GATE is a Basic Exam, There is Nothing to Fear: Topper

Sakshi Education

Mahesh Gorijala, an engineering graduate of IIIT Nuzvid, secured all-India 4th rank in GATE-2015.

Having studied at one of the top engineering universities, he feels if a student has a strong grasp of basics, coaching will be of little use. Strong command over basics in subjects, then GATE examination is nothing more than a cake walk. Sakshieducation.com finds more from him.

Can you share a few details us about your educational and family background?
I did my Intermediate (Referred as Pre University Course [PUC] at RGUKT) and B.Tech. in ECE at RGUKT Nuzvid campus. Following are my marks and grades -
10th Standard (2008): 561/600
PUC (2010) (RGUKT: IIIT NUZIVID): CGPA 9.9/10.
B.Tech (2014) (RGUKT: IIIT NUZIVID): CGPA 9.38/10
Which subjects interested you most?
I can’t think of any one subject as my interest. Every subject is interesting and beautiful in its own way.
Who motivated you to prefer M.Tech.?
I haven’t made a career choice yet. I just wrote the GATE exam to keep my options open. So I don’t think I can answer this question at this point of time.
Most of the students prefer glossy IT jobs than M.Tech., why did you choose M.Tech.?
Again, I haven’t made my decision yet. But from my experience I can answer the other part of the question. The reason that most students prefer IT jobs over M.Tech. is-
(a) Except for a few premier institutes, job opportunities for M.Tech. graduates are almost same as their B.Tech. counterparts. So students do not find it worthy to spend another two years if they are going to end up with same opportunities, unless they want to be a lecturer or do a PhD.
(b) Secondly, most students don’t actually prefer IT jobs. But given that it is comparatively difficult to land up in a decent core job (Supply-demand problem. More number of engineers than jobs), students have a little choice.
Coming to GATE preparation, how did you plan for it and what was your strategy of preparation? What are major hurdles you faced during your preparation and how did you overcome them?
GATE is actually a pretty simple examination. It only tests a student’s basic knowledge in few fundamental subjects. Any B.Tech. curriculum includes 30-40 subjects over the entire 8 semester duration. On the other hand, GATE syllabus includes only 8 to 10 basic subjects. If the student has strong command over these basic subjects, then GATE examination is nothing more than a cake walk.
Preparation Strategy: Since the GATE syllabus is same as that covered in my undergrad curriculum, I had no difficulty in completing syllabus. I laid strong emphasis on problem solving. If unlimited time is given, many students would solve the entire paper. But doing that in a 3 hour examination requires a lot of practice.
Most of the students prefer coaching centers than self-preparation for GATE. Which one is better? If you favour self-preparation, please explain how can one prepare on his own?
I can’t actually advocate one option. It depends on the individual. If a student has a strong grasp of basics, coaching will be of little use. Many students think that GATE is a difficult exam. This fear makes them flock to coaching centres. Students should get rid of this misconception.
On the other hand, if a student feels that he is lacking in basics, it is perfectly fine to take the help of coaching institutes.
Most coaching institutes do offer mock tests in the last couple of months leading to the examinations. Attending these tests, would help students to gauge their level of preparation and to fine tune it. I would really suggest aspirants to explore this option
What books you referred?
I mostly relied on the notes that I made during my under graduation. Preparing self-notes would really help in quick revision during final leg of preparation
Can you share your advice to GATE aspirants?
I guess my previous answers provided ample advices.