With less than 60 days to go for the GATE 2015 exam, Careers360 brings forth GATE Preparation Tips from Santhosh Kumar Pabbineedi who secured an AIR 141 in GATE 2014 for Electrical Engineering. The special factor about his success is that he started very late
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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.
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 meant Eat, Sleep, 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.
Careers360: You have taken no coaching for your GATE preparation? How did you manage?
Santhosh Kumar: I am completely against coaching. 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?
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
Preparation should be within 40 days for analysis in a cycle: Learn--> Test-->Analyze--->Improve.
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, 3rd should take lesser.
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.
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:
- Network Analysis
- Control Systems
- Digital Electronics
- Power Electronics
- Machines
- 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: Since all the GATE exams are online 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 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.
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?
Santhosh Kumar: Mock test are a must. They allow you 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.
Click here to download the Previous year GATE Question Papers
Careers360: Which books did you follow for GATE preparation?
Santhosh Kumar: Well here is the list below. I would suggest- keep one standard book and one reference book.
- Electrical Machines :- PS Bhimbra & JB Guptha for concepts (Text books)
- Reference for Syn & Induct machines, transformers): Performance of Alternating Current machines by M.g
- Reference for DC machines: Performance of Direct current Machines
Bl Theraja ( problems) - Power Sysytems :- Jb Guptha & CL Wadhwa
- Power Electronics :- MH Rashid for begineers.
- Measurements :- Sawhney . Tip: Use the internet to look and study on internal structures of Instruments
- Control Systems :- Nagrath Gopal , Jayrath
- Networks :- Hayt E Kemmerly till transients (for Reference)
- Transient Analysis Of Electric Power Circuits by Arieh L Shenkmann and also Chakrabarthi
- MicroProcessors :- Ramesh s Goanker
- Digitals :- Morris Mono
- Analog :- Boylestad
- Filelds :- Hayt n Sadiku
- Signals N Systems :- Oppenhium for Reference, Nagoor Kani
Careers360:.Any advice for the future aspirants?
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 page https://www.facebook.com/forjuniors. I answer queries, help out other students who seek my help.
Careers360 thanks Santhosh Kumar for his valuable tips for GATE 2015 Preparation.
We at Careers360 also wish all the GATE 2015 aspirants all success with their GATE Preparation.
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