GATE Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
Engineering · PG · All India
Overview
Eligibility
GATE is conducted jointly by the IISc and the IITs, rotating each year. Its score is used for three different things, and that shapes who sits it.
- Who may sit: anyone currently in the third year or higher of any undergraduate degree, or who has already completed a government-approved degree in engineering, technology, architecture, science, commerce or arts.
- No age limit, and no cap on attempts.
- Papers: a candidate may sit one paper, or two from the permitted combinations published in that year’s brochure.
- Validity: the scorecard is valid for three years from the date of the result.
Exam Pattern
Syllabus
General Aptitude (GA)
15%Verbal Aptitude, Quantitative Aptitude, Analytical & Spatial Reasoning
Engineering Mathematics
13%Linear Algebra, Calculus, Differential Equations, Probability, Complex Variables
Core Subject (Branch-Specific)
72%Based on 30 disciplines (e.g., CE, ME, EE, CS, EC, IN, CH, BT, etc.)
Engineering Sciences (XE)
Varies by sectionA: Engineering Math, B–I: Fluid, Materials, Solid Mechanics, Thermo, Polymer, Food, etc.
Life Sciences (XL)
Varies by sectionP: Chemistry, Q–U: Biochemistry, Botany, Microbiology, Zoology, Food Tech
Humanities & Social Sciences (XH)
Varies by sectionB1–B6: Economics, English, Linguistics, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology
How to Apply
The application is an online form on GOAPS, the GATE online application portal. Everything below is done in one sitting or saved and returned to; nothing is done on paper.
Register
Create an account on GOAPS, the GATE online application portal with an email address and mobile number you will still have months from now -- every notice, the admit card and the result reach you there. A registration number is issued; keep it.
Fill the form
Personal details, academic record from class 10 onwards, category, and work experience where it applies. The academic figures must match your marksheets exactly, because they are verified later against the originals.
Choose test cities
Cities are given in order of preference for the paper you have chosen. Where two papers are taken, both must be from a permitted combination and both are sat on the schedule the brochure sets.
Upload photograph and signature
Both have to meet the format, size and background stated in the notification. A rejected upload is the most common reason a form is left incomplete past the deadline.
Pay the fee
Online, through the official portal only. The amount is set afresh in each year’s notification and is lower for SC, ST and PwD candidates. Keep the payment receipt.
Submit, then check
Print the completed form. A correction window usually opens afterwards -- it is limited, and it rarely covers every field, so it is a repair, not a second chance.
Apply only through the official portal. No agent can register you, and nobody can change a score once it is declared.
Important Dates
Selection Process
A GATE score admits nobody by itself. It is used for postgraduate admission, for recruitment and for fellowships, and each user applies its own bar.
- Postgraduate admission: M.Tech and M.E. programmes at the IITs, the NITs and elsewhere admit on the GATE score, usually with their own written test or interview on top.
- Public sector recruitment: a number of PSUs recruit graduate engineers on the GATE score, each announcing its own cut-off and its own separate application. Sitting GATE does not apply you to them.
- Marking: questions carry one or two marks. Negative marking applies to multiple-choice questions only — multiple-select and numerical-answer questions carry none.
- Both a GATE score and an All India Rank are declared, along with the qualifying mark for each category.
Preparation
- Settle which paper you are sitting before you begin. The syllabus differs sharply between papers, and the General Aptitude section — common to every paper and worth a fixed share of the marks — is the most reliable scoring for the least work.
- Negative marking is only on MCQs. Multiple-select and numerical questions should never be left blank.
- Past papers matter more here than in most exams: the question style has been consistent for years.
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