IIT Bhubaneswar student Nikhil Saha has secured All India Rank (AIR) 1 in GATE 2022 in Mechanical Engineering exam. A student of BTech-MTech integrated course in IIT, Saha had appeared for GATE to get a job in a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU). While IITs also offer good placement opportunities, he says that it was the allure of government jobs that attracted him to GATE. The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is also a gateway to masters courses in IITs, NITs and IISc. Saha is already pursuing dual degree course at IIT Bhubaneswar.
Saha hails from Raipur, Chhattisgarh. He secured a seat in IIT Bhubaneswar by securing 6653rd rank in JEE Advanced. His father works in the electricity board of Chhattisgarh and his mother is a homemaker. She has a younger brother who is currently pursuing engineering in a private college.
Saha who is currently in the fifth and final year of his dual degree course also appeared for GATE in 2021. Despite clearing the exam in his first attempt, he opted to take it once again. Saha took the GATE exam in 2021 and secured 296 rank. Last year more than 8.5 lakh students had registered for the exam. “While 296 is not a bad rank, I was not happy with it, I did not get a seat in top PSUs with it,” Saha said. This year, with 1 AIR out of over 9 lakh registered students, Saha can apply for any PSU he wants. However, he has not yet shortlisted his choice.
Saha used to practice mock tests for GATE with his hostel mates. While Saha has secured 99.5% marks, his friends have secured ranks in triple digits. Saha, who was on his way to the campus eatery to treat his friends, scored the best in the batch when News18 visited him.
He says that it was the urge to have a healthy work-life balance that pushed him towards GATE. “My father works for Chhattisgarh Electricity Board. I have spent my childhood in government quarters which are usually lush green and have facilities like sports complex. I have a passion for sports. Even during my tenure at IIT, I have represented IIT Bhubaneswar in inter-IIT sports tournaments. I want to continue my passion and hobbies and have a healthy balance during my work life. This can be possible only with one PSU,” Saha said.
Talking about his preparation, the IITian revealed that last year he focused on theory and previous year questions, but this year he also referred several online test series from top ranking institutes to practice for the exam. did.
“Mock tests gave me an in-depth understanding of the range of marks to be asked in the exam. It also helped me to manage the pace and strategy of attempting the exam. The Test series helped me prepare better for 6-7 line questions which can be difficult at times.”
Saha also adopted a time management strategy while giving the exam. “I took the main exam in two different rounds. In the first round, I attempted such questions which were easy and I knew the answers and in the second round I took such questions which required a little thinking and was time consuming.
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