Hey Studious Champs !!!
You must be wondering why am I calling you Champs. Its’ because you must have searched “How to prepare for GATE Exams in your browser and it clearly indicates that you care about your further studies and so you are a Champ.Isn’t it interesting to know that. Yeah definitely it is.
Now if you are serious about GATE (GRADUATE APTITUDE TEST IN ENGINEERING) Exams then it’s utmost important that you all must be clear about its preparation strategies. Have you heard the saying ,”
If you have the right guidance about any exam then it becomes easy to clear it within the stipulated time.
GATE is an exam for all those who have completed B.E/B.TECH/B.PHARM/B.ARCH/B.SC. Also students of final year can apply for this exam.
LIST OF GATE PAPERS AND CORRESPONDING CODES
| Sl.No | Paper | Code | Sl.No | Paper | Code | |
| 1 | Aerospace Engineering | AE | 13 | Instrumentation Engineering | IN | |
| 2 | Agricultural Engineering | AG | 14 | Mathematics | MA | |
| 3 | Architecture and Planning | AR | 15 | Mechanical Engineering | ME | |
| 4 | Biotechnology | BT | 16 | Mining Engineering | MN | |
| 5 | Civil Engineering | CE | 17 | Metallurgical Engineering | MT | |
| 6 | Chemical Engineering | CH | 18 | Petroleum Engineering | PE | |
| 7 | Computer Science and Information Technology | CS | 19 | Physics | PH | |
| 8 | Chemistry | CY | 20 | Production and Industrial Engineering | PI | |
| 9 | Electronics and Communication Engineering | EC | 21 | Textile Engineering and Fibre Science | TF | |
| 10 | Electrical Engineering | EE | 22 | Engineering Sciences | XE* | |
| 11 | Ecology and Evolution | EY | 23 | Life Sciences | XL** | |
| 12 | Geology and Geophysics | GG | ||||
| XE Paper Sections | Code | XL Paper Sections | Code | |||
| Engineering Mathematics (Compulsory) | A | Chemistry (Compulsory) | H | |||
| Fluid Mechanics | B | Biochemistry | I | |||
| Materials Science | C | Botany | J | |||
| Solid Mechanics | D | Microbiology | K | |||
| Thermodynamics | E | Zoology | L | |||
| Polymer Science and Engineering | F | Food Technology | M | |||
| Food Technology | G | |||||
*XE (Engineering Sciences) and **XL (Life Sciences) papers are of general nature.
Coming to the point as to how to prepare for it. I will go step by step.
#STEP 1. KNOW ABOUT THE PATTERN AND EXAMINATION TYPE
The GATE Exam consists of a single paper of 3-hour duration that contains 65 questions carrying a maximum of 100 marks. The question paper will consist of both multiple choice questions (MCQ) and numerical answer type questions. The exam is conducted online for all papers. Rough sheets are also provided.
There are three sections in the paper for paper codes- AE, AG, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, IN,ME, MN, MT, PI, TF,XE
| PAPER SECTIONS | MARKS |
| SUBJECT QUESTIONS | 70% |
| ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS | 15% |
| GENERAL APTITUDE | 15% |
There are two sections in the paper for paper codes- AR, CY, EY,GG,MA,PH and XL.
| PAPER SECTIONS | MARKS |
| SUBJECT QUESTIONS | 85% |
| GENERAL APTITUDE | 15% |
You have to attempt each and every section. Also there is negative marking. So proper strategy of attempting paper should be implemented.
#STEP 2. KNOW THE SYLLABUS AND WEIGHTAGE OF EACH SUBJECT
Since there are more than 10 subjects included in the syllabus for all branches. So you have to prepare accordingly and with good strategy.
This is the most important aspect of this exam.
Randomly preparing anything will not lead you anywhere.
So proper planning is important. Also there are many subjects so you have to decide which subjects to prepare according to the weightage. This you can easily analyse from previous year papers. It will save your time.
STEP 3. STUDY MATERIAL AND BOOKS SELECTION
Selecting study materials properly can make you crack this exam in one go.
Nowadays lots of stuff are there on internet, never get confused over them. Always go for books from standard authors because GATE is a total concept based exam.
Short cut tricks never work for an exam like this.
You have to be conceptually strong otherwise you can cannot crack this exam. Market is flooded with hell lot of books, be selective in choosing the one for you.
Always prioritize this section for preparation.
#STEP 4. PLAN YOUR PREPARATION
Nothing works if you do not go with proper planning. So near about 6 to 8 months of serious studies is needed to crack this exam.
Make daily plan for each subject,topic, timing.
Then weekly plan and monthly plan comes into picture. Give enough time to each subject. Revision is an important part of preparation.
If you don’t revise you will forget things. So, time to time revision is also important.
#STEP 5. DETAILED STRATEGY
GATE is such an exam where you cannot leave any subject because you never know the surprises that this exam throws every year. Its’ better to prepare each and every subject. I know that every person has likes and dislikes but here the question is of your career so don’t let your personal choices decide your fate.
For time being forget everything, just focus on cracking the exam with good percentile. You can start with easy subjects because they take less time to complete and you can feel confident that you have completed some course.
Read each and every topic.
Make small revision notes for all the topics that you have covered so that you can revise them from time to time.
Never keep you doubts pending . Get it cleared from any available resources whether from a friend , teacher, senior etc.
#STEP 6. REGULAR REVISIONS
We all are human beings and we all have tendency to forget things if we are not in touch with them regularly.
Since GATE is an exam where you have a lot of subjects to study, it is common that you may forget certain formulas and topics.
But you can always keep track of the previously completed subjects by regular revisions. Make time table and include regular revision schedules.
It can be every day, after 2- 3 days, in a week, in a month. Believe after revising things you will be in a condition of fast recalling things.
#STEP 7. PRACTICE MOCK TESTS
Since this is an online exam, it is important to practice in real time exam scenario. This will help you in time management as well as you can understand how your mind works in an actual exam like situation.
It will improve you test tackling skills. Your respond time will also increase.
This practice will definitely improve your performance.
There are many test series available in the market which you can purchase according to your planning and of course budget.
Your confidence will boost day by day.
#STEP 8. REVISE AND PRACTICE DURING LAST 10 DAYS.
During last 10-15 days before exam, please do not go for any new topic or subject. This will only misguide you and bring your moral down.
You have studied a lot with good strategy, don’t spoil your preparation just because of random thoughts of any left topic or just because one of your friend asked a doubt and you were not able to solve.
Restrict your communications with friends in the last days. They are there to confuse you only. You have to be confident in yourself.
Remember you cannot master all subjects and each and every topic. Better be focussed on what you have prepared. Its’ time to refine your strong subjects.
To get a good percentile you have to be cool and calm also. Don’t panic in any case. All you do is revisions and only revisions. Study and analyse only formulas
#STEP 8. LAST MINUTE TIPS
- Go through allguidelines once again.
- Keep your Hall Ticket and required stuffs ready in your bag.
- Locate you test centre a day before.
- Avoid your friends on Exam Centre.
- Keep revising everything in mind.
- Go with a smile on your face in Exam hall.
- Definitely you will nail this exam with good score.
So guys, prepare well and get admissions to your dream trade and college after clearing this exam in one GO.
Remember if others can, you can also be there !!!!!!!!!!!