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July 29, 2021Shreyas KS, the 23-year-old graduate from BNMIT did not only excel in GATE 2021 but is also all set to join IIT Kharagpur to pursue an M.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering.
Let us introduce you to Shreyas K.S. Shreyas recently graduated from BNMIT with a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) degree, sat for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) examination held in February 2021, and secured the 277th rank for Computer Science/Information Technology (CS/IT) stream. His GATE score was 776. And that is not all! The ecstatic engineer will soon be joining IIT Kharagpur to pursue his dream course.
We caught up with Shreyas to share his journey and to shed some light on his preparation tips and tricks to help GATE aspirants.
Following is an edited excerpt from the interview.
Q. Why GATE?
I wanted to explore few areas in Computer Science at a greater depth. While the B.E. course from BNMIT had provided a good basic knowledge of all the core subjects, I wanted to take it further. I wanted to walk that extra mile in the job market by pursuing M.Tech. and GATE was the best option for it all.
Q. When did you start the preparation?
I started laying the groundwork from June 2020. Thanks to the lockdown, I got a good amount of time for the preparation in my 8th semester. We had our final exam scheduled in August 2020, and I started working from September 2020. During this time, I could devote two hours daily for GATE over the weekdays and six hours over the weekends.
Q. Can you share preparation strategies with our readers?
GATE preparation requires time. I would suggest aspirants to start at least 6-8 months before the examination and take time to understand each topic. One useful strategy is to solve previous years’ question papers. I found around 30 question papers on ‘geeks for geeks’ website and solved 20-30 problems every day. That is the best way to keep in touch with all the subjects you have prepared. Once you solve 20-30 questions, you can study the topic you have decided for the day.
For the first three papers you can go through the solutions to get an idea on important topics. Do not wait till you have covered all the topics. Trust me, that day never comes! You might have topics yet to be covered even after the GATE exam.
There are various lecture videos available on YouTube that played a major part in my GATE preparation.
Q. Any more advice for GATE aspirants?
Keep up the spirit of your preparation at the same level as it was when you started it. Remember, you can have good days and bad days during the journey. One day, you might not be able to answer any of the GATE questions, whereas on the other day, you will answer most of them. GATE is a competitive exam. The questions that are tough for you are tough for many other aspirants too. It is all about relative performance.
Q. What after GATE for you? What is your future aspiration?
I will be pursuing M.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Kharagpur and look for good opportunities in my area of interest.
Q. Do you think your training at BNMIT helped you in scoring well anyhow?
My training at BNMIT helped me immensely in GATE preparation. After all, it is what you learn in B.E. that will be asked in GATE. Especially Data Structures, Compiler Design, and DBMS subjects felt easier due to the training I received at BNMIT. The coding labs (Compiler Design, Machine Learning, Data Structures, Algorithms, Networks and Operating Systems) are conducted in a systematic and strict manner with write-ups and evaluation of programs in each lab session. This increases the practical knowledge and discourages rote learning.
The internals are also conducted in a precise way to ensure that students study well at each stage. If you take B.E. seriously and study at the right pace, you will cover 70% of your GATE preparation by the end of the 7th semester.
