Importance of Mocks 🔥(Pls go through this post, it's imp guys)
Hope you are working hard to make it happen 💪
It's high time to start writing mock tests. Join a couple of good test series and try to take two mocks each week.
Mocks are not just about how much we score but are about building the habit of sitting for 3 hours straight and solving problems. Many people say, 'Our syllabus isn't complete yet; I'll take mocks in December. Right now, I need to focus on covering the syllabus.'
You're making a big mistake. Mocks are primarily to help build a sitting habit, and secondly, to deal with the pressure we face in the exam room when the countdown is ticking and time is running out. Believe me, it's tough when you're stuck on the first few questions. Once your confidence drops, it's hard to perform well because we've already lost mentally due to those initial questions we couldn't solve. If this happens in the actual exam, we risk ending up with nothing.
If you practice mocks, you'll see this happen to you quite often. After it happens two or three times, you'll find a method and make a strategy: if it happens in the next mock or the final exam, I won't lose confidence. Maybe the first 6–7 or even 10 questions are the hardest, but the other 55 might be easier. How do you develop this mindset? Only by practicing mocks when you face this situation repeatedly.
Next, a lot of people say, 'If I pick 65 questions from 3–4 topics and solve them in 3 hours, will it work?' Nope.
Because in the exam, you'll get 65 questions from 12–13 subjects. It’s essential to have the ability to switch from one concept to another across completely different subjects. Let's say I'm solving question no. 12 in the exam, which is about Probability (specifically Bayes' Theorem). You have no idea what the next question will cover. Suppose the next one is from IEOR (a Mechanical subject), particularly on Sequencing. You have to swiftly switch from Maths -----> Probability-----> Bayes' Theorem to IEOR \rightarrow Sequencing, and recall: What method should I use here?
Now let's say the next question is from Aptitude, specifically Circular Permutations of similar objects. You need to switch your brain from IEOR----> Sequencing to Aptitude ----> PnC ----> Circular Permutations-----> specifically similar objects.
Trust me, it’s a tough job, and you have to do all this in just a few seconds and solve the problem accurately.
Thirdly, silly mistakes! Dude, you’ll literally regret it after leaving the actual GATE exam when you see the solution and realize
Oh no, I forgot to divide by 2.
Oh no, the answer is requested in the nearest integer, but I wrote it in decimal form.
Oh no, I messed up while pulling data from the question. Sometimes I forget to take crucial values explicitly given in the question; instead, I stick to the data I memorized earlier.
You'll realize how many of these mistakes you make when you attempt mocks. When you do a mock, you’ll recall a lot of concepts you might have forgotten. Make sure to refresh all those areas before your next mock. Keep a notebook, write down all your mistakes, and in the morning, just take a glance at them to remind yourself, I'm making these mistakes. I must not repeat any of them in the next mock or at least try to minimize them.
Secondly, whether your subject is 60% or 90% covered, you need to take mocks regardless, and never judge your potential based on the scores. The actual exam will be different. These mocks are for your practice: to get used to sitting for 3 hours, facing pressure, and not giving up midway through those 3 hours. Even if you can’t solve 10 problems, you don’t have to lose confidence. Just improve, identify weak areas, and figure out where to work.
What I used to do: whenever I got good marks, I wouldn’t check the solution or analyze, I just started checking cutoffs and wondering what IIT or branch I'd get based on those marks, like, 'Am I getting into IIT Bombay or not? Hahaha!'
When I got low marks, I felt depressed, anxious, fatigued, and doubted myself.
You shouldn’t do these childish things. Mocks are for practice, not for scores. You never know—the upcoming GATE 2027 may be the toughest exam in GATE history, or it could end up being super easy.
You just need to cover 85% to 90% of the syllabus seriously. Why not 100%? Because preparation can never be complete; there's always something missed. But 85-90% is enough to achieve an AIR under 100. Keep revising, taking mocks, analyzing those mocks, working on your mistakes, and eventually, you'll walk out of the exam room feeling happy! 🔥🩷
This post is not AI generated; I wrote it based on my experience during preparation. Yeah, I just grammatically refined it with AI.
Guys, please be consistent.