Rajvansh Bhatia, 17, who will appear for his Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exam this year, has prepared a list of physics questions that he has been unable to solve.

On Wednesday evening, sitting at his home, Bhatia could get his doubts cleared with the help of a virtual class, where a physics teacher connected to the computer through the internet guided him.

"This is the first time I am seeking guidance through a virtual class. The concept of a teacher helping me solve my doubts through a computer is exciting. I learnt to solve a physics problem, which I could not understand through my textbook," said an excited Bhatia, a student of Nirmala Memorial Foundation in Kandivli.

"Every day from 6pm to 8pm, students will get a chance to connect with 25 teachers who will help them solve their doubts. In addition to this, we have also started tele-calling where they can share their doubts as well as get counselling," said Jagdish Walawalkar, director of Ideal Coaching Classes and the president of Maharashtra Coaching Classes Owners' Association. Any student from Class 10 to Class 12 can register for the virtual class.

Apart from virtual classes, online forums also help students solve their academic problems. "The sample question papers available on the ICSE website (http://cicse.org/) are quite handy and are up-to date with changes in the syllabus. Sometimes, the practice papers in the printed question banks are outdated and I can get all updates from the website," said Simran Arora, a Class 10 student of Gundecha Academy in Kandivli.

For CBSE students, the board's controller of examination and director are available for online counselling. Students' queries are answered immediately when they post their doubts on the website (cbse.nic.in).

There are also private websites such as cbseguess.com and icseguess.com where one can access question banks.

Four students of the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) have started Plancess EduSolutions where they provide science lessons and compile them in DVDs. The IIT-B students also offer mentoring and coaching over the phone. "We launched our venture in January. We are selling the DVDs for Rs15,000 and five students have purchased the DVDs from us," said Vivek Gupta, a fourth year mechanical engineering student.