GATE EC Study Plan (6 Months and 3 Months)
A practical GATE Electronics and Communication study plan: subject order, a 6-month weekly schedule, a 3-month fast track, revision and mock tests.
Two schedules for GATE Electronics and Communication Engineering: a 6-month plan (about 4–5 hours a day) and a 3-month plan (about 7–8 hours a day). Both use the lessons of this track, Engineering Mathematics, General Aptitude and the mock test.
Subject order
Networks and signals are the base for control and communications; devices come before analog circuits.
- Networks
- Signals and systems
- Electronic devices
- Analog circuits
- Digital circuits
- Control systems
- Communications
- Electromagnetics
6-month plan
| Weeks | Main subject | Side subject |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Networks | Engineering Mathematics: linear algebra, calculus |
| 4–6 | Signals and systems | Engineering Mathematics: Laplace, Fourier, complex variables |
| 7–8 | Electronic devices | General Aptitude: quantitative |
| 9–11 | Analog circuits | Engineering Mathematics: ODEs, probability |
| 12–13 | Digital circuits | General Aptitude: verbal and reasoning |
| 14–15 | Control systems | Revise networks and signals |
| 16–18 | Communications | Revise devices and analog |
| 19–20 | Electromagnetics | Engineering Mathematics: vector calculus |
| 21–23 | Revision with the formula sheet | One previous year paper per week |
| 24–26 | Mocks: two per week, with mistake analysis | Weak topics only |
3-month plan
| Weeks | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Networks, signals and systems |
| 3 | Electronic devices |
| 4–5 | Analog circuits |
| 6 | Digital circuits |
| 7 | Control systems |
| 8 | Communications |
| 9 | Electromagnetics |
| 10 | Engineering Mathematics, formula sheet, previous year papers |
| 11–12 | Mocks and weak topics; General Aptitude every day |
Tips for electronics and communication
- Signals and systems is everywhere: Fourier and Laplace transforms reappear in control and communications.
- Electromagnetics is formula heavy: keep a separate page for transmission lines and waveguides.
- Digital circuits give quick marks: counters, multiplexers and K-maps are short questions.
- Use official previous year papers from the organising IIT's site; see how to analyse them.
Practice
In the 6-month plan, how many weeks are given to analog circuits?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: 3Weeks 9 to 11 inclusive: 3 weeks.
Which subjects use Fourier and Laplace transforms from signals and systems? (Select all that apply.)
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A, BTransfer functions in control and spectra in communications both use the transforms learnt in signals and systems.