Ideally, people start in Jan-March, but June-July is still decent if you’re regular. I joined IMS in June and followed their 6-month crash program. How I structured it is June to August, I focused on learning concepts in QA (esp. arithmetic), did daily RCs, and solved 2-3 sets of LRDI. September onwards, 1 mock/week, full analysis, revisiting weak chapters. From October to Nov, I did 2 mocks/week, focused revision, specific question types (like para summary, caselets). If you’re starting late and don’t want to waste time curating resources, a crash course/coaching helps.

I was in my final year of college and started prep seriously in August. First 2 weeks went in assessing where I stood, did a diagnostic mock.

I started in mid-July while working full-time, and yes, 6 months is enough if you’re consistent and strategic. I began with basics for the first 1.5 months—focusing on arithmetic and reading daily. By mid-September, I switched to 1 mock every 10 days, then increased to 1-2 per week by October. Theory Practice till September, Mocks Sectionals from October onwards and final month for revision and weak areas. The key is not delaying mocks you don’t need to “complete the syllabus” to start.