Hi everyone! My name is Rishabh Gupta and I secured AIR - 2 in GATE 2018. Marks: 83.00. Credit goes to my parents and GATE OVERFLOW.

I am a final year student in a tier-3 college. It was my first attempt. Even being in a central university, we have zero placements. Really, not a single company visited our campus this year for CSE(till now), not even the mass recruiters like TCS and Infy.
But I think that is why I got this rank. There was no other option, but to study and prepare for a competitive exam which offers a decent chance to excel in the professional sphere.

Whatever I am writing here is a part of my own viewpoint. Many might disagree with me. I would, rather, like to suggest you do not follow me blindly but rather analyse yourself and do what suits you best.

I always followed standard books during my BTech, even when teachers forced us to follow books of some local authors. This resulted in a relatively not that good performance in my college exams, but I knew that I was building concepts instead of mugging up and rotting my knowledge.

It would be my suggestion for you all aspirants to follow the standard books. It might take more efforts, but its worth it. Don't ask for notes from toppers, seniors, etc. but create your own. When you will make notes all by yourself, you will understand better. There is no secret to success, It's all up to you as you have to do the intended labour. Your teachers can teach you, blogs can motivate you, seniors can guide you, coaching people can tell you everything, but it's YOU who have to put your brain to work.

I started proper GATE preparation from July 2017. I prepared the complete schedule up till the exam.
I went through books of all subjects in this duration. Since I had already been through them earlier, so it was not difficult for me to do it again.
You should be clear about when and how you will do each and every subject. Create your plan according to your grasp in each subject. My plan was:
July - Discrete Maths (started with this because this is the base for cs)
August - C, Data structure and Algorithms (These were comparatively easy subjects for me since I did competitive coding)
September - TOC and Compiler Design (Compiler Design took a lot of time since I was studying it for the first time, so I made sure to do TOC quickly as I had a grip on it already)
October - DLD and COA (DLD is considered easy. COA can take time and I spent a lot of time in clearing my doubts)
November - OS (only 1 subject because of 7th sem exams)
December - DBMS and Networks (Don't take networking lightly!)
January - Aptitude and revision (and also Engineering Maths, which I kept neglecting)
February - Relax and gave the exam

Although, I set the deadlines but sometimes was not able to achieve it and extended a day or two. Make sure you stick to your plan and make changes to it as you proceed. The key here is consistency. Work hard, DAILY.

After reading books and preparing notes, I used to solve previous year GATE questions. And often got stuck. GO comes to the rescue at this point. There are so many aspirants like you, here at GO, who will help you in resolving doubts. You should also engage in helping others and clearing their doubts, this will, in turn, will clarify your concepts too.
For the name of the books and relevant chapters see this: https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-2017-topper-interview-ravi-shankar-mishra-air-3-cs
You can find all book's pdf on the internet.

COACHING
I didn't attend any coaching(mainly because there was no coaching centre near me).
I felt that they just help us in mugging formulas, without giving an intuition of the core concepts. I have seen their study material, it often consists of "points to remember", and they expect you to memorize them(or rather to say mug them up), without having much of understanding.
Mugging up formulas is not at all required(at least this is what I believe in Computer Science it's all about Common Sense). I think if you intend to memorize the formula then it indicates that you do not have a hold over the concept. For example, people often try to "mug up" the formula for the average access time in cache (and Virtual memory) and often get confused when to use what. But once you understand that how the cache works, the confusion won't arise. You should understand the meaning of the terms related to it like hierarchical access or simultaneous access, miss penalty, main memory access time, etc.
Similarly, there are concepts in TOC like closure properties. Don't try to learn it by-heart, instead, try to make sense out of it, try to develop an intuition for it, try to visualize the concept, read the books and try to understand through the lines. Search on the internet, you will find lectures, ppts of great university's professors. When you began searching on the internet, you often come across new things surrounding that concept. It's YOU who need to browse things. No one is going to spoon feed.
It might not be possible to grasp everything and you might need to just memorize the formula sometimes due to time constraints. It's okay, everyone does it. But try to keep it at a minimum level. I was not able to understand a lot of things like probability distribution formulas, Catalan numbers, and a few other concepts. So I just learnt it by heart but you should try to by-heart things as minimum as possible. Mug it only when it is the last option.

I have already said a lot against "Coaching". But this should not be taken in a bad light, some of them might be worthy of their popularity (since I never went to one). But still, they are not the "masters" of their field. One can learn directly from the MASTERS of CS. Video lectures by NPTEL, MIT, Stanford, Aduni(Shai Simonson), etc. are all available for free. Those are some of the professors who developed these concepts, so you can't doubt their knowledge.
Going for coaching or Self-preparation? totally depends on you. Ask yourself. "Can I do it without coaching?"

STUDY MATERIAL
People often ask me for this, "Without the help of coaching material from where you have practised?"
1. First of all, GATE PREVIOUS YEAR questions. I am emphasizing on this a lot. These are really really very important.
These will give you an idea about the type of questions you will be confronting to. So solve them at least twice.
2. Then questions from CMI, TIFR, ISRO, etc.
For above points(1 and 2) GOPDF is best. It's better than any question bank book because you can comment and argue in GO, and attain a deeper understanding. And it's free!
3. Solve questions from standard textbooks. Those questions are more about thinking and letting your brain do some hard work.
These are not MCQs which you just try to look out for correct answer by eliminating options. Rather these are generally proofs or "finding an efficient algorithm" types. Here seeking the answer is not that important rather your approach matters. You might not be able to solve all of them, but at least try to grab a few. The time you will spend in thinking about the problem will be fruitful, whether you find an answer or not. It will increase your thinking capability.
At least understand what the question is asking. If you are not able to solve yourself, then search for solutions.
4. If you still have time, search for IIT, MIT, Stanford, CMU, etc. assignments. They are great. Be aware that you don't step far away from GATE syllabus. Caution: Some of these questions might be very difficult from GATE point of view. But at least giving it a try will help you. You will get a feeling that GATE questions are pretty easy as compared to them.
5. See questions here at GO. Many people add questions from their study material or test series. You can have a look at these questions too.

Also, try to modify GATE questions and try to develop an understanding about their solutions.

TEST SERIES
Test series are important. They might not increase your knowledge, but provide an environment of competition and help you in self-analysis.
GO and Virtual Gate test series are great. I would like to thank Techtud Group for providing free quality tests.
Other than these, I joined ME test series, but it wasn't so qualitative like they advertised it to be. I was hardly able to cross 70+ in these test, mainly because there were so many wrong questions. Nonetheless, taking them can be advantageous.
Importance of test series is that you can analyse your mistakes and they help you in time management. Try to give the exam at the same time as of GATE, it will train your mind to work at that time.
Don't bother much about rank. I was never in top 10 in ME full-length MOCK test. And I saw people getting 90+ in these tests.
Silly mistakes, you cannot eliminate, but can reduce them significantly by practice.
A single mistake of writing 0.231 instead of 0.0231 made me 2 instead of AIR 1  :p

At last, a rank is just a number, it does not prove your intelligence or brilliance(but yes they give you admissions to good college). I have seen many people here at GO who are far more knowledgeable than me (like the LEGEND, Habib Sir, and many more). They had written many great answers here, and I often asked doubts from them. After a certain level of preparation, almost everyone comes at an equal level. It just boils down to what you are going to do in those 3 hours. How you are going to manage the pressure. I was lucky enough to do good in those 3 hours. Take proper rest before the exam day and be confident.

Thank you very much Arjun sir for this platform, thanks to Bikram sir for so many good tests(which are way better than paid ones), and thanks to all seniors here at GO, whose blogs and answers motivated me. And Thanks to all other active users of GO. It was a great experience preparing with you people :)

All the best to future aspirants. You can message me anytime, I will be glad to help :)
Thank You!

posted in 2018 Mar 18, 2018
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60 Comments

60 Comments

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Congrats...

Very well written...
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Congrats :)
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HATS OFF, brother! And congrats! People like you are inspiration for average students like me. You remind me of Srikanth Sir. He also scored AIR 2 and had similar kind of college like you. All the best for the future, bro.
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Congratulations brother
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Congrats
It was quite inspiring.
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Thanks @jatin saini, @Mk Utkarsh, @Akhilesh Singla, @Lakshman Patel RJIT and @yogi_p :)

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Congratulations Rishab...!!

You deseve this..Gud luck for future
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Congratulations Rishab:)
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u inspired me...congrats bro :)
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Congrats bro u r an inspiration for me for the next year.

Glad to know you didn't in top 10 in ME test series but u r 2018@AIR 2 well that matters most.
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congrats bhaii :) all the best for a future ahead.
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Congratulations Rishabh  :)  :)
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Congrats Rishabh.. Hoping for a great life ahead :)  :)
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Wow, Congratulations brother. Your hard work and curiosity paid off. Hats off to you!! Have a great journey ahead :)
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Congratulations! You are truly an inspiration. All the very best for your future endeavours. :)
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Congrats!! Some questions:

1.Did you studied all std books through PDFs or used textbooks? (as last time revision through pdfs become little difficult)

2.Did you made Short notes for each subjects for last hour prep?

3. How to manage study schedule for daily analysis?

4. How to improve coding skills being a very bad in programing as IIt needs good coders also?

Thanks in advance!
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Thank you everyone :)

@a trip

1.Some books I bought, some took from my college library and some through pdf.

2. Not for each subject. But I often wrote things which I find difficult.

3. It depends on you how you are going to manage your time. Just make sure you use everyday available. Somedays might not be that fruitful, but make sure to cover it up in the next day.

4. For GATE, you don't need to be a very good coder. Basics of C are enough. Dennis Ritchie is a nice book. You will understand more about programming when you will study compiler design.
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Many Congratulations to you and well said. When I gave GATE this year one thing became pretty obvious to me that only the folks who have made use of their Engineering days studying and working diligently are going to score top ranks. Since the 2 marks questions weren't easy to crack, compared to previous years. They required in depth understanding of the topics.

People like me are still confused which way to go, who managed to get a rank, but unlike you :)  

Wishing you the best of luck.
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Congratulations Rishabh :) have a great life ahead.(y)
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Congratulations, Rishabh... U'll be an inspiration for everyone who wants to excel in life. Have a happy life ahead...!
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Congrats Rishabh and all the best for life ahead :)
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Congrats Bhai..!! You are an inspiration :). All the best (Y) .
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Thank you everyone :) wish you guys success.
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Congrats Rishabh ..:) :)
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Congratulations!!

You are an inspiration to many.
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Congratulations for your achievement. Can you pls suggest books/resource for linear algebra, calculus and probability..
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Every  night before sleeping I  read it . Inspirational journey
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Thanks Ajay. I am glad that it helps :)

@jatinkumar I solved previous yr questions when I am done with all the theory and a few text book questions of that subject.
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Sir, for book preference nothing is good then "what to read series by BIKRAM sir .

U should mention it also in ur blog so that more people know & use it.

https://gateoverflow.in/?qa=blob&qa_blobid=13442792648182305314

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Hallo

   Bhaiya I want ur WhatsApp no..

  I have some doubts.. So pl's give me ur personal no...
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@Shriman Narayan you can ask here at gate overflow through personal messaging.
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Sir how you prepared for Aptitude and maths sections
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For aptitude, just look at all the previous year questions. By all, I mean from all branches. This will give you a lot of questions to practice. Nothing more will be required then.
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@risabh sir ,does any such book available who contains all questions of math & April of all branch ?
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Aptitude questions of other branches are there in Gateoverflow pdf . As well as some maths ones. But maths syllabus varies widely in different branches.

You can also look for some coaching books on previous year questions. Or just search them online.
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bro it is not easy to prepare from ownself  prepn to get 2nd AIR and it is not easy to read all contents from standard books within 6 months along with clg assignment ,project and sem xam all this stuff . u are misleading others aspirants like me .one things ,in 3 rd tier clg ,professor also does not have good knowledge about sub .they come with  prepared notes and  write down .so it is very hard to understand every concept from urself.

I request u to give correct information about ur preparation strategy and help others aspirants .if u read this comments please reply me
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@Nitish Kumar 4

Definitely its not easy.

But to win you need to do the hard work. If it was easy everyone would have done it. Getting a rank in top 100 is definitely not an easy task.

Please read my blog carefully. I said I used standard books during my BTech, not just merely for my gate preparation, but rather to develop my concepts. Professors are definitely not good in such colleges. And in my college there is not even a "professor". All of them are "assistant professor" or ad hocs. You want professors? Go for nptel, mit ocw, lagunita(Stanford), Aduni (Shai Simonson is great!),... The list is pretty long. They all are free. Bhai excuses bahut hai kuch naa karne ke, making excuses is easy. Stepping up against all problems, that is not easy. If there is will there is way.

All the best bro :) 

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@Nitish Kumar,

You need not to read all the content from the standard book. If u try to read a book completely, then u will be exhausted very soon and it will also take significant time.

You need to reference the standard book. Try to do the selective reading. Try to know which topic is important and then read that topic from the standard book. For example : In CO, cache and pipelining is very important. And reading this topic from standard book is very helpful as they are conceptual topics.

How to know which topic is important?

You will know about it when you start solving previous year questions.

Do practice as much as you can.

All the best. :)
edited Aug 1, 2018 by
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@Rishabh Gupta 2 Sir

Please tell what books or videos you have followed for Computer Organisation. I  am getting some difficulty in it while solving previous year ones.
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Rishabh bro I do not know anything in CO from scratch do I have to watch all the videos of your link. I just have mugged up formula in Co but it didn't help me in gate 2018.
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Hi Risabh, when you started giving test series?
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@jatinkumar I gave tests as soon as I completed a subject. And gave full length tests when I completed the whole syllabus.

@Ravi Kumar Singh Since you are saying that you just mugged up the formulas, I think it will be better to watch from the starting. Rest depends on how much time have left.
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How were your initial test performances?what percentage of marks u got initially or at the end?
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@Rishabh, Means you started giving full-length test series from January month (Just before 1 month of the exam)
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@jatin Yes.
reshown Sep 14, 2018 by
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@Rishabh Apart from  Gate overflow Did you refere any other website for preparation?
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@Dharmesh.. virtualgate for test series. And some tests from gatebook.
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Hi Rishabh, my question is that I have the basics of the subjects but the questions seems to be a bit tougher so how to proceed further from basic to gate level.
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what was your total attempt Rishabh?
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@sahil you can see my response sheet here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IrNn9JpMhPD_uFNzEp5xYCmO_UVxV-hZ/view

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How to prepare for aptitude part?
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@Gaurav Go through all the previous yr questions, for all branches. That should give you a fair amount of idea as what to expect.
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Sir what rank do you get generally in GO and GB test series and also marks on an average in subject wise as well as in full length tests
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Sir the links you provided above contains questions for all prev year and all branches ?
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Can we study mathematics on daily basis with study of other subject that means can I study simultaneously 2 subjects for  gate preparation ? Is it advisable?
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In the "study material" section, what is GOPDF? Can you please give reference links to those?
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@yashassss GOPDF is gateoverflows's book of all previous questions. Which is available as a pdf. see here: https://gatecse.in/gate-overflow-book-qa-only-previous-gate-tifr/

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congratulations !!!