How to prepare in the Last 10 days to score high in GATE?

Dos and Don’ts

GATE is one of our country's most difficult entrance exams, and to acquire a good grade, you must understand the fundamentals of all courses. You are preparing to enter famous institutes such as IISC, IIT, and NITs. Even after extensive preparation, students may not be able to achieve satisfactory results. They either try to memorize everything or strain themselves at the last minute. In the last ten days of GATE, here are some dos and don’ts to help you ramp up your preparation and be ready for the big day.

Source: Lead Genera

Dos

1. Revision and practice are the keys.
   For scoring good marks and rank in GATE, you must revise daily. Make a timetable for your revision. Start from the subjects containing high weightage like your technical B. Tech subject and then go to subjects with less weightage. You can prefer topics like Aptitude, Linear Algebra, Sorting, and Trees. Make short and valuable notes and revise them regularly. Use pen and paper to solve problems and practice more and more.
    
2. Mock Tests
   Besides studying and revising, attempting mock tests is also essential. You should spare some time from your studying routine to take the mock tests. They help analyze your strengths and weaknesses and get to know where you stand in your preparation for GATE.
   Also, try to attempt the mock test in the allotted time for the GATE exam, i.e., 3 hours. This will help you handle the pressure you face while attempting the main exam. 
   After the mock test, find your mistakes, improve them, and try not to repeat them in the next test.
    
3. Previous year GATE papers
   You must practice previous year's GATE papers before appearing for the exam. This will help you understand what questions are asked about a particular subject. Sometimes, the previous year's questions patterns are repeated in the exam. You might get some known questions from last year's question types if you are lucky enough.
    
4. Focus on scoring subjects
   Besides working hard, you should work smart. When most of the preparation must be over in the last ten days, your focus must now be on the scoring subjects. Some scoring subjects are Aptitude, Digital Logic, and Mathematics. These subjects are easy as well as scoring. These three subjects contain 25-28% weightage in GATE. 
    
5. Make short notes and use them.
   Always make a habit of preparing short and handy notes. These notes are beneficial. You need not open your books to revise small things every time, which will save your time looking at other important things. 
   You can also prepare short notes about mistakes you commit, like formula mistakes, calculation errors, etc.
    
6. Practice with GATE virtual calculator
   You must know that students are not allowed to bring their calculators to the examination hall. However, they are provided with a virtual calculator. Since we do not use a virtual calculator daily, you must try solving questions with the virtual calculator at least once or twice. You will become familiar with this calculation, increasing your calculation speed in the exam. 
    
7. Eat well and sleep well.
   Eating and sleeping are the things that are often neglected while preparing for a competitive exam like GATE. Always remember “Health is Wealth”. If you eat healthily and take a proper 8 hours of sleep, you will always wake with a fresh mind every day. This will help you concentrate more on your studies.

Now, we will see some don’ts for the GATE exam.

Don’ts

1. Don’t study new subjects.
   Don't go for them if you are left with some topics or subjects in the last ten days. Studying new things you haven’t heard even at the last moment has always caused trouble, so leave them. Instead, revise only those topics and subjects which you know. This will help to boost your confidence.
    
2. Don’t mug up things.
   Many times students try to mug up the concepts. Don’t do so. Mugging is not studying. There are high chances of forgetting the mugged-up stuff. So, do only revision of the concepts you already know.
    
3. Don’t study continuously.
   Take short breaks in between your studies. Don’t strain yourself. Take a walk in the fresh air in the evening. Eat well and sleep well.
    
4. Don’t overthink about results.
   Don’t ever think about your results. Focus on hard work. If you perform well, you will score good marks. Unnecessary pressure and overthinking will demotivate you, which can affect your performance. Be confident and believe in yourself. Enter the examination hall with a positive mind and just perform your 100% in the exam.

Lastly, we will see some points to remember on the exam day.

On the Exam Day

On the day of your exam, remember the following points.

1. Keep your Admit card and Aadhar card with you. Without these two things, you will not get entry into the exam center.
2. Reach one hour before the exam at the center. Since there will be checking of unfair means, reaching one hour before will not waste your time.
3. First attempt easy and scoring subjects questions. This will not only give you a good score but will also boost your confidence.
4. Read questions carefully. After reading the question, check all options before choosing one. Don’t be in a hurry. 
5. Avoid silly mistakes like calculation errors and formula mistakes.
6. Don’t attempt those questions whose answers you don’t know. Do not make any guesswork. Since there is negative marking, you may lose your marks.

Source: Meme Generator

FAQs

1. What is GATE all about?
   Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering is an acronym for GATE. It is an annual entrance exam for admission to numerous postgraduate scientific and technology programs in India, held in February.
    
2. Is there any age limit for the candidate to appear in the GATE exam?
   There is as such no age limit for the candidates to appear for the GATE exam.
    
3. What is the time duration of the GATE exam?
   The GATE exam is a three-hour-long online computer-based test (CBT). The paper consists of MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions) and Numerical questions.
    
4. Is there a negative marking in GATE?
   The MCQs in GATE feature 33% negative marking for incorrect responses. However, there is no negative marking for wrong answers in numerical questions.
    
5. Which technical subjects are essential for GATE?
   The technical subjects important for GATE are- Algorithms, Compiler Design, Computer Networks, Computer Organization, and Architecture, Database Management Systems (DBMS), Digital Logic, Operating Systems, Programming and Data Structures, Software Engineering, and Theory of Computation.

Key Takeaways

This article discussed some tips and strategies to prepare in the last ten days and score high in the GATE exam. We thoroughly discussed some dos and don’ts in the last ten days and essential points to remember on the GATE exam day.

We hope this blog has helped you with some tips and strategies to prepare in the last ten days and score high in the GATE exam. If you want to know more, check out our article on Stack GATE Questions, Binary Trees GATE Questions, Linked List GATE Questions, Array GATE Questions, and Queue GATE Questions. 

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