Self-study vs Coaching

Garima Upadhyay Rawat

For Mani Sharma, making it to Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology came after months of hard work, dedicated studies and believing in herself. Today she is on the verge of her completing BTech and going to the US for further studies. What is different about her success however is the fact that she didn't coach with any private coaching institute and made the cut solely by her own efforts.

Says she, "School and coaching classes eat up all your study time leaving no scope for self-study. In examinations like the IIT-JEE or AIEEE, it is very important to be clear with concepts and have a cogent study plan. Not just concepts, but timing and attitude are also central to exam preparation. I joined coaching in the initial months, but left it in the third month because I was not getting enough time to study by myself. I don't think coaching is the only gateway to premier engineering colleges. My case is an example among many others," she adds.

She comes across as any other city girl, cheery and chirpy with her set of friends. But when she says, "IIT is not tough to clear, It's easy," one sits back to take a more serious note. But these are no hollow words as Sumegha Garg not only cleared the IIT JEE but also topped among girls in India with an All India Rank of 12.

Hailing from Punjab, Sumegha confesses preparing for JEE required special attention. She says, "I needed to prepare systematically and so I shifted to Delhi where I studied at the Narayana IIT Academy. This was a good move as my teachers helped me focus and work hard on my weak areas. My joys knew no bounds when I saw the result as it is one of the toughest entrance exams in the world and clearing it with such good position is nirvana. I am thankful to Narayana for giving me personalized training and paying extra attention to my queries," she exclaims with joy.

But how long were her studying hours? "Three to four hours at the institute and around 3-4 hours of self-study were enough for me," replies Sumegha about her study routine.

From times when self-study was considered a virtue to the present, where coaching is the life line for most students, the approach to study has gone through a sea change! Today, most engineering and MBA aspirants prefer coaching than rely on self-study only, to ace premier entrance exams. Along with raising eye-brows, the trend is also raising doubts over the quality and standards of school education.

There have been endless debates probing the efficacy of private tutoring. Modern lifestyle where parents don't have enough time to supervise their kid's daily education needs and dipping attention spans of youngsters, are leading to the mushrooming of coaching centres, which cater to the K-12 segment. While the race to make it to an IIT or a good engineering college, lures engineering aspirants and their parents to the coaching net.

While there is no denying that self-study holds the key to making or marring your chances. Coaching gives you that extra edge, which helps in channelizing your energy and efforts.

C V Kalyan Kumar, Director, FIITJEE says, "Unlike the general belief among students, parents and even many of the so called experts, success in IIT-JEE is not merely a function of a student's ability to understand concepts. In fact this is just the tip of the ice berg. The real challenge is to develop analytical thinking skills-the art of weaving the concepts and knowledge acquired in to a logical sequence to create the correct solution to a problem. FIITJEE realized this long before and our training methodology involves developing the analytical ability of a student along with the right mix of attitudes and examination temperament."

While there can be many reasons for a student to take refuge in coaching, it is not a cent percent success formula. Saloni Kapoor, a Delhi student opines, "Every year scores of students make a beeline to these coaching institutes but only a handful of them actually nail the exam. The others are left to fend for themselves. If every student has to coach after school hours to pass in exams, what is the point of having schools in the first place? Why don't academicians and policy makers inquire about the level of education being imparted in schools? When we pay a hefty school fee, we should be entitled to quality education, extra classes, remedial classes (if required) and mentoring by the school. If they are failing to provide these, then open-schools should be promoted. If we have to pay high coaching fees in addition to school fee, while still being unsure of our future, what's the point of having schools in the first place?"

Will you give self-study more preference over coaching? Share your ideas...

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