GATE 2019: Tips to score high in GATE Mechanical Engineering exam

GATE is the power house exam for all Mechanical engineers which is the gateway to all major PSU jobs along with opportunity to pursue higher studies in IIT’s/NIT’s and other institutes. With so many opportunities at stake, GATE is such distinctive examination in which getting passing marks is an easy task but securing a Top rank or getting marks greater than 80 is the desired goal for most of the aspirants.


GATE Mechanical 2019 exam is scheduled to be held on 2nd February 2019. In order transform these passing marks to toppers marks, here we are providing important tips for aspirants to maximise their scores in GATE Mechanical Engineering 2019 paper.

Know Paper Pattern

• The most common and important point for all aspirants to remember the pattern of exam i.e. no. of one mark/ two mark questions, type of questions such as MCQ’s & Aware NAT’s etc.
• The total time for solving 65 questions is 180 mins, so aspirant must plan about the time being given to each question.

Priority of Section to be Attempted

• It is always expected that candidates must have thoroughly prepared for technical subjects of Mechanical and must be confident about each concept and it’s application. The decision has to be made by aspirant to whether they would firstly attempt GA or Technical section.
• It is suggested to aspirants to begin from the very first question i.e. attempt General Aptitude Section in the beginning.
• Candidates can easily score 9-11 marks or more in just 15 mins and focus on the technical section completely for the remaining time.

How many Questions sufficient for a Good rank

• The no. of questions to be attempted should not matter to any aspirant who aims to fulfil his dream goal with GATE exam.
• The only method to secure a good rank is when the candidate gives maximum correct answers in the paper with minimum negative marking.
• It should also be noted that candidates must at least attempt more that 45 questions because attempting few questions even though correct won’t fetch a good rank.
• As analysed from previous year papers of Mechanical Engineering, number of NAT questions have increased in number as well as the value which the most important aspect is where no negative marks are deducted for wrong answers.
• So candidates must attempt all NAT questions in GATE ME paper.

Focus on the Important Subjects

• GATE ME syllabus is quite vast which covers many topics & sub-topics in each subject with weightage of each subject varying depending on the importance.
• Candidates must restrict their revision of each topic which includes attempting Mock Tests, Revising formulas etc. on basis of the weightage.
• For instance, Manufacturing and Thermodynamics (including Applications) carry maximum weightage, so try to devote more time to these subject as compare to Mechanics or Heat Transfer.
• Engineering mathematics being the scoring subject must be revised well as candidates ca easy gain marks with fewer effort.

A Big NO to guessing of answers

• Guess work is the most unfavourable act which must be avoided to the possible extent.
• While attempting Mock Tests, candidates have the habit of attempting unnecessary questions by guessing, which is even followed on the day of exam.

Avoid any Kind of Stress

• Any form of stress during 3 hours of GATE exam is capable of hampering your journey to the dream goal.
• Try to remain as calm as possible during the exam and remember the formulas and concepts.
• If at any stage in exam, candidate is unable to recollect the concepts, do not panic, rather shift your focus and again come back to topic.
  
  
  (Author: Vineet Vijay is Senior Mentor at Gradeup. The author's views are entirely his own)