CEO Insights Magazine

Exam is a time when most students are stressed and lounge is a place where people can come to relax. Taking this idea to heart, Exam Lounge is the first ever learning platform that recognizes students’ preparation needs and fulfils them accordingly. The company aspires to create a situation in which students are not tensed about the exam but instead, they remain relaxed. As of now, Exam Lounge helps learners who are preparing for JEE Advanced, SSC CHSL, CAT, JEE Mains, and SSC CGL Tier-I. The company remains dedicated to offer a great learning experience for the students, which help them to excel in exams. Prakhar Agrawal holds the office of CEO at Exam Lounge and on top of that he is also the Co-Founder of the company. This pioneering business leader has been able to guide the company towards greater heights and develop into catalysts of positive change in the industry.

In an exclusive interview with CEO INSIGHTS, Prakhar takes us through his professional journey and the unique operations of Exam Lounge.

What inspired you to establish Exam Lounge and what drives you today? Also, could you give a brief account of your professional background and experiences?
I am an IIT Kanpur alumnus and the reason behind the establishment of Exam Lounge came from the experience I had when I was preparing for JEE. Unlike most students who go to various coaching institutes, I didn’t go to any place for coaching or tuition. I hail

from a small town and it was my father who suggested that I should study on my own. He then prepared a schedule for me and every day he used to update the schedule according to the way I was studying. This helped me to clear the exam with a good rank. This innovative technique of my father intrigued me and I was able to see its potential as well as its limits.

During my time at IIT Kanpur, I studied mathematics and computing where I got the opportunity to learn more about AI and machine learning. At the same time, I got selected as an exchange student to EPFL, Switzerland and there also, I got to learn more about machine learning. After that, I did multiple internships and got a job in Goldman Sachs. I worked for the company as an Analyst and I used to validate AI models as well. Then, I joined LinkedIn and there I worked as a Search Engineer. During my time with the company, I was introduced to reinforcement learning techniques. After that, I came up with the idea of applying this technique with the one used by my father and I realized that it has potential. Thus Exam Lounge came into being.

Can you talk more about Exam Lounge and its uniqueness?
Exam Lounge is a dynamic curriculum platform which understands students learning ability and the whole schedule adapts to the learner. Exam Lounge prepares its own schedule based on the learners cognitive and learning abilities. We believe that the future of education will be in offering highly personalized learning and we are aiming to be a front runner in

this arena. The reinforcement learning algorithm we use also takes into consideration students abilities including thinking capabilities in different areas, and problem-solving skills to custom curate content and schedules for each one of the learners.

Could you tell us about the unique experiences IIT Kanpur offers and what did you learn from the campus beyond academics?
Professors at the institute are some of the best subject matter experts in the country and they helped me to have a strong mathematical background which is crucial for the work that I do now. The campus also has unique initiatives, which promotes the feeling of being a family. This helps the students to have a better and stronger bond among them.I was also leading the counselling team at the institute which was a great experience for me.Overall, the unique learning experience I had at IIT Kanpur has helped me to expand my horizons.

Going forward, what are the changes in market behavior that you anticipate and what are the opportunities that you foresee?
In the next five to ten years, the class system we follow now will change and students can learn based on their interests and progress accordingly. During the same time, we will be integrating an adaptive system with school teaching to make them more adaptive so that the interests as well as the capabilities of the students are taken care of. This will allow schools to help students reach their true potential.

Prakhar Agrawal, CEO & Co-Founder, Exam Lounge
As a passionate learner, Prakhar aspires to learn and re-invent himself constantly. He has won numerous accolades throughout his professional journey including being featured in Inc 42’s Top 6 Startup founders. Under his guidance, Exam Lounge has been ranked amongst the top 100 startups in TiE Global rankings as well.