Keeping in mind the current job scenario to begin with, we can safely conclude that cracking the Gate Exam is one of the most lucrative and sought-after goals that most engineering students want to achieve after completion of their B.Tech. courses. The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering/the GATE exam is mandatory for any student who aspires to pursue a Master’s Degree in the field of engineering and technology.Here we will explain you GATE Preparation Tips , Tricks and Strategy.
A sufficiently good rank in the Gate exam may win a student a seat in the prestigious IITs, an even better rank-holder can directly opt for a job in the PSUs. Plus, after completion of the M.Tech. degree a candidate is said to have achieved specialization in that branch of engineering, which in turn opens up a lot of new opportunities and job prospects. A candidate may also choose to further continue his/her research on a specific topic after M.Tech., while the others choose to get jobs after completion of M.Tech. Overall, Gate examination opens up a wide window of opportunities for engineering students.
First we need to know more about the Gate Exam before starting to GATE Preparation Tips. According to latest updates, Gate is conducted by the IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) once every year. Each year one IIT gets selected to prepare the question paper for Gate Examination and to conduct the exam procedure. In 2020 the exam was conducted on the dates of February 1, 2, 8, 9, 2020.
HIGHLIGHTS OF GATE 2021—EXAM DATES, EXAM PATTERN, ELIGIBILITY
▪Exam dates- Gate 2021 is scheduled to be held on the dates of 5th February(Friday),6th February(Saturday),7th February(Sunday),12th February(Friday),13th February(Saturday) and 14th February(Sunday). There are two sessions(forenoon and afternoon) each day.
[Depending on COVID-19 situation, the schedule of Gate 2021 may be altered.]
▪Mode of Exam- Gate 2021 conducted by IIT Bombay (Powai) will be an entirely Computer Based Test(CBT).
▪Subjects- Total number of subject papers:27
Two new subject papers are introduced-
<i>ES(Environmental Science and Engineering)
<ii>XH(Humanities and Social Sciences) in Economics/English/Linguistics/Philosophy/Psychology/Sociology
▪Syllabus of all subject papers have been revised for Gate 2021.
Read More :GATE 2021 Registration, Eligibility, Patterns, Syllabus and more
▪Eligibility Criteria–
According to latest updates the eligibility criteria is relaxed. A candidate who is currently studying in the 3rd or any higher Year of an Undergraduate degree program OR has already completed any government approved degree program in Engineering/Technology/ Architecture/Science/Commerce/Arts is eligible to appear for GATE 2021 examination.
There is NO age limit to appear for Gate 2021.
▪GATE 2021 score card will remain valid for THREE years from the date of announcement of results.
▪Registration Procedure:
Gate 2021 application form is releasing from 14th September,2020.
The application form will be made available via online mode at Gate Online Application Processing System (GOAPS).
The last date to register without late fee will be 30th September 2020 and with late fee till 7th October 2020.
During registration candidates must also choose exam city as per their choices provided in the exam centre list.
Once the registration procedure is over candidates must proceed to take printouts of their form for future use.
The registration link will be available at GOAPS official website: appsgate.iitb.ac.in
▪More details available at the official website: https://gate.iitb.ac.in/
GATE Examination Pattern
| Particulars | Details |
| Examination Mode | Computer Based Test(CBT) |
| Duration | 3 Hours |
| Sections | General Aptitude(GA)+Candidate’s Selected Subject |
| Types of Questions | (i)Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
(ii)Multiple Select Questions (MSQ) And/or (iii)Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions |
| Questions for testing these abilities | Recall
Comprehension Application Analysis and Synthesis |
| Number of Questions | 10(GA) + 55(Subject) = 65 Questions |
| Marks Distribution in all Papers EXCEPT papers AR,CY,EY,GG,MA,PH,XH,XL | General Aptitude: 15 Marks +
Engineering Mathematics: 13 Marks + Subject Questions: 72 Marks = Total: 100 Marks |
| Marks Distribution in Papers AR,CY,EY,GG,MA,PH,XH,XL | General Aptitude: 15 Marks +
Subject Questions: 85 Marks = Total: 100 Marks |
| Marking Scheme | All of the questions will be of 1 mark and 2 marks |
Read More : 10 Preparation Tips for GATE Online Coaching Students
Hence we find that out of the total 100 marks, 15 marks come from the General Aptitude section, and the rest 85 marks come from subject papers.
GATE Preparation Tips and strategies–
Coming to Preparation Tips and strategies for GATE, there are several points that need to be kept in mind. The only things important to crack GATE and get a good rank, other than hard work, are perseverance and consistency.
Given below are some tips that most teachers recommend, and being an engineering student and a GATE aspirant myself, I find these especially helpful.
a)Time Management-Time management is of utmost importance in case of such competitive exams. Methods like option elimination, dimensional analysis, etc. can often help us to identify the correct option without even solving the problem. This saves a lot of time.
b)Solving MCQs- Students must practice MCQs on a daily basis to help increase their MCQ problem solving ability. Also, on solving more number of MCQs on aptitude and technical papers, students get familiar with common ideas and concepts on which questions are frequently asked, and the tricks to solve them. Practicing previous year Gate questions often prove to be very helpful.
Here are links to some previous years question papers—
https://www.iitr.ac.in/gate/gateprevious.html
http://gate.iitm.ac.in/gate2019/previousqp18.php
c)Try to grasp the concept- There is a huge syllabus to cover and comparatively less time. So instead of trying to mug up the chapters if we just focus on understanding the process and having a clear concept, it becomes easier for us to solve tricky problems.
d)Smart work and hard work- both required- It is equally essential for a student to know which parts to leave out. Keeping the entire huge syllabus in mind, it is not possible for anybody to finish it all. Just make sure that you don’t leave out too much, and the other portions are studied well enough to cover up. This saves up a lot of time and helps us to focus on the important areas.
e)Avoid guessing- If the answer to an MCQ is unknown to you, just skip the question. Don’t just randomly guess an answer out of the options. It is more likely for such an answer to be wrong and that leads to deduction of marks. Avoid negative marking as much as you can. However, for the numerical answer type problems it is preferable that students attempt all of them since there is no negative marking involved.
f)Create a gist copy for each subject– Everything that you have studied about the subject since Chapter 1, including all the special notes, short tricks and exceptional cases, should be jotted down into a single copy. So that on the day before the main exam you can revise the entire syllabus at one go by just taking one glance at that copy. Make one such copy for each of the 11 or 12 core subjects that you have. This saves up a lot of time and efforts before the big day.
g)Mock Tests- Take as many mock tests as possible. This will help you to assess yourself and know your progress with respect to other students, so you know how much more you need to improve. Also, taking mock tests will make you more familiar with the GATE exam pattern and you will feel more confident on the big day.Mock Tests are the best strategy and GATE preparation tips.
h)An early start is essential- If you start early, then you will have enough time to fix a study schedule, and to go through the entire syllabus properly. In this way you can concentrate on each and every technical paper, leaving you with enough time to revise the whole syllabus including Mathematics and General Aptitude in the last few months before exam. Through Best Gate preparation tips and strategy you can stay at the top of your game during GATE and can give the exam to your full potential.
Also, last but not the least
i)Selection of proper study materials- Take the help of any professional GATE trainer in this regard if required. Study materials are of utmost importance while preparing for GATE. The content of what we read must be precise, yet helpful. Hence choose books and study materials wisely to make perfect gate preparation strategy.
Following these gate preparation tips and strategy might help a candidate to secure an appreciable rank in GATE Examination so that he/she is able to pursue M.Tech. from a prestigious institution or might even get a PSU recruitment. Hope this helps. Thank You!
