RevisionDojo’s Questionable Marketing Tactics Exposed: A Case Study in Social Media Manipulation

RevisionDojo, a Start‑up backed by Y Combinator with $3.4 million in capital, markets test‑preparation services for the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. Over the past year, the company’s marketing strategy has attracted scrutiny from the IB community on Reddit and other platforms. ## Coordinated Astroturfing on r/IBO Through a systematic scheme of astroturfing, RevisionDojo has created fictitious student accounts that post “cheatsheets” and “predicted exam leaks.” These posts are then amplified by additional bot‑like accounts that up‑vote, leave supportive comments, and ask follow‑up questions. The effect is a manufactured sense of organic enthusiasm that misleads actual IB students. Multiple r/IBO threads detailing this behavior—such as 1p55qun, 1jsb00a, and 1ohcohi—have been posted and verified. ## Paid Fake Reddit Posts High‑school students reported that the company offered monetary compensation to write promotional Reddit comments, effectively paying for brand advocacy. This practice, captured in the discussion at 1p55qun/comment/nqmhal3, undermines the authenticity of user‑generated content and violates Reddit’s policies. ## Pressuring Negative Feedback and Downvoting Users who voice criticism—examples include posts at 1my1ajx—have been contacted directly by RevisionDojo representatives, with responses such as “a shame you’re posting publicly.” Moreover, negative comments have reportedly been subjected to coordinated down‑votes, further diluting dissenting voices within the community (1my1ajx/comment/na8zvs4). ## Soliciting Copyrighted Materials via Influencers The company has also employed TikTok influencers and fabricated Reddit posts to persuade students to sell official IB exam papers, a direct violation of IB policies. This solicitation is documented in the post 1mej900. ## Moderation Response r/IBO moderators are actively investigating these claims (see 1my1ajx/comment/nagdkl5). Though the subreddit does not yet face a formal takedown, the sustained nature of the manipulation has forced moderators to remove high‑upvote posts and block known bot accounts. ## Expansion to OnePrep RevisionDojo recently acquired OnePrep (oneprep.xyz), a free SAT prep tool popular on r/sat. Following the acquisition, the company applied the same manipulation tactics on a larger scale: * 150 Trustpilot reviews were posted in a single window, raising suspicion about their authenticity (trustpilot.com/review/oneprep.xyz). * Coordinated Reddit activity included posts recommending OnePrep, up‑votes, and fabricated enthusiast comments. One such post amassed over 2,000 votes before being removed by moderators. ## Industry Implications These revelations exemplify how startup marketing budgets, especially in education tech, can be quickly deployed to shape consumer perceptions through social‑media manipulation. While not all paid marketing is disallowed, the coordinated, deceptive nature of RevisionDojo’s tactics crosses the line from aggressive promotion into unethical territory. ## Conclusion The RevisionDojo scandal underscores the importance of transparency and rigorous community moderation in online education spaces. As the company continues to grow, regulators, educators, and users must remain vigilant, demanding clear disclosures and enforcing anti‑manipulation policies to protect the integrity of academic preparation resources.