Guidance on How to Prepare For GATE 2018 Exam

GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) is an Exam, require continuous passion, higher concentration, determination and hard work to succeed. This competition exam is conducted every year as a gateway for postgraduate courses Masters and Doctoral level (M.E., M.Tech, direct Ph.D) in Indian Institutes of higher education. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati is conducting GATE 2018 Exam which is schedule to be conducted over a span of one week in month of February.

GATE is not only for admission in IITs, it will also provide the opportunity to get placed in PSUs. GATE Score is also used by many PSU for their recruitment. A financial assistance is also provided by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and other government agencies during higher education.

The level of competition is increasing every year. A proper study plan and strategy is very much required as this will determine your GATE 2018 Score. So, here are a step wise few tips on how to crack GATE 2018 with a good score –

• Know about GATE Exam and your level of Competency : Before start the planning to make a strategy for GATE 2018 preparation, first understand the GATE and its exam pattern and also your competency. This exam will test the candidates on all their concepts along with its relevance in a comprehensive manner. Scrutinizing your performance will make you aware of your weakness and strong areas to look on. Preparation time for GATE depends on factors such as individual’s aptitude, fundamentals, concentration level, etc. This will help you to plan your preparation strategy. Rigorous preparation for four to six months is considered good. Duration of the GATE exam 2018 is three hours. It consists of 65 questions of total 100 marks.

• Determine your Stream : This exam has some related categories but it is very important that you determine for which stream you are appearing for. The exam has the following streams/disciplines –
  • Aerospace Engineering: AE
  • Agricultural Engineering: AG
  • Architecture and Planning: AR
  • Biotechnology: BT
  • Civil Engineering: CE
  • Chemical Engineering: CH
  • Computer Science and Information Technology: CS
  • Chemistry: CY
  • Electronics and Communication Engineering: EC
  • Electrical Engineering: EE
  • Ecology and Evolution: EY
  • Geology and Geophysics: GG
  • Instrumentation Engineering: IN
  • Mathematics: MA
  • Mechanical Engineering: ME
  • Mining Engineering: MN
  • Metallurgical Engineering: MT
  • Physics: PH
  • Production and Industrial Engineering: PI
  • Textile Engineering and Fibre Science: TF
  • Engineering Sciences: XE
  • Life Sciences: XL

READ Too: BSNL JTO Recruitment Through GATE 2017

• After determining your subject of exam you should search for the GATE 2018 syllabus of that subject. This will tell you exactly what you have to study in your available time span.

• Understand the structure of the GATE exam : Do not ignore Mathematics and general ability section, as they constitute 30% together, hence one of important and scoring section. So give equal importance to all the sections.

                 General Aptitude: 70%
                 Engineering Mathematics: 15%
                 Subject Questions: 15%    

• Analyze the Syllabus & Weightage : Candidate should refer the syllabus and analyze the exam pattern using previous year’s papers. As all the subjects don’t have equal marks, few subjects require more efforts than others.

• After this, you need to determine your mode of study : With Coaching or Self Study (Preparation).

• Read Standard Books and Study Materials : After that you should get a fair number of good books to help you in the GATE Preparation 2018. Do not buy every book that comes to mind or anyone suggests. GATE papers are prepared by highly experienced professors from IIT, IISc and NITs, who have experience in writing national and international level books. So always try to read standard books. Many articles, PDF and materials are available online; you can select the best and pursue the preparation.

ALSO READ: How Scores Are Calculated In GATE Normalization Process?

• Systematically plan to complete the GATE syllabus: Make a list of topics which needs to be studied, based on the number of questions which have appeared from the topic in the previous GATE examinations. Identify topics which have fetched more marks and give more importance to them. Understand the concept and practice questions based upon it. Most of the questions in GATE exam 2017 were conceptual & numerical, so you must try to improve your solving ability & time management to score a good score (percentile).

• Do not focus on what is written in the syllabus only. Make your basics strong and get a hold of what you have studied during your engineering (course).

• Read articles by previously selected candidates: Try to read the articles and guidance tips written by previous GATE selected candidates. Their experience surely helps in preparation and to minimize the number of silly mistakes.

• Practice Previous Year Papers and Mock tests : Go through previous year’s GATE papers, to get an idea about the types of frequently asked questions. Both online and offline mock tests should be attempted by the students. Practicing these tests helps in analyzing your mistakes and also increases the speed to take the assessment, so maintain balance between speed and accuracy.

• GATE 2018 Revision Plan : It is easy for students to score in engineering, mathematics and general ability as compared to other technical topics. Do not start a new topic in the last stage of preparation. Try to revise only selected portion (notes) from your study material which will cover your important part of syllabus.

While studying any topic, keep in habit to make small notes diary that can be used while revision before GATE 2018 exam. One should spare a month for revision. A good revision plan helps in recalling the concepts during the GATE exam. Also prepare a formulas notes, just to recall during last days of revision.

ALSO READ: GATE 2017 Expert Tips For Last Minute Preparation

• Evaluate yourself before the GATE exam: Make sure at least a month is kept for exhaustive, thorough revision. Analyze the weaker points and work on that. Pay equal attention to both theory and numerical. Learn and use tricks and shortcuts for solving GATE questions rather than adopting a lengthy approach.

• Have confidence in your preparation and do your best in the Exam.

Last but not the least, GATE preparation needs determination. All you need to do is be determined and diligently observe the tricks throughout the preparation period and work towards the goal. Put your heart and soul into the preparation and with the time that you have right now, No milestone is far for you. Just tread the right path and a bright future shall be yours. For any query, post on AfterGraduation forum and we are happy to discuss. Share this article with your friends to spread this guidance information.

!!All the Best for Your Preparation!!