I’m happy to inform that I have passed the Introduction to Internet of Things course offered by NPTEL with Elite + Gold certification.

What is NPTEL?

NPTEL is an acronym for National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning which is an initiative by seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for creating course contents in engineering and science. NPTEL provides E-learning through online Web and Video courses in Engineering, Science and humanities streams.

Course contents will be useful for training the faculty members and through them improve the quality of students. You can join/register NPTEL courses and access the materials for free. You have to pay a nominal amount only if you are registering for exams, leading to certification in your chosen course. Also, most of the institutions refund the amount that you have paid for NPTEL certification.

Advantages of Earning Certification from NPTEL

1. Most of the NPTEL courses are offered by premier institutions like IITs and IISc.

2. NPTEL certifications have become mandatory for promotions in most of the academic institutions and recruiters prefer students with NPTEL certifications.

3. Few universities are also asking their students to take up and get certified as part of their course work.

4. Credits earned from NPTEL courses are also recognized by most of the universities.

5. NPTEL Certifications are also approved and recognized as Faculty Development Programme (FDP) by AICTE .

So, NPTEL offers a scintillating opportunity to move our career forward and also to enhance our knowledge at our own pace and at less cost.

Here are few tips to ace the NPTEL courses drawn from my personal experience.

1. Rather than watching the videos, download the transcripts in PDF format. Personally, I feel it is easy to go through the transcripts.

2. Take the printouts of all the PDFs beforehand itself. Do not wait for the arrival of the mail saying that video has been released for the particular week. You can find the PDFs of all the week at the beginning of the course.

3. Try to solve the assignments religiously. Remember that for

   4 week courses, only 3 best assignments are considered out of 4 assignments

   8 week courses, only 6 best assignments are considered out of 8 assignments

   12 week courses, only 8 best assignments are considered out of 12 assignments

   As you can see, you can miss few assignments but DO NOT if you are really serious about your course. Try to submit the assignments within deadline as there will not be any extension.

4. For NPTEL courses, assignment marks contribute 25% of the final score and exam marks contribute to 75% of the final score. NPTEL Final Score = 25% of Assignment Marks + 75% of the Exam Marks

5. With good effort, you can easily crack most of the courses as the pass percentage is 40% (Assignment Marks + Exam Marks).

6. By analyzing the assignments questions, you can gauge the kind of questions that will be asked in exams.

7. These NPTEL courses are part of a life long learning process. Prepare notes for each unit. You can always come back and refer these notes whenever necessary.

8. Most of the courses have questions in Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) format.

9. Programming courses tend to be a little difficult in comparison to theoretical courses. You need to put a lot of effort into understanding the basics of programming concepts.

10. Usually, NPTEL allocates exam centers at different locations rather than nearer to the residential/office address that you had provided while registering for your exam. Plan and Schedule your travel appropriately.

11. Revise your course notes the previous day of your exam and get good sleep.

12. Do not forget to drink lots of water.

All I say is, take the course that is of interest to you, put effort and hope for good.

Good Luck!!