GATE 2020 Topper's Interview Nikhil Chandratre (AIR 56 ME)

By Vineet Vijay|Updated : April 3rd, 2021
GATE is one of the prestigious exam for every Mechanical Engineer who is aiming to secure a job in PSU which offer high respect and salary or admission to some of the premier institutions of the country for higher studies. Every year over 2 Lac candidates appear for the GATE Exam but just few of them could get into PSUs. This year GATE was conducted on 1st Feb in the morning and afternoon sessions and the final result was declared on 13th March 2020 in which Nikhil Chandratre achieved AIR 56 with 79.55 marks and 899 GATE score in GATE 2020 Mechanical Engineering Exam.
 
Repeated failures, financial constraints & depressions were just the stepping stones to his success in the second attempt of the GATE exam. So BYJU'S Exam Prep is bringing the success story of Nikhil Chandratre which will inspire thousands of other to excel in GATE exam.
 

GATE 2020 Success Story of Nikhil Chandratre

Gradeup: Please tell us something about yourself and your motivation to appear for GATE 2020

Nikhil: I graduated from Pune University in the year 2019. This was my second attempt. In the first attempt, my score was 640/1000. My roommates inspired me to appear for GATE 2020, as there are a plethora of opportunities available after getting good marks in GATE. So these opportunities motivated me the most.
 

Gradeup: Please share your preparation strategy in detail 

Nikhil: GATE Exam syllabus: This is very important but often overlooked by aspirants during preparation. There are many questions which come across us during preparation which may not even be a part of GATE syllabus. So I spend a lot of time in solving those questions and if not solved, get frustrated. So, the first thing I did was I took out a print of syllabus and I always used to have it with me when I used to study so that I can filter out the questions which are not part of the syllabus.
Study plan :
  • Prepare own Notes, from whichever resource you like, it may be your coaching, NPTEL videos and other content available on Youtube.
  • Solve Previous Year Questions by heart and soul. They are the real gems.
  • Practice ample questions from good coaching material or books you have.
  • Prepare formula book and revise it daily.
  • Start appearing for mock test in the month of December, irrespective of your preparation level. This will help you cope up with the entire syllabus, as early as possible.
 

Gradeup: Please share some important topics & necessary preparation sources (books/study material etc) to prepare for GATE.

 Nikhil: Select good reference books, at least for the subjects which carry large weightage.
  • Such as P. k. Nag for Thermodynamics, R C Hibbeler for Mechanics, TOM and Dynamics ( go through it, it's worth it),
  • F M White for Fluid Mechanics ( arouses curiosity to understand the subject well as well as provides good quality questions. Many questions have directly been asked from this book).
  •  I would also recommend watching NPTEL lectures by Prof. S K Som, for Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics as they are highly conceptual.

Gradeup: What are the challenges you faced in your preparation journey?

Nikhil:
  • I will take this opportunity to thank my family for believing in me, without their financial and more importantly mental support, I could not have done this. I also received motivation from my friends.
  • So these factors made my journey easier but yes when i used to get low score in mock tests, it would disappoint me but to perform better in the next test, one has to use that emotion as a weapon.
  • The major challenge that any serious aspirant face is to overcome frustration when you score less in mocks and I think analysis of failure improves our performance. I would advise everybody preparing out there for gate not to give up but analyse your situation and come with smart way.

Gradeup: What are some mistakes that you would have done during your preparation, that you would advise fellow aspirants to avoid?

Nikhil:
  • Judging or Deciding on our own whether this question can appear in gate is a bad habit, never leave any question just because you could not solve it or it looks lengthy. IITs have started asking lengthy questions in gate.
  • Stick to your schedule as much as possible and stop procrastinating, I myself used to procrastinate over revising formula book and short notes and I paid its cost by scoring low in mock tests.

Gradeup: What was your strategy in the last 1 month before the GATE exam?

Nikhil:
  • Revise all the self-made notes.
  • Solved previous year questions.
  • Took around 20 FLTs in the last month.
  • Analysing weaknesses and improving on those weak areas
  • Practising a lot of questions on weak topics.

Gradeup: How did BYJU'S Exam Prep help you in your preparation?

Nikhil:
  • I used to take up daily quizzes. Questions in those quizzes had good quality and also made me aware of the competition out there.
  • Also, many good articles are posted daily such as short notes, formulae compilations, study notes etc.

Gradeup: What feature of the BYJU'S Exam Prep App was the most useful for you?

 Nikhil: The best part of it is we can personalise it according to our preparation.

Gradeup: Any special advice for BYJU'S Exam Prep users preparing for GATE 2021

Nikhil: Consistency is more important than any other virtue to succeed in GATE. Try to finish with the whole syllabus till December end. Surround yourself with people who will motivate you throughout your preparation. Take care of your health as it is above all the material things. Keep studying and everything will fall in place.
 
 
Thanks
Prep Smart, Score Better.

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