GATE or the Graduate Aptitude Test in engineering is a national level exam. It is conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc) and Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) on behalf of the National Coordination Board – GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of human resource development (MHRD). It is a computer based test in order to examine the comprehensive understanding of various UG subjects in engineering and science for admission into the Masters programme. It is conducted once in a year ( usually in the month of February during 1st and 2nd week). Since couple of years, International students can also write GATE examination from the following countries:
- Bangladesh.
- Sri Lanka
- Nepal.
- Ethiopia.
- United Arab emirates.
GATE Eligibility Criteria :
The following students are eligible to write GATE:
- Bachelor’s degree holders in Engineering / Technology / Architecture (3 years after 10+2/ 10+2+3(ongoing)/ 10+2+4(ongoing)/ Post-B.Sc./ Post-Diploma) and those who are in the final year of such programs.
- Master’s degree holders in any branch of Science/Mathematics/Statistics/Computer Applications or equivalent and those who are in the final year of such programs.
- Candidates in the second or higher year of Four-year integrated master’s degree programs (Post-B.Sc.) in Engineering / Technology.
- Candidates in the fourth or higher year of Five-year integrated master’s degree programs or Dual Degree programs in Engineering / Technology.
- Candidates with qualifications obtained through examinations conducted by professional societies recognized by UGC/AICTE (e.g. AMIE by IE(India), AMICE by the Institute of Civil Engineers (India)-ICE(I), AMIETE By IETE (India)) as equivalent to B.E./B.Tech.
- Those who have completed section A or equivalent of such professional courses are also eligible.
- There is no age limit criterion defined by the exam conducting authority to appear in GATE.
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Registration for GATE 2021 exam :
- The GATE 2021 application forms will be released online in the Gate online application processing system (GOAPS).
- The tentative date for releasing application form is 13th September, 2020.
- Candidates have to fill in their willing test center in the form from the given exam center list.
- The last date for registration without late fee payment is 30th September and with late fee payment is 7th October,2020.
- Incomplete application will be subjected to rejection.
- Authorities will provide time to make corrections in the application form.
- Candidates should take out a print out of the filled form for future reference.
GATEÂ Exam syllabus:
- Verbal Ability: English grammar, sentence completion, verbal analogies, word groups, instructions, critical reasoning and verbal deduction.
- Numerical Ability: Numerical computation, numerical estimation, numerical reasoning and data interpretation.
- Engineering Mathematics (for specific papers)
- Technical Ability: Technical questions related to the paper chosen.
Exam pattern:
The total duration of exam is 3 hours. Total number of questions is 65 which includes both MCQs( multiple choice questions),MSQs(multiple select questions).Rough paper is provided to students during the exam which they have to return after exam completion.The exam end automatically after time limit is over.
Section | Â Â Total no of questions | Â Â Marks covered | Distribution |
General aptitude |        10 |     15% |   Common in all     papers. |
Technical section. |        55 |      85% |  Based on paper   chosen. |
There is negative marking for every wrong MCQ. Usually 1/3rd marks deducted for each wrong MCQ (-0.33 for wrong 1-mark and -0.66 for wrong 2-mark).
Result and test score:
Results are declared around one month after examination. Marks are given out of 100. A converted GATE score out of 1000 scale is also declared in order to compare the marks of candidates who have applied in multiple sessions with different subjects having different question paper set. The score is valid for 3 years from date of announcement of GATE result. Score card is issued for qualifying students only.
The qualifying marks are different for different subjects as well as categories:
         Category |      Qualifying mark (out of 100) |
         General |   25 or 25+, whichever is higher. |
       Other backward classes (OBC) |   90% of general category’s qualifying mark. |
   Scheduled castes (SC) and scheduled tribes (ST) |    2/3rd ( 66.67%) of general category’s qualifying mark. |