BANGALORE: Competitive exams in India are undergoing a change, with many of them being conducted online, and multiple entrance exams getting merged into one. Sensing an opportunity, Sameer Gautam started RankJunction.com, India’s first and biggest ranking platform that brings together thousands of students who are preparing for common exams and give them an idea about what rank they can expect to get based on mock tests.
“No single institute is in a position to give a national-level rank as they can give the ranks among their students only,” explains Sameer about why his platform is different.
RankJunction has various user engagement tools like SMS, Facebook, WhatsApp, email and blogs, using which they interact with students. Whenever there is a Live test on the portal, these channels are used inform students. Live Tests (patent pending) are mock tests that students take. A Live test can be attempted in a predefined time period. At the end of this period, the test takers will get to know their rank.
Starting with medical postgraduate entrance exams, RankJunction.com now enjoys a dominant position in that space. More than 1,50,000 users are currently on their platform.
In February 2013, they raised funding from the Indian Angel Network and GITPx Singapore, and were featured among the Top 100 business opportunities by Franchise India. They are now launching a Software as a service application for coaching classes and other educational institutes, which will help them easily create online student interfaces with inbuilt social network, enable student and parent access, create tests using RankJunction’s repository, give analytics and reports and, most importantly, help students know their ranks.
After his MBA from Tirpude Institute of Management Studies, Nagpur, Sameer worked in sales roles with Jayaswals Neco Ltd and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance for 10 years before venturing out. Steve Jobs is his inspiration.
In early 2011, he got the idea of a ranking platform where students can come together to take a common exam and get to know their All India Ranks, and co-founded RankJunction.com with his wife, Rashmi, a PhD in Solid State Physics from Delhi University.
Registration on RankJunction is free. Several tests can be taken for free. For certain other tests or access to more features, one has to buy subscription packs. Details at www.RankJunction.com.
— rohit@learnbizsimulations.com