The November Revision Plan Is Ready

Today was a little different from my usual GATE preparation days. I didn't attend any lectures, solve questions or revise any subject. Instead, I spent the day preparing the schedule for November.

And honestly, that was probably the most important task I needed to complete before entering the new month.

Looking Back at October

Before planning November, I couldn't help but reflect on October.

It was a hectic month, but I'm genuinely satisfied with how it went. I managed to complete four subjects: COA, Compiler Design, DBMS and TOC.

What makes this achievement more satisfying is that two of these subjects were completely new to me. I had never studied them properly before, so getting through their lectures and understanding their concepts within a single month was a challenging experience.

There were days when long lectures felt exhausting, notes remained pending, and office responsibilities made things harder. But despite all that, I managed to follow the schedule reasonably well.

October was primarily about completing the syllabus. Now, that phase is officially behind me.

Preparing the November Schedule

I spent today creating my November revision schedule and organizing it into a tracker.

I have divided my preparation into four broad categories:

• Long Done: C Programming, Data Structures, Operating Systems and Algorithms.
• Fresh: TOC, Compiler Design, COA, DBMS, Computer Networks and Digital Logic.
• Incomplete: Discrete Mathematics and Engineering Mathematics.
• All: Tasks involving broader revision and testing.

The first half of November will primarily focus on completing Discrete Mathematics. I have approximately 20 lectures remaining, and the plan is to finish them before moving into the next phase.

The second half will focus on revising the subjects completed earlier, solving PYQs, identifying gaps and gradually starting Engineering Mathematics.

I've also included subject tests, topic tests, rapid-fire tests and a possible full-length mock test.

The tracker currently contains 103 planned tasks and approximately 130 study hours, excluding flexible and buffer time.

That's quite a workload, especially while managing a full-time job.

Why Did I Make the Schedule So Challenging?

Someone might look at this schedule and wonder whether I've planned too much.

Well, I have deliberately made it challenging.

My target is a single-digit rank in GATE CSE 2027. I understand that achieving something like that won't be easy. It requires more than just completing lectures and collecting notes.

I need to remember concepts, solve unfamiliar questions, identify mistakes, improve accuracy and develop the ability to perform under examination conditions.

A comfortable schedule might make me feel good about my daily progress, but it doesn't necessarily prepare me for the actual examination.

That doesn't mean I intend to follow the schedule blindly. Office work, unexpected responsibilities and difficult topics can interfere with the plan. Adjustments will be necessary whenever required.

But I don't want to make the schedule easy simply because the target is difficult.

The challenges are intentional.

No Study Today, Just Planning

I didn't study anything today. The entire day was dedicated to organizing November.

Sometimes preparation isn't just about sitting with books or watching lectures. Planning the next phase properly also matters, especially when there's a full-time job involved.

I wanted to enter November with a clear idea of what I needed to do rather than figure everything out along the way.

And now, the schedule is ready.

Tomorrow: A New Phase Begins

November starts tomorrow, Monday, November 2.

The focus is changing.

October tested my ability to complete the syllabus within a limited time. November will test something different: how well I can retain what I've studied, how effectively I can solve questions and how honestly I can identify my weaknesses through tests.

I'm particularly interested in seeing how the revision strategy works in practice.

The plan looks challenging on paper. Now comes the interesting part: executing it while managing everything else.

October was about completing the syllabus. November is about making that syllabus useful.

Let's see how the first day goes!