If you follow your passion, no competitive exam will be difficult or mentally draining for you,' says Mathematics topper of GATE 2023, who is currently pursuing MSC Mathematics from IIT Madras.

Suvendu Kar, an IIT Madras student, achieved an all India rank (AIR) 1 in the GATE 2023 (Mathematics paper), the results of which were declared on Thursday (March 16). A farmer's son, the topper believes that making the best of your situation and following the passion are the only two things every aspirant needs to keep in mind.

This was Suvendu's first attempt at the GATE exam, in which he secure the highest rank with a score of 941 (50.33 marks). He has also recently earned AIR 47 in the CSIR NET exam (February 2022 attempt). The topper now aims to pursue either MTech from IISc or PhD in the same subject.

Smart utilisation of resources
Kar hails from a small town of Egra in West Bengal, where his father works as a farmer. "I come from an economically weak family, and while many think that it would have become a hindrance for me, however, it was actually the other way round. I found smarter ways of utilising all public resources," he told indianexpress.com.

Smart utilisation of resources
Kar hails from a small town of Egra in West Bengal, where his father works as a farmer. "I come from an economically weak family, and while many think that it would have become a hindrance for me, however, it was actually the other way round. I found smarter ways of utilising all public resources," he told indianexpress.com.

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The 22-year-old got a scholarship for BSc Mathematics degree in Calcutta University (CU) in 2018.

"My college also provided me financial assistance. When I was leaving for Calcutta University, I told my parents that I may have to enroll in some coaching centre. However, they were a little hesitant due to the financial constraints at home. This motivated me to come up with creative solutions. I started looking for free resources (provided by the government too) on the internet which were very helpful. Other than that, I reached out to my friends and professors to get my doubts cleared," he said.

He also shared that one of his closest friends at IIT Madras, who often helped him clear his doubts, secured AIR 4 in GATE 2023 (even though he is from the Mechanical Engineering department).

Rely on your college lectures, books
Unlike many others, the Mathematics topper did not enroll in any coaching classes and believes that the common belief of you cannot ace this exam without the big coaching centres is "absolutely wrong". Rely on your college lectures, books

Kar's believes college studies are sufficient to crack such exams. "It is important to pay attention to what is being taught in your college. The things that your lecturers explain in their classes is usually similar to the syllabus of these competitive exams. I used to focus on my lectures, come back home and revise what was taught to us at IIT Madras the whole day and then make short notes on the basis of those lectures. Doing that alone helped me get a good rank and have fundamental clarity of all subjects and topics," he said.

Kar added that making short notes can be another good technique for learning and revision. "I make short notes for every topic and lecture. While studying, I make small notes side-by-side and that helps not just in understanding and grasping the concepts, but also during the revision," he said.

Another important suggestion from Kar is to solve previous year questions papers. The topper also has advice for those who do not like to read much. "I don't like reading much either, so I started watching YouTube videos of several tutors and experts and making short notes from those videos. That is a very effective way of gaining information without getting bored," he shared.

'Follow your passion, and nothing will be unachievable'
When asked if achieving this rank was difficult and mentally draining while pursuing the final year of MSc Mathematics from IIT Madras, Kar said "if you follow your passion, nothing will seem like a burden".

"If you pursue the career that you are interested in, then it will never feel like a burden. Instead of adding to your mental pressure, it will help you stay focused, motivated and the results will give a sense of satisfaction. On the other hand, those who blindly follow the herd often feel burnt out and face failures," he said.

Another advise that the Mathematics topper has for GATE aspirants is that one should "opt for online classes only if you have that kind of discipline. It is very easy to get distracted in the virtual classes, so if you tend to get distracted easily and lose focus then instead opt for offline classes. In physical classes, you will also be able to meet your friends and get motivation from them."