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UGC NET what Books to study

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For UGC NET Computer Science paper target a score of around 40/50 in paper-1 (where  5 questions each from  IT,Data Interpretation,unseen passage, logical ability, teaching methodology are asked and they are of avg level and also one can leave 10 questions out of 60). Devote one day per week for First Paper.

Try to score 35 /50 in paper 2 , for this little logical approach is required , crucial subjects for this part are Graph theory, DS ,OS, DBMS, Network, Automata, Digital electronics,

For paper 3 total 75 questions , subjects to focus for paper 3  — > AI, Comp graphics, java, xml, DIP, Fuzzy sets, operation research , Micro-processor , Unix . [ you can leave Op research, microprocessor, DIP]

If u can score  38/75 (although one should aim for attempting 50/75 confidently) will do the job.

For this section cover subjects like  AI , DAA, CG, ,SE , Automata ,network , DBMS  , OS ,Fuzzy logic/sets, OR.

Analyze all previous year question papers and try to solve them…U will get a feel up-to how much depth you have to drill down…

Expected Questions

Subject:                            Standard textbooks                                  paper 2              Paper 3

Computer Graphics :-       Schaum Series/Hearn &Becker                Nil                           5

Automata—                   Peter Linz or JD ullman                                  4                            5-6

DE  & computer arch.            M Mano                                               3                             5- 6

C Dennis Ritchie                    (read first 6 chapters)                           3                              1-2

C++ and OOPS                      K R Venugopal Mastering C++             3                              5

DBMS—-                               Nava­the/Korth                                        5                                5

Data Structures—                  Mark Alan Weiss                                   4                               1-2

Computer Networks—        Fourouzan/ Tanenbaum/Kurose Ross     5                              5

OS—                                      Galvin                                                       5                                   5-6

Artificial Intelligence               Russel &   Norvig /Rich and night         2                                     6

S/­W engg—                      KK Aggrawa or Pressman or internet slides    4                                 5-6

DAA –                               Coreman(CLRS)                                            1-2                                         5

UNIX­—                            Sumithbha Dass                                          2                                          3

Graph Theory              Narsingh Deo                                                    3                                        Nil

Fuzzy Sets/Logic                   Timothy Ross                                             Nil                                  2-3

Op Research                       J k Sharma/SDsharma                             Nil                                    3

Microprocessor  8085             Ramesh  Gaonkar                              Nil                                    3-4

JAVA                                       any basic book                                   Nil                                          3

XML,HTML                     Internet or any basic book                      Nil                                          3

Probability,permutation/combination   ask in group                    2                                        Nil

Digital Image processing        Madhuri A joshi / orGonzalez         Nil                                   2-3

 

While studying a subject or topic . keep ready some objective questions from previous year papers / a reliable  MCQ book (Timothy Williams( its accuracy>95% but < 99%) and NET/Gate question papers will do )

 

Maintain separate copy for each Subject ..

You can skip some parts of syllabus in Paper 3 (like compiler , op. research, DIP etc if u have not studied before)….

Don’t skip 1)OS  2)Network 3)DBMS 4)AI  5)CG  6)Automata 7)DS  8)SE 9)Digital

 

Group Study and discussion will also benefit .  Always give ur ans with explanation

Regularity and Revision is the key for final preparation . leave alt least last 15 days for that

Attempt your Exam  with ur full energy and positive attitude till end (even if u think one paper went not so good)

Most important thing,   “Believe in yourself”    never loose patience and hope.   You will surely get success if u have worked hard      as hard work never goes waste.

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What Resources to Use for GATE CSE Preparation?

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Please see here for general advice to GATE aspirants including those doing bachelors. In this post, I’m going to give a summary about what all resources to use and how to use them for getting a good rank in GATE which is usually a 2 digit rank.  To start with some comments about question-solving:

Solving a question means you should not just mug up solution given by someone. First you have to attempt solving. If you can all is well. Else, ask yourself where you are stuck, what you do not know. Then, refer text again, attempt again. If you cannot solve then see some good solution and fix what you missed.

Remember the 30% rule for question solving. That is, if you solve 100 questions you should not refer the solution for more than 30% of them. If you do so, you are preparing wrong.

Now, let me give a description of some resources I know.

  • Standard Books:  This is the best resource recommended by most GATE toppers.
    • Advantages: Contents are 100% correct and reliable. Usually presented in the best possible way. Many of the tough questions in GATE come from the examples/exercises given in standard books.
    • Disadvantages: Some people not good in English find it tough to follow standard books. I guess those people can try improving English and try to learn more from the examples given in the text.
    • What all to study?: You should know which all chapters are relevant for GATE. There is no point in reading and understanding every line of the text. You should just need to know what is important- usually what is important is those which are needed to solve example questions. Also, to understand the standard definitions given. To summarize, you should know:
      • All the chapters relevant for GATE – say in Cormen, only about 20% pages are in GATE syllabus.
      • All the sub-headings in chapters relevant for GATE.
      • If a portion is in GATE, you should know to work out the given example in the text – for example constructing LALR parsing table construction in Dragon book though this constructing has never been asked in GATE. But if you have solved it once, you can answer many related questions which do come in GATE.
      • Exercise questions – you can follow and come and go approach towards them. There is no need to solve all of them. Also, usually ‘*’ questions are not needed for GATE. I suggest to solve example questions, then previous GATE questions and some exercise questions.
      • Once again, never follow local author book. I had followed one for Discrete Mathematics during B.Tech. and I could not even get 1 question correct in GATE. This is also said by most toppers. If you are strong in a subject (like being a good C programmer or good in Databases), you may avoid reading standard textbook- but never read sub-standard materials and corrupt your knowledge.
  • Video Lectures: This is recommended for those doing bachelors or those seeing a subject first time. If you have a reasonable depth in a subject and can follow the text, then no need of watching video lectures. That is most of these videos are meant to make a base of the subject. The Same thing is applicable for Courses. More videos can also be found at videos.
  • Test Series: When I gave my GATE I had given no test series. Even many toppers 5-6 years ago hardly gave any test series. But it is the fashion nowadays. Everyone wants to give and so you also can give them, but before giving any do these:
    • Solve all previous year GATE questions.
    • When a concept is repeated in a question and you know it, no need to solve again.
    • GATE official keys are available only from 2011 onwards. So, while solving please do not corrupt your knowledge with some wrong explanation given somewhere. If the explanation given anywhere is not satisfying your knowledge based on standard material, then consider it wrong until proven right by someone. You can ask your queries on GATE Overflow where all previous year GATE questions are there.
    • GATE IT questions are also good and recommended as they are of same quality as CSE ones.
    • If you need more questions do from previous year TIFR, ISI, CMI papers which are of very good standard. Also if you have more time more standard book questions can be solved. New Gradiance  is a very good site for standard questions.
    • Now, in the end, you need to not only know the subject but also need to practice solving 65 questions in the best possible way for GATE. For this, you can use any test series. Previous year papers are available in GATE Overflow which can give this experience. Some test series given here are reasonable but you should not spend more time on them. This is anyway just for the finishing touch after covering subjects properly. And many of the test series have plenty of mistakes. Mistakes in answer key are fine as long as you know it, but a mistake in question is bad as it corrupts a student’s knowledge. Questions for one of the prominent test series last year was made by M.Tech. students from a private engineering college. Those who are smart enough know to avoid them.
  • GATECSE: This contains all the resources from gatecsewiki and contributions by GATECSE FB group. There is a schedule for GATE CSE preparation. All the discussion archives and useful weblinks are on the respective  Subject pages. 
  • GATE Overflow: Has more than 22k questions as of now. But do not get confused. For GATE preparation you just need to focus on previous GATE questions and if you want there is a GATE only mode in GATE Overflow which hides all other questions. You can enable it here. Currently, GATE Overflow has all the previous GATE CS/IT, TIFR, CMI, ISI, ISRO questions relevant for CSE and UGC NET questions are also getting added. The exam interface will allow you to practice any previous exam.
    • Even after all topics are covered from standard resources some questions for GATE are tricky to solve. Cache-Virtual memory, TM decidability, digital logic, pipeline etc. are some examples. These are solved in GATE Overflow and are useful for GATE preparation
    • One of the sad parts of GATE Overflow is aspirants asking bad questions. Most of these are taken from some coaching material which might have no standard. Again I request you all to please follow standard materials for questions and not these kinds of stuff. This year, more priority will be given to genuine doubts and queries from standard books and less for those copied from coaching material
    • GATE Overflow is not providing any coaching. It is an interface for students to clear their doubts. So, one should have studied to have doubt. Do not think that spending time on GATE Overflow will get you a good rank. Like the 30% rule, do not spend more than 30% of your preparation time on GATE Overflow at least until you have covered most topics for GATE
    • Most importantly do realize that questions are never ending. There are infinite Finite Automata and so there are infinite questions that can be asked on regular expressions. Please do not try to solve all of them, as this won’t take you anywhere. This is a mistake seen with those preparing from GATE materials.
    • GO Classroom will be giving programming assignment across various GATE subjects to cementize your concepts. You can enroll for each subject by logging to the site and going to Site Home. Username is your GO username and password has been sent to all registered users.

  • If you use standard resources and learn from the top professors no one can beat you in GATE. Beleieve in you and do coding and problem solving.

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Is solving previous year questions enough?

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Enough for?

It is enough to surely get 30-50 marks but that won’t get you even to an NIT unless you have some reservation. If you carefully read the below points you can get higher marks.

How to solve?

Getting answer to the previous year GATE questions takes you nowhere as in GATE questions RARELY do get repeated. But in many topics, same type of questions get asked. One example is cache memory from CO & Computer Architecture subject. If you know properly to solve one question from this topics, you can solve many similar ones. And if you are seeing someone’s solution, make that your own by really understanding each and every step. You should never byheart someone’s solution as in most times they will just backfire in GATE.

So, if you are solving a previous paper and if you don’t know an answer, first look in a standard resource (either standard text book or resource given by some top university) and understand the topic. If you still can’t get an answer show your solution to someone and understand where you went wrong. Only if it is unavoidable check someone else’s solution. Also realize that the first few problems of a subject should take a LOT LOT more time to solve than the rest because those should be cementing your concepts as well.

I know to solve all previous year GATE questions. Will I get into top 100?

If you really know the proper way to solve the previous GATE questions you have a high chance of getting into top 100. You should be able to get at least 80 marks from them and usually 60+ is enough for a good rank (if exam is easy this can go up to 70+ as happened in 2011). But this means you shouldn’t make any mistakes while reading the questions and interpret all questions properly- no space for silly mistakes. To get into the safe space of 90+ you have to understand the topics properly. One example is Database Normalization. If you know how to identify the keys from Functional Dependencies and able to identify the Normalization level, you can answer most (almost 90%) of the questions from this area. But to guarantee 100%, you need to understand what is normalization and why is it done, what is the significance of Functional dependencies etc.

Understand the concepts- what does this mean?

One example is “what is the complexity of merge sort?”. If you know it is O(nlogn)O(nlog⁡n) then it is not enough for GATE. You must know how that O(nlogn)O(nlog⁡n) is the TIGHTEST upper bound for the complexity of merge sort and HOW that came. In short those making GATE questions know that people will be by hearting these complexities and they will make sure the question is twisted and only those who know how to derive the complexity can answer that.

Can I understand all concepts?

Probably no. But do as much as you can and especially do understand the concepts in Algorithms and Data structures- they are the subjects where the questions are usually twisted. I have seen many people leaving Theory of Computation for preparation. But that is not a good idea. Usually questions from TOC are asked quite a bit for GATE. And these questions are easily answerable if you have studied till Turing machines and reduction. Practise do help in TOC as questions come only from a small class of problems.

How many papers should I solve?

There are people who got top 100 even without solving a single previous year paper. So, even 1 is enough. For those who have good grip in the subjects, solving three papers of GATE 2014 is enough. If you have time you can solve papers from 2010 on wards. Only for those who prepare solely from previous GATE papers, I encourage to solve papers before 2010. And I have found that many questions from 1991-1998 to be bit tough. And many of the topics asked then are not in syllabus now. So, please be aware of these while solving those papers.

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Mock Tests for GATE

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Mock Tests are useful for GATE — but only after you know the concepts well. Never ever try to learn by giving the mock tests. The tests must be used to see how well you can apply the concepts you know, how you can understand and skip difficult questions, how to optimize time in answering a question etc. For good tests like previous year GATE papers, you can spend a considerable time analyzing and seeing which all topics lost your marks and then seeing how you can improve on them. Many of the below tests even if paid have a considerable amount of wrong questions and answers and so if you are giving them — beware. Personally, if I’m taking GATE I will just take the previous year GATE papers, some free tests and if I have enough time then the tests by Testbook. I have very poor opinion of the question standard of any other paid test series and doing wrong questions corrupt your knowledge and will only reduce your final marks. GATE stands for quality and not quantity — choose the tests wisely.

Site Remarks Free/Paid New Questions/ Prev questions Subject wise or Full Length
GATE Overflow Tests GO now provides tests for GATE and this includes exact previous year GATE, ISRO papers and also their subject wise version. A few subject wise custom tests are also provided under the category “GATE Overflow Tests”. Bikram Ballav has also provided 4+ full length exams similar to GATE level and also many custom subject wise tests under the category “Tests by Mentors”. Free Both Both
Virtual GATE Techtud provides a free forum to share, learn and contribute precise technical information. Especially useful for GATE aspirants, it provides short videos on all subjects of GATE and Q&A by high technical expertize. Some previous questions are here. Free Both Both
TestBook Numerous mock tests in various categories with a bank of thousands of questions. Developed and compiled by a team of 40+ toppers and experts of respective exams. Exam preparation without a price tag. No gimmicks. No ads. Some previous questions are here. Paid/Free Both Both
Geeksquiz GeeksforGeeks Free Both Both
Made Easy They spend a good amount of money for test series. Usual subjects are covered well in their tests. But some topics like COA and Decidability are usually bad. If you can know and skip such ones, this test series is fine. Some previous questions are here. Paid New questions Both
GateForum From their website- “A complete online assessment module for GATE Aspirants the Online TarGATE provides the students with the flexibility of giving the tests at home and getting the score and performance analysis sitting at home. GATE is completely online for All streams and hence we have the Online TarGATE with all the 77 tests completely online” Paid New Questions Both
Techpariksha Techpariksha Paid/Free Both Both
TIME From their website- “In a bid to prepare the student for the rigors of the actual exam, T.I.M.E. test series incorporates all the required changes in the exam and simulates the exam environment. Enroll with T.I.M.E. GATE test series and give yourself that extra edge over the other GATE aspirants.” Paid Both Both
ACE For GATE 2016, ACE Test series was horrible and there was a rumor that the questions were made by M.Tech. students studying in ACE Engineering College. Some previous questions are here. Paid New questions Both

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GATE: How to prepare by your own efforts : : some Tips

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Preparation Procedure 

A. To prepare for a competitive exam, the first and foremost thing is determination. It is like “If I want to do it, I will do it, No matter how”. An Exam is just like a battle, give your everything to it, but stay calm as well.
B. Fix small targets like I will complete this and this topic in this week. This is the time for concept building. Learn more and more concepts and learn them by heart.
C. You need to plan actually every day according to the level of preparation you have done. You need to look out on every aspect of each subject and have to decide how much time to give to each topic.
D. Every day when you wake up, make a list of topics you will cover by the night. Strive to achieve the target. and if you fail, have a new start next morning. This is all about how much fight you can put.
E. Sleeping is also important. It freshens you up. Sleep of at-least 6 hrs is very vital. Do not sleep too much also as makes you dull and inactive.
F. In the schedule you need to take some short brakes of about 10-15 minutes after every 2-3 hrs of study.
G. Do not get disheartened if you are not able to keep up to your plans, make another plan and keep trying. Keep your spirit high.
H. As far as concentration, you can also try meditating. It helps in relaxing your brain and
concentrating.
I. If you take adequate sleep with proper diet and devote the rest of the time in properly planned study with breaks in about every 2-3 hrs of regular study you can surely get through this phase.

Tip Number 1:
It’s true that this is a crucial time for you and any efforts without proper direction won’t bring about the desired results. What I would suggest you to do is, make a list of all those chapters that you have completed thoroughly and that you are comfortable with. Then identify your weak areas ant try to cover them as soon as possible.
• Once you overcome those areas, this would give you a mental boost and you shall gain
momentum and complete rest of the things even faster.
• Try to finish your studies once at least by November end or mid-December. Then start giving
test papers.
• Plus start solving GATE Questions of previous years, as they help a lot.
• This is a schedule viewing the long term plans.
As far as daily efforts are concerned, you are yourselves responsible for making a timetable and following it. This is because only you know your daily schedule and the time slots that you can devote for studying. Hence try to optimize those…..Keep your spirits high.

 

Tip No 2: 
First of all take the GATE brochure where you will have the syllabus for GATE and read every topic and ask your inside voice that “CAN YOU DO THIS?? DO YOU KNOW THIS??” by the voice comes from inside you can categorize the every subtopic into GOOD , AVERGE & LOW.
• Now prepare your schedule in such way that you will give time to solve problems from topics
which are rated as GOOD & AVERAGE and give relatively more time for reading concepts as well as problems of topics which rated as LOW.
• So at that time you write as many model exams as possible and AFTER WRITING THE EXAMS
YOU NEED TO ANALYZE THE PAPER. This will helps you a lot to identify where you make the
common mistakes. It will be more productive if you concentrate on the topics in which you are
good at during this time after model exams.
• you can prepare the schedule yourself in a better way than anyone else because you know your strong and weak points. but you need to prepare your schedule in such a way that where you can become at-least AVERAGE level in the topics PRESENTLY RATED AS LOW.
• And also do the previous year GATE papers. there will be some topics where topics are easy and surely good number questions are expected(like KMap concept in Digital).so don’t leave them. never leave them. you can easily get what the topics are those if you observe the previous year papers. hope this will be useful for you.

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Practice Test Papers of Full length test series

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There are lots of questions you can find in below link , questions are taken from different institutes and gate papers also.
There are many full length Test papers with solutions.

Click below to Download them

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0Bx2aB9J2P4QtYVAwOGUyUU5JRFU&usp=sharing

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Best Courses for GATE CSE

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No video lecture is specifically needed for GATE. You have to know the basics of GATE subjects and video lectures for them can be found in the below links. Choose the one which you like the most. All of them are guaranteed to be good.

For recommended videos for each subject you can refer here

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