---- From GATE Setback to IIT Bombay MS: My Interview Journey Through IITM and IITB ----
Hello everyone I am Neeraj Patel ...
My GATE score was 615 and RANK 2797. I knew it wasn’t enough to get into a top NIT, let alone the top 7 IITs. I was shattered. I had always dreamed of being in a top IIT, but seeing my result, I felt broken and thought I'd have to prepare again for another year.
Still, I applied for MS programs at IITM, IITB, and IITH — the only ones I really wanted. Deep down, I was still hoping.
Fast forward: I got shortlisted for IIT Madras MS (CSE) and IIT Bombay MS (TA/RA) and MTech RA. IITM’s process was on May 5 and IITB's from May 8 to 11.
I boarded a train from Bhopal to Chennai on May 3, reached on May 4, and appeared for IITM’s written test the next day. The questions were from core GATE subjects plus topics like Software Engineering and Security. The paper was moderately difficult with negative marking. I attempted 24 questions, but I think I overdid it. A blog had said the cutoff was 40 marks, and that minimum 20 questions must be attempted. My friend Akash attempted just 18 — and he cleared it. Pro tip: only attempt what you're sure of — don’t gamble.
I didn’t qualify for the interview. I stayed on campus till May 6 and then headed to Mumbai for IITB.
For IITB, I had to appear for a written MCQ test for MS and a coding test for MTech RA. I cleared the written test and chose the “Computing Systems” panel for the MS TA interview.
Interview Panel:
Interview Questions & My Responses:
P2: Introduce yourself.
P1: Any projects or research in COA/OS?
P3: Why MS?
P3: Why PhD?
P1: Favorite topic in COA?
P1: Why not 40–50 cache levels?
P1: Cache access time?
P1: CPU is 4GHz, what’s ideal cache access time?
P1: What happens if we keep adding cache levels?
P1: Know about instruction pipeline and branch predictor?
P1: When is branch prediction used?
P2: What’s a control hazard?
P2: Example of branch instructions?
P3: When does prediction happen?
P3: Can we do it there?
P3: What are processes and threads?
P3: Why are threads lightweight?
P3: If we kill a process, are threads killed too? Vice versa?
P3: Are Linux and Windows processes the same?
P2: How would you divide a task between threads?
P3: When would you use threads vs. processes?
P3: Does Computer Architecture relate to processes?
P1: Gave example: opening a music app — does CPU know it's a process?
P1: Then what’s architecture's role?
There were a couple more questions, and the interview ended.
Reflection:
I made some mistakes and fumbled a few times, especially in explaining technical terms clearly. But I also stayed honest and held my ground where I was confident. The professors were kind and helped me think when I was stuck.
And yes, I finally got selected for MS at IIT Bombay — my dream college.
After wasting nearly a month in denial and sadness post-GATE, things changed when I got the first call. I focused on my best subject and gave it my all. And it worked.
To anyone reading:
If I can do it, you can too.
- Neeraj Patel
---And to ALL of my future aspirant friends if u are struggling with Pipeline concept then there is YT playlist of DEEPAK sir that is pure gem , that will clear aur all doubt .
---If U r not confident in english u can speak and explain in Hindi also .
--- And Please Practice to explain topic , cause explaining any topic and having a understand is different thing.
