Introduction – GATE
GATE
(Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) is a national level exam for admission to M.Tech / Ph.D and other Government Assistantships in the field of engineering and technology. As percieved by many, GATE is not only meant for ME / MTech which leads to the teaching career only, there are many other advantages of taking GATE such as employment in PSUs (Public Sector Undertakings), direct recruitment to Group A level posts in Central Government and some other Government of India Organizations.
Exam Highlights: GATE Exam
| Conducting Authority |
IIT Madras |
| Exam Type |
National Level |
| Mode of Exam |
Online – Computer Based Test |
| Score / Percentile Validity |
3 Years |
| Number of Questions |
65 |
| Total No. of Papers |
24 (Added 1 new Paper this year – Statistics) |
| Total Marks |
100 |
| Exam Duration |
3 hours |
| Use of GATE Score Card for Employment |
PSUs, Central Government and Government of India Organization |
| Official Website |
gate2024.iisc.ac.in |
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Quick Recap – GATE Exam
- The exam is conducted annually by IISc Bangalore and 7 IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee) on a rotational basis
- GATE qualifiers can use their GATE Scorecard for admission to Master’s Program and direct Doctoral Programs in Engg./Tech./Architecture
- The GATE Scorecard is also used to avail financial assistance (scholarship) for the post-graduate program
- GATE is an online test with multiple choice and numerical type questions conducted for 23 disciplines (papers) of engineering. Mostly questions are fundamental, concept based and thought-provoking
- GATE Exam consists of 65 questions which are divided into 3 sections:
- General Aptitude
- Engineering Mathematics
- From Respective Subjects
Key points – GATE Exam
- GATE exam is scheduled for 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th February 2024 in multiple sessions
- As per GATE Eligibility, candidates must hold a Bachelor’s degree to apply for the exam
- The questions asked in the exam are based on topics of graduate level
- Two types of questions are asked in GATE – Objective Type and Numerical Type. Virtual calculators will be provided to solve numerical type questions
Important Dates: GATE Exam
| GATE Exam Event |
Dates |
| Availability of GATE Admit cards for download |
3rd January 2024 |
| GATE 2024 Examinations |
3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th February 2024 |
| Candidate's response available in Application portal |
16th February 2024 |
| Answer keys available on Application portal |
21st February 2024 |
| Submission of challenges by candidates on Answer Keys |
22nd to 25th February 2024 |
| Announcement of Results of GATE 2024 |
16th March 2024 |
| Availability of Score Card for download by candidates |
23rd March 2024 |
Eligibility Criteria
The academic qualification to apply for GATE are:
- Bachelor’s degree (4 years after 10+2, or 3 years after Diploma) in the related engineering and science stream
- Master’s Degree in any branch of Mathematics/Science/Statistics/Computer Applications or equivalent degree
- International applicants possessing a Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree in the related engineering or science stream
- Students in final year of Bachelor’s/ Master’s degree
- There is no age limit criteria defined for GATE applicants
GATE Syllabus
GATE Syllabus is released on the GATE Official Website for all the 24 disciplines. Candidates can check out the detailed syllabus for the related discipline on the important topics to be asked in the exam.
Exam Pattern: GATE
Every candidate can apply for one stream among all the 24 papers for which GATE is conducted. The total weightage of the GATE Exam is 100 marks.
- There will be 2 types of questions Objective type and Numerical Type (NAT). In NAT question, there will be no choices
- XE paper will have a new section on Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. With this, there will be eight sections (A-H) in XE paper
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Exam Pattern – Marking Scheme
- Candidates are marked separately for MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions) and NAT (Numerical Answer Type)
- For every correct answer in MCQ, candidates are awarded 1 mark or 2 marks depending on the weightage of the question
- For every incorrect MCQ, candidate loses 1/3 or 2/3 marks for 1 mark or 2 markers respectively
- For Numerical Answer Type, every correct answer is awarded 1 mark or 2 marks as per the marks allotted to the question. There is no negative marking for such questions
How to Crack GATE Exam: Some Tips and Strategies
Preparation Strategy:
- Go through 10-12 years previous GATE question papers and find out what should be your Subject priority list.
- After that, start your preparation accordingly. Decide the time for each & every subject.
- In case you have joined some coaching, go through the class notes and try to solve 10-12 years previous question paper for that
particular subject.
- While solving questions, if you find that some topics are not covered in your class notes, refer only that part in a standard reference book of
that particular subject.
- For those who are not able to join the coaching, refer one standard reference book per subject. Dont read multiple books for single subject.
- GATE is formula oriented conceptual exam. Don't leave anything for option. Study every subject topic thoroughly.
Smart Study Techniques:
- While preparation, don't study single subject for the entire day. Take atleast 2 subjects simultaneously for preparation.
- Avoid studying new concepts and formulae, during the last days of preparation. Focus only on what you have studied entire year.
- Make charts and shortcut tricks to memorize things easily so that during exam, you can recall and recollect at ease.
- Most important part of preparation is Revision. Revise on regular basis so that you dont forget and you will be able to save much of your time by
timely regular revisions.
- Prepare a proper study plan which should be balanced from all perspectives. Dedicate atleast 10–12 hours for your preparation.
As told earlier, study atleast 2 subjects simultaneously.
- Ensure that you take proper rest, sleep and meals; do not burn yourself on some specific question, take some time off and then try again.
- Hard Work & Self Motivation: These 2 things will decide your future through GATE. Be self motivated and keep working hard. Have trust in your abilities.
Stay focussed.
- Lastly, create your own thumb rules based on your strategy.
GATE Question Papers
Year: 2018
| GATE Question Papers |
PDF Resources |
| Mathematics (Question Paper 2018) |
Download |
| Physics (Question Paper 2018) |
Download |
GATE Results
GATE Result will be declared on 16th March 2024. Candidates can check the result by using their GATE login credentials.
GATE Cutoffs
GATE cut off is the minimum score which must be scored by candidate in order to reserve a seat. The cut off varies for different institutes, streams and
the category of candidate. The expected GATE cut offs (stream-wise) for the year is provided below (on the basis of previous year cut offs)
| Streams |
General Category |
OBC Category |
SC/ST Category |
| Aerospace Engineering (AE) |
25.0 |
22.5 |
16.6 |
| Biotechnology (BT) |
27.9 |
25.1 |
18.5 |
| Chemical Engineering (CH) |
37.8 |
34.0 |
25.1 |
| Chemistry (CY) |
25.4 |
22.8 |
16.9 |
| Civil Engineering (CE) |
26.9 |
24.2 |
17.9 |
| Computer Science and Information Technology (CS) |
25.0 |
22.5 |
16.6 |
| Electronics and Communication Engg. (EC) |
25.0 |
22.5 |
16.6 |
| Mathematics (MA) |
29.4 |
26.4 |
19.5 |
| Mechanical Engg. (ME) |
34.7 |
31.2 |
23.1 |
| Petroleum Engg. (PE) |
39.8 |
35.8 |
26.5 |
| Physics (PH) |
29.0 |
36.1 |
19.3 |
GATE Counselling
GATE Exam Counselling is done separately by various IITs, NITs and other institutes. Candidates after having qualified in GATE have to appear for GD/ PI for admission. For admissions, candidates have to check notification by GATE participating institutes.
For admission in NITs, IITs and in some government funded colleges, a centralized counselling – CCMT (Centralized Counselling for M.Tech / M.Plan) will be conducted. IITs and IISc will conduct their separate counselling process. Most of the other participating universities and state wise institutions will conduct their own counselling process.
All the IITs conduct their own counselling process for the admission in M.Tech programs.