Graduate Aptitude Test in engineering, GATE, is a national-level entrance examination conducted for admissions to post-graduate programs at the institutes of higher education in India. GATE 2020 is round the corner, and thus we have Ariktha Srivathsan, our very own IITG alumni, to have our few questions answered.
“Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground!” believes Ariktha, who aced GATE 2019, securing an exceptional rank of 18 in Biotechnology. She graduated last year with a bachelor’s degree from the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. Let’s hear Ariktha, answer our questions on her journey of GATE 2019 -
Can you introduce yourself right from your primary education till on date?
I did my undergrad in Biotechnology at IIT Guwahati. During my time there, I worked in the Viral Immunology Lab. Branching off from Immunology, I found myself genuinely interested in population health. Currently, I am pursuing a Masters in Public Health in Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at the Yale School of Public Health.
Have you joined any PSU or any Government Organization through GATE?
No, I didn’t join any PSU or Governmental Organization using my GATE rank.
Coming to the GATE examination, when did you start your preparation, and how did you plan it?
I decided to take the GATE in September 2018. My primary goal was to thoroughly revise the core topics of Biotechnology, as this would also help me with my interviews for pursuing a master’s. Keeping this in mind, I aimed at tackling the syllabus in depth instead of trying to study the entire prescribed syllabus. This was only possible because I knew what I intended to achieve by taking the exam.
Was this your first attempt for GATE?
Yes, this was my first attempt for GATE.
What was your preparation and revision techniques? Did you join any coaching classes?
My preparation was mostly based on what was taught to us in the courses I took during my undergrad. The resources that I used mainly were the notes I took during those courses. As not only did that material cover all the fundamentals, but it was also the same stuff that I had previously studied. This saved a lot of time and effort.
How did you prepare for Mathematics and General Aptitude for the exam?
For the Math and General Aptitude section, I went over past papers to get a decent understanding of the kind of questions I might have to face. The topics included in the maths syllabus were similar to the IIT JEE structure and the first year of college. I decided not to spend too much time on it and focus on the core Biotechnology topics instead.
Did you make any short handwritten notes of your subjects for revision?
I made use of the short handwritten notes I had from preparing for semester exams in relevant courses.
How many test series did you joined and did you complete them all?
I didn’t join any test series.
What is that one thing you regret in your preparation?
If there’s one thing I could change in my preparation, it would be to increase the number of practice papers I attempted.
Which subjects are important for the GATE examination? And how should a student prepare for it?
From the past papers, I found that there was an emphasis on Biochemical and Bioprocess Engineering. These were also my weaknesses, so I focused my efforts in that direction.
Which Reference Books did you follow during your preparation?
I used the GATE Tutor 2019 Biotechnology (Arihant) to prepare for the exam as it had many practice questions for both the sections.
What was the toughest thing for you during your preparation? How did you cope up with it?
The most challenging part for me was time management in terms of juggling the various tasks I had at hand. I think the best way to cope with this would be to designate a specific time of the day for exam prep.
Coming to the last moment
How did you revise the entire syllabus at the last moment?
I revised the entire syllabus at the last moment with a few friends. Each of us picked a topic and explained it to all the other. It was incredibly useful to have a peer group taking the exam at the same time.
What did you do to keep yourself calm during the last few days?
To keep myself calm before any important exam, I take regular breaks from focused studying as it helps me take off some pressure. I also spend time with friends during these breaks to feel relaxed.
Exam Moment
In what order did you attempt the paper?
I attempted the Aptitude part first so that once I was done with it quickly, I could spend more time on the more technical questions. This worked for me as I managed to finish the aptitude part much faster than I expected, giving me ample time to attempt the rest.
What was your priority attempting more questions or fewer questions with the highest accuracy?
My priority was to have a high accuracy while making sure that I answered the questions with no negative marking. The most important thing during the exam is to keep yourself calm and think clearly so that you get points for at least what you already know.
How was your online GATE calculator? Was it similar to the one you used during preparation?
The on-screen calculator was the same as that in the mock test on the official website. I had attempted the mock test to make myself familiar with the interface.
With GATE 2020 round the corner, we wish good luck to all the aspirants.
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Compiled by Sourav Kumar Mandal and edited by Somya Agrawal
