More than 90 % of the Engineering candidates wish to prepare for GATE exam in their 2ND /3RD year of engineering. But only a few succeed in devising a proper plan and schedule to reach their goal. GATE exam is not just about working hard and mugging up notes or formulas but it tests your aptitude, concept and time management skills and how well you perform under pressure in those 3 hours, which in turn, will fetch you maximum marks out of 100.

GATE Civil Engineering exam will give you an entry to your dream job in a PSU or an opportunity to study in some of the prestigious colleges in India and abroad. Year after year, several new PSU’s are being added to recruit students for Civil engineering domain from GATE exam and if you are from a tier 3 college, then it is a great opportunity for you to unfold your wings and move a step ahead in your career.

Before starting, let’s clear some of the basic questions that every GATE exam aspirant has while preparing for the GATE exam.

v  How much time is required for an average student to crack GATE exam?
Ans : A time range of 6-8 months is enough to prepare for GATE exam.

v  Being an average student, I am poor in studies, can I do it?
Ans: If you have a CPI of greater than 7.0 in your B-tech then you can crack any exam if you plan your preparation well.

v  What is the pattern of gate exam?
Ans: GATE exam contains 65 multiple choice question (MCQ) and NAT where NAT means numerical input questions of 100 marks.
Verbal plus Non verbal Aptitude accounts for 10 questions.
And 55 questions are mixed up from engineering mathematics and civil engineering.
Most important step is to download the original syllabus from online portal and read the syllabus thoroughly.

PLANNING:

·         Start your journey with an easy subject which you can grasp easily. Do not begin with a tough subject.

·         For concept clarity, you should opt for standard books.

·         These are some standard book for civil paper. Toppers prefer them extensively:

1.    R.C.C Design: Book Name: R.C.C. Designs (Reinforced Concrete Structures), Authors name: B.C.Punmia, Ashok Kumar Jain, Arun Jain

2.    Design Of Steel Structures: Book Name: Design Of Steel Structures, Authors name: S.K Duggal

3.    Strength of Materials: Book Name: Strength of Materials, Authors name: U.C Jindal.

4.    Highway Engineering: Book Name: Highway Engineering, Authors name: S.K. Khanna, C.E.G. Justo

5.    Structural Analysis: Book Name: Basic Structural Analysis, Authors name: C.S. Reddy

6.    Environmental Engineering: Book Name: Water Supply Engineering (Environmental Engineering Vol.1), Authors name: S.K GARG, Book Name: Sewage Disposal & air pollution Engineering (Environmental Engineering Vol. 2), Authors name: S.K GARG

7.    Soil Mechanics & Foundation Engineering: Book Name: Basics and Applied Soil mechanics, Authors name: Gopal Ranjan, A.S.R. Rao

8.    Fluid Mechanics & Fluid Machines: Book Name: Hydraulics and Fluid Mechanics, Authors name: Dr. P.N. Modi, Dr. S.M Seth

9.    Surveying: Book Name: Surveying (vol. 1,2,3) Authors name: B.C. Punia, Askok jain, Arun Jain

10. Irrigation Engineering: Book Name: Irrigation engineering & hydraulic structures by: S.K Garg.

11. Engineering Hydrology: Book Name: Engineering Hydrology Authors name: K Subramanyam

12. Engineering Mathematics: Book Name: Higher Eng. mathematics by B. S. Grewal.

13. Aptitude: Book Name: A Modern approach Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning, Author's Name: R.S. Aggarwal, Book Name: Quantitative Aptitude and reasoning, Competitive Examinations, Author's Name: R.S. Aggarwal, Concept of 3 R’s is very important in GATE preparation. 3 R’s  stands for Read, Revise and Repeat.

v  READ:  
Start with your class notes and follow previous years questions and whenever you face any difficulty, go back to standard text book. 6-8 hours a day is an appropriate time to prepare for GATE examination. Make a routine for your studies and stick to your plan. Remember the only difference between a topper and an average student is discipline.

v  REVISE:

·         Toppers usually note down everything that they study in a particular day which enables them to revise quickly during exam time. You should also make a formula copy where you can note down some important conceptual notes and formulas.

·         Revising is a key to success in GATE exam. Many people forget what they read. So it is very important to revise in a good pattern.

·         The right time to study is early morning.

·         You can take your short notes during travelling and utilize those hours which are wasted by others.

·         2 or 3 mock test from different source is a must to study for GATE exam. A lot of practice is required in GATE exam and solving these questions could be immensely good for improving one’s rank.

v  REPEAT:
This is where toppers distinguish themselves from the crowd . In interviews conducted amongst top rankers, almost all have said their key to success is repeating the syllabus & questions again and again. One should revise GATE syllabus atleast 8-10 times and previous year papers atleast 6-8 times until you are in a position to analyze questions from different perspectives.

v  BONUS TIP

Do not ignore aptitude section as it contains 15 marks and it can turn to be a deciding factor in determining your rank in the exam. 

Whenever you exit from a door there is an entry to another door.

- Tom Stoppard

You can also download GATE preparation app from Google Play Store to prepare for GATE Civil exam. It provides free study notes, quizzes, GATE mock test, practice set, question papers, & test series.