Competition Success Review

What Competition Success Review does

Competition Success Review (CSR) is an Indian educational publishing company operated by Competition Review Pvt. Ltd., headquartered in New Delhi. Founded as a book publisher in 1960, it launched its flagship CSR magazine in 1964 as a pull-out supplement and has now been in continuous publication for over 60 years. The company produces print and digital magazines targeting students preparing for competitive examinations in India, primarily Civil Services (UPSC), MBA entrances, Banking exams, and Engineering entrance exams. Its core titles are Competition Success Review (CSR), General Knowledge Today (GKT), and Engineering Success Review (ESR), complemented by a Hindi-language edition, annual reference publications (CSR Year Book, CSR Career Almanac), institutional ranking directories (Engineering Colleges and Management Institutes), IAS Special supplements, and online mock exams.

Name

Competition Success Review

Legal name

Competition Review Pvt. Ltd.

Website

https://competitionreview.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Competition Success Review is an Indian educational publisher producing print and digital magazines, annual reference books, and mock exams for students preparing for Civil Services, MBA, Banking, and Engineering entrance exams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Book Publishers (51313), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Cross-Border Exam Prep (Cambridge/A-Levels/GAOKAO/JEE/NEET, etc.) (EDAGADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 Standardized Test Prep & Practice Materials (EDAGADAA), Test-Taking Skills, Strategies & Study Skills Guides (EDAGADAL), College Admissions Exam Prep (SAT/ACT/AP/IB) (EDAGADAB)

Keywords

• Competitive exam magazines
• Current affairs publishing
• Civil services preparation
• Engineering entrance exam guides
• Educational subscription publications

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions (Print): Sale of print magazines including CSR, ESR, and GKT with various subscription periods (monthly, annual, multi-year). Products delivered via India Post's trackable Magazine Post service.
2. Digital/E-magazine Subscriptions: Digital versions of magazines sold as eMagazine subscriptions with flexible billing periods
3. Combo Packages: Bundled print and digital packages combining CSR English with GKT magazine
4. Year Books and Almanacs: Annual reference publications including CSR Year Book, CSR Career Almanac, and various directories (Engineering Colleges, Management Institutes)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Competition Success Review publishes monthly print and digital educational magazines — CSR, ESR, and GKT — along with annual reference publications (Year Books, Career Almanac, college directories) targeted at Indian students preparing for competitive exams such as Civil Services, MBA, Banking, and engineering entrance tests. Content includes current affairs, mock tests from top institutes, solved papers, model test papers, and exam preparation strategies. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the company's e-commerce website with shipping via India Post.

Product overview

Competition Success Review operates as a multi-product educational publishing platform offering print and digital magazines for competitive exam preparation. The core portfolio consists of three main magazine titles: CSR (Competition Success Review) for Civil Services and MBA aspirants, ESR (Engineering Success Review) for engineering entrance exam candidates, and GKT (General Knowledge Today) for general competitive exam preparation. These are complemented by annual reference publications including the CSR Year Book, CSR Career Almanac, and institutional ranking directories (Engineering Colleges and Management Institutes). The company also offers supplementary services including essay contests, mock exams, IAS special supplements, and free exam resources. The platform provides both print magazine subscriptions and e-magazine digital formats, available individually or as bundled packages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ESR (Engineering Success Review): Monthly magazine for students preparing for engineering entrance exams including JEE Advanced
• GKT (General Knowledge Today)
• CSR Year Book
• CSR Career Almanac
• CSR Top Engineering Colleges Directory
• CSR Top Management Institutes Directory
• CSR B-School Rankings

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 million+ average yearly readership as per National Readership Survey
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Institute of Hotel Management Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition (IHMCTAN)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner institute promoting CSR publications among hospitality management students preparing for competitive exams
• Institute of Technology and Science, Mohan Nagar, GhaziabadminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEngineering college partner distributing CSR content to engineering aspirants
• Institute of Hotel Management, AurangabadminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner institute in hospitality education sector
• Biju Patnaik Institute of Information Technology and Management Studies (BIITM)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIT and management studies institute partner
• Vishwa Vishwani Institute of Systems & ManagementminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorManagement institute partner
• Institute of Public EnterpriseminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic enterprise institute partner for management education
• Fortune Institute of International Business (FIIB)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational business school partner
• VIT-AP UniversityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUniversity partner with multiple campus locations
• JK Business School, GurugramminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBusiness school partner in NCR region
• Xavier University, BhubaneswarminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJesuit university partner for management education
• Asian Business SchoolminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBusiness school partner

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• BYJU'S Exam Prep (formerly Gradeup): Online exam-prep platform offering mock tests, video courses and study material for banking, SSC, UPSC and teaching exams. Overlaps with CSR's banking/SSC/UPSC exam coverage through a digital-first delivery model.
• Testbook: India-based mobile-first edtech platform offering mock tests, current affairs and courses for government and banking exams. Represents the digital-native disruptor to CSR's print current-affairs model, partially overlapping on UPSC/Banking/SSC test prep.
• Unacademy: India's largest online learning platform with dedicated verticals for UPSC, JEE, banking and SSC. Competes for the same exam-aspirant wallet as CSR but delivers through live classes, video and online mock tests rather than print periodicals.

Broad incumbents

• McGraw Hill India: Indian subsidiary of McGraw Hill producing textbooks, study guides and exam-prep materials across engineering, medical and professional categories. Broader educational publisher that overlaps with CSR's exam-prep category as part of a wider portfolio.
• Pearson India: Indian arm of global publisher Pearson with assessment, testing and learning products including English-language proficiency (PTE) and higher-ed test prep. Operates broadly in test prep via institutional channels, partially overlapping with CSR's testing and exam-prep content.

Direct peers

• MTG Learning Media: Publisher of JEE/NEET/Olympiad magazines, books and digital practice platforms. Directly comparable because it serves the same Indian engineering and competitive exam prep category with monthly magazines (e.g., MTG magazines paralleling CSR's ESR) plus books.
• S. Chand Publishing: Long-established Indian educational publisher with exam-prep guides, textbooks and reference titles across K-12, engineering and professional exams. Comparable as a multi-vertical Indian exam-prep publisher with similar institutional and retail channels.
• Disha Publications: Indian exam-prep publisher producing guidebooks, solved papers and practice sets for SSC, banking, JEE and MBA aspirants. Comparable publishing-led business model and customer overlap with CSR's print product lines.
• Pratiyogita Darpan: India's leading Hindi-language monthly competitive exam magazine covering Civil Services, Banking, SSC and other government exams. Directly competes with CSR in the same Indian exam-prep magazine category, with similar print+editorial model.
• Arihant Publications: Major Indian publisher of competitive exam books and guides for UPSC, JEE, NEET, Banking and SSC. Overlaps with CSR in the same exam categories and student base through print study materials and solved papers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/csr_csrmagazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Competition Success Review