You do not need to pay for study material to do well in GTU. The genuinely useful resources are free — you just have to know which source to trust for which job. Here is a practical list, with an honest note on what each one is good for.
1. The official university sources (start here)
gtu.ac.in and the GTU circular feed are the source of truth for syllabus PDFs, exam timetables, results, exam forms and academic calendars. If any other site disagrees with GTU here, GTU wins. Bookmark the circular/notice page and skim it when exam season approaches.
2. Previous-year question papers
Past papers are the highest-value free resource there is, because GTU repeats question types and mark distribution year after year. Collect several years for your exact subject code, and read them before you read the textbook — they show you what "examinable" means in practice. Khudkibook collects GTU papers and syllabus by subject code so you do not have to hunt.
3. Textbooks and syllabus, organised
The official syllabus PDF tells you what to study; the textbook tells you how. Both are free: the syllabus directly from GTU, and recommended textbooks are listed inside each syllabus. For study material organised by branch and semester, Khudkibook keeps it in one place.
4. Video lectures for the hard topics
- NPTEL — free IIT/IISc lecture courses; excellent for core engineering subjects (maths, mechanics, electronics).
- Khan Academy — great for the fundamentals (calculus, physics, basic electrical).
- YouTube (subject-specific channels) — fast for a single concept, but verify the syllabus match; some channels teach a different university's pattern.
Use video to understand a topic, then switch back to papers to practise it.
5. Tools that save time
- A paper-and-course tracker — a simple spreadsheet: subject, credits, unit weightage, papers solved. This one habit is the difference between a calm exam season and a panic.
- Your phone — offline access to books and papers means you can revise in transit. The Khudkibook Android app is built for exactly that.
How to use all of this without drowning
- Syllabus first. Turn it into a checklist of units ranked by marks.
- Papers second. Read them to learn the exam pattern, then solve under time.
- Books and videos third. Only for the topics the checklist flagged as weak.
- Repeat the weak topics until the paper feels routine.
The goal is not to consume the most material — it is to cover the examinable scope deeply. The syllabus defines the scope; free papers and material just make it convenient to follow.
Chauhan Priyanshu
GTU engineering graduate. I build free study resources to help Diploma and BE students find syllabus, past papers and textbook links in one place. Follow on GitHub.