From a Tier-3 College to AIR 119 in GATE CSE 2026: How PW Helped Abhinav Singh Baghel Crack GATE in His Final Year

Most GATE success stories often start with strong academic backgrounds or early preparation in highly competitive environments. Abhinav Singh Baghel’s journey was different. He came from a Tier-3 college in Indore, balancing his final-year academics while still figuring out his direction. His first casual attempt in GATE was ordinary, with no early signs of a top rank trajectory.

Over time, his preparation changed through consistent effort, low mock scores, reduced distractions, long revision sessions, and extensive PYQ practice. With guidance from PW, disciplined mock analysis, and steady execution over a year, his preparation gradually transformed, leading him to secure AIR 119 in GATE CSE 2026.

The Moment GATE Became More Than Just an Option

Abhinav is a final-year B.Tech student from Acropolis Institute of Technology, Indore. Like many students from Tier-3 colleges, he initially was not completely sure about GATE preparation or future plans.

“Mera plan to nahi tha.”

At first, GATE was only an experimental attempt for him. During an earlier attempt, he scored around 24 marks and had not prepared seriously.

“Mere 24 around kuch marks aaye the.”

Initially, he thought he would start serious preparation around July or August. But gradually, he realised he needed a stronger long-term direction, especially seeing the uncertainty and competition growing rapidly in the tech industry.

“AI era mein layoffs ho rahe hain.”

That uncertainty pushed him to take GATE preparation seriously much earlier than planned. He finally began focused preparation in May during his final year.

Still, the beginning was far from perfect.

Like many aspirants, he faced irregular study patterns, motivational ups and downs, distractions, and inconsistency during the first few months.

“Initially to up and down bahut rehte hain.”

Instead of expecting instant discipline, he focused on showing up daily and slowly building study habits.

“Dedh se do mahine baad ek routine ban jaata hai.”

Gradually, daily classes, revision, and question practice became part of his normal routine rather than something forced by motivation.

Distractions, Mock-Test Struggles, and Learning to Trust the Process

One of the biggest challenges during preparation was distraction, especially from social media.
“Instagram ka hi distraction tha.”

Preparing full-time, he often found himself losing hours unintentionally to reels and short-form content, followed by regret later in the day.

To fix this, he took a strict step.

“Maine one and half month ke liye Instagram delete kar diya tha.”

In the beginning, this made the routine feel unusually empty and repetitive.
“Initially to bada bore ho jaata tha.”

But slowly, the discomfort turned into discipline.

“Resistance to dikhana padega.”

He also realised that consistency mattered more than motivation. Once the routine settled, studying became less about mood and more about habit.

“Koshish karte raho lagatar.”

Even then, doubts would still come and go during preparation.

“Negative thoughts bhi aate hi hain.”

But instead of overthinking, he stayed focused on action—lectures, revision, and practice kept him grounded.

The real test, however, began with mock exams. When he started full-length mocks in December, the first result was not encouraging.

“Usme mere 55 marks aaye the.”

That number created pressure, but he didn’t let it define his preparation. He continued giving tests regularly and gradually increased the frequency.

“End mein maine ek-ek din mein do-do test bhi likhe the.”

He also understood that improvement would not come from mocks alone, but from solving previous year papers alongside them.

“PYQs definitely bahut important role play karte hain.”

Through repetition and analysis, his accuracy slowly improved, and more importantly, his confidence started building from visible progress rather than expectations.

The Role PW Played in Abhinav’s AIR 119 Journey

As preparation became more serious, PW became a major part of Abhinav’s journey.

He studied mainly through PW’s Vijay Batch and Rank Improvement programs while attending live classes regularly.

“Main Vijay batch mein tha.”

For subjects where he needed additional clarity or faster syllabus completion, he also used PW Khazana extensively.

“Khazana kaafi achha feature hai.”

One reason PW helped him significantly was flexibility. Instead of depending on a single teacher or one rigid structure, he could explore multiple approaches whenever needed.

“Rankers Club ka bhi part tha.”

Alongside classes, the Rankers Club community also helped him stay connected with other serious aspirants throughout preparation.

Seeing different questions, preparation discussions, and peer-level competition helped him continuously improve problem-solving variety and preparation awareness.

“November mein mera syllabus ho gaya tha.”

Instead of rushing advanced topics early, he prioritised strengthening concepts first and building revision depth later.

That disciplined preparation strategy slowly started reflecting in performance.

What Abhinav’s Journey Teaches GATE Aspirants About Improvement

During the final phase of preparation, Abhinav kept his approach extremely simple—revision, mock analysis, and consistent practice without overcomplicating outcomes.

He consciously avoided thinking too much about rank or pressure and kept redirecting his energy toward execution.

“Focus sirf action pe karo.”

For him, clarity mattered more than motivation. He believed that overthinking only slows down progress and distracts from actual preparation.

“Overthinking karna hi nahi hai.”

Instead of getting lost in analysis paralysis, he kept things straightforward—study the syllabus, strengthen concepts, and solve questions regularly.
“Bas syllabus karna hai, concepts strong karne hain aur questions karne hain.”

This mindset helped him stay grounded even during uncertain phases of preparation. He didn’t depend on constant motivation; instead, he stayed self-driven throughout the journey.

“Self-driven tha.”

In the end, his focus was never scattered across multiple outcomes or expectations. It stayed fixed on one thing, consistent effort every single day, leading to improvement. 

Eventually, his improvement was reflected in his performance. He scored around 72 raw marks in the final exam, which normalised to nearly 75, securing AIR 119 in GATE CSE 2026.

From a casual attempt earlier where he scored around 24 marks, the jump was significant, especially coming from a Tier-3 college background.

Abhinav’s journey stands on consistency and steady improvement rather than shortcuts or extreme routines.

From deleting distractions and surviving low-scoring mocks to building discipline during final year itself, his journey shows that preparation often becomes successful not because someone starts perfectly, but because they continue long enough for improvement to finally appear.