GATE Exam

GATE stands for Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering which is jointly conducted by the Indian Institute of Science and 7 Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IIT Guwahati, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee and  IIT Madras) on behalf of National Coordination Board (NCB) – GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India. The GATE exam primarily evaluates a student’s understanding of various undergraduate subjects in Engineering/Technology/Architecture and post-graduate level subjects in Science. The GATE score reflects a relative performance level in a particular subject in the exam across several years. GATE score is utilized for admissions to post-grade programs (e.g. M.E., M.Tech, direct PH.D) in Indian institutes of higher education with financial assistance provided by MHRD and other Government agencies. It may also be used by Public and Private Sector Undertakings for employment screening purposes.

GATE related operations in each of the 8 zones are managed by zonal GATE Office at the IITs and IISc. The Organizing Institute (OI) is responsible for the end-to-end process and coordination amongst the administering Institutes. The Organizing Institute for GATE 2015 is IIT Kanpur.

Applying for Financial Assistance

A valid GATE score is required for getting financial assistance while taking admissions in Master’s and direct Doctoral programs in relevant branches of Science in Institutes supported by MHRD or other Government agencies.

As per MHRD, the following procedures are to be adopted for admission to the post-grade programs (Master’s and Doctoral) with MHRD scholarship or assistantship:

1. A candidate may be admitted directly into a course based on his/her performance in GATE only
2. Based on his/her performance in GATE and an admission test/interview conducted by the department to which he/she has applied and/or the candidate’s academic record.

If a candidate is to be selected through test/interview for post-grade programs, a minimum of 70% weightage will be given to the performance in GATE and the remaining 30% weightage will be given to the candidate’s interview performance and/or academic record.

However, the admitting institutes can prescribe a minimum passing percentage of marks in the test/interview. Some institutes/colleges specify GATE qualification as mandatory requirement even for admission without MHRD scholarship/assistantship.

To avail the scholarship, a student need to take admission to a program in one of the institutes (procedures may vary from institute to institute). Qualification in GATE is also a minimum requirement to apply for various fellowships awarded by Government organizations. Candidates need to get all required financial assistance information from the concerned admitting institutes. Under no circumstances, GATE offices will entertain enquiry about admission, reservation of seats and/or award of scholarship/assistantship.

Eligibility Criteria:

Following are the eligibility criteria of GATE exam:

1. Candidates who have completed or in their final 4th year of B.E/B.Tech/B.Arch./B.Pharm (Post-Diploma/Post B.Sc./4 years after 10+2) can apply for the GATE exam. Candidates whose year of qualification is 2014 or earlier but not later than 2015 also can apply. Also a Certificate from Principal has to be submitted.
2. Candidates who have completed B.Sc (Research B.S.) exam or in their 4th year can apply. Students who are expected to complete their B.Sc by 2015 can also apply. However, it should not be later than 2015 is accepted. A Certificate from Principal has to be submitted.
3. Candidates who have completed M. Sc./M.A./MCA or equivalent or in their final year can also apply. However, candidates expecting to complete their M.Sc./M.A./MCA or equivalent later than 2015 is not accepted. A Certificate from Principal has to be submitted.
4. Students in their 2nd/3rd/4th year or has already passed the Int. M.E/M.Tech(Post-B.Sc.) exam can apply for GATE 2015. However, if the degree is not completed the qualification year should not be later than 2017. A Certificate from Principal has to be submitted.
5. Students in their 4th/5th year or passed Int. M.E./M.Tech or Dual Degree (after Diploma or 10+2) can apply. Students who are expecting to complete by 2016 are also eligible to apply. And a Certificate from Principal has to be submitted.
6. Candidates who have completed or are in their final year or expecting to complete their Int. M.Sc/ Int. B.S.-M.S. in 2015 are eligible to apply. A Certificate from Principal has to be submitted.
7. Candidates who have completed Professional Society Examinations (equivalent to B.E./B.Tech./B.Arch.) or completed section A or equivalent of such professional courses are eligible for application. He/she also need to submit Copy of Marksheet for Section “A”.

Certificate from Principal: Candidates need to obtain a Certificate from Principal beforehand and upload while submitting the admission form online.

Candidates with Backlogs: Candidates who have appeared in their final semester/year exam in the year 2014, but with a backlog (arrears/failed/failed subjects) in any papers in their qualifying degree should

• Upload a copy of any of the mark sheets of the final year

OR

• Need to get a declaration from their Principal along with the signature and seal beforehand and upload the same during submitting their application form online.

Basic Features of GATE 2015

• Examinations for all the 22 papers will be conducted by an Online Computer Based Test (CBT). The online examination paper will contain some questions for which numerical answers must be keyed in by the candidate using the virtual keypad. Rest of the questions shall be of Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) type.
• For randomly selected candidates Biometric information (Photograph and Fingerprints) may be captured before the start of the exam.
• GATE 2015 examinations will be held during forenoon and afternoon sessions on alternate weekends (Saturday and Sunday) between 31st January 2015 and 14th February 2015.
• The entire process of filling up application form, uploading of certificates/documents will be online. No documents should be sent to any of the IIT/IISc zonal GATE office.
• Payment should be made through online through different modes – Net Banking, Debit/Credit Card, e-challan etc.
• Admit card has to be downloaded from GATE 2015 website. No hard copy of admit card will be posted to candidates.

GATE: How to Apply?

Candidates need to apply GATE application only Online. All GATE application related information are available at http://gate.iitk.ac.in/GATE2015/. Candidates need to submit online application using the GOAPS (GATE Online Application Processing System).

Fees:

Details of GATE application fees are given below:

Male Candidates (General/OBC)      :   Rs. 1500

Women Candidates of any category : Rs. 750

Other Candidates (General/OBC)     : Rs. 1500

SC/ST/PwD* Category Candidates   : Rs. 750

Payment has to be made online by selecting either Debit/ATM Card, Credit Card, Net Banking or e-challan facilities only. Please note Additional Charges will be charged as per the Bank rule from which the transaction has happened. GATE bank account has been opened in State Bank of India and Axis Bank where the amount has to be transferred.