I’m sure you might’ve probably heard of the term GATE. Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is a national examination conducted for admission in M.Tech and MS programs. It is coordinated by a committee which includes the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore and by the top seven Indian Institutes of Technology(IITs) which consists of Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Kharagpur, Kanpur, Guwahati and Roorkee on behalf of the National Coordination Board (NCB) — GATE, Department of Education, and Government of India. Besides, the GATE score is also used by Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) for the requirement. And now you’ve come this far. But, the question is – “when” should an individual start preparing for GATE?
Generally, we all face a similar kind of question regarding when a student should start preparing for it. Frankly speaking, any time can be the right time to start your preparation once you’ve set your mind to accomplish that goal. However, you shouldn’t postpone it to the end of your semester as it might create a lot of burdens and unnecessary problems at the end. You will get a variety of responses from your colleagues when you ask them about it as every person follows different strategies for the same task, and thus the answer varies.
Let’s start at the beginning of your college day. Don’t impose many tasks on yourself in the starting year itself as most of our goals aren’t clear till the 2nd or 3rd year. However, you should be aware of the various competitive exams, so that you can prepare for it accordingly when the right time comes. If possible spend time figuring various Career opportunities respective to your stream.
Now, it’s best to start your preparation right from the 2nd year. As your ongoing syllabus during B.Tech is almost similar to the syllabus of GATE, so giving an early start can reward you more at the end. You will be blessed with ample time to figure out things in-depth, clearing as many doubts and concepts as possible while keeping your preparation active. This allows you to practice maximum and help you to hold a proper grip on core subjects. However, many of the students opt for preparing from the 3rd year. Well, that depends on the capability, speed, and accuracy of your presentation. And last year of your engineering is not at all a good idea to begin your preparation as you will be busy with a lot of stuff like placement, mock interviews, academics, projects etc. which might create a lot of pressure and burden on you if you ever do so.
HOW TO DO IT?
a) When it comes to preparing for any kind of exam, the basics should be clear. So, you can first start by selecting those subjects and chapters which interests you a lot and are of more weightage.
b) It’s better to prepare a note for everything you read and write and simultaneously practice the numerical to understand things in a much better way.
c) Search for the previous year’s question paper on the internet and practice them so that you would be clear about the TYPES and DEPTH of the questions being asked.
d) You can also try various test series and online coaching if possible.
e) Make sure you revise the concept at least two times, and it would be better if you do it more.
f) Always keep the preparation on track and take your best shot by enrolling in the “Online Test Series” series before 3-4 months of your exam.
