GATE Exam

What is GATE Exam?

The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is an all India entrance examination that primarily tests the comprehensive understanding of the candidate in various UG subjects in Engineering/Technology/Architecture and PG subjects in Science.

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT's) jointly conduct the GATE every year. It is the qualifying entrance examination, which is conducted for admission to postgraduate (PG) courses (M.E, M.Tech, PhD) in IISc and IITs.

The operations related to GATE is each of the 8 zones are managed by a zonal GATE Office at the IITs or IISc. The exam is conducted on behalf of the National Coordination Board (NCB)-GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India. 

A valid GATE score is essential for obtaining financial assistance during Master's programs and direct Doctoral programs in engineering/ technology/ architecture. As per the directives of the MHRD, the following procedure is to be adopted for admission to the post-graduate programs (Master's and Doctoral) with MHRD scholarship/assistantship.

Depending upon the norms adopted by a specific institute or department of the Institute, a candidate may be admitted directly into a course based on his/her performance in GATE only or based on his/her performance in GATE and an admission test/interview conducted by the department to which he/she has applied and/or the candidate's academic record.

If the candidate is to be selected through test/interview for post-graduate programs, a minimum of 70% weight age will be given to the performance in GATE and the remaining 30% weight age will be given to the candidate's performance in test/interview and/or academic record, as per MHRD guidelines.

The admitting institutes could, however, prescribe a minimum passing percentage of marks in the test/interview. Some of the colleges/institutes specify GATE qualification as the mandatory requirement even for admission without MHRD scholarship/assistantship. Jobs: Several public sector undertaking would consider GATE scores for screening for providing jobs.

Candidates who qualify in the GATE exam will be provided with a scorecard which is valid for three years from the date of announcement of the results.

GATE Exam Highlights 

GATE 2021

The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2021 will be conducted for a total of 25 subjects also known as papers. The major development in GATE 2021 is the introduction of two new papers - Environmental Science and Engineering (ES) and Humanities and Social Sciences (XH). It will be held across various test centres in the country along with six cities outside India on February 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14, 2021. The entrance exam will be purely a Computer Based Test (CBT). The online applications will take accepted between September 14 and 30, 2021. 

GATE Exam Dates 

The GATE computer-based examination will be held on February 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14, 2021. The result will be available on March 22, 2021. Candidates are advised to check GATE 2021 exam schedule and sectional-single session papers here. The list below is tentative time table. 

GATE Notification 2021

Interested candidates are advised to refer to the GATE notification/ information brochure for more details before kick-starting the online registration process. The GATE information brochure displays all the details starting eligibility to marking scheme. The notification will be available only on the official website of GATE. Aspirants can access on https://gate.iitb.ac.in/

GATE Eligibility 

Candidates must ensure they satisfy all the eligibility criteria before registering online for the GATE exam. One should know that there is no upper age limit for appearing in the GATE exam. The four-year bachelors in engineering is required to apply online. Candidates other than India must have completed or are in the final year of their 4-year bachelor’s degree in engineering is required. Aspirants are advised to check the complete the details about documents required in support of eligibility (eligibility documents) on our GATE eligibility criteria page. 

GATE Papers: List Of Papers And Corresponding Codes 

The GATE exam will be held on 25 subjects (papers) Candidates can select only one paper in any one session. Candidates should note that CE and ME may be conducted in multiple sessions. 

The XE (Engineering Sciences) and XL (Life Sciences) papers are of general nature and will be comprised of sections listed in the below table. 

Note : Environmental Science & Engineering (ES) & Humanities and Social Sciences (XH) are two new papers introduced in GATE-2021

GATE Exam Centres 

The GATE exam will be conducted at various cities grouped under the Zonal GATE office. Candidates have to choose three cities from the list of examination cities. One should choose the first and second choices from the same GATE zone, while, the third choice should be from another GATE zone. The important note is the GATE Committee reserves the right to add a new city or remove an existing one.  

GATE 2021 Registration Process

The candidates have to register and fill the application via online mode only at the GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS). The registration process will start on September 14, 2020, and it will end on September 30, 2020. Explore more about the GATE 2021 registration procedure. 

GATE 2021 Application Fee

Note : The application fee mentioned above DOES NOT INCLUDE Service charges, processing fees and any other charges that the banks may levy.

GATE Admit Card 2021 

The admit card is the most important document for any entrance examination and there is no exception for GATE. Candidates who have registered successfully for the exam can visit the official website to download the GATE admit card from January 3, 2020, onwards. The admit cards will not be sent to the candidates through post or email. One should take a printout of GATE admit card 2020 and carry the same to the examination centre. They should also carry a valid photo identity card along with admit card to the examination centre for verification purpose. Aspirants can access the direct link to download GATE 2020 admit card here. 

GATE Syllabus 

GATE is believed to be one amongst the toughest entrance exams in India. The syllabus for the examination is very exhaustive and covers from 10 to 14 subjects from the engineering stream. Hence, it is important for students to analyse the GATE syllabus meticulously before kick-starting the preparation. Aspirants can check our GATE syllabus page that covers all the 25 papers including General Aptitude(common paper).

GATE Zone Office 

IISc and seven IITs jointly conduct the GATE exam. Candidates can access the zone information below which will help while registering online for the GATE exam. Candidates can clear their queries related to the examination centre, application, admit card and result. 

Special Features Of GATE 2020 Score For Employment

Most of the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) have used GATE scores to shortlist the candidates for employment. A few of them are Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCI).

Direct recruitment to Group A level posts in Central government, i.e., Senior Field Officer (Tele), Senior Research Officer (Crypto) and Senior Research Officer (S&T) in Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, is now being carried out on the basis of GATE score.

The details of the scheme of recruitment are normally published in National Newspapers/Employment News/Rozgar Samachar by the concerned authority. The qualified candidates should have to check newspapers and other reliable sources daily for any such information.

GATE Cutoff 2020

It is very important for aspirants to know about the GATE cutoff score because it is not only used for admission to M.Tech programmes in IITs or NITs. To secure a job in public sector undertakings such as IOCL or BHEL, qualifying in GATE is mandatory. 

After the GATE 2020 examination, candidates should focus on the cutoff score along with paper analysis. The organising body, IIT Madras, has released the cutoff score for different categories depending upon the branches of engineering. Check the below table for GATE 2020 category-wise qualifying marks. 

GATE Scorecard 2020

The GATE scorecard is the document given to candidates who have qualified in the examination. The GATE scorecard will be awarded to candidates who have obtained the minimum qualifying cutoff or score in the examination. The scorecard will be available on the official website between March 20 and May 21, 2020. Aspirants are advised to download the soft copy of GATE scorecard, which has validity for three years from the date of declaration of result. However, this validity is not applicable for the recruitment in the public sector undertaking (PSU). 

GATE Score Calculator 

The authorities use GATE raw marks to compute the scores because the exam is conducted in multiple sessions. Marks are obtained and normalized to compute the score for GATE. Candidates have to note that the marks obtained in single session papers will be considered for the GATE 2020 scores. 

GATE COAP 2020

After the GATE result, candidates should know about the GATE Common Offer Acceptance Portal (COAP). The admission of M.Tech/Ph.D in all the participating institutes will be carried through COAP. Candidates who are desiring for admission in IITs should apply at the admission portal by registering at COAP and respective institute.