Before we plan on what we actually want to fetch career wise, we often face a number of hurdles which involve a number of unsolved questions and doubts. The most basic one’s are usually the ones revolving around what to start with, how to start with, and most importantly WHEN TO START WITH THE PREPARATION and whether to join coaching for it or not.. With a crucial examination like GATE, it is important to know when are you supposed to start putting in efforts and giving it your best shot. Just to brief you a up a little if you are new to this topic then GATE is essentially a national level Post Graduation Entrance Exam which is conducted by IISC Bangalore and the 7 IIT’s at Chennai (also called Madras), Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Roorkee, Mumbai (also called Bombay). This is examination is basically conducted on behalf of the National Coordinating Board also called the (NCB)- GATE, Department of Higher Education, MHRD.
Now there are definitely a few things and pointers that you must remember when you plan on starting with the preparation of GATE. Firstly you need to be clear whether you want to join coaching or no. Clearly this is another hurdle which most students face however it is not that tough as a question. You need to be just sure of one thing. If you are someone who is comfortable with self-study and can study regularly and be consistent throughout your preparation then definitely opting for self-study is best for you. If you cannot be consistent with your studies on a regular basis then opting for coaching is the best option for you. Also you need to know that only you know your pace and capacity of learning and understanding and it varies from person to person. Hence it is advisable to start off as early as you can since it can be beneficial giving you more time to revise and solve a variety of questions before the examination.
Syllabus:
As far as GATE is concerned for Engineering background related students, GATE syllabus mostly contains subjects till 6th semester so you will already be thorough with your syllabus at least once. And thus it is better for you to start of in your third year so by the end of fourth year and before your exam you are done with your revision as well.
Coaching:
Now when it comes to Self study or Coaching, If we consider self-study there are a few points that you must remember. Firstly you need to start early and you need to be very consistent since you do not have any coaching and thus starting off early will help you analyse your own strengths and weaknesses. Make a time table and follow it daily. Practice as many questions, mock tests, test series as possible. Keep revising your syllabus as many times as you can.
If you are someone on the other hand who is more off oriented towards coaching then there are pros to the same. Firstly you will be getting a good amount of classroom coaching along with the best of the study material. However it is important for you to make enough time for self-study as ultimately that is what decides your fate in the examination no matter how experienced the faculty present in the coaching institute prepares you for the examination.
