GATE PREPARATION FOR ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
In recent years the number of aspirants appearing for Graduate Aptitude Technical Examination (GATE) has increased manifold. This exam not only serves as a filter for admission to IISc, IITs, NITs nowadays most of the Public Sector Union (PSUs) companies such as Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), ONGC, SAIL, etc shortlist students for Management Trainee profile from this examination.
With the rising competition and vast course, new aspirants get confused as to how to approach the preparation for GATE Electrical Engineering paper. This roadmap is precisely for such students.
The syllabus for GATE EE paper is in this link. There are 11 subjects in the Electrical Engineering paper apart from General Aptitude and English which is common across all branches.
The graph below shows the weightage of each subject in GATE 2019 which may vary slightly every year. From the graph, it can be understood that each and every subject is important and it is highly advisable to not skip any subject especially for people aiming for top ranks.
Some of the important points to remember while starting your preparation.
Do’s
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GATE previous 25 years papers are your holy grail. After studying each subject you must thoroughly practice GATE questions of the corresponding subject.
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Prepare all subjects and if there is time crunch don’t skip subjects with heavy weightage.
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Give thorough attention to Engineering Mathematics, Aptitude and English.
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Prepare short notes containing relevant formulas and important concepts.
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Attempt as many full syllabus tests as possible.
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Take care of your health, eat nutritious food and get proper sleep.
Don’t
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Do not use multiple books rather a single standard book for each subject is sufficient.
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Do not take subjects personally. Some people attempt to be experts in a single subject and neglecting other subjects. As I mentioned earlier the exam with consist of questions from all subjects.
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Do not spend too much time on a single question. Seek the help of the concerned faculty or friends.
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Neither be worried nor be happy with practice mock tests. Simply understand your mistake and try not to repeat it in future.
Recommended books and online resources for each subject
1. Power Electronics: This subject tends to a headache for many students. A Clear understanding of the properties of R, L and C goes a long way for improvement in this subject.
Books:
- Power Electronics by PS Bhimbra
- Power Electronics by MS Rashid
Online Resources:
Additional Resources: Aspirants interested to observe the waveform of voltage and current signals of different types of Power electronics circuit can use a free MATLAB toolbox created by me.
2. Electrical Machine: Many core concept of electrical machines is derived from electromagnetic theory such as Faraday’s Law, Lenz’s law etc. This subject can be pretty vast thus focus on concepts asked in previous year papers.
Books:
- Electrical Machinery by P.S Bhimbra
- Electrical Machinery by A.E Fitzgerald
Online Resources:
3. Engineering Mathematics: This subject is one of the most important subjects which is frequently neglected by aspirants. Approximately 12 marks of question are asked from this subject each year so do not neglect it.
Books :
Online Resources:
4. Electromagnetic Theory: Each year 2 to 4 marks come from this subject. Understanding the fundamental concepts of EMT helps in other subjects such as electrical machines. It is must do for people aiming top rank.
Books:
- Elements of Electromagnetic Theory by Matthew N.O Sadiku
- 12th class NCERT Physics (Only study GATE syllabus)
Online Resources:
5. Network Theory: NT is one of the basic and important subjects. Understanding properties of R, L, C, transient analysis, KVL, KCL is crucial for proper understanding of Power Electronics, Analog and electrical machine.
Books:
- Fundamentals of Electric Circuits – Alexander and Sadiku
- Circuit Analysis by Hayt and Kimmerly
Online Resources:
6. Power System: Key to excelling Power System is an extensive practice of previous year questions and continuous revision of formulas.
Books:
- Power System Analysis by Hadi Sadat
- Power System Analysis by Stevenson
Online Resources:
- GATEMATIC
- GATE ACADEMY
- NESO ACADEMY
7. Control System: During my attempt for GATE I was able to attempt all questions of control system correctly and in my experience, previous year GATE questions are sufficient for excelling in control system. For additional practice, aspirants can refer to GATE question of other branches.
Books:
- Automatic Control System by Benjamin C Kuo
- Modern Control Engineering by Ogata
Online Resources:
8. Analog Electronics: The knowledge of virtual short and its application in problems is important for this subject
Books:
- Microelectronics Circuit by Sedra and Smith
- Notes of any coaching institute
Online Resources:
9. Digital Electronics: Almost every year a question is asked from K-Maps along with the question of either Combinational or sequential circuit.
Books:
- Digital Design by Morris Mano
Online Resources:
10. Signal and System: This is a subject with weightage of 3 to 7 marks each year. Basic understanding of convolution and Fourier series and Fourier transform helps a lot for scoring high marks.
Books:
- Signals and System by Oppenheim, Wilsky and Nawab
Online Resources:
11) Instrumentation and Measurement: Generally very basic questions are asked each year testing the fundamentals. Thus a clear understanding of the working of measuring equipment helps a lot.
Books:
- A Course in Electrical and Electronic Measurements and Instrumentation by A. K. Sawhney
Online Resources:
Sources for problems to practice subject wise:
Another important query of aspirants is from where to practice problems. Solving questions from standard books take a lot of time and may not cover GATE syllabus. Thus aspirants can follow the below sources for each subject.
The emphasis on Kreatryx material is because I myself and my friends have used it extensively during our preparation and it proved immensely useful. The list is no way exhaustive nor the only list aspirants are free to try their own sources for problem practice.
Timeline of syllabus completion:
Usually the summer vacation for 4th year students and droppers start around May thus it is an appropriate time to start preparation. A time line for completion of GATE syllabus is presented in the diagram below. The order of subject completion is such that the aspirant is comfortable with basic fundamentals before jumping into the core electrical subjects.
After the completion of all subjects from December 20 till a week before GATE the aspirants should follow the below routine of revising short notes, appearing mock tests and analyzing their mistakes.
Final Word:
With all the advice in the world what matters is smart as well as perseverant practice. Each person has his own map of success. Best of luck for GATE 2020.
By,
Sambit Dash
