Tips to crack GATE
By: Kanishka Bharti
Refer to the right reference books and study material to get an edge over the other students appearing for the GATE exam.
GATE is conducted for admission in post-graduation courses including ME(Masters in Engineering) and MTech (Masters in Technology) and direct admission in PhD courses in eminent institutes such as IITs, NITs, and IIITs. as Also, it would give job opportunities in the top PSUs of the country.
While preparing for the GATE examination, you have two fundamental choices:
- Join a coaching institute
- Self-preparation
In this article, we will discuss the primary points for both the scenarios.
Preparing with a coaching institute
If one has joined a coaching institute, then they must follow their modules religiously. It isn't a cup of tea to manage the undergraduate course along with coaching for GATE. One has to be consistent and give long hours for completing all the assignments and preparing for the exam simultaneously. The significant advantage of joining a coaching institute is that you do not have to struggle for compiling the adequate study material, as the institute would provide the same. One just needs to work hard and consistently to achieve their desired goals. There are several coaching institutes such as Gate Academy, Gateforum, Kreatryx, etc. which provide good study material and video lectures.
Self-preparation
The second and third-year undergraduate students preparing for the GATE examination at this point, then they certainly have the upper hand as they would have plenty of time for preparing effectively. Start making notes from the very beginning as this would help during the revision before the exams. This would also help in preparing for the university semester examination.
One could study from NPTEL, in which professors from different IITs teach the subjects from time-to-time and provides notes. Every topic is covered via video lectures. This would help in self-preparing for any subject easily.
Study material
Correct study material is very crucial in the preparation process.
Here are a few books which I prefer to prepare for various topics -
Power System: Nagrath and Kothari - This book would help in understanding the basic concepts easily.
Another book that could also be used is C.L. Wadhwa.
Control System: B.C.Kuo -
Nagrath and Gopal
Modern Control System: Ogata - This book covers the topic of bode plots, design of lead/lag compensation and design of control systems through state variable equations.
Electrical and Electronic Measurement and Instrumentation: AK Sawhney - This book would provide deep insights into electrical and electronic instruments.
Power Electronics: P.S Bhimrah-
Electrical Machine: P.S.Bhimbra -
The students could also refer to Chapman or Nagrath and Kothari.
Signals and Systems: Oppenheim - This book covers every topic descriptively
Digital Electronics: Moris Mano is a standard book and relatively decent for Digital Electronics.
EMT: Sadiku
Network Analysis: Van Valken Burg
If you want to study via e-books, go to the library Genesis or Telegram, and you could also find a plethora of books for GATE preparation in a PDF format.
Along with these books, solve plenty of previous year question papers and mock tests to get an overview of the type and pattern of questions asked.
Examinations Pattern
The exam comprises 65 questions, and the total marks for this exam is 100.
In the paper with EE code,
Engineering Mathematics - 15 marks
General Aptitude - 15 marks
Subject-based - 70 marks
The questions are both of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and NAT (Numerical Answer Type).
For MCQs, there are 2 categories of questions
- One mark questions - One mark would be given for every correct answer and ⅓ mark would be deducted for every incorrect answer
- Two marks questions - Two marks would be given for every correct answer and ⅔ marks would be deducted for every incorrect answer
For NAT questions, there are 2 categories in this as well
- One mark questions - One mark would be given for every correct answer, and no mark would be deducted for an incorrect answer.
- Two marks questions - Two marks would be given for every correct answer, and no mark would be deducted for an incorrect answer.
About the Author:
Kanishka Bharti is currently pursuing MBBS at King George's Medical University in Lucknow. Kanishka plans to become a successful cardiologist and be of service to the nation in every way possible. Besides studies, she harbors a deep interest in serving society and catering to the needs of those in pain by utilizing her knowledge and skills.