Interview with Sai Sandeep on GATE
The following article is a transcribed version of the webinar on GATE which was conducted by SENSORS, NIT Trichy on 16th October 2020 at 6 PM UTC +5:30 on Cisco WebEx. The transcription has been curated for content. The questions were answered by Sai Sandeep, who obtained GATE All India Rank #1 in 2020 in the Instrumentation and Control Engineering paper.
Scope of GATE: There are many opportunities for M.Tech in prestigious institutes like IISc Bangalore, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, etc. People interested in electronics can go for fields like VLSI, and for core, there are courses in Instrumentation and Applied Physics in IISc Bangalore. People who are interested in Computer Science can apply for Artificial Intelligence, Computational Data Science in IISc Bangalore and Computer Applications and Data Science in IIT Delhi, however do keep in mind that the competition is severe and the number of seats is limited. The GATE score can also be used to apply to various PSUs (Public Sector Utilities) such as GAIL, NTPC, ONGC. The applicability of GATE score for getting internships in PSUs in 3rd year is still under question, and it is not possible to use the GATE score to apply for private companies, although they may give some priority.
Syllabus and Pattern: Some new topics have been added to GATE 2021. In Sensors and Transducers, they have added PLC controllers, DCSS. In Optical Instrumentation, they have added Spectroscopy methods like UV Spectroscopy. They have added Electrical Machines, which will also be useful when writing the EEE paper. The pattern of the exam consists of Multiple-Choice Questions, where a single choice is correct, and Multiple Correct Answer Questions, where Multiple Choices can be correct. Ultimately, your subject knowledge and practice is most important, do not bother too much about the exam pattern.
Preparation Duration: I prepared for a duration of 4–5 months; the last 1–2 months spent practising with a test series. It’s not necessary to begin preparation 1–2 years before the exam, but the preparation must be dedicated. If you start preparing 1 year before the exam, you can prepare very comfortably, but make sure you have at least 4 months to prepare for the exam. If you start 6 months before the exam, you’ll have to work very hard to ensure a rank below 100 or 10. At the end of the preparation, try and attempt at least 4 tests a day with 65 questions per paper.
Preparation Method and Materials: When starting preparation, write notes to help with revision. It is not necessary to get coaching as a student of NIT Trichy since the syllabus of the GATE exam is limited. As long as you have sufficient knowledge in that domain, it would be fine to do self-study rather than coaching. You won’t be under pressure to follow any schedule, but you will not receive any guidance and you may be confused on what materials you should study when learning by yourself. If you are applying for PSUs, you must also be ready for interviews, where they will test your practical knowledge by giving you real life situations where you must apply your knowledge to solve a problem. After preparing all the topics thoroughly, you must attend full duration practice tests from a reputable test series so that you can practice time management and get a feel for how to approach the exam. For electrical, there are four things: electrical circuits, digital electronics, analog circuits and signals and systems. In 2020, there were eight Instrumentation topics, mathematics, and aptitude. Neso Academy gives a brief overview of all of these topics. For Sensors and Transducers, NPTEL Alok Sir’s videos are a good resource. For Electronics: Digital Electronics by Morris Mano. For Signals and Systems, there is a book called Signals and Systems by Palani. For Op-Amps, go through your class notes. For control systems, use Nagar-Gopal Textbooks. For communications, there are many video lectures and notes online. NPTEL Lectures are sufficient for Optical Instrumentation. Finally, mathematics and aptitude can be prepared by going through the syllabus and searching online for individual topic materials. Some important books are given here. Make sure not to neglect preparation in any particular topic.
Preparation for other branches: For CSE paper, studying in the CSE Minor subjects in college would be very useful. There is an 80% resemblance between the syllabus of the ICE and ECE papers, barring the Communication part. The syllabus of EEE and ICE will almost be identical in 2021. But applying for other papers is only useful when going for M.Tech degrees, and will not be helpful for applying to PSUs.
Important scoring topics: Some important topic where students must have vast knowledge are Analog Electronics and Communications. Questions from Control Systems, Sensors and Transducers, Electrical Circuits, Digital Electronics, Signals and Systems won’t be very difficult, but some practice would be very helpful since they are popular topics. Mathematics and Aptitude only require one day of preparation to skim through the syllabus and understand the concepts and formulas. Attempt as many questions as possible.
After the exam: You must file individual applications to IITs and IISc for M.Tech, but you can file a single application for all NITs. After the GATE results are announced, you have two months to apply for these courses. For PSUs, a notice will be circulated stating the time frame and the place where you must submit your application. You must file individual applications to PSUs as well. Single digit ranks are required IISc Bangalore in the Instrumentation domain. For IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay, ranks below 50–60 are required, and for IIT Delhi and Kharagpur, ranks below 100 are required. For domains like VLSI, Artificial Intelligence, Computer and Data Science, a rank below 5 may be required, since there will be competition with GATE applicants from other domain papers as well. The overall mark required for these courses may be 950, and in CSE and EEE papers, the top mark may be 1000.
For PSUs, there will be a cut off for selecting students for the GD (Group Discussion) and Interview rounds. Once the shortlist has been announced, students must attend the GD and then the PI (Personal Interview) rounds. A candidate must clear both rounds in order to get selected in a PSU.
Transcribed by Meenakshi and Akhil. Edited by Kumaresh Balaji and Dhwani.
