GATE 2026 Civil AIR 94: How Suryansh Tiwari Balanced College and GATE Preparation with PW

For Suryansh Tiwari, GATE preparation began while he was pursuing his BTech at NIT Jamshedpur. He initially enrolled in a PW batch during his second semester, but with plenty of time before the exam, his preparation was gradual. It was only by the fourth semester, when he realised that the GATE 2025 exam was approaching, that he began preparing seriously.

His first attempt resulted in AIR 623, giving him an opportunity to understand the exam and identify what he needed to improve. He then returned for GATE 2026 with a stronger focus on practice, PYQs, and tests, eventually securing AIR 94 in Civil Engineering.  

Suryansh Tiwari Started GATE Preparation Early, but Became Serious in Fourth Semester

Suryansh had enrolled in a PW batch during his second semester, but initially did not follow an intensive preparation schedule. As his third semester progressed, he started studying gradually. By the fourth semester, with only a year left for GATE 2025, he realised that he needed to take preparation more seriously.

“Batch to maine sir second semester mein liya tha. Par us samay to bas batch liya tha. To padhai tha ki bahut time bachaa hua hai. Aaram se karenge. To aise karte-karte third semester mein thoda-thoda padhai kiye lekin phir Feb aa gaya fourth semester ka matlab ek hi saal bacha tha GATE ke liye to ab laga ki ab nahi padhenge to 2025 ke liye kaafi late ho jayega to like fourth semester se maine like seriously preparation shuru kar di.”

From the fourth semester onwards, Suryansh continued his preparation consistently. He also appeared for GATE 2025, where he secured an AIR of 623. Rather than treating that attempt as the end of his preparation, he used the experience to identify areas that required more attention.

Suryansh Tiwari Turned His First GATE Attempt into a Practice Ground

His first attempt helped Suryansh understand the exam better. For GATE 2025, his priority had been to complete as many subjects as possible. One area that remained incomplete was RCC. In his next attempt, he addressed that gap and shifted his focus towards extensive practice.

“2025 mein to sir mera basic aim tha ki maximum subjects complete ho jaaye par ek RCC mere se chhoot gaya tha. To main 2025 mein RCC nahi kiya tha. 2026 mein RCC karke gaya tha. To wo tha aur main chahta tha ki practice achhe se karna hai. Matlab theory to ek baar padh liye. Ab iske baad hai ji jitna time hai wo practice ko de do.”

This change in strategy became an important part of his preparation. Instead of spending most of his remaining time on theory, he focused on solving questions repeatedly. PYQs became a regular part of his routine, along with questions from other sources and the test series.

“PYQs maine aur multiple times kiye. Maine aur kahin se kuch questions lagaye. Test series thi aur jo purane questions the, usi ko dobara padhta gaya. Matlab PYQ baar-baar hi karta gaya. Bore-bore lag raha tha lekin phir bhi kar kiya dobara usko kyunki yaad hoga tabhi achhe se ban payega exam mein.”

The shift from completing the syllabus to repeatedly practising questions helped Suryansh strengthen his preparation for the second attempt.

Suryansh Tiwari Used PW’s Classes, Tests and Practice to Strengthen Preparation

While preparing alongside college, Suryansh relied largely on recorded classes because attending live classes was not always possible. He also used his vacations to cover pending portions and continued combining practice, tests, and revision towards the end of his preparation.

“Sir jab lab hota tha to aake main pehle thoda rest karta tha taaki mind thoda sa kaam rahe aur uske baad main poora apna prep padhai start karta tha. Majorly to main poora saara cheez recorded pe hi dekha kyunki live utna ho nahi paaya tha.”

His approach also involved keeping track of the syllabus that remained pending and using longer breaks to complete it. The summer vacation between his fourth and fifth semesters became particularly useful for covering several subjects.

“Summer vacations aur winter vacations kaafi important ho jaate hain kyunki usmein koi kuch college se utna rehta nahi hai aur college ka kuch rehta nahi hai aur phir apna poora ghar pe time rehta hai to usmein maine kaafi achha apna portion complete kiya tha jo mera fourth semester ke baad wala jo fourth aur fifth ke beech ka jo summer vacation tha usmein maine apna kaafi zyada syllabus complete kiya tha.”

For the test series, Suryansh started with topic-wise tests and gradually moved ahead while keeping tests, practice, and notes revision together.

“Nahi sir pehle to topic test hi diye the. To wo to November ya October se start kar diya tha. Phir mid phir end sems aa gaye the to thoda sa disturb ho gaya tha. Par uske baad se test test aur practice yeh saath mein chalta raha. Test, practice aur notes revision ye saath mein chalta raha aur end tak test sab ho gaya tha.”

This combination allowed him to continue preparation despite the demands of college. His second attempt ultimately resulted in AIR 94, a significant improvement over his previous AIR 623.

Suryansh Tiwari’s GATE 2026 Result Reflected His Shift Towards Practice

Suryansh scored 77.08 marks after normalisation and secured AIR 94 in GATE 2026 Civil. His preparation also included focused work on Mathematics and Aptitude. He credited his classes and subsequent PYQ practice for building confidence in these sections.

“Maths ke liye to sir Puneet sir bahut achha padhaaye hain. Matlab sab cheez complete hai aur uske baad PYQ bana lete the to matlab aisa koi question nahi tha jo nahi ban sakta hai. Aur Aptitude bhi sir ne bahut achha padhaya tha.”

He also did not completely abandon subjects that carried relatively fewer marks. Instead, he prioritised important areas within them.

“Irrigation thoda sa kam marks ka aata hai GATE mein. Par uske kuch subject kuch topics hai jisse numerical aane ke bahut zyada chances hain. Jo wo depth wala formulas hote hain, usse numerical aane ke kaafi chances hain. Aur kabhi-kabhi rehta hai ki sirf direct formulas aa jaate hain LAC wale se. To wo formula ye sab bas karke gaya tha.”

The journey from AIR 623 to AIR 94 shows how Suryansh used his first attempt to refine his preparation rather than simply repeating the same strategy.

Suryansh Tiwari Plans to Take His GATE 2026 Success Towards a PSU Career

With AIR 94 in GATE 2026 Civil, Suryansh now plans to prepare for PSU opportunities and has already started working towards the interview stage.

“PSUs ka hi tayari hai sir. Is rank pe majority of the PSUs ke call aa jaane chahiye. To ab uske liye interview ka preparation start kar raha hoon.”

Suryansh’s journey offers a practical takeaway for college students preparing for GATE: starting early can help, but what matters equally is learning from each attempt, identifying gaps, repeatedly practising PYQs, taking tests and making effective use of vacations. His improvement from AIR 623 to AIR 94 shows how a focused second attempt can turn previous exam experience into a stronger preparation strategy.