How did you prepare for signal and systems for the GATE?

While there is no set rule for preparing for the signal and systems module of GATE, there are usually two routes or a combination of both that is advised to students. You can either focus on theoretical books and samples like Julius O Smith to study or you can follow online learning tutorials like Edx open software to get clear concepts.

Preparation Tips:

• To begin with, students must always have an in-depth understanding of the foundation subjects. This means starting your study module from between will only cause you to have unclear concepts. It is an exceptionally important topic, and hence students must focus on understanding the concept of Impulse Response and Convolution.

• Learn the impact of shifting and scaling operations on the waveform to understand continuous and discrete-time signals.

• For problem-solving questions, it is important to focus on Properties of transforms, analysis and synthesis equations, and common transform pairs. If you have the time, try to learn about all the properties since it can be asked as a direct question.

• The Fourier transform and Laplace transform are two very important concepts that can contribute to higher marks because of its direct approach.

• Students must also study the final value and initial value theorem with stability verification.

• The idea of stability and causality in Z Transform and Laplace can be very scoring if system properties need to be identified from the pole-zero plot.

• Students can also practice drawing two separate types of waveforms keeping sampling frequency and Nyquist frequency in mind. The concepts of Nyquist Rate, Nyquist Frequency, and Band-Pass sampling theorem are all incredibly important.

Study Material:

For practicing and learning materials students can find the following.

• Main Text Book by Schaum series

• Signal Systems by Prof SC Dutta Roy or Oppenheim

• Kreatryx Practice Question booklets

• GATE questions from previous years

Signals & Systems has the highest weightage of marks and so it can easily become a high-scoring subject if prepared well. Practicing a large number of problems while understanding core concepts is mandatory to get a score in the subject.

Keeping these points in mind will surely help students in getting a good score in signals and systems for GATE.