Kota Diaries: Engineering Coaching in Kota

Engineering
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Divide and train; A strategy by IIT-JEE coaching institutes

Major IIT coaching institutes in the country like Allen, Career point, Bansal, Aakash, etc are known for producing top rankers in JEE every year. Most of the credit for this achievement may be attributed to the teaching techniques and faculty. However, many of these classes also indulge in  a process of student segregation on the basis of calibre. The intelligent and average students are clubbed in separate batches and treated to different levels of academic training. It is this batch that eventually becomes the identity of these students and shapes their IIT dream. Here is a three part series exploring this act of divide, how it affects students and the culture of IIT coaching at large. 

Some renowned coaching classes conduct an entrance exam to admit students in their JEE preparation programmes. Based on the ranks procured in this exam, students are usually divided into batches. For e.g. IITian's Pace, Mumbai has 10 batches; XL, XL1, XL2, XL3, 4, 5, 6, and so on in descending order of student intelligence. Thus, the smartest students are placed in XL or XL1 and the average students form batches 9 and 10. 

Ashish Gupta, MD, Bansal Classes, Jaipur, says, "This system has been followed since many years wherein the top 50-60 ranks in our entrance exam are clubbed in one batch. These students are considered to have higher chances of getting top ranks in the JEE." Bansal Classes is known to have started this trend of student segregation. According to Gupta, earlier there were limited number of seats in coaching institutes which made it easier to manage a single batch of 200-300 students. Teachers could personally keep a track of each student's performance. However, over the years, increasing number of students are admitted to the classes from niche corners of the country with different academic backgrounds. Hence student segregation has made it easier to differentiate between student competencies. 

Some institutes which do not use the entrance exam system for segregation, form batches during the course of the JEE preparation programme. Sagar Singh, a student of IITian's Pace, says, "The process of student segregation starts from the first day of classes itself. We were told in the orientation session that our performance would be evaluated for 6 months and then we would be divided into batches." Sagar is currently in batch XL3 which is the 4th batch in descending order of ranks. 

Students say that every 3-6 months, practice tests are conducted and their cumulative marks decide  whether they stay at the same level of batch or get promoted to a higher level. However, Suparna Ghosh, another student of IITian's Pace, says, "It is very unlikely for a student to be promoted or relegated in class. The first segregation will stick with you until the last day of coaching." In some coaching classes, the criteria to promote to a higher level is too tough to achieve. Nitin Vijay, MD, Motion Classes, says, "Students have to show a minimum of 30% improvement in cumulative scores of all the tests to be able to move up in the hierarchy." Career Point, Kota, has no procedure whatsoever to transfer students between batches. The only time students are transferred to another batch is when the faculty in-charge decides to do so, which is very rare. 

While the fees charged by the institute remains constant throughout all batches, the pattern and faculty of teaching varies based on the quality of students. However, by the end of the year, most students identify themselves with the batch they are placed in. These batches shape the students' mentality of achieving an IIT seat or a JEE rank. Most coaching institutes PaGaLGuY spoke to agreed that students in the top batches have higher probabilities of being top rankers in JEE and hence are given better motivation and tougher training. 

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Mental Math adds hope for competitive exam aspirants

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From saving time in solving numerical problems in physics, chemistry or math, to developing concentration and memory, Mental Mathematics has come up as a new ray of hope for competitive exam aspirants across various fields like Engineering, Medical, CA, Law, MBA, Civil Services, etc.

Mental Math programmes offer aspirants the advantage of high speed and accuracy in solving mathematical problems, which is crucial when reducing time taken to solve complex problems in an exam. Akhilesh Jain, of Trendz Abacus, a Mental Math academy in Kota, explained that Mental Math not only saves valuable time during competitive exams, but also boosts the confidence levels of the students to excel in such exams.

Mental Math helps students in calculations related to the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of decimal numbers. These operations then become a matter of seconds for those who master this way of learning. Questions like 6.45 x 2.34, 2.456 + 3.3536, 6.023 x 12 etc. can be solved easily without resolving to pen and paper.

Himanshu Sharma, who holds two national records in Mental Math, studies in a coaching institute in Kota. He is able to solve numerical problems by the time the teachers finish writing them on the board. The joke is on him when lecturers instruct him not to reply and let other students try through normal routes.

Atisha Jain, who holds three national records, and is listed in the Limca book of Records, is studying architecture at Anand, Gujarat. She testifies how she earned an edge in her entrance exams and boosted her logical skills through Mental Math. It has also sharpened her visual skills as the techniques are helpful in designing and drawing as well.

MVH Kishan, of Seeds Institute, another academy that teaches these programmes in Kota, explained that Mental Math can also play the role of active meditation for the students, helping them improve focus and concentration, thus enhancing their performance levels. "Abacus Learning is surely a solution for today's competitive age," he said.

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IIT-JEE coaching institutes favour student segregation 

'Student Segregation' as a policy has long persisted in major IIT-JEE coaching institutes in India. Several debatable factors surface when discussing the pros and cons of this strategy. In this second article of our three-part series, we shall discuss what top coaching institutes feel about it. What is the mentality behind Bansal Classes starting a segregation policy which then had a bandwagon effect on all other institutes in the country?

According to Ashish Gupta, MD, Bansal Classes, Jaipur, the system of holding an entrance exam  for their classes was scrapped 5 years ago. Owing to an increasing influx of students, the segregation policy was introduced to identify student calibre. Many institutes commence batches on a rolling basis, hence every batch is at a different level in their syllabus at the same time. Thus, maintaining a single batch of students is an outdated approach. 

Coaching classes are of the opinion that when students are segregated, they can be given different levels of training based on their calibre. Pramod Maheshwari, MD, Career Point, says, "Average students require more time on concept clearance before problem solving. 'Intelligent' student batches can be taught tougher questions, since less time is spent in teaching the concept/theory itself." The general notion is that some students are fast learners and are able to complete the syllabus earlier than the other students. Nitin Vijay, MD, Motion Classes, says, "While segregating students, those who are considered to have higher chances of securing a rank in JEE are clubbed in the same batch. Such students are trained accordingly. The average students require more motivation to simply secure better marks."

What happens when students are subjected to such divides? According to Maheshwari, it primarily depends on the students' previous academic background. What engineering concepts are they acquainted with and how much more needs to be taught or trained will determine their segregation. Institutes consider students of different calibre seated together to be counterproductive. It is not fair to expect an average student to deliver the same quality of performance as an intelligent one. 

While this system may have borne fruits in the students' achievements, its effectiveness can be debated. Dr Dayal Mirchandani, a psychiatrist from Mumbai, says, "What is the criteria followed to segregate students? A single test cannot judge a student's calibre. They may score low on a test due to several reasons other than competence. Placing them in a lower level class will give them  an unfair vibe and demotivate them from performing well." He believes that factors like motivation and work of the students should also be considered while segregating them. However, the idea of segregation altogether is unruly to Dayal, who feels that weaker students can be given extra lectures for improvement rather than subjecting them to such discrimination. 

Meanwhile, Gupta is of the view that it was more sensible earlier to have an entrance exam and regulate the quality of students being admitted to the institute. Scrapping away the entrance test has opened doors to students with all levels of understanding. Hence, he feels that the segregation policy holds value today. 

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Coaching institute organizes seminar on motivating students for engineering exams

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A seminar on various engineering entrance examinations was held for students of Class 12 by Kota based coaching Institute Career Point. An expert team of faculty members explained the importance of the JEE (Main) and JEE (Advanced) papers and explained how to understand the statistical analysis of the scores.

Rajneesh Goyal, sr. faculty member, Career Point, explained the process how the JEE (Main) is an exam that acts as the gateway for admissions to the NITs, IITs and other institutes. He explained the different parameters required to prepare for in both JEE (Main) and JEE (Advanced), and how they can be used to get admissions in various engineering colleges. He revealed the misconception that preparing for JEE (Advanced) would cover the preparation for JEE (Main), which is not true for the average student.

The experts also provided information about other engineering colleges like DTU, NSIT, IIIT, DAIICT, PEC, AIT, etc. They also shared information of colleges who take their own entrance exams, like BITSAT, VIT, QSAT, etc.

Pramod Maheshwari, Director, Career Point, who is also the Chancellor of Career Point University, also addressed the students. He said that being positive and self-confident were the major ingredients of lifelong success. He gave several examples proving that happiness is the key to success and not vice versa. Failure should be accepted and not feared. Moving forward and learning from failure would give rise to an attitude that 'I never lose, either I win or I learn.' He said that students should choose colleges where apart from academics, importance is given to learning life skills like leadership, group dynamics, planning, execution, team building, etc. are taught, as they are very important for consistent growth and success in life.

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Republic Day celebrated in Kota's institutes

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Coaching institutes and students in Kota were not behind in celebrating Republic Day as it was celebrated with traditional gaiety and fervour.

At Resonance Eduventures, the flag hoisting was carried out by Chandalal Verma, father of Resonance MD RK Verma. Children of Resonance staff recited poems and sang the National Anthem. The Seva Ram Charitable Trust of the Resonance Group also organized a blood donation camp for the occasion. Sweets were served to students and staff.

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Career Point organized a Republic day ceremony at their Gurukul campus. Students, parents and staff attended the ceremony where students performed various cultural programs saluting the golden heritage of the nation. Arvind Yadav, a parent, addressed the students, elaborating on the meaning of the day and motivating them to fruitful things for the society and nation.

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Allen Coaching Institute also celebrated the day at their Indira Vihar campus in presence of Director Naveen Maheshwari and spiritual leader Radhakrishnaji Maharaj. The Tricolour was hoisted, and the National Anthem and patriotic songs were performed by students and faculty.

Other coaching institutes of Kota also celebrated Republic Day with similar ceremonies.

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Segregation Policy in IIT-JEE coaching; student experiences 

Student segregation on the basis of calibre has transcended into teaching patterns of most engineering coaching institutes in India. It has also synced with the mentality of the students in these institutes. In our previous parts, we saw how the segregation policy has worked successfully for coaching institutes, but only for producing top JEE rankers every year. However, does this strategy have any long-lasting implications on the students' careers? PaGaLGuY brings to you experience stories by students and professionals who have attended some top coaching institutes.

Rahul Ranjan: 

Attended Vibrant Classes, Kota; Graduated from IIIT Allahabad in 2015

I studied in Vibrant for barely 6 months. The institute segregated students into 20 batches based on their calibre. At the time of admission, I was placed in the top batch. However, since I was simultaneously applying for US universities, I shifted to Indore for a month to prepare for SLT. When I returned to Vibrant, I was demoted to the 10th batch and no matter how hard I studied, the cut-off to promote to the top batch was too high to achieve. Besides, the general notion that persisted in Vibrant was that students beyond the 3rd batch had no scope to achieve an IIT seat. A lot of students in the lower batches might have had the calibre and capacity to earn a JEE rank, but the flaw lay in the competition pattern. Students were shuffled every 15 days into different batches. Our focus was channelised into maintaining our position in a batch rather than working towards the bigger goal i.e. an IIT seat. Besides, the training given to all students was not equal. The institute usually focussed only on the top 100-150 students. The 6 months of training I received in Vibrant helped me secure a 10,000 rank in IIT-JEE, while I earned a better rank (AIR 8,000) in AIEEE through self study. 

Vibrant Classes refused to comment on the issue. 

Krishna Hasa: 

Attended Gowtham Junior College, Andhra Pradesh; Graduated from BITS Pilani, Goa in 2008

We had a segregation process, but the majority of the students were so engrossed in their studies and the regular tests, that there was not much prejudice about the batch we belonged to. At some point we had a realisation about how batches were formed, but it didn't seem to bother anyone anymore. In fact, not all students in the top batch made it to an IIT. I too was in the top batch, but  graduated from BITS Pilani, Goa. 

Gowtham Junior College was later taken over by Sri Narayana Junior College. The latter refused to comment about the processes prevalent in Gowtham when it was an independent entity. 

Vipul Agrawal:

Attended Vidyamandir Classes; Currently studying at NSIT, Delhi

In Vidyamandir, students were divided into 2 batches based on the marks they scored in the entrance test. There were 240 students in the top batch and 320 students in the regular batch. Initially, I was placed in the regular batch, but within a few months, I was promoted to the top batch. As opposed to the general notion, Vidyamandir did not portray any bias in teaching either of the batches. Having sailed in both the boats, I can say that students from both batches have somewhat of an equal chance of making it to an IIT. For e.g., I did not secure a good enough rank to get admission in an IIT despite being trained in the top batch. In fact, I feel this segregation is done to provide better teaching assistance to students based on their calibre. It does not spread much negative sentiment among students in the regular batch. 

Vidyamandir says

Initially when the batches are formed, students in the regular batch may feel inferior or demotivated. But that is just temporary. In some months, they realise that the system is doing them more good. Besides, one student should never be compared to another whose calibre is higher. That will create more negative feeling than segregation. 

Ashutosh Jawahar:

Attended Career Point, Kota; Currently studying at IIT Kharagpur

Classes keep raising the benchmark to pass in the internal tests. So there is a constant pressure to study. Those who can take such pressure, will find this a motivation to study harder. The institute did not put any extra efforts into any student in my view. Students of all batches were treated equally. 

Career Point says

Students in lower batches are given more attention while teaching and are personally motivated. The rules are obviously made stricter for the lower batch students since they have to be disciplined for self-study as well. However, some of them may take such strictness negatively. 

Sagar Singh: 

Currently studying at IITians PACE, Mumbai, 

The first segregation will stick with you until the last day of coaching. We are all aspiring for an IIT, but the institute does't believe that students beyond batch XL3 will make it into high JEE ranks. Hence the teaching facilities and motivation also differs accordingly. 

IITians PACE response

In the segregation system, the less attentive or weaker students are given more attention. We work much harder on such students to motivate and train them. In fact, unlike some other coaching institutes, all batches of students have the same set of teachers. I agree that students in lower batches may develop a complex that they may not get a high JEE rank. However, such students usually have high potential and if they work harder and set aside their notions, they will be able to score much better. 

Ashwin Pandey:

Currently studying at Bansal Classes, Kota

I am not very serious about getting into an IIT and I don't have much hopes either. I am currently in a mid-level batch at Bansal Classes and if I got the chance for a promotion, I wouldn't give it up. But there is no conscious effort to move to the top batches. Besides, the criteria for promotion is also tough and so is the stress to maintain that position. Most students in my batch don't care anymore about the difference in teaching throughout batches. I agree there is a bias in the way top batches are trained, but we have accustomed ourselves to this system in the past 2 years. Besides, most students in my batch or the lower ones have very little hope of achieving a high JEE rank or an IIT seat. 

Bansal Classes response 

Maintaining a single batch of students is an outdated approach. Students in the lower batches are given adequate motivation to perform better. Ofcourse, you can't expect a batch 10 student to secure marks as high as a batch 1 student.

Students from different coaching institutes have had varied experiences with the segregation system. Some have blamed the institute for shattering their IIT dream while others have acknowledged the flaws in their hard work. Overall, this system that has borne fruit for a lot of coaching institutes, has earned mixed reviews from the very students to whom it is expected do good. 

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Kota institute launches exam information app ahead of entrance exams.

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At the start of the coming season of engineering and medical entrance exams, Motion Institute of Kota has launched an Android mobile app, 'All About Exams', to aid students who will be participating in these exams. National BJP General Secretary, Kailash Vijayvargiya, launched the app at a function in Kota.

The app can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store. Nitin Vijay, Director, Motion Institute, informed that the app offers complete information about the different entrance exams. "The app tells students about various exams, dates, notices, solved papers, video solutions, etc. Not just the students of Motion Institute, but any student from anywhere can get information through the app," he said. With the Entrance Examination season to commence in a few months from now, the app would be beneficial for students.

"The app is very interactive and easy to use. Motion students will get classroom program planners, a complete overview of student attendance, class notices and performance reports. We have also provided the facility of rank predictor and branch predictor for engineering aspirants, for all students - those studying at Motion or elsewhere," added Vijay. 

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Buffalo inaugurates student union office in Kota college

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In what may be branded as a funny incident, the country's coaching capital, Kota, witnessed a buffalo inaugurating the Student Union (SU) office of the Government Commerce College Kota (GCCK). This was in protest against the college administration who had withheld approval for inaugurating the office since August 2015.

The GCCK SU president, Praful Pathak, of the National Student Union of India (NSUI) brought a garlanded buffalo with a placard stating 'Principal' tied around its neck, to the college campus and marched it to the SU office. The buffalo was treated like a chief guest of the event. Later the students also locked GCCK Principal HL Meena out of his office, while the buffalo stood outside.

On being asked about the issue, Mr. Meena said that the administration was putting in efforts to inaugurate the office, but the different student leaders and their groups had some differences which were delaying the inauguration.

Pathak told PaGaLGuY that the college was facing pressure from the state's ruling party BJP to not inaugurate the SU office, as the NSUI, a Congress Party student wing, had won the SU elections in August. "The last date for inauguration was January 31, but the college administration was behaving like a buffalo. So we got an actual buffalo to inaugurate the SU office," he said.

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Any idea of faculty recruitment in coaching Institutes of kota ? How 2 apply ?

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Presenting the 'Plan B' career options to students in Kota

An important question always strikes in the mind of a student while preparing for any national level entrance exam; what will happen if they are not selected?

Education & Career Expo 2016 was organized by WISE Consultants to provide that Plan B option to the students in Kota. Even if students fail to crack IIT, NIT, AIPMT, IIM and CA examinations, they should not be disheartened. There are multiple reputed private universities and colleges that offer a variety of courses that are market relevant and job oriented.

Dr Saurabh Maheshwari, Director, WISE Consultants told that considering the need of society and assessing the severity of problem of suicides by fruss33trated and over pressurized youth of India, these kinds of events are a must.

The event was inaugurated by Sawai Singh Godara, Superintendent of Police, Kota City; Deputy Mayor Sunita Vyas and Director of Vibrant Academy V K Jaiswal. Godara also stressed on the need of creating awareness among youngsters about the multiple career options for keeping them destressed.

VK Jaiswal, Director, Vibrant Academy, appreciates the efforts behind this expo, considering that students need information about various available options in education. He said, "It is commendable that delegates from several educational institutions came to Kota, in the interest of the large student population."

Students from the city including coaching students attended the Expo to understand that there are good colleges other than the IITs, NITS, and IIMs etc. A student participant at the expo, said, "The event enlightened students about several career options. We sometimes get anxious and clueless thinking about the circumstances of not performing in certain top premier examinations."

Youngsters came to discuss about their career aspirastions with the experts. Dr Maheshwari said "It was more than just an educational fair being organized in Kota. We came here to meet students and parents, and to guide them in the direction of building a career in engineering, management, medical, and other streams."

A coaching student, Amit Kumar said "Students also gathered information about other engineering and medical entrance examinations apart from IIT-JEE and AIPMT."

Another student, Aman Shakya, said that several students do not have enough information about career options. There were many universities at the Expo, offering different courses which are helpful in career development.

Experts from various universities like Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, Bennett University, Greater Noida, Graphic Era University, Dehradun, MS Ramaiyah University, Bangalore and many others were there to provide valuable guidance to aspirants preparing from Kota.

These experts from various parts of the country participated with a clear intention to teach the youngsters that hardship in life should be treated as a challenge to prove their worth and should not give up at any failure because there are several options available to them wherein they can prove their mettle and achieve desired success.

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Allen organises 'Bhakti Mai Masti ki Pathshala'

Allen Career Institute, Kota organised an event 'Bhakti Mai Masti Ki Pathshala' on Saturday for the spiritual connect and recreation of its students. Thousands of students from the institute participated in spiritual activities like bhajans, religious dances and tableau presentations. Directors of the institute, faculty members and students chanted patriotic  and devotional hymns.  

The institute had organised a similar event called 'Masti Ki Pathshala' (Fun Day) in December last year to tackle growing stress among students. While drawing and painting, song and dance, jokes and other events had dominated the 'fun day', the institute has this time taken a spiritual route for personal development of its students. 

Allen Career Institute organised a 'Sanskar Mahotsava' at its new campus named 'Samyak' in Kunhadi area of Kota city on Saturday evening. Naveen Maheshwari, Director, Allen Career Institute, Kota, said, "Sanskar Mahotsava is an effort to inculcate a cultural and spiritual connect among the students along with providing recreation in a healthy manner. Besides, the event also allowed students with some leisure time apart from their hectic study schedule." Vaidahi Sharma, a student at the institute, said, "The event was an opportunity for us to express our spiritual side through music and dance." 

Further, the event also served as a platform to awareness among students about the sanitation campaign initiated by the government. Balloons of 'Swacch Bharat Abhiyan' were released in the air in escalation to the awareness campaign.

At the end of a fulfilled evening, Maheshwari assured the students that the second instalment of Sanskar Mahotsava would be organised in the institute's old campus in Kota later this month. 

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Seminars on career guidance n student motivation held at different coaching institutes in Kota

Seminars about career guidance and student motivation were held at different coaching institutes in Kota to inform students about multiple career options and colleges apart from IITs and NITs.

Addressing a student motivation seminar at Bansal Classes, Kota, motivator Pritam Goswami on Sunday, said, "Every individual is posed with tough battles, but passion helps in conquering such adverse times." He quoted names of famous and successful personalities in the world who faced multiple challenges in life, but eventually emerged victorious. "People like Amitabh Bacchhan, Sachin Tendulkar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and others, faced immense challenges in the initial stages of their career, but today, they have attained unparalleled peaks," he said. VK Bansal, Director, Bansal Classes, Kota, said, "Student can achieve success through dedicated learning."

Meanwhile, one more seminar was held at Allen Career Institute, Kota on Sunday, where Vice-Chancelor of Sikkim Manipal University (SMU), professor Sandeep Sancheti, informed the students about the career options available at their university. Sancheti said, "Students should keep tabs on options apart from IITs and NITs and take admission in courses as per their interest and ability." SMU has campuses in Dubai and Malaysia as well, apart from Manipal and Jaipur. It offers a total of 277 courses including Engineering, Science, Management and Commerce,  and Journalism.

Some of the students present at the venue said that the seminars served as career guidance platforms and it was nice hearing about other possibilities in engineering.

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Resonance students shine in the 2016 Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test

Five students from the Resonance Eduventures, Kota have emerged winners in the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) 2015 examination. The exam is based on English Language- reading and writing skills, and Maths aptitude.

RK Verma, Managing Director, Resonance Eduventures, informed, "PSAT examination was organized in October, 2015 at Ahmedabad, whose results have been declared now. From Resonance, 25 students took PSAT, out of which five students; Yash Gupta, Lay Jain, Pawan Goyal, Devang Jain and Debjyoti Nath have been selected."

While Yash Gupta, Lay Jain, Pawan Goyal and Devang Jain have secured 99 percentile, Debjyoti Nath scored 97 percentile. Winning students asserted that participation and selection in the examination is encouraging. All selected students are from the Pre-foundation Career Care Programmes (PCCP) Division of Resonance. PCCP Division regularly organises special workshops for the preparation of PSAT Examination. Three winning students including Yash Gupta, Lay Jain and Pawan Goyal had bagged Gold medals at the twelfth International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) held in December 2015.

About the PSAT Examination, Verma said, "It is being organized on the lines of SAT Examination of USA which is held for admission into premier educational institutions in USA. Around 3.5 million students from class 8, 9 and 10, appear for the PSAT Examination."

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Hey all,

PaGaLGuY is proud to announce its first ever Photography Competition exclusively for Engineering Students. To be judged by none other than the Pulitzer Prize nominee photographer Arko Datta.

Who can participate: If you are studying in an engineering institute, be it an IIT, IIIT, NIT or in any other Government or Private engineering college, this contest is for you.

What do you need: Pretty little. You have a camera, great. You don't have a camera, better because all you need is just something that will go click click at the right time and right place. And that need not be a smartphone either, just any mobile camera will also do.

What can you photograph: You can shoot almost anything, but it has to do with your academic life, may be your campus walls, your college building, classrooms, stairways, corridors, mess food, professors, your BFFs or even the dogs and not so domesticated animals who loiter around.

Prizes: Cool ones. The best photo will go home with an Amazon-voucher worth of Rs 5,000. If you've just missed the First place, there is a voucher worth Rs 3,000 for the first runner-up. And hang on, there is a Third Prize too, a voucher worth Rs 2,000 for the second runner-up.

Entries: Contest starts on February 15, 2016 and ends on March 16, 2016. Send your photos to [email protected].

The Judge: Arko Datta's photographs have been published in leading newspapers and magazines like The New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, International Herald Tribune and on the covers of Time magazine, Newsweek, The Economist and more.

Arko Datta is also the co-founder of Udaan School of Photography.

Some of Arko Datta's awards include:

· World Press 'Photo of the Year' 2004 award.

· Pulitzer Prize nomination for Breaking News Photography in 2005

· Photographer of the year by Asian Photography magazine (twice) in 2003 and 2004.

· Recognized as one of world's top 20 photographers by Rotovision in its coffee table book.

Rules of the Contest:

1. Send your photographs with the following credentials,

1.1) PaGaLGuY username

1.2) Name of the Participant

1.3) Name of the institute

1.4) One-line caption for the photo

2. Send us the original full-size images. Remember this is a contest of talented photography, not 'photoshopping'. Keep image editing to a bare minimum.

3. Only fresh and genuine photographs will be entertained. Photographs taken months ago will not make the cut. Make sure you have your time and date settings on while clicking the picture. Any legal issues arising out of a photograph sent for the competition will be borne by the sender.

4. The decision of the judge will be final and binding.

5. The winning photographs will be chosen on the basis of a combination of the number of likes on the photograph on our website, and the Judges' scores.

6. PaGaLGuY will gain full, unlimited and irrevocable copyright to use all the photographs sent as entries for its publications in the future. We will always provide credit to the photographer whenever we use them, though. 

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Solve practice papers to prepare for class 12 board exams

Board exam marks of class 12 are valued by students and parents alike, because they shape careers. The month of February marks the beginning of frantic schedule for class 12 students. In Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, board exams are starting from February 18, 2016; in Odisha and Rajasthan from March 3, and around the same time in other states. Many of the class 12 students aspire for a seat in the IITs. PaGaLGuY brings to you tips from toppers and professionals at coaching classes who have guided batch after batch successfully.

The syllabus of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and class 12 board overlaps to a great extent. Many students tend to confuse between the two and may lose out on either or both. One month before his class 12 board exams, Mayank Khewaria, a first year student of Civil Engineering at IIT Gandhinagar, concentrated on covering language subject, English. Khewaria said, "The approach for board exams is different from that of IIT-JEE. By 'different approach' he meant sticking to textbook because all questions asked are from the syllabus itself. This does not hold true for the JEE."

A third-year student of IIT Bombay, Sushrut Thakar, a native of Pune with an All India Rank (AIR) 932 in JEE Advanced (2013), said, "While reading textbooks, I summarized important points and wrote them in the margin. It helped in a quick revision before exams."

Yashraj Bhonsle, AIR 263 in JEE Advanced (2013) had a very different take on tackling class 12 exams. Bhonsle, a third-year Mechanical Engineering student at IIT Bombay, said that he covered the class 12 syllabus by July (beginning of the academic year) and solved only practice tests till his exams the next year. Instead of studying from guides/digests, he used textbooks. Yashraj did not take coaching for IIT or his class 12. He focused more on the former than the later. Yashraj scored 91 per cent in his class 12 board exams.

Most of the IIT aspirants attend coaching classes with an aim to crack JEE Advanced. For these students, Praveen Tyagi of IITians Pace, Mumbai adviced that they solve model papers of previous ten-years within the allotted time. This is important as most questions asked in board exams are from the previous years. Tyagi continued, "Theoretical subjects should be revised more because recalling concepts is a key to score good marks."

For students who don't take coaching for IIT entrance, A.K Srivastav, Director, Brilliant Institute, New Delhi had a word of advice. Srivstav who is also an IIT-Kanpur alumnus, said, "The best strategy to tackle the class 12 board exams is to revise the syllabus already covered regularly. Accuracy is the key."

Tips to be kept in mind while appearing for class 12 board exams:

1. Use textbooks and not guides.

2. When reading textbooks, write summary of important points in the margin.

3. Revise theories and concepts regularly.

4. Practice previous years question papers within the stipulated time.

With the board exams, state entrance tests and the IIT-JEE in quick succession, these tips should prepare students for the long-haul!

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JEE 2016 office sending text messages to applicants whose documents sport errors

If you have committed any errors while filling the JEE 2016 application form, be ready to receive a message from Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) authorities asking for changes.

JEE authorities have started checking applications and begun to send text messages to those which seem like errors. The errors are being primarily found in the Photograph, Thumb Impression, and Signature areas.

JK Yadav, Deputy Secretary, JEE Unit confirmed this development to PaGaLGuY. He said:

"We are verifying all the 2016 JEE applications. Those with discrepancies are being sent text messages by the JEE office." Those who have received such messages will need their 'Application Number' and 'Password' to login to make the necessary changes.

Please note that this facility has been extended only to those who receive messages from the JEE office and not all applicants. Those not sure of their documents can visit the JEE website anyway and cross check.

If an applicant is welcomed with this message -

'No discrepancy found in your uploaded Photograph, Thumb Impression and Signature. You are not allowed to Login through this window,' - it means that their uploaded documents have been accepted by the JEE Unit.

JEE is conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) every year and is the gateway to IITs, NITs, IIITs, government and private engineering colleges in the country. For 2016, JEE Main offline examination will be conducted on April 3, and online examination on April 9 and 10.

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In a bid to reduce the pressure of seeking admission in IIT's and NIT's, coaching institutes have started informing students preparing for the JEE about other engineering institutions and entrance exams available.

Counsellor at Allen Coaching Institute, Amit Ahuja said, "There are only 10000 seats in 19 IITs and around 24000 seats in 30 NITs available for over 10lakh aspirants. Those students who are not securing high ranks in JEE Mains or Advance should not get disappointed and must try their luck at other equivalent engineering examinations as well." With the JEE 2016 exam just few months from now, it is important that students should also have information about other examination and engineering institute options. Chief Executive Officer of Career Point, Pramod Maheshwari also agreed that IIT's and NITs are not the end of the road as there are multiple options available to students.

Apart from NIT's and IIT's, there are several other premier institutions like BITS Pilani, IIIT Hyderabad, VIT Chennai, Manipal Manglore, IPU Delhi, Amrata Chennai, SRM Chennai, AMU, Aligarh, UPES Dehradun, Vanasthali Vidhyapeeth Jaipur, ISI, Kolkata, CMI, Chennai, NIFT Delhi and others from where students can pursue engineering studies. There are also other research institutes of national repute as well such as IISER, IISC, etc. Managing Director of Resonance, Kota, RK Verma said, "Resonance has put up a list of around 35 different engineering and medical entrance examinations on their notice boards in the institutes. Information about examination form dates, fees, result dates and other information is also shared with the students."

In fact, Ahuja also believes that, along with engineering, students can also make their future in other fields like design, research, mathematics, fashion technology, architecture, NDA, mass communication and others.

The Dean of Science, University of Kota, Professor NK Jaiman said that University of Kota is the only state university that offers an integrated (B.Sc plus M.Sc) course to its students, who also provides good job prospects.

Impressed by all such informational seminars, a student from one of the coaching institutes, Shivani Jain said that earlier she was concerned about her fate in IITs or NITs, but the information about broader college avenues has relieved her.

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Kota coaching institutes claim success in the NTSE Stage-1 exam

The Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE), Ajmer had conducted the National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) on 8th November, 2015, in which a total of 249 students have been selected from Rajasthan.  

Of these, 86 students are from Resonance Adventures Private Limited, 148 students from Allen Career Institute, and 7 students each from Career Point and Vibrant Academy. 

Some of the students selected from Career Point are Piyush Kuntal, Tapas Aggarwal, Sawan Vyas, Yashika Singhal, Saurav Devale, Shivam Bohra and Yashi Khandelwal.

The state topper is Chinmaya Goyal from Allen Career Institute. He has secured 149 marks in the NTSE Stage-1 exam and is currently preparing for JEE- Advanced at Allen's Jaipur Center. Ujjawal Soni, a student from Resonance, Udaipur has bagged  the 2nd rank in the state by securing 147 marks in the examination. 

Vibrant Academy, Kota has claimed that the Kota District Toppers are from their institute. Rakesh Sharma, Vice President, Vibrant informed PaGaLGuY that the toppers Nishant Jain and Naman Garg have both secured 145 marks each.

The 2nd stage of NTSE will be held on 8th May this year in which all selected students will participate. According to Amit Gupta, Allen PNCF head, the Ministry of HRD has decided that this year in NTSE, 2000 students will be given monthly scholarship. Untill last year, only 1000 students selected from all over the country were given the scholarship. The students selected in the last stage of NTSE will be given a monthly scholarship of Rs. 1250 in class 11th and 12th and Rs. 2000 per month scholarship in graduation and post-graduation. 

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Free Yoga Workshop, another Kota initiative to stop student suicides

The Kota district administration on Saturday, organised free Yoga Workshops for the coaching faculty members in Kota to keep teachers stress free. Isha Yoga Foundation, Coimbatore extended its free Yoga training workshop facilities to the coaching faculties in Kota. Around 2000 people including 1600 faculty members of different coaching institutes, 300 officials and 100 other people including doctors, social workers, media persons participated in the workshop. Swami Rijuda, the yoga instructor from Isha Yoga Foundation, taught various techniques of Yoga to 1100 faculty and staff members of Allen Career Institute.

Another free workshop was conducted at the Urban Improvement Trust (UIT) Kota auditorium in which around 500 faculty members from Resonance Institute, Vibrant Academy, Motion Academy and others participated. In both the workshops, Swami Rijuda (B.Tech from NIT Trichy) said that practicing 5 to15 minutes Yoga daily can help achieve internal happiness, which people strive for in the external World.

Vasuveer Singh, a Physics faculty member at Vibrant Academy, said, "Yoga techniques will help teachers increase their concentration in teaching which will eventually be beneficial to students. Vasant Thakur another faculty member at Motion Institute, said, "Teachers can also educate students about Yoga which can be used in de-stressing themselves."

District Collector, Kota, Dr. Ravi Kumar Surpur, said, "Life is full of challenges and a five minute Yoga workout daily can lead to mental and physical strength needed to face these challenges. As thousands of students flock to Kota from all over the country for coaching, joining them with Yoga can fill them with the much needed positive energy and mental peace leading them to a right direction."

Meanwhile, several coaching institutes of Kota have already started organising yoga training activities for its students, after the district administration's guidelines. Such moves have been taken   to keep in check the rising stress among coaching students, and spurt in suicides cases.

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The admit card for JEE Main 2016 will be released before March 12, 2016, JEE authorities confirmed the development to PaGaLGuY. Applicants are advised to download their admit cards from JEE Main website only. Candidates will require their Application Number, and Class 12 board exam details, to download the admit card.