GATE 2018 Topper Interview Shishir Kumud (AIR 18-IN) - “Make good notes and have a good hold on your basics”
“Work hard, Play hard”! This quote perfectly describes Shishir Kumud who has secured 18th rank in GATE 2018 Instrumentation Engineering (IE). Starting off his preparation from his 3rd year in college, the boy hailing from Raebareli has never given a break in his studies and constantly worked on his strategies. Along with his preparation, Shishir has taken care to keep his mind relaxed with sports and music. In his interview with Careers360, Shishir explains why he opted for GATE examination, what motivates him and his future plans.

Careers360: Tell us something about yourself; Where have you done your engineering from and in which branch?
Shishir Kumud: My name is Shishir Kumud and I am originally from Raebareli (U.P). Currently, I am living in Korba (Chhatisgarh). I am pursuing my bachelor’s degree from SGSITS Indore in Electronics and Instrumentation engineering branch.
Careers360: What was the GATE Paper you appeared in? What rank did you get in GATE 2018? What is your GATE score and how many marks did you secure out of 100 in GATE paper?
Shishir Kumud: I appeared for Instrumentation Engineering (IN) paper in GATE 2018. I secured 18th rank in that paper. My GATE Score was 844 and my marks were 83.33.
Careers360: Is this your first attempt or did you attempt GATE earlier?
Shishir Kumud: Yes, this was my first attempt at the GATE examination.
Careers360: What was the reason you appeared for GATE 2018? Please elaborate.
Shishir Kumud: I always had interest in technical fields and that was the first and foremost reason. Apart from that, my father is also working in a PSU so he asked me to just check if I was interested in that paper.
Careers360: Have you applied to any PSUs recruiting through GATE? Which ones?
Shishir Kumud: Yes, I have applied to many PSU’s like NTPC, HPCL, IOCL and I am still waiting for ONGC.
Careers360: When did you start your preparation? How did you prepare for the GATE exam? How many hours did you put in per day as per the stage of preparation?
Shishir Kumud: I started my preparation from my 3rd year of college. I joined Engineer’s Circle coaching in Indore for the preparation. At the early stages, I used to put in 4 hours for study and half an hour for the revision of notes that I studied that day in the coaching. But then I realized that I need to put in more working hours so I increased my hours of study to 6-8 and sometimes it even touched 10 hours. For almost 1.5 years I only slept for 3-5 hours and this is the reason I had enough time to balance my academics and my activities.
Careers360: Have you taken any coaching? If yes- From where? How did it help?
Shishir Kumud: Yes I joined Engineer’s Circle coaching in Indore. The coaching has a really good set of faculties and even the staff members are very supportive and really flexible with timings. At the end of my coaching I had a good bunch of notes that I could study.
Careers360: Can you share any preparation strategies with our readers? When should one start their preparation for GATE? How to schedule study time and make timetables?
Shishir Kumud: For the preparation strategy, I would advise to just make good notes and have a good hold on your basics i.e your basic concepts should be very strong. Actually there is no ideal time for starting the preparation for GATE. But if you start even 6 months before GATE examination and you are fully focused on GATE then I don’t think there will be any problem and you would easily score 80+ marks. It is not necessary to make timetables because following that has always been a difficult task especially for me.
Careers360: How important do you feel mock tests are and why? Is it true that if one solves the previous year question papers, there is a good chance of cracking the exam successfully?
Shishir Kumud: Mock tests of GATE are the most essential part of your preparation because practicing offline is a different thing and practicing it online with some time boundaries is a whole set of different experience . Definitely solving previous papers is very important because you get to know the pattern of the exam and you know which subjects to focus more and which to not.
Careers360: Which books did you follow for GATE preparation? Please name some very important must read books for GATE
Shishir Kumud: I just solved the coaching booklets and the previous question papers and joined 2-3 test series for a good practice.
Careers360: Which are the topics one should focus more on? Kindly give us some details
Shishir Kumud: For instrumentation branch I would suggest Control Systems, Analog Electronics, Digital Electronics and Sensors and Transducers. These subjects can easily give you 35-40 marks and you will be left with easy subjects to tackle which gives you a head start from others.
Careers360: What was the toughest aspect in your GATE preparation?
Shishir Kumud: A time comes after some rigorous studying that you get frustrated and you just don’t want to study at all. Keep calm in that phase and take some time off and then you will have some confidence and you can rebuild on where you left off.
Careers360: What did you do for leisure? Any specific activities that helped you unwind?
Shishir Kumud: I love music and without it I was not able to study and I also love to play Football and Table Tennis. Apart from that, I went out with my friends for movies and hangout in some cool cafes and restaurants.
Careers360: How should you schedule answering the GATE exam – which section to attempt first and which next? Did you have any strategy? Kindly share your exam experience with us.
Shishir Kumud: Yes, I attempted the technical part first and then the aptitude section because I had practiced that strategy in the mock test series, but it is up to you, whatever you are comfortable with you should go with that.
Careers360: What did you feel was a tough thing for you in the GATE exam?
Shishir Kumud: I could feel the pressure from the start of the exam and if you can handle that thing then you would excel otherwise you have to think about options. That 3 hours can change your life and you just don’t have to think about that in those 3 hours.
Careers360: Any advice for the future aspirants?
Shishir Kumud: Doing smart study and not just hard work can get anyone past this examination. Do not ruin your life on the basis of whatever results you are getting while preparation, good times will definitely come and embrace your life.
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Questions related to GATE
how to register for IOCL recruitment through gate 2021
Hello,
A paper notification regarding IOCL GATE 2021 recruitment has been published in the official website. The registrations for the same will be opened after GATE 2021 admit cards are released. The detailed notification along with the schedule will be published soon. The link to register for the recruitment will be made available in the official website. As of now the registrations are not yet opened so you have to check the official website for updates . The link is given below
https://iocl.com/PeopleCareers/job.aspx
You need to register with an e-mail ID and phone number and fill the details and upload required documents. The detailed instructions that you have to follow while filling the application will be given. You have to read those instructions carefully. GATE 2020 or earlier score is not considered for IOCL GATE 2021 recruitment.
Best online Coaching for gate Metallurgy
Hii,
There are many a top coaching for gate preparation. Some of the best online coaching for gate Metallurgicial engineering are given below
GATE FORUM
ACE ENGINEERING ACADEMY
ENGINEERS ACADEMY
VANI INSTITUTE
for more details information you can check in the link given below
https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-online-coaching
Hope this information will help you
how to write mock tests in this app??
hi,
IIT Bombay which would conduct gate 2021 exam, has released the mock test of GATE 2021 at gate.iitb.ac.in on November 25. GATE 2021 mock test is a sample of the actual question paper in which student would participate in gate 2021 exam. however you may follow the below link to practice the gate mock test:
https://gate.iitb.ac.in/mock.php?utm_source=careers360&utm_medium=traffic
hope it would help.
i currently doing my b.tech from bihar engineering college, in Electrical branch, i want to prepare for gate 2024 what should i do and dont ?
Dear Aspirant,
That's actually great knowing that you have ample time to prepare for the exam. 3 years of dedicated & consistent practice will yield will very good results. I appreciate your thought about the same.
Firstly, download the syllabus of your stream from the official site of GATE. After that interact with students from your vicinity & in your circle if anyone is preparing for the same. You can also watch YT videos for getting more information about your particular stream. Kindly be known of what is expected of you & what you need to do everyday. Enjoy the learning process & you'll absolutely enjoy to solve the application problems of the exam. Understand the basic concepts of your stream & read them thoroughly. This will help you understand the concept. Be in touch with the subjects, prepare small notes for whatever you are learning. By this, you can do revision & will not forget easily. Solve problems & get on test series later in your final year. Be consistent & prepare well for the same.
Thanks.
is there any negative matk availablr for gate exam??
Hello,
Yes there are negative marking in gate. This year GATE exam paper will have three different types of question pattern. There will be Multiple choice question (MCQs) where you will have four options and only one is correct. Then you have fill the blank type where you won't have any options you need to solve the question and put the obtained value in the blank and the final question type which is added this year is the Multiple selection questions (MSQs) where you will have four options and more than one can be correct you will need to choose the right option and in such questions if you do not select all the right options then you will be awarded zero marks. There are no partial markings for such questions but the good news is that there are not negative marking for Multiple selection questions (MSQs) and fill the blank type. Only the MCQs will have negative marking for 1 mark questions 1/3 mark will be deducted every wrong answer and for 2 mark questions 2/3 mark will be deducted for every incorrect response.