What is the right time and right strategy to prepare for GATE Exam?

Now only a couple of months are left for the GATE 2024 examination, and a lot of engineering graduates are on the lookout for opportunities through the GATE examination. Many budding engineers are also fascinated by the multiple opportunities that would come their way through the GATE exam and are on the lookout for GATE preparation tips and a GATE 2024 strategy. One frequent question that crosses all the aspirant’s minds at some point in time or another is, “What would be the correct time to start one’s GATE preparation and how to channelize it in the right direction?” In this blog, we try to address the concerns of all the students along with providing some GATE preparation tips.

 

Right time vs the ideal time:

The right time to do a thing is when you’re sure you want to do it because only you have enough determination and patience to achieve it. Since there is no bar on the age of candidates applying for the GATE exam, we often see the results come from candidates of varied age groups and experiences. It is never too late, and of course, it is never too early to start working on your dreams or to follow them. Anyway, there is no guaranteed or fixed time period to achieve success for everyone. Different people work in different time frames and, accordingly, achieve the same goal in different time slabs, but no one is ideal, it all depends on the level of determination you put into the strategy you follow and the guidance you get.

 

The ideal time for college students:

Ideally speaking, for a technical exam like GATE, it is advisable to start preparing from the second year onwards of college. It is not advised to start preparation in the first year itself since candidates are hardly acquainted with the technical studies they are signing up for. The first year should be invested in research and experimenting with possible career options, and once you are sure and determined about your aims and goals, you can begin with your GATE preparation. A delay of a semester or a month in your preparation won’t do as much damage to your career as a lack of planned GATE preparation or a perplexed start to the career would.

In addition, most of the basic technical subjects asked in the examination derive their concepts from the technical subjects that are taught in the third or fourth semester of one’s bachelor’s degree. This is why the second year of graduation would be the right time to start your GATE preparation. Though the syllabus of the GATE examination is different from the university exams, both are closely related. Thus, it is a good idea to start preparing with the help and reference of good GATE preparation material. Starting at such an early stage also leaves ample scope for discussion, strengthening of concepts, proper coverage of the complete syllabus, doubt resolution, and maximum practice. It is advisable to go for an aptitude test and preparation along with the non-technical part, which consists of English and Engineering mathematics, in the year break after the first year, and as the third semester (second year) begins, students can start with the preparations for the technical part.

 

How to start?

Begin with the subject that interests you the most and slowly and gradually move forward. After you have read the theory of each subject while making notes of your own, it’s equally important to practice questions from the same topic. You can use the previous year’s question papers and test series for the same. Short notes or micro notes prove to be an important part of one’s preparation in later stages when you start taking tests. Joining a classroom course for your preparation would be a good idea since it streamlines your preparation and saves on the time and effort required.

 

GATE Preparation tips to keep the spirits high:

Before you actually face the GATE exam time duration, it is important to keep the preparation going in full flow, in the same way as it started initially. There are a number of ways you can do that if you are preparing by yourself, with a job, or in college:

1. Form small support groups, consisting of 2-3 aspirants with similar goals, with any successful senior for guidance or maybe a faculty member who can help with doubt resolution. It’s known that no one can succeed alone; you cannot go far if you plan to go alone. Taking help and guidance from fellow aspirants and faculty is, thus, always a good idea.
2. There are a number of platforms these days where like-minded graduates with similar goals share and discuss their experiences and doubts. One of them is the MADE EASY Student Portal. A number of aspirants connect here to find useful resources, discuss, and seek answers to their technical doubts.
3. Though all these resources and platforms, including social media, should be used in a minimal and constructive way, Spending a lot of time here may also prove to be an absolute waste of time.

Forming a flexible GATE 2024 strategy and modifying it when and as needed according to how you are performing would be beneficial for the GATE exam. The performance can be judged by thoroughly preparing for and following a good online test series for GATE.

 

The final shot:

Online Test Series are the final stroke for your strategy. Evaluation and addition go hand in hand when you enroll in a test series. It is advisable that you enroll in a test series just two or three months from the beginning of your preparation. Contrary to the general convention, test series should not only be taken in the end, very close to the GATE exam; in fact, this helps you analyze and evaluate your performance after each subject. With the help of a test series, you can also keep in touch with all the technical subjects regularly by taking topic-wise and mixed-subject tests frequently. Full syllabus tests, according to varying difficulty levels, can be taken towards the end of your preparation, just before the final GATE exam to analyze and get a complete picture of your preparation level.

Finally, when you actually face the GATE exam, try to stay calm, composed, and confident. You can gain confidence if you have already planned and practiced the three hours of the exam multiple times before actually appearing for it. Center-based mock tests, conducted on the same pattern as GATE on a specific center can help you with that. After giving your best and doing all that you could, the key is to relax and be calm.

As we all know, “It’s never too late to start if you start in the right direction”. Even if you failed to realize your goals on time, if later, in the final year, or even after that, you realize that the GATE examination is the right opportunity provider, you can crack the exam with flying colors just with the right strategy and guidance and the right orientation. It has been seen in the past that along with B.Tech. also, students achieved the first rank and at the same time, those already employed, married, or even parents of small kids achieved the top ranks, so it’s more about strategy and management than about time, age, and skills. Talking about strategy, “there is your strategy of preparation, then there is a topper’s strategy, as for one strategy that anyone can follow, it does not exist.” There is no one-size-fits-all here. Strategies and schedules differ from person to person and are unique for each subject, each exam, and each student.

Watching topper’s testimonials, interviews and blogs helps you in a way to know how they strategized and planned their path of action towards success, but one should not follow the same blindly. The first step towards starting the preparation is analysis. Analysis of the exam, the syllabus, and yourself. Identify the traditional answers to questions, the rarely asked ones, prioritize accordingly and then plan your studies.

It’s better to plan half an hour before efficient six-hour studies than to study 12 hours a day with zero planning. After you’ve identified your strong areas and your weak points, it becomes very easy to work on them and improve. Ideally, it is suggested to take theoretical and lengthy subjects towards the beginning of your preparation, but not to dedicate more than two weeks or so to their preparation, covering all their aspects, concepts, and practice questions. Once you’re confident in a subject completely, appear for a single subject test for the same, and after analysis of its result, move forward accordingly.

A very strong, planned, and strict revision plan is also advisable to be maintained along with the preparation plan. The time for revision must increase with each passing month of your preparation. Subjects studied, in the beginning, must be revised via part syllabus tests, modal questions, or previously asked questions in between new subjects. This ensures that their concepts are not held loose whilst preparing for new subjects.

What matters, in the end, is not how well you studied and prepared but only how well you retained and performed. Little things add up to efficiency and big results. Make and stick to realistic schedules and routines. Make it a habit to make and read micro notes, eat healthily, and take proper sleep breaks. Don’t lose your calm, be sure of your aim, and stay confident in yourself.  The time taken does not matter in the end if the result is worth the time and the effort. Your determination and required motivation to achieve come from within as they say, “Lost are the people who search for motivation anywhere outside themselves.”

All the best for GATE 2024.

 

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