Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
Encyclopedia
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering is an examination administered and conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science
and the Indian Institutes of Technologies
on behalf of the National Coordination Board – GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India
.
The GATE committee, which comprises representatives from the administering institutes, is the sole authority for regulating the examination and declaring the results.
Admission to postgraduate programmes with MHRD and some other government scholarships/ assistantships in engineering
colleges/institutes is open to those who qualify through GATE. GATE qualified candidates with Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/ Technology
/ Architecture
or Master’s degree in any branch of Science
/ Mathematics
/ Statistics
/ Computer Applications are eligible for admission to Master/Doctoral programmes in Engineering/ Technology/ Architecture as well as for Doctoral programmes in relevant branches of Science with MHRD or other government scholarships/ assistantships. To avail the scholarship, the candidate must secure admission to such a postgraduate programme, as per the prevailing procedure of the admitting institution. However, candidates with Master’s degree in Engineering/ Technology/ Architecture may seek admission to relevant PhD programmes with scholarship/ assistantship without appearing in the GATE examination.
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.
In recent years ,various Academicians have recognized GATE as being one of the toughest exams in its category.Moreover it has strikingly similar toughness like Joint Entrance Examination held for students entering IIT for doing Engineering courses. Many Universities like National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and some Technical Universities in Germany, do identify GATE score card as a parameter for judging the quality of the candidates for admission into their Masters and PhD Programmes.
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 consists of only multiple choice objective questions. Each question has four choices for the answer. The candidates will have to mark the correct choice on an OMR sheet by darkening the appropriate bubble against each question. Incorrect answers carry negative marks
GATE scorecard is valid for two years from date of announcement of the GATE 2011 results.
of marks of all candidates in that paper, global average of marks of all candidates in last 2 years and the standard deviation (global) of marks of all candidates in last 2 years are considered.
The GATE score is set to zero if the value calculated by the formula is less than zero and the GATE score is set to 1000 if the value calculated by the formula is more than 1000.
Formula For GATE Score is
Where
m = marks obtained by the candidate.
a = average of marks of all candidates who appeared in the paper mentioned on this scorecard in GATE for that year
S = standard deviation of marks of all candidates who appeared in the paper mentioned on this scorecard in GATE for that year
ag= global average of marks of all candidates who appeared across all papers and years
sg= global standard deviation of marks of all candidates who appeared across all papers and years
For qualifying in GATE 2011 mark to be obtained is given below.
In 2011,the number of students appearing for various papers differed largely.
In 2010,list of different engineering streams and total number of student appeared is:
, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd
. are using GATE Score for selection but due to process.
in terms of selecting institutes and specializations. But in the recent years IIT Kharagpur
and Guwahati have been specifying last year cut-off mark list.
Typically the Indian Institute of Science
is the most selective, very closely followed by the IITs and the NITs.
Also except India there are so many foreign Universities which give admission in MS and many higher degree courses through this examination
Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science is a research institution of higher learning located in Bangalore, India. It was established in 1909.-History:After a chance meeting between Jamsetji N...
and the Indian Institutes of Technologies
Indian Institutes of Technology
The Indian Institutes of Technology are a group of autonomous engineering and technology-oriented institutes of higher education. The IITs are governed by the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 which has declared them as “institutions of national importance”, and lays down their powers, duties,...
on behalf of the National Coordination Board – GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The GATE committee, which comprises representatives from the administering institutes, is the sole authority for regulating the examination and declaring the results.
Admission to postgraduate programmes with MHRD and some other government scholarships/ assistantships in engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
colleges/institutes is open to those who qualify through GATE. GATE qualified candidates with Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/ Technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
/ Architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
or Master’s degree in any branch of Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
/ Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
/ Statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
/ Computer Applications are eligible for admission to Master/Doctoral programmes in Engineering/ Technology/ Architecture as well as for Doctoral programmes in relevant branches of Science with MHRD or other government scholarships/ assistantships. To avail the scholarship, the candidate must secure admission to such a postgraduate programme, as per the prevailing procedure of the admitting institution. However, candidates with Master’s degree in Engineering/ Technology/ Architecture may seek admission to relevant PhD programmes with scholarship/ assistantship without appearing in the GATE examination.
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.
In recent years ,various Academicians have recognized GATE as being one of the toughest exams in its category.Moreover it has strikingly similar toughness like Joint Entrance Examination held for students entering IIT for doing Engineering courses. Many Universities like National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and some Technical Universities in Germany, do identify GATE score card as a parameter for judging the quality of the candidates for admission into their Masters and PhD Programmes.
Eligibility
The following categories of candidates are eligible to appear in GATE:- Bachelor degree holders in Engineering/ Technology/ Architecture (4 years after 10+2) and those who are in the final year of such programmes.
- Master degree holders in any branch of Science/ Mathematics/ Statistics/ Computer Applications or equivalent and those who are in the final or pre-final year of such programmes.
- Candidates in the second or higher year of the Four-year Integrated Master degree programme (Post-B.Sc.) in Engineering/ Technology or in the third or higher year of Five-year Integrated Master degree programme and Dual Degree programme in Engineering/ Technology.
- Candidates with qualifications obtained through examinations conducted by professional societies recognised by UPSCUPSCUPSC may refer to:* Union Public Service Commission of India* Urban Planning Society of China...
/AICTE (e.g. AMIE by IE(I), AMICE(I) by the Institute of Civil Engineers (India)-ICE(I)) as equivalent to B.E./B.Tech. Those who have completed section A or equivalent of such professional courses are also eligible.
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 consists of only multiple choice objective questions. Each question has four choices for the answer. The candidates will have to mark the correct choice on an OMR sheet by darkening the appropriate bubble against each question. Incorrect answers carry negative marks
GATE Scorecard
The GATE 2011 results consist of marks obtained by the candidate, the GATE Score and All India Rank (AIR). Every candidate appearing in the examination receives a GATE scorecard.GATE scorecard is valid for two years from date of announcement of the GATE 2011 results.
GATE score
The GATE score is calculated using a specific formula, where the marks obtained by the candidate, average of marks of all candidates in that paper, standard deviationStandard deviation
Standard deviation is a widely used measure of variability or diversity used in statistics and probability theory. It shows how much variation or "dispersion" there is from the average...
of marks of all candidates in that paper, global average of marks of all candidates in last 2 years and the standard deviation (global) of marks of all candidates in last 2 years are considered.
The GATE score is set to zero if the value calculated by the formula is less than zero and the GATE score is set to 1000 if the value calculated by the formula is more than 1000.
Formula For GATE Score is
Where
m = marks obtained by the candidate.
a = average of marks of all candidates who appeared in the paper mentioned on this scorecard in GATE for that year
S = standard deviation of marks of all candidates who appeared in the paper mentioned on this scorecard in GATE for that year
ag= global average of marks of all candidates who appeared across all papers and years
sg= global standard deviation of marks of all candidates who appeared across all papers and years
Qualifying Score
The Qualifying Score is the minimum mark that needs to be secured to become eligible for availing assistantships provided by MHRD, GOI. The qualifying score for general category in each paper is (a + s) or 25, whichever is higher, where a and s are the average and standard deviation of marks of all candidates in a particular paper, with all marks less than zero, converted to zero..For qualifying in GATE 2011 mark to be obtained is given below.
| Paper | General | OBC | SC/ST |
|---|---|---|---|
| EC | 26.11 | 23.5 | 17.41 |
| CS | 25 | 22.5 | 16.67 |
| ME | 30.81 | 27.73 | 20.54 |
| BT | 41.78 | 37.6 | 27.85 |
All India Rank
The All India Rank of the candidate in a paper is determined based on the descending order of the marks obtained by the candidates in that paper.Changes in recent years
- From 2009 onwards, the IT and CS papers have been merged and there will be no separate IT paper.
- From 2010, PharmacyPharmacyPharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
is no longer on the GATE subject papers list, with GPAT as the replacement. Also, the Biotechnology section of the XL GATE paper has been removed and replaced by a separate Biotechnology paper (paper code BT). - In 2009 the GATE score was valid only for one year but later the GATE committee made it valid for 2 years in 2010.
- From GATE 2010 onwards, an additional section of General Aptitude has been introduced in GATE. A total of 10 questions carrying 15 marks makes up this last section of GATE.
- Based on a trouble-free pilot project in 2010, four of the GATE papers in GATE 2011 will be run using computer based online mode. The four online papers for 2011 are Aerospace Engineering(paper code AE),Geology and Geophysics(paper code GG),Mining Engineering(paper code MN) and Textile Engineering(paper code TF)and Fiber Science.
- For 2011, GATE will be held in morning (9-12) session for some papers and afternoon (2-5) session for others. Also, the computer based tests will be held on a different date.
- From 2012, only final year students and passout students are eligible to write GATE exam.
Number of students appearing for the examination
The number of candidates appearing in GATE is increasing every year.| Year | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 1239395 |
| 2011 | 552530 |
| 2010 | 414093 |
In 2011,the number of students appearing for various papers differed largely.
| Paper | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| ECE | 137853 |
| CSE | 136027 |
| ME | 81175 |
| BT | 16425 |
In 2010,list of different engineering streams and total number of student appeared is:
| Discipline/ Course / Stream | Number of students appeared |
|---|---|
| Computer Science and Engineering and IT | 107086 |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering | 104291 |
| Electrical Engineering | 52246 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 59338 |
| Civil Engineering | 19406 |
Applying to PSUs based on GATE Score
Many Public Sector Undertaking like Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, National Thermal Power CorporationNational Thermal Power Corporation
NTPC Limited is the largest Indian state-owned energy service provider based in New Delhi, India. It is listed in Forbes Global 2000 for 2010 ranked it 341st in the world...
, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd
Power Grid Corporation of India
Power Grid Corporation of India Limited , is a Navratna state-owned electric utility company headquartered in Gurgaon, India. Power Grid wheels about 51% of the total power generated in India on its transmission network. Power Grid has a pan India presence with around 82,045 Circuit-km of...
. are using GATE Score for selection but due to process.
Applying to various institutes
GATE scores are used for application to post graduate programs in Engineering disciplines in India and some foreign universities. Usually IISc application dates are within 4–5 days of announcement of results. Most institutes do not specify their cut-offs for previous years. So there is a general confusionConFusion
ConFusion is an annual science fiction convention organized by the Stilyagi Air Corps and its parent organization, the Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association. Commonly, it is held the third weekend of January. It is the oldest science fiction convention in Michigan, a regional, general SF con...
in terms of selecting institutes and specializations. But in the recent years IIT Kharagpur
Kharagpur
Kharagpur is an industrial city in India. It is located in the Midnapore West district of the state of West Bengal.Kharagpur was chosen as the location of the first campus of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology . The IITs are the premier technical education institutes in India and...
and Guwahati have been specifying last year cut-off mark list.
Typically the Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science is a research institution of higher learning located in Bangalore, India. It was established in 1909.-History:After a chance meeting between Jamsetji N...
is the most selective, very closely followed by the IITs and the NITs.
Also except India there are so many foreign Universities which give admission in MS and many higher degree courses through this examination