As GATE 2020 is just a few moments away, so here in SAIL, we are ready with our second blog in our series of blogs related to the last minute tips for GATE. Coming up next, we have our alumni, Akash Chouksey, who aced GATE in 2018, securing AIR-1 in the department of Civil Engineering. Let us hear about his journey from himself.
Can you introduce yourself right from your primary education till on date?
I belong to Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, and did my B.Tech in Civil Engineering from IIT Guwahati. I did my secondary schooling from my home town itself and moved to Bhopal for senior secondary and was selected in a program called ‘SUPER 50’, which was inspired by Anand Kumar’s ‘SUPER 30’.
Have you joined any PSU or any Government Organization through GATE?
Previously I was working as AEE(CIVIL) in ONGC, which I left in September 2019. and currently, I’m working as Dy. Manager(Tech.) at NHAI.
Coming to the GATE examination, when did you start your preparation, and how did you plan it?
I started my preparations from June 2017, around eight months before exams. Then I took a crash course from ACE ACADEMY, at Delhi centre for two months, which gave me a great head start. I did self-study for the next six months.
Was this your first attempt for GATE?
Yes, this was my first and only attempt.
What was your preparation and revision techniques?
I used to read two subjects a day, 2–3 chapters of each subject daily, and used to finish two subjects in 6–7 days. In 2 months, I finished the whole syllabus, after that I followed the same routine for revision too.
How did you prepare for Mathematics and General Aptitude for the exam?
Didn’t prepare much for the aptitude test , and considered mathematics as another civil engineering subject.
Did you make any short handwritten notes of your subjects for revision?
I didn’t make any short notes and won’t suggest it either, and I just wrote down formulas and concepts that I was not able to retain even after 3rd revision.
How many test series did you joined and did you complete them all?
I took test series from ACE Engineering Academy, Made Easy, IES Master, and VANI Institute. These are very important for good marks and to know your weaknesses and mistakes. And they also help in improving time management.
At which month onward, you started your test series and stopped it?
I started test series from mid of December, and I’ll suggest you to while attempting test in the last 3–4 days whenever you feel that it’s the best I’ve done till now, stop giving tests. It’ll help you to keep yourself confident and motivated. In my case, the last test I attempted was three days before exams.
What is that one thing you regret in your preparation?
I gave my 100% during preparations in a way, so I was nearly exhausted and was sure that, in any case, it’d be my last attempt.
One mistake that I regretted before the result was that in one of the question, I changed the answer, but forgot to save it, and I lost 2.66 marks because of that. If I hadn’t got 1st rank, I might have regretted it for my lifetime.
Which subjects are essential for GATE examination and
how should one student prepare for it?
I did not neglect any subjects and gave equal weightage and preparation time for all the subjects. This made me equally comfortable in all the subjects.
What was the toughest thing for you during your preparation? How did you cope up with it?
(i) As I was in my final year during the preparations, so the toughest thing was to get along with all the classes, quizzes, BTP, semester-exams while preparing for GATE. But anyway this was clear in my mind that these college things won’t help me with GATE/IES, so I used to go to class for attendance and used to study for GATE at the backbench
(ii) Seeing friends getting placed, partying, playing pc games all day and having fun while studying the whole day was pretty painful. Before me, there was a misconception and negativity on campus about GATE/IES, that you can’t do good in your final year and need to take a year drop. So placement time was tough for me, but I remained focused, consistent, and confident.
Coming to the last moment, how vital was test-series for you and what were the mistakes you did while attempting the test?
I would suggest joining at least 2 test series. Attempt all the tests of one, and all the full-length tests of other. While attempting the tests, don’t focus on marks or rank, but give your best and analyze your every test after attempting. There are generally two types of mistakes, calculative and conceptual. These mistakes are typically repetitive. Hence they can be avoided by memorizing them. Write down all the errors after analyzing a test and then revise it frequently.
Did you expect to be securing AIR 1 while preparing or at the last moment?
No! I didn’t expect AIR 1, actually gave the test without any expectation at all. However, I was getting under 5 rank consistently in each full-length test, but didn’t expect that to reflect in the real test, given the number of aspirants.
Exam Moment
How did you attempt the paper whether you solved the Aptitude part first and then the Technical or something else?
In the exam, we should attempt the question in the same way as one adapted during the mock tests. In my case, I attempted aptitude first. Subsequently attempted the first, two marks, then one mark question in the civil engineering section.
How was your online GATE calculator? Was it similar to the one you used during preparation?
I gave a lot of tests before exams, so the calculator wasn’t a problem for me.
“We at SAIL wish you the very best for your GATE exam.”
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Compiled by Sourav Kumar Mandal and edited by Utkarsh Ujjain
