CEAlive interviews Jacob Mathew-CEA’s GATE 2009 topper
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GATE:99.71 percentile.All India Rank:119(Electronics&commn.)
Jacob Mathew of EA 2009 batch is this years GATE topper from CEA-probably one of the best colleges in Kerala,with 99.71 percentile.What keeps him apart from other toppers is that he didnot go to any coaching centres,and he didnt even study separately for GATE.Even when he had a handful of backpapers,he didnot let that slow him down,but strived ahead for GATE and got admission in IIT Kharagpur-the oldest & the biggest IIT which is also rated the best IIT in india.CEAlive had a great opportunity to have a little chat with him.Heres something from our conversation which mightbe helpful for all students.
CEAlive: Tell us a bit about yourself
Jacob: That’s perhaps the toughest question. Let me tell you something that i think.’A guy who likes to experiment with anything’.
CEAlive:Great,J.Tell us about ur schooling.How did u happen to join CEA?
Jacob: My place is Enathu. Just 10 km away from CEA.I did my schooling upto 10th at Holy Angels’ EMHS, Adoor. I did my Higher sec. education at St.Gregorious HSS, Kottarakkara.I’m a repeater. first time i got 10,000 for engg and 5000 for medicine. Then i repeated for medicine. Got 2200 for engg and 1200 for medicine.I preferred a college near my house. Didn’t like staying in hostel at that time. So i chose CEA without any second thought.
CEAlive:So u were a dayscholar.great!!How is ur academic record in college ?i mean in BTech.
Jacob : I actually had many supplees. I still have three.My academic record- 72% aggregate(approx – supple results need to come). Supple in S&S,DSP, VLSI, EPD, (NT i have passed by revaluation).S&S cleared. DSP appeared and confident of passing. VLSI and EPD about to appear. But probably get up in revaluation.
CEAlive: Wow !! you really are an inspiration to all of us.So you are a person who really enjoyed collegelife and not just a bookworm, anyway i had heard that you did your main project in DSP(Digital signal processing) with just an idea in mind and that you implemented it and also that you are a genius in DSP.Still,how come you got a supple in DSP ??
Jacob: I like a career in DSP.But i don’t know everything in DSP syllabus.What i know, I know deeply,. To do a project you need depth of understanding in topics that the project requires.DSP is very vast and deep.
CEAlive: What pushed you to go for MTech?
Jacob: I really want a career in electronics. At present i can’t. So the best way in front of me is to go for M.Tech and then try again.
CEAlive: Hmm,so when did you start preparing for GATE ?
Jacob: I have two answers. 1. When i started B.Tech.(without GATE in mind)
2. A few weeks before GATE exam (when started attempting previous question papers with the objective of gate)
CEAlive: Have you taken GATE earlier and how was your performance in it?
Jacob: My first attempt was in sixth sem. At that time i never expected to get such a score. So didn’t really try it.For the first attempt, i got 97.34%ile, i think with all india rank of 741. The second attempt was in 8th sem, while my project was going on.
CEAlive:Oh,So you didnot go to any coaching class at all ?You studied with GATE coaching books?
Jacob: I didn’t go for any coaching. I bought one guide. But i could use only the previous question paper section of it.
CEAlive: Which books and material would you suggest students for their GATE preparation?Well in a world where all the students are going to coaching classes and studying as many extra books for success,wouldnt those students have a better edge over others?
Jacob: More than the preparation for GATE, it’s the regular study for B.Tech that helps. So i recommend those books recommended in your syllabus.Never settle for books of lower standard than that mentioned in your syllabus. I’m talking about the habit of using local texts and guides not mentioned in the syllabus for B.Tech course.
CEAlive: When you started your preparation, what was your aim for GATE?
Jacob:First time i just tried out to see how hard it is. The next time i wanted to improve from my first score.
CEAlive:Great !When you were preparing for GATE, were you expecting this rank?
Jacob: No. On either attempt.
CEAlive:In your opinion what are the major reasons for your success in GATE?
Jacob: The best reason i can figure out is the level of expectation i had from me, and the quality control measures i have implemented.
CEAlive: What were the subjects that you felt were tough?and which subjects u felt easy?Also can u suggest the ECE students which subject they should concentrate on mainly ?
Jacob: Actually i don’t know every paper of B.Tech to the same extend. Some, like Circuits(Analog and Digital), System Designs, Network analysis, embedded etc i know well. While some papers like microwave, emt etc. i dont know much.
To the student’s i can suggest this. Learn the papers they like to the deepest extend.
But not all papers are given equal weightage in GATE. GATE gives more importance to the concepts, rather than application. Also,they will ask (for EC) transform theory more than numerical methods. Digital or analog electronic concepts. If you get 50% mark in GATE, you can be sure of getting >95 percentile in EC.
CEAlive: Which was your favourite subject throughout the BTECH course?
Jacob: Numerical Methods in mathematics. Analog circuits 1,2. Digital circuits, Digital System Design, Microprocessors, Embedded, Digital Image Processing, Audio&Video.
CEAlive: oh so much…:D
Jacob: In addition i like to pursue my career in DSP. But i don’t know them as much as i know the above
CEAlive: What helped you in your moments of stress?
Jacob: Stress? when? 
CEAlive: hehe k k..btw who is your role model?
Jacob: That’s a tough question. I don’t have any.
CEAlive: What was your reaction when you saw the result ?
Jacob: Gate result? felt somewhat happy
CEAlive: Did u follow any special preparation methods in the last few weeks leading to the exam ?
Jacob: I just solved 2 or 3 previous question papers. For those questions which i got wrong, i learned the theory a little bit better.
CEAlive: Any advice that you would like to prescribe for GATE aspirants?
Jacob: Set a standard for yourself. Decide that you will write your assignments only after referring atleast one book given in syllabus (:-)). Never enter lab without preparing very well. Never submit lab records without really understanding the experiments completely.Then you will follow this for atleast half the paper, in a timebound manner.
CEAlive: Which institute and specialization have you selected?
Jacob: I selected IIT Kharagpur.I got Visual Information and Embedded Systems Engg. there.It include Embedded, Comp. networks, Digital Image Processing, etc.
CEAlive: Any comments about CEA?how has CEA helped you in you studies and in pursuing your dreams ?
Jacob: It’s great to be in a college like CEA. With the freedom of a government college, and with the discipline and facilities of a management college.It really made us understand what we are good at and what we are not.The student community is also great, with many innovative students and ideas.
CEAlive: Thankyou Jacob for your time.wish you all the best in your future life.
Jacob: Thank you.it’s great to have guys with such feeling in CEA
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that was awesome.pal.. great work..Cea….thats one piece of work..i’d hav loved to put up..but then u guys got it done faster….great…a team effort..i presume..or ws it single headed..??anywa…this is d mark of a certainly stronger beginning…all d best..nd special congrats on thatmarvellous piece of interview u’ve got out there…!!Ciao….peace!!!
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superb da… superb.. congrats jacob…
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great !!you are an inspiration for us all !
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superb… let more interviews come… lets create some local celebrities…
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Hey Jacaob.. My Hearty Congrats… Great to hear this news..
Appreciate the effort from CEA Live to bring this news to us.. Thanks Guys.. Keep this going…
Shabeeb
2K7 Eb
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Congrats….. ur a real puliee!!!
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Wow man Jacob …. awesome ..
Jacob has also won (2 times) 3rd price in Mr. CEA …. (The Body building contest in CEA during sports)
Man u truly is an all rounder …. Congrats and all the Best 4 the FUTURE ….
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inspiring………..
congrats Jacobiii
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appreciable initiative….nice to see such an interview here.
congrats jacob.May god bless you to clear all supplies and join IIT
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admin Reply:
June 26th, 2009 at 11:12 am
he already joined IIT kgp…supple is not a problem there
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Congrats Jacob……….
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congrats jacob … all the best for ur future ..
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[...] in IIT Kharagpur-the oldest & the biggest IIT which is also rated the best IIT in india.”Read the inspirational interview that CEAlive had with him. Similar Posts [...]
nicely done
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Thanks everybody. The cealive volunteers needs to be congratulated, for the nice work they have done.
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milan_cs_09 Reply:
June 27th, 2009 at 9:33 am
hearty congrats dude! u hav proved tht hardwork is a panacea for all our probs..btw wat wud hav been ur alternative had u not got into the IIT?
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Jibin mathews Reply:
June 27th, 2009 at 11:08 am
panacea ??ohhhhhhh milaa u r really learning ur vocabulary ther
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nitrojacob Reply:
June 27th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
I would have searched for small jobs in Electronics. Mainly to gain work experience.
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Jibin mathews Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 11:38 am
chetta can u list qns that they asked for the interview ?IIT level nokana..ella IIT lum…
nitrojacob Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
During the interview at IITD, they asked me only from the paper that I opted for. They only checked our theoretical understanding (only those things in books).
Eg. for Communication Engg…..
1. Design the impulse response of a matched filter to filter/detect a negative ramp.
2. What’s a random process?
3. What does x and y axis of a constellation diagram mean.
Eg. for Computer Technology…..
1. Difference between Mealy and Moore machines.(also asked to draw state diagrams for a given pattern)
2. Design a counter for pattern 57,58,62,63.
Interviews lasted approx. 15 min. 1/2 prof. in the panel. Never asked about project/seminar.
dominic Reply:
June 30th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
first of all hearty congrats Mr.Jacob.I am studying in CET.I am also planning to attend this years GATE and this post has inspired me a lot.Cud u tell me wat all books did u refer?I think gping after the local books is a ludicrous idea.
Thnx
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Well done jacob!!Gr8 work CEAlive team.
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Great fantabulous…..
U really r an inspiration for all of us bro……
Congrats…..
V r proud of u…..
May god bless u…..
–
Sent on a phone using T9space.com
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Jacob Mtech(IIT),Btech..came to reality..feel very happy to study with u…u where so deep in ur thoughts..i knw frm my personal experience(while bike ride)….
Congrats..let our seniors,our batch mates and Juniors..be greatly inspired by this chat session…anyways im inspired..
one thing i find in is ur cool character..easy come easy go..nature..
Congrats man..!!!
good work frm cealive initiators!!!
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Congrats Jacob!!
Wish u all the best..
Binchu
2007 CS
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Hey Jacob,,,
Congrats man…….U hav don it …….Its a great inspiration 4 us ……
CEA LIVE —-Nice work….. expecting more of this kind
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well i was always a person who used to say “its not d college dat makes d student , but d students dat make d college”. But now i realize dat i was wrong. i am ryt nw undergoing gate coachin in ACE hyd , n realize dat we been fooled in d name of engg. fr 4 yrs. Even d most simplest concepts lyk modulation was made to look lyk someting big. Jacob is ma batchmate n his achievement is 100% his own i believe, n trust me scorin such a high score requires crystal clear concept (as gate only checks yr basic concepts ) pretty hard to develop in d kind of environment we study.
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truley inspiring!!! gr8… awesome work by team cealive…
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congrats macha gr8 to know that atleast there r some who think pf what they are doing ? probably this could help others in the long run to basically know what they are upto and journey ahead.
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really you achieved jacob. you are done a great job. good inspiration. may i god bless you…
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hi, i wan prepare for GATE’10 so how can i prepare??
i have no idea & here there are no coaching class heild??
& how mmany ques u attempt in exam gate’09
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nitrojacob Reply:
July 18th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Don’t know how many i have actually attempted. i think around 60. Most of what you attempt should be correct
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suggest me please..
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cealiveadmin Reply:
July 20th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
sorry he has gone to IIT kharagpur ..class starts on july 21..perhaps some1 else here wil attend ur qn …also i thnk ACE in hyderabad is a good option for those preparing GATE…bt the above person jacob prepared without any coaching..so u must be able to do so too..be confident..atb
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nitrojacob Reply:
July 21st, 2009 at 11:28 pm
I was overwhelm with the registration formalities and adapting to the new environment and culture these days. I’m at IIT Kharagpur and just completed my registration.
Please don’t ask me ‘which coaching centre is better’ or ‘which guide is better’– simply because i don’t know…
What the admin said is true. You can score well at GATE without any coaching. Gate is really simple. You need to have a ’solid’ understanding of the papers.
If you study the papers sincerely, above all, you will be a good engineer and will be able to find better options than GATE.
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manis Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 6:57 am
very good..i had some doubts.do they consider 10th and 12th marks for admission to iit.did btech mark matter so much.can we change btech branch.eg:can cse people take mechanical for mtech
Good Job Jacob. I knew he would crack it:). I always admired his confidence. I am grateful to be his senior , teacher and moreover an intimate friend. God Bless
To the rest…. Guys and gals no 1 can become another Jacob, but be what you are and work hard . Please dont ignore my words, studies is the most important thing in life. Work and u too can easily crack Gate.Please note I have not mentioned ‘Work Hard’ but just ‘Work’ , effort from ur side is the most imp
P.S : Supplymentary is not a big thing. But as Jacob rightly pointed out ‘Understanding the concept’ is the key . GOD Bless and have a wonderful future
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jacob bhai u have inspired me a lot to think about electronics
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[...] Vs MTech Vs MS – what to do/opt after BTech ? A Confessed Love CEAlive interviews Jacob Mathew-CEA’s GATE 2009 topper Avastha – The [...]
very good
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hey guys pls take a look at this interview too..its frm our neighbouring college..cec..hes gate 2010 topper of cec
http://www.cecblog.com/2010/07/23/interview-with-gate-2010-topper-of-cec-reuben-stephen/
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Let me first congraulate Jacob Mathew for his Stupendous Performance. It shows with you can have supplees and also be a all India Topper.I was ex CECtian and had supplees all thru my course.IF only there was some like Jacob to give s us the motivation i could have tried for gate.
Guys Jacob mentions to use only standard books as mentioned in the syllabus and not go about with sub-standard books(Local Guides)> i have started a blog only for collecting Standard books (Handbook & Solution Included)You can download them free of cost.I will be adding more in the coming days.Please check
http://ecengineering.wordpress.com for all your EC Needs(Project+Seminars+Question Papers+University questions+Books)
for any addtional needs please feel to contact me mcrsofttraining1@gmail.com
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