The General Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is one of the most popular postgraduate engineering entrance exams in India. It is conducted at the national level jointly by seven Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore.
The GATE Civil Engineering (CE) exam is conducted for those civil engineering graduates who seek admissions for postgraduate programs such as Master’s or Doctoral in prestigious engineering colleges and universities in India.
Though popular, it is considered as one of the most competitive technical exams in India as well. Millions of students attempt this exam every year and due to high competition, the difficulty level of the exam is also high. With that said, only a minor portion of the students who appear for the exam make it through.
If you are a civil engineering graduate preparing for the GATE CE exam, you must make sure to leave no stones unturned during preparation.
On that note, let’s talk about some crucial GATE CE Preparation Tips to help you prepare properly to crack the exam in the first attempt.
Go Through Previous Years Papers, Answer Keys and Cut offs
A strategically smart step a student must perform is to solve as many previous years GATE CE papers as he/she can. This will give the student an idea of the way the paper is set, the weightage of topics and the type of questions from each to expect in the exam.
Apart from this, students are also advised to check out previous years cut offs along with answer keys to get an estimate of the expected cut off in the upcoming exam. Also read more about the detailed previous year GATE CE Answer Key here, download it and practice the same.
Know the Exam Syllabus and Pattern
During the start of your preparation you might have doubts and questions such as what all subjects and topics to study? How many questions I have to attempt and in how much time? and many more. You can get answers to all these questions by properly going through the exam pattern and syllabus details.
This will help you better plan and prepare for the exam as now you know about what to study, marking scheme, time limit, weightage of individual subjects, time limit, number of questions to attempt and more.
Obtain Best Guidance, Study Material and Resources
Students preparing for competitive exams often turn to coaching centres for guidance. However, now you can receive top level guidance from experts and all necessary learning material at home by enrolling into online exam preparation courses.
Also, when it comes to buying books and study material, try to ensure the content is up to date, relevant and as per the latest GATE CE syllabus.
Make a Study Plan
Nothing can be achieved without planning and the same holds true for cracking the GATE CE exam. After properly going through the syllabus and exam pattern, students must decide on how they want to approach their preparation.
They must pay proper attention to the syllabus and divide topics/subtopics, set priorities and decide which subject must be given more time. Set an appropriate timeline to cover each topic and take out enough time for revision, attempting mock tests and rest.
Revise Regularly and Attempt Mock Tests
A quick and overall Revision is important during the last few days of preparation. However, students are advised to perform regular revision throughout their exam preparation. Make short notes of concepts, facts, formulas and short tricks in different subjects to ensure quick and easy revision.
Besides this, students must take regular quizzes and mock tests to track their progress and to enhance their accuracy and speed
