Preparation Strategy for Electronics and Communication Engineering (GATE)

GATE is a popular exam that is conducted every year online by the seven IITs or IISc. There are lakhs of aspirants appearing for this exam because it provides a lot of opportunities to an individual. The primary motive of this exam is to help the aspirants in getting admission for their PG programs in IIT or NITs. It has been observed that Electronics and communication engineering (ece) is one such stream that is attempted the most by the aspirants each year. The scope for ece is spread across various domains like electricity plant, aviation & avionics, distribution, manufacturing, computer application, radio & television, etc. Hence, it is important to prepare for this exam properly. Let’s discuss the detailed GATE preparation for ece. 

Before going into the preparation strategy it is essential to make a note of the exam pattern, the exam syllabus, reference books, etc. 

The ece exam pattern:

1. The mode of this examination is online.
2. The duration of the exam is 3 hours.
3. The paper weighs 100 marks.
4. There are a total of 65 questions.
5. The questions are MCQ and NAT based.
6. There is a negative marking for wrong answers in MCQ based questions while there is no negative marking for NAT based questions. 
7. ⅓ marks are deducted for each 1 mark MCQ answered wrong while ⅔ marks are deducted for each 2 marks MCQ answered wrong. 
8. The paper is divided into three sections namely Engineering Mathematics, General Aptitude and Technical Subject.
9. The marks for engineering mathematics and general aptitude is 15 marks each and for the technical subject is 70 marks. 

The exam syllabus:

The ece for GATE consists of three sections and the syllabus for each of them is as follows:

Engineering Mathematics contains topics such as probability & statistics, Linear algebra, complex numbers, transform theory, differential equations, calculus and numerical methods.

The general aptitude contains topics such as Verbal Ability and Numerical Ability. 

The technical subject i.e. ece contains topics such as Electronic devices, analog circuits, Networks, signals & systems, communications, control systems and electromagnetics. 

The Reference Books:

Candidates should choose and study the reference books wisely. Before going through any reference books make sure that the source is credible. Here is the list of some reference books that will help candidates prepare better for the exam:

For Engineering Mathematics- Higher Engineering Mathematics by B.S Grewal and Advanced Engineering Mathematics by Erwin Kreyszig.

For General Aptitude- Quantitative Aptitude and Verbal & Non-Verbal Ability by R.S Aggarwal. 

For Electronics and Communication- 

How to Prepare for this exam?

GATE preparation for ece should be carried out as follows:

1. The first thing to keep in mind while preparing is that the candidates should make a proper study plan or time table. A detailed plan will help the candidate to follow the studying routine and also keep a track of their schedule.
2. Sort the most important questions first. Take a look at the previous years question papers and separate the important, simple and most likely questions. 
3. Study according to the weightage of each section. Note that many candidates neglect or study the general aptitude or engineering mathematics at the last minute. These sections should also be solved from day one itself along with the technical subject. 
4. The candidates should identify their strengths and weaknesses in each subject and then give appropriate time to that subject. 
5. Take mock tests, solve sample papers and previous years exam papers to get an exact idea of the exam pattern and the type of questions to be asked in the exam.  
6. Make small notes from the beginning of your studying routine. This way it will be easy for the candidates to 
7. Last but not least keep on revising every day. A proper revision plan should also be carried out by the candidates on a daily basis rather than revising at the last moment. 

GATE preparation for ece should be followed by a lot of hard work, a positive attitude and the will to score the best in the exams. Do not forget to check the official notifications for more details about the exam from the online portal of the IITs conducting the exam for that particular year.