I Finished the Lecture, but Understood Almost Nothing

Monday was one of those days when completing the planned task didn't give me the satisfaction I expected.

I completed Compiler Design Lecture 10, which was approximately 3.5 hours long. It was exhausting, and by the end of it, I was completely confused about almost everything related to SLR and CLR parsing.

I was relieved that the chapter was finally over, but I couldn't honestly say that I understood it properly.

With only a few days left before my October 31 syllabus deadline, that feeling hit harder than usual.

A 3.5-Hour Lecture That Left Me Confused

My main task for Monday was to complete Lecture 10 of Compiler Design. The lecture focused on the relationships between SLR and CLR, continuing the discussions from the previous lectures.

On Sunday, I had already completed Lectures 7, 8, and 9, each approximately 2.5 hours long. Those lectures covered parsing methods such as LL(1), LR(0), SLR(1), and CLR(1), along with DFA construction, parsing states, and conflicts.

I had struggled particularly with SLR and CLR during those lectures.

Monday's lecture was supposed to continue exploring the relationships between these methods. I somehow managed to complete the entire 3.5 hours, but I was completely exhausted afterward.

And the worst part? I was still confused about almost everything related to SLR and CLR.

I think one reason might be that I tried to absorb too many interconnected concepts in a short period. There were several methods, technical details, and relationships to understand, and I couldn't put everything together properly.

For now, I'm hoping that revisiting the chapter during revision will make things clearer. Since I've already encountered the concepts once, perhaps the second pass will help me connect the pieces.

I haven't tested that assumption yet, though. I'll have to see how much I can recall and whether I can actually solve questions after revisiting the material.

When GATE Preparation Starts Feeling Overwhelming

After completing the lecture, I called it a day.

I was too exhausted to continue studying, and I also felt demotivated.

For a while, I even started thinking about looking for alternatives to GATE.

It wasn't a serious decision to abandon my preparation. It was more of a moment of frustration when I started questioning whether I could manage everything ahead.

The thought that kept bothering me was simple: if I'm struggling to understand one chapter now, how will I manage to remember all the topics across 13 subjects?

Finishing the syllabus is one challenge. Retaining what I've studied is another. And even if I remember a concept, there's still the question of whether I'll be able to apply it when I encounter an unfamiliar question in the actual examination.

I was worried about both forgetting concepts and struggling to solve questions.

These concerns became more noticeable because my syllabus deadline was getting closer.

The Remaining Syllabus Is Still Waiting

With October 31 approaching, I had several things left to complete.

My next Compiler Design chapter is Syntax-Directed Translation (SDT), which has three lectures. I planned to complete the entire chapter on Tuesday.

After SDT, only one Compiler Design chapter would remain, but that chapter itself contains four lectures of approximately three hours each.

Then there's DBMS.

I still have some pending DBMS lectures, and the entire indexing chapter remains to be completed. So, Compiler Design isn't the only subject competing for my remaining time.

I have only five days left after today before the October 31 deadline.

Looking at everything together made the situation feel more overwhelming. I need to complete the remaining lectures, but I also know that watching lectures alone won't prepare me sufficiently for GATE.

I'll need time to revise the material and solve GATE PYQs to check whether I can apply what I've learned.

Trying to fit everything into the remaining days is becoming increasingly challenging.

Maybe Revision Will Help

Despite the frustration, I don't think my confusion after Lecture 10 necessarily means that I won't be able to understand SLR and CLR.

I suspect that studying so many concepts in one go contributed to the problem. When several methods and their relationships are introduced together, it's easy to lose track of how everything fits together.

Perhaps revisiting the material will help me understand it better.

However, I also need to check my understanding through actual questions rather than simply assuming that revision has worked. Recognising an explanation in my notes and independently solving a question are not the same thing.

That's something I'll need to pay attention to during the revision phase.

My bigger concern is retaining concepts across all 13 GATE CSE subjects. I don't expect to remember every detail perfectly, but I need a way to revisit topics and identify the ones I've forgotten or never understood properly in the first place.

I don't have that entire system figured out yet.

For now, I need to finish the first pass of the syllabus and then approach revision and practice more systematically.

Tuesday's Plan: Start SDT

My plan for Tuesday is to start Syntax-Directed Translation and complete all three lectures.

The remaining time is limited, so I need to keep moving. At the same time, I don't want to repeat the same pattern of finishing lectures while feeling that very little has stayed with me.

Finding the right balance between speed and understanding is becoming increasingly important.

I also need to keep the DBMS backlog in mind rather than treating Compiler Design as my only responsibility.

Day 43: A Completed Lecture, an Exhausted Mind

Monday wasn't a day when I felt particularly confident about my preparation.

I completed a 3.5-hour Compiler Design lecture, but I remained confused about SLR and CLR. I felt exhausted, called it a day, and briefly questioned whether I should pursue alternatives to GATE.

The bigger fear behind that frustration was whether I could retain and apply everything across 13 subjects.

I don't have a definite answer yet. I believe revision may help, but I'll need to verify that through recall and question-solving practice.

For now, I have to keep moving without pretending that every concept is clear just because I've finished its lecture.

Day 43 complete. Lecture 10 finished, SLR and CLR still confusing, and the October 31 deadline getting closer.

Tomorrow, it's time to begin SDT.