Everyday Reflections

Google has transformed Gemini into a free SAT prep tool that enables students to take practice tests and receive feedback. Reports suggest Indian competitive exams — like IIT JEE and NEET — may be next. 

India’s test prep market is projected to reach $2,615.98 mn till 2033 (IMARC data) and the potential for disruption is huge. While AI prep tools can be useful for students, textbook publishers and prep centres — who are earning big bucks on the back of standardised exams — could find themselves in the line of fire. 

I have some experience in test prep. Before Gen AI, we bought dozens of books and practice papers for our child to gain an edge. Over time, we started to use ChatGPT to generate question papers. There are modes dedicated to research, learning and quizzes, which enable specialised agent flows compared to a general-context tool + web search. 

Here’s what I learned: 

→The traditional model where practice workbooks were used, torn and sold is waning. And content in hard-cover format or transformed into a digital archive is passé.

→We can use Google Lens and see the answers, with step-by-step working, which makes corrections more productive.

→The traditional board education system expects you to sit tight and answer questions, majorly via recall. But higher education systems for entrance flip it and focus on application. So, the idea of simulation before exams seems to be going out of sync. 

→Earlier, we could buy books to practice and not doubt them. With Gen AI, we need to be careful with prompt engineering. Trust-but-verify is an important mantra now.

→My biggest problem has been generating PDF and document output to use as hard copy. The format looks fine on screen, but with complex numerical output, the font palettes can play out badly. 

→The context window and how much a regular agentic flow can handle reaches its limit very soon. After 15 min of conversation or feedback loops, the output starts becoming junk. 

The world we came from needed parents to shell out money for books and a pencil box. Today, children need (at least) a smartphone, laptop and Gen AI subscription alongside prompting skills. We have yet to offer that kind of access.

Expenses for a child aged 14-17 (including tuition and gadgets) can be as much as Rs 25 lakh, as per the Economic Times. Yet, only 32.4% of India’s 1.47 million schools have access to functional computers and 24.4% have smart classrooms to teach new-age skills (Unified District Information System for Education report).

AI is shaking things up. It’s a disruptor in healthcare, but in education it’s also an enabler as it lets students legally access prep material and boosts their knowledge. Even as we’re reshaping how we learn, education still revolves around digitisation. But what if a school implemented an actual digital transformation?   

In the next post, we will look at the education system in the AI era.

#TestPrep #Gemini #ChatGPT #Education