Saurabh Kumar is a Gold medalist in Mechanical Engineering, having more than 19 years of experience in training students for IITJEE & other engineering entrance exams with more than eight years with VMC as Director Academics & HOD Physics. He has trained more than 500 IITians to date & still counting. He has previously worked with different organizations of National repute as National Academic head etc. He was the first Indian faculty to establish and run successfully the Middle East operations of the IITJEE test preparation company in Dubai & Sharjah. He has also modified the famous book of physics by Rasnik & Halliday on Wiley publications. He is a potential speaker for seminars & plays a leading role in writing articles in newspapers & magazines and giving television interviews.
The concept of coaching, in its fundamental form, is one the most essential part of our existence. Instances of coaching are well documented in our mythology on multiple occasions like Arjuna learning ‘Dhanurvidya’ from Dhronacharya or let’s take an example from the modern world like Sachin Tendulkar being trained in cricket by Ramakant Achrekar or Vishwanathan Anand teaching chess to students.
Expert training has always been the backbone of a flourishing civilisation in every nook and cranny or every era of this world. Coaching is necessary for every aspect of life so that we can learn from the experiences of others who have devoted their lives to a particular walk of life.
We all need a counsellor, trainer or a guru to help us survive in any competition.
The above statement can be held true for competitions like engineering and medical entrance exams. Our current school system has its pros and cons, while it may teach us to acquire literacy or succeed in traditional, by-the-book exams and develop overall personality when it comes to academic or sports curriculum but when it comes to competitive exams, this system can’t provide the required help for students to obtain skill or mindset required to tackle these exams.
Development of thought process and mindset is one of the major components missing from our schooling system, along with the ability to handle competition effortlessly. Above all; the clarification, comprehension and understanding of fundamental concepts in every subject are also necessary. For example, an engineering aspirant should have a clear concept of principles of science, along with a stronghold on mathematics and problem-solving abilities, so that he/she can innovate for society to make lives better.
Similarly, a medical science aspirant should have the ability to make decisions fast along with crystal clear fundamentals of science, so that he/she can save lives in future.
This gap between the schooling system and competitive exams can be bridged with competent coaching and mentoring. With the increase in competition and more people resorting towards exams of this nature, the awareness about the requirement of proper coaching and experienced guidance has grown dramatically. More people are willing to spend on education for a better future and people are resorting towards trends to focus on interpersonal skills, technology advancement for an agile environment and more emphasis to increase the capability to demonstrate measurable results.
This indicates that the coaching industry is expected to grow further in the future, especially as the demand for engineering and medical as a profession has increased, thereby, increasing the need for preparation classes for these entrance exams.
Let us understand the main differences between board exams and competitive exams:
Although both the exams are based on the same syllabus, the approach and pedagogy for both exams (board and JEE/NEET) are different. This gives rise to the need for better guidance and tutelage. This guidance can be attained from any person in family or friends, who have qualified for this exam in the recent past.
However, if this guidance is not available properly, a prospective candidate has to opt for a good coaching institute with an established track record, where teachers are proficient and prepare a candidate properly with help of series of tests resembling the exams. Another important factor responsible for the need for additional coaching classes is the fact most parents are working these days and find it difficult to assist their child with preparations.
Specialised coaching becomes important for advanced entrance exams as it provides complete guidance and support to students till they achieve their goals and coaching for entrance exams also helps students to prepare for their board exams and understand concepts properly because this coaching is primarily for the main subjects, which include Physics, Chemistry and Maths/Biology.