Pranav’s GATE XE Rank 46 Journey with Physics Wallah: From Working Professional to M.Tech Aspirant

Balancing GATE preparation with a full-time job was a challenge for Pranav. After completing his B.Tech in 2023, he worked as a CAE Engineer in Bangalore while preparing for his M.Tech goal. Frequent travel made it difficult to manage both work and preparation, eventually leading him to leave his job and switch to full-time GATE preparation.

With Physics Wallah, Pranav followed a structured preparation plan through the PW Parakram batch, Rankers Club, Super 1500, PYQs, and test series. Regular practice, revision, and test analysis helped him strengthen his problem-solving skills and secure AIR 46 in GATE XE.

Pranav’s GATE Journey Began with a Difficult Decision

Pranav completed his B.Tech in 2023 and started working as a CAE Engineer in Bangalore. Although he had always planned to pursue an M.Tech, managing GATE preparation alongside a demanding job became difficult because of frequent travel. Eventually, he decided to leave his job and dedicate himself to GATE preparation.

“So actually, I always had a plan for doing M.Tech. And it was last June I put my papers and by August I quit my job and started my preparation. So I have I have tried preparing for the exam while doing the job itself, but it was not actually working.”

Before leaving his job, Pranav had already joined the PW Parakram batch in June 2025 and managed to cover a significant portion of Mathematics while working. After leaving his job in August, he shifted to full-time preparation from September. He recalled:

“I joined PW Parakram batch. So almost like I I could almost cover the mathematics part while I was doing the job. “

This decision gave him more time to follow a focused study schedule and work towards completing the syllabus within his planned timeline.

Pranav Faced a Setback During His First Revision

Pranav planned to complete the entire syllabus by the first or second week of December. He managed to complete most of it by the first week of December, but the next stage of preparation exposed an important gap: question-solving practice.

“So, actually that was a down point where like I was not able to solve even the PYQs properly because there was a…I didn't solve much problems by the time I was completing the syllabus because it was a tight schedule to complete the syllabus..”

Since he had focused heavily on completing the syllabus within a short timeframe, he had not been able to solve enough questions alongside his lectures. As a result, his first revision became an important turning point.

Over the next three weeks, Pranav completed his first revision and worked through GATE previous-year questions topic-wise. This helped him identify where he needed to improve his ability to apply concepts while solving problems.

Pranav Strengthened His Preparation with PW Practice Resources

After completing his first revision, Pranav focused more on numerical problem-solving and test performance. His entry into the PW Rankers Club also gave him access to the Super 1500 batch, which he found useful for practising numerical questions.

“So, that was a very helpful tool. Like, like your fluid mechanics mechanics super 1500 was very helpful for improving my numerics.”

Pranav completed nearly 90% of the Super 1500 questions by the second or third week of January. Along with this practice, he continued attempting the test series.

The combination of topic-wise PYQs, additional numerical practice, and regular tests helped him identify weak areas and gradually improve his problem-solving skills.

Pranav Made Test Practice an Important Part of His Strategy

Pranav started attempting full-length tests in December, initially taking two or three tests. His marks were low at first, but they gradually improved with continued practice.

By January, he had increased his test frequency and attempted around 15 full-length tests during the month. These tests helped him become more familiar with the exam environment and understand where he was losing marks.

“So, like initially the marks are very low. But, later on it improved a little bit but later it got stagnant and like by January last I could score a little better in the full length test.”

However, Pranav realised that attempting tests alone was not enough. Test analysis became an important part of his preparation, especially during the final stage.

“At first at first I was not really analyzing my test series properly. But later only on the last six to seven test series I was properly analyzing my full length test.”

By analysing his tests, he could identify mistakes, understand weak areas, and use each test as a learning opportunity rather than treating it only as an assessment.

Pranav Improved His GATE XE Section Strategy

For GATE XE, Pranav ultimately chose Fluid Mechanics and Strength of Materials. Interestingly, this was not his initial plan.

During his preparation, he initially felt that Fluid Mechanics was one of his weaker areas.

“First first I thought like by this last I my mind was like I was I'm weak in fluid mechanics. So, I next year I'm going to write strength of materials and thermodynamics.”

However, his practice through the Super 1500 batch and test series changed his understanding of his strengths.

“But later after doing the super 1500 batch and my test series I got to know that actually I could improve the fluid mechanics part.”

This experience helped Pranav make a more informed decision about his GATE XE sections instead of relying only on his initial perception of his strengths and weaknesses.

Pranav’s GATE Preparation Resulted in XE AIR 46

Pranav’s focused preparation eventually resulted in AIR 46 in GATE XE. His journey included completing the syllabus within a tight timeline, identifying gaps during revision, increasing his problem-solving practice, attempting full-length tests, and learning to analyse his performance.

His preparation was also connected to his long-term goal of pursuing an M.Tech. With an interest in machine design and strength of materials, he is now considering M.Tech opportunities, including IIT Madras.

“Uh my future plan is to go for M.Tech…. from IIT Madras ”

For Pranav, the GATE preparation journey was not simply about completing the syllabus. It was also about recognising weaknesses, changing his strategy, and working consistently on areas that needed improvement.

Pranav’s Advice for GATE 2027 and 2028 Aspirants

Looking back at his preparation, Pranav highlighted the importance of having a clear plan before starting and beginning test practice early.

“One thing I can say is it's always good to have a plan before starting the preparation. That could help like when to complete the syllabus..., and have a good time for revision. And start to start the test series as early as possible.”

His experience also highlights an important difference between taking tests and learning from them. Analysing mistakes, identifying weak topics, and adjusting the preparation strategy can make test practice more useful.

Pranav’s journey from a working professional who struggled to balance job responsibilities with GATE preparation to securing AIR 46 in GATE XE shows that preparation does not always follow a perfect path. What matters is recognising gaps, adapting the strategy, and consistently working on them.