Expert's Corner: Tips to make a successful GATE 2020 Study Plan

By: Amit Sharma

Starting preparation early would improve efficiency and effectiveness. Make sure of the proper utilisation of each and every minute of preparation for optimum results. 

Graduate Aptitude Test for Engineering (GATE) being one of the most highly weighed engineering examinations attracts lakhs of engineering students every year. There are a number of frequently asked questions (FAQ) regarding the difficulty level of the exam and preparation for the same. Like other competitive exams, in GATE your probability of success depends on your content knowledge, focused approach and dedication for the goal. Considering the vitality of GATE, here I would give you a few significant suggestions to prepare for GATE 2020. The suggestions have been given after consulting with the experts from this field and the previous year toppers. GATE exam takes place once in a year and opens your door for pursuing MTech from IIT.  Good news for Govt job aspirants is that the GATE score is also considered by some Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) for recruitment.

Efficient GATE 2020 Preparation

One needs to start early to make the whole preparation session effective and efficient. This would help you out in identifying the content you need to go through. Those who start early can easily win half of the battle. An early start will give you sufficient time to clear all your concepts in a healthy way and you would be able to develop a sound conceptual base. While taking your health on the priority you need to ensure the proper utilisation of each and every minute.

GATE 2020 Syllabus and Exam Pattern

It is suggested to prepare a list of activities you need to complete on priority. The first thing to start with is to check the syllabus and tries to recognise the pattern of last years question paper. Sound understanding of question paper pattern will intimate you about the process of preparation. Initiating with this you can easily start with your actual preparation.

GATE exam, which is a 90-minute exam, is a blend of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and Numerical Answer Type Questions (NATQ). GATE paper has three sections for 100 marks.  These three sections are General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics (for XL papers chemistry is applicable in place of Mathematics) and the third one is subject-specific section. Total number of questions is 65.

GATE 2020 Topics Weightage

Any competitive exam does not only require hard work but also smart work. Smart here refers to the strategy you need to adopt for preparation. As suggested go through the previous years’ papers and try to analyze how different topics have been distributed for every section and for the whole examination as well. This way you can concentrate on the topics having good frequency and weightage in previous exams

GATE 2020 Study Plan

GATE aspirant must prepare a study plan. It will help you in the subject-wise distribution of timing, and you would be clear about how much time you need to spend for a particular topic and for a particular subject. Following points can be considered while framing the individual study plan:

1. Targets should be fixed on a daily basis, on a weekly basis and on a monthly basis.
2. Topics should be divided as per the level of difficulty that is easy, medium or moderate and difficult.
3. Study should be framed in such a way so that there should be no scope of monotony and boredom.
4. Give more priority to topics having higher weightage in GATE exam.
5. Mock tests should be conducted on a regular basis.
6. Regular breaks should be there in your study plan so that you can keep yourself fresh during the preparation session.

Likewise, there are few things which need to avoid during the preparation session.

1. Do not study all the difficult topics at the same time.
2. Do not follow the schedule prepared by someone else.

GATE 2020 Books

Number of experts have suggested many books on the basis of their interaction with the GATE aspirants and the toppers of this exam.

Best books for Mechanical Engineering are:

• Machine design by V B Bhandari
• Engineering Mechanics by Bhavikatti
• Fluid Mechanics by R K Bansal
• Industrial Engineering by O P Khanna

Books for Computer Science Engineering are:

• Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications by Kenneth Rosen
• Higher Engineering Mathematics by B S Grewal
• Advanced Engineering Mathematics by Erwin Kreyszig

Books for ECE are:

• Higher Engineering Mathematics by Dr B S Grewal
• Engineering Mathematics by Erwin Kreyszig
• Advance Engineering Mathematics by Dr H K Dass

Book for EE is Advanced Engineering Mathematics by E Kreyszig.

Books for CE are

• Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications by Kenneth Rosen
• Higher Engineering Mathematics by B S Grewal
• Advanced Engineering Mathematics by Erwin Kreyszig

About the Author:

Amit Sharma is serving as an Assistant Professor at Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, since 2013. With an experience of seven years in academics, Sharma conducts faculty development programmes at school level and management development programmes at organisational level across the industry.