Learn Tally, GST and Excel Alongside B.Com: A Study Plan

Who is this guide for, and who should wait?

This is for you if you are in a regular, open-learning or weekend programme, want a skill that helps with accounts or tax roles, and can spare a few hours a week outside exams. Wait if you are preparing for an exam that needs all your time, or if you are aiming at a career outside accounts, such as management or design. A skill course can wait until you know your direction.

Which should a college student learn first: Tally, GST or Excel?

Learn Tally first, then GST, then Excel, because each skill uses the one before it.

1. Tally first. Tally shows how a transaction becomes a voucher, a ledger entry and a report. Your B.Com accounting papers teach the same logic on paper. Tally lets you practise it on a computer.
2. GST second. GST invoices are recorded inside accounting software, so voucher basics come first. GST rules also change, so study from a current source. For most goods and services, the GST Council recommended rates of 5% and 18%, with a 40% rate for a small set of items, from 22 September 2025; some items stay nil-rated or special-rated (PIB release on the GST Council recommendations, 3 Sep 2025).
3. Excel third. Excel helps most once you have accounting data to work on, such as bank reconciliations (matching your books to the bank statement), ageing lists (unpaid bills sorted by how overdue they are) and summaries. Our Excel formulas for accounting guide lists the formulas worth learning.

A quick checklist to pick your starting point

• You have never used accounting software: start with Tally.
• You know vouchers and ledgers from your syllabus: start with Tally anyway; the first week will feel familiar.
• You already use Tally: take GST next.
• You are comfortable with GST entries and want to work faster: take Advanced Excel.
• Your exams start within six weeks: wait, or keep study light. Your degree comes first.

In short: if you are unsure, start with Tally.

How long does each skill take?

At IPA, the Tally course is 1 month at basic level and 2 months at advanced level. The GST course is 2 months. The Advanced Excel course is 2 months on its fast-track schedule. Your own pace and batch timing decide when you finish.

Taken one after another, the three add up to 5 to 6 months of course time: 1 + 2 + 2 months with basic Tally, or 2 + 2 + 2 months with advanced Tally. Many students leave gaps for exams and revision, so the calendar time is usually longer. All three are short courses with placement assistance. Fees are shared by IPA’s counsellors on request through the know-the-fees option.

What should you do in each year of college?

Spread the three skills across your degree instead of rushing them into one term.

• First year: focus on your syllabus. Learn the ideas behind debit, credit, ledgers and trial balance. If you have a long break, start Tally.
• Second year: add GST once you can enter vouchers without help. Make one mock set of books for an imaginary shop and keep it.
• Final year: add Excel, prepare your CV and look for an internship. Keep room for your final exams.

If you are already near the end of your degree, compress the order but keep it: Tally, then GST, then Excel.

What does an illustrative weekly study plan look like?

Fit learning into the gaps in your timetable and leave your degree study time alone. The visual below shows one illustrative week. Change the hours to match your own college timetable and keep one full day with no study.

How the plan changes for each skill

• Tally weeks: spend most time on voucher entry, then on reading reports. Re-enter the same ten transactions until you can do them without help.
• GST weeks: practise invoices with the right rate and tax type, then trace how an invoice reaches a return. Check each rate against a current source.
• Excel weeks: build one small workbook from your Tally data, such as a party-wise outstanding list, and improve it each week.

How do you practise at home?

You need a computer and a steady routine. Tally Solutions says TallyPrime has an educational mode that can be used for learning and evaluation. It also says that mode has limits and is not meant to replace a business licence (TallyPrime FAQ guide, read 13 Oct 2026). Check the limits on Tally’s site, or ask your teacher, before you rely on it for practice.

• Use imaginary data. Invent a small shop with a few customers, suppliers and a bank account, and run a month of transactions.
• Redo the entries. Close the tutorial and repeat them from memory.
• Check your answer. Your trial balance should tally. If it does not, find the entry that is wrong.
• Keep a mistakes list. Write each error and its fix. Read it before a class or interview.

Our step-by-step guide to learning Tally breaks the software into small stages. If you are comparing software, Tally vs Zoho Books vs Busy explains the options.

How do you avoid clashing with exams?

Plan the skill course around your exam calendar before you pay or join.

• Look at your date sheet first. Pick a start date that leaves at least a few clear weeks before exams.
• Cut the plan in exam weeks. Keep only the weekend revision hour, or pause.
• Ask about breaks. Ask the institute how a pause or a missed class is handled before you enrol.
• Avoid stacking two new skills in an exam term.

Which batch should you choose, offline or online?

IPA’s offline batches run between 9am and 6pm, and its online batches run until 10pm. Timings are flexible depending on the batches formed. The options open to you depend on which batches are running when you ask.

• Choose offline if your college leaves daytime gaps, such as a free day or a late start, and you can travel.
• Choose online if your lectures run through the day and you can study in the evening, because online batches run until 10pm.
• Not sure? Share your college timetable and ask about current batches on the enquiry form, or call 9213855555.

What should you put on your CV?

List what you can do with each tool, and include only things you could show in an interview.

• Tally: name the version you used and list tasks such as voucher entry, bank reconciliation, GST invoicing and trial balance.
• GST: list tasks you practised, such as preparing invoices at the correct rate and reading a return, instead of writing “GST expert”.
• Excel: list the functions you can use without help, for example lookups, pivot tables and basic reconciliation.
• Projects: one mock set of books, saved as a file you can open, adds proof beyond a certificate line.
• Degree and dates: put your degree, current year and expected completion date at the top so an employer knows you are still studying.

Our resume format for accounting freshers shows layout and wording. Do not claim software you have not used.

A self-test before you list a skill

This is IPA’s practical checklist, and it is not drawn from an employer survey.

• Tally: can you enter a month of sales, purchase, receipt and payment vouchers, then match the bank statement?
• GST: can you raise a correct tax invoice and explain which figures flow into the return?
• Excel: can you clean a messy list and summarise it with a pivot table?

If you answer yes without notes, list the skill. If not, practise more first.

How do you find an internship and make the most of it?

An internship lets you see real books, even if you only help with small tasks.

• Start with people you know. Ask relatives, neighbours, local traders and your college teachers whether a small firm needs help.
• Offer specific help. “I can enter vouchers and prepare a bank reconciliation” is clearer than “I want to learn”.
• Ask what you may keep. Business data is private. Never copy client files, and ask before you mention a firm’s name on your CV.
• Note what you learn. Write down the tasks you did so you can describe them in an interview.
• Keep it manageable. A few hours a week fits alongside college. Protect your exam time.

How do you avoid burnout while studying and learning skills?

Treat your degree as the main job, the skill course as the second, and rest as the third. Burnout comes from stacking everything at once.

• Take one skill at a time. Do not start Tally, GST and Excel in the same month.
• Keep one fixed day off every week.
• Practise in short sessions. Forty-five minutes of typing entries yourself beats two hours of watching.
• Keep your sleep steady. Late-night study before a morning lecture hurts both.
• Cut the load if you stay tired. If a schedule leaves you worn out for two weeks, reduce it and talk to a teacher or counsellor before quitting.

In short: a smaller plan you keep up beats a bigger plan you drop.

Frequently asked questions

Ready to ask about current batches?

Tell IPA your college timetable and which skill you want to start with, and a counsellor will tell you which offline or online batch is open. Use the enquiry form, call 9213855555, or email email@tipa.in.