I got quoted in the Times of India, Mumbai edition today. (link).

Here is the complete article

MUMBAI: It’s not just CAT__the Common Admission Test to the coveted IIMs__that’s going online from next year. An increasing number of students are logging on to web portals for CAT coaching.

While online has been around for a while, it has never been in vogue till recently. Many, like Hemant Batra, a working professional from Mumbai, opted for online coaching for the sheer convenience. “It was difficult for me to attend a regular coaching class and juggle work side by side,” says Batra, who logged on to Testfunda.com for guidance on how to crack the CAT exam.

Batra, who will be appearing for the exam on Sunday, is more than satisfied with the coaching he received. “Their database of questions was exhaustive,” he adds.

Batra is one of nearly 35,000 people who have logged on to Testfunda.com in the last four months. The portal was set up by four IIM alumni in mid-July.

Another hugely successful website for CAT preparation__Ten A Day (tenaday.co.in)__has 45,344 users. The website was started by four IIM Ahmedabad graduates who passed out from the institution in 2007.

Regular coaching classes, too, are beginning to explore the online route to CAT coaching. They are also exploring a combination of online as well as offline methods of reaching out to their students.

“We are in the process of developing an online coaching option for our students. It should be ready in a couple of months,” says Gautam Puri, vice chairman, Career Launcher, a well-known CAT coaching class. “There already exists a market for online coaching, but CAT going online will definitely boost the segment,” he adds.

Arks Srinivas, director, TIME institute, another CAT coaching class, plans to offer students a variety of coaching options, which include complete online training, complete offline training as well as a combination of online and offline training.

According to Sudhanshu Raheja, who was earlier heading MBA Karma, an online portal for CAT preparation, a large share of the market for online CAT coaching consists of candidates who have already given the CAT exam once or twice before and do not want to waste time commuting to a coaching class.

While MBA Karma has temporarily shut shop as it could not keep pace with the demand, Raheja hopes to rejuvenate the website soon.