Online courses for government job aspirants

In keeping with today's digital age, online platforms are venturing into the space of government job exams, writes Shobhit Bhatnagar

Government jobs are among the most sought-after jobs in the country today. Right from the salaries such jobs offer to the security and other perks, government jobs promise young professionals a good life.

Just look at the number of people attempting exams for positions in banks, civil services and other government agencies. This year, over 17 lakh students have appeared for the staff selection commission combined graduate level (SSC CGL) exam for 4,500 tentative vacancies.

Last year, the number of applicants was similar but the openings were around 8,000. The situation is the same across all government sectors, be it banking, UPSC  or state services.

When it comes to these examinations, traditional teaching methods are still in practice in some places. But most are taking the digital route keeping the growing preference for online exams among students all over as well as the ensuing accuracy while conducting these government exams in mind.

When everything around us is shifting to the digital arena, why keep the government exams in dark? Today, one can also find many coaching centres offering their services digitally, reaching out to aspirants in different parts of the country. Of course, going digital has its own benefits. While it allows a student to learn things at his or her own pace, it also gives him a broader perspective of the competition. Let’s take a look at some of the advantages in detail.

A handle on competition

For a student to be prepared for such intense competitions today, it is no longer sufficient to merely study for hours together. It has now become imperative that they should know their strong areas and also be able to gauge where they stand compared to their counterparts from across India.

While many traditional institutes are able to compare your performance with a couple of hundred students, digital learning platforms come with an inherent advantage of larger reach and the ability to analyse more data and drive insights. This way, online users can see where they stand in terms of other aspirants at that particular point.

For example, today there are over millions of students, who are preparing for various government job exams, making use of online platforms. The e-community  acts as a very powerful and fast information source. Be it staying updated on exam notifications or getting their doubts resolved, students leverage the power of the community to reach out to their peers or mentors directly and ask for help. Any question, easy or difficult, irrespective of who asked it or where it is asked, gets instantly answered by the community. This is something no traditional teaching method can offer to all its students.

Better learning material

With proliferation of technology, new platforms are also bringing in newer types of learning material to students. A student may not understand a particular teacher’s style, but the Internet brings thousands of teachers to their screen and she or he can choose the ones that matches her or his understanding level. The student might find a certain lecture that she or he really likes and can directly share that with the study group.

Well-designed ratings can also help students discover high-quality material, and find stuff relevant to them. This e-technology can truly help democratise education, helping students identify their needs and then pick learning material based on their requirements. Moreover, the coursework can be refreshed and updated as and when there is a change in the pattern.

Flexibility while preparing

Using online learning methods can give students the freedom to learn at their own convenience and pace. Every student, be it someone in a remote location or in a city, can be taught in the same way. Online portals offer all the benefits of offline coaching centres with added perks.

Affordable costs

Last but not the least, learning online also makes preparation affordable for students. For certain exams, the cost of preparation offline crosses one lakh rupees, a sum not all students could afford. Comparable online courses may cost only about a tenth of their cost offline and usually provide equally good if not better quality content with the best of teachers available from across India.

High-quality learning material combined with the power of community and data is the way forward for the highly competitive government job aspirants. While offline classes and books will continue to play a role in a student’s preparation, it is the ability of new platforms to leverage the community and the data that will make them more important going forward.

(The author is CEO, Gradeup)