When to start preparing for ESE & GATE in College?

The GATE and ESE examinations are the two major examinations for engineering graduates. While there are students who are preparing for the exam, there are also those in the college who are wondering which year to start their GATE or ESE preparation in. Well, different people have different opinions but what is important is that what suits you and what you want to believe in.

To break a lot of myths about the ‘perfect time to begin your preparation’, we have written this article to show the candidates the real picture and provide the perfect strategy for preparing for GATE 2025 or ESE/IES 2025. But, before we start let us have a brief about the two exams and what they are about.

GATE is a national-level engineering examination which is held every year for students of engineering and science. The examination is conducted in order to provide the students a pathway for a bright future. The examination helps the students in:

• Enrolling for an M. Tech. program in a good college
• Getting a PSU job
• Scholarship for various international universities
• Getting admission into NITIE

Engineering Services Examination is the national level examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission every year. It is one of the toughest examinations in the country and helps the engineering graduates in becoming class A and class B officers with the Union government.

GATE Vs ESE

The above table informs all that the candidates what they must know about the GATE and ESE examinations. These are one of the toughest examinations in the country, so one must be clear about what the exam expects of you and what are some hacks can help you with your preparation.

What the preparation demands:

1. Awareness: The GATE and ESE examination require that one should be aware of the examination, it’s syllabus, pattern of exam along with the books and coaching institute related to it for perfect guidance. Once you know it all then you are good to go.
2. Dedication: Every great thing requires hard work and dedication to achieve it, nothing comes easy. Similarly, for GATE/ESE the students are required to stay dedicated towards the exam and put in their best foot forward.
3. Knowledge: Knowledge is the utmost key to crack any exam, and so is the case here. One must know their subjects well to crack the GATE/ESE examination.
4. Sincerity: While dedication is important, it is also important to stay sincere. Getting involved in other distracting things like social media can hamper your studies and largely affect your preparation.
5. Time Management: While all the pointers are important, it will only be possible if you have managed your time well. Time Management is a technique of making the most from the limited time that is available to you. All the candidates have equal time left to prepare for the exam. While some get busy with other extra work, the ones who stay focused crack the exam with good rank.
   While the above pointers are important for GATE or ESE preparation. One thing you might have noticed is that we did not mention anything about the time period. It isn’t the time that is Important but it’s management that creates a difference. Different toppers have different stories and every story has a different beginning but they converge into a single frame of clearing the exam. Thus, today with this article we aim to clear this myth from among the students about the best time to start GATE or ESE preparation.
   Following are some things that one can do while in college that will help and support your preparation.
6. Know the Syllabus: If you plan on giving the GATE or ESE examination, make sure you know the syllabus of the examination. If you go through it once, you will realize that 90% of the syllabus is that taught in college. Subjects like Aptitude, English, General Studies are exclusive to these exams. Knowing the syllabus of the exam and its pattern will be of help while planning your further course of action.
7. Know Your Exam: GATE and ESE are both examinations for engineering students, choose the exam that you want to give, or decide if you want to give one exam or prepare for both simultaneously. This will give a direction to your preparation.
8. Concentrate on the taught syllabus: As mentioned earlier 90% of the syllabus is that taught in college classrooms, so concentrating on the class curriculum will actually help in the competitive exam preparation. While the syllabus taught in the college is huge, knowing the syllabus will come in handy here.
   • Study Material: You can opt for Postal Study Package focused on providing GATE and ESE coaching to candidates. This study material may not have anything different from what is being taught in class but will surely have some pointers and concepts that will be explained in a way that may be asked in the examination. Along with that, these study material are always supported by worksheets which have questions related to each topic that can be asked in the GATE or ESE examination.
   • Online Classes: Various platforms like NPTEL provide amazing video courses branch wise. If you were unable to understand any concept during the classroom, you can always take help from these online courses. Leaving the topic which you can’t understand may not be an option if you are preparing for an exam as huge as GATE or ESE.
9. Solve the Papers: Make sure that you duly practice each topic that you study in class by solving previous year papers or sample papers from test series for that particular year. Solving these questions will give you an idea about the type of questions that are asked in the exam and what more is required from your end for the examination.
10. Listen to Toppers Talk: Motivation always breeds dedication, so stay motivated about the exam. Despite what the people around you may be talking, make sure you stand your grounds and remain motivated towards your preparation. To stay motivated it is important to listen to students who have qualified the exams and are living the dream life that you want.
11. Stay updated: Though most of the syllabus for the GATE and ESE examination includes the technical subjects, there are some other subjects, too, which if practiced well will fetch you good marks, thus improving your rank in the examination.

• Aptitude: While aptitude is part of both the GATE and ESE syllabus, you will not be taught this in college, so make sure you practice it in order to get a fine grip on the subject.
• General Studies: Stay updated with what is going around in the news and any important thing that you must know about it, this will help you in preparing for the ESE examination later as General Studies is a part of the ESE syllabus.
• English: English is part of GATE examination 2025, so make sure to read books, novels, and newspaper whenever you get the time. This will make you proficient in English and also be an added benefit during the examination.
  While there is a lot that you can do in college, it is a place which shapes who you are and what you will do in the future.

Year Wise Preparation Strategy

While the above preparation tips are common to all, there are some important preparation strategies that one must follow each year.

1. Creating a Base: First year is the time when the subjects for all the branches are common and we mostly read the subjects to make a strong base. Well, the first year must be dedicated to creating a base for your exam. For this, you need to be careful in the class. For subjects like Engineering Mathematics, you can establish a strong base right from the first year. The subjects in the first year will be of great help in your preparation and will act as a stronghold in your GATE or ESE preparation.
2. The First Step: Second year, by a great margin, is the most important year in the life of an engineering student. In the second year, the core subjects are introduced in the engineering curriculum. The students of each branch start getting individual training in their niche sector and the basics of their branch are taught in the two semesters.
   The second year is an important year for all those students who are planning to have an excellent career in the technology sector. GATE or ESE/IES requires a very strong foundation of your technical subjects which will be taught to you from the second year. Thus, make sure you make the best of your second year in college and you can have an edge over all your competitors.
   To boost your preparation further, you can also opt for the Postal Study Package from a reputed coaching institute. This study package will streamline your basic concepts and inline your preparation with the exam pattern and the need for the exam.
3. Let’s Get Serious: The third year is an important year in which the difficulty level of the subjects increase and so does the pressure of the exam. If you haven’t studied for the previous two years, you don’t have to worry as it still isn’t too late, but yes you will have to work harder. You can join the classroom courses of any good coaching institute. All the institutes have weekend batches especially for students of the third year. If that is not possible then it still isn’t too late to opt for the postal study course if you haven’t yet. These courses will help you inline your preparation with the exam pattern and stay in the competition with the other students.
   If there is no coaching institute near your college, make sure you join the course in your summer vacations. This will provide the necessary guidelines for ESE or GATE Preparation and before you know you will be ready for the exam. You can also join an Online Test Series in the third year to test your preparation. These test series, along with providing a check in your preparation, will also help in learning new concepts and formulae.
4. Final Test: The final year is the main year of the entire preparation. The hard work of the past three years will finally pay off when you will be appearing for the GATE or ESE examination in the final year. In this year, there is a lot to do:

• Revise: Go through all that you have studied and make sure you have revised everything before the exam.
• Practice: Practice makes a person perfect and it is extremely necessary that you practice the questions through test series and practice paper.
• Give your best: Once you are all ready, stay confident and give your best shot to the exam.

The above tips will help you in starting GATE or ESE preparation in college and getting you in the groove of the examination. How much you make out of it will depend on how serious you are about the examination and how badly you want it.  There are students who take a drop after college to prepare for the exam and there are also students who crack the exam in the final year itself. Every success story is different and only you can choose how you want yours to look like.

However, doing the needful in college is important so that whenever you start GATE or ESE preparation in full swing, you don’t have to wonder what the syllabus is and how will you manage it all. So, know your syllabus and the exam well and you will be good to go.

Now let us learn about some most common questions associated with the resources for the ESE and GATE exam preparation:

Is there any online course of MADE EASY for college going students?

Yes. MADE EASY offers a wide range of online courses for GATE exam preparation that caters to both college students and working professionals. Some top MADE EASY online courses for ESE and GATE preparation.

• GATE & SES (GS) 2025-26 Live Online Foundation Course

Apart from this, students can also opt for classroom courses according to their comfort and priority. Here are the top MADE EASY classroom courses for the ESE and GATE preparation.

1. ESE + GATE: 1 year Foundation Course
2. ESE + GATE: 1 year Foundation Course + OTS
3. ESE + GATE: 2 Years Repeat Cours
4. ESE + GATE: 2 Years Repeat Course + OTS
5. ESE Exclusive: G.S. & Engineering Aptitude Batches
6. GATE: 1 Year Foundation Course
7. GATE Exclusive: 2 Years Flexi Classroom Course

Students can choose the course of their choice based on their college study schedule and available time after college hours for the GATE exam preparation. You can plan and implement your ESE and/or GATE preparation strategy accordingly to yield the best results in the respective competitive exam.

Do not wait: the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along.” ― Napoleon Hill

We hope you like this article. Please feel free to write to us regarding any doubts or any queries. We always aim to provide our students with the best. All the very best for your preparation, no matter which year of college or preparation stage you are in.

Stay consistent with your efforts and experience the desired results in your competitive exam.