How to prepare for GATE Architecture/ UPSC by UPSC Rank Holder
In this blog, I have compiled frequently asked questions by several architecture students regarding GATE Architecture/ UPSC Deputy Architect/ Government jobs and their answers from my personal experience. Some answer might feel lengthy but were necessary to give a broader picture.
– Abhishek Gwaskoti
Deputy Architect, CPWD (UPSC AIR 8)
M.Tech., IIT Delhi (GATE AIR 24)
B. Arch, MANIT Bhopal
Contents
There are lot many things to be covered, thus the blog has been divided in 6 parts. To make your journey smooth, I have collected content like some question papers, mock tests, sample of notes and included them for download.
- GATE Architecture FAQ’s
- UPSC Deputy Architect FAQ’s
- FAQ’s for Government Jobs in Architecture
- GATE Architecture question papers
- UPSC Deputy/ Assistant Architect question papers
- Sample of GATE Architecture & UPSC notes
1. GATE Architecture FAQ’s
1.1 Is there any benefit of giving GATE Architecture?
GATE score becomes criteria for many top colleges for shortlisting & selecting candidates in Post Graduation courses. The GATE qualified students admitted to AICTE approved programs are eligible for Post Graduate Scholarship which in 2017 was Rs 12,400/- per month.
Unlike engineering stream rarely any PSU company recruits through GATE Architecture score, but in 2018 Airport Authority of India recruited 2 candidates based on GATE scores. So you never know, what universe has planned for you.
1.2 What is the frequency of GATE Architecture examinations?
GATE exam take place annually. Online forms are usually floated around August-September and exams takes place in January end – February mid of following year.
1.3 Does one need to be exceptionally good in academics to clear the GATE Architecture/ UPSC exams ?
Not necessarily. However, if you are good in a certain subject you’ll be able to cover that part smoothly while preparing your notes. During preparations I came across several topics which I wasn’t aware of even though I had completed graduation and studied those topics in college. Some of my failures are as follows:
- Couldn’t clear L&T’s GET shortlisting exam.
- Shortlisted but not selected in HSCC.
- Shortlisted upto GD round but not selected in Samsung Heavy Industries.
- Just qualified with low score in GATE 2014.
All failures are disheartening at first instance but one need to learn from them. Each time I realised I wasn’t prepared well enough. So I took each event as a trial ball and used the experience in next opportunity.
1.4 How did you prepare for scoring good rank in GATE Architecture?
In short, by solving 10 previous years question papers.
In long, I had appeared for GATE in 2014, my final year. I recalled that I was demotivated by thick reading material books of different subjects of architecture which needs to be read for preparation. I started a couple of them but felt I would never be able to complete the syllabus for GATE exam.
Then I had to appear for Samsung Heavy Industries & I was confused regarding what to prepare. In absence of guidance, for preparation I solved that years GATE question paper. To my amazement they gave questions from same paper in their shortlisting round. This experience & from experiences of others I came to know that solving previous year papers might yields good results. And since I had limited time to prepare, I tried this strategy and was successful in GATE 2015.
The best part of this strategy is that you can cover a vast syllabus in short time and the worst part is you can miss things which might be crucial to get single digit ranks. For me solving GATE question papers and regular revision of notes helped me achieve my goal.
1.5 What kept you motivated during your preparations for GATE?
In short, one will fail to manage studies until he/ she has a goal to crack the examination.
In long, my story is that I failed to get a good score in 2014 because I had no clarity why I want to clear GATE. During my professional life in 2015, I started missing college activities as there were no co-curricular activities where I was working, so I felt “job to lifetime karni hai, abhi life enjoy or personality development ka time hai”. Then I developed a firm goal that I need to do PG, that too from IITR because my seniors there had a chill life, plus I would get GATE scholarship so PG fees won’t be a burden on parents. But IITR needed GATE rank within 100 for sure selection, so I knew that I need to study a lot.
After this clarity I never looked back, never skipped a day, I utilised every moment to either make notes or revise them. I did this during going for lunch, coming from lunch, commuting to office and every single moment to the limit that I started enjoying because every moment I was learning new thing about architecture. The thing is if you do not have a goal you will find reasons to skip studies and if you have one, that will be all to keep you going.
1.6 What was your approach for covering the wide syllabus for GATE Architecture/ UPSC Deputy Architect Exam?
I have a personal theory. First, Competitive exams only ask important things. Second, there is a pattern in such exams say GATE, since there are limited no. of important things they usually shuffle the question with answer and answer with questions in different year GATE papers. So one needs to be aware about all important things. Thus, I went for reading, understanding & learning every question and its multiple choice answers of GATE papers.
Say, 1 year paper has 50 questions.
50 questions* 4 options = 200 things to learn from 1 question paper.
I completed around 10 years of question papers as far as I remember.
So 2000 things to learn is a good strategy in my opinion.
Plus, one gets to touch several subjects in this manner. Neither there is boredom nor one waste his time in learning, reading, understanding non-useful lines covered in thick reading material books.
You have to understand that I had a goal of securing rank within 100, so I took a risk of not reading each & every thing but still cover most of the syllabus by solving question papers.
1.7 Self notes or borrowed from seniors/ friends. Which one do you think is the better approach?
I am PRO-NOTES person and have always advised people to make their own notes. The reason being, making notes helps you to focus on the topic. Notes should be handcrafted to give them a personal touch, converting text to mnemonics here & there. They should be as graphical as possible with sketches even if they are bad sketches because visual matter can be recalled much easily.
I used two-three colors to make the visual matter more interesting. And the last trick it to makes notes super short because at the end you have to revise all these notes and you should not be left with a thick book to revise.
For example complete one question in one or two lines, with just keywords and key sketches. I used to wrap up one year paper in 4-5 A5 size pages (single side). So, 10 years of question paper means around 50 pages to revise during end days of preparation. A sample of notes is attached towards the end of blog for your reference.
1.8 How did you maintained the balance between Work/ College and studies?
The best part of studying for GATE Architecture is what ever you are learning in college or working in office is a probable question for GATE exam.
I would suggest that one should do his/her own office/ college work with full awareness, that work could be a question of GATE. When you design a ramp, learn what is minimum & maximum gradient for ramp as per NBC and that is a question for GATE.
I never read about different types of concrete vibrators in college but experienced them on site job and coincidently same year there was a question about which concrete vibrator is used in what case. And as said above, utilize all moments & breaks like commuting to work/ college to either make notes or at least revise them.
1.9 Do you think coaching are mandatory? How did you prepare for the exams?
If one can manage time, be sincere in studying and maintain their rhythm then there is no need of coaching. I did self study, prepared own notes from internet searches. But there are times when one gets lost in internet, so you have to be precautious. Since I had to search things by myself, a deeper connection with topics cultivated. The GATE Architecture app and a similar reading material by a friend was helpful to give a kick start since they had couple of years of solved question papers.
Either you need to invest time in searching about topics/ answers to questions or you pay to coaching institutes for doing the same.
1.10 How did you manage to cover all the topics? Did you give equal weightage and time to every topic?
Again the matter is how much rank you are looking for. My emphasis was to cover up as many question papers possible. This helped in covering several topics and cover the important parts of them. For GATE 2015, total preparation time was around 60-75 days (including some random days, major preparation was done in December to January). I made notes for 50-60 days and revised for 10-15 days. At first the speed of preparation is very slow but as soon as you reach to 3rd or 4th paper, you will find questions start to repeat and thus you’ll start gaining speed as you cover more and more papers.
What most people forget is that revision is very important part of competitive exams. You may have knowledge of all questions of GATE exam, but to recall all that knowledge in those 180 minutes of pressurised environment is the crucial part. Thats why revision should be focus in last days so that one doesn’t do mistake in exam hall.
2. UPSC Deputy/ Assistant Architect FAQ’s
2.1 What all jobs are available through UPSC for Architects?
UPSC conducts examinations or calls for interview for recruitment in Central government organisations like CPWD, MES, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare etc. It does recruitment for Group A (Deputy Architect) & Group B (Assistant Architect) posts.
2.2. What is the frequency of jobs for recruitment in government jobs for architects through UPSC exam for architects?
Have a look at the advertisement year timeline of recruitment of following posts:
| No. | Post | Year | Selection Process |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 Deputy Architects in CPWD | 2013 | Experience & interview |
| 2 | 21 Assistant Architects in CPWD | 2015 | Exam & interview |
| 3 | 13 Deputy Architect in CPWD | 2016 | Exam & interview |
| 4 | 22 Assistant Architect in CPWD | 2016 | Exam & interview |
| 5 | 1 Assistant Architect in Department of Health & Family Welfare | 2016 | Exam & interview |
| 6 | 1 Assistant Architect, Department of Urban Planning Chandigarh | 2018 | Experience & interview |
| 7 | 7 Deputy Architect in Military Engineer Services (MES) | 2018 | Exam & interview |
Note: There was a single exam for 3 , 4 & 5. Shortlisting was based on exam scores for 3 & 4. Based on scores candidates were shortlisted for interview of ‘3 & 4’ or 4 only.
Recruitment in these department happen only when vacancy arises which occurs when a batch get promotions. Although notifications are rare but you’ll be glad to know that the 41 Deputy Architects selected vide 2013 notification were promoted in the beginning of 2020.
2.3 How does one comes to know about these jobs & where are these recruitment advertised?
Ones needs to keep an eye on official website of UPSC. The vacancies are advertised in recruitment section.
In addition to website, the advertisements are published in newspapers too. These advertisement gives information like- name & numbers of post, its pay scale, required qualifications & experience.
2.4 Can one appear for UPSC Architecture Exam directly after B.Arch?
Yes, for Deputy/ Assistant Architect posts there require B.Arch only. However COA registration number is mandatory.
2.5 How different is regular UPSC exam from UPSC for architects. Is the syllabus for both same?
UPSC for architects is very different from regular UPSC exams. There are no prelims & mains examinations, no essays or descriptive questions, no General Studies or language paper. Just one computer based examination like GATE examination.
2.6 Which subjects do architect students have to study for UPSC. Also are there any optional subjects to choose?
Although the vacancy notification informs about topics which will be covered in examination, as a general idea one can consider GATE syllabus as syllabus for UPSC Architecture. There are no optional subjects like regular UPSC exam.
2.7 How many times can one appear for UPSC Architecture?
There is no limit for number of attempts but the examination notification does mentions age limit for eligibility.
2.8 Can your GATE score help you get into CPWD?
No, there is no such provision till date. Recruitment is done only through exams conducted by UPSC. Although GATE preparations shall help hugely in preparing for UPSC exams.
3. FAQ’s for Government Jobs in Architecture
3.1 What other government jobs are there for architects?
Organisations like ISRO, DDA, HUDCO, DUAC, HSCC, NBCC, DMRC and other metro organisation conduct their own exams for recruitment or call for interviews by shortlisting based on experience. These are notified in the career section of their websites and published in news papers as well.
Recruitment of architects in state government offices like PWD/ Housing Boards/ TNCP offices is done through state examination agencies like MPPSC, OPSC etc.
3.2 What are the reliable websites or social media pages where we can find relevant information regarding architecture exams or government job openings?
I have found Facebook page by Archiexams to be an excellent source of information for government architecture job notifications.
3.3 Are there any apps/ websites where I can find free sample papers of GATE Architecture/ UPSC ?
You can check GATE Architecture App. This app has some free question papers with their answers and explanations.
I have added question papers of year 2017-2020 and their answer keys in next section which are free to download.
3.4 When should I start preparing for GATE Architecture/ UPSC Deputy Architect Exam or any other government job exams?
Start preparing today. Don’t wait for a exam/recruitment notification. These come in random. You have to be prepared for any kind of randomness. In Feb 2017 I appeared for GATE just to check if I can improve my rank. I failed to improve it because I wasn’t much serious in preparation that time. Fortunately, shortly after GATE exam UPSC notified their exam date for March 2017. And this time I knew where all I can improve and the preparation of GATE 2017 helped me in preparation of UPSC 2017 exam.
In my experience educating yourself is the easiest, no-nonsense way to touch new heights.
4. GATE Architecture question papers
This section gives you previous four years Gate Architecture question papers, their answer keys and free mock tests.
4.1 Question Papers with Answer Keys
Here you can download Gate Architecture Question papers & their answer keys. These are sourced from Gate websites of different organising institutes.
4.2 Free GATE Architecture Online Mock Tests
Check out the links below to experience online Architecture Gate exam. These are sourced from Gate website of different organising institutes.
5. UPSC Deputy/ Assistant Architect question papers
Here I have compiled question papers for different CBRT (Computer Based Recruitment Test) conducted by UPSC for Architects from 2015 – 2020 which will be helpful in preparing for Deputy Architect/ Assistant Architect UPSC examination.
1. 21 Assistant Architects in CPWD Question Paper.
2. 13 Deputy Architect in CPWD, 22 Assistant Architect in CPWD & 1 Assistant Architect in DoH&FW (Same Question paper for all three posts).
3. 7 Deputy Architect in Military Engineering Service (MES), Ministry of Defence Question Paper.
6. Sample of notes
These are samples of notes from my diary which I had made for preparations of Gate Architecture and UPSC Deputy Architect Exam.
6.1 For GATE Architecture
6.2 For UPSC Architecture
Ending Note
I found there were many questions floating in the internet regarding the topic of this blog. Most of the answers were superficial, while some were provided by those who doesn’t even belong to architecture field. Moreover, I have received numerous messages & calls from people I know for directions in this topic. And I know there are many who are looking for answers but doesn’t have connections yet.
Thus I felt the need to create this blog to guide all the enquiring minds in whatever capacity I could. So do give your comments if you found this blog useful. I might add comparisons of different exams or experiences of other rank holders if desired in comments (or whatever is highly demanded). All the important questions in comments shall be made a part of this blog.
You can connect with me on instagram here : @gwaskoti
Thank you sir, it is really helpful.
I’m glad that this post has started to serve its purpose of guiding. Thanks Utkarsh 🙂
Thank you sir, I want to know a little more about both the exams. Did you appear for upsc exam after your masters? How long are the upsc marks valid in one’s career.? Can I appear for both the exams before my masters?
And is m.tech a tough option after b.arch? Because we’ve not had a technical background while in college, and m.tech is probably a technical course. So I want to know your experience regarding the same.
Hi Sumedha, sorry I missed this message. I was in 2nd semester of my masters when I appeared for the exam. The marks are valid for that particular job notification only, i.e. once.
Yes, you can appear for GATE as well as UPSC without any Masters. Toughness of a Masters depends upon the college from where you want to pursue your degree. I did Masters of Technology in “Construction Engineering and Management” from IIT-D, similar course goes by the name of “Building Engineering & Management ” in SPA-D and “Advanced Construction Management” in NICMAR. This course has more engineering flavour at IIT-D, more architecture flavour at SPA-D and a mix of both fields at NICMAR. So do talk to people who have done the course when you start selecting your masters.
Thank you sir for all the useful information. I would like to know your suggestions on how to prepare for structures for gate. Would you like to suggest any book or something for understanding the concepts properly. Would previous 15-20yrs. Questions be enough to cover the subject.?
I am happy this post was useful for you. Although I’m not expert on Structures, but I can give some starting points.
First, in a single page make Shear Force & Bending Moment diagrams of – 1. Simply Supported beam with Point Load. 2. SS with With UDL 3. Cantilever Beam with Point Load. 4 CB With UDL.
Write formulas of SF & BM near each diagram. You’ll notice a pattern. Try to understand why the line is going flat, sloping or curved in each case. [When there is just “w” its flat, when “w & l” its sloping and when “w & l square” its a curve.]
Second, at least remember above 8 formulas and start practicing all the direct formula based questions. That will start building your confidence. So previous 15-20 years questions is good way.
And don’t forget, not all answers need to be attempted. Marks of Rank 1 lies between 70-80 in GATE AR.
Writing down various loading conditions with their formulas and diagrams is actually a good way to analyse and understand. I will surely do this Thank you sir.
Sir, tysm for the relevant information i have a question I am second year student studying Architecture and I am really looking forward to crack UPSC exams after my graduation. Can you please tell me what is the right time I should start the preparation for it? I really want a post CPWD it’s my dream. I would be grateful if you help me out with it.
Hello Palak. Its good you are looking towards cracking UPSC. Major preparation start from last year onwards because one has primary information about most of the subjects. However, you can focus on your subjects of every semester, as suggested in point 1.8 above “one should do his/her own office/ college work with full awareness”. When ever you design a toilet, enquire what is the smallest size of a toilet, whether it is mentioned in NBC or somewhere else, if yes Note it. Thats all. Enjoy your college life thoroughly, every moment is a experience!
Sir, since you’re a post graduate from IIT, i would want to know how are the placements and how different is it to graduate from IIT in comparison to any other prestigious university?
Hi N. Placement is dependent majorly on two factors – your branch and your placement team. High paying jobs are available only in PSUs or Finance/Consulting sector. One must understand that Construction sector pays high only when one is experienced. At IITD there were rare occurrences of placements for Masters. Students ended up clearing UPSC/PSU vacancies.
No college is ever going to do things for you, it is the students who do it for themselves.
Amazing work boss, cleared every doubts it is great to learn from every question, get proper knowledge from every question, I think preparing for GATE Architecture is best thing to learn about Architecture.
Thanks Ketan I do agree that GATE AR preparation gives one a great exposure to topics which one might have missed during college.
Sir, as we all know this year prefinal year students of Architecture and planning can also apply for GATE Examination, Can you please suggest some preperation stratagy for prefinal year students.
Hello Divyansh, its good news that they have given early access to Gate exam from this year. To speak frankly, give this pre final year exam attempt in any manner you want. Start preparing or not preparing, just do it in your style. Just observe yourself during preparation and even in exam time.
If you succeed its great and if you don’t then at least you would have the idea where you lacked, why you lacked and what can you do to overcome it. And its completely Okay if you don’t succeed in first time. So my best wishes with you, you can come back to me anytime!
Thank you sir for guiding us. I’d like to know if gate Architecture Aptitude level is same as for engineering branches.?
Hello Bharat, I’m glad you found this post valuable. It won’t be wise to compare GATE engineering & GATE architecture. No. of candidates for Gate CIVIL is more than 1 Lakh every year while no. of candidates for Gate Architecture hardly touches 10 Thousand. Since the number of candidates is very high in engineering side, the competition is fierce & very intense preparation is required. This is the reason they have so many coaching centres. While in GATE architecture, a person with sincere preparation is able to get a good rank. I hope this helps.
Thankyou so much sir, for Valueable Content. Sir if someones wants to Get Rank in top 100 what are the necessary tips and methods he needs to follow and take care for acheving that Goal?
Hello Parul. I’m glad this post was useful for you.
I think you should start with whatever you can. Starting is the most crucial part. Once you start, you’ll start facing issues and then you should find out ways to sort out all those issues. I have written my techniques above, you can follow them to if they suit you. I hope you are attempting this years GATE 2021, if yes its good, if not then you should definitely attempt GATE 2022. This will help you a lot to understand the dynamics of exam. Whatever results come, do get in touch with me, I’ll be there for you.
This was really helpful and informative! thankyou so much for jotting down things and guiding so well:)
Thank you Kanchan :). I’m glad the post was helpful to you!
Hi sir, as you have completed your masters, does that help you get promoted in MES, how does masters degree in Urban design/planning helps in MES if one gets selected in UPSC engineering services ?
Hello Chitra, I am employed in CPWD & not in MES. In any of these two dept, as on date there is no preference or benefit for candidates having Masters degree either on recruitment or during promotion. During recruitment advertisements it is mostly mentioned that bachelors is the minimum requirement for eligibility. Unless the advertisement says one needs a specific Masters, there is no benefit or loss of having a masters degree. Hope this helps else you may enquire further.
Thank you so much boss. The content is really informational and helpful to decide what to pursue. It cleared my all doubts regarding gate and upsc.
Thank you so much Aakar :). I’m glad this blog was useful for you.
Thankyou for sharing such valuable information sir. I would like to know more about how prepared for UPSC exam. Did you apply the same methodology as you used for Gate or did you study every thing in detail?
Hey Aditi, I’m happy you found this valuable.
My UPSC Deputy Architect examination was a year after I had performed well in GATE. By method explained in the post above, I only had to revise all my previous study notes and add to it previous papers of UPSC Architecture exam. I found that even after studying most of the GATE questions, there were still new questions in the UPSC papers. You can try developing your study method in terms of examination. What matters most in the exams is to perform better than others.
Hello sir,how and what should i prepare for pwd architect interview?
Hi, Himanish. I’m sorry my reply is bit late. Interviews are quite generic in most of the departments. The panel begin with one question and then makes the second question on the basis of your answer to the first question. They keep digging in to know how well you know about the subject. So my suggestion to you is to speak only those things on which you are confident. No show off is required, only genuineness. I hope this helps!
Hello Sir,
Thankyou for this information its very helpul. I just had few question?
What is the name of UPSC exam for architect?
Is I appear for UPSC and get clear, will i directly get a job?
Where to start?
Hello Friend,
There is no specific name for such exam. UPSC is a exam conducting body (like JEE/NEET). They conduct exam/interviews for vacant “Posts” in government departments. So the interview/exam can come by the name of 21 Assistant Architects in CPWD or 7 Deputy Architect in Military Engineering Service or anything similar stating no. of posts, name of post, name of department.
If one clears the exam, there could be interview which is mentioned in the notification of the post. Selection is done after overall performance in exam + interview. Hope this help!
Hello sir, thankyou for sharing this, it was really helpful. I just had few questions, 1.From where do I start preparing for upsc?
2.If a person clear upsc, will you guarantee get the job, or is it based on vacancies?
3.What other govt agencies can architect apply through UPSC?
4.Are there any other exams for entering govt agencies?
5. Where are the vacancies usually realised?
Hey Aashu. As for preparation, start with Gate/UPSC/ISRO/DDA previous question papers. At first you might feel overwhelmed with the amount of information they want an aspirant to know about. Start little but start for sure. Jobs are based only on vacancies. So you need to make sure that you’ll be one of the top scorers. Only then job is guaranteed. For CPWD, UPSC is the only way. Other government agencies like ISRO, HUDCO, DDA call their own examinations for recruitment. I hope you find this useful.