A 60% Score, TCP Diagrams, and One Wrong AI Answer

Today was a little different from my usual workday. I had to attend the Engineering Excellence Expo at TCS, and I had already planned to leave the office early so that I could use the extra time for my GATE CSE 2027 preparation.

I managed to leave around 3 PM and reached home by 5 PM after a commute of approximately two hours. So, at least that part of yesterday's plan worked exactly as expected.

But how much of that extra time did I actually use for studying? Let's get into it.

What I Studied Today

After reaching home, I spent approximately three hours, from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM, working on Computer Networks.

My main focus was revising TCP state transition diagrams and understanding the different cases of connection establishment and termination.

I went through the normal three-way handshake for connection establishment, the usual four-way connection termination, and the cases where both the client and server try to close the connection simultaneously.

I also revised the three-way closing case, where the server can combine its acknowledgment and FIN into a single segment instead of sending them separately.

I worked on these diagrams digitally and went through the different transitions and states involved.

Computer Networks took up most of my study session, and I was able to make progress on the notes. However, I couldn't work on the pending TOC notes or Digital Logic notes as I had originally planned.

So, although I used the extra time for studying, I didn't manage to complete everything on my list.

Digital Logic Test: 15 Out of 25

Today, I also took my Digital Logic combinational circuits test.

I scored 15 out of 25, which is 60%.

I would call it a decent score, although there are definitely things I need to work on.

One of the concepts I encountered was static hazards. I wasn't familiar with this concept before the test, so that's something I need to study properly.

I also got stuck on some questions involving basic concepts such as encoders and decoders. I hadn't revised those lectures before taking the test, and that showed up when I started solving the questions.

There were also a couple of lengthy questions. I found myself avoiding or struggling with some of them because of their length.

The interesting thing is that I wasn't completely unfamiliar with the topics. I just didn't have the fundamentals fresh enough to solve certain questions efficiently.

The Question That Cost Me 8–10 Minutes

There's one particular mistake I want to record because it's something I've been trying to avoid over my last few tests.

I used my phone to get help from AI during the test.

This wasn't because I wanted to check whether my answer was correct. I had already spent around 8–10 minutes on one question and was still nowhere near the solution.

The question itself was relatively easy, but I was missing the basic understanding needed to solve it quickly.

So I took a picture of the question and asked AI for the answer. I got a response, marked the answer, and moved on.

Unfortunately, the answer was incorrect.

In the end, I spent several minutes struggling with the question, used my phone to get help, and still didn't get the right answer.

Not exactly the most useful application of technology.

But the bigger issue isn't that AI gave me a wrong answer. It's that I used it during a test when I should have been working through the question myself.

I have been trying to avoid this habit, and today I repeated it. I want to do better in the next test.

What I Realized About Revision

During our conversation, I realized that my problem wasn't really test anxiety.

I knew that I had missed revising one or two subtopics. I hadn't completely forgotten the concepts, but my understanding of some fundamentals wasn't strong enough to solve the questions efficiently.

For example, a question that should have taken around one or two minutes ended up consuming eight to ten minutes.

That difference matters.

At the same time, I don't want to start revising everything on the day of a test. Personally, I prefer revising at least a day or two before taking a test.

My thinking is that giving concepts some time before applying them helps me retain them better. I don't want to simply read my revision sheet immediately before a test, use the information, and then forget it.

However, I also need to be honest about my current schedule.

Revision isn't a separate, fixed part of my daily routine right now. Most of my schedule is focused on completing the syllabus, and I revise through questions and tests whenever possible.

That's the reality of my preparation at the moment.

My October Deadline

Initially, my target was to complete the GATE CSE syllabus by the end of September.

But September is almost over, and I'm nowhere near finishing the entire syllabus. So I've extended the deadline by one month.

My new target is to complete the syllabus by 31 October 2026.

I'm confident that I can achieve this, although I know there are still several subjects and portions remaining.

The remaining syllabus includes Computer Networks, Computer Organization and Architecture, Theory of Computation, Compiler Design, portions of Discrete Mathematics, and some Engineering Mathematics topics.

I'm also planning to leave Engineering Mathematics and Aptitude towards the later part of my preparation because I feel relatively comfortable with these subjects. I've already looked at Engineering Mathematics PYQs, which gives me some confidence about revisiting it later.

For Aptitude, I'm considering keeping it towards January.

Starting 1 November, I want to switch completely to revision, tests, and test analysis.

No new subjects. No new concepts.

Just revision, practice, and identifying the areas where I need improvement.

That's the plan, at least.

What Keeps Me Going

When I think about the next few months, I'm not particularly worried about maintaining my energy.

I've been following this preparation routine for the last couple of months, and I know why I'm doing it.

My goal is to secure a single-digit rank in GATE CSE 2027 and work towards getting into NIC.

By this time next year, I hope to be working there, earning ₹1 lakh or more per month, having some money saved in my bank account, and maintaining a healthy relationship with my girlfriend and my parents.

These are the things I think about when I need to remind myself why I started this journey.

I know that completing the syllabus, taking tests, and revising everything won't always be exciting. Some days will be productive, and some days will involve getting stuck on a question that should have taken two minutes.

Today was a bit of both.

I made progress in Computer Networks, took a Digital Logic test, discovered a concept I need to learn, and repeated a habit I'm trying to break.

But I also know what I need to work on.

Tomorrow

I still have pending notes in Computer Networks, Digital Logic, and TOC.

I haven't finalized a specific plan for tomorrow yet, but my bigger target remains unchanged: finish the syllabus by the end of October and begin the dedicated revision and mock-test phase in November.

For now, the focus is on making progress without losing sight of that deadline.

Day 4 complete.