Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is a National Level Examination for admission to postgraduation programs in Engineering. The GATE examination is conducted online jointly by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and all the seven Indian Institute of Technology every year, normally the examination is conducted in the month of February of every year.
GATE is an online computer-based examination and the scores of GATE are considered for admission to Masters in Engineering, Masters in technology, Integrated Ph.D., and Ph.D. programs in the top Universities in the country. A student in the pre-final year or final year of a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Technology can appear for this examination. In addition to those from the Engineering/Technology background, students who are in the final year of MSc. or have completed a Master’s in Science in the relevant subjects of GATE can also apply for the examination. Many of the Public Sector Units in the country like BHEL, ONGC, HPCL, NTPC, etc. also consider the GATE score for Graduate Engineering Trainer (GET) recruitments.
As per the guidelines laid down by the Ministry of Human Resources, GATE is mandatory for admission to M.Tech / M.E programs in India. In case of an institution conducting an interview or a separate test for admission to its courses, still, GATE score should form a minimum of 70% weightage in the selection process. The candidates who qualify the GATE exam are given a scorecard which is valid for three years from the date of announcement of results.
GATE | Sections in the Examination
The GATE examination has three different sections in all subjects, the General Aptitude Section is common for all subjects, apart from that there is also a compulsory subject, which is Engineering Mathematics for all the Engineering Subjects, Chemistry for Life Sciences and Reasoning and Comprehension for Humanities and Social Sciences. The third section is the subject questions related to the subject of the candidate’s preference.
The General aptitude paper is a common paper for all subjects and carries 15 marks out of the total 65 questions asked in the GATE examination. The total time allocated for the entire examination is 180 minutes (3 hours).
GATE | Subjects
The GATE exam is conducted for 27 papers. Humanities and Social Sciences (XH) and Environmental Science and Engineering (ES) are two new papers introduced in GATE-2021. Out of the total 100 marks, 15 marks are allocated for General Aptitude, which is a part of all papers and 85 marks is for Subject Papers. Given below are the subjects included in GATE 2021 notification.
| Subject | Code | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aerospace Engineering | AE |
| 2 | Agriculture Engineering | AG |
| 3 | Architecture and Planning | AR |
| 4 | Biomedical | BM |
| 5 | Civil Engineering | CE |
| 6 | Chemical Engineering | CH |
| 7 | CSE & IT | CS |
| 8 | Chemistry | CY |
| 9 | Instrumentation | IN |
| 10 | Mathematics | MA |
| 11 | Mechanical | ME |
| 12 | Minning Engineering | MN |
| 13 | Biotechnology | BT |
| 14 | ECE | EC |
| 15 | EEE | EE |
| 16 | Ecology and Evolution | EY |
| 17 | Geology & Geophysics | CG |
| 18 | Statistics | ST |
| 19 | Textile Engineering | TF |
| 20 | Petroleum Engineering | PE |
| 21 | Physics | PH |
| 22 | Production and Industrial Engineering | PI |
| 23 | Metallurgical Engineering | MT |
| 24 | Environment Science and Engineering | ES |
| 25 | Humanities & Social Sciences | XH |
| 26 | Life Sciences | XE |
| 27 | Engineering Sciences | XE |
Engineering Science (XE): The GATE Engineering Sciences subject has a compulsory subject, which is Engineering Mathematics. Apart from Engineering Mathematics, a student needs to opt for TWO out of the SEVEN optional subjects available as below.
| Engineering Sciences (XE) | Code |
|---|---|
| Engineering Maths (Compulsory) 15 marks | A |
| Any two optional sections from below (35 x 2 = 70 marks) | |
| Fluid mechanics | B |
| Material science | C |
| Solid mechanics | D |
| Thermodynamics | E |
| Polymer science | F |
| Foood technology | G |
| Atmospheric & Oceanic Science | H |
| Total Subject Marks | 85 |
| Total Marks including General Aptitude | 100 |
Life Sciences (XL): The GATE Life Sciences subject has a compulsory subject, which is Chemistry. Apart from Chemistry, a student needs to opt for TWO out of the FIVE optional subjects available as below.
| Life Sciences (XL) | Code |
|---|---|
| Chemistry (Compulsory) (25 marks) | P |
| Any two optional sections (2 x 30 = 60 marks) | |
| Biochemistry | Q |
| Botany | R |
| Microbiology | S |
| Zoology | T |
| Food Technology | U |
| Total Subject Marks | 85 |
| Total Marks including General Aptitude | 100 |
Humanities and Social Sciences (XH): The GATE Humanities and Social Sciences subject have a compulsory subject, which is Reasoning and Comprehension. Apart from Reasoning and Comprehension, a student needs to opt for ONE out of the SIX optional subjects available as below.
| Humanities and Social Sciences (XH) | Code |
|---|---|
| Reasoning and Comprehension (Compulsory) (25 marks) | B1 |
| Any one optional sections (60 marks) | |
| Economics | C1 |
| English | C2 |
| linguistics | C3 |
| Philosophy | C4 |
| Psychology | C5 |
| Sociology | C6 |
| Total Subject Marks | 85 |
| Total Marks including General Aptitude | 100 |
A candidate can appear either in ONE or TWO subject papers. In case a candidate is choosing two papers, then this combination must be from the approved list of combinations as mentioned below.
| Primary Subject | Allowed Subject |
|---|---|
| AE | XE |
| AG | ES |
| AR | CE |
| BM | XL / BT |
| BT | XL / BM |
| CE | ES / AR |
| CH | PE / CY / XE |
| CS | MA |
| CY | XL / CH |
| EC | PH / IN |
| EE | IN |
| ES | CE / AG |
| EY | XL |
| GG | PH / PE / MN |
| IN | PH / EE / EC |
| MA | ST / PH / CS |
| ME | XE |
| MN | XE / GG |
| MT | XE / PH |
| PE | XE / GG / CH |
| PH | GG / EC / MA / IN / ST / MT |
| PI | XE |
| ST | PH / MA |
| TF | XE |
| XE | TF / AE / ME / CH / MN / PE / MT / PI |
| XH | ---- |
| XL | EY / BT / BM / CY |
Candidates who are opting for TWO subject papers must have a primary choice of paper, which is their default choice. The second paper is chosen from the above combination.
GATE | Examination Pattern
The GATE exam is an online computer-based test. The candidates are given 180 minutes to attempt the entire test. There are 3 sections in the question paper but the sections depend on the subjects selected by the candidate. There is no separate timing for each section.
A total of 65 questions are asked. The questions are both MCQ and numerical type in nature. Some MCQ questions carry 2 marks and some are of 1 mark each. There is a penalty for every wrong answer. In MCQ questions, there is a negative marking of -1/3 marks for each wrong answer. There is no negative marking in Numerical type questions. The total marks of the GATE paper is 100. 70% of the total marks questions are from the subject paper opted by the candidate. Questions of General aptitude carry 15% of total marks and the Engineering mathematics section carries 15% of total marks.
| Exam mode | Online |
| Total time | 180 minutes |
| Total marks | 100 marks |
| Total Questions | 65 |
| Sections | 3 (depends on the selected subject) |
| Question type | MCQ questions |
| Numerical type questions | |
| Marking scheme | MCQs – 2 marks or 1 mark |
| Negative marking | -1/3 for 1 mark question |
| -2/3 for 2 marks question | |
| No negative marking for Numerical type questions |
GATE exam Result Announcement
Every year the GATE exam results are announced on the official website. The result is in the form of a scorecard released for every candidate. This score is valid for 3 years from the date of release of results. On the scorecard, the All India Rank of the candidate is also mentioned. Candidates can log in using the username and password to check their scores and qualifying marks released by the conducting authority. Candidates will have to pay Rs. 500 to download their GATE scorecard.
The GATE exam scorecard contains the following details:
- Candidate’s name
- Photograph & signature
- GATE paper opted
- GATE Score out of 100
- The validity period of GATE score
- Qualifying marks
- GATE All India Rank (AIR)
- Total number of candidates appeared
- QR Code
The exam authority follows a normalization process to calculate the final marks of the GATE exam. The final scores are calculated using the raw marks scored by the candidate. The raw marks along with the qualifying marks are considered in the normalization process. Standardization of the GATE should be provided for the exams which have been carried out in several sessions. It takes into account the variability in the question paper difficulty levels across several sessions.
GATE Examination | How to Apply?
For the convenience of aspirants, a guide for successful submission of the GATE Application Form has been released by the exam authority. The GATE application process includes the following steps:
- GATE Registration – Register as “New User”. Fill out the name, email address, country of residence, mobile number, and create a password. After successful registration, the credentials you will receive will give you access to GOAPS.
- Fill out GATE Application Form – Login with GOAPS Enrollment ID and GOAPS Password and start filling out the GATE application form. The first two options must be of the same GATE Zone when selecting the exam cities, and the third one can be from any region. Don’t forget to verify the email address and mobile number. An OTP is sent to the registered email id and mobile number by clicking on the Verify button. Please enter your details such as date of birth, gender, nationality, category, etc.
- Upload Documents-Upload Image, Signature, Certificate of Eligibility, SC / ST Certificate, and PwD Certificate as per the specifications issued. The list of required documents are:
- Colored Passport size photograph of the candidate in the white background
- Signature of the candidate
- Category Certificate if applicable
- PwD Certificate if required
- Fee Payment – You can pay by credit card, debit card, or net banking.
GATE Examination | Who can Apply?
Also with the release of the GATE Exam Dates IIT Bombay introduced some of the major changes in the examination. The authorities also adopted new subjects with the relaxation of training. Candidates should review all the major changes in GATE Eligibility Requirements made by the authorities.
- Candidates who have completed their class 12th successfully and are currently in graduation 3rd year or older are eligible to apply for the exam.
- Candidates who have completed the degree are eligible.
- Candidates must have a government-approved Engineering/ Technology / Architecture / Science / Commerce / Arts degree program. Just STEM candidates had previously been eligible for the test, but trade and Arts history candidates can also apply from this year.
- B.E. / B.Tech / B.Pharm eligibility criteria
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering / Technology (4 years from B.Sc./Diploma in Engineering / Technology 10 + 2 or 3 years)
- Eligibility for B.Arch
Architecture Bachelor’s degree (5-year course) / Naval Architecture (4-year course) / Planning (4-year course)
- Eligibility for B.Sc. Research Students
Degree in Science (post-Diploma/4 years from 10 + 2)
- Eligibility for Pharm.D (after 10 + 2)
Six-year graduation program consisting of internship or residency training for the third year.
- Eligibility for M.B.B.S.
Degree holders of M.B.B.S. and others who are in this program’s 5th/6th/7th semester or higher.
- MSc eligibility criteria
Master’s degree in any Arts / Science / Math / Statistics / Computer Applications branch or equivalent
- E./M.Tech (B.Sc. post) Integrated Eligibility criteria
Post-B.Sc Integrated Masters of Engineering / Technology (4-year program)
- Eligibility criteria for M.E./M.Tech. Or Dual Diploma (Diploma or 10 + 2)
Integrated Master’s or Dual Degree in Engineering / Technology (5-year program)
- There is no defined minimum or maximum age limit for appearing on the test.
- The number of attempts to appear or apply for GATE is not limited.
- Candidates have the right to appear in GATE 2021 for one or two subjects.
- The combination list for the second paper will be based on the dates for this year’s infrastructure and examination.
- Some branches may not get the option for the second paper.
GATE Examination is written by more than 10 Lakh students in most of the years and it is considered to be a highly competitive examination. Unlike a lot of other examinations, the GATE examination lays emphasis on the fundamental grounding of the students in their respective subjects and hence this is a highly technical examination.
A student who is writing GATE should keep in mind, that this examination requires a good amount of fundamental understanding of his/her undergraduate subjects. This also means that GATE is an examination for those who are really interested in their Technical subjects and would like to do either higher studies or would like to take up a Graduate Engineering Trainee role in PSU’s in India.
Qualifying in GATE is compulsory for seeking admission and/or financial assistance to (i) Direct Doctoral and Master’s programs in Technology/Engineering/Architecture and (ii) Arts and Science Doctoral programs in relevant branches, in the institutions supported by the MoE and other Government agencies. Even in some colleges and institutions, which admit students without MoE scholarship/assistantship, the GATE qualification is mandatory. Further, many Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) have been using the GATE score in their recruitment.
