Engineering based National level postgraduate entrance exam, accepted by Government/Private colleges and universities across the country, for students who wish to pursue courses in Engineering.
GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) is a national – level entrance examination jointly conducted by the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) and 7 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs at Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee) on behalf of the National Coordination Board (NCB)-GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India.
The GATE exam is one of the most important postgraduate level entrance exams in the country and is attempted by thousands of candidates every year.
It is useful for students who wish to pursue various postgraduate programs such as M.E., M.Tech, direct Ph.D. etc. offered by higher education institutes in India including the IITs and the Indian Institute of Science. Some private institutes also use GATE scores as a means of judging and selecting candidates.
Several Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) such as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Indian Oil Corporation Limited etc. use an applicant’s GATE scores as a means of selecting candidates for jobs.
What are the eligibility criteria?
To be eligible to appear for the GATE exam, you should have completed or be in the final year of a 4 year Bachelor’s degree program in Engineering/ Architecture/ Pharmacy/Technology/Science.
You will need to have completed at least a year of your Master’s degree/Post Graduate Diploma in any stream of Science to be eligible for the GATE exam in case you already have a 3 year Bachelor’s degree in Science (B.Sc.).
In case you are a part of an integrated program/ dual degree program that provides you with a Master’s degree qualification in Science or Technology, you will need to at least be in the 4th or the 5th year of your program to be eligible.
You will be considered as an eligible candidate for the GATE exam if you have obtained qualifications equivalent to B.E./B.Tech./B.Arch degrees through examinations conducted by professional societies recognized by the MHRD/UPSC/AICTE. Examples of such examinations are AMIE by Institution of Engineers – India, AMICE by the Institute of Civil Engineers – India. You will also be eligible if you have completed ‘Section A’ or equivalent of such courses.
You can appear for any of the GATE exam papers as long as you meet the above mentioned eligibility criteria. However, keep in mind that this does not necessarily mean that you will be eligible for admission into the course related to the paper you appear for. You will have to meet the eligibility criteria set by the institute as well so as to get admission into the course of your choice.
Also, to be eligible for admission, you will need to secure at least the minimum marks required for your category (General/SC/ST/OBC) in the GATE exam.
For further information, please click on the following link: http://gate.iitkgp.ac.in/gate2014/eligibility.php
How to apply?
You can only apply for the GATE exam online.
The application forms are available on the following websites: http://gate.iitkgp.ac.in/gate2014/home.php or http://gateapp.iitkgp.ac.in/gate/Login.action
What is the pattern of the examination?
The GATE examination is an online Computer Based examination in which candidates have to answer multiple choice and numerical questions online.
You can choose to appear for only 1 of the 22 papers offered through the GATE examination. You should choose the paper you wish to apply for keeping in mind the discipline in which you wish to pursue your further education.
These different papers include the following subjects: Aerospace Engineering, Geology and Geophysics, Agricultural Engineering, Instrumentation Engineering, Architecture and Planning, Mathematics, Biotechnology, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mining Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology, Physics, Chemistry, Production and Industrial Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Textile Engineering and Fiber Science, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Sciences, Ecology and Evolution, and Life Sciences.
All papers will include questions that test the ‘General Aptitude’ of the applicant apart from questions on the core subject of the paper.
If you choose to appear for the ‘Engineering Sciences’ paper or the ‘Life Sciences’ paper, you will have to appear for a compulsory section along with the General Aptitude section and attempt any other 2 sections in the paper. In the case of all other papers, you will not get options to choose the sections you wish to attempt.
The duration of each paper in the GATE examination is 3 hours.
Every paper is of 100 marks divided into 65 questions. The questions are ‘Multiple Choice Questions’ as well as ‘Numerical Questions’.
In all papers except Architecture and Planning, Chemistry, Ecology and Evolution, Geology and Geophysics, Physics, Mathematics and Life Sciences, the ‘Engineering Mathematics’ section will carry around 15% marks and the General Aptitude section will carry 15% of the marks. The rest of the marks will be based on the core subject of the paper.
In papers of Architecture and Planning, Chemistry, Ecology and Evolution, Geology and Geophysics, Physics, Mathematics and Life Sciences, 15% marks will be based on questions related to General Aptitude and all other questions will be based on the core subject.
All papers will include Multiple Choice Questions and Numerical Questions. Multiple Choice Questions will of 1 or 2 marks and will have 4 options with only 1 correct answer.
Numerical Questions are of 1 or 2 marks and have no options. You have to do the calculations on a rough paper and enter the exact answer in the computer using a virtual keypad.
Do not attempt questions you do not know the answer to as there will be negative marking. For 1 mark Multiple Choice Questions, 1/3 marks will be deducted for a wrong answer. For 2 mark Multiple Choice Questions, 2/3 marks will be deducted for a wrong answer.
There will be no negative marking for Numerical Questions.
GATE exam scores are calculated by ‘normalizing’ the raw marks obtained by a candidate. A GATE exam score is valid for a period of 2 years from the date of announcement of results.
You will receive a scorecard through post only if you manage to perform well enough and get more than the minimum marks required for the OBC category.
You will receive a score out of 1000 on the basis of the raw marks you had obtained as well as the raw marks obtained by other candidates in the exam. Generally, a score of above 800 is considered to be good enough to get you into one of the premier institutions of the country.
However, keep in mind that getting a score of 800 does not mean that you scored 80/100 in the GATE exam. As a matter of fact, you can get a score of 800 even after getting a raw mark of 55/100. Not only that, but the raw mark conversion to the GATE score will be different for every paper (as it depends on the raw marks of other candidates as well).
For example, a raw mark of 75/100 might result in a GATE score of 800 in the Mining Engineering exam, whereas a raw mark of 55/100 might be enough to get a GATE score of 800 in the Mechanical Engineering exam. Essentially, it is important for you to study hard and do your best instead of focusing on the score you will achieve.
For any further information, please read the information brochure or visit the following website:
http://gate.iitkgp.ac.in/gate2014/home.php
What do you do after you get your results?
An online centralized counseling procedure will be conducted for admission into the NITs and other Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs), including IIITM Gwalior, PDPM IIITDM Jabalpur, SLIET Longowal, NIFFT Ranchi, SPA Vijayawada, IIIT Allahabad and the Central University of Rajasthan.
The counseling will be conducted online for candidates who have qualified in the GATE examination through the following website: e www.ccmt.in.
Your goal is to get admission in a suitable college. The GATE test result becomes the basis for the admission.
Register for the online counseling by making the payment and fill in your college choices. You will need to select the colleges you wish to join in order of preference. You will have to mark your choices/preferences based on two main factors:
1. The colleges you wish to join.
2. The colleges that are likely to admit you based on your rank. Go through the ranks that were admitted by a particular college last year for your course. You can obtain the ranks of last year from the counseling website.
Base your decision on these two factors and make multiple choices to ensure that you receive an admission.
Once you’re allotted a seat, you will need to print the allotment letter and report to the institute or reporting center in due time and get your documents verified as well as submit the admission fee to confirm your seat.
Candidates who wish to participate in future rounds of counseling will also have to report at the allotted institute or reporting center.
Subsequent rounds of counseling will be conducted for vacant seats.
For any further information regarding the eligibility criteria and other details, please visit the following website: http://www.ccmt.in/.
What are the prospects?
GATE is one of the most important and prestigious post – graduate level entrance examinations in the country. It is attempted by thousands of candidates annually for admission into some of the country’s best and most reputed institutes in Engineering and other related fields.
A good score in the GATE exam can open up a lot of avenues. You can choose to join a reputed institute and pursue a Master’s course or you can choose to start working in any of the several PSUs who offer jobs on the basis of GATE scores.
Generally, you will need to apply for these jobs depending upon the vacancy in the company. They will short list you on the basis of your GATE score and All India Rank and ask you to appear for an interview.
Some of the institutions in India that accept GATE scores are:
Sl. No. | Name of the Institute |
1 | IITs |
2 | NITs (Check with individual branch) |
3 | IISc, Bangalore |
4 | Delhi Technological University |
5 | Indian Institute of Technology – Banaras Hindu University |
6 | Anna University |
7 | Indian Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT – H) |
8 | Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad |
9 | BIT, Mesra |
10 | Osmania University |
Important Dates for GATE 2014:
GATE Online Application Processing System website opens (can start enrolling, filling in and submitting applications) | 02.09.2013 onwards |
Last Date for Enrollment (after this only enrolled candidates will be able to submit forms) | 01.10.2013 |
Last Date for submission of application online | 03.10.2013 |
Last Date for the receipt of print outs of online applications with supporting documents at Zonal GATE offices | 10.10.2013 |
Last Date for request for change in the choice of city | 20.11.2013 |
Admit Cards available on the GOAPS website for printing from | 18.12.2013 |
GATE 2014 Online Examination | Between 01.02.2014 to 02.03.2014 |
Announcement of Results on the Online Application Website | 28.03.2014 |