How IIT Dhanbad’s Aayush Narway Balances Full-Time Job and Secures GATE 2026 AIR 16 with PW

Balancing GATE preparation with a demanding startup job is difficult for most aspirants. Long working hours, exhaustion, and limited revision time often make consistency impossible, especially when preparation gets pushed around professional responsibilities.

Ayush Narway, an IIT Dhanbad graduate, faced the same challenge while working late-night startup shifts. After leaving his job, he rebuilt his preparation through PW’s Parakram batch, focused revision, and regular mock practice, eventually securing AIR 16 in GATE Mechanical Engineering.

When Startup Life Left No Time to Breathe

One of the biggest challenges in Aayush’s preparation journey was managing studies alongside an exhausting startup job. He revealed how demanding his work routine had become:

“job to raat ke 12–1 baje tak bhi chalti thi… startup tha”

Despite the pressure, he continued preparing and gradually shifted his focus completely toward GATE and research opportunities.

He also explained that after IIT placements, he initially chose a job because of family responsibilities:

“family ka responsibility tha… zaroori tha kuch job karna”

Instead of treating the work experience as a setback, he used it as motivation to prepare more seriously later. Eventually, he left the job and prepared properly for both GATE and BARC examinations.

“is saal maine proper job chhod ke tayari kari GATE ki aur BARC ki dono ki”

That decision became a turning point in his journey.

Choosing IISc and Research Over Easy Stability

Unlike many aspirants focused only on PSU jobs, Aayush remained deeply interested in research-oriented opportunities like IISc, DRDO, and ISRO.

During the discussion, he clearly expressed where his real interest lay:

“main IISc jaunga sir… research mein jaunga”

He was particularly interested in Aerospace and Computational Data Science because they offered long-term research opportunities and interdisciplinary growth.

Even while discussing BARC and PSU options, Aayush remained focused on higher studies and research-driven opportunities like IISc, DRDO, and ISRO instead of short-term stability.

In the same discussion, the PW mentor advised him to prioritise his genuine interest over external pressure:

“IISc ko pehla preference dena”

This helped reinforce Aayush’s clarity and strengthen his focus on long-term academic and research goals. 

How Physics Wallah Supported His GATE Preparation

Aayush prepared through Physics Wallah’s Parakram batch and relied heavily on recorded lectures, subject-wise preparation, and test practice.

“Parakram 2.0 se padha hoon sir”

For subjects like Strength of Materials and Machine Design, he specifically studied through PW lectures and revision content:

“Strength of Materials aur Machine Design aap hi ne padhaya sir”

He also practised extensively through subject-wise tests and GATE Before GATE (GBG) test series.

“topic subject-wise bhi diye the sir… mostly sabke hi diye hoon”

Although he pointed out issues like misprints and missing data in a few mock tests, he still continued solving and analysing papers consistently, which helped improve his accuracy and exam temperament.

His mock scores eventually stabilised in a strong range:

“77… 68… kuch mein 80 bhi chhuye hain”

That consistency later translated into an excellent GATE score and predicted a top rank.

How Ayush Narway Turned Discipline Into AIR 16 

A major reason behind Aayush’s success was his preparation approach after GATE.

Instead of studying randomly, he focused on a targeted plan involving five strong subjects, standard textbooks, and interview-style conceptual discussion.

The PW mentor during the interview also advised him:

“Class notes ko chapter-wise revise kar”

“har ek chapter se kuch questions aise pick karna jisko tu lamba kheench sake”

This approach helped him prepare not only for written exams but also for technical interviews at IISc and BARC.

The discussion also highlighted an important lesson about interviews: technical knowledge alone is not enough. Patience, curiosity, and discussion-oriented thinking matter equally.

A powerful line from the session explained this clearly:

“interview ko discussion mode mein le ke ja”

Instead of panicking under pressure, candidates are expected to stay calm, explore concepts deeply, and show genuine interest in problem-solving.

 Aayush’s journey shows that career gaps, demanding jobs, or delayed preparation don’t end engineering dreams. With consistency, guidance, and conceptual clarity, he transformed his preparation and secured AIR 16 in GATE Mechanical Engineering despite working late-night startup jobs.

His story highlights how disciplined effort and long-term clarity can still lead to exceptional results for aspirants balancing work and uncertainty.