GATE 2022 Preparation: Know 10 expert tips to crack the exam

Read on to know 10 tips from experts to crack the GATE 2022 exam.

 

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering or GATE is an online national level examination conducted for Master of Engineering (ME), Masters in Technology (MTech) and direct PhD admissions to Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) and other institutes/universities across India. The exam is jointly conducted by IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee and Indian Institute for Science, Bangalore (IISC Bangalore), on a rotational basis on behalf of the National Coordination Board (NCB - GATE), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource & Development (MHRD), Government of India.

In 2022, the GATE exam will be conducted online by IIT Kharagpur tentatively in February. The registration process for this exam is likely to begin in the first week of September and will end in the first week of October 2021.

Admission to postgraduate programmes with government scholarships/assistantships in engineering colleges/Institutes/Universities is open to those who qualify through this test. Apart from admissions to MTech/ME/MS courses, GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) is also the qualifying test for many public sector undertakings (PSUs) such as BHEL, NTPC, IOCL etc. So, if you want a high paying job with the security of a PSU, GATE is the only option for you.

Check PSUs accepting GATE scores for recruitment!

After completion of the GATE examination, students are allowed to challenge the answers published by the organiser by paying a nominal fee to avoid non-serious challenges. This GATE score is valid for three years and all the registration process is online. The test is conducted online for all the 29 streams and has numerical questions and answers along with multiple-choice questions.

Implications for aspirants

• As the student is not permitted to carry a scientific calculator to the exam centre the student will have to get used to virtual scientific calculators not having enough practice may consume more time while at the examination centre.
•  With the exam being conducted online, a lot of practice would be needed for students to familiarise themselves with the computer-based test. A peculiar problem that can arise while giving a GATE exam, is that some questions might need work to be done on a complicated figure/diagram (in case of a paper-based test the same can be done on the question paper itself), is that of replicating the diagram. Students might need to practice that.
• With the test having numerical answer questions, wherein one has to enter an answer, instead of choosing between four options, guesswork is eliminated and hence one cannot bet on luck or a solution based on the elimination of wrong options.

GATE Preparation Tips for aspirants

Set your goals: Different goals have different strategies and hence it is important to define your goals in terms of the rank you want to achieve. If you are aspiring for the top IITs or PSUs, you will need a rank below 1,000. So, prepare thoroughly on all topics. On the other hand, if your goal is to just qualify, then you can afford to leave out a few topics from your preparation.

Take a diagnostic test: Before starting your preparation it is important to know your initial level of competence.  An analysis of your performance in this test will help you find out your strengths and weakness. Based on this, you can devise your preparation strategy.

Build your concepts: GATE tests your concepts as well as their application thoroughly. Join a good classroom programme or an online tutoring programme which will help strengthen your concepts.

Practice makes a man perfect: As the old adage goes, there is nothing better than extensive practice. Solve all types of questions you come across in various books and be prepared on all question patterns.

Familiarise with formulae: Engineering subjects have a lot of formulae, which more often than not have to be memorised. Noting down all formulae as and when you finish each topic or referring to a collection of formulae will help you get familiar.

Focus on high-return topics: Engineering Mathematics and General Ability constitute 30 per cent of the total marks and are relatively easier to score in. You could look at some online lectures to prepare for these topics.

Appear in a mock-test series: Take up a mock-test series as it will help you adapt to the online pattern. It will also help you assess your preparation and based on the test analysis you can focus on areas that you are weak in. It will also give you exhaustive practice on different types of questions.

Make your own exam strategy: Based on your experiments in the mock test series, you can fine-tune your own exam strategy. Some people like to start solving a paper from the first question, while some people like to glance through the entire paper and start answering questions from their areas of strength.

Relax before the exam: One day before GATE, stop thinking about it. Watch a movie or anything that relaxes you. Appear for the exam with a fresh mind.

It is not the end of the world: Put your best foot forward and do not worry excessively about the results.

About the author:

Abhijit Chaudari is the Director at GATEFORUM 

Read more:

• PSU Recruitment Procedure Through GATE
• How to prepare for GATE in 4 months?
• How to prepare for General Aptitude (GA) for GATE exam
• How to get an AIR 1 in ME without GATE coaching