Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering [ GATE ]
About GATE EXAMS
The GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) is a national level online examination conducted for Masters in Technology (MTech), Master of Engineering (ME), and direct Ph.D. entry to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), IISc Bangalore, Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) and other institutes across India.
Several Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) including, BHEL, DRDO, IOCL, NTPC, and ONGC, also use GATE scores in their recruitment process. On behalf of the National Coordination Board (NCB – GATE), MHRD, Government of India GATE exam is conducted jointly by IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee, IIT Guwahati, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, and IISc Bangalore.
The GATE exam is held to test the understanding of aspirants at the undergraduate level of Technology/Architecture and post-graduate level of the Sciences. Candidates can choose two subjects/papers in combinations. Candidates were previously only eligible to apply for one subject/paper.
As there are different papers offered under the aptitude test, it is suggested that candidates carefully read the eligibility of the paper they wish to apply. Candidates who do not satisfy the eligibility criteria will be excluded from the exam during a subsequent stage.
GATE Exam Key Element
| ATTRIBUTES | DETAILS |
| Name | GATE |
| Full-Form | Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering |
| Conducting Authority | One of the IITs on a rolling basis |
| Conducting Authority of GATE 2021 | Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur |
| Number of GATE Exam Per Year | 01 |
| Courses offered | M.Tech, ME, and direct Ph.D. entry to the IITs, NITs, IISc Bangalore, IIITs and other institutes across India Recruitment to PSUs including BHEL, DRDO, IOCL, NTPC and ONGC |
| Registration Mode | Online |
| Exam Mode | Online Computer Based Test (CBT) |
| Numbers of Questions | 100 |
| Exam Pattern | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) Multiple Select Questions (MSQs) Numerical Answer Type (NAT) |
| Test Takers | More than 8 Lakh |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Language | English |
| Exam Website | https://gate.iitb.ac.in/ |
GATE Exam Details
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, the organizing body of GATE 2021, has recently announced the exam dates with a few modifications in the eligibility criteria and exam pattern. Candidates are now allowed to sit for a maximum of two papers. The registration process for the GATE 2021 commences on 11th September 2020 till 7th October 2020.
The Centralised Counselling for MTech/MArch/MPlan (CCMT) and Common Offer Acceptance Portal (COAP) is the GATE counseling authorities that conduct the counseling process to offer the admissions to qualified candidates. The GATE pattern has been updated, and the distribution of marks in papers except for AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, XH, ST, and XL is 72% for the core subject, 13% for engineering mathematics, and 15% for general aptitude. The counseling process shall begin after the declaration of the result.
| PARTICULAR | DATE |
| GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS) Registration begins | 2nd September 2021 |
| Regular online registration closes | 24th September 2021 |
| Online registration closes with a late fee | 1st October 2021 |
| Correction Window Open | 26th October 2021 to 1st November 2021 |
| Admit Card | 3rd January 2022 |
| GATE 2021 Exam | 5th February 2022 6th February 2022 12th February 2022 13th February 2022 NOTE: Timing – 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon & 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM |
| GATE 2021 Results | 17th March 2022 |
GATE Eligibility Criteria
Candidates who want to join the IITs and other top institutes/colleges for the Master’s program in the field of Engineering and Science need to take the common entrance exam conducted jointly by the IITs. Students have to fit the eligibility criteria of the GATE 2021 issued by the exam conducting authority. Given below are the updated eligibility criteria for GATE 2021:
- Candidates should possess a bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Technology/Architecture/Science/Commerce/Arts from a recognized university/institute.
- Final year candidates can also apply, but their admission shall be subjected to the submission of the passing certificate of the terminal year.
- Reservation is also provided to the SC/ST and PwD students for appearing in the entrance exam.
Kindly note the following requirements that are given below:
- Academic Qualification: Candidates who have passed/appeared for their Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering/Technology/Arts/Commerce or Post Graduation in a relevant discipline are eligible for the GATE 2021 entrance exam.
- Nationality: Citizens of India, along with foreign nationals from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates, are also eligible for GATE 2021 entrance exam.
- Age Limit: There isn’t any minimum or a maximum age limit to appear in the exam.
- Qualifying Marks: No minimum percentage is required to appear for the exam.
- Number of Attempts: There is no limit specified for the number of attempts.
Note: Applicants, please kindly check the eligibility criteria before applying for any institution as the above mention eligibility criteria are only for the GATE entrance exam. (Eligibility criteria for M.Tech admissions in IITs or other institutes/colleges are decided respectively by the respective institutes)
The official documents required for the GATE Examination are listed below:
- Certificate from any professional institute/college recognized by MHRD or AICTE as equivalent to B.E/B.Tech/B.Arch.
- If the qualifying examination was passed in 2020 or before, students have to submit their degree certificate/provisional certificate issued by the institute.
- For the candidates of the terminal year of qualifying, examinations have to upload the course certificate issued by the concerned institute or Department.
GATE Application Process
GATE Exam 2021 registration process is an online process made available by the GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS). The registration commences on 2nd September 2021, till 24th September 2021. Candidates who want to participate in the exam have to apply for the exam by filling the application form through the official website of the GATE. It is an online process that involves the following steps:
Step 1: Registration
- Visit the official website of GATE – Click Here
- Click on the GOAPS (GATE Online Application Processing System).
- Fill required details.
- Get yourself registered by filling in all the details required in the registration form.
- Click submit.
- Get Password and Registration ID to login to the GATE application form.
Step 2: Fill GATE online application form 2021
- Re-login using unique GATE Registration ID
- Click “Edit Application Form”.
- Enter details of no. of paper, paper subject, and exam city, etc.
- Fill in all the required personal details.
Step 3: Upload Documents
- Upload the scanned photograph (3.5 cm X 4.5 cm, 5kb to 200kb).
- Upload the scanned signature (2 cm X 7 cm, 5 KB to 100 KB).
Step 4: Fee Payment
- After clicking Save & Next, the fee payment page will be redirected.
- Choose payment mode (Net Banking, Credit card, and Debit Card).
- Click Proceed to pay.
Step 5: Final Submission
- After completing all the steps mentioned above candidates will have to do the final submission of the GATE application form.
- Don’t forget to download the filled-in application form.
Fee details
| Group/Category | Application Fee (INR) | Fee during the extended period (INR) |
| Female (All Categories)/SC/ST/PwD | 750 INR | 1250 INR |
| Others | 1500 INR | 2000 INR |
| Group/Category | Application Fee (USD) | Fee during the extended period (USD) |
| Addis Ababa, Colombo, Dhaka, Kathmandu | US$ 50 | US$ 70 |
| Dubai, Singapore | US$ 100 | US$ 20 |
GATE Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
- GATE 2021 will be conducted only in the online mode, i.e., CBT mode.
- The exam duration is of 3 hours.
- All the questions asked in the test will be related to the GATE 2021 syllabus.
- As per the GATE 2021 exam pattern, there will be three types of questions — Multiple Choice Questions, Multiple Select Questions, and Numerical Answer Type Questions.
- In the case of MCQs, candidates will have to select one answer from the four options provided, and in the NAT questions, students will have to enter the correct answer using the virtual keyboard. For MSQs, students need to select more than one option.
- Candidates will be provided a scribble pad for their rough work.
| PARTICULARS | DETAILS |
| Type of Questions |
|
| Sections | General Aptitude (GA) Candidate’s selected Subject |
| Total Number of Questions | 100 |
| Marking Scheme | 100 |
| Distribution of Marks in all the papers namely AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, XH and XL | General Aptitude: 15 Marks Subjective: 85 Marks Total Number of Marks: 100 Marks |
| Distribution of Marks in all Papers apart from papers AR, PH, XH CY, EY, GG, MA, and XL | General Aptitude: 15 Marks Engineering Mathematics: 13 Marks Subjective: 72 Marks Total Number of Marks: 100 Marks |
GATE Syllabus and Topic-Wise Weightage
- GATE 2021 will be conducted only in the online mode, i.e., CBT mode.
- The exam duration is of 3 hours.
- All the questions asked in the test will be related to the GATE 2021 syllabus.
- As per the GATE 2021 exam pattern, there will be three types of questions — Multiple Choice Questions, Multiple Select Questions, and Numerical Answer Type Questions.
- In the case of MCQs, candidates will have to select one answer from the four options provided, and in the NAT questions, students will have to enter the correct answer using the virtual keyboard. For MSQs, students need to select more than one option.
- Candidates will be provided a scribble pad for their rough work.
