GATE 2023: Common mistakes to avoid during the exam

GATE 2023 will be conducted on February 4, 5, 11, and 12, 2023. This article will help you know what are the common mistakes that you can avoid during GATE 2022 exam and perform better in it. 

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering, commonly popular as GATE, is PG level engineering entrance test that is conducted by IITs on a rotational basis to grant admission to M.Tech and other PG degree engineering programmes available at Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and other engineering institutions. Every year, lakhs of students appear for the GATE exam but only a few per cent of students qualify for it which makes it one of the toughest exams in India. This year, IIT Kanpur will be conducting GATE 2023 on February 4, 5, 11, and 12, 2023.

Cracking GATE 2022 is not a cup of tea for every candidate since the exam not only requires proper preparation but also requires you to act smartly during the exam to perform excellently in it. A silly mistake during the exam can cost you a huge difference. Hence, apart from good preparation, you ought to know how to perform better in the exam while avoiding common mistakes.

Here are the common mistakes you can avoid during the GATE 2023 exam:

Not reading instructions carefully: Many students do not read instructions carefully during the exam despite knowing that instructions are for helping the candidates to not make any mistakes in the exam. Hence, all the candidates must read each instruction carefully so that they do not miss any important information regarding the exam.

Relying on past success: Some students become overconfident relying on their past success. They think ‘since I have cleared JEE, I can easily crack GATE as well. They forget every exam is of different levels and candidates are tested for a different set of attributes. Hence, candidates must treat every exam as new and prepare accordingly.

Not making the selection of sections: It is ideal to take up the exam section-wise. Many candidates do not care for it and take up exams question-wise. Rather than solving questions from any section randomly, you better select the easy section first and then go for the harder one. Also, distribute time for each section as per your exam preparation. It will help you give paper under the given time and not miss solving answers to those questions which answer you know. Candidates are also advised to make sure that they are not giving more than enough time to any section.

Not reading the options carefully: It is crucial to read all questions and their answer options carefully during the GATE exam. Candidates are suggested to not rush while going through options. Rushing can make you go with the wrong answer or leave you in dilemma. Give adequate time to each option, it will help you answer correctly.

Not saving the answer after marking: Some students prefer to go through the entire question at one and mark the right answers they know. There is nothing bad in it, but the problem occurs when the students do not know time management and rush during the exam. It can cause leaving those questions answered which answer you have selected in the beginning. Amidst the exam pressure and time limit, you may forget to save the answers you have attempted. Be careful about it.

Answering all the questions: The ideal way to take any exam is that try to answer as many questions as you can. However, many entrance tests including GATE has negative marking rules that can affect your performance if you have tried answering those questions which you are not sure about. Negative marking can affect your performance in the exam. Hence, try to answer only those questions that you are sure about. The following marking scheme is followed in the GATE exam:

• MCQs: One mark awarded for each correct answer; 1/3 mark deducted for each wrong attempt
• MCQs: Two marks distributed for each correct answer while 2/3 mark deducted for every incorrect answer
• There are no negative marking scheme for Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions

Stay calm and believe in yourself: It is equally important to stay calm and believe in yourself during the GATE exam. Rush and exam fear can bother you and affect your performance in the exam. Whenever you find a moment during the exam, take some long breaths as it helps put your mind at ease. Moreover, do not lose your faith in yourself. You must have heard that if you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything in life. If you believe in yourself, it will give you calm down and get enough confidence to perform better in the exam.