Aspirants constrained by finances or social norms are turning to apps and websites for video tutorials
A day after he was declared this year’s all-India UPSC exam topper, Anudeep Durishetty told TOI that “YouTube is the best tutor” to prepare for the civils.
Durishetty is proof that the internet has democratized IAS coaching, otherwise monopolized by expensive academies in metros like Delhi. Aspirants from all over the country move to the Capital, often staying in congested shared quarters and commuting long distances, to crack one of the toughest competitive exams in the world. Now, online coaching, YouTube tutorials and live streaming of lessons make it possible for them to do it from the comfort of their homes.
Saumya Sharma, ranked ninth in UPSC 2017, relied entirely on online resources. Despite a hearing disability, she cleared the exam in the first attempt. “English subtitles on the online content helped me prepare better,” says the 23-year-old.
For women who find it difficult to relocate to another city due to social and family constraints, online coaching has been a boon. Dr L K Beejal, co-founder of Neostencil, shares the example of Ilma Afroz from Moradabad district, this year’s 217th rank-holder. “She hails from Kundarki, a small town near Moradabad. There was no good IAS academy in or near her town. With online coaching, she managed to crack IAS from the safety of her home,” says Beejal. Neostencil.com live streams lectures from 40 IAS coaching institutes.
Roman Saini, ranked 18th in UPSC 2014, says online content has grown remarkably in the last five years. “I wrote the exam when internet was expensive and there was hardly any content available online. If I were to write the exam today, it would take a lot less time to prepare,” says Saini, who prepped for the exam while pursuing MBBS at AIIMS in Delhi. He cleared it in the first attempt. But he quit next year and set up an online tuition portal, Una cademy, along with co-founder Gaurav Munjal.
Today, it has close to 2,500 videos on IAS preparation by qualified faculty, many of whom have cleared the exam or prepared for it.
Enrollments for the IAS programme of BYJU’s have grown by over 100% in the last one year, reveals Mrinal Mohit, COO of the learning app. “As many as 232 of our students were selected for UPSC this year,” says Mohit.
Most online coaching modules are priced between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000, with a content duration varying from 24 hours to seven days or more. However, some live streamed lectures can go up to Rs 90,000. But it still works out cheaper than offline, say online coaches. “Preparing for the civils takes at least two years. The tuition plus the cost of living in Delhi can go up to Rs 10 lakh,” says Beejal.
Four IASBaba subscribers secured ranks in the top 20, and about 80 cleared the exam, up from 64 last year. The portal set up by Mohan Kumar, Yeshwant Gurukar and Tauseef Ahmad in Bengaluru in 2015 has five lakh subscribers. “We provide guidance and preparation for prelims, mains and interview. Except for one programme, all other content is free,” says Mohan Kumar.
Mrunal.org, run by Mrunal Patel in Gujarat, provides access to free videos and guidance. His YouTube channel has more than 4.5 lakh subscribers, and is sought after for its economics videos.
Coaching institutes, however, point out that online tutorials have a low success rate. “Only extremely driven candidates can self-learn. The rest need structured guidance and curriculum,” says Amrit Singh Chopra, director, Unique Shiksha, an IAS coaching institute in Delhi.
Also, the mains paper is a written one, and aspirants don’t get writing practice when studying online, he adds.
A day after he was declared this year’s all-India UPSC exam topper, Anudeep Durishetty told TOI that “YouTube is the best tutor” to prepare for the civils.
Durishetty is proof that the internet has democratized IAS coaching, otherwise monopolized by expensive academies in metros like Delhi. Aspirants from all over the country move to the Capital, often staying in congested shared quarters and commuting long distances, to crack one of the toughest competitive exams in the world. Now, online coaching, YouTube tutorials and live streaming of lessons make it possible for them to do it from the comfort of their homes.
Saumya Sharma, ranked ninth in UPSC 2017, relied entirely on online resources. Despite a hearing disability, she cleared the exam in the first attempt. “English subtitles on the online content helped me prepare better,” says the 23-year-old.
For women who find it difficult to relocate to another city due to social and family constraints, online coaching has been a boon. Dr L K Beejal, co-founder of Neostencil, shares the example of Ilma Afroz from Moradabad district, this year’s 217th rank-holder. “She hails from Kundarki, a small town near Moradabad. There was no good IAS academy in or near her town. With online coaching, she managed to crack IAS from the safety of her home,” says Beejal. Neostencil.com live streams lectures from 40 IAS coaching institutes.
Roman Saini, ranked 18th in UPSC 2014, says online content has grown remarkably in the last five years. “I wrote the exam when internet was expensive and there was hardly any content available online. If I were to write the exam today, it would take a lot less time to prepare,” says Saini, who prepped for the exam while pursuing MBBS at AIIMS in Delhi. He cleared it in the first attempt. But he quit next year and set up an online tuition portal, Una cademy, along with co-founder Gaurav Munjal.
Today, it has close to 2,500 videos on IAS preparation by qualified faculty, many of whom have cleared the exam or prepared for it.
Enrollments for the IAS programme of BYJU’s have grown by over 100% in the last one year, reveals Mrinal Mohit, COO of the learning app. “As many as 232 of our students were selected for UPSC this year,” says Mohit.
Most online coaching modules are priced between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000, with a content duration varying from 24 hours to seven days or more. However, some live streamed lectures can go up to Rs 90,000. But it still works out cheaper than offline, say online coaches. “Preparing for the civils takes at least two years. The tuition plus the cost of living in Delhi can go up to Rs 10 lakh,” says Beejal.
Four IASBaba subscribers secured ranks in the top 20, and about 80 cleared the exam, up from 64 last year. The portal set up by Mohan Kumar, Yeshwant Gurukar and Tauseef Ahmad in Bengaluru in 2015 has five lakh subscribers. “We provide guidance and preparation for prelims, mains and interview. Except for one programme, all other content is free,” says Mohan Kumar.
Mrunal.org, run by Mrunal Patel in Gujarat, provides access to free videos and guidance. His YouTube channel has more than 4.5 lakh subscribers, and is sought after for its economics videos.
Coaching institutes, however, point out that online tutorials have a low success rate. “Only extremely driven candidates can self-learn. The rest need structured guidance and curriculum,” says Amrit Singh Chopra, director, Unique Shiksha, an IAS coaching institute in Delhi.
Also, the mains paper is a written one, and aspirants don’t get writing practice when studying online, he adds.
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