How a small-town boy became the GATE 2022 topper without any formal coaching

(March 31, 2022) The last few days have seen GATE 2022 topper T Mani Sandeep Reddy receive a flurry of phone calls and congratulatory messages. Among them, he was pleasantly surprised to discover, was Telangana minister E Dayakara Rao. Meanwhile, the soft-spoken engineering student from NIT-Warangal is perplexed by the adulation. His achievement – topping the chemical engineering section, is tremendous. The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is one of the country’s most competitive exams, deciding admissions to various IITs and to the prestigious Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. “I am satisfied with my performance. Is it a great achievement? I don’t know. But I did not expect this kind of response. I feel people are blowing it out of proportion,” smiles the 22-year-old, whose gentle demeanour and simplicity are hard to miss.

The GATE 2022 topper outside his alma mater, NIT-Warangal

Mission: Stay focussed

In an exclusive chat with Global Indian from his hostel at NIT, Sandeep says that it was general preparation that helped him secure the first rank. Unlike scores of students across the country, he didn’t head to the array of coaching centres. Instead, the GATE 2022 topper decided to keep it simple, preparing on his own at home. “I started preparing for GATE about six months ago. The plan was simple – dedicate three to four hours every day to all the subjects with complete concentration,” says the chemical engineering student. Staying focussed in his classes helped him cope with the syllabus.

Incidentally, most students opt for formal coaching ahead of the exams, but Sandeep chose to arm himself with his professors’ lessons, a few guides, and determination. This year’s GATE results were declared by the Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur on March 17. The exams decide admissions into the Masters programmes at various IITs and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, as well as for recruitment by some public sector companies.

“I was expecting a rank below 50 and the paper was tough this year,” he says when asked whether he’d had any inkling that he would secure the first rank. This year, over nine lakh students had applied for GATE 2022, of which a little over seven lakh appeared for the exams in early February. Sandeep emerged as the GATE topper 2022, securing the AIR Rank 1 in the chemical engineering stream.

Mr. T Mani Sandeep Reddy, final year BTech Chemical student secured AIR 1 in GATE 2022. pic.twitter.com/uGZBMab3VJ

— NIT WARANGAL (@warangal_nit) March 17, 2022

Ladder to success

 This is Sandeep’s second attempt at GATE. He’d taken the exam in 2021 too when he ranked 229. “That (rank) was good enough and I wrote the exams just to gain some experience,” he says. In hope of pushing his limits even more, he decided to retake the exam.

“I had a solid conceptual understanding of my subjects,” says Sandeep, adding, “Paying attention in class helped me a great deal.” His professors, who guided him throughout, were very happy with his performance. When the GATE 2022 results were declared, he was congratulated by NIT director NV Ramana Rao, chemical engineering HOD Dr Srinath and professor Shireesh Sonewane.

Humble beginnings

Born in a tiny hamlet in Vedurupaka village in Andhra Pradhesh’s East Godavari district, Sandeep attended a local school for four years before his family moved to Hyderabad. There, he studied at Johnson Grammar School, Nacharam. “I was always interested in physics and chemistry applications. Luckily, I got a good score in JEE (mains) and got into NIT Warangal,” says Sandeep, whose father, T Rama Gopala Reddy is an electrical engineer. His mother Iswarya Bhagya Laxmi is a homemaker while Sandeep’s younger brother Varun Kumar Reddy is in class 12.

Sandeep with his family

The youngster considers his father as his idol. “He comes from a family of farmers and has faced innumerable challenges. My father used to work in the fields and still make the time to study. He completed his degree and then engineering through his efforts and determination. He knows the value of education,” smiles Sandeep, who says that coming from a humble background is what has helped him as well. Needless to say, his parents were thrilled with the news.

Sandeep wants to work in a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) to gain experience. Then, he will decide whether he wants to continue with it or switch to a private company. The final-year engineering student has already received an offer from GAIL through campus placements. With his recent achievement, more offers are likely to come his way.

From badminton to numismatics

Sandeep is passionate about numismatics and has over 700 old coins

Believing in striking a balance, Sandeep is not just about academics all the way. “I like to unwind over a game of badminton and also play online games. But my major hobby is numismatics,” he informs. Collecting old coins from India and abroad has been a hobby since he was in school. “I like the old Indian coins, especially the commemorative ones. I have about 700 coins in my collection,” says the young lad, who is also part of his college’s chemical engineering association.

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