UPASANA SINGH
ADMITTANCE: IIT KANPUR
I was taking online lectures for GATE. But with time, I realized that
in-person coaching or guidance will be more helpful
I did my B.Tech from ABES-EC, Ghaziabad. I started my GATE
preparation in summer break after my pre-final year in B.Tech. Initially, I was taking online lectures for
GATE. But with time, I realized that in-person coaching or guidance will be
more helpful. Because in coaching centers, it is more convenient to ask
questions. When I discussed it with some of my friends, I came to know about
Success GATEway coaching classes. Many of my batch mates were enrolled in their
placement course and many others from my college were enrolled in the GATE
preparation course. Sachin Sir at Success GATEway used to teach C programming
language for both the courses. He was
famous for his way of teaching C programming. I joined Success GATEway in
August 2016. By the time I joined, a few of the subjects had already been
covered. Few other students joined late around the same time. So, we went to
the instructors to discuss this, and they willingly agreed to teach us those
subjects on the holidays and off-days even without us asking. We were provided
with the exercise booklets for each subject, having sufficient practice
questions. We used to give tests on weekends.
As this was my final year, I had to appear for the placement
drives as well. At that time, I wanted to keep a backup option in case things
don’t go well as planned. I didn’t
prepare anything specifically for placements apart from some behavioral
questions, of course. I always knew that whatever I was preparing for GATE
would help me in my college placements as well, and it did. I got placed on the first day itself.
From the day I got placed, I resumed my GATE coaching classes with full energy
and concentration. It was the month of November, and most of our subjects were
covered by that time. We were supposed to practice more and more by giving
online and offline tests. But, I was not very serious with the online practice
tests at that time. Either I always used
to end the tests in the middle or did not take them seriously as in a real
exam. I would suggest everyone to never
do this. Later, I realized this was the biggest mistake I made during my
preparation for GATE 2017.
I got AIR 1350 in GATE 2017. I was not happy with the rank
because I knew it wasn’t enough to get into any prestigious IIT. On the day
results came, I got a call from one of my instructors asking about the results.
My instructors called almost everybody from our GATE batch that day. They
congratulated us and motivated us to do
better. They often used to tell us things that motivated us during coaching as
well. These things proved to be very important for all of us. Motivation
drives you to keep going and always do better whenever you are preparing for a
competitive exam, whether it is GATE or something else. Both of our instructors have always been very friendly and helpful. We
could always rely on them for any kind of queries.
After GATE 2017 results, I had a choice to make to appear for
GATE again or not. This was easier for me to decide because I wanted something
great for myself. I didn’t want to settle for what I already had. So, I decided
to prepare again for GATE 2018. When I was about to graduate in 2017, I had the
option of doing GATE preparation along with a job or just prepare full-time for
GATE. Since I wanted to give my 100% this time, I chose to prepare full-time
for GATE 2018 and rejected my job offer. My parents were always very supportive
during all this time.
I joined the GATE preparation batch of Success GATEway again.
Although I had all the notes and other resources from my GATE 2017 preparation,
I still joined the coaching because I didn’t want to miss anything this time. I knew that regularly going to coaching
classes will maintain discipline and consistency during my preparation.
And, all the things that I missed earlier or didn’t do the right way, I would
have a chance to make them right. During GATE 2017 preparation, I didn’t spend
much time on regularly revising the concepts. Revision is very important. It can make significant impacts on your
preparation. If we don’t revise whatever we learn, we often tend to forget it and then end up spending double time on
learning the same things again. It wastes more time. Also, revision helps
you to know more about your strengths and weaknesses in each subject. This
enables you to make informed decisions about which questions should be
attempted or skipped during the exam. During GATE 2017, I didn’t decide upon
any pattern beforehand on how I would be attempting the questions. This was
another blunder made by me. An aspirant should always know beforehand which
pattern is suitable for him/her for writing the exam. One should practice
sufficient full syllabus tests to figure out which question pattern works for
him/her. And afterward, the aspirant should stick to that attempt pattern only
while writing any practice test. This prepares your mind in some way and avoids
any ambiguities during exam time.
In GATE 2018, I followed an attempt pattern and practiced the
same in all my practice tests in coaching. In the first go of the question
paper, I attempted 2 marks questions first, then 1 mark questions and at last,
the aptitude questions. In the second go, I tried to solve the questions that I
could not answer in the first go. I decided to attempt 2 marks questions first
because they need more of your time and brain. And usually, we are very calm at
the start of an exam. Attempting 2 marks question at the start has its own side
effects, but you need to be mentally prepared for that. You should learn to
skip questions when needed. And this habit will only develop once you give
enough practice tests.
I secured AIR
166 in GATE 2018 and took admission in IIT Kanpur. I never focused
on the number of hours that I put in for preparation. But I always maintained
the consistency to follow all these things diligently. At all times, I was focused
on maintaining the accuracy of my answers rather than increasing the number of
questions I attempt. It helped me in my final GATE exam as well. I only got negatives
for 3 questions. Being said that, I
still believe that different strategies work for different aspirants, and you
should figure out your own strategy by practicing more and more tests. Our
instructors at Success GATEway always insisted on that. Success GATEway used to be open on even holidays. There were times when
only the students used to go to coaching, to have discussions and doubt solving
sessions. I used to spend most of my time there in December and January. My
friends and I used to discuss and solve problems together. A student should
always be engaged in some doubt sessions or discussions. It helps to make the
concepts more clear.
Our instructors provided us with all the resources that they
could. They used to be always available
to clear your doubts. We were even allowed to call them to clear our doubts.
I always think I could have done even better than this. There is always a scope
for improvement. Practice more and more to become better. It will boost your
confidence for the final GATE exam. Now, I am part of a prestigious institute,
and I am very thankful to all those who have been a part of this journey. I
have learned many things from my instructors, my friends in coaching, and I
will always be grateful to them.
Some pointers based on my
little experience:
1. Take every practice test seriously. Write the tests as
you would in the GATE exam.
2. Clear your basics. So that even when a new type of
question comes, you will be able to tackle it. Don’t rely only on the type of
questions already seen in previous years.
3. Consistency. Hard work is the key to your success only
if you do it consistently. Do revise your notes regularly. Don’t run away from
subjects like Computer Organization. Instead, give them more time and try to
understand the basics. Once you understand the basics, you would love to learn
more. Refer to standard books when needed.
4. Time. Plan and divide your time accordingly for each
subject. Learning new concepts and revising old ones should go hand in hand.
Also, plan how you would write your final GATE exam.
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