GATE 2016 exam analysis by T.I.M.E.

By M.V. Reddy

GATE 2016 day one exam, conducted in two slots-went off smoothly, with no major issues being reported from students across cities. The slot one exam was held from 9 AM to 12 Noon, while the second slot paper was scheduled between 2 PM to 5 PM. IISc and TCS should be applauded for their professional management of the exam, being held on such an enormous note in multiple cities all over India. Additionally, the process of document verification and student admission was smoother and quicker for students than last year.

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GATE exam will be held for three more days now, i.e. on January 31, February 6 & 7, 2016 (next week). On all three days, the paper will be held in two slots, at the same time as reported on the official website. This year GATE encompasses 23 different papers, in which each student had selected one paper, which they wish to attempt.

As per the usual format of GATE exam, the online exam, consisting of questions on Technical Stream-wise Concepts, Engineering Mathematics & General Aptitude, has to be completed in a total time of 180 minutes. The newly introduced virtual calculator was also available to students for calculations.

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 Analysis of the Exam

Question Pattern

The most remarkable of the exams this year was the higher proportion of Numerical Questions vis-à-vis Theoretical questions. It was also observed that there were more Fill-in-the-Blanks questions in comparison to last year. Both the above factors made the exam slightly trickier as there are lesser number of direct Theoretical questions and Multiple-Choice-Questions, which are easier to attempt than Fill-in-the-blank questions.

Exam Interface

The exam interface for GATE’16 was similar to last year apart from the following things –

(a) Students faced a few issues in using the newly-introduced Online Calculator and then returning to the question. With the online calculator already being put on GATE 2016 website, students who had had sufficient practice of the calculator on the website were at a slight advantage.

Overall the user interface of GATE’16 was mostly similar to the one provided in the Mock GATE exams provided by T.I.M.E. where a student has a complete view of his attempt of questions along with questions marked for review.

Exam Analysis

I. Electronics & Communication Engg.

(a) Forenoon Slot: The coverage of subjects in the exam was very surprising. The subjects which had more questions in GATE’15 had lesser questions in GATE’16 and subjects like Digital, Analog, EDC & Communication Theory had more questions this year than last year. Most surprisingly there were fewer questions from Network Theory. The questions on Aptitude were easy.

Overall the paper was slightly difficult.

II. Mechanical Engg.

(a) Forenoon Slot: The exam was set in such a way that even after attempting the exam, there was time for revision. There were fewer questions from Machine Design, Manufacturing Technology, Industrial Engineering and more questions from Fluid Mechanics, Heat Transfer & Thermodynamics. Engg. Maths & Aptitude was very easy.

Overall, the paper was easy.

Talking about the marking scheme, well, GATE exam paper had a total number of 65 questions carrying 100 marks. All the questions were divided into two sections: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) and Numerical Answer Questions.

 

Marking scheme for GATE 2016 based on different types of questions:

Multiple Choice Questions	Numerical Questions	General Aptitude Questions
Each question carries 1 or 2 marks.	Each question carries 1 or 2 marks.	Each question carries 1 or 2 marks
For each 1 mark question, 1/3 mark will be deducted in case of wrong answer.	No system of negative marking for numerical questions.	For each 1 mark question, 1/3 mark will be deducted in case of wrong answer.
For each 2 mark question, 2/3 mark will be deducted in case of wrong answer.	The answer for these question is a real number.	For each 2 mark question, 2/3 mark will be deducted in case of wrong answer.

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About the author:

M V Reddy is currently the President at T.I.M.E Group. He has been an expert in Education Industry from last 22 years. Prior to T.I.M.E, he was the CEO – Test prep & Head – School Solutions with Everonn Education Limited. Earlier in his carrier he was associated with Aptech Computer Education.

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