GATE 3-Month Plan
A complete 90-day plan covering 40 highest-weightage topics — prioritised by subject weight, not alphabet. No signup, no fees.
- Days
- 90
- Topics
- 40
- Subjects
- 3
- Phases
- 3
How to actually use your 90 days
Full coverage, one real revision cycle, and a weekly mock series — the standard serious-attempt window.
This 3-month plan gives you 90 days to work through 40 weighted GATE topics across 3 subjects — roughly 0.44 new topics a day at 3.5–4.5 hours of focused study. That is a sustainable pace that leaves real room for revision instead of just first-time coverage.
GATE marks are not spread evenly across subjects. Subject-Specific, Engineering-Maths, and General Aptitude carry the heaviest weightage in recent papers, so this plan front-loads them — so they anchor the first pass and earn the most revision time later. Cover the entire syllabus once, then let weightage decide what earns a second and third pass. Nothing is skipped — only deprioritised.
90 days is enough to cover all 40 GATE topics once, revise them once more, and build a genuine mock-test habit on top. The risk is plateauing after the first pass. Block out the revision cycle in your calendar now, before mocks crowd it out.
What to prioritise & cut
Cover the entire syllabus once, then let weightage decide what earns a second and third pass. Nothing is skipped — only deprioritised.
Mock tests & revision
Topic-wise tests while you learn, then weekly full-length mocks once the first pass is done. Track sectional timing, not just the total.
Weekly rhythm
Roughly the first 60% of the timeline on the first pass, the next 25% on weight-prioritised revision, the last 15% on full mocks and an error-log review.
Phase-by-phase plan
12 weeks totalA 90-day plan only works when you sequence it. Here is how the 3-Month Plan breaks down — foundation, depth, then mocks.
- 1
Foundation
4 weeksConcept pass across full syllabus
Subject-wise notesTopic-wise quizzesWeekly recaps - 2
Advanced + practice
4 weeksHigher-difficulty problems, PYQs
Last 5 years PYQsTopic-wise problem journalsWeak-topic drill - 3
Mock cycle + revision
4 weeks6-8 full-length mocks + per-mock analysis
Bi-weekly mocksFinal revision sheetLast-mile cheatsheets
Week-by-week schedule
| Week | Days | Topics covered |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1–7 | Engineering-Maths: Linear Algebra (w3)Subject-Specific: Thermodynamics — Laws and Applications (w3)General Aptitude: Number System and Simplification (w3)Engineering-Maths: Numerical Methods (w3) |
| 2 | 8–14 | Subject-Specific: Thermodynamic Cycles and Steam Turbines (w3)General Aptitude: Ratio, Proportion and Percentage (w3)Engineering-Maths: Differential Equations (w3)Subject-Specific: Heat Transfer — Conduction (w3) |
| 3 | 15–21 | General Aptitude: Time, Work and Distance (w3)Engineering-Maths: Higher Order Differential Equations (w3)Subject-Specific: Heat Transfer — Convection and Radiation (w3)General Aptitude: Data Interpretation (w3) |
| 4 | 22–28 | Engineering-Maths: Partial Differential Equations (w3)Subject-Specific: Manufacturing Engineering — Casting and Welding (w3)General Aptitude: Logical Venn Diagrams (w3)Engineering-Maths: Complex Analysis (w3) |
| 5 | 29–35 | Subject-Specific: Manufacturing Engineering — Machining and CNC (w3)General Aptitude: Analytical Reasoning (w3)Engineering-Maths: Probability and Statistics — Distributions (w3)Subject-Specific: Machine Design — Stress Analysis (w3) |
| 6 | 36–42 | General Aptitude: Statistics and Probability Basics (w3)Engineering-Maths: Joint Distributions and Sampling Theory (w3)Subject-Specific: Machine Design — Bearings and Gears (w3)General Aptitude: Coding and Series Patterns (w3) |
| 7 | 43–49 | Engineering-Maths: Numerical Methods — Root Finding (w3)Subject-Specific: Theory of Machines — Kinematics (w3)Engineering-Maths: Numerical Methods — Interpolation and Integration (w3)Subject-Specific: Theory of Machines — Dynamics (w3) |
| 8 | 50–56 | Engineering-Maths: Numerical Methods — Linear Systems and ODEs (w3)Subject-Specific: Strength of Materials — Axial and Torsional Loading (w3)Engineering-Maths: Fourier Series and Transform Methods (w3)Subject-Specific: Strength of Materials — Beams and Columns (w3) |
| 9 | 57–63 | Subject-Specific: Fluid Mechanics — Fluid Statics and Kinematics (w3)Subject-Specific: Fluid Mechanics — Flow Through Pipes and Hydraulic Machines (w3)Subject-Specific: Engineering Mechanics — Statics (w3)Subject-Specific: Engineering Mechanics — Dynamics (w3) |
| 10 | 64–70 | Subject-Specific: Control Systems — Transfer Function and Block Diagrams (w3)Subject-Specific: Control Systems — Time and Frequency Response (w3)Subject-Specific: Electrical Machines — Transformers (w3)Subject-Specific: Electrical Machines — DC Machines and Induction Motors (w3) |
Subject-wise topic split
Each topic shows its weightage (1–5 dots) and the concepts you'll cover. Higher-weight topics appear first.
Engineering-Maths
12 topics- Linear Algebra ●●●○○
- Numerical Methods ●●●○○
- Differential Equations ●●●○○
- Higher Order Differential Equations ●●●○○
- Partial Differential Equations ●●●○○
- Complex Analysis ●●●○○
- Probability and Statistics — Distributions ●●●○○
- Joint Distributions and Sampling Theory ●●●○○
- + 4 more topics on the full roadmap →
Subject-Specific
20 topics- Thermodynamics — Laws and Applications ●●●○○
- Thermodynamic Cycles and Steam Turbines ●●●○○
- Heat Transfer — Conduction ●●●○○
- Heat Transfer — Convection and Radiation ●●●○○
- Manufacturing Engineering — Casting and Welding ●●●○○
- Manufacturing Engineering — Machining and CNC ●●●○○
- Machine Design — Stress Analysis ●●●○○
- Machine Design — Bearings and Gears ●●●○○
- + 12 more topics on the full roadmap →
General Aptitude
8 topics- Number System and Simplification ●●●○○
Integers, fractions, decimals, squares and cubes, square roots, cube roots, BODMAS rule, divisibility rules, LCM and HCF, and simplification of numerical expressions — foundational arithmetic for VITEEE quantitative section.
- Ratio, Proportion and Percentage ●●●○○
Ratio and proportion (direct and inverse), percentage calculations, profit and loss, discount, simple and compound interest, partnership, and mixture/alligation problems — practical arithmetic applications.
- Time, Work and Distance ●●●○○
Work efficiency, pipes and cisterns, upstream/downstream problems, average speed, relative speed, train problems, and time-distance graphs — time management in work-rate and motion problems.
- Data Interpretation ●●●○○
Interpretation of bar graphs, pie charts, line graphs, tables, and caselets — extracting meaningful information from data representations and making calculations based on presented figures.
- Logical Venn Diagrams ●●●○○
Venn diagram representation of sets, relationship between groups (union, intersection, complement), and solving logical problems using Venn diagram visualization — spatial reasoning in set theory.
- Analytical Reasoning ●●●○○
Data sufficiency, direction-based puzzles, ranking and sequencing, and complex logical deduction problems — reasoning through multi-step analytical problems without formal mathematical calculations.
- Statistics and Probability Basics ●●●○○
Mean, median, mode, range, variance, standard deviation, and basic probability (coin, dice, card problems) — introductory statistical reasoning and chance calculations.
- Coding and Series Patterns ●●●○○
Number series, alphabet series, alphanumeric patterns, and letter-number coding-decoding — identifying underlying patterns to find missing or next terms in sequences.
Why a 90-day plan beats a 1,200-page prep book
| Dimension | Typical GATE book | This 3-Month Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Time to start | Hours of reading before any study starts | Seconds — plan is already here |
| Personalisation | One-size-fits-all | Fits exactly your 90 days |
| Freshness | Printed months ago | Updated for the 2026 cycle · verified 2026-05-30 |
| Weightage signal | Author guess | Derived from last 5 years' papers |
| Cost | ₹500–2,500 | ₹0 |
| Sign-up required | Often (with a trial trap) | None |
Other GATE plans
GATE 3-Month Plan — common questions
Is 90 days enough to prepare for GATE? +
90 days is enough to cover all 40 GATE topics once, revise them once more, and build a genuine mock-test habit on top. The honest answer depends on your starting point, but this 3-month plan is built to get the most from the time you have: full coverage, one real revision cycle, and a weekly mock series — the standard serious-attempt window.
How many hours a day does this GATE 3-month plan need? +
Plan for 3.5–4.5 hours of focused study, covering about 0.44 new topics a day. Roughly the first 60% of the timeline on the first pass, the next 25% on weight-prioritised revision, the last 15% on full mocks and an error-log review.
What should I skip if I am short on time? +
Cover the entire syllabus once, then let weightage decide what earns a second and third pass. Nothing is skipped — only deprioritised.
When should I start mock tests on this plan? +
Topic-wise tests while you learn, then weekly full-length mocks once the first pass is done. Track sectional timing, not just the total.
Already know the pattern? Generate a topic-by-topic plan.
The full personalised roadmap covers weak topics first, tracks completion, and adapts as you mark topics done.
Generate Personalised Plan →