Preparing for GATE was not something I had planned from the very beginning of my B.Tech.
As I started thinking more seriously about my career, I realized that coming from a tier-3 college means I sometimes need to look beyond the opportunities available directly through my college. For me, GATE felt like one of those opportunities that could open doors to many different possibilities in the future.
I also know that I started preparing relatively late for the 2027 attempt. Because of that, I'm being realistic about what I can achieve in the time I have.
For me, GATE 2027 is going to be my first attempt and a learning experience, while GATE 2028 is my main target.
That doesn't mean I want to take 2027 lightly. I want to use it to understand the actual exam environment, experience what preparing for GATE is really like, identify my weak areas, and learn what works for me.
In a way, 2027 is going to help me prepare better for 2028.
When I Actually Started
I started preparing toward the end of July 2026.
By then, I knew that there wasn't a lot of time left for GATE 2027. Instead of trying to rush through the entire syllabus just to say that I had completed it, I decided to focus on building my fundamentals properly.
I want to use this attempt to understand the exam and the preparation process while gradually building a stronger foundation for my main attempt in 2028.
Where I Started
I decided to begin with DAA, DBMS, and Mathematics.
There was a practical reason behind this choice.
DAA and DBMS are already part of my B.Tech syllabus, so preparing them for GATE can also help me with my university studies. I thought it would make more sense to work on subjects that are useful for both instead of treating college and GATE preparation as completely separate things.
I also decided to start Mathematics because it is an important part of GATE preparation and I know that building a strong foundation in Mathematics takes time.
So, rather than trying to study everything at once, I'm starting with these subjects and will gradually move forward.
The Resources I'm Using
For DAA and DBMS, I'm currently using Gate Smashers.
For Mathematics, I'm using Gate Wallah.
These are the resources I'm following at the moment. I'm still figuring out what works best for me, so I don't want to keep switching between resources every time I find a new playlist or recommendation.
For now, my approach is simple:
Choose a resource → understand the concepts → make notes → practice questions → revise.
I know I'll probably change my strategy as I progress, and that's okay.
The Biggest Challenge: Time Management
The biggest challenge I'm facing right now is time management.
Preparing for GATE alongside B.Tech isn't always easy. There are college classes, assignments, exams, projects, and other things I'm trying to learn at the same time.
Some days I manage to study properly.
On other days, I don't get nearly as much time as I had planned.
And honestly, that's something I'm still trying to improve.
I've realized that making a perfect timetable is easy. Following it consistently is the difficult part.
Because 2027 is my first attempt, I don't want to put unnecessary pressure on myself to study everything perfectly in a limited amount of time. At the same time, I don't want to use that as an excuse to stop trying.
So I'm trying to make the most of the time I actually have.
What I Want to Learn From GATE 2027
Since GATE 2028 is my main target, I want to use the 2027 attempt for more than just getting a score.
I want to understand what the actual exam feels like.
I want to know how well my preparation translates into solving questions under pressure.
I want to identify the subjects and topics where I struggle.
And most importantly, I want to understand what I need to change before my main attempt.
I think having this experience will make my 2028 preparation much more focused.
What I'm Trying to Do Differently
One thing I'm learning already is that starting matters more than waiting for the perfect time.
I could keep telling myself that I'll start when college becomes less busy, when I have more time, or when I have a perfect study schedule.
But there will probably always be something going on.
So for now, I'm trying to work with the time I actually have.
I'm not expecting myself to finish everything immediately. I want to build my concepts, practice questions, solve PYQs as I progress, and understand where I need to improve.
The goal is to make 2027 useful, even if 2028 is the attempt I'm preparing for more seriously.
This Is Only the Beginning
I don't know exactly how my GATE 2027 attempt will turn out.
Maybe I'll cover less of the syllabus than I planned. Maybe I'll discover that some subjects need much more work than I expected. Maybe the actual exam experience will teach me things that I could never learn from preparation alone.
And that's okay.
I'm treating GATE 2027 as my first learning experience and GATE 2028 as my main target.
For now, I just want to start, stay consistent, learn from my mistakes, and keep improving.
I'll continue documenting this journey here—what I'm studying, what works for me, what doesn't, the mistakes I make, and the things I learn along the way.
This is the beginning of my GATE journey, and I'll be documenting it as I go.
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