The question of coaching or no coaching often haunts every student’s mind after completing 10th boards who aspire to take Joint Entrance Exam. Cracking one of the toughest exams of the country is a dream of many but aspirants have a lot on their plate from maintaining school attendance, grabbing good grades to prepare for IIT-JEE.
With high expectations to ace, JEE comes along with the question of how to prepare for it. Many aspirants look to take the help of coaching centers while others prefer self-study. Coaching centers have become a flourishing industry around entrance exams like JEE Main & JEE Advanced which help aspirants achieve their goals.
Before getting into whether coaching is important or not to ace the exam, let’s look at what data study has to say:
A study done by IIT-Guwahati in 2016 stated that 52.4% of students who got admissions to IITs had done self-study for JEE Advanced. 44.5% students who got admissions in IIT had taken help from coaching centers and the remaining 2% took help from private coaching.
The above trend continued in 2013 as per a study by IIT Delhi. IIT Guwahati also saw an approximate intake of 61% aspirants who prepared by doing self-study.
The above studies by various IITs show the trend followed by aspirants taking the esteemed Joint Entrance Exam. The notion of taking coaching for an exam like JEE is changing and aspirants are leaning towards self-study.
Are coaching centers losing the charm?
Data shows that coaching centers in Kota have contributed to 15.6% of total admissions in IIT’s lone. So discarding the fact that coaching centers are not a viable option for an aspirant to prepare for JEE Main and JEE Advanced will be misleading, to say the least. So, before an aspirant jumps to conclusions, here are some positives of coaching centers:
- The best part about a coaching center is guidance. Coaching centers help aspirants in every domain of their preparations. There are times when an aspirant might feel lost and then comes the need for guidance and a helping hand.
- The study materials that coaching centers provide are weighed in the value of gold for aspirants. These study materials help a student to do selective study rather than having to decipher the syllabus on their own.
- Aspirants are fed with vital information regarding the IIT-JEE test. An aspirant doesn’t need to scavenge anywhere for any such information, saving precious preparation time.
- Coaching centers help prepare a winning schedule for aspirants to adhere to so that he/she can get rest assured and just focus on their preparations.
- A coaching center helps an aspirant connect with like-minded people with whom they can bounce of off ideas, share strategies, and even resolve doubts.
- The coaching centers often organize test sessions that help aspirants to flex their practice muscles.
- The other added benefit of joining a coaching center is that they help aspirants to consult regarding colleges and universities that are the best fit for the individual aspirant.
There is no definite answer to the questions that coaching centers are losing ground as the facts state otherwise. Coaching or no coaching, the one thing that remains constant for every aspirant of IIT-JEE is self-study. If an aspirant requires individual attention then that is not possible in a coaching center. So, the bottom line is, it depends on the individual aspirant to how they consume and utilize what is being taught.
The positives are definitely there for everyone to see but the option of joining a coaching center comes with its own baggage. The business of coaching centers is thriving because of the hefty fees that they charge per student. Coaching center fees demand a big budget allocation by parents of the aspirants and not all can afford it.
Is self-study the new trend?
IIT-JEE is one of the most revered exams of the country so the preparations have to be such that it’s worth the stature of the exam. So, is self-study sufficient? Absolutely. Don’t take anyone’s word for it as statistics state that candidates intake in IITs is more from the self-study group than from the ones from the coaching centers.
Before exploring further, here are a few positives of doing self-study to motivate aspirants:
- Save ample conveyance time. Rather than traveling to and fro from coaching centers, an aspirant can utilize the time to self-study. If an aspirant chooses to join a coaching center then the time left for self-study (an important component of JEE preparations) will be minuscule.
- Self-studying is cost-effective. Coaching center fees are well known and are not pocket-friendly. One can actually buy a vehicle with the fees money.
- What better than the comfort of home to prepare for the exam. An aspirant just has to learn the technique of not getting too comfortable.
- JEE exam is such that not many can predict the paper. The selective study method preached at coaching centers can be dangerous at times.
- Coaching study materials and predictions are readily available online and hence, it is not a necessity to join a coaching center to lay hands on them.
- As and when an aspirant feels lost in their preparations, they can hop online for and access numerous resources to get help. Uncountable webinars, podcasts, vlogs, and interactive communities are available online for an aspirant in doubt.
- JEE is all about concepts, speed, and accuracy, making practice an important part of preparations. Take mock tests and solve the previous year’s paper online rather than taking a trip to coaching centers to practice.
Depending completely on self-study might not be everyone’s cup of tea but is essential for everyone taking the exam. An aspirant needs to put their heart and mind if they choose self-study as the only mode of preparation. Besides dedication, an aspirant needs precision in strategy, scheduling the day for study, revision, and practice, and not to forget school.
The middle ground and conclusion:
The decision to whether join a coaching center or to do self-study is a tough one, as both modes of study have their own pros and cons. The middle ground here can be that an aspirant can begin with self-study and later join coaching as a part of the final preparations or the other way around. Whether an aspirant decides to join a coaching center or self-study, mock tests, and solving previous year’s papers are still key to acing IIT-JEE.