GATE Topper Interview – Shubham Kumar (AIR 21 TF, 2017)

The GATE result has been announced by the IIT one day prior to the date in schedule. The result was announced on 26 March 2017. It is a dream come true to see your name among the toppers. Every year lakhs of candidates appear for the GATE exam. Out of these lakhs there are only few chosen lucky ones who achieve the top ranks. All these candidates are an inspiration for the prospective GATE applicants. Here is an inspirational story of Shubham kumar, with an ALL INDIA RANK of 21. We had an exclusive interview with him and decided that his story must be shared with the world. Check out this GATE crasher’s marvelous story.

    TO BE A TOPPER, IT IS NOT NECESSARY THAT YOU HAVE BEEN A TOPPER.

About Shubham Kumar

One could not agree more to this phrase if they heard the most unusual story of shubham Kumar’s success. He has achieved a jaw dropping ALL INDIA RANK of 21. Oh yeah! That is his score. Unbelievable right. Well! Hard work always pay. Shubham is a student of Indian Institute of Carpet Technology, Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh. A son of a farmer from a lower middle class family. He has two brothers,  a mom and a grandpa. He believes that since

All the dreams and expectations of his family were focussed on him, it inspired him to keep his mind from all the distractions. He belongs to a lot of students who know no boundaries of hard work and labor.

Yes! Shubham has made it and that too in his first attempt. When asked about his motivation behind the success, he stated:

Apart from the IITs as well as higher studies, what motivated me was the fuel of expectations of my family from me. I knew that they are pinning their hopes on me. I could not let them down. I had no idea that this thought would become a staggering force to drive me ahead.

Future plans

There are less opportunities in Public Sector Unit (PSUs) after gate in TF so PG is my plan. My plan is continue my Post graduation in my field and obtain as much necessary knowledge i can required in this sector to find my dream job.

GATE Exam Experience

Questions asked to Shubham Kumar regarding GATE exam experience were:

1. There are a lot of students who are apprehensive about the online (computer based test) pattern. In your opinion, is the format something to be worried about?

Yes. It gives mental unrest, headache, less flexibility in turning pages marking the answers etc. as compared to offline. time countdown makes people be in a hurry.

2. On the exam day, what was your experience like ?

 Before exam I was bit worried but there was a good level of confidence inside as compared to others probably generated by my hard labor. i was cool and calm before exam. after exam my happiness knew no boundations. I was clear about my scores and rank in gate just after exam.

I had expected 55 marks and AIR under 10. and almost I’m there, with 52.05 marks and AIR 21.

3. On the exam day, what was your experience like? Please elaborate upon this as it will be extremely helpful for the students.

Get some food in your stomach before exam. I reached the center 1 hour before the exam and just relaxed there.It is obvious that you feel about negative things before the exam. As soon as I started the exam I forget every negative thing and started focusing on question only. Just give your best every time.

 GATE Preparation and Strategy

Describing his preparation and strategy, Shubham Kumar stated:

I invested 3 months of serious studies with an average of 9 hours study. It even costed him last month of coaching as well. There is no fixed time as to when a candidate should start preparing. It is better to prepare as early as one can. You will get sufficient time to cover all the topics. Time management is the key if you really wanna get good score. People often begin preparing for their exams with high energy, but by the time they reach half way of their preparation, they loose consistency.

When asked about the most difficult subject, Shubham answered :

The most difficult subject that I felt was Mathematics. I studied in winter vacations. Last 3 months reduced my attendance in class. Find out the areas you need to work upon.

Pro tip to face difficult subject by Aglasem – Make a timetable as per the need. Invest at least three hours on one subject each day. Pick two to three topics for a day. Finish them on time. Assign a test for yourself at the end of the day. Then for the next day follow the same procedure. You will notice that you have evaluated your performance and analyze your growth.

Books recommended

Last Minute GATE Preparation

To all the aspirants of GATE 2018, Shubham gave this last minute valuable tip:

Revise again and again. Go through most asked topics and formula.

 Success Mantra

Continuous determination and dedication as well as strong belief on ourselves.