Why is GATE exam important?

By Abhijit Chaudhari

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is an all-India examination that primarily tests the comprehensive understanding of various undergraduate subjects in engineering and science. GATE  is conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science and seven Indian Institutes of Technology ( IIT Bombay , IIT Delhi , IIT Guwahati , IIT Kanpur , IIT Kharagpur , IIT Madras and IIT Roorkee ) on behalf of the National Coordination Board-GATE under the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD). Students who have not made up their mind about appearing for the exam should understand the importance of GATE exam before making a final decision.

A student seeking admission in M.Tech/MS at IISc/IITs/NITs or any other universities is advised to give this exam as these institutes demand a good GATE score. By taking GATE, students who were unlucky in IIT-JEE get one more chance to study in IISc/IITs, provided they score well.

The importance of GATE exam cannot be stressed enough. The GATE score of a candidate reflects his relative performance level. The score is used for admissions to various post-graduate education programs such as Master of Engineering, Master of Technology or Doctor of Philosophy at higher education institutes in India, with financial assistance provided by the MHRD and other government agencies. GATE scores are also being used by several Indian public sector undertakings (government-owned companies) for recruiting graduate engineers in entry-level positions.

It is one of the toughest and most competitive examinations in India. Some foreign colleges such as the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University and companies also consider the GATE score for their entrance process.

A valid GATE score is essential for obtaining financial assistance during Master’s programs and direct Doctoral programs in Engineering/Technology/Architecture, and Doctoral programs in relevant branches of Science in Institutes supported by the MHRD or other Government agencies. According to the directives of the MHRD, the following procedure is to be adopted for admission to the post-graduate programs (Master’s and Doctoral) with MHRD scholarship/assistantship. Depending upon the norms adopted by a specific institute or department of the Institute, a candidate may be admitted directly into a course based on his/her performance in GATE only or based on his/her performance in GATE and an admission test / interview conducted by the department to which he/she has applied or the candidate’s academic record. If the candidate is to be selected through test/interview for post-graduate programs, the minimum of 70 per cent weightage is given to the performance in GATE and the remaining 30 per cent weightage can be given to the candidate’s performance in test/interview or academic record. The admitting institutes can, however, prescribe a minimum passing percentage of marks in the test/interview. Some colleges/institutes specify GATE qualification as the mandatory requirement even for admission without MHRD scholarship/assistantship.

Benefits of appearing for the GATE exam

The advantages of taking the GATE exam are varied. Here’s a look at the most important reasons:

• Whether you can get admission to top-notch M.Tech/ME/MS institutes depends largely on your GATE results.
• Doing your master course in reputed institutes of India will give you a chance to learn the core engineering concepts form the best faculties in the country.
• Opportunity to you learn in a highly competitive environment (best brains in the country) and thus, develops and broadens your intellectual thought process.
• GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) is also the qualifying test for many public sector undertakings (PSUs) such as Power Grid, IOCL etc. So if you want a high paying job with the security of a PSU, GATE is the only option for you.

Highlights of GATE 2020

The GATE Score is currently seen as one of the benchmarks for admission to postgraduate and research programmes by many Universities outside the country as well.

• GATE 2020 will be conducted by IIT Delhi on February 1, 2, 8 & 9 next year
• GATE Score is valid for three years
• All the registration process is made online
• The test will be conducted online for all the streams
• No Scientific calculators will be allowed for the exam instead a virtual scientific calculator will be made live for the students
• The test will have numerical answer questions apart from multiple-choice questions
• The GATE online application system will open on September 3 and the last date for submission for the online application is September 24
• About the author:

Abhijit Chaudhari is the Director of Gateforum.