the questions papers are not like a very traditional one.

They always try to test the very basic of candidates in respective areas by bringing the element of innovation in these papers. It is not surprising that sometimes the questions are mere applications of basic concepts in their area of research. The implication of this, it seems is that cracking GATE with a very high percentile is merely having the basics cleared. No! Absolutely not! As innovations are always a part of the question paper, one needs to be able to apply the basics in a new application, too. That is why similar to JEE, GATE is altogether different from other competitive exams.

Here in GATE, one needs to prepare thoroughly by understanding the basics. It's not at all the mugging up the end results (formulae) and directly applying them

How does one prepare for GATE, specifically GATE 2010 Before the marathon begins, the 'runner' puts in months, even years, of effort before he actually runs the race. As the saying goes - get your fundamentals right. GATE is an exam that tests you on your fundamentals. The questions are generally derivations of the fundamentals. Preparation for GATE is an ongoing process, and is supposed to happen in stages. First get your fundamentals right, and then test yourself on those fundamentals. When you have done this, you should pit yourself with the competition, which means a mock test which would give you a percentile to let you know where you stand amongst competitors.

Here are some parameters on which you can decide whether you should go for a particular coaching institute, use a particular coaching material, or tests:

Uniqueness in their study material: Study material provided by the coaching institutes is of little assistance if they are compact copy-paste or rewrite of materials taken from other books. If the reading of such material doesn't increase interest and enjoyment then they are not worth it. There are plenty of standard books on each subject by good authors, which can make your study enjoyable during preparation. Collection of quality books in their library: During the process of theory conceptualization and building application capabilities, you need good books, which can really put your brain on exercise. Check out their library! Flexibility in the Coaching Model: What happens when your pace of learning is much faster or slower than the average? Is there any mechanism by which the model can identify exactly where you need help and provide the same? Is it possible in that coaching model to minimize the wastage of your time? Quality of questions discussed: Number of questions discussed is not that important. By discussing and solving 10-15 conceptual questions on each topic you can build a good application capability. On the other hand solving many tricky non-conceptual questions will simply waste your time. Tests and evaluation model: How is the progress of your preparation tested and analyzed? To what extent the feedback helps in identifying the areas for further work? Here I must say that this is the most crucial part of the preparation. This is the area where most of the students fail due to lack of proper test materials which can help them to build in themselves a real-test-like environment and temperament. Once you are able to choose the correct assistance for your GATE journey, it will be an enjoying and thrilling experience.

Here are some things apart from working on your engineering concepts, that you should do for a complete preparation for GATE

Solve previous years' GATE papers: Solving previous years' papers gives you a fair idea of what the actual paper would be like. It also brushes up your basics and exposes your 'areas of improvement'.

Solve test papers: Solve as many test papers as possible. This actually is the best way to keep improving as you prepare for GATE. Analyze : Analyzing your test results is a very important part of taking the test. If you do not analyze, the test does not add value. You should minutely analyze and define as to where you could have scored more; analyze your accuracy rates in various topics and maintain a topic wise datasheet which lists your performance topic wise for different test papers. Take up a TarGATE which gives you your percentile and All India Rank : This is very important to avoid the "frog in the pond" syndrome. Students tend to take it easy if they attain a high score in the tests. However, GATE is an exam in which people are selected on their relative scores. So even if you have scored 95% it does not essentially translate to a percentile of 95. You are competing with the best in India, and to get through GATE you should know where you stand to be among the 'top few' selected for the interview. A test series of this sort is being provided by GATE Forum (www.gateforum.com). Simulate actual test environment : This is very important. The actual test happens in a classroom, and is timed. When you take up the test, switch off your cell phone, have a timer which times your tests, and avoid taking any breaks. Also, if possible, take up a mock test series which enables you to take the test in a classroom environment.

How To prepare for GATE?

Two important parameters to be considered to crack GATE exam are Accuracy and Time Management. The paper consists of 65 questions which should be solved in 3 hours. In this cut throat competition, It is advised to solve med no. of questions acurately in given time frame. GATE exam consists of only objective questions, hence only correct answer fetches marks. Practice previous year question papers and analyze in which topics you are weak and concentrate more on those topics. Always try to solve the papers in given time to obtain the idea that how many questions you are able to solve in given time limits. Provide equal attention to both theory and numerical problems. Carefully go through the GATE syllabus and find out which topic fetches more marks and give more importance to those topics. Group Study is also effective way to brush up your knowledge about technical topics with your partners, in this process you might explore new techniques and procedures to understand the topic better.

Short Cut Techniques: Traditional methods to solve numerical problems is time taking process, try to adopt short cut techniques to save the time. Self Made Notes: Try to prepare notes after studying that particular topic, initially it will take some time but it will be useful in revising the topics at final stage.

To pursue M.E./ M.Tech./ M.Sc. Engg. Program in a leading institute of the country. Masters degree leads to specialization and cultivates and brings out best of your interest in a certain area which may lead to research / Ph.D., More and domain specific companies are coming for Campus recruitment in leading Institutes. Higher salaries offered for masters students as compared to B.E. Masters degree is a must for those wishing to apply for Faculty/Research positions in educational Institutes and most of the R&D centers. Scholarship of Rs 8000/- is paid during masters course; so no dependency to parents for financial needs. GATE qualified candidates are also eligible for the award of Junior Research Fellowship in CSIR Laboratories and CSIR sponsored projects. Some government organizations (Like BARC, IOCL etc.) prescribe GATE qualification as a requirement. Based on the GATE score, some of the foreign university (Like NTU, Singapore) offers Ph.D. position without any GRE score. Most importantly to get to be a part of any nationally reputed Educational Institute and enjoy learning and research in the conducive ambience. One gets intellectual satisfaction of working in the area of interest. Last but not the least, Master course changes the individuals thought process; teaches us how to approach and solve a problem in the totally new & unknown environment.

General TIPS for preparation of the GATE exams::

1. GATE Exam is not looking for any syllabus completion from the candidate. A good understanding of the basic concepts and their application is required. By understanding, it is implied that candidate is not supposed to just be able to mug up & explain but rather this exam needs candidate to have a feel/common sense.

2. As a thumb rule, while solving any GATE problem, if the solution takes more than 8 steps, u must re-look at the approach. (Generally GATE problems are not lengthy).

3. While solving the problem, students must have balance between speed & accuracy.

4. Preparation time for GATE is subjective and depends on the so many factors such as individuals aptitude, fundamentals, attitude, concentration level etc., Typically, a rigorous preparation of 4-6 months is considered good enough for getting into IISc or IITs.

5. Keep a check on your performance; it is compulsory to directly jump upon the previous GATE question on the topic you just finished. You can try to solve some examples in model papers also.

6. Any problem can be tackled in number of ways. So being innovative and intuitive

also helps to reach the correct option quickly. This means, it is not at all compulsory to solve question in typical way. Practice comes handy to solve questions quicker so that the balance time can be utilized in some really thought provoking questions (all few questions fall in this category).

7. You should have done sufficient study/ discussion, so that the moment you start reading the question you should have an intuition on whether you can solve it. One way, is to read multiple books on the same subjects, especially for subjects of your interest or the thrust portion in GATE exam pattern. Also, to support your study with some self notes is good idea. This helps in final revisions.

8. While preparing always keep your goal in thought and fancy being in the place like top institutes wherever you want to have admission. Always remember You can get, if you really want. So positive mind is the key. Mild tension can be helpful to have kind of motivation or a sense of duty. But you should avoid thoughts of loosing which can cause loss of concentration and low performance. Read only when you are reading.

9. In the last days of preparation, if you have any doubts about any topic/formula, you can have a look on these sections. Always remember, more doubts lead to more concept building.

10. relax.

Leave all the books few days before the exam. Have some good time and