fuelprep

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Inspiration

The idea for FuelPrep was inspired by the real struggles shared by UPSC aspirants on Reddit forums. Many aspirants voiced the need for an effective and efficient revision tool—something that goes beyond traditional methods. A recurring request was for a card-based app that could simplify revision, help retain concepts, and save time.

What It Does

FuelPrep is an AI-powered tool that generates revision cards for UPSC preparation. Each card includes:

A topic-specific title
A brief description
A relevant multiple-choice question (MCQ)

This helps aspirants revise faster, self-assess on the go, and cover important topics in a structured way.

How We Built It

We used:

FastAPI for building the backend
Vue.js for designing an interactive frontend

Our team worked continuously to ensure high-quality results, focusing on speed, relevance, and usability to keep aspirants engaged and focused.

Challenges We Ran Into

A major hurdle was working with the Sonar API from Perplexity AI:

It often returned repetitive cards, even after multiple refreshes.
For example, in the History category, it repeatedly generated links related to the Moscow Parade of 1986.
It failed to deliver diverse and random sources under specific subtopics.
We also faced latency issues when fetching data, which affected the speed of card generation—crucial for aspirants who rely on quick, reliable access to content.

Additionally, Sonar frequently produced a limited number of Previous Year Questions (PYQs) for certain topics, which restricted comprehensive preparation.

Accomplishments That We're Proud Of

Despite these challenges, we successfully:

Generated relevant topic-based cards
Fetched high-quality learning materials and links
Demonstrated a working prototype of a new-age revision method using AI

This marks an exciting shift toward smarter UPSC preparation.

What We Learned

Through this project, we realized that the Sonar API, in its current form, lacks the consistency and depth required for reliable educational tools.
Although the API has potential, its limitations in returning diverse, authentic, and topic-aligned content were noticeable. Given the time constraints of the hackathon, we couldn’t fully optimize it. With more time and tuning, it can be adapted into a more effective learning assistant.

What's Next for FuelPrep

The next phase of FuelPrep is to evolve into a trusted, AI-driven UPSC prep platform.
We plan to:

Improve the Sonar integration for more accurate and diverse content
Increase the variety and depth of generated MCQs and PYQs
Build a more authentic, user-centric design that caters to every serious aspirant

Our mission is to make UPSC preparation smarter, faster, and more accessible for all.