GATE Topper Interview – Rohit Sachdeva (AIR 93 CE, 2017)

Cracking the GATE is a dream of most of the engineering students in India. Rohit Sachdeva from Delhi Technological University (formerly known as the Delhi College of Engineering) actualized this big dream by claiming AIR 93 (CE) in GATE 2017. He has scored 872 marks out of 1000 in one of the most difficult competitive exams in India. Rohit shared his feelings of being a GATE 2017 Topper with Aglasem and chipped in some essential tips for GATE aspirants. Read the complete interview to know more about Rohit and his success at GATE.

About Rohit Sachdeva

Rohit Sachdeva lives in New Delhi with his parents and grandparents. Both his parents work in Bank. He graduated from Delhi College of Engineering (DCE) in 2012 (a gold medalist of his batch). He worked 2 years in Samsung Engineering India as a Structural Design Engineer and is currently working in Bureau of Indian Standards as a Scientist.

He stated his motive behind appearing in GATE 2017:

I had always wanted to enter a teaching line. My technical is strong and I always want to learn more of it. My 5 years of work experience in my field has taught me a lot and now I want to go in research line. I later want to become a professor at IITs/IISc.

Surely, GATE 2017 Topper Rohit Sachdeva has made his parents proud. But, one must wonder how does it feels to achieve what you dream against all the odds. Rohit also shared his feelings of sweet shock the moment he realised that he has done it. He recalls:

It feels great! Giving GATE after 5 years of my graduation, and coming out with such a good result..! I am happy that all my hard work has paid off really well.

GATE Preparation and Strategy

Nothing worth having comes easy and GATE is so not an easy thing. Students prepare night and day for the same. We tried to get insights on Rohit’s preparation plan and he elaborated:

I started preparing around mid-September 2016. Since it had been long time when I completed my graduation and I am working full-time, I used to study around 3 hours on weekdays after office-hours and even up to 8 hours on weekends.

 When asked about the the most difficult topics of preparation for GATE, Rohit said:

I think the most difficult topic that students find is SOM/Structures because it is highly conceptual and numerical based, and environmental engineering because of its vast scope. For SOM/Structures, since my college days, I always stick to the most basics, and practice a lot of questions – theory and numericals both.

For environmental engineering, I gave a lot of revisions. Since there is lot of theory involved, I started studying it in the very beginning and kept revising till the very last day.

Apart from the strategies, the balance between studies and other things needs to be well maintained. This is what Rohit had to say:

Since I am currently employed, I had to balance my office hours and my GATE preparation. I planned my studies, noted down which subjects need attention first and will require more time. I studied around 3 hours on weekdays and 8-10 hours over the weekends.

Books recommended

Success Mantra

PLAN – in the very beginning. Allot time to all the subjects depending on your speed and knowledge.

EXECUTE YOUR PLAN – follow what you have planned till the very end, no slack.

STICK TO THE BASICS – this will help you build your own concepts, own techniques and tackle new types of questions in the exam.

Last Minute Gate Preparation

When asked about the last minute preparation tips that Rohit wanted to give to aspirants of Gate 2018, Rohit said:

You should not try to cover new topics during the last days, it may confuse you and lower your confidence. Instead, focus on what you have already studied and brush up. Revise all the formulas. Preferably join a test series and give as many mocks possible. Always take a sound sleep all the while during your preparation.

Future Plans

This is what Rohit Sachdeva said about his future plans:

I am already working with a Government organization in my own technical field. I want to continue with my further studies now (MTech+PhD) in research area, which will help me pursue my dreams of teaching and becoming a professor at IITs/IISc.