Preparation
I started my gate preparation right from my 2nd year of Btech computer science. At first, I knew nothing other than the name of the exam, so I googled too much and asked my college seniors about the preparation. One of my seniors secured AIR 33 in gate CSE in 2020, immensely motivating me. Then he suggested I start preparing along with my semester subjects as each semester from 3 semesters contains at least one subject common in the gate exams. So, I started picking one or two subjects each semester. With this approach, I managed my semester exam by solving PYQ of subjects and preparing subjects at the gate level, helping me pass the semester with good grades and clear the gate.
I took subjects per semester as follows
Semester 3:
- Computer architecture
- Theory of computation
Semester 4:
- Operating system
- Digital logic
Semester 5:
- Data structures
- Algorithm
- Compiler design
After the 5th semester, I appeared for GATE 2022, with half the preparation in the last months, December and January, and practised only the previous year’s questions, aptitude, and mathematics. Though with half preparation, I cleared the exam with a 4541 rank. And then again started to complete my syllabus
Semester 6:
- Computer Network
- DBMS
- Complete engineering mathematics and Discrete mathematics
Semester 7:
In this last semester, before the gate of 2023, I revised everything, gave tons of mock subject-wise tests, and corrected faults. From November itself, I started offering complete mock tests. I performed somewhat average in them; for example, I consistently scored between 40 and 70 in the Ace Academy mock, whereas in Made Easy, I never went beyond 50.