In the fourth part of our series of ‘Prep Strategy’ articles, PaGaLGuY chats with the GATE faculty of Vidyalankar Institute, Mumbai about tips and strategies to crack the Electrical engineering paper of GATE 2017. Excerpts

What is the best strategy to tackle difficult topics? For example, how much time should one take to finish them?

The time required depends on the topic. If that topic is usually asked in GATE or belongs to a subject which carries more weightage then it is reasonable to spend the required amount of time. If the topic belongs to one of the courses which have lower weightage then it is recommended to cover it at the end, if time permits.

Outline a 12-week study plan in terms of weekly targets, checklists, etc.

The 12-week study plan is attached here and made on an assumption that student prepares for 4 hours per day and keeps 8 hours a week (on weekends) to revise important concepts in the subjects already covered. The study plan is made in order of importance of a given topic.

Some tips which will help students with their basics.

Prepare from standard textbooks and have a good grasp on the concepts before starting to solve problems. Keep revising basics of all subjects every month, and solve topic wise problems.

Can you recommend some good books or study material?

Please find the attached sheet here.

If a student had to skip a topic or two, which would you recommend?

Measurements & Electromagnetism. Less weightage but very difficult and time consuming. If time permits, can be looked at in the end.

Which topics should a student focus on?

Networks, Machines, Power Systems, Mathematics – high weightage in GATE.

What is an ideal revision plan and ‘last minute strategy’ for GATE 2017?

Highlight important points and mark difficult questions when studying. Revise only those topics before exam. Revision should start two weeks before GATE exam (even if all the topics are not covered) and the topics which carry lower weightage should be studied during the initial days and be finished off fast. Just before GATE, the topics which carry more weightage should be studied and more time should be spent on it. Mock tests should be taken during this time. The day before the exam should be spent only in revising important formulas.

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