With a large and ever increasing number of candidates taking the GATE exam every year, a well-defined preparation strategy is the need of the hour. GATE aspirants are not expected to mug up the entire syllabus, but to have a clear understanding of the basic concepts and their application.
As the first GATE tip, a GATE aspirant needs to collect all the relevant study materials needed and that they are comfortable with, including questions papers of past GATE exams. Devise a timetable, allotting dedicated and sufficient time for each subject you’ve chosen to study. Following are a few GATE tips (for preparation and during the exam) to be abided by the aspirants.
Also Read: How to prepare for GATE in one month
DO’s during GATE preparation:
- Select your subjects of focus according to your area of interests and also their maximum weightage in the GATE exam.
- Another GATE tip is to make handy notes of the important formulas for you to refer/revise during the last week of your preparation before the exam.
- Solving previous years’ papers by GATE aspirants and taking as many mock tests (available online) as you can is a very crucial GATE tip.
- In the mock tests, a simple GATE tip would be to try to solve each question with more than one concept/formula, this way you’d know right away which formula is required for a certain kind of question when you read it.
- At the end of each day, GATE aspirants should revise what they studied during the day.
- A sincere group study could help you attain better understanding of the topics or concepts which you failed to on your own.
- Keep track of and attend the various seminars/workshops arranged for GATE aspirants, as they provide a platform for insightful discussions among the likes of you.
DO’s during the GATE exam:
- Read each question carefully, and decide whether you know enough to attempt the same. Since you will be marked negatively for wrong answers, answer only those questions which you have a clear idea about.
- Another GATE tip would be to attempt all numeric questions as they, unlike the rest, don’t have negative marking for a wrong answer.
- Usually solutions to the GATE questions aren’t lengthy, so if it takes you more than 8 steps to derive your answer, it is advised to reanalyze the solution.
- For multiple choice questions, take the “eliminate the irrelevant/wrong answer” approach, so you will be left with shortlisted option of answers.
- Keep the Aptitude section for the last, as they don’t need any technical thinking or evaluation but your logic and intuitions.
DON’Ts during GATE preparation:
- GATE aspirants shouldn’t refer more than two sources for a subject, as it may confuse you.
- As a GATE tip, GATE aspirants should not study topics out of syllabus for the sake of wanting to be “extra-prepared”.
- Don’t cram the theories; instead spend time evaluating and understanding the fundamental concepts.
- No need to cover all the subjects, since it would not give you enough time to prepare the subjects you know better.
- Don’t study new topics few days or even a week before the exam.
- Most importantly, don’t panic or dread the GATE exam, if you know your subjects well it’ll be a cakewalk.
DON’Ts during the GATE exam:
- Don’t revise a few moments before the exam.
- Don’t skip or pay less attention to the Mathematics section, as you have high scope of scoring full marks in that.
- Don’t lose patience if you can’t solve a question, try solving it with a different approach/formula, since each question has multiple solutions.
Also Read:
GATE Application Form 2020 – Important Details
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