Data obtained under the Right to Information Act (RTI) has revealed a bizarre tale about the trainee IAS officers at Mussoorie-based Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA). According to it, about 213 IAS officer trainees from multiple batches at LBSNAA had to reappear for examinations during training between 2020 and 2026 due to “poor performance” in various assessments.
Among the cadres, AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and UTs) recorded the highest number of officer trainees who reappeared for examinations at 21, followed by Tamil Nadu with 18 and UP with 16. It was further followed by Bihar and West Bengal with 15, MP with 14, Odisha 13, Maharashtra 12, and Gujarat 11, apart from others.
According to the academy, no IAS probationer was found cheating or using unfair means during examinations during that period.
The data shows that 1,079 IAS officer trainees underwent training at the academy between Jan 1, 2020, and Jan 1, 2026. The data also showed the number of IAS probationers enrolled annually ranged between 182 and 187 trainees, and it remained largely stable over the six years.
According to a senior academy official, an IAS officer’s training at LBSNAA goes far beyond classroom academics and includes field exposure, district attachments, physical fitness, public administration, law, economics, and governance-related assessments.
He points out that reappearing in examinations should not necessarily be viewed negatively, as the academy continuously evaluates officer trainees on multiple parameters to ensure they are prepared for real-world administrative responsibilities.
It is worth mentioning here that the IAS training programme at LBSNAA is a two-year induction process designed to transform civil service recruits into field-ready administrators via academic instruction, field exposure, and practical governance training.
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