Sakshi Education
Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best. This exactly opts for KK Srinivas who secured All India 2nd rank in GATE 2016 from ECE stream. He strived for success and attained it by making rigorous attempts. He is sharing his success story with Sakshi…
About Your Family..
I am from Hyderabad. My father K.V. Anantha Krishna Sharma is retired engineer and my mother Vijaya is a homemaker. I am the only child of my parents.
Your Academic Details..
I attended high school from Chinmaya Vidyalaya in Hyderabad with 93.0% at 10th standard. I enrolled for Intermediate at Narayana Junior College in Hyderabad and passed with 98.1%. and I earned Engineering degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering with a CGPA of 9.42 out of 10 (equivalent to 94.2%) from BITS-Pilani K.K.Birla Goa Campus. After completion of my graduation, I have got a job in Reliance Power through campus placements but decided to pursue higher studies. So I did PGDM in Finance with valid CAT score from K.J.Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai and completed with a CGPA of 2.97 out of 4 (equivalent to 71.91%).
My performance in some of the popular entrance examinations is as follows:
What motivates you to write GATE thrice being a management student?
To go ahead with my higher studies I was toggled between MBA and M.Tech., so I have attempted both CAT and GATE. Fortunately, I secured 96.77 percentile in CAT 2010 and got All India rank 1504 in GATE 2011 with the score of 632 with 53 marks. I decided to pursue MBA, joined the PGDM course in Finance but soon I realized my passion towards engineering and started preparing for GATE.
Being strong at engineering subjects, aptitude made me secure All India 4th rank in GATE 2014. Soon I got the offer letters from many PSUs like BARC, NTPC, SAIL, NALCO and ISRO. I finally joined ISTRAC, ISRO in Bangalore in March 2015. Unfortunately, I had to quit ISRO in August 2015 due to severe health problems.
I decided to attempt GATE again, but this time for pursuing M.Tech. In the meantime, I joined in a coaching institute as a part-time faculty member for GATE coaching. This teaching experience boosted up my confidence level in the subject and I was able to prepare for GATE better this time. I got All India rank 2 in GATE 2016 with a perfect GATE score of 1000 with normalized marks of 86.13.
How did you start your preparation? Please share your strategy and the schedule you followed?
I did not focus too much on previous year GATE papers, but I made sure I understood all concepts thoroughly. I prepared formula book for each subject, which is greatly helped to revise quickly before the GATE exam. Towards the end, I concentrated more on taking online mock tests. It helped me a lot to improve my accuracy, which leads to my success.
I concentrated more on taking online mock tests as this was the first time GATE 2014 was the online exam for all branches. While preparing for GATE 2016, I focussed more on revising theory and practising standard model problems initially and 2 months before GATE, took many online mock tests. Initially, students are advised to take the basic level tests and then move on to the advanced level tests. We get to know about time management during exam also here.
What are the key factors to get a good score in each category?
General Aptitude and English were easy for me as I had already cracked CAT. I have solved numerous questions on General Aptitude, English and Engineering Mathematics to get the good score. As far as Core Engineering subjects are concerned, we have to first understand the concepts, logic involved in them, then only try to attempt and practise the questions. It may be all right to leave one or two subjects as it may become difficult to practise all core subjects. Make sure perfectly prepared for General Aptitude and English since these improve your overall score.
What are the common mistakes done by GATE aspirants during preparation and examination?
Students must have a positive attitude and must be strong in Maths, which forms 80% of engineering. They should not get easily depressed in life (for whatever reason). Most students think either they are poor in Maths or they do not practise enough just because they underestimate its importance.
Just 1 day before the exam, students should revise concepts and not take any mock tests to reduce tension and anxiety. They should close all books by sharp 8 PM, have sufficient dinner, and go to bed early. They should sleep at least 8 hours at night before the exam. They should not carry any books to the exam hall. Almost all students revise concepts before entering the exam hall in the exam centre, this just increases tension and students will not be able to perform well. From 8 PM the previous day to the start of the exam, students should try not thinking of anything related to the exam and just relax. That is what I had done in GATE 2014 and 2016.
What was your time management strategy?
Time management role starts from the day one itself. Each student has a unique way of studying. Students should not try to copy studying techniques from others. They must allot sufficient time to each subject according to their strengths and weaknesses. Even in the exam, some students may find it easy to attempt technical questions first and then go for Aptitude and English, other students the other way. You should find out which way suits you best by taking and experimenting such things in mock tests.
Is it necessary to take coaching?
Yes, coaching gives a clear idea of the kind of questions that are likely to be asked. B.Tech will just give you concepts. Coaching will tell you how to apply those concepts learnt in B.Tech. to solve GATE level problems.
Do you think is it very difficult to crack GATE?
It depends on how much time you spent on it. For people who are working, or are in B.Tech final year, it is very difficult as we have to dedicate a lot of time to crack an exam like GATE. If we focus only on GATE, it is definitely easier.
What would you suggest for the GATE aspirants?
Just be positive, choose the subjects those you have interested. Try to link the concepts in various subjects if possible and do hard work by practising solving questions. Aspirants must have ‘Never Give Up’ attitude.
What do you prefer, an MTech from the IIT or to join a PSU?
I prefer to go for M.Tech. and most likely to join in IISc Bangalore or IIT Kanpur. I would like to pursue my career in RF and Microwaves, because Electromagnetic Field Theory is my favourite subject. I will opt Communications and Networks specialisation since RF and Microwaves course is not available in IISc and I wish to pursue Phd in Microwaves in future.
I am from Hyderabad. My father K.V. Anantha Krishna Sharma is retired engineer and my mother Vijaya is a homemaker. I am the only child of my parents.
Your Academic Details..
I attended high school from Chinmaya Vidyalaya in Hyderabad with 93.0% at 10th standard. I enrolled for Intermediate at Narayana Junior College in Hyderabad and passed with 98.1%. and I earned Engineering degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering with a CGPA of 9.42 out of 10 (equivalent to 94.2%) from BITS-Pilani K.K.Birla Goa Campus. After completion of my graduation, I have got a job in Reliance Power through campus placements but decided to pursue higher studies. So I did PGDM in Finance with valid CAT score from K.J.Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai and completed with a CGPA of 2.97 out of 4 (equivalent to 71.91%).
My performance in some of the popular entrance examinations is as follows:
- EAMCET – 131
- IIT JEE – 3210
- AIEEE – 795
- BITSAT – 317
What motivates you to write GATE thrice being a management student?
To go ahead with my higher studies I was toggled between MBA and M.Tech., so I have attempted both CAT and GATE. Fortunately, I secured 96.77 percentile in CAT 2010 and got All India rank 1504 in GATE 2011 with the score of 632 with 53 marks. I decided to pursue MBA, joined the PGDM course in Finance but soon I realized my passion towards engineering and started preparing for GATE.
Being strong at engineering subjects, aptitude made me secure All India 4th rank in GATE 2014. Soon I got the offer letters from many PSUs like BARC, NTPC, SAIL, NALCO and ISRO. I finally joined ISTRAC, ISRO in Bangalore in March 2015. Unfortunately, I had to quit ISRO in August 2015 due to severe health problems.
I decided to attempt GATE again, but this time for pursuing M.Tech. In the meantime, I joined in a coaching institute as a part-time faculty member for GATE coaching. This teaching experience boosted up my confidence level in the subject and I was able to prepare for GATE better this time. I got All India rank 2 in GATE 2016 with a perfect GATE score of 1000 with normalized marks of 86.13.
How did you start your preparation? Please share your strategy and the schedule you followed?
I did not focus too much on previous year GATE papers, but I made sure I understood all concepts thoroughly. I prepared formula book for each subject, which is greatly helped to revise quickly before the GATE exam. Towards the end, I concentrated more on taking online mock tests. It helped me a lot to improve my accuracy, which leads to my success.
I concentrated more on taking online mock tests as this was the first time GATE 2014 was the online exam for all branches. While preparing for GATE 2016, I focussed more on revising theory and practising standard model problems initially and 2 months before GATE, took many online mock tests. Initially, students are advised to take the basic level tests and then move on to the advanced level tests. We get to know about time management during exam also here.
What are the key factors to get a good score in each category?
General Aptitude and English were easy for me as I had already cracked CAT. I have solved numerous questions on General Aptitude, English and Engineering Mathematics to get the good score. As far as Core Engineering subjects are concerned, we have to first understand the concepts, logic involved in them, then only try to attempt and practise the questions. It may be all right to leave one or two subjects as it may become difficult to practise all core subjects. Make sure perfectly prepared for General Aptitude and English since these improve your overall score.
What are the common mistakes done by GATE aspirants during preparation and examination?
Students must have a positive attitude and must be strong in Maths, which forms 80% of engineering. They should not get easily depressed in life (for whatever reason). Most students think either they are poor in Maths or they do not practise enough just because they underestimate its importance.
Just 1 day before the exam, students should revise concepts and not take any mock tests to reduce tension and anxiety. They should close all books by sharp 8 PM, have sufficient dinner, and go to bed early. They should sleep at least 8 hours at night before the exam. They should not carry any books to the exam hall. Almost all students revise concepts before entering the exam hall in the exam centre, this just increases tension and students will not be able to perform well. From 8 PM the previous day to the start of the exam, students should try not thinking of anything related to the exam and just relax. That is what I had done in GATE 2014 and 2016.
What was your time management strategy?
Time management role starts from the day one itself. Each student has a unique way of studying. Students should not try to copy studying techniques from others. They must allot sufficient time to each subject according to their strengths and weaknesses. Even in the exam, some students may find it easy to attempt technical questions first and then go for Aptitude and English, other students the other way. You should find out which way suits you best by taking and experimenting such things in mock tests.
Is it necessary to take coaching?
Yes, coaching gives a clear idea of the kind of questions that are likely to be asked. B.Tech will just give you concepts. Coaching will tell you how to apply those concepts learnt in B.Tech. to solve GATE level problems.
Do you think is it very difficult to crack GATE?
It depends on how much time you spent on it. For people who are working, or are in B.Tech final year, it is very difficult as we have to dedicate a lot of time to crack an exam like GATE. If we focus only on GATE, it is definitely easier.
What would you suggest for the GATE aspirants?
Just be positive, choose the subjects those you have interested. Try to link the concepts in various subjects if possible and do hard work by practising solving questions. Aspirants must have ‘Never Give Up’ attitude.
What do you prefer, an MTech from the IIT or to join a PSU?
I prefer to go for M.Tech. and most likely to join in IISc Bangalore or IIT Kanpur. I would like to pursue my career in RF and Microwaves, because Electromagnetic Field Theory is my favourite subject. I will opt Communications and Networks specialisation since RF and Microwaves course is not available in IISc and I wish to pursue Phd in Microwaves in future.
Published date : 26 Mar 2016 04:15PM
