The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is one of the toughest exams all over India. It has an on and average passing percentage of 15 to 20 percent. Every year 7 Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) conduct exams that lead to admission to M.E, MTech, PhD, and other PSUs. It consists of a 100-mark paper which consists of 65 questions. It is being conducted once a year and the eligibility criteria are 3rd-year students and above.
Step-by-Step Process to Prepare for GATE CS
The GATE exam is held once every year, usually on the weekends of the first and second week (Saturday and Sunday) of February and the results are declared approximately in the middle of March after one week scorecard will be generated, Keeping this in mind, some of the tips to prepare for the next GATE exam are given as follows:
1. Understand the Syllabus
Let’s first understand the syllabus of the GATE exam, before preparation understanding of the syllabus is necessary to crack the GATE exam. Usually, GATE preparations require 7-8 months, and finish one topic at a time. You can refer to the syllabus which is present on the website: GATE CS Syllabus. Regularly study for 6 hours if you’re preparing in the last 7-8 months.
2. Understand the Exam Pattern
Understanding the GATE exam pattern is necessary as the exam pattern may differ a little each year and there might be minute changes in the type of question. Moreover, a thorough study plan cannot be created until the exam syllabus and pattern are known. The exam pattern gives a clear idea about the number of sections, marking weightage, and duration of time. Here Below is the detailed GATE exam pattern.
GATE EXAM PATTERN |
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Particulars |
Description |
Number of Gate Papers |
30 Subjects |
Duration of Gate Exam |
180 minutes (3 hours) |
Divisions in Gate Paper |
|
Total Number of Questions |
Total Marks: 65
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Types of Questions in the GATE Exam |
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Distribution of marks for CS |
Total Marks: 100 Mark
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Marking System |
Questions Carry 1 mark or 2 marks. |
Negative Marking in the GATE 2024 |
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3. Revise all the Topics
During your GATE preparation schedule, aim to set weekly and daily goals to track your progress. Each Subject should be divided so that they do not get repetitive, and extra time should be spent on those subjects where you find difficulty in learning. It is essential to revise this helps you learn topics for long-term retention. Finally gives mock tests that help you to track your daily progress.
4. Make Short Notes
Make individual notes of your own. This will help you learn and recollect all the concepts. Go through different websites like NPTEL, GFG, and YouTube for tough topics.Revision can be done using the short notes or flash cards made during studying. Revision is very necessary ,revise each concept more number of times.
5. Prepare Aptitude and Mathematics
Preapre well for aptitude and mathematics do not leave them , This is a very common mistake made by candidates, they leave aptitude and engineering mathematics which are high-scoring subjects. So make sure not to leave these subjects.This is a very common mistake made by the students, they leave aptitude and engineering mathematics which are very easy and high-scoring subjects. So make sure not to leave these subjects.
6. Test Series
Buy test series as many as possible, Test series help a lot to clear the exam. Refer – Sudo GATE . Test series will helpyou to evaluate your daily performance through which you can detect your mistakes and better perform in GATE exam and achieve a good GATE rank.
7. Last Minute Notes
The trick is that if any problem takes more than 2 to 3 steps then you’re probably solving it wrong, so you would skip that question and solve it in the end. Refer – Last Minute Notes
8. Solve PYQs
Previous year questions will help you to understand the depth of the subject in GATE examination. Refer – Previous Year Papers. Make sure that you have solved all the previous year’s gate questions for individual subjects after completing it. This will help you to get an idea of how questions are structured in gate exams and also solve a variety of questions.
9. Strengthen your conceptual knowledge
It is important to have conceptual clarity as GATE is an exam that tests the candidates’ concepts and has very little questions that have direct application of formulae. Also, understanding of the subject concepts can lead to the correct response in GATE if there are any doubts as to the answer. Clear all the fundamentals of GATE related CSE subjects.
10. Stay Healthy
Take a proper sleep that directly affects your mental health. Eat healthy food for your better health so that you can do better in GATE exam
11. Consistency
Last but not least is consistency stay consistent during your studies avoid procastination. Consistency decide your GATE rank because one one who is consistent grow more and achieve a good rank.
Frequently Asked Questions on GATE Preparation – FAQs
What are the important subjects for GATE CSE?
Subjects like DBMS , OS , Computer Networks , Programming & Data Structures , COA , Aptitude etc are very important for GATE CSE
Is it possible to crack GATE while working?
Yes it is possible to crack GATE while working you just need a systematic study plan.
What is the importance of PYQs?
PYQs plays an important role in GATE preparation because they give a clearence how questions are designed in GATE exam.
How can I stay motivated during GATE CS preparation?
First of all focus on long tern goal , celebrate small small achievement that makes you motivated during your GATE study.
Should I more focus on concepts or theory?
You should more focus on concepts rather then theory, after understanding concepts your theory will become automatically clear.