Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering, or popularly known as GATE, is a national level examination that tests, according to the GATE Delhi website, the ‘comprehensive understanding of undergraduate subjects in Engineering/Technology/Architecture and post-graduate level subjects in Arts, Commerce and Science’. The marks scored in this examination can then be later on used in taking admission in Post-graduate level courses in IISc, NITIE, all IITs, NITs, IIIT, other Government Engineering Colleges, and some foreign universities like Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. At times, especially in fields related to Engineering and Technology, Gate score can also be used to apply for jobs in Public Sector Unit. These scores are valid for three years from the date the results are announced.
These tests also help the qualifying students in securing scholarships for a number of programs depending on the institution and the course they take admissions in. In December 2015, UGC and MHRD increased this scholarship from ₹8000 to ₹12,400.
To be eligible for GATE, one has to have an Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Technology/Architecture or a Master’s degree in Science/Mathematics/Statistics/Computer Applications or have a relevant Master’s degree in the Humanities stream they are applying for. Candidates who are in the final years of these courses can also apply.
In 2021, GATE was organized by IIT Bombay. Every year, the organizing university changes. In this examination around 71000 candidates appeared, and around 18% of them qualified. This year, the two new additions were Environmental Science and Engineering, and Humanities and Sciences. The papers in which one can give the GATE exam can be tabulated as follows:
The papers included in XE are a compulsory Engineering Mathematics (A) and any two papers from the following electives: Fluid Mechanics (B), Materials Science (C), Solid Mechanics (D), Thermodynamics (E), Polymer Science and Engineering (F), Food Technology (G), and Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (H).
The papers for XL, similarly, have a compulsory Chemistry (P) paper, and the applicants have to choose other two papers from Biochemistry (Q), Botany (Q), Microbiology (R), Zoology (T), and Food Technology (U).
The students applying for XH would have a compulsory Reasoning and Comprehension paper (B1) along with one paper of their choice from the following options: Economics (C1), English (C2), Linguistics (C3), Philosophy (C4), Psychology (C5), and Sociology (C6).
The GATE examination has a total of 65 questions worth a 100 marks which is to be solved under 3 hours. The examinations are Computer Based and the questions are Multiple Choice or Multiple Select. Multiple Choice Questions have a negative marking of 1/3 for 1 mark MCQs and 2/3 for 2 mark MCQs. MSQs do not carry a negative marking.
The results of the exams are usually out after a month of the examinations and it includes the total marks scored, GATE score, and an All India Rank, along with the cut-off marks for various categories.
Usually, the questions requires one to use their understanding of the concepts to solve the question, and this leads in complaints of the questions being too “lengthy”. GATE qualified candidates are also considered to be eligible for the Junior Research Fellowship award in CSIR laboratories and sponsored projects, where the eligible candidates can get a fellowship of amount ₹25,000 per month plus house rent allowance. In addition to this, a contingency grant of ₹20,000 is also provided per annum. After two years, this JRF can be upgraded into a SRF where the allowance may be increased to ₹28,000 per month for remaining years. These fellowships last for 5 years, in which a candidate is supposed to finish their PhD.
Several PSUs like Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, Indian Oil Corp, National Hydrolectric Power Corp, Coal India, Airport Authority of India, etc., use the GATE score as a tool for screening and recruiting entry-level engineers.
The next GATE examination(GATE 2022) will be conducted by IIT Kharagpur in 2022 where two new subjects: Naval architecture and Marine Engineering, and Geomatics Engineering will also be added.
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