GATE 2020: Why mock tests & previous-year papers are important

Preparing for GATE 2020 requires an aspirant to not only study their respective subjects and closely following the GATE syllabus but also attend mock tests and attempt previous-year GATE question papers. 

Mock tests and previous years' question papers are key to successfully clear the GATE 2020 exam. While you prepare for the respective subjects that will be covered in GATE 2020, attempting mock test and previous years' question papers give you a hands-on experience of the final exam. These practice exam help you to get a better understanding of what a real GATE examination would be. 

Importance of GATE Mock Tests

If you are preparing for your GATE examination, it is not enough to go through the GATE Syllabus and question papers over and over again. You need to attend mock tests. In this section, we will discuss in brief the importance of GATE mock tests.

Also read: GATE 2020 Exam Dates: Check Registration, Exam and Result Dates

Get familiarised with test pattern

GATE question papers follow a certain pattern. For the year 2020, the exam will consist of both multiple-choice questions and numerical-type questions. There will be 65 questions and a total of three sections (if you exclude AR, GG, CY, PH, MA, and XL papers).

By attending GATE mock tests, you will familiarise yourself with the exam pattern. This is especially important for students who'll be attending the exam for the very first time. However, if you've already attempted previously, there's no reason why you shouldn't give mock exams. You'll only get better.

Hone your general-aptitude skills

While most students are good with technical knowledge, but not too acquainted or comfortable with general aptitude. One reason can be they're not a core part of the curriculum in most engineering colleges. So students don't get to work with them. But when appearing for GATE examination, they comprise 15 per cent of the total marking. You will get 10 questions, five of which carry one marks and the rest carry two marks each. When you give these mock tests, you get yourself acquainted with general aptitude questions, too.

Help you create a strategy

A sound strategy is crucial to pull something off successfully. Without it, you will simply be wandering in the middle. GATE question papers consist of various sections, and each section has its difficulty level. To successfully clear the examination, you need to match your skillset with the difficulty level. For example, you may wish to go for the General Aptitude section first and clear it within 30-40 minutes or get your subject papers done within 2 hours to leave one hour for the rest. So the mission of a strategy is to help you stick to a plan till the very end.

Help you understand time management

You need to answer 65 mind-boggling questions within 180 minutes. That's 2.76 minutes for each question. While not every question will take an equal amount of time, you need to figure out which questions are taking longer and which get solved pretty easily. You can only figure this out when you regularly give mock tests and go over previous year GATE question papers.

Prepares you for online exam mode

GATE examination is conducted in online mode. Therefore, you need to be comfortable with giving exams on a computer. You need to familiar with the options, how to change screen, how to go back and forth, and how to finally submit your papers. Doing it for the first time or after a long time might feel intimidating. The online practice sets you'll go over in a mock test are designed in accordance with the exam pattern and cover all subjects included in GATE syllabus.

In the mock tests, you'll also be working on previous year question papers. Some coaching institutions focus more on these than the GATE syllabus itself. But why are they considered so important?

Also read: GATE 2020 registration last date extended; apply till September 26

GATE Previous Year Questions

The GATE examination is highly competitive. However, with competitiveness comes pressure. So it is no wonder that students will look for some loopholes or tricks to ease their pressure and increase their chances of clearing the exam. One of the tricks is to rigorously go through previous year questions.

While the exam pattern remains the same, questions keep on changing from year to year. And there's no evidence to support the statement that some questions repeat themselves in successive years. But what they do is polish your exam preparation. More or less, they serve the same purpose as mock tests, expect that they get you familiar with the most recent trend and updated questions.

Most coaching centres have their students work on the previous 5 or 10 years of GATE questions. You can easily find these in the backside of any GATE preparation book along with the answers. These strategies will help you get the most out of your GATE preparation and get a decent rank in the examination.