FAQ
Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) – GATE
What is GATE?
GATE – Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering is an All-India Examination conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore and the seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Every year one IIT or IISc is selected as the Organizing Institute. GATE is a passport for admission into M.E. / M.Tech. and M.Sc. Engg. courses in almost all the colleges / institutes / universities of the country. M.E. / M. Tech. is a four semester program and admission to these programs largely depends upon GATE percentile score.
GATE identifies meritorious and motivated candidates for admission to Postgraduate Programs in Engineering, Technology, Architecture, Science and Pharmacy at National level. The examination is a compulsory requirement for the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) scholarship / assistantship for M.E. and M. Tech. programs.
Why should one take GATE exam?
There are numerous reasons to take up GATE. Some of them are listed below:
- To pursue M.E./ M.Tech./ M.Sc. Engg. program in one of the leading institutes of the country.
- Master”s degree leads to a specialization and cultivates and brings out the best of your interest in a certain area which may lead to research/ Ph.D.
- More domain specific companies are coming for on campus recruitment in leading Institutes.
- Higher salary is offered to a student holding a Master”s degree as compared to one holding a B.E.
- Master”s degree is a must have for those wishing to apply for Faculty/Research positions in educational Institutes and most of the R&D centers.
- Scholarship of Rs 8000/- is paid during masters course, allowing one to live an independent life.
- GATE qualified candidates are also eligible for the award of Junior Research Fellowship in CSIR Laboratories and CSIR sponsored projects.
- Some government organizations (e.g. BARC) prescribe GATE qualification as a requirement.
- Based on the GATE score, some of the foreign university (Like NTU, Singapore) offers Ph.D. position without any GRE score.
- Most importantly, to be a part of a Premier Institutes and enjoy learning and research in a conducive ambiance.
- One gets intellectual satisfaction of working in the area of interest.
- Last but not the least, Master course changes the individual”s thought process; teaches them the approach to solve a problem in the totally new & challenging environment.
What is the individual weightage/ no of questions of different topics in different years of GATE?
There is no fixed pattern on the number of questions or weight a question carries. The pattern varies from year to year. Also it may depends on the organizing institute for particular year”s GATE exam. However, we have done the topic-wise pattern analysis which has been provided in the registration kit for the students” convenience. Also our expert team of IIScian / GATE toppers has identified certain portions in each subject from which the questions invariably appear in the GATE. The details will be provided to the students during the classroom coaching.
What are the eligibility criteria for appearing in GATE?
The following categories of candidates are eligible to appear in GATE:
- Bachelor”s degree holders in Engineering/Technology/Architecture/Pharmacy and those who are in the final or pre- 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 or penultimate year of such programs.
- Candidates in the second or higher year of the Four-year Integrated Master”s degree program (Post-B.Sc.) in Engineering/Technology or in the third or higher year of Five-year Integrated Master”s degree program and Dual Degree program in Engineering/ Technology.
- Candidates with qualifications obtained through examination conducted by professional societies recognized by UPSC/AICTE as equivalent to B.E./B.Tech. Those who have completed Section A or equivalent of such professional courses are also eligible.
What is the ideal duration for preparation for GATE exam?
Preparation time for GATE is subjective and depends on the so many factors such as individual”s aptitude, fundamentals, attitude, concentration level, etc, Typically, a rigorous preparation of 4-6 months is considered good enough for getting into IISc or IITs.
There are many IISc alumni in India & Abroad (including M.Tech, PhDs & Post doctorate from MIT, USA) who provide the inspiration for the establishment of The GATE Academy.Please find the brief profile of the core team members – click here.
What is the Latest GATE question paper pattern?
The examination is a single test paper of 3 hours duration and consisting of a total of 65questions carrying 100 marks.
What books should i refer for GATE preparation?
CS REFERENCE SHEET
| SUBJECT | REFERENCE BOOK |
| MATHEMATICS |
|
| PROGRAMMING AND ALGORITHMS |
|
| OPERATING SYSTEMS |
|
| DISCRETE MATH AND GRAPH THEORY |
|
| COMPUTER ORGANIZATION |
|
| DATABASE |
|
| COMPUTER NETWORKS |
|
| THEORY OF COMPUTATIONS |
|
| COMPILER DESIGN |
|
| SOFTWARE ENGINEERING AND WEB TECHNOLOGY |
|
EC REFERENCE SHEET
| SUBJECT | REFERENCE BOOK |
| MATHEMATICS |
|
| SIGNAL AND SYSTEM |
|
| CONTROL SYSTEMS |
|
| NETWORK |
|
| ELECTRONIC DEVICE + ANALOG CIRCUIT |
|
| DIGITAL CIRCUITS |
|
| ELECTROMAGNETICS |
|
| COMMUNICATIONS |
|
EE REFERENCE SHEET
| SUBJECT | REFERENCE BOOK |
| MATHEMATICS |
|
| SIGNAL AND SYSTEM |
|
| CONTROL SYSTEMS |
|
| ELECTRIC CIRCUITS AND FIELDS |
|
| ELECTRONIC DEVICE + ANALOG CIRCUIT |
|
| ANALOG CIRCUITS |
|
| DIGITAL CIRCUITS |
|
| ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC MEASUREMENTS |
|
| ELECTRICAL MACHINES |
|
| POWER ELECTRONICS AND DRIVES |
|
IN REFERENCE SHEET
| SUBJECT | REFERENCE BOOK |
| MATHEMATICS |
|
| SIGNALS, SYSTEMS AND COMMUNICATIONS |
|
| CONTROL SYSTEMS AND PROCESS CONTROL |
|
| BASICS OF CIRCUITS AND MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS |
|
| ANALOG CIRCUITS |
|
| DIGITAL CIRCUITS |
|
| TRANSDUCERS, MECHANICAL MEASUREMENT AND INDUSTRIAL INSTRUMENTATION |
|
| ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC MEASUREMENTS |
|
| ANALYTICAL, OPTICAL AND BIOMEDICAL INSTRUMENTATION |
|
ME REFERENCE SHEET
| SUBJECT | REFERENCE BOOK |
| MATHEMATICS |
|
| ENGINEERING MECHANICS |
|
| STRENGTH OF MATERIAL |
|
| THEORY OF MACHINE |
|
| MACHINE DESIGN |
|
| THERMODYNAMICS & ITS APPLICATIONS |
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| FLUID MECHANICS & HYDRAULIC MACHINES |
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| HEAT TRANSFER |
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| MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING |
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| INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING |
|
What does the GATE Score Card contain?
- Percentile
- All India Rank (Branch specific)
- GATE score (with respect to all the participants in GATE exam, across all branches)
- Absolute marks scored
Scorecard will be sent only to the qualified candidates. No information will be sent to candidates who did not qualify.
GATE scorecard is valid for TWO YEAR only. Additional scorecards (up to a maximum of two) will be issued only once on request and on payment of Rs 300 per scorecard. Such requests should reach the Organizing Chairman, GATE before some stipulated date (typically by August 31) together with a bank draft for the amount mentioned as above in favour of Chairman GATE, IIT. These scorecards will be labeled as Additional Scorecard-1 and Additional Scorecard- 2.
How is the GATE percentile calculated and what is the GATE Score card?
- Scorecard will be sent only to the qualified candidates. No information will be sent to
- Candidates who did not qualify.
- The GATE score card is a valuable document. Care should be taken to preserve it. Additional Score Cards, (up to a maximum of two) will be issued on payment just once.
- The Score Card cannot be treated as a proof of category.
- The score card of the Qualified Candidates will include GATE Score, Percentile Score and Rank.
The GATE score is calculated as follows:
m = marks obtained by the candidate.
a = average marks of all candidates who appeared in the paper mentioned on this scorecard, in the current year.
s = standard deviation of marks of all candidates who appeared in the paper mentioned on this scorecard, in the current year.
A typical qualitative interpretation of the GATE SCORE, for example, can be as follows:
The percentile score is calculated as follows:
Let N be the total number of candidates appearing in that paper and nc be the number of candidates who have the same all India rank c in the same paper (there can be bunching at a given all India rank). Then all the candidates, whose all India rank is r, will have the same percentile score P, where
P = {(no. of candidates securing marks less than the candidate concerned)/N} x 100
What are the types of multiple choice questions in the GATE?
Multiple choice questions in all papers and sections will contain four answers of which only one is correct. The types of questions in a paper may be based on following logic:
(i) Recall:
These are based on facts, principles, formulas or laws of the discipline. The candidate is expected to be able to obtain the answer either from his/her memory of the subject or at most from a one-line computation.
(ii) Comprehension:
These questions will test the candidate”s understanding of the basics of his/her field, by requiring him/her to draw simple conclusions from fundamental ideas.
(iii)Application:
In these questions, the candidate is expected to apply his/her knowledge either through computation or by logical reasoning.
(iv)Analysis and Synthesis:
These can be linked questions, where the answer to the first question of the pair is required in order to answer its successor. Or these can be common data questions, in which two questions share the same data but can be solved independent of one another.
Multiple questions may be linked to a common data problem, passage and the like. Two or three questions can be formed from the given common data problem. Each question is independent and its solution obtainable from the above problem data/passage directly. (Answer of the previous question is not required to solve the next question). Each question in this group carries two marks.
These are problem solving question. A problem statement is followed by two questions based on the problem statement. The two questions are designed in such a way that the solution to the second question depends upon the answer to the first one. In other words, the first answer is an intermediate step in working out the second answer. Each question in such linked answer questions will carry two marks.
The questions based on the above four logics may be a mix of single, stand alone statement / phrase / data type questions, combination of option codes type questions or match items type questions.
What is the Application / Registration process?
Candidates can submit Application Form in two different modes: OFFLINE and ONLINE (subject to changes)
| OFFLINE | ONLINE | ||||
| Application fee | General & OBC | Rs. 1000 | Application fee | General & OBC | Rs. 900 |
| SC/ST/PD | Rs. 500 | SC/ST/PD | Rs. 400 | ||
| Application Submission Process | Application Submission Process |
| Step 1. Procurement of Application Form
Candidate can obtain a packet containing (i) OFFLINE Application Form (ii) Information Brochure (iii) Acknowledgment Card (iv) Envelope from:
|
Step 1. Obtain a Demand Draft
The candidates must obtain a Demand Draft, drawn on any nationalized bank in favor of Chairman of the corresponding zonal GATE Office, the website of which the candidate wishes to submit online Application. |
| Step 2. Online Application | |
| Step 2. Fill in the Application Form | Step 3. Take print out of Application Form
Save the PDF file, take a printout, Sign at appropriate places and paste photograph. |
| Step 3. Obtain SC/ST/PD/OBC (non creamy layer) Certificate
SC/ST/OBC (non creamy layer) and Disability Certificate should be obtained from appropriate authority, if applicable. |
Step 4. Obtain SC/ST/PD/OBC (non creamy layer) Certificate
SC/ST/OBC (non creamy layer) and Disability Certificate should be obtained from appropriate authority, if applicable. |
| Step 4. Post/Submission
Duly filled-in Application Form with appropriate enclosures must be sent by Registered or Speed post to the Chairman, GATE of the Zone, where the candidate prefers (corresponding to the 1st Choice of Examination City) to appear for the examination. |
Step 5. Post/Submission
Duly filled-in Application Form with appropriate enclosures must be sent by Registered or Speed post to the Chairman, GATE of the Zone, the website of which has been used for making ONLINE registration. |
What is the structure of the Examination?
The GATE examination consists of a single paper of 3 hours duration, which contains 65 questions carrying a maximum of 100 marks. The question paper will consist of only multiple choice objective questions. Each question will have four choices for the answer. The examination for the papers with codes TF and MN will be carried out ONLINE using computers where the candidates will be required to select the correct choice from among the four provided options. For all other papers, the candidates will have to mark the correct choice on an Optical Response Sheet (ORS) by darkening the appropriate bubble against each question. There will be negative marking for each wrong answer.
What are the different sites for IITs and IISc?
Are tutorials and coaching enough to crack down the GATE?
The answer is both yes & no. Any coaching institute and the best faculty can just guide you in building the concepts and its you who has to put effort and try to build concept. On second week of Feb, its you who has to appear in the GATE exam. There is old saying ,”You can bring a horse to water but you can not make it drink”.
At The GATE Academy, Course curriculum is designed in such a logically systematic and interactive way that students start getting interest from day one. The course is designed in an inclusive way and the regular feedback to the students helps in improving the critical/ weaker area.
What is the ranking of the various engineering colleges for ME/M Tech?
Unlike other disciplines, where there are various institutions and publications who come up with their rankings, the same for ME/ M Tech is not available. Ranking also becomes difficult because these institutions are highly technical and research oriented. But there is a ranking by SCOPUS database based on the number of research publications by these institutions and number of citations received by the same. The rankings are:
Rank Institution
- IISc, Bangalore
- IIT Kharagpur
- IIT Bombay
- IIT Delhi
- IIT Kanpur
- IIT Madras
- Jadavpur University – www.jadavpur.edu
- Anna University – www.annauniv.edu
- IIT rourkee
- Cochin University of science and technology – www.cusat.ac.in
- IIT Guwahati
- College of Engineering, Anna University – www.annauniv.edu
- Bengal Engineering and Science University, Howrah – www.becs.ac.in
- IT BHU, Varanasi – www.itbhu.ac.in
- BITS, pilani – www.bits-pilani.ac.in
(SCOPUS database is the largest abstract and citation database of research literature and quality web sources. SCOPUS covers nearly 18,000 titles from more than 5,000 publishers. http://www.scopus.com)
How many times can I attempt GATE?
Number of attempts is not restricted. The best of the valid GATE score is accepted which we provide in application form. The GATE score is valid for 2 years.
Is there age limit for taking GATE examination?
There is no age limit.
Eligibility in terms of percentage marks to take up the GATE examination?
The candidate should have a PASS certificate from any recognized university.
If a candidate appears for GATE twice which score will be considered?
The higher score you have secured of the two will be considered automatically once you fill-up the form.
Can you tell us something about self financing & sponsorship in GATE?
- Some institutions specify GATE qualification as mandatory even for admission of self-financing students to postgraduate programmes.
- GATE qualified candidates are also eligible for the award of Junior Research Fellowship in CSIR Laboratories and CSIR sponsored projects. Top rank holders in some GATE papers are entitled to apply for “Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Fellowship” awarded by CSIR. Some government organizations prescribe GATE qualification as a requirement for applying to the post of a Scientist/ Engineer.
Can you provide with the last 10 year’s list of IIT’s and IISc conducting GATE?
Please find below the list.
- GATE 2011 IIT Chennai
- GATE 2010 IIT Guwahati
- GATE 2009 IIT Roorkee
- GATE 2008 IISc
- GATE 2007 IIT Kanpur
- GATE 2006 IIT Kharagpur
- GATE 2005 IIT Bombay
- GATE 2004 IIT Delhi
- GATE 2003 IIT Madras
- GATE 2002 IISc Banglore