Students’ Speak: Want to ace GATE 2020? These are the books you must refer to
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering 2026 ( GATE )
GATE 2026 Scorecard (free download)
27 Mar '26 - 31 May '26
By: Swapnaneel Bhuiya
The initiative to prepare for Graduate Aptitude Test for Engineering (GATE) has to start early. This helps in preparing the right study plan and get hold of the material you need to refer to.
Early preparation will also ensure that you get enough time to strategise and to study various concepts and topics present in the syllabus. Ensure that no day is left wasted and make use of each and every minute while also prioritising your health and sleep.
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The first step once you begin your preparation is to find topics that are top-scoring. Knowledge about the topic distribution in the question paper is a good strategy to adapt for preparation purposes. You can go through the previous year question papers to see how the topics and concepts were divided for the examination. By having an idea of the weightage, you can concentrate on those topics which seem to have more questions and distribution in the question paper. Knowing your topic-wise distribution is a great way to start your preparation for the examination.
Creating a Study Plan
After checking the syllabus and topic weightage, the next step in how to prepare for GATE 2020 is to create an individual study plan. A personalised study plan will help you to divide the study sessions subject-wise according to your preference. By preparing a study plan, you will be able to equally give your time to an allotted chapter or topic while squeezing in time for mock tests, sample paper practice and also some rest. The following points can be remembered while preparing the study plan:
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- Daily, weekly and monthly targets should be kept.
- You should remember to evenly divide the difficult, moderate and easy topics.
- Topics should be divided in such a way as to not make it monotonous.
- Give more importance to those topics which have more chances of having high weightage in the examination.
- Make sure to give adequate time for mock tests and sample papers.
- Break times should be placed strategically so that you remain fresh during studies.
Similarly, the following points should be avoided while the study plan is being prepared:
- Do not overcrowd a single slot with tough or difficult topics.
- Do not forget to make time for revision after finishing a particular chapter.
- Do not follow another person’s schedule. Make your own personalized study plan since it will fit your taste and help you in a better way.
How to source correct study material and books for your stream/branch?
A lot of books are often named for reference by previous year toppers for GATE preparation. While the textbooks can be used for studying, it is recommended that extra books should also be looked into to give that extra boost. The following table can be referred to know the best books for preparation of GATE 2020.
| GATE Preparation Books for ME |
Author |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Vibration |
GK Grover |
| Design Of Machine Elements |
VB Bhandari |
| Engineering Mechanics |
SS Bhavikatti |
| Fluid Mechanics |
RK Bansal |
| Heat & Mass Transfer |
PK Nag |
| Engineering Thermodynamics |
Cengel & Boles |
| Internal Combustion Engine |
V Ganesan |
| Refrigeration & Air Conditioning |
CP Arora |
| Material Science |
UC Jindal |
| Production Engineering |
Amitabh Ghosh |
| Industrial Engineering
|
OP Khanna
|
| GATE Preparation Books for CSE |
Author |
| Algorithms |
Cormen |
| Operating System |
Galvin |
| Theory of Computation |
Ullman |
| Computer Networks |
Tanenbaum |
| Computer Organisation |
Carl Hamacher |
| Database System |
Korth |
| Compiler Design |
Aho & Ull Man |
| Digital Logic |
Morris Mano |
| Software Engineering |
Pressman |
| GATE Preparation Books for EE |
Author |
|---|---|
| Network Analysis |
Val Valken Burg |
| Solution of Network Analysis |
GK Publications |
| Engineering Circuit Analysis |
Hayt & Kemmerly |
| Graph Theory |
Narsing Das |
| Circuit Theory |
Chakravarthy |
| Control System |
Nagrath Gopal |
| Electrical machines |
PS Bimbhra |
| Power Electronics |
UA Bakshi |
| Power Systems |
Nagrath Kothari |
| Signals & Systems |
Oppenheim Wisky |
| GATE Preparation Books for ECE |
Author |
| Network Analysis |
Van Valken Burg |
| Solutions of Network Analysis |
GK Publications |
| Engg. Circuit Analysis |
Hayt and Kemmerly |
| Network Analysis |
Soni and Gupta |
| Graph Theory |
Narsing Deo (Cutset and Others) |
| Circuit Theory |
Chakravarthy |
| Electric Circuits |
Schaum’s Series |
| Network Theory |
Prof Yoganarasimhan |
| Electronic Devices Circuits |
Boylested and Neshelsky |
| Microelectronic Circuits |
Sedra and Smith |
| Electronic Devices Circuits |
Millman and Halkias (Black Pad) |
| Microelectronics |
Millman and Grabel |
| Integrated Electronics |
Millman and Halkias |
| Electronic Circuits |
Schilling and Belove |
| Switching and Finite Automatic Theory |
Kohavi |
| Digital Logic and Computer Design |
Mano |
| Digital Electronics |
Malvino and Leach |
| Digital Systems, Principles and Applications |
Tocci |
| Microprocessor and its Applications |
Goankar |
| Microprocessors |
B Ram |
| Automatic Control Systems |
BC Kuo |
| Control Systems |
Nagarath and Gopal |
| Modern Control Systems |
Ogata |
| OP Amps and Linear Integrated Circuits |
Gayakwad |
| Electrical and Electronic Measurements and Instrumentation |
AK Sawhney |
| DC Machines Measurements and Measuring Instruments |
GB Bharadhwajan |
| Electrical Machines |
PS Bimhra |
| Electrical Technology |
Hughes |
| The performance and Design of AC Machines |
MG Say |
| Electrical Engg. (Problems and Solutions) |
Natesan |
| Electrical Machines |
Mukherjee & Chakravarthy |
| Elements of Power System Analysis |
William D Stevenson |
| Modern Power System Analysis |
Nagrath and Kothari |
| Electrical Power Systems |
Wadhwa |
| Power Systems |
VK Mehta (For basics of PS) |
| GATE Preparation Books for Civil Engineering |
Author |
|---|---|
| Gate 2020: Civil Engineering Solved Papers |
Made Easy |
| Gate Guide Civil Engg. 2020 |
Gkp |
| Gate Tutor 2020 Civil Engineering |
Prasant Dixit |
| Gate 2020: Civil Engineering Chapterwise Solved Papers: 20 Years |
Hitesh Aggarwal |
| Gate 2020 Civil Engineering |
Vani Institute |
| Civil Engineering Gate 2020 30 Years Solution |
IES Master |
| Gate Guide Civil Engineering 2020 |
Hitesh Aggarwal |
| Gate Guide Civil Engg. 2020 |
GKP |
| Gate Paper Civil Engineering 2020 (Solved Papers 2000-2016) |
GKP |
| Engineering Branch |
GATE Reference Books 2020 |
|---|---|
| GATE 2020 Bio-Technology |
Lehning M Prescott, Eldon John, Lehninger |
| GATE 2020 Marine Engineering |
RK Rajput, RK Bansal, |
| GATE 2020 Paint Technology |
PK Nag |
| GATE 2020 Chemical Engineering |
Cengel & Boles |
| GATE 2020 Instrumentation & Control |
Natesan, Mukherjee & Chakravarthy |
| GATE 2020 Architecture |
The Road Ahead, GATE Architecture |
| GATE 2020 Oil Engineering |
RK Bansal, RK Rajput |
About the Author:
Swapnaneel Bhuiya is a fourth-year student in Mining Engineering at Indian Institute of Engineering Science And Technology (IIEST), Shibpur. He appeared for JEE in 2016 and scored 140 in his first attempt.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 3 days ago
MANIT M.Tech fellowship is paid every month based on your attendance. You need to fill out a simple form and get it signed by your teacher. This shows you attended your classes and did your lab assistant work. Once the department confirms this, the money goes straight to your bank account.
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered 3 days ago
MANIT M.Tech application starts by qualifying the GATE. Next, you register on the CCMT portal during the month of May. You will fill in your personal details and upload your scorecard. Then, you must list your preferred branches at MANIT in order. If you are allotted a seat, pay the fee and verify y
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered a week ago
This year, 10,11,719 candidates registered for Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering, and 797434 candidates appeared for the GATE. The number of qualified students list will be available once statistical report is released.
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
Yes, COAP is only for M.Tech and PhD admissions at IITs and IISc Bangalore. The portal also updates job offers for some PSUs. Overall, around 23+ IITs participate in GATE COAP counselling every year.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
With a GATE EC 2026 score of 609 and EWS category rank, you are well within the cutoff range for M.Tech in VLSI/Microelectronics at several IITs (like IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Roorkee) and top NITs (like NIT Trichy, NIT Warangal, NIT Calicut). Your score is strong enough to target premier in
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes, you can join NIT Puducherry without GATE, but only through specific alternative admission channels such as the Self-Support M.Tech program, Sponsored/QIP (Quality Improvement Program), or DASA (Direct Admission of Students Abroad). Regular M.Tech seats are primarily filled via GATE and CCMT cou
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
The GATE exam is conducted in the month of February. Registrations can be done on respective website. The application forms are generally out in last week of August. The application fee is INR 1,000 (female/SC/ST/PWD) and INR 2,000 (Male/General/OBC/EWS). Students have to register separately on univ
B
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
No, Indian students don't need JEE, NEET, or GATE exam score to get a seat at Imperial College. However, programs like MBBS (UCAT), MBA (GMAT), and some STEM programs (ESAT, TMUA, GRE) do ask for additional test scores.
Make sure to check entry requirements for desired course before applying at Impe
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
Yes, you can get admission in M.Tech without GATE exam at MIT College of Management and Computer Application. In that case, you can appear for PERA CET or MIT-WPU CET exam and get a valid score for admission.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
| Target Performance | Desired Score | Approx. Questions to Attempt | Reasoning |
| Top IITs / PSUs | 70 - 85+ | 55 - 60 Questions | High attempts with near-perfect accuracy are required to compete for the top 500 ranks. |
| Old IITs / Top NITs | 55 - 70 | 45 - 52 Questions | A safe zone where you focus on high-weightage topics and core subjects. |
| Qualification / New NITs | 30 - 45 | 35 - 40 Questions | Focus on General Aptitude, Mathematics, and your the strongest 3–4 technical subjects. |
S
Contributor-Level 10