GATE 2015: Important pointers for taking mock tests in the last month

By Ankit Goyal

Both the times that I attempted GATE, I kept the last month of preparation specifically for attempting Mock Tests and Subject Tests. I tried to finish the entire course with problem solving by the end of penultimate month before the D-Day. So the final month I could easily utilize for attempting Mock Tests and once you start attempting Mock Tests you will definitely see the difference in your confidence and performance.

There are many reasons why you should attempt at least 15-20 Mock Tests in the month of Jan'15 as it helps you in a lot of ways.

To start with, it helps you in judging your performance against some of the best minds in the country preparing for the same exam. Secondly, it helps you in the revision of entire course within a span of 3 hours.

Besides these, it also helps you in identifying your weak and strong areas so that you can focus on weak points and work on them. And lastly, it highlights your mistakes so that you do not repeat them on D-Day.

Here are some of the things that you must be kept in mind while attempting a Mock Test are:

1. It must be attempted in solitude as you must be able to simulate the exam atmosphere in your home itself.
2. Entire paper must be attempted in one go as in most of the test series your progress is saved if you quit the test in between but that must be avoided at all costs.
3. The maximum time that you should take to complete the paper should be between 2-2.5 hours and never 3 hours as in real GATE exam you will consume additional half hour due to exam pressure.
4. Fix the time that you must not exceed per question so that you do not remain stuck at a single question for too long.
5. Never fall in love with any subject as that will hamper your progress in the test since you would want to solve problems from that subject at all costs.
6. Try to attempt the section consisting of 1 mark Questions within 45 minutes.
7. The aptitude section should never take more than 15-20 minutes.
8. Always solve the problems very clearly step by step and that will help you recheck your answers and that will save a lot of time in revising the paper during GATE exam.
9. Analyze your performance at end of every mock test to point out your weaker areas so that you can work on them and improve them during the next test.
10. Attempt a subject test in between two mock tests and that should be based on the analysis of the previous Mock Test as you should attempt the subject in which you did not fare well earlier.

Lastly, never judge your performance based on the Subject Tests as most of them are not for GATE level and are irrelevant. But performance in Mock Tests is essential as that indicate your standing with respect to rest of the competition. Hope aspirants appearing for GATE 2015 find these tips useful.

Also, check out this video by Ankit Goyal for last month prep tips for GATE 2015.

About the author:

Ankit completed his B.Tech from IIT Indore in Electrical Engineering in 2013. He appeared for GATE-2013 during his final year and acquired an All India Rank(AIR) 8. He again took the exam in 2014 and emerged as a topper with an AIR-1. Ankit was also a gold medalist in his batch. Currently, he is working at Qualcomm India Private Limited, Bangalore.