One serious GATE attempt: Should I choose CS or DA?
Hi everyone, I need some honest guidance regarding GATE preparation.
I’m a 2024 BTech ECE graduate from a tier-3 college and currently unemployed. I’m planning to seriously prepare for GATE next year, and realistically this feels like my one major attempt, so I’m very confused and anxious about choosing between GATE CS and GATE DA.
My situation:
- ECE background
- No proper preparation started yet
- Not strong in coding currently
- Can study full-time from now
- Want the best possible ROI from one serious attempt
What confuses me:
- GATE CS seems safer because it has more opportunities/colleges and ranks beyond top 1k still have some value, but the syllabus looks huge and competition is extremely high.
- GATE DA seems more manageable because of the smaller syllabus and comparatively lower competition, but people say only the top 200–300 ranks are truly safe.
Since I’m starting from scratch now, I’m worried whether preparing CS fully in time is realistic. At the same time, I’m scared DA might become risky due to limited seats/opportunities.
I would really appreciate advice from:
- people who are prepared for either CS or DA,
- especially non-CS students or first-time aspirants,
- and those who had to choose strategically in a limited time.
If you were in my position, what would you choose and why?
Thanks a lot.
Tell in terms of which one would u choose if u were in my shoes, and then tell ur reasons
