Statistics on 16 Test-Prep YouTube Channels with Over 100,000 Subscribers
Statistics on 16 Test-Prep YouTube Channels with Over 100,000 Subscribers
Separate from the broader survey of educational YouTube, I re-examined the data solely through the lens of "preparation for passing exams." The sample includes channels with at least 100,000 subscribers where the channel name, description, and public metadata confirmed a connection to a named exam, test preparation, courses, or practice problems.
In short, among the 16 channels identified here, India’s JEE and NEET channels overwhelmingly dominated by subscriber scale. Meanwhile, the Japanese-language market is centered on university entrance and school exams; the English-language market on undergraduate and graduate admissions; and the Bengali-language market on school exams and university admissions. What “test preparation” means differs substantially by language.
Important: This is not a complete directory of all YouTube channels. It is an auditable sample of channels whose public information could be verified as of October 1, 2026. Subscriber counts constantly change, and language classifications are based on the primary language. General education channels were included only where test-prep relevance could be explicitly established.
Survey Overview
- Eligibility: at least 100,000 subscribers
- Verification date: October 1, 2026
- Sample size: 16 channels
- Number of languages: 6
- Number of exam categories: 4
- Total subscribers (simple sum): 38,882,000
- Median subscribers: 750,000
- Inclusion criteria: explicit evidence such as exam names; entrance, certification, or civil-service exams; test preparation; cram schools or coaching; mock exams; and past papers
- Exclusions: channels devoted only to general education; news, entertainment, music, and sports; and coincidental keyword matches
Rankings by Language
Rankings prioritize the number of channels, with total subscribers used as a tiebreaker.
| Rank | Language | Channels | Total subscribers | Median | Largest channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | 8 | 24,007,000 | 1,300,000 | Physics Wallah - Alakh Pandey (14,300,000) |
| 2 | Japanese | 3 | 2,383,000 | 323,000 | Stardy -河野玄斗の神授業 (1,810,000) |
| 3 | Bengali | 2 | 2,708,000 | 1,354,000 | 10MS Class 6 - 10 (2,270,000) |
| 4 | Multilingual | 1 | 9,470,000 | 9,470,000 | Khan Academy (9,470,000) |
| 5 | Russian | 1 | 199,000 | 199,000 | Учи.ру (199,000) |
| 6 | Spanish | 1 | 115,000 | 115,000 | Instituto Cervantes (115,000) |
English has the most channels, with eight, but the breakdown is centered on India’s JEE, NEET, and UPSC ecosystems rather than US-style test prep. It should therefore not be read as “English = the US market.” Japanese has three channels, mainly focused on exam education through cram-school lectures and national certification experience. Bengali has fewer channels, but a model combining school exams and university admissions within a single learning service stands out.
Rankings by Exam Category
| Rank | Category | Channels | Total subscribers | Median | Largest channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | School and standardized exams | 6 | 5,399,000 | 435,000 | 10MS Class 6 - 10 (2,270,000) |
| 2 | Indian entrance and civil-service exams | 5 | 21,630,000 | 1,840,000 | Physics Wallah - Alakh Pandey (14,300,000) |
| 3 | Undergraduate and graduate admissions | 4 | 11,738,000 | 972,500 | Khan Academy (9,470,000) |
| 4 | Language exams | 1 | 115,000 | 115,000 | Instituto Cervantes (115,000) |
Indian entrance and civil-service exams lead with five channels and also stand out sharply in total subscribers. JEE and NEET in particular have large target populations and are well suited to a combination of long, subject-specific lectures, worked solutions, live classes, and pathways to apps. Undergraduate and graduate admissions combine international tests such as the SAT and LSAT with Japanese university entrance exams and Bangladeshi admission preparation.
Subscriber Rankings
| Rank | Channel | Primary exam area | Language | Subscribers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physics Wallah - Alakh Pandey | Indian entrance and civil-service exams | English | 14,300,000 |
| 2 | Khan Academy | Undergraduate and graduate admissions | Multilingual | 9,470,000 |
| 3 | Doubtnut | Indian entrance and civil-service exams | English | 3,990,000 |
| 4 | 10MS Class 6 - 10 | School and standardized exams | Bengali | 2,270,000 |
| 5 | ALLEN Career Institute | Indian entrance and civil-service exams | English | 1,840,000 |
| 6 | Stardy -河野玄斗の神授業 | School and standardized exams | Japanese | 1,810,000 |
| 7 | 10MS HSC & Admission | Undergraduate and graduate admissions | English | 1,560,000 |
| 8 | Aakash Institute | Indian entrance and civil-service exams | English | 1,040,000 |
| 9 | ForumIAS Official | Indian entrance and civil-service exams | English | 460,000 |
| 10 | Shikho | School and standardized exams | Bengali | 438,000 |
| 11 | Dr. Carl Balita | School and standardized exams | English | 432,000 |
| 12 | The Princeton Review | Undergraduate and graduate admissions | English | 385,000 |
| 13 | 「ただよび」文系チャンネル | Undergraduate and graduate admissions | Japanese | 323,000 |
| 14 | もぎせかチャンネル | School and standardized exams | Japanese | 250,000 |
| 15 | Учи.ру | School and standardized exams | Russian | 199,000 |
| 16 | Instituto Cervantes | Language exams | Spanish | 115,000 |
Top Channels by Language
English
- Physics Wallah - Alakh Pandey — 14,300,000 subscribers / Indian entrance and civil-service exams
- Doubtnut — 3,990,000 subscribers / Indian entrance and civil-service exams
- ALLEN Career Institute — 1,840,000 subscribers / Indian entrance and civil-service exams
- 10MS HSC & Admission — 1,560,000 subscribers / undergraduate and graduate admissions
- Aakash Institute — 1,040,000 subscribers / Indian entrance and civil-service exams
Japanese
- Stardy -河野玄斗の神授業 — 1,810,000 subscribers / school and standardized exams
- 「ただよび」文系チャンネル — 323,000 subscribers / undergraduate and graduate admissions
- もぎせかチャンネル — 250,000 subscribers / school and standardized exams
Bengali
- 10MS Class 6 - 10 — 2,270,000 subscribers / school and standardized exams
- Shikho — 438,000 subscribers / school and standardized exams
Multilingual
- Khan Academy — 9,470,000 subscribers / undergraduate and graduate admissions
Russian
- Учи.ру — 199,000 subscribers / school and standardized exams
Spanish
- Instituto Cervantes — 115,000 subscribers / language exams
Recent Trends
1. Moving from “video only” to learning platforms
The leading group includes providers such as Physics Wallah, ALLEN, Aakash, Shikho, and 10MS that use YouTube as an entry point to apps, live classes, mock exams, question support, and paid courses. In test prep, the ability to design learning progress, practice, and feedback has become a competitive advantage over the view count of a single video.
2. For large-scale exams, lessons that remain searchable outperform short-form content
Exams with clear syllabi, such as JEE, NEET, UPSC, university entrance exams, and standardized exams, allow lectures by chapter, past papers, frequently tested problems, and last-minute preparation to become lasting assets. Because the exam cycle returns every year, the same themes are easily rediscovered by new candidates.
3. Language localization itself becomes a barrier to entry
Although math and science are universal, exam scope, teaching methods, school systems, and application procedures vary by country. In languages other than English, courses tailored to the country’s exam system are more compelling than simple translation, allowing specialized Bengali, Russian, Japanese, and Spanish channels to succeed.
4. A split between brand-led and individual instructor-led channels
Institutional brands such as ALLEN and The Princeton Review hold an advantage in the number of subjects and volume of updates. By contrast, individual and instructor brands such as Gento Kono, Yobiko instructors’ Tadayobi, and Mogiseka differentiate themselves through clarity of explanation, trust, and community.
Categories Likely to Grow
AI-powered personalized practice and question solving
The supply of lecture videos has increased. The next growth opportunity is personalization: diagnosing weaknesses from answers or photos, then presenting the next problem. As Doubtnut-style question solving merges with generative-AI tutors, a model is likely to spread in which video handles explanation and AI handles repeated practice.
Specialized exams tied directly to certification renewal and career changes
IT cloud, cybersecurity, healthcare and nursing, accounting, and legal fields can be closely tied to post-certification income and career changes, making them areas where course pricing can be higher. This sample contains few dedicated channels in these fields, leaving room for specialized-exam channels to break the 100,000-subscriber threshold.
Combined “domestic exam + English exam” offerings in non-English-speaking markets
Rather than studying university entrance exams and IELTS, TOEFL, or TOEIC separately, this model offers them as a unified path to further education or study abroad. Channels that explain systems in regional languages while integrating English study, applications, and interviews are likely to grow.
Short-term and retake preparation for working adults
Where student-focused comprehensive lectures compete, working adults face constraints such as “how many more points,” “30 days,” and “commuting time.” Short-term formats focused on weakness diagnosis, study plans, and last-minute practice have a clear audience goal and can more readily connect to paid services.
How to Read the Data and Its Limitations
This aggregation is channel-based. Even when a channel covers multiple exams, it was assigned one representative exam category. Subscriber counts also represent each channel’s total subscribers, not subscribers to test-prep videos alone. When comparing channels such as Khan Academy and Instituto Cervantes, which also cover education beyond test preparation, please keep this in mind.
This is not a statistic showing “global test-prep YouTube market share,” but a comparison of large channels that could be clearly verified from public information. Combining YouTube Data API data with directories from exam authorities and education providers in each country could further improve regional coverage in the future.
Source Data
The CSV used to create this article includes channel name, exam category, primary language, subscriber count, channel URL, description, classification signals, and verification date.
Download the CSV data package for 16 test-prep YouTube channels PDF / CSV included