ESE OBJECTIVE and CONVENTIONAL PAPERS

Since both papers have common syllabus so it is advisable to prepare for both together, one
subject at a time.

First categorise subjects as GATE and Non-GATE subjects and take one standard book
per subject. I have mentioned books I referred to during my preparation.

GATE Subjects must be focused upon most for technical section.

Booklist is mentioned below:

1.NETWORK THEORY
SADIKU (or) VALKENBURG + SCHAUMs SERIES

2. EDC
MILLMAN, HALIKAS + STREETMAN +SCHAUMs SERIES
.
3. ANALOG ELECTRONICS
MILLMAN, HALKIAS + SEDRA SMITH (or DONALD NEAMEN)+SCHAUMs SERIES

4. DIGITAL ELECTRONICS
MORRIS MANO

5. EMT
SADIKU

6. SIGNALS & SYSTEMS

OPPENHEIM + SCHAUMs SERIES

..
7. COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING
SIMON HAYKINS (or) BP LATHI + P SRI HARI (for Digital Modulation) + SCHAUMs
SERIES
..
8. CONTROL SYSTEMS
BS MANKE + SCHAUMs SERIES
..
9. MICROPROCESSORS
R. GAONKAR

For non-GATE subjects, books are not recommended as the syllabus is selective and
books are vast. Still some topics are important, so the list is as follows:

10. MATERIAL SCIENCE

S.P. SETH
11. MEASUREMENTS
A.K. SAWHNEY
12. OPTICAL COMMUNICATION
SENIOR
13. SATELLITE COMMUNICATION
PRATT & BOSTIAN
14. COMPUTER ENGINEERING
STALLING
15. MICROWAVE ENGINEERING
SAMUEL L. LIAO

But I had mostly used different coaching institutes class notes for these non-GATE
subjects available in market and selected numericals from books.

All GATE subjects are core ones must not be ignored and prepared thoroughly for both
Objective and Conventional.

Non-GATE subjects must be prepared for conventional. Focus more on important

derivations and numerical questions must be thoroughly studied. For example Microwave
by Samuel Liao has many solved examples that come as it is in ESE conventional. But
for Objective papers too-much in depth knowledge may be required which may not be
feasible in an 8 to 10 months preparation time, so it can be left out. Anyways, if
conventional concepts are strong one can expect to score above average marks in
Objective questions from these Non-GATE subjects.

How to prepare?

12 months of preparation for 12 hours of exam.

Go one subject at a time. Preferably start with GATE subjects. The order of the subjects
which I felt most comfortable with is the same as mentioned in the above list. Mark the
relevant chapters/topics from syllabus. Read the theory first from book. Make point wise
notes and mark the points you are not comfortable with. Read and solve solved examples
and objective questions first from book. Then go for past years question banks of ESE,
first Objective then Conventional. Mark the questions you are not comfortable with and
whenever possible discuss with friends or teachers.

None of the notes available from various sources are comprehensive. Mostly they are
made keeping view of past 5 years questions. I have seen cases where after reading notes
you can solve past years questions but not unseen questions. So notes are not exhaustive.
And if everybody is reading from same notes, where is your advantage? Remember that
there is no absolute cut-off. So, reading books is a much better option.

Coaching classes are not absolutely required if you can prepare from books. Self
developed style of answering adds weightage to your answers and may even get bonus
marks. But if you feel you must join any coaching institute, do not always go by their
published results. First enquire about the who is going to teach you. As many coaching
institutes falsely claim famous faculties. Also inquire about student-to-faculty ratio
because if you dont get doubt sessions and personal attention from faculty, then you
are wasting your time and money. Also it is better to have faculty who have themselves
cleared exams like GATE, ESE with good ranks because they are better at understanding
your doubts and problems.

One subject after the other is the best strategy. Roughly, 3 to 4 weeks is sufficient for any
subject. Do not mix up. After having finished one subject, make a short summary of your
notes which must include marked points, marked questions and any silly mistakes if

done. This will serve as a ready-to-revise and time-saving content in the last phase of
preparation.

It is highly recommended to NOT study the whole book but selectively deal with topics.

About 6 to 7 hours dedicated to one technical subject per day, apart from 2 to 3 hours for
GS + English, will suffice in a 12 month preparation time.

It is not required to study all the time. But mind should be always with your notes and
questions and doubts. Do not doubt your doubts, they are always legit. A friends circle
with like-minded aspirants where you can put your doubts and discuss is highly
recommended. Keep asking. If possible upload them on Facebook, we will be more than
happy to help if we could.

How to practice?
o First finish books and solved examples.
o Since objective papers lay more emphasis on speed than accuracy, so practise
accordingly. 45 seconds per question is sufficient. Try finishing 120 questions
within 1h 30minutes.
o Conventional papers must be practised with good-writing on plain white sheets. In
fact, choose one pen and use it till exam for lasting grip. Write legit answers.
Roughly 5 marks questions require th of space on one page surface and in that
proportion. Always write point wise.
o Mark questions not answered and note them in your summary sheet.
Revision
o Keep at least last 2 to 3 months for revision. First revise your entire notes and
then revise only your short summary prepared earlier. Textbooks should not
have any role in revision. The more you revise, better you get at recalling
concepts in the exam.
o Now no need to see more practice question. Focus more on past years questions
bank. Ideally, 10 or 15 years questions bank is more than sufficient.
o Identify your strong and weak areas during preparation. Revise weak areas more
than stronger ones.
o It is highly recommended to join some test series to gauge your preparation. Treat
it as real test. The more the number of aspirants in a given test series, the better

you will realize where you stand. For example I consistently got within top 5 in
every test I gave at M.E.
Dos and Donts during exam
o Read the instructions carefully.
o Objective papers require more speed than accuracy. Limited number of
calculated risks can be taken. While attempting objective paper, turning pages
for rough work will consume unnecessary time. Prefer doing rough work with
pencil on the side of the question and then if required with a red pen over the
pencil. Do not encircle bubbles immediately. Mark answers in question paper
with red pen for visibility and before the end of exam encircle sequentially. Mark
questions you think you can answer later. Try finishing all known answers in
1h30min (45 seconds per question) keeping 20 minutes for attempting marked
questions and 10 minutes for encircling. Do not look at watch frequently.
o Conventional papers require in-depth knowledge, style of presentation and
relevant content in answering.
a) Write answers serially as per question numbers. Usually, 1st question is compulsory.
Attempt all parts. Then read the rest of questions and mark the questions you wish to
attempt. No need to show calculations in detail or irrelevant knowledge.
b) Write answers with question numbers sequentially. Random answering is annoying for
the person who checks your sheet.
c) It is always better to write answers point wise. Draw neat diagrams, preferably with
pencil, with proper labels. Derivations or results if used must be mentioned. Draw a
pencil line after every question to demarcate answers.
d) Rough work must be crossed out.
e) Try to make your answer sheet error free.
f) Make index on the front sheet with question and page numbers.