Is going for coaching very important for passing CA?

I have been reading lots of blogs about CA lately. And have also read interviews of few students. Here, in the forum section too, lots and lots of people talk about "coaching" and "class notes". Well, I wanted to know is coaching actually that important? The fees of coaching classes have reached sky high and also there are some students like me who will have to travel more than 3 hours (in & out) if opted for coaching classes.
Your help is really appreciated.