With the National Testing Agency (NTA) now accepting applications for JEE Main 2027 Session 1, scheduled in computer-based mode on January 20–24 and 28, a growing set of free, AI-assisted platforms built by the IITs is changing how lakhs of aspirants prepare for India’s most competitive entrance examinations. Government-backed tools such as IIT Kanpur’s SATHEE, IIT Kharagpur’s NDLI-FERMI AI Tutor, IIT Delhi’s IIT-PAL and IIT Madras’s NPTEL GATE portal are moving beyond recorded video lectures towards adaptive, doubt-solving support that responds to each learner’s mistakes, according to a report in Education Times (The Times of India) on October 27.
SATHEE widens its reach beyond JEE and NEET
SATHEE (Self-Assessment, Test and Help for Entrance Exams), developed by IIT Kanpur with the Ministry of Education, is now used by more than 20 lakh aspirants. Since its rollout in late 2023, the free portal has expanded from engineering and medical entrance preparation to CUET, SSC, banking, ICAR agriculture, CLAT and railway examinations, Prof Amey Karkare of IIT Kanpur told the publication. The platform combines structured learning modules, live doubt-clearing sessions, practice exercises, expert video lectures and crash courses.
Prof Karkare explained that the AI layer studies a student’s answers and recurring errors to diagnose gaps in foundational concepts, adjust the difficulty of problems and offer targeted practice. Regional-language options are part of the design, though he cautioned that technical terminology must be carefully validated so that translation does not dilute accuracy.
A Socratic tutor on the National Digital Library
IIT Kharagpur’s NDLI-FERMI AI Tutor, launched on October 12 by Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar and developed with Fermi AI, takes a guided-learning approach. Integrated with the National Digital Library of India (NDLI), which hosts more than 130 million learning resources, the tutor responds to wrong attempts with hints and probing questions rather than handing over full solutions. Its ‘Scan & Ask’ feature lets students submit Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology problems for step-by-step help. IIT Kharagpur also opened a free online preparation platform for GATE and IIT-JAM aspirants at the same time.
Alongside these, IIT-PAL (Professor Assisted Learning), run by IIT Delhi with the Ministry, offers NCERT-aligned lectures by IIT faculty for Classes 11 and 12, also telecast on SWAYAM Prabha channels, while NTA’s National Test Abhyas app gives candidates mock tests on an interface similar to the real CBT, including an offline mode for low-connectivity areas.
Private players join the shift
Private edtech firms are building similar adaptive models. Ritvik Kulshrestha, founder of JEET AI and CEO of Extramarks Education, has framed the goal as giving every student an AI teacher outside school hours that can take them through a full course, answer unlimited questions and run rigorous tests, without replacing schoolteachers. Prof M Jagadesh Kumar, former IIT Delhi professor and Chairman of the Board of Governors at IIM Calcutta, noted that the Ministry is extending free online coaching beyond English into more Indian languages.
Why it matters
For students in smaller towns and rural districts, free AI tutors could narrow a gap long defined by access to expensive coaching hubs. But experts are clear that technology alone will not fix structural inequities: reliable devices, connectivity, accurate localisation and active teaching support remain essential. As Prof Karkare points out, the true test of these platforms will be sustained engagement and measurable learning outcomes, not registration numbers. For policymakers and institutions, the next phase is about evidence: tracking whether AI-guided practice actually improves conceptual mastery and results for the learners who need it most.
Sources: Education Times / The Times of India (October 27, 2026); The Indian Express (October 14 and 27, 2026); Education Times (October 13, 2026).
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