AIR 6 in GATE 2025: Donthamsetti Sahithya Karthik's Journey to Aerospace Excellence

In this interview, Sahithya shares insights into his GATE preparation strategy, the challenges he faced, and his future plans.

Donthamsetti Sahithya Karthik, a final-year B.Tech Aerospace Engineering student at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore, has secured an impressive All India Rank (AIR) 6 in the GATE 2025 Aerospace Engineering paper. His remarkable performance places him among the top scorers in the country, with Balamurugan clinching AIR 1 in the same stream. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has seen a stellar showing in GATE Aerospace this year, with several students ranked within the top 100—a testament to the institution’s academic rigor and focus on research-oriented preparation.

In this interview, Sahithya shares insights into his GATE preparation strategy, the challenges he faced, and his future plans.

Q. Congratulations on your result! What was your reaction when you came to know about your rank?

Donthamsetti Sahithya Karthik: I was relieved to know that I had cleared it then and there and didn't have to attempt it another time.

Q. When and how did you decide to pursue Engineering?

Karthik: After my 10th exams I decided to go into the field of engineering, primarily because I liked Mathematics a lot and didn't want to pursue Biology at all. So, I picked MPC (Maths, Physics, Chemistry) for my 11th and 12th grades.

Q. Tell us something about your family, schooling, B.Tech journey etc.

Karthik: My father is an Andhra Pradesh state government employee and my mother is a freelancer for various market research companies. I have a younger brother, currently in 11th grade. I did my schooling in Delhi Public School, Nacharam, Hyderabad (until 8th grade) and Vijayawada (9th and 10th grades). I am a 4th year student, currently pursuing my B.Tech in Aerospace Engineering at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore.

Q. When did you start preparing for GATE and what was the strategy?

Karthik: I started preparing for GATE 2024 since February 2023. I didn't have a strategy per se, but I just hoped to clear it without having to reattempt it in another year.

Q. What were your strong and weak areas?

Karthik: Strong areas – gas dynamics and structures. Weak areas – vibrations and calculus in math.

Q. Which books did you refer to for GATE?

Karthik: I joined a coaching academy: GAA (GATE Aerospace Academy). I was dependent only on their lectures and the notes I made from watching them. I sometimes referred to their PYQ book to solve questions.

Q. How did you balance your GATE preparation along with college studies?

Karthik: To be honest, there was no balance. I spent most of the time in class listening to GATE lectures and making notes. I studied for my semester exams just a few days before they started.

Q. What was your exam-taking strategy?

Karthik: It was pretty linear. If I knew I could solve it, I would finish it as fast as possible and move on to the next question. Minimize time wastage and aim for completion of whatever I could attempt.

Q. During your rigorous preparation journey, how did you unwind yourself?

Karthik: I play a sport called Ultimate Frisbee. Going to the ground every day for practice was my unwinding routine.

Q. What do you plan to do now?

Karthik: I plan to pursue my Master's degree in the same field.

Q. Your suggestion for next round GATE takers?

Karthik: Figure out what kind of a person you are when it comes to studying, whether you require an externally forced schedule or whether you can stick to your own self-made schedule, how long you can study for at a time, etc. Set a timeline based on that and try sticking to it. Hopefully, without losing your sanity.

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