, from June 2025 to May 2026 (UPSC CSE Preliminary Examination 2026) is Rs. 72,000 + Rs. 12960 (GST @18%) = Total Rs. 84960/-. The entire fees have to be paid to confirm admission to the program. Fees for the subsequent Phases need to be paid when instructed, as per the amount decided at the time.
6) Who is the faculty for this program?
Dr. Vivek Kulkarni sir is the founder and Chief Mentor of JPCEC, and has more than 30 years of teaching at all levels of education. He teaches Perspective and Planning, Essay Orientation and techniques, Performance Monitoring and Self Rating. He also conducts one-on-one Mentoring sessions with the students, and guides based on performance record.
Dr. Savita tai Kulkarni is the co-founder of JPCEC, and also has more than 30 years of experience of teaching. She teaches Study Skills, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and conducts one-on-one counseling for studies based on Competititve Aptitude Assessment Test report.
Other faculty members include experts in education, counseling, medicine, corporate training, and current or retired civil servants or armed forces officers. Subject orientation and teaching is conducted by UPSC CSE selected officers, and those who have given UPSC CSE or CAPF interview and scored top marks in GS and Optional subjects in the UPSC CSE Mains Examination.
7) Are all General Studies subjects taught in this program?
We have recorded lectures for all General Studies subjects core content. As such content is readily available, we focus more on processing the content than teaching in class. This way, students are free to choose the sources which suit their style and pace of studies. We conduct training for answer writing and notes making through Daily Answer Writing and Sectional Tests discussion sessions.
7) Are Optional Subjects taught in this program?
Currently we do not teach any Optional Subject. We provide in-depth orientation through group and one-on-one guidance for Optional Subjects, where important sources, test series, study methods, and strategies for preparation are shared.
8) Is Current Affairs taught in this program?
We provide orientation to Current Affairs preparation through sessions by experts on “How to read newspaper”, “How to analyse articles”, “How to analyse Current Affairs”, and Group Discussions guided by mentors to analyse Current Events for value addition.
10) Are ready-made notes/magazines provided?
We do not provide ready-made notes or Current Affairs magazines. We recommend standard sources for first-hand preparation for full understanding of the subjects, and prepare own notes, for which we provide training. Ready-made notes and Current Affairs magazines/digests should be used only at the end for removing any gaps in content and for fast revision.
11) Is weekly Mentoring for answer-writing included in this program?
We provide and guidance and skill building for concise, complete and effective answer writing. This is given through detailed evaluation of tests and discussion and doubt-solving in class. Detailed in-person feedback on writing is provided during the Phase 3 Mission Mains preparation. This is not the tutoring process followed by many other entities which is mostly spoon-feeding and ineffective in actual exam.
12) Is the Library/Study Room included in the program fees?
Study Room admission is provided on priority for students enrolled in our programs and one study room is reserved for Complete Batch students. As all students do not opt for Study Room, or have admitted to other nearby Study Rooms already, the Study Room fees are not included in the Program fees. There is a separate fee of Rs. 1180/- per month (subject to revision) for Study Room.
13) Will I clear UPSC CSE for sure after joining this program? What is the success rate of JPCEC?
We believe that it is ultimately students who have to do hard work, prepare well, and give the exams. Hence, it is them who are responsible for their own success and also only them deserve all the credit of success.
14) I am planning for the MPSC Civil Service Exam. Should I join this program as the syllabus is the same for both the exams?
Although the syllabus for MPSC and UPSC Civil Services Examination is the same from 2025-26, our long experience with MPSC and other state service examinations is that the difficulty level of papers, and level of competition is vastly higher in UPSC CSE than state level examinations. Students from entire country with more preparation compete in UPSC CSE. Also, there is more focus on state-specific content in the state-level examinations. Hence, you should not consider this program for MPSC CSE preparation.
15) I am in my second or third year of graduation. Should I join this program as the the last year of college is very light?
Complete Batch inputs are 2 hours daily, requiring at least 4 hours of preparation, for six days a week during Phase 1, and at least thrice a week during Phase 2. There are inputs for skill and aptitude building which require readiness to understand and implement those in preparation. College activities like organising and participating in academic and non-academic events also develop your personality and temperament for the exam as well as career. You can begin the preparation by reading the basic books and developing foundation of your Optional Subject during your Undergraduate or Masters’ program. We advise not to join the program unless you are able to give full time for UPSC CSE preparation, and attend all its sessions, tests, and indoor and outdoor activities.
Questions related to UPSC CSE Mission Mains Batch
1) Which exam is this Batch for?
This Batch is focussed on intensive answer writing for UPSC CSE Mains Examination.
2) What are the eligibility criteria for this Batch? Should I have cleared the UPSC CSE Preliminary Examination to enroll in this Batch?
The only eligibility criteria for this batch is to have strong preparation of UPSC CSE Mains content. Clearing UPSC CSE Prelims is not mandatory. Even if you are disqualified in Prelims, you can join Mission Mains Batch for rigorous practice of Mains Answer Writing.
3) When will the Mission Mains Batch start?
The Mission Mains Batch 2025 will start on Monday, 9th June, 2025 and will go on till 16th August, 2025. We have Open Online Sessions by our Toppers for guidance before the Batch begins. Refer to the poster and information sheet for more details.
4) What is the duration of the program?
The duration of the program is about 10 weeks, from 9th June 2025 to 16th August, 2025.
5) What are the fees for the program?
The fees for Mission Mains 2025 Batch will be notified soon.
6) Who are the faculty for the program?
Dr. Vivek Kulkarni, selected Officers, rankers in UPSC and high scorers in Mains papers are the faculty for this program. For 2025, Tejasvi Deshpande (AIR 99), Ankita Patil (AIR 303), Abhijit Pakhare (AIR 720), Sampada Wange (AIR 839), will be some of the faculty members.
7) Are all General Studies subjects covered in this Batch?
Yes, all General Studies subjects – Paper 1 – Essay, GS1- History, Geography, Society, GS2 – Polity, Governance, Social Justice, International Relations, GS3 – Economics, S&T, Environment, Disaster Management and Internal Security, GS4 – Ethics, are covered in Mission Mains Batch.
8) Are Optional subjects covered in this Batch?
No. Optional subjects are not covered in Mission Mains Batch currently, but guidance is given during individual mentoring sessions.
9) Are Model Answers provided in this Batch?
Ready-made Model Answers are not provided, but a thorough guidance on what points should be covered, how the answer needs to be structured, which terms to emphasize, etc. is given to the students. Each student must create their own style as copying others’ style is ineffective in actual exam.
10) Is weekly Mentoring for answer-writing included in this program?
We provide guidance and skill building for concise, complete and effective answer writing. This is given through detailed evaluation of tests and discussion and doubt-solving in class. Detailed in-person feedback on writing is provided during the Phase 3 Mission Mains preparation. This is not the tutoring process followed by many other entities which is mostly spoon-feeding and ineffective in actual exam.
11) Is the Library/Study Room included in the program fees?
Study Room admission is provided on priority for students enrolled in our programs . As all students do not opt for Study Room, or have admitted to other nearby Study Rooms already, the Study Room fees are not included in the Program fees. There is a separate fee for Study Room, based on their previous participation in JPCEC programs.
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