The Graduate Aptitude Test for Engineering (GATE) is a national-level standardized computer-based test predominantly aimed to test the comprehensive understanding of undergraduate subjects like engineering, technology, architecture, and post-graduate subjects.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) along with seven Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) jointly conduct the GATE examination every year. It is the qualifying entrance examination for getting admission in Postgraduate (PG) courses (M. E, MTech, M.Arch, Ph.D.) in IITs, NITs, IIITs, and IISc.
On behalf of the National Coordination Board (NCB-GATE), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India the exam is conducted.
The scorecard of the qualified candidate for the GATE exam is valid for 3 years from the date of the announcement of the result.
Table of Contents
Highlights of GATE Exam
| Exam Name | Graduate Aptitude Test of Engineering (GATE) Exam |
| Conducted by | Jointly by IISc and seven IITs |
| Frequency | Once a year |
| Level of Exam | National |
| Mode of Exam | Computer-based test (Online) |
| Duration of Exam | 3 hours |
| Question Type | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) and Numeric Answer Type (NAT) |
| Papers | 25 Papers |
| Number of Registration | Approx. 10 Lakhs |
| Number of Accepting Colleges | 1402 |
| Validity of the score | 3 years |
| Official Website | http://gate.iitd.ac.in/ |
GATE Exam Proposed Month
| Event | Tentative Month |
| GATE Notification | September |
| GATE Admit Card | January |
| GATE Exam | February |
| GATE Result | March |
GATE Exam Eligibility
| Criteria | Eligibility |
| Nationality | Indian citizens as well as candidates from other nations are also eligible to apply for the GATE exam. |
| Age Limit | There is no age limit for the GATE exam. |
| Educational Qualification | Bachelor’s degree in Engineering /Technology /Architecture (4 years after 10+2 /Post BSc/Post Diploma) and those who are in the final years are eligible to apply. |
| Master’s degree in Science/Mathematics/Statistics/Computer Application or equivalent and those who are in the final years are eligible to apply | |
| Candidates in the 2nd or higher year of the five-year integrated master’s degree program in (Post-BSc) in Engineering /Technology. | |
| Candidates in the 4th or higher year of the four-year integrated master’s degree program or Dual Degree program in (Post-BSc) in Engineering /Technology. | |
| Candidate with following professional societies examination equivalent to B.E/B.Tech is also eligible to apply :
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) The Institution of Engineers (India) (IE) The Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI) Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) The Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, including Polymers and Environmental Group (IIChemE) The Indian Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) The Indian Institute of Metals (IIM)
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GATE Exam: Eligibility Criteria for International Candidates
- Candidate must have completed or appeared for the final year of the Bachelor’s degree (of four years) in Engineering /Technology.
- Candidate must have or appear in the final year of the Post-graduation (Master’s degree for two years) in any science subjects.
GATE Exam: Financial Assistance During The Program
Qualified GATE scorecard is important for securing financial assistance in a Master’s program and a direct Ph.D. in Engineering, Technology, and Architecture. As per MHRD norm, the institute has the authority to take the candidate on the basis of their GATE score or on the basis of GATE score along with the admission test/interview conducted by the respective college the candidate has applied and the academic record.
If the candidate is selected through the interview process in postgraduation, then 70% weightage is given to the GATE score and 30% in the interview process or academic record. Qualification in GATE is the minimum requirement to apply for various fellowships awarded by many Government organizations.
The criteria for postgraduate admission with scholarship /assistantship are different for the different institutions. As per UGC and MHRD, the scholarship for the GATE qualified master’s degree students is Rs. 12,400 per month.
GATE Exam Pattern
| Exam Structure | Details |
| Number of Sections | General aptitude and choice of engineering branch |
| Number of Questions | General Aptitude (GA) -10 questions ( 5 of I marks & 5 of 2 marks each) |
| Paper excluding GE,XE, XL,- 55 questions (25 of 1 mark & 30 of 2 marks each) | |
| Geology & Geophysics (GG) -55 questions (25 of 1 mark & 30 of 2 marks each) | |
| Engineering Science (XE)- 11 questions (7 of 1 mark & 4 of 2 marks each)/Optional subject -20 questions of 35 marks (9 of 1 mark & 13 of 2 marks each) | |
| Life Sciences (XL)- 15 questions (5 of 1 mark & 10 of 2 marks each)/Optional subject -20 questions of 30 marks (10 questions of 1 mark & 10 questions of 2 marks each) | |
| Number of answer choices | 4 – In the case of MCQ
No choice in case of NAT |
| Duration of Exam | 3 hours |
| Sectional time limit | No |
| Mode of Exam | Online |
| Language | English |
| Marking Scheme | MCQ: +1 & 2 marks for the correct answer; 1/3 mark will be deducted for 1 mark question and 2/3 mark will be deducted for 2 marks question. |
| NAT: +1 & 2 marks for correct answer . No negative marking. |
There is a total of 25 disciplines /subjects for GATE. Candidates can appear in only one subject in the exam from the following lists :
| GATE Exam Paper | Code | GATE Exam Paper | Code |
| Aerospace Engineering | AE | Instrumentation Engineering | IN |
| Agricultural Engineering | AG | Mathematics | MA |
| Architecture and Planning | AR | Mechanical Engineering | ME |
| Bio-Medical Engineering | BM | Mining Engineering | MN |
| Biotechnology | BT | Metallurgical Engineering | MT |
| Civil Engineering | CE | Petroleum Engineering | PE |
| Chemical Engineering | CH | Physics | PH |
| Computer Science & Information Technology | CS | Production & Industrial Engineering | PI |
| Chemistry | CY | Statistics | ST |
| Electronics & Communication Engineering | EC | Textile Engineering and Fibre Science | TF |
| Electrical Engineering | EE | Engineering Science | XE |
| Ecology and Evolution | EY | Life Science | XL |
| Geology & Geophysics | GG |
Note the following :
- CE, CS, EC, EE, and ME papers examinations can be conducted multiple times
- Engineering Science (XE) and Life Science (XL) papers are general in nature which comprises of following sections.
- Engineering Science (XE), Engineering Mathematics is compulsory while for Life Science (XL), Chemistry is compulsory.
| XE- Paper Section | Code | XL- Paper Section | Code |
| Engineering Mathematics (Compulsory) | A | Chemistry (Compulsory ) | P |
| Any two-Optional | Any two-Optional | ||
| Fluid Mechanics | B | Biochemistry | Q |
| Materials Science | C | Botany | R |
| Solid Mechanics | D | Microbiology | S |
| Thermodynamics | E | Zoology | T |
| Polymer Science and Engineering | F | Food Technology | U |
| Food Technology | G | ||
| Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences | H |
Design of the Questions
| Paper Code | Exam Pattern |
| CE,CS,EC,EE,IN,ME,AE,AG,BT,CH,MN,MT,TF,XE,PE,ST,PI | General Aptitude (GA) -15 % |
| Engineering Mathematics – 15% | |
| The subject of the Paper -70% | |
| AR,CY,EY,XL,GG,MA,PH | General Aptitude (GA) -15 % |
| The subject of the Paper -85% |
GATE Marking Scheme
| Paper Code | GA Marks | Subject Marks | Total Marks | Negative Marking |
| CE,CH,CS,EC,EE,AE,
AR,AG,BT,EY, GG IN, MA, ME,PH,PI TF, MN,MT,PE,ST |
15 | 85 | 100 | 1/3 mark will be deducted for 1 mark question
2/3 mark will be deducted for 2 mark question |
| XE (Section A + any two sections) | 15 | 15+2*35 | 100 | |
| XL (Section P + any two sections) | 15 | 25+2*30 | 100 |
GATE Score Validity
The score of GATE is valid for three years. But for PSU recruitment it is valid for only one year.
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