Should I choose online coaching or offline coaching for SSC CGL

1. Should I choose online coaching or offline coaching for SSC CGL exam Staff selection commission combined graduate level exam or SSC CGL as it is famously known as conducts exams to recruit for various positions in the ministries, organizations and departments of the government of India. Graduates between the age limit of 20-30 years (age limit exception applied) can apply for the positions. The exams are conducted in four stages namely: Tier I which is preliminary and consists of multiple choice and objective type, this is a written exam and consists of four topics:  General Intelligence and reasoning  General Awareness  Quantitative aptitude  English Comprehension Each section carries 50 questions and there are a total of 200 marks and the candidates shortlisted in this round moves to Tier II The tier II mains exam also consists of multiple choice objective questions and carries a 200 marks of each section, and the sections are:  Quantitative aptitude  English language and comprehension  statistics and  General Studies :  Finance & accounting  Economics and governance The tier III exam is a descriptive paper mostly an offline exam and will consist of Essay writing and letter writing. This exam can be taken in english or hindi. The tier IV exam is a data entry skill test / computer proficiency test. While these exams are famous among the youth, cracking these exams are quite challenging and requires a lot of preparation. This preparation includes coaching of different types: SSC Online coaching and Offline classes. Before considering the type of coaching it is important to analyze the following:  Practice and compare the average score and compare it with the last year's cutoff marks  The applicant take a couple of mock tests and rate themselves on a scale  Analyze the weak and strong points.

2. After this exercise the applicant can start studying on his/her own by using the regular books and practicing problem solving regularly and taking SSC CGL practice set once a week. It is important to analyze after a period of time if the performance has improved or saturated. If the applicant has reached the saturation then its important to gauge the weak subjects and consider coaching for those topics. Advantages of Online coaching:  Online coaching is cost effective  It helps the applicant to use the self study style which is best  It can be done anytime anywhere for those with travel constraints(applicants with a work schedule) - flexibility.  Social interaction - The applicant gets the one on one attention But on the down side there is no guarantee of the quality of study materials provided by the online coaching classes, the applicant often gets confused with the complex concepts since there is not personal attention given and the online coaching exposes the applicant into the internet world where there is a lot of information and lack of focus. Lastly the online coaching is internet dependent and lacks reach ability for the rural applicants. Advantages of Offline coaching:  The study material provided by the coaching institutes are well tailored by experts after closely analyzing the syllabus, exam pattern and previous year's question papers.  The mentors in the coaching classes have a vast background and play a vital role in the coaching of candidates and give a lot of one on one attention too.  A large number of candidates attending the coaching classes are either from the professional or educational background and require the dedicated time to study/practice. The coaching classes provide such candidates a platform to spend lesser time and effort and give them a focused study time with a mentor at hand irrespective of what other commitments they may have. Read here : SSC CGL Preparation Tips However, the study materials of the coaching classes stick to the traditional trend while the competitive exams are getting more complex by every year. While the coaching classes charge a premium fees they operate on a class room format and most of the times the number of students per class is very high and the teachers fail to give personal attention to each and every candidate. The preparation of competitive exams are not only about preparation and problem solving but also the time and accuracy involved. Tracking the progress in the classroom /offline method of coaching becomes extremely difficult and there is no way to understand the candidate's level of improvement.

3. While the traditional offline method of coaching is has its pros and cons same is the case of the modern online method. There is no perfect method of preparing for the competitive exams and each candidate chooses the online or offline coaching method as per their capability and situations.