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Updated 2026-05-30 · 2026 Edition

GATE 6-Month Plan

A complete 180-day plan covering 40 highest-weightage topics — prioritised by subject weight, not alphabet. No signup, no fees.

Days
180
Topics
40
Subjects
3
Phases
3
Generate My Personalised Plan → ← GATE Overview
Full foundation a concept-first pass, a depth pass, a revision pass, and a structured mock series

How to actually use your 180 days

Build real understanding, then layer depth, two revision passes, and a structured mock series.

Daily study
2.5–3.5 hours
New topics / day
≈ 0.22
Approach
a concept-first pass, a depth pass, a revision pass, and a structured mock series

This 6-month plan gives you 180 days to work through 40 weighted GATE topics across 3 subjects — roughly 0.22 new topics a day at 2.5–3.5 hours of focused study. That moderate daily load is the point of starting this early — you trade intensity for retention.

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 become the conceptual backbone the rest of the syllabus hangs off. Cover everything, and give weight 3–5 topics a second problem-solving pass. Low-weight topics get one solid pass — at this length they are worth keeping, not cutting.

Around 6 months lets you do far more than cover GATE — you can understand it: a concept pass, a problem-solving pass, then spaced revision across all 40 topics. A multi-month plan fails by drifting in the early, low-pressure weeks. Anchor each month to a concrete checkpoint so the slack does not become a late scramble.

What to prioritise & cut

Cover everything, and give weight 3–5 topics a second problem-solving pass. Low-weight topics get one solid pass — at this length they are worth keeping, not cutting.

Mock tests & revision

Topic and sectional tests through the build phase; full-length mocks every other week from the midpoint, weekly in the final two months. Maintain an error log from the start.

Weekly rhythm

Three arcs: a concept-building phase, a depth-and-problems phase, and a revision-plus-mocks phase. Each subject gets at least two spaced passes.

Phase-by-phase plan

24 weeks total

A 180-day plan only works when you sequence it. Here is how the 6-Month Plan breaks down — foundation, depth, then mocks.

  1. 1

    Foundation

    8 weeks

    Build concept depth across full syllabus

    Topic-wise notes
    Concept tests
    Recap docs
  2. 2

    Advanced + PYQs

    10 weeks

    PYQs of last 7-10 years; advanced problems

    Year-wise PYQ solving
    Topic-wise problem mastery
    Concept gap-fix list
  3. 3

    Mocks + final revision

    6 weeks

    Weekly full-length mocks; targeted revision

    10+ full mocks
    Weak-topic eradication
    Last-mile drill

Week-by-week schedule

Week Days Topics covered
1 1–7 Engineering-Maths: Linear Algebra (w3)Subject-Specific: Thermodynamics — Laws and Applications (w3)
2 8–14 General Aptitude: Number System and Simplification (w3)Engineering-Maths: Numerical Methods (w3)
3 15–21 Subject-Specific: Thermodynamic Cycles and Steam Turbines (w3)General Aptitude: Ratio, Proportion and Percentage (w3)
4 22–28 Engineering-Maths: Differential Equations (w3)Subject-Specific: Heat Transfer — Conduction (w3)
5 29–35 General Aptitude: Time, Work and Distance (w3)Engineering-Maths: Higher Order Differential Equations (w3)
6 36–42 Subject-Specific: Heat Transfer — Convection and Radiation (w3)General Aptitude: Data Interpretation (w3)
7 43–49 Engineering-Maths: Partial Differential Equations (w3)Subject-Specific: Manufacturing Engineering — Casting and Welding (w3)
8 50–56 General Aptitude: Logical Venn Diagrams (w3)Engineering-Maths: Complex Analysis (w3)
9 57–63 Subject-Specific: Manufacturing Engineering — Machining and CNC (w3)General Aptitude: Analytical Reasoning (w3)
10 64–70 Engineering-Maths: Probability and Statistics — Distributions (w3)Subject-Specific: Machine Design — Stress Analysis (w3)
11 71–77 General Aptitude: Statistics and Probability Basics (w3)Engineering-Maths: Joint Distributions and Sampling Theory (w3)
12 78–84 Subject-Specific: Machine Design — Bearings and Gears (w3)General Aptitude: Coding and Series Patterns (w3)
13 85–91 Engineering-Maths: Numerical Methods — Root Finding (w3)Subject-Specific: Theory of Machines — Kinematics (w3)
14 92–98 Engineering-Maths: Numerical Methods — Interpolation and Integration (w3)Subject-Specific: Theory of Machines — Dynamics (w3)
15 99–105 Engineering-Maths: Numerical Methods — Linear Systems and ODEs (w3)Subject-Specific: Strength of Materials — Axial and Torsional Loading (w3)
16 106–112 Engineering-Maths: Fourier Series and Transform Methods (w3)Subject-Specific: Strength of Materials — Beams and Columns (w3)
17 113–119 Subject-Specific: Fluid Mechanics — Fluid Statics and Kinematics (w3)Subject-Specific: Fluid Mechanics — Flow Through Pipes and Hydraulic Machines (w3)
18 120–126 Subject-Specific: Engineering Mechanics — Statics (w3)Subject-Specific: Engineering Mechanics — Dynamics (w3)
19 127–133 Subject-Specific: Control Systems — Transfer Function and Block Diagrams (w3)Subject-Specific: Control Systems — Time and Frequency Response (w3)
20 134–140 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 180-day plan beats a 1,200-page prep book

DimensionTypical GATE bookThis 6-Month Plan
Time to startHours of reading before any study startsSeconds — plan is already here
PersonalisationOne-size-fits-allFits exactly your 180 days
FreshnessPrinted months agoUpdated for the 2026 cycle · verified 2026-05-30
Weightage signalAuthor guessDerived from last 5 years' papers
Cost₹500–2,500₹0
Sign-up requiredOften (with a trial trap)None

Other GATE plans

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GATE 6-Month Plan — common questions

Is 180 days enough to prepare for GATE? +

Around 6 months lets you do far more than cover GATE — you can understand it: a concept pass, a problem-solving pass, then spaced revision across all 40 topics. The honest answer depends on your starting point, but this 6-month plan is built to get the most from the time you have: build real understanding, then layer depth, two revision passes, and a structured mock series.

How many hours a day does this GATE 6-month plan need? +

Plan for 2.5–3.5 hours of focused study, covering about 0.22 new topics a day. Three arcs: a concept-building phase, a depth-and-problems phase, and a revision-plus-mocks phase. Each subject gets at least two spaced passes.

What should I skip if I am short on time? +

Cover everything, and give weight 3–5 topics a second problem-solving pass. Low-weight topics get one solid pass — at this length they are worth keeping, not cutting.

When should I start mock tests on this plan? +

Topic and sectional tests through the build phase; full-length mocks every other week from the midpoint, weekly in the final two months. Maintain an error log from the start.

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 →