Careers360
Success
Mantras of GATE
Toppers for
GATE 2015
Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
A Career is a Life
Contents
Introduction
3
GATE 2014 Topper Interviews:
2
1.Abinash Das - AIR 3,ECE
4
2.Aditya Gusain - AIR 5, Biotechnology
6
3.Ashish Behera - AIR 1, IE
9
4.Ankit Goyal - AIR 1, EE
12
5.Saurabh Sarda - AIR 3, CSE
15
6.Santosh Kumar Pabbineedi- AIR 141, EE
17
Must Read for GATE 2015:
21
Expert Opinion
22
GATE 2015 Preparation Guidelines
23
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Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
A Career is a Life
Introduction
G
ATE 2015 Online Tests start from January 31, 2015 and will be conducted on other three days namely February
1, 7 and 8, 2015. Candidates belonging to the EC, ME, CS, EE, CE disciplines will be accommodated in multiple
sessions as the applicants for these disciplines are more in numbers. Over the past many months, Careers360 has
conducted interviews with GATE Toppers from various disciplines bringing forth their preparation strategies, time management techniques, important topics, books and more.
To enable all the GATE aspirants to avail these tips and guidelines from those students who have not only successfully
cracked the GATE exam but also have topped it, we have compiled all the interviews in this book. No matter what the discipline, the essence of the preparation is the same- to do the best.
Success will never be a big step in the future; success is a small step taken just now.
The common tip from all the GATE Toppers is the intention to do well backed by an equal amount of hard work and perseverance. It is our sincere hope that these Topper interviews inspire you to do your best and that many more students like you
feature in our future interviews on GATE with stories of dedication and success.
All the Best!
Team Careers360.
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A Career is a Life
A
binash Das who scored AIR 3 in EC in GATE 2014
spells out details of his GATE preparation. Curently
employed with HPCL which he joined through his
GATE scores, Abinash emphasizes the importance of strong
conceptual base in the subject along with loads of practice
for success in GATE 2015. Read more about his preparation
below.
Careers360: Tell us something about yourself; Where
have you done your engineering from and in which
branch?
Abinash Das: I am Abinash Das.I graduated from Biju
Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) in Electronics
and Telecom Engineering.
Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
Careers360: Were you decided about appearing for
GATE from your undergraduation days or did the idea
come in the final year? When did you start your Preparation for GATE? Did you follow any schedule?
Abinash Das: I decided to appear for GATE when I
started my final year of engineering. I also started my preparation as soon as I decided that and no I did not follow any
schedule as such.
Careers360: How many hours did you put in per day
and how did you manage it along with your engineering
studies?
Abinash Das: I put in approximate of 5-6 hours per day
Careers360: what was the GATE Paper you appeared
for my GATE Preparation. It is a bit tight scheduling it with
engineering studies but can be managed if one is dedicated
and determined about it.
Abinash Das: I appeared in Electronics and Communica-
Careers360: Can you share any preparation strategies
in? What rank did you get in GATE 2014?
tion and I secured AIR 3 in GATE 2014.
4
with our readers? How to schedule study time and make
timetables?
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Abinash Das: My strategy was to first cover the entire
GATE syllabus. Once I was good with my subject, I moved to
mock tests for practice. I then sat for as many mock tests as I
could while simulataneously studying to be thorough in the
subject. I did not follow any timetable or schedule as such. I
just went along with the prescribed syllabus.
Careers360: Name some important Topics that you
feel are a must read for any student attempting GATE
exam?
Abinash Das: You should cover entire syllabus.There
is nothing like important and unimportant. Every topic is
important. So don’t leave any topic from the GATE syllabus.
Try and cover the entire syllabus.
Careers360: What is your opinion about coaching? Is
it necessary? If yes, how has it helped you?
Abinash Das: Coaching I feel is dependent upon each
individual. If you are good in the concepts ,you don’t need
any coaching. Joining a Test series would suffice but you
must try to score more in each test. I joined the Test Series
at GateForum to help me practice for the tests.
Careers360: Since all the GATE exams are online
now, how mandatory is it for students to practice online
and how frequently?
Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
Abinash Das: Mock test are very important because they
help in improving Time management , subject concepts and
also give you a understanding where you stand with repect
to the competition. It also motivates you to improve.I think
Previous year papers are very important but only solving
them cannot improve rank or scores. It is extremely important to be strong in your concepts.
Careers360: Which books did you follow for GATE
preparation?
Abinash Das: I studied the Standard text books and RK
Kanodia for my GATE Preparation. I think this is more than
enough for preparation.
Careers360: Please suggest time management strategies for GATE preparation?
Abinash Das: whatever the time you have allotted for
GATE Preparation, ensure that 60% of that time is devoted
to solving MCQs and mock tests. Practice will make you better butu only if you have studied the subject.
Careers360: Any message for the future aspirants?
Abinash Das: Give as many mock test as you can and
always Try to perform better than your last test.Work hard
and smart.Best of Luck for GATE ……
Abinash Das: It is very important to practice online to get
accustomed to the online pattern. So one should give atleast
one test in a week to be used to the test pattern. It helps to
guage time management as well as the methodology to adopt.
Careers360: How important do you feel mock tests
are and why? Is it true that if one solves the previous
year question papers, there is a good chance of cracking
the exam successfully?
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A
ditya Gusain who secured an AIR 5 in Biotechnology
in GATE 2014 speaks about his preparation efforts
and the strategies that aided in his success in qualifying in the GATE exam with flying colours. Having completed
B.Tech in Biotechnology, Aditya believes that hard work and
planned preparation is the success mantra behind his success in GATE 2014. Read on to know the GATE preparation
strategies and guidelines for success in GATE 2015
Careers360: Tell us something about yourself; where
Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
Careers360: Were you decided about appearing for
GATE from your undergraduation days or did the idea
come in the final year?
Aditya Gusain: From the early days of my undergraduation, I have been seeing my seniors preparing for GATE
exam and getting into IITs thereby opening better job opportunities for them. That is what made me decide to attempt
GATE and get better opportunities.
have you done your engineering from and in which
branch?
Careers360: When did you start your GATE prepara-
Aditya Gusain: I did my B.Tech in Biotechnology from
College of Biotechnology, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut.
Aditya Gusain: I started my GATE preparations after my
third year of engineering. I first divided the entire syllabus
into sections and then covered it part by part. While covering
every part, I also started solving problems related to the topic
to get an idea about the type of questions and topics often
asked in GATE exam. It was also a check on the syllabus I
had covered.
Careers360: what was the GATE Paper you appeared
in? What was the rank you scored?
tion? Any schedule that you have followed?
Aditya Gusain: I appeared for GATE 2014 in Biotechnology. I scored an All India Rank of 5 in GATE 2014.
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Careers360: How many hours did you put in per day
and how did you manage it along with your engineering
studies?
Aditya Gusain: I feel 4-5 hours is sufficient for GATE
Preparation on a daily basis but being regular with the study
is extremely important.
Careers360: Can you share any preparation strategies
with our readers? How to schedule study time and make
timetables?
Aditya Gusain: I believe each person has his own way
of learning and understanding. My strategy was first to be
regular in my studies and preparation while being honest to
myself.I covered the whole syllabus in parts starting by covering important topics from different subjects in Biotechnology along with regular practice of engineering mathematics
and general aptitude.
Scheduling your time is really important because the lack
of proper management may leave you confused about the
GATE exam with doubts like which topics to cover and what
is not relevant for GATE exam.I would advise to always study
2-3 subjects side by side.This would maintain your pace in
covering the entire syllabus.
One month before GATE should be only for solving questions, mock tests. During this time, it is better to start revision
because trying to start any new subject will just be a waste of
your time.Just try to practice as many questions as you can.
Joining test series especially online test series like GateForum will really help.
Careers360: Name some important Topics that you
feel are a must read for any student attempting GATE
exam?
Aditya Gusain: Some important topics asked frequently in GATE are Bioprocess Engineering, Genetics,
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Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
ioinformatics and Mathematics. These topics carry heavy
weightage. The other important thing to take care of is the
numerical type questions. I would advise to solve as many as
numerical based problems in different subjects as possible to
get a grip on tackling them.
Careers360: What is your opinion about coaching? Is
it necessary? If yes, how has it helped you?
Aditya Gusain: I feel coaching is not that important
because your success always depends how sincere and honest
you are to yourself. If you are confused about how to study
and cover the syllabus then coaching classes are good as they
may give you a direction and guidance.
Careers360: Since all the GATE exams are online
now, how mandatory is it for students to practice online
and how frequently?
Aditya Gusain: It is really to important to to practice
online for GATE now as all exams are online. I joined the
test series at GateForum and this helped me to get a regular
check on how my preparations were going on and what more
was needed to better it.
Time management is the most important factor in any exam
and a test series gives you an idea on how to maintain a pace
throughout the exam. Solving around 30-40 tests before
GATE will prepare you completely to face the GATE exam
without any fear.
Careers360: How important do you feel mock tests
are and why? Is it true that if one solves the previous
year question papers, there is a good chance of cracking
the exam successfully?
Aditya Gusain: If one sticks only to reading theoreti-
cal parts of subjects, cracking GATE will be very difficult.
As compared to the earlier years, GATE 2014 consisted of
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Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
mostly numerical type questions. The GATE Exam Pattern
is changing year after year so it is very difficult to predict
which topics are most important. Solving mock tests give an
idea of the type of questions that could be asked.Exposure to
different kinds of problems will really help to perform better
in the GATE exam.
Careers360: Please suggest time management strate-
Careers360: Which books did you follow for GATE
I would advise to avoid wastage of time just before GATE
exam in frivolous activites because preparation for GATE
can also be fun.So try to enjoy it and your will find success.
preparation?
Aditya Gusain: Some of the books I studied are:
gies for GATE preparation?
Aditya Gusain: To score well and secure a good rank,
time management is extremely essential and this strategy cannot be taught to anyone. I feel it all depends on how
important qualifying in GATE is for you.
F
Principle of Bioprocess Engineering –P.Doran,
Careers360: Any message for the future aspirants?
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Fundamentals of Biochemistry-Lehninger,
Aditya Gusain: Never panic. GATE exam is very easy if
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Biotechnology-Pranav Kumar,
F
Immunology –Kuby
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you are serious about it and work hard for it. Remember only
hardwork pays, so just study and that too with fun .Never
think what is going to happen after that. This attitude is what
has really helped me to secure a good rank.You can succeed
too if you believe and work for it!
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A Career is a Life
A
shish Behera secured AIR 1 in GATE 2014 in Instrumentation Engineering. Speaking of his GATE experience, Ashish who is currently doing his masters at
IIT Bombay emphasizes that a combination of practice and
a good conceptual base helps tremendously in cracking the
GATE exam successfully. Ashish has taken the help of the
Test Series from THE GATE ACADEMY which he says has
helped him practice well and to guage his preparation. Read
on to know more…
Careers360: Tell us something about yourself; where
have you done your engineering from and in which
branch?
Ashish Behera: I graduated this year in Electronics and
Instrumentation from BITS Pilani Goa Campus . I am currently pursuing my masters from IIT Bombay in Electronic
Systems.
Careers360: what was the GATE Paper you appeared
in?
Ashish Behera: I gave GATE 2014 in Instrumentation
Engineering and I secured AIR-1 in GATE 2014 exam .
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Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
Careers360: Were you decided about appearing for
GATE from your undergraduation days or did the idea
come in the final year?
Ashish Behera: Frankly the idea came in the final year. I
knew about GATE from my 2ndyear but the zeal to prepare
seriously started at the end of my third year. I wanted to
build my career in core instrumentation. Placements from
companies of instrumentation profile were not that many in
our campus so I decided to appear for GATE and achieve my
ambition there on.
Careers360: When did you start your GATE prepara-
tion? Any schedule that you followed?
Ashish Behera: I started my GATE preparation seriously in June 2013. I could do good because I took all my
core subjects seriously while they were being taught in my
3rd year. At BITS, all the core instrumentation courses are
taught in the 3rdyear.
I had no specific schedule as such but yes I gave equal importance to both theory and practice.
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Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
A Career is a Life
Careers360: How many hours did you put in per day
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and how did you manage it along with your engineering
studies?
Analog Electronics
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Transducers
Ashish Behera: Like I said earlier, there was no specific
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Digital Electronics
schedule. All I did was to ensure equal time for both theory
and practice everyday. At BITS, we didn’t have many courses
so I could focus properly both on GATE and my placements
at the same time. The courses that I had in my last semester
were the same as the GATE topics so it wasn’t so tough to
prepare. It was all in synch. My preparation helped for both.
Careers360: Can you share any preparation strategies
with our readers?
Ashish Behera: Prepare well in advance and give equal
importance to all GATE topics. Be well versed with the pattern and give enough tests so that you have a feel of the actual
GATE exam before appearing for it.
Some important mantras:
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F
During preparation don’t saturate your day with just theory as
practice is very important to strengthen your concepts as well as
your confidence.
Give as many tests as you can to help you to prepare a strategy for
your final exam.
So friends Plan and Practice Well!
Careers360: What is your opinion about coaching? Is
it necessary? If yes, how has it helped you?
Ashish Behera: I don’t think coaching is necessary. There
are a lot of resources available on the net which can help you
with the preparation as well enhance your knowledge. For
eg.- NPTEL videos. If you feel that you are strong in your
concepts from what you were taught in your college then you
can do away with coaching. However if your basic concepts
are not clear and you think coaching will help you to devote
some serious preparation time for GATE then you must go
for it.
I only took the test series of THE GATE academy as I got
some good reviews about it from my seniors and friends. I
took the test series as it was very essential to be in touch with
all the theory when my focus was on practice. It helped me to
revise my weak points and strengthen them as well .
Careers360: How important do you feel mock tests
are and why?
Ashish Behera: Mock tests are essential to everyone’s
preparation for GATE. Some reasons are
Careers360: Name some important Topics that you
feel are a must read for any student attempting GATE
exam?
a)When you attempt mock tests with an all India ranking, you
can gauge your performance against thousands of test givers. So
choose a test series which has a huge participation base
Ashish Behera: For Instrumentation all subjects are
b)It helps you to Strengthen your confidence in subjects. Give
chapter wise tests after you have thoroughly prepared a subject.
important but one should be strong in the the below mentioned topics -
c) It helps you to prepare a strategy for the final exam. You can know
F
Control Theory
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A Career is a Life
which strategy will help you in the exam.
Careers360: Which books did you follow for GATE
preparation?
Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
Careers360: Any message for the future aspirants?
Ashish Behera: Believe in yourself and prepare with full
dedication . If you want to be one of the best, nothing can stop
you . All the best !
Ashish Behera: I followed my college textbooks only .
They were all sufficient for GATE preparation. Some are:
Analog- Sedra Smith, Transducers- Doeblin, Control- Gopal
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A Career is a Life
A
nkit Goyal is the holder of the AIR 1 for EE in
GATE 2014. Not a stranger to the exam, Ankit first
attempted GATE in 2013 where he secured an AIR 8.
A gold medalist from IIT Indore, Ankit is currently focused
in bringing his GATE experience and expertise to the fore
with his own company Kreatryx which deals with innovative
content exclusively for GATE aspirants in EE and ECE.
Read below his insightful tips for GATE 2015 Preparation
Careers360: When should the GATE preparation ideally start for any candidate during the under graduation
years? Is it enough if a candidate prepares for GATE in
the final year?
Ankit Goyal: Ideally the GATE targeted preparation
should begin only in the final year but students should try to
be well versed with the subjects while studying them in the
UG curriculum. This way they won’t be over-burdened and
can easily manage. During the first three years, they should
not concentrate on GATE Questions but create notes and
build concepts from Standard Textbooks. They would do
well to solve problems that are given at the end of Standard
Textbooks to improve their problem solving skills.
During the final year students must focus solely on Problem
Solving as only that can only help them get through. They
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Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
must be well versed with the concepts by then. Starting
everything from scratch without knowledge of the basic
concepts can be very difficult to manage in the final year as
there are a lot of exams, projects and other things that go on
in parallel.
Careers360: What should the preparation be like in
the initial stages say September when the Gate Application is announced? Pls elaborate as follows
Ankit Goyal:
6 months before the exam: Students should focus on two
subjects together during this period. One subject that is their
strong point and where they can focus on problem solving
with no theory reading required. The second subject should
be one where they need to study from scratch. For this, they
should schedule a timeline of say 2-3 weeks to complete that
subject. The timetable should be such that the total course is
completed approximately 2 months before the GATE exam
including problem solving.
3 months before the exam: During this period, students
should focus wholly on problem solving and not on theory.
Students should clear all the doubts in the subjects they
have completed. An important point here is to remember the
mistakes made during the practice sessions and not repeat
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Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
A Career is a Life
them. This way, they can move forward else they will be stuck
at the same point.
needed for GATE Preparation?
A month before the exam: In the final month, students
should focus on test series and more so on solving full tests as
that is the only method where they can revise all the subjects
in a matter of few hours. This will help them gain confidence.
Here they should note that an analysis of their performance
after each test is absolutely necessary as this helps identify
the weak areas to enable improvement in that subject in the
next test.
lowing books are very useful
Careers360: Is it enough for the student to refer to
their engineering (UG) books or is there a need to delve
into other books too?
Ankit Goyal: For conceptual reading, the books in UG curriculum will suffice but for core subjects, students must read
other books so that their knowledge will improve. This also
helps during the interviews for M.Tech or PSU. In addition,
students must follow an objective book for problem solving.
Ankit Goyal: As mentioned in my blog, I find that the fol-
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Advanced Engineering Mathematics by E.Kreyszig
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Engineering Circuit Analysis by Hayt and Kemmerly
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Signals and Systems by Oppenheim and Wilsky
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Electrical Machinery by P.S.Bimbhra
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Power Systems Engineering by Nagrath and Kothari
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Power Electronics by P.S.Bimbhra
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Control Systems Engineering by Nagrath and Gopal
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Careers360: What is the difference in the B.Tech/B.E
curriculum and the GATE Syllabus?
Ankit Goyal: The syllabus is not very much different but
the approach is entirely different. BE curriculum comprises
of mostly theoretical questions and that requires memorizing concepts while in GATE the entire focus is on problem
solving. It does not matter much whether you know the
practical or theoretical details of that concept.
This sounds confusing but the gist is that concepts that are
taught in B.E are essential to understand the subject and for
GATE we need to build on that to solve the non-standard
cases that are generally asked in the exam. Memorizing will
not help at all. Understanding will ensure that the concepts
are applied to get to the answer.
Careers360: Suggest some books that are good and
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F
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Electrical and Electronic Measurement and Instrumentation by
AK Sawhney
Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory by Boylestad - here my tip
to EE aspirants is please do not study about devices they are not
covered in EE curriculum
For Digital Electronics, refer to Digital Design by M.Morris
Mano
For Problem Solving GATE Electrical by RK Kanodia
Careers360: Do you feel coaching would help a student preparing for GATE ? How?
Ankit Goyal: I feel coaching does help out the students
in the present scenario as good faculty is lacking in many
private colleges therefore students are weak conceptually
and application wise. Attending a coaching class helps them
learn the concepts from experienced faculty to develop their
technical knowledge. Another advantage is that they also
learn about the exam, preparation tips and problem solving
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A Career is a Life
skills which does help immensely in an exam like GATE.
Careers360: What is the importance of mock tests,
sample papers? It is generally said that solving all the
previous year question papers is extremely helpful for
candidates? What is your opinion on it?
Ankit Goyal: Mock Tests are the most crucial part of
students’ preparation and they are indispensable. I can state
to such an extent that if you haven’t started giving mock tests
by January then you are actually going down in terms of AIR.
There are many benefits of mock tests as listed below:
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Learning about time-management
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Revising all the concepts in a matter of 3 hours
F
Judging Yourself on all India level before actual exam
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Developing a strategy to tackle the paper that best suits you.
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Due to online exam you need to get acquainted with the online
exam atmosphere.
Careers360: Since all the GATE exams are online
now, how mandatory is it for students to practice online
and how frequently?
Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
strategies for GATE preparation?
Ankit Goyal: There is ample time for study in a single
day only if students don’t waste their time. Students must
try to separate the time devoted to co-curricular activities
and study – only then he/she can maximize their efficiency
thus completing a task in lesser time. Self confidence builds
up along with efficiency.
Careers360: Any other guidelines for GATE exam?
Ankit Goyal: For Numerical Type Problems - try to make
lesser approximations and do the calculation in the last step
only. This will reduce the chances of mistakes as well as the
number of calculations required. Till the last step one must
try to solve in terms of notations rather than actual values.
It is essential to write the solutions clearly to save time during verification else the entire problem needs to be solved
again. Don’t think that the time spent in writing is a waste as
that will be very less compared to time required for revising
the problem. A check formula would be as follows
Total time for Problem = Time for Solution + Time for Revision therefore we must reduce time for revision.
I wish all the best to the GATE 2015 aspirants.
Ankit Goyal: This year the biggest change is the introduction of online calculators. The sample papers with this
feature have not been released by the GATE authorities. So I
would suggest that students should try and solve some offline
problems with the help of online calculator to get a grip and
increasing your mouse using speed. You need not do too
many such problems in a single day. Even if you solve 5 such
problems each day, that will help to speed up your calculations for GATE exam and save valuable time.
Careers360: Please suggest time management
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A Career is a Life
G
ATE 2014 Topper Preparation Tips- Careers360
brings yet another interview under the GATE 2015
Preparation Series for the aspirants who wish to
attempt the GATE 2015 exam. Saurabh Sarda currently is
pursuing his M.Tech at IIT Bombay. In this interview, Saurabh Sarda who holds the All India Rank 3 for GATE 2014
in Computer Science Engineering tells us how he prepared
for the GATE 2014 exam. Read on to know the details below.
Careers360: Saurabh - Tell us something about yourself:
Saurabh Sarda: I completed my B.Tech from Visves-
varaya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), also known
as NIT Nagpur in 2012. Afterwords, I started working at
Nvidia Graphics, Pune and held a job there for 15 months. I
appeared for GATE in 2014 and scored AIR 3 in CSE. I am
currently pursuing M.Tech at IIT Bombay.
Careers360: When did you decide to appear for
GATE? Why?
Saurabh Sarda: Well I started working after graduation
to just see what life would be like. A year later, I realized that
I wanted to do M.Tech. It would be good for my career and I
was interested in it. So, I got down to preparation for GATE.
I realized that working and studying was really going to be a
problem if I wanted a good GATE score. So I quit my job and
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Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
started concentrating wholly on GATE preparation.
Careers360: When did you start your GATE preparation? How many hours in a day did you put in?
Saurabh Sarda:I started my GATE Preparation in 2013.
I had no fixed schedule while I was working. But after I quit,
I put in a maximum of 8 to 10 hours. It is highly difficult to
put more than that I feel. The mind and brain can only take so
much.If you seriously put the effort, then this kind of a daily
schedule should get you good marks.
Careers360: Do you think Final year students can manage
GATE Preparation along with their engineering studies?
Saurabh Sarda:If they are serious about their prepara-
tion, yes they can. Actually I would advise that one should
work for an year so that one can know how the industry
works and then decide. Its tough though as the final year of
engineering is a hectic one with projects and many things
that normal study is tough.
But yes there are many who have done it.
Careers360: Can you share any preparation strategies
with our students?
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A Career is a Life
Saurabh Sarda: By July 2013, I realized that I had no
contact with books for the past year while I was working. So
I joined GATE Forum for their weekend classes. I joined the
classes to recollect and refresh the engineering concepts that
I had learnt during my engineering days. The mock tests that
I did there were useful to me in improving my speed during
the exam.
I would suggest that concepts have to be strong. First read
them, know them and then start with tests. Make sure to do
the previous year papers.
Careers360: Some important Topics that you feel are
a must read for any student attempting GATE for CS
Saurabh Sarda:Computer Science is all based on Mathematics so if you are strong in Mathematics, you can crack
the GATE exam. Computer Science is all about logic and
reasoning which is why a strong mathematical background
will ease the path.
GATE questions for Engineering Mathematics are very easy
such that if you have prepred well for JEE, you can do these
questions well. I don’t know why but this section is pretty
simple.
Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
through the mock tests. Also we can know the strengths and
weaknesses so we can improve.
Careers360: Which books did you follow for GATE
preparation?
Saurabh Sarda: For Networks, Operating Systems books
by A.Tanenbaum and other standard books. I had the same
books during my engineering days so I have used them. The
standard books available in the market for GATE preparation for CSE are good.
Careers360: Many students have come back with a
feedback about numerical questions being tough? How
do you suggest students should prepare for these questions
Saurabh Sarda: See the MCQs have the answers in front.
You just have to choose so you know if your answer doesn’t
match, you can rework the answer. But for numerical questions, the answer is not given. It is never easy then. Moreover,
the questions are tricky such that they question your grasp of
the concepts and the way you apply them.
Careers360: How important do you feel mock tests
Here again the mock tests are useful. So if your concepts are
clear you must then do mock tests, previous year papers and
know how to apply these concepts.
Saurabh Sarda:With the pattern change in 2013 and now
Careers360: Any message for the future aspirants?
are and why?
the online tests, the GATE exam has changed completely. I
attempted GATE in 2012 too after my B.Tech and now I don’t
see any similarity between the two and my past experience was
no good for me.Check here for the GATE 2015 Exam Pattern
Mock Tests are important and students should practice as
much as they can. In fact I finished my concept brushing,
reading for GATE by October and then on it was practice,
practice for me. I improved my speed and I really mean that
as I completed my GATE 2014 exam within 2 hours. Time
management is one of the most valuable lesson that is given
16
Saurabh Sarda: GATE is a devil but a known devil. Study
and be through with your concepts. Practice is the key for
speed improvement and time management.
From November end, I just sat and did the mock tests, previous year papers and nothing else. So candidates should
seriously practice the previous year papers. If you do well in
them, a good score in GATE is assured but to do that, again
the concepts have to be in place. So there is no easy shortcut
method to this. Hard work is needed along with serious study.
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A Career is a Life
S
anthosh Kumar Pabbineedi secured an AIR 141 in
GATE 2014 for Electrical Engineering. The special
factor about his success is that he started very late
somewhere in November 2013 with his preparation for
GATE 2014 but turned to be successful at cracking it with
extremely good results. In his words, Success comes only if
you want it. Check out his success mantras and analysis for
GATE 2015.
Careers360: Tell us something about yourself; Where
have you done your engineering from and in which
branch?
Santhosh Kumar: I completed my B.Tech in 2012 from
Sri Sai Aditya Institute of Science and Technology, Kakinada. Then I worked for a year at Nations’s Pride Energy
Systems, then moved to Kakinada Institute of Engineering
and Technology(KIET). I appeared for GATE in 2013 and
secured AIR 1650.
On November 2, 2013, I decided to give a good shot at GATE.
I had just 114 days to prepare.
17
Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
Careers360: what was the GATE Paper you appeared
in? What rank did you get in GATE 2014?
Santhosh Kumar: I appeared in Electrical Engineering
and I secured AIR 141 in GATE 2014 and a score of 835.
Careers360: Why did you decide to appear for GATE
2014 again?
Santhosh Kumar:I wanted a good government job preferably in a leading PSU. So GATE seemed the best path. All
the good PSUs were recruiting on the basis of GATE scores.
Careers360: Considering that you started with very
little time left for the exam which many start months
ago, how many hours did you put in per day and how did
you manage it?
Santhosh Kumar: I put in an approximate of 10-12 hours
per day for my GATE Preparation. In my place, I would say
that I was determined to do well and that meantEat, Sleep,
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Dream GATE only.
I put myself in a room with a chair, papers for notes, collected
textbooks needed and armed myself with nptel video lectures
and started my preparation. I have been a topper since high
school and I am pretty dedicated.
Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
Santhosh Kumar: For any serious GATE aspirant, time
shouldn’t matter. 10 hours and such doesn’t matter in such
situation. I am saying this as time is a constraint right now
if you consider that GATE 2015 starts on January 31, 2015.
We have now 60 days. February should not be considered.
for preparation. That should be for problems and practice
Careers360: You have taken no coaching for your
GATE preparation? How did you manage?
Preparation should be within 40 days for analysis in a cycle:
Learn--> Test-->Analyze--->Improve.
Santhosh Kumar: I am completely against coaching.
You learn the topic, take a mock test from the problems at the
end of the chapter/topic, analyse strictly and frankly where
the weakness lies and then improve on that weakness. See
the first learning session takes maybe 10 days, first revision
should take 2 days, 3rdshould take lesser.
I didn’t even think of it. With coaching I feel things are cut
dried and given on a plate to you. That’s not learning. If I do it
on my own, I learn. Its all about basics. You have to be strong
with your basics and that has to be learnt.
When I started, I had no clue what I should do and what
not. I approached Sadhu Pavan Kumar who secured AIR 3 in
GATE 2011. You see I didn’t know him (he belongs to JNTU,
Kakinada and my college is affiliated to it) but I mailed him
and he answered back with tips on what to prepare and what
not; simple clear guidance. It was helpful.
I had support in the form of exchanges with similar minded
people on facebook. I had good friends who were there with
me and were also in the same mould. It was tough but not
impossible. These things matter a lot.
Careers360: So, in essence students must really know
their basics and practice the problems therein.
Santhosh Kumar: Yes. Students must know their basics
well. They can’t go forward without that. If their basics are
good, they practice problems a lot, solve previous years
GATE and IES question Papers, they stand a good chance of
scoring below an AIR below 300.
Careers360: Can you share any preparation strategies
with our readers? How to schedule study time and make
timetables?
18
Then the last 20 days left from the 60 days should be used
to attempt mock tests. Students must attempt atleast 2 tests
similar to the actual GATE exam. This is to enable them to
acclimatize to the GATE exam environment. The other days
are for practice and more practice. Practice all the problems
you can lay your hands on.Revision is the key at this stage.
The last 10 to 12 days should be utilized to improve accuracy
and time management. This is pretty important. Practice
here is the key. Not everyone goes with the aim to attempt all
questions accurately.
Careers360: How should one schedule answering the
GATE exam – which section to attempt first and which
next?
Santhosh Kumar: This is dependent on the student. My
analysis of GATE shows a score of 60 marks will fetch a rank
below 200. So target it like that and you should have a clear
cut agenda of how you will attempt the exam. My advice is
attempt the 1 mark questions first. Then move on to the 2
marks and other questions.
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A Career is a Life
It is a general thing that one must read all questions but there
is no hard fast rule that one must attempt every question and
solve it. My aim in GATE 2014 was to answer 40 questions
accurately. The target simply can be answer 20 questions of
1 mark each and schedule to answer 20 questions of 2 marks
and mixed marks. Linked answers don’t fetch you negative
marks if the first answer is correct.
The numerical questions asked I feel are basic and nothing
much to worry about. If you actually plan the exam down to
the last dot, you can score an AIR below 200.
Careers360: Name some important Topics that you
feel are a must read for any student attempting GATE
exam in Electrical Engineering?
Santhosh Kumar: Ideally you should cover the entire
syllabus.but since there is a time constraint, one must choose.
I would suggest emphasis on the following:
F
Network Analysis
F
Control Systems
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Digital Electronics
F
Power Electronics
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Machines
Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
that we cant really hop back to questions we feel need more
time to solve or leave for review. Suppose you answer some
questions from say Q 1 to 10 and then you skip Q 11 to attempt
later because you feel you can answer it but it requires a bit of
time. Now once you answer many questions after that. Then
the problem comes that you don’t know which question you
left to attempt later. True that it shows all questions but you
should remember which question number. Now in an exam
like GATE, that is a major problem. There is no time to waste
in searching for this.
Important: My advice, use the scribble pad they give you
to note the question number which you feel should be
attempted later and you save a lot of time getting back to it
when you have time else you will be left searching. Other
than that, I really don’t envisage any other problems with
the online tests.
Careers360: What do you feel may be a tough thing in
GATE 2015?
Santhosh Kumar: I think the online calculator may
be a problem simply because we don’t have a standard one
prescribed. I have found 6 types so far. So how does a student
practice on this now? Even IITs have no prescribed online
calculator. So we have to watch on that front seeing that we
don’t know what type will be available for students during
the exam.
After this do either Machine or Power Systems and not both.
See there is not enough time to see through both these topics. So
choose one and concentrate on it.
Careers360: How important do you feel mock tests
Careers360: Since all the GATE exams are online
Santhosh Kumar: Mock test are a must. They allow you
F
now, how mandatory is it for students to practice online
and how frequently?
Santhosh Kumar: It is mandatory to practice with the
online tests. I would like to bring an important point here to
the fore. See the problem with the online tests like GATE is
19
are and why? Is it true that if one solves the previous
year question papers, there is a good chance of cracking
the exam successfully?
to know what the exam will be like. They are also the litmus
tests for knowing where you stand in terms of your preparation. Anyone who wishes to crack GATE has to practice with
mock tests and sample papers. That is mandatory I feel and
gives a lot of clues to the aspirants on how the exam will be
like.
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Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
A Career is a Life
Click here to download the Previous year GATE Question
Papers
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Transient Analysis Of Electric Power Circuits by Arieh L Shenkmann and also Chakrabarthi
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MicroProcessors :- Ramesh s Goanker
preparation?
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Digitals :- Morris Mono
Santhosh Kumar: Well here is the list below. I would
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Analog :- Boylestad
Careers360: Which books did you follow for GATE
suggest- keep one standard book and one reference book.
F
F
F
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Fields :- Hayt n Sadiku
Electrical Machines :- PS Bhimbra & JB Guptha for concepts
(Text books)
F
Signals N Systems :- Oppenhium for Reference, Nagoor Kani
Reference for Syn & Induct machines, transformers): Performance of Alternating Current machines by M.g
Careers360: Any advice for the future aspirants?
Reference for DC machines: Performance of Direct current
Machines
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Bl Theraja ( problems)
F
Power Sysytems :- Jb Guptha & CL Wadhwa
F
Power Electronics :- MH Rashid for begineers.
F
Measurements :- Sawhney . Tip: Use the internet to look and
study on internal structures of Instruments
F
Control Systems :- Nagrath Gopal , Jayrath
F
Networks :- Hayt E Kemmerly till transients (for Reference)
20
Santhosh Kumar: Revision is the key along with practice
tests. It is important to revise atleast twice before the exam.
Also cracking GATE is no joke so try this only if you are
serious and willing to give your hundred percent to it.Only a
dedicated student can be successful at qualifying with good
scores.
Here I would like to mention that I have a facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/forjuniors. I answer queries, help
out other students who seek my help.
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A Career is a Life
Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
Must Read for GATE 2015:
GATE 2015 Mock Test
GATE 2015 Exam Pattern
GATE 2015 Sample Papers
GATE 2015
GATE 2014 Official Website
Follow us on Facebook for all the latest updates
21
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Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
A Career is a Life
Expert Opinion & Guideline
GATE 2015 Preparation TipsVishvadeep Gothi, Subject Matter Expert,
CSE, THE GATE ACADEMY
GATE 2015 Preparation Tips and GuidelinesNitin Rakesh Prasad, Director,
THE GATE ACADEMY
GATE 2015 Preparation Tips and Guidelines
from Jitendra Sinha Director
GATE Forum
GATE 2015 Preparation Tips from
Sumeet Kumar Sar –
Faculty (ECE), GATE forum
22
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A Career is a Life
Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
Preparation Guidelines:
GATE 2015 Preparation Guidelines for
Chemical Engineering
GATE 2015 Preparation Guidelines for
Instrumentation Engineering
GATE 2015 Preparation Guidelines for
Electrical Engineering
23
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A Career is a Life
Success Mantras of GATE Toppers for GATE 2015
GATE 2015 Preparation Guidelines
for Electronics & Communication
Engineering
GATE 2015 Preparation Guidelines for
Computer Science Engineering
GATE 2015 Preparation Guidelines for
Mechanical Engineering
24
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