GATE 2017: A Rank Holder Speaks On Preparation And Enviable Scorecard
NEW DELHI: IIT Roorkee recently declared the result for GATE 2017 exam. Now that the score cards are out, the candidates would be weighing in their options. The two major options candidates have is higher education or a job in any of the PSUs which accept GATE score. However, candidates who could not manage to secure a decent score, may appear for the exam again next year. For such candidates as well as those who are wondering how toppers manage to stay ahead of the competition, we spoke to Haseena Kadavath who secured a place in top 100 rankers in chemistry about her exam strategy.
Here’s what she had in store for us.
Tell us something about the exam.
Gate exam is comprised of two different parts. One part is general aptitude and mental ability questions. The second part deals with your subject of specialization which in my case was chemistry.
How did you prepare for Part I? What are your suggestions for students who plan to sit for the exam in future?
Regarding the preparation for part first, I think practicing similar questions to previous years would make a student aware of the level and type of questions they may face ahead. Because as the word indicates, it is general aptitude and mental ability which means it does not have any particular syllabus and therefore the range of questions can be wide enough.
But each exam limits its focus to particular areas. So while preparing for any exam this part must be analyzed well to understand the range of questions being asked. Or else a student may get lost in midst of preparation. Also most students consider this part as a wastage of time as the mark weightage is less compared to subject part; which is absolutely a wrong perception. Rather it is scoring and is a never miss section.
Personally I suggest Barron’s GRE guide as a useful tool in preparing for this part.
What was your preparation strategy for Part II? What are the things one should focus on while preparing for this section which carries more weightage?
Preparing for the subject part is actually a tricky thing. It is almost impossible to learn a subject to its absolute perfection. So, one should focus on specific topics. Rather than learning superficially, learn topics in depth so that you are able to deal with any kind of questions from it.
And finally as we know “practice makes a man perfect”. One should thoroughly practice questions as many as possible. It will surely acquaint a student with various types of questions and more importantly it reduces exam stress.
I solved previous 5 years questions and also went through the online mock test for a trial. I think it’s vital as well, because in this exam you are asked to use online calculator. Practicing calculator prior to the exam may help us cut down some time and confusion at the very moment of exam.
And above all I believe in the power of Almighty. So pray hard and work hard.
(With Inputs from Haseena Kadavath)
About Haseena Kadavath
Haseena Kadavath appeared for GATE 2017 in Chemistry. She has a B.Sc. (Hons.) degree in Chemistry and M.Tech. degree in Chemical Synthesis and Process Technologies. She plans on pursuing PhD. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Haseena Kadavath and wish her best for her future endeavors.
[“Source-ndtv”]
