With everyday being spent, the date of your GATE examination is coming closer and closer. Now everyday should be spent strategically with proper revision and practice sets. Yes, practice sets are as important for you as the revision. With strengthening of your preparations through proper and cyclic revisions, these practice sets simply work as a cherry on the top.
Practice sets will help you in knowing your level of preparedness and simultaneously will allow you to get into the motion of writing the real paper. It’ll make you rehearse how you’re going to attempt the paper and how you’ll solve the practical questions within least possible time.
Practise sets will only be helpful if you take them and utilise them properly. So, here we are with some of the vital tips that you must keep in mind while taking these sets.
While preparing for the GATE, you must have come across the fact that- the practice sets are available in two forms, namely- full length practice sets and subject specific practice sets.
Full length practice sets are those which are wholesome in nature and cover the syllabus at a stretch. They are like the real question paper. Subject specific practice sets are those ones which covers a particular subject only, like- aptitude, mathematics etc. Their aim is to strengthen your subjects individually. Through subject specific test series you can easily work on your weak areas, speed and accuracy.
Usually, it is considered to be beneficial to take the subject specific test series when you’re having a good time at hand, otherwise full length practice tests should be preferred. Subject specific tests can be taken right after the completion of every individual topic respectively. Subject specific sets help you in gaining command over individual topics along with maintaining speed and accuracy. Full length tests should be taken up when the exam is close, say 45 to 40 days away. These will help you in getting into the motion of the real exam. You can have a clear-cut strategy of attempting the question paper and solving the practical question within the given time frame. Suppose you come across a situation while solving the full length sets wherein you found that one of your subjects is really weak and needs some extra time and effort, in such a scenario you can definitely go with the subject specific set of that particular subject in order to eradicate the shortcomings. Don’t stick to the subject specific sets even when the exam is right around the corner.
Previous year questions form an integral part of your preparations and act as practice set as well. It is highly recommended to all the aspirants to positively solve the previous year question papers beforehand. These question papers will unfold many new layers of syllabus and will make you discover how the concepts are moulded and asked and what should be the desirous speed that must be put in. These question papers will also tell you the key and important areas which are frequently being covered in recent times. Students should first solve previous year question papers of GATE, which must be followed by the question papers of Engineering Service and then they must solve the previous year question papers of ISRO too for a better insight and to gain an edge over others.
Focusing on 1 mark questions does not mean to ignore other questions. By this we simply mean that- your practice should be good enough to get all the 1 mark questions right. These questions are quick to be solved easily and attempt with accuracy. So, students must be prepared enough to tackle them first. And also, if you get them right it’ll raise your morale. These questions basically test the retaining capacity of the students along with speed and accuracy.
Now, this must be a question: how much time should be spent on practice? Well, you don’t need to spend your whole day solving these tests; rather, you should solve them either in the morning or in the evening because the GATE examination is conducted in two shifts- one in the morning and another one in the evening. If you follow this, then no matter whether your exam will be morning shift or in the evening shift, you will be able to write the exam with full ease. Sometimes because of our routine we are habitual of taking the tests either in the morning or in the evening. Hence, with this set of routine you’ll be able to adapt both the time schedules. Also, don’t go on solving the practice sets day-in day-out, your cyclic revisions should also be continued. Utmost, you can spend 4 to 5 hours solving the test series.
Many students face the problem of solving the practical question within the given time frame and eventually run out of time. In order to avoid this nightmarish situation should start practicing numerical questions within the due course of time. Such questions are extensive and sometimes require an aggressive approach to solve them hence requires good practice, so be prepared with them too but do not at the cost of theoretical concepts. The practice should be a good blend of theory and numerical type questions.
Hopefully these tips would be helpful for you in taking and solving the test series. Practice sets are like currency to you so, don’t waste them by making blind guesses and also analyze them properly so that it’ll leave a good positive impact on your preparations.