Pratiyogita Darpan
Pratiyogita Darpan (Upkar Prakashan) is an Indian publisher of four flagship monthly magazines and over 2,000 books targeting competitive examination aspirants, holding the No. 1 career-and-competition magazine position per the Indian Readership Survey since 2000.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersAgra, India
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Pratiyogita Darpan does
Pratiyogita Darpan, legally operated as Upkar Prakashan, is an Indian publishing group headquartered in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, founded in 1978. The company publishes four flagship monthly magazines targeting competitive examination aspirants: Pratiyogita Darpan (Hindi, launched 1978), Samanya Gyan Darpan (1988), Pratiyogita Darpan English (June 2006), and Success Mirror (2008). Per the Indian Readership Survey, Pratiyogita Darpan has held the No. 1 position in India's career and competition magazine category continuously since 2000, with Pratiyogita Darpan and Samanya Gyan Darpan ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively among all magazines in India across all languages. The group's publishing arm Upkar Prakashan also produces over 2,000 book titles covering Civil Services, Bank, Railway, SSC, IIT, PMT, and other government recruitment examinations, supported by a roster of over 100 subject experts and eminent authors.
The company's technology footprint is limited to a website-based e-commerce platform (pdgroup.in) for subscriptions and book sales, plus an online test-series portal (testseries.pdgroup.in) launched for the CSAT 2026 cycle. Content delivery primarily relies on registered-post subscription mailings, with supplementary Extra Issues (Indian Economy issue, Year Book, Current Events Round-up) sold as premium products. The business operates a multi-channel distribution model combining direct-to-consumer online sales, a country-wide dealer/agent/distributor network with website-based dealer locator functionality, and Amazon marketplace presence. Revenue streams include monthly magazine subscriptions, book sales (Upkar Prakashan), advertising placements (with historical advertisers including Idea Cellular, Yahoo, Ranbaxy, Punjab National Bank, Indian Army, and Indian Navy), premium Extra Issues, and a free GIST monthly compilation of government magazines (Yojana, Science Reporter, Kurukshetra, Down to Earth) used as a funnel-building tool. The company is privately held and bootstrapped, with no disclosed institutional funding or M&A activity in the source data.
Pratiyogita Darpan firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pratiyogita Darpan
- Legal name
- Upkar Prakashan
- Website
- https://pdgroup.in
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Pratiyogita Darpan (Upkar Prakashan) is an Indian publisher of four flagship monthly magazines and over 2,000 books targeting competitive examination aspirants, holding the No. 1 career-and-competition magazine position per the Indian Readership Survey since 2000.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pratiyogita Darpan industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Publishing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (51312), Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Assessment, Testing & Exam Prep Publishing (MPAJABAF)
Keywords
Where Pratiyogita Darpan is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Agra
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Pratiyogita Darpan business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Magazine Subscriptions: Monthly magazine subscriptions for Pratiyogita Darpan (Hindi and English), Success Mirror, and Samanya Gyan Darpan. Delivered via registered post. Combo packages available.
- Book Sales: Sale of competitive examination books under Upkar Prakashan brand covering Civil Services, Bank, Railway, SSC, and other competitive exams. Over 2000 titles available.
- Extra Issues: Special extra issues including Indian Economy issue, Year book, Current Events Round-up sold as premium products to Civil Services aspirants.
- Advertising Revenue: Magazine advertising space sold to brands targeting youth audience. Major advertisers include Idea Cellular, Yahoo.com, Ranbaxy, Punjab National Bank, Siyaram's, Indian Army, Indian Navy.
- GIST Magazine Compilation: Free downloadable GIST compilation of essential magazines (Yojana, Science Reporter, Kurukshetra, Down to Earth) to attract and retain readers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Extra Issues subscription with 25% discount |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Direct order free delivery threshold |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
Pratiyogita Darpan product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pratiyogita Darpan publishes four monthly magazines — Pratiyogita Darpan (Hindi and English), Samanya Gyan Darpan, and Success Mirror — focused on current affairs, career news, solved exam papers, and mock content for Civil Services, SSC, Bank, Railway, Defence, MBA, and other competitive examinations. Through its Upkar Prakashan imprint the company sells more than 2,000 book titles, offers special Extra Issues, provides free GIST compilations of government magazines, and operates the CSAT Test Series 2026 online testing platform.
Product overview
Pratiyogita Darpan is a publishing group operating multiple magazine brands and an e-commerce platform for competitive exam preparation. The portfolio includes four flagship magazines: Pratiyogita Darpan (Hindi and English editions), Samanya Gyan Darpan, and Success Mirror. The company also publishes over 2000 books through Upkar Prakashan, offers special Extra Issues for Civil Services preparation, provides GIST compilations of essential government magazines, and operates an online test series platform. The e-commerce website pdgroup.in enables subscription-based magazine delivery and book sales.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Pratiyogita Darpan Hindi: India's no. 1 Career and Competition Magazine, rated by Indian Readership Survey, serving Civil Services, Defence, MBA, UGC/NET, Bank PO examinations
- Pratiyogita Darpan English
- Samanya Gyan Darpan
- Success Mirror
- CSAT Test Series
- Upkar Books
Products and services
- Pratiyogita Darpan (Hindi) Magazine
- Pratiyogita Darpan (English) Magazine
- Samanya Gyan Darpan Magazine
- Success Mirror Magazine
- Pratiyogita Darpan Extra Issues
- Upkar Prakashan Books
- CSAT Test Series 2026
- GIST of Essential Magazines
Quantifiable outcome
- No. 1 Career and Competition Magazine in India since 2000
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Pratiyogita Darpan
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Pratiyogita Darpan technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Pratiyogita Darpan partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Idea CellularminorAdvertising partner targeting youth audience through Pratiyogita Darpan magazine publications.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Pratiyogita Darpan competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- S Chand and Company: S Chand is one of India's largest and longest-established publishers spanning K-12 textbooks, higher education and competitive exam titles - a broad incumbent that overlaps with Pratiyogita Darpan's competitive exam book portfolio while also serving adjacent education segments.
- Tata McGraw-Hill (India): Tata McGraw-Hill is a major Indian education publisher covering competitive exams, professional and higher-education titles with a wider portfolio, competing with Upkar Prakashan on selected Civil Services and professional exam books.
Direct peers
- Disha Publications: Disha Publications publishes competitive exam preparation books and study guides for Indian aspirants across SSC, Bank, Railway and Civil Services, with similar Hindi/English catalogue breadth and target reader segments to Upkar Prakashan.
- Arihant Publications: Arihant Publications is one of India's largest publishers of competitive exam preparation books and study material, directly competing with Upkar Prakashan across Civil Services, SSC, Bank, Railway and other government exam segments in both Hindi and English medium. Both serve the same aspirant demographic through overlapping book catalogues and exam-focused content.
- Ramesh Publishing House: Ramesh Publishing House is an Indian exam-prep book publisher producing guides for SSC, Bank, Railway, Civil Services and general competitive examinations in Hindi and English, directly competing with Pratiyogita Darpan/Upkar Prakashan titles.
- GK Publications: GK Publications focuses on general knowledge and competitive exam preparation books for Indian aspirants, overlapping with Upkar Prakashan's general-knowledge and exam-prep catalogue across similar target exams.
- Youth Competition Times (YCT): YCT publishes competitive exam magazines and books for Hindi-medium aspirants preparing for SSC, Bank, Railway and government exams, directly competing with Pratiyogita Darpan and Samanya Gyan Darpan in the same Hindi competitive-exam magazine category.
- Competition Success Review (CSR): Competition Success Review is a long-running Indian competitive-exam magazine and book publisher targeting Civil Services and other government exam aspirants, overlapping with Pratiyogita Darpan's editorial positioning and reader demographic.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Pratiyogita Darpan social profiles
Digital presencePratiyogita Darpan financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pratiyogita Darpan leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Pratiyogita Darpan funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pratiyogita Darpan M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pratiyogita Darpan
What does Pratiyogita Darpan do?
Pratiyogita Darpan publishes four monthly magazines — Pratiyogita Darpan (Hindi and English), Samanya Gyan Darpan, and Success Mirror — focused on current affairs, career news, solved exam papers, and mock content for Civil Services, SSC, Bank, Railway, Defence, MBA, and other competitive examinations. Through its Upkar Prakashan imprint the company sells more than 2,000 book titles, offers special Extra Issues, provides free GIST compilations of government magazines, and operates the CSAT Test Series 2026 online testing platform.
Is Pratiyogita Darpan a public or private company?
Pratiyogita Darpan is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Pratiyogita Darpan founded?
Pratiyogita Darpan was founded in 1978. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Pratiyogita Darpan based?
Pratiyogita Darpan is headquartered in Agra, India, in the Asia region.
How does Pratiyogita Darpan make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Magazine Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are book Sales, extra Issues, advertising Revenue and GIST Magazine Compilation.
Who are Pratiyogita Darpan's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are S Chand and Company and Tata McGraw-Hill (India). Direct peers are Disha Publications, Arihant Publications, Ramesh Publishing House, GK Publications, Youth Competition Times (YCT) and Competition Success Review (CSR).
Does Pratiyogita Darpan have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pratiyogita Darpan.
What industry is Pratiyogita Darpan in?
Pratiyogita Darpan's product category is Educational Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJABAF, Assessment, Testing & Exam Prep Publishing. Its NAICS code is 51312 and its SIC code is 2721.