GATE | What You Need To Know

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Bengaluru: Students come out after appearing in NEET Exam in Bengaluru, on May 1, 2016.

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is an all India examination that tests the comprehensive understanding of various undergraduate subjects in engineering and technology. This is an entrance test for engineering courses at the postgraduate level conducted by the seven IITs and the India Institute of Science (IISc). The test scores are used by the universities and institutes for accepting candidates on to postgraduate engineering courses. Besides, many public sector companies use the GATE scores to provide employment.

Why take GATE?

Students who qualify in GATE can pursue MTech/ME program in leading institute in India.
Jobs are offered in many public sector undertakings such as BHEL, Indian Oil Corporation, NTPC etc. on the basis of the GATE scores.
Students who have cleared GATE are entitled to stipend while doing their Mtech/ME.
GATE is an eligibility clause for the award of Junior Research Fellowship in CSIR Laboratories.
Those who qualify in GATE are eligible for doing master’s degree in National University of Singapore.
Those who could not study at IITs get an opportunity to pursue postgraduate course at the prestigious institute.
Some industries and foreign universities show interest in candidates who have cleared GATE.
ME/Mtech/ MS programs are among the most lucrative qualifications in world. PG from IIT or IISc are extremely rewarding.
Doing postgraduate courses in engineering helps students to take up vital roles in Research and development in Industries.
PET is the PhD entrance test conducted by universities. A candidate who is GATE-qualified need not sit for PET.
The ME/MTech/MS course curriculum encourages the entrepreneur in every candidate.
A large number of engineers are not inclined to pursue MBA and stick to their core subjects.
Technical postgraduate courses help individuals to take up challenging careers rich in research and development.

Eligibility

Candidates who have bachelors degree in Pharmacy, engineering or architecture can apply for GATE.
Candidate who have masters degree in any branch of science can apply. Final-year students too can apply.
Candidate who have gained a professional degree equivalent to BTch/ BE recognized UPSR or AICTE can apply for GATE.
Candidates who have completed Dual Degree program or five-year integrated master; degree in engineering or technology are also eligible.

Competitive nature of the examination

Gate is one of the toughest examination in our country. It tests students engineering capability and managerial skills. The GATE exam consists of a single paper of 3-hour duration. The paper contains 65 questions carrying a maximum of 100 marks. Each objective question are accompanied by four choices for answer. Besides, There are numerical answer type questions. Except for the online papers, candidates have to mark the correct choice on an Optical Response Sheet (ORS). Marks will be deducted for wrong answers. The GATE paper tests the engineering basic in a smart way. The test is considered to be tough and a candidate needs to undergo thorough training before taking the test. In 2012, approximately 14 percent candidates cleared the test while in 2013, it came down to around 13.

Disciplines and exam

The gate scores of a candidate reflect the relative performance of the candidate. The score is used for admission to various postgraduate programmes such as master of engineering, master of technology and doctor of philosophy. Presently, GATE covers 22 engineering and science disciplines and a candidate can choose one of them. From 2014 onwards, the examination for all the papers are designed to be carried out in online computer based test mode (CBT). The results are announced one month after the test and the score is valid for two years.