GATE 2023 Self Study | A Complete Strategy for Self Preparation

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is a national level test conducted once a year for admissions to MTech in IITs, NITs, and other participating colleges. GATE 2023 will be conducted in the first and second weeks of February by IIT Kharagpur. With correct guidelines and preparation strategies, one can easily crack the GATE exam through self-study. In this blog, strategies for self-preparation and some valuable tips are discussed in detail.

Self-preparation for GATE 2023

Self-Study for GATE 2023: Three Key Factors

Self-study requires self-motivation and an appropriate strategy to prepare for the exam. Self-motivation is an internal factor and it solely depends on the individual. Preparation strategy on the other hand can be generalised for all. There are three key factors to be considered for self-study which are listed as follows.

1. Resources

2. Time

3. Plan

Each of these factors is discussed in detail in subsequent sections.

Resources for GATE 2023

Resources refer to the study materials that are required for preparation for the GATE exam. This needs to be addressed at first as this influences the quality of one's preparation. If not addressed at first, this could hamper one's progress in preparation. Some of the important resources to be considered are listed below.

• Syllabus - This is the first and foremost requirement before preparing for any competitive exam. The official syllabus for GATE 2023 will be released later by the conducting body. But it is safe to say that the syllabus won't vary much from previous years. Therefore, one can refer to the previous syllabus for preparation.GATE 2023 syllabus for civil engineering, environmental engineering, and geomatics engineering are provided below.

• GATE 2023 Civil Engineering Syllabus

• GATE 2023 Environmental Science & Engineering Syllabus

• GATE 2023 Geomatics Engineering Syllabus

• Weightage - Once the syllabus is gathered it is important to find information related to the distribution of questions across all topics. More questions could appear from a particular topic than others. For example, more questions appear from geotechnical engineering and environmental engineering in GATE civil engineering. This is called weightage. Understanding the weightage could help in planning the preparation. Subject-wise weightage posts and previous year paper analysis posts could help in fixing the weightage percentage for each subject, some of which are shared below.

• GATE Civil Engineering Subjectwise Weightage

• GATE Environmental Science Subject-wise Weightage

• GATE 2022 Civil Engineering Paper Analysis

• GATE 2022 Environmental Science Paper Analysis

• GATE 2022 Geomatics Engineering Paper Analysis

• Sources - Sources could be anything from books, youtube lectures, online study materials etc. A good mix of reliable sources will help in understanding the concepts easily. It is suggested to use video lectures for initially understanding the concept and reading materials/books to further explore and memorise the concept.

• Previous year questions & additional questions - This becomes important for practising the concepts. It is suggested to have a physical copy where the questions are divided topic-wise. It also helps in understanding the weightage.

• Test series - Even through self-study, joining a test series is important. One can choose test series from any platform which seems reasonable. One need not wait till January to do a test series, it can be given as and when a subject is complete. This gives an idea about how well you have prepared a subject and adds to your confidence for moving to the next subject.

Sources for GATE 2023: Tips for Choosing Right Sources

• Books are not recommended for GATE preparation as they are not meant for GATE and have high amounts of additional information that are not required.

• Choose the right youtube channels for each subject. Check whether all topics are covered in-depth and in an understandable format.

• Study material could be sourced from coaching institutes or online for free. If study material feels inadequate for certain topics then that particular topic could be referred from books

• Self note preparation should be done while preparing a topic. This will be useful for quick revision of a particular topic.

Timeline for GATE 2023

Follow a timeline while preparing for GATE 2023. There are hardly seven months left for preparing for the GATE exam. Therefore, form up a seven-month strategy on your own or by referring to online sources and stick to it.

Planing for GATE 2023

Once the timeline for preparation is made chose the right subjects to prepare and plan to prepare them in a sequential manner. Subjects could be chosen and prioritised based on the weightage of the subject. Also, pacing the preparation appropriately should be done. The pacing could be measured in terms of subject completion or topic completion. This varies from person to person, therefore experiment a bit and chose the right pace for your preparation.

Preparation Strategy for GATE 2023: Importance of Feedback

Feedback is often left out ingredient by many during preparation for the GATE exam. Feedback comes from test series, problem-solving, solving exercise questions, solving previous year papers etc. This could be frustrating at times but still, this is the most vital part of the preparation strategy. To avoid getting frustrated, prepare your mind not to aim for perfection from the beginning. This helps in not getting stuck with a topic and will eventually help you in reaching perfection in a topic/subject.

Preparation Strategy for GATE 2023: General Tips

• Allocate a minimum of one or one and half months for revision and account for it in your preparation plan at the beginning itself.

• Set a timer say 15 or 30 min for solving a particular question to avoid getting stuck with a single question for a longer duration.

• Follow the feedback rule. This will help you in ruling out unnecessary topics from your preparation and will help you in attaining perfection eventually.

• Allocate a time separately for GATE preparation on a daily basis. This could range anywhere from four hours to eight hours a day. This highly depends on an individual's lifestyle and studying techniques. Therefore, fix a time that suits you.

There are other two most important things to keep in mind while preparing. They are, starting small and being consistent in preparation. Starting small helps you in creating the momentum for your preparation while consistency helps you in maintaining the momentum throughout your preparation.

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We hope that we have covered everything related to self-preparation for GATE 2023. For more insights, check the video lecture below.

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