What Makes You Fail in the GATE Exam?

Success or failure is just a human-made concept and today we will be exploring the same regarding GATE exam. GATE is a national-level examination that is conducted every year for post-graduation like M. Tech, Jobs in India’s PSUs, scholarships and many more exciting career opportunities. It is one of the most sort after exam among engineers and is thus considered one of the toughest examinations of the nation. Despite the immense competition and high cut-off of the examination, lakhs of students appear for the GATE examination as it is the secret key to a bright future.

The success rate of the examination is also not very high, so not all the students make it through the merit list. While the examination tests you on your basics and fundamentals of your subjects which you have studied for four years in college, not all the candidates clear the examination. So what distinguishes between the candidates in the merit list and the ones who do not make it.

Success or Failure

While there are lot of reasons that create a difference between success or failure in the GATE examination, let’s talk about some:

1. Goals are not clear:

Most of the students appearing for the GATE examination are not clear about their goals. Why do they want to give the exam, what are they looking for from the examination?

They are merely giving it because their friends are giving it and then they expect some magic to happen after the GATE examination. Well, things cannot be taken so casually therefore first sit and decide why you want to give that exam and what are you expecting of it: job, M. Tech, scholarship, etc.

2. Not Knowing the GATE exam:

Lots of candidates start preparing for the examination without even looking at the syllabus, pattern and marks distribution. Well, this is one of the biggest mistakes we all must avoid. Whether you are preparing for the examination alone or with some friends, do the first things first and go through the syllabus.

The GATE syllabus clearly mentions what needs to be studied for the examination, so instead of wasting time on needless topics concentrate and grab a hold of the important once.

3. Not Setting a GATE timetable:

Once you are done with knowing your exam, its syllabus, pattern, and everything about it, it is now time to set a timetable for yourself. No success comes without sincere efforts in the right direction.

While you have chosen the direction of GATE, to ensure sincere efforts, a timetable is extremely helpful. Your timetable should not be made randomly as then it will merely be a piece of paper stuck to your wall.

While making the timetable prioritize your subjects and topics, include practice papers and previous year papers, register for test series, and form a practical timetable that you can follow and incorporate easily.

4. Not making any Short notes:

A timetable ensures that you study but how you study is also important. This is taken care by making notes. So when studying, make sure you make notes, underline things and highlight parts that you think are important.

This note-making can also be practiced while doing practice paper or previous year questions. However just making notes is not important, you must master the art of note-making.

5. Not Focusing on basics:

GATE exam focuses completely on testing the basic knowledge of your subject and its application in various arenas. Well, for this to happen, it is necessary that instead of jumping directly to practice papers, you get your basics clear and then move forward with the preparation.

The pattern is totally based on engineering basics and fundamentals. So you need to brush up all your basics since 2nd year of engineering.

6. No proper study plan and routine:

A casual attitude of students towards the examination is also one of the reasons for failure. This casual attitude is visible in most of the students who start preparing for GATE just before months which is not the correct approach for this exam.

Due to the vast syllabus and tough competition, it is mandatory for all the students to cover a lot which is not possible in few months’ time, so better have a proper study plan and follow it too.

Joining a coaching class in the earlier stage or some test series in the later stages of preparation is also an important tip to keep yourself engaged in your studies and follow a proper study plan and routine.

7. No proper material/guidance:

Due to the vast syllabus and tough competition in the examination, one cannot go for all the basics and read all the books. In order to get maximum results in the limited time available, one should try getting guidance from some good teachers and previous-year toppers through their GATE success stories.

One can also opt for study material from some good and well-established coaching institutes. Proper guidance and study material will help you in understanding the exam and pattern better and you will save a lot of time as the coaching material is prepared by Research & Development team referring to various books available on the particular subject.

8. Not Enough Practice:

This is a very common factor among all competitive exams that you have to go through a lot of mock test practice and increase your speed with accuracy.

9. GATE Success Stories:

The long process of the examination preparation coupled with the syllabus of the examination can become tiresome sometimes. What is important is that you do not yield to such situations and instead find GATE success stories to inspire you and keep you going forward to your dreams.

Enlisted above are some factors that can determine your success or failure in the GATE 2024 examination. When you listen to GATE success stories you will release that even the toppers had a similar plan in place which helped them make a difference and come out victorious after the exam.

Success and failure are merely terms, what matters is your courage to get up again and fight for what you believe is yours. Therefore, for those students who have failed in the exam earlier, do not be disheartened and keep moving forward. Life rewards you when you least expect of it. All you have to do is work hard. So keeping in mind not to repeat past mistakes keep moving forward.

For the new candidates, make sure you too avoid the above mistakes and work sincerely your journey to success.

Now that we are done with reasons that create a difference let’s focus on some preparation tips which will help the GATE aspirants in succeeding in the GATE examination.

GATE Preparation Tips

How to prepare for GATE? Is a very common question among GATE aspirants. The GATE 2024 examination details have been released and now the students are busy preparing and they do not want to leave anything that may create a difference in their results.

On the same lines, some GATE preparation tips for GATE Exam are:

1. Learn your subjects well:

There are some people who yield to trends and leave some subjects taking clue from the past year’s papers. While getting an idea about the examination is a good decision but do not completely rely on it.

There is no particular trend that the GATE committee has specified for the distribution of marks among the various subjects and it can surprise you at any time. Therefore, do not leave any subject however you can study and concentrate more on the core subjects.

Similarly, do not skip the Aptitude and English part of the examination too. Some students get overconfident about the aptitude section of the examination and do not practice it at all. Well, that is a bad decision altogether. You must practice the aptitude section too every now and then as it can fetch you good marks and increase your rank by leaps and bounds.

2. Take Proper Breaks:

Only studies and no break is a usual mindset that GATE aspirants follow mostly. They believe that taking a break is equivalent to wasting time, however, that is not the case. Your mind is not a machine and it requires regular intervals of refreshment.

Breaks do not mean that you take out 2-3 hours between sessions. Instead, you can take a 10-minute break every 1 hour. Also once a week or maybe a month you can also take a day off from books and give yourself a break.

Not taking proper breaks is also one of the reasons why people fail the examination. If you do not offer your brain and body proper breaks it may also not help you during the examination.

3. Revise a Lot:

Studying is one important part of studying but revising it is too necessary. Only studying may not help you recall the topics in the examination hall, but revising and re-revising it will actually help in remembering the law or formulae and you will easily recall it.

Our brain remembers things that it is continuously fed. Thus make pneumonic, short forms, or any other method to remember what you have read.

4. Do Not Procrastinate:

Procrastinating is one of the most common habits that all humans share. We love to delay our stuff and leave it for some other time. Well, this delay does not work very well with the GATE examination.

Procrastination actually adds to the piling up of work and before you know it, the examination is near and you are left with a huge chunk of the syllabus still left to cover.

Your success or failure in the GATE examination has nothing to do with your college or your upbringing. It is your hard work and sincerity that pays off in the end. So if you are a GATE 2024 aspirant and planning to appear for the GATE 2024 examination, then start your preparation now.

Read about some GATE success stories, make a study timetable for yourself and start on your journey today. The more time you have, the more you can learn and revise. You can also take help by joining a coaching institute or buying their study material.

Ambition is your first step to success and action is the second. So sit down at your study table today and write why you want to give the exam. Make GATE 2023 your ambition and start acting towards it. Someday, people will be reading your GATE success story.

Success and failure are not final; it is the courage to continue that counts. So leave the past behind and work hard towards your future and success will be yours.

We hope this article helped you in understanding the dos and don’ts of the GATE examination. We wish you all the very best for your future. Feel free to write to us in case you have any queries.

Keep Reading

Dear Aspirants,

Take your GATE exam, ESE exam, and PSUs Interviews preparation to the next level with the MADE EASY YouTube channel. This popular YouTube channel comprises a lot of content for exam aspirants preparing for the ESE and GATE exams with PSUs interviews. It includes Current Affairs, Previous Years’ Questions (PYQs), GATE through Questions (GTQs), Toppers Talk (ESE & GATE), Tips and Tricks, and Job Notifications (Job Box).

So, hurry up, subscribe to the MADE EASY: ESE, GATE, and PSUs YouTube channel now, and never miss an update on new videos.