Started GATE Preparation in September | Now at IIT Roorkee! | GATE Preparation

Main Ideas, Concepts, and Lessons

1) A late start for GATE can still work (5-month preparation)

• The interview centers on Niha, who began GATE preparation in September (after job experience) and secured All India Rank (AIR) 413 the following year.
• The interviewer challenges the belief that ~5 months is “impossible”, asking Niha to prove it’s achievable using her experience.
• Key message: With the right strategy and disciplined execution, cracking GATE in a short window is possible—even with a late start.

2) Mindset: stay positive; don’t spiral into “what if I fail?”

The interviewer emphasizes:

• Negative thoughts like “what if I don’t qualify/get a rank” can block growth.
• Even famous figures (example: Sachin Tendulkar) faced repeated criticism—yet criticism doesn’t determine outcomes.

Niha confirms she initially felt fear too, but chose to commit fully, focusing on action instead of worry.

3) Time utilization beats fear

Niha describes a practical approach:

• She avoided wasting time overthinking the limited preparation window.
• She focused on consistent studying, using available time efficiently.

4) Exam-oriented practice and revision are essential

A large part of the video promotes a course/test series (from Exam Prep Tool / RIC), but the core concept is:

• Practice + revision + testing + analysis lead to improvement.
• Past Questions (PYQs / PGQs / PQ / “PYQs”) help reveal what can appear in the exam.

5) Structured study routine and subject workflow

Niha studies:

• About 12–13 hours/day
• Typically 5–6 days/week

After each subject, she did:

• Subject-wise tests
• PYQs

She followed a subject order based on:

• familiarity
• conceptual overlap

She identifies weak areas—especially TOC and Discrete Mathematics—and fixes them using:

• watching lectures
• note-making
• revising
• re-watching unclear concepts
• solving related problems multiple times

---

Methodology / Instruction List

A) Niha’s approach to preparing for GATE

• After job resignation:
  • Quit job around end of June / end of July (timeline discussed).
  • Started focused GATE prep in September.
• Daily study target:
  • Mostly 12–13 hours/day
  • Typically 5–6 days/week
  • Intensity increases because there are fewer total days.
• Subject sequence (approximate order mentioned):
  • Computer Networks (CN)
  • Operating System
  • DBMS
  • Compiler Design
  • TOC
  • COA
  • Discrete Mathematics & Linear Algebra
  • Aptitude (studied ~2 hours/day in December)
• When a subject is “troubling,” she follows:
  • Watch lectures
  • Take notes
  • Revise notes
  • Re-watch difficult concepts
  • Solve 5–10 problems related to weak parts
  • Revise 2–3 times for the troubling topic
• Use of PYQs / PQs (past questions practice):
  • After finishing each subject, start doing PYQs for that subject.
  • During revision, focus more on PYQs not solved earlier.
  • She reported doing roughly:
    • ~30 years worth of PYQs (as phrased in subtitles; exact count unclear)
    • and repeating them 2–3 times
  • Difficulty progression:
    • first pass: easier/medium
    • later passes: remaining harder problems
• Mock testing schedule:
  • September onwards: after each subject completion, attempt subject-wise tests
  • January: began mock tests (initially subject-wise per description)
  • From November: shifted to more “full mock”-style practice, simulating exam experience (not strictly mark-focused)
  • Goal: build ability to sit for about 3 hours continuously
• Handling low mock scores:
  • Marks were initially low (before full syllabus/steady revision) and improved gradually.
  • When scores were low:
    • reassure herself that revision and practice will improve results
    • keep studying
    • seek motivation from friends and maintain discipline

B) Interviewer’s guidance / principles

• Don’t wait for 100% syllabus completion before starting tests:
  • Start RA/test-series practice after finishing 2–3 subjects
  • Continue remaining subjects while progressing through practice
• Revision matters more than only finishing the syllabus:
  • It’s not enough to complete content—you must be able to retrieve and solve
• Plan on paper:
  • Write goals like:
    • what will be completed by when
    • when mock tests start
    • when revision happens
  • Review the plan daily for discipline and confidence
• Consistency > irregular bursts:
  • Avoid studying for a few days and then skipping
• Mock attempt strategy (exam-day style):
  • Attempt what you can answer correctly first
  • For hard questions: revisit in a second attempt round, but don’t waste too much time on likely-unsolvable questions
  • Prioritize accuracy over the number of attempts (negative marking)
  • Do a first pass to estimate what you know vs. don’t know

C) Course / Test-Series Claims (Exam Prep Tool / “RAC” / “RIC”)

(Presented as promotional content within the interview.)

• Product name mentioned: RIC = Rank Improvement Course
• Main claim:
  • Built for exam-oriented practice, not blind practice
• Claimed features/quantities:
  • 3,500 high-quality expected questions
  • “Expected” questions described as likely to appear in the exam (direct/indirect)
  • Breakdown: about 300 per subject (as stated)
  • Video solutions and short notes per subject
  • Important formulas series
• Teaching/support structure (as claimed):
  • Mentorship every Saturday and Sunday during the 6-month period
• Claimed benefits:
  • Increase speed through practice
  • Improve concepts and accuracy
  • Continuous improvement via testing and analysis
• Timing guidance (as positioned):
  • Particularly useful in the last ~6 months
• Important caveats (explicitly stated):
  • Exact question counts vary person to person
  • No guaranteed exact question list or guaranteed rank
  • Best results require student effort and correct usage
  • Framed as helping students—not “cheating” and not blaming students

---

Speaker / Source List

Speakers

• Niha
  • M.Tech Computer Science at IIT Roorkee
  • Achieved AIR 413 in GATE
  • Described preparation strategy in the interview
• Interviewer / Host
  • Associated with Exam Prep Tool, appears to run/promote RIC/RA test series
• Sachin Tendulkar
  • Mentioned as an example for handling criticism (not a participant)

Sources referenced (non-speaker entities)

• Exam Prep Tool (course/test-series provider mentioned)
• GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering)
• IIT Roorkee
• Sonipat BPS University (Niha’s graduation institution mentioned)