How to Prepare for GATE Exam: A Guide to Crack GATE Exam

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is an all India entrance Examination conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and the Indian Institutes of Technology(IITs). It is conducted every year in the month of February. GATE is a gateway to the jobs in prestigious PSUs(Public Sector Undertakings) or for postgraduation in premium institutes like IITs, NITs, IIS, etc.

The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is an examination that basically tests the understanding of different undergraduate subjects in engineering and science.

Every year, lakhs of people appear for the GATE exam which makes it one of the toughest and most competitive exams in India.
Many PSU like BHEL, IOCL recruit directly on the basis GATE score and also many institutes admit students for post-graduation. While doing post graduation institutes also give a stipend to the students.

Why You Should Prepare for GATE?

1. Higher education

If you want to go for higher studies then GATE is the best option for you. If you have cleared GATE exam with a good score then you can be qualified admission in various prestigious institutes like IIT, NIT, IISC, etc. Based on your GATE score you opt for your college from available institutes. Generally, top class institutes select students up to rank 1500 and other government institutes select students up to rank 2500. If your rank is high and your score is good then you can also get a stipend while pursuing your post-graduation. After post graduation like M.tech, you can get an attractive salary package from various reputed companies.

2. Study Abroad

If you want to pursue your higher education from foreign universities then GATE score can be used to take admission in foreign universities. In Singapore, a valid and good GATE score is a great parameter for admission to prestigious universities. If your percentile is 90 or above, you can get admission in National University of Singapore(NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU, Singapore) and pursue your Master degree in Engineering from these universities.

3. Private Sector

After completing M.tech degree from IIT or other prestigious institutes you can get an awesome salary package from various MNCs(Multi-National Companies) which you would not get after B.tech.Companies in the private sector like Google, Microsoft, Samsung prefer to hire M.tech  candidates rather than B.tech qualified.

4. PSU sector

PSU(Public Sector Undertakings) are companies in which the majority of stakes are owned by the government. There are various PSU companies which recruit candidates on the basis on GATE score.

Every year many PSUs recruit on the basis of GATE score. Getting a job in PSU’s is most popular among engineering students. The obstacle is that most PSU’s consider GATE score card in recruitment. If you are eager to get into PSU’s, you have to qualify GATE test. PSU’s offer rewarding Perks, the workload is less and it also offers various different advantages to their employees. If you have appeared for the GATE exam then you are eligible for applying to the PSU companies. You will be called for an interview if your GATE score is good enough to be qualified.

5. Teaching jobs

Many students prefer to opt for teaching jobs instead of private sector or PSUs. Teaching job is also a good option to choose as a career.  If you are looking for academic jobs after M.Tech then you can apply for teaching positions in various universities and colleges. You can also apply for a faculty position in government colleges.

GATE Eligibility

Candidates should have completed their Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Technology or Master’s degree (M.Sc) in any relevant science subject or must be in the final year of the program or already completed. Visit this link to know more about eligibility. https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-eligibility-criteria

How to Prepare for GATE

1. Know about GATE exam pattern

Gate exam consists of 65 questions carrying of total 100 marks. GATE is an online examination of 3 hours duration. The exam consists of 1 mark and 2 marks questions with both multiple and numerical answer type questions.

2. Check syllabus

Knowing the syllabus before start preparing for an exam is very important. As there are many engineering subjects included in GATE syllabus it is important to go through all the subjects and prepare according to the weight of the subjects.

3. Weightage of Subjects

Weightage of subjects depends upon the stream of engineering but engineering mathematics and general aptitude are common for all streams.

Engineering mathematics:   15%

General aptitude :                  15%

Specific subjects:                   70%

Plan your preparation according to the weight of the subjects in the examination. Mathematics and general aptitude are common for all streams but 70% part of question paper has a different weight of subjects. Planning preparations of subjects according to the weights help students in completing important subjects on time.

4. Selection of study material

• Selection of good study material is an important step before the start of preparation. Always select standard books for preparation. You can also use youtube or google for study materials.

• Prefer to study from a book instead of other study materials.

• It’s better to make short notes of what you study throughout your preparation because it will help you later at the last moment. Also, make formulae list for mathematics so that you can have a look at all important formulae before entering your exam center.

5. Plan your Preparation Roadmap

• 6 to 8 months before the exam is a good time to start preparation.

• Set target for each week and each month.

• Manage time of study with the schedule of college
  

• Try to achieve weekly and monthly targets

• Try to revise completed subjects and chapters regularly that will help you in remembering concepts for a longer time.

• Complete important topics and subjects first.
  

6. Follow your Preparation Roadmap

• It is good to start with easy and important subjects.

• Make notes of each topic you complete and notes should be in brief including important formulas and concepts.

• Revise each topic and practice sample paper and attempt to solve completed topic questions from previous year question papers.
  

• Don’t pass your doubts to the next time. Clear your doubts at earliest.

• Try to solve mock test papers

• Spend more time on your weak subjects.

7. Revise and Practice

After completion of syllabus, you should focus on revising and practicing more. The more you practice the more you will gain confidence. There are several online mock tests are available which you can solve to know your preparation level. Also, try to solve previous year question papers as much as you can. You should try 3-4 question papers daily that will help you in recalling concepts of different subjects.

8. What to do in the last few days

You should not try to study new topics in the last 2-3 days only focus on revising concepts. Be confident and attempt to question paper carefully.

Visit this link to get previous year question papers http://gate.iitm.ac.in/Previousqp18