Cracked 3 Top PSUs! 🤯 | GATE Strategy & EIL Interview

Candidate and Outcomes

Himanshu Gupta, a Chemical Engineering graduate of IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, received a job offer from Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) before deciding to take GATE.

In GATE 2026, he earned an all-India rank (AIR) of 101 with a score of 664. In an earlier attempt, after preparing only a subset of core subjects and Engineering Mathematics, he ranked 377.

Gupta went through selection processes at EIL, GAIL, NPCIL and BARC, and passed HPCL’s computer-based test. He said he succeeded in three of the five opportunities and is now working at EIL.

PSU Selection and Interview Experiences

• EIL: Candidates were shortlisted based on GATE rank, followed by a group discussion (GD) and an interview. Gupta recalled that EIL shortlisted general-category candidates to around AIR 110–120. His GD group had seven people. Each spoke for about a minute on the Russia–Ukraine war and its global impact, followed by a general discussion. The GD lasted roughly 10 minutes, and the interview lasted about 15 minutes.
• GAIL: The process also included a seven-person GD. Gupta recalled the topic as “risk assessment versus time assessment.” The interview averaged about 10 minutes.
• NPCIL: There was no GD. A panel of around seven or eight interviewers conducted a more detailed, technically focused interview.
• BARC: The interview was purely technical. Gupta did not pass, but found the experience valuable.
• HPCL: Gupta passed the computer-based test.

Topics PSU Group Discussions May Cover

Gupta said GD topics cannot be predicted exactly, but often relate to energy, industry and the environment. Examples he mentioned include:

• Green hydrogen, biofuels, solar power and other renewable energy
• LNG, particularly in relation to GAIL
• Plastics and environmentally friendly production processes
• Cement production and the environmental impact of industrial processes
• Geopolitical developments that affect global energy supplies

EIL Interview Preparation

HR Questions

Gupta found EIL’s panel less welcoming than the panels at GAIL and NPCIL. He was asked why he might not join RIL and why he wanted to work at EIL.

When he cited concerns such as shift work, the panel challenged his reasoning and tested how he handled pressure. One panel member later tried to put him at ease.

Technical Questions

The interview covered his graduation project and examined his petrochemical internship in detail. Questions included melt-flow index (MFI), how it varies with temperature, and which MFI is suitable for different product grades.

Gupta said the main EIL interview areas were HR questions, internship experience and his project. Although he expected questions about equipment such as heat exchangers, pumps and cooling towers, he was not asked about them during the short interview.

GATE Preparation Approach

1. Build knowledge alongside college coursework. Gupta began learning about GATE in his fourth semester, using lecturers’ notes and free online lectures while studying his semester subjects.
2. Choose subject-specific resources selectively. He used free YouTube and Unacademy playlists for subjects including mass transfer, instrumentation and process control, and chemical reaction engineering (CRE). For heat transfer, he relied mainly on notes and previous-year questions.
3. Use an earlier attempt to identify areas for improvement. His third-year attempt, prepared with four or five core subjects plus Engineering Mathematics, resulted in AIR 377 and convinced him to prepare more systematically.
4. Work through previous-year questions. Starting in his seventh semester, he covered questions across the core subjects, including heat transfer, process control and mass transfer. He bookmarked important questions and revisited them.
5. Progress from smaller tests to full mocks. Around November, he began sectional and subject tests. In January, he moved to full-length mock tests and analyzed them in detail.

Subject Priorities and Advice

• Mass transfer: A major, high-volume subject that attracts many questions.
• Fluid mechanics: Gupta said it had unusually high weight in his GATE year and should not be neglected.
• CRE and heat transfer: Both offer opportunities to score well, though CRE also has more difficult areas.
• Instrumentation and process control: Worth preparing, though students’ comfort with the subject can vary.
• Mechanical operations: Gupta noted its substantial weight in his exam year and the previous year.
• Chemical technology: Particularly important for PSU exams, even if less central to GATE.
• Thermodynamics: Gupta found solution thermodynamics more approachable than classical thermodynamics.
• Engineering Mathematics: He strongly recommended mastering it, calling it one of the more accessible parts of GATE. He said complete command of the syllabus could lead to a high score in the section.
• Process calculations: He considered this a lower priority and said candidates could leave it out if necessary.

Speakers, Resources and Organizations

• Himanshu Gupta: Interview guest who shared his GATE preparation approach and PSU interview experiences.
• Adarsh: Host and Chemical Engineering interviewer.
• Preparation resources mentioned by Gupta: College lecturers’ notes, free YouTube and Unacademy lectures and playlists, and a Manish Rajput test series. One playlist or teacher name in the subtitles is unclear (“Money Start”).
• Organizations discussed: EIL, GAIL, NPCIL, BARC, HPCL and Reliance Industries Limited.