- Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is an all India examination that primarily tests the comprehensive understanding of the candidate in various tests undergraduate subjects in Engineering/Technology/Architecture and postgraduate level subjects in sciences.
- The GATE score of a candidate reflects a relative performance level in a particular subject in the exam.
- The score is used for admissions to post-graduate programs (eg. M.E., M.Tech, direct Ph.D.) in Indian institutes of higher education with financial assistance provided by MHRD and other Government agencies.
- The score may also be used by Public and Private Sector Undertakings for employment screening purposes.
- The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs at Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee) jointly administer the conduct of GATE. The operations related to GATE in each of the 8 zones are managed by a Zonal GATE Office at IISc. or IITs. The Organizing Institute (OI) is responsible for the end-to-end process and coordination amongst the administering Institutes. The Organizing Institute for GATE 2014 is IIT Kharagpur.
Financial Assistance
- 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. As per 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, 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 and/or the candidate’s academic record. If the candidate is to be selected through interview for post-graduate programs, the minimum of 70% weightage will be given to the performance in GATE and the remaining 30% weightage will be given to the candidate’s performance in interview and/or academic record, as per MHRD guidelines.
- The admitting institutes could 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.
- To avail of the financial assistance (scholarship), the candidate must first secure admission to a program in these Institutes, by a procedure that could vary from institute to institute. Qualification in GATE is also a minimum requirement to apply for various fellowships awarded by many Government organizations. Candidates are advised to seek complete details of admission procedures and availability of MHRD scholarship/assistantship from the concerned admitting institution. The criteria for postgraduate admission with scholarship/ assistantship could be different for different institutions. The management of the post-graduate scholarship/ assistantship is the responsibility of the admitting institution. Similarly, reservation of seats under different categories is as per the policies and norms prevailing at the admitting institution and Government of India rules. GATE offices will not entertain any enquiry about admission, reservation of seats and/or award of scholarship/assistantship.
Employment
- Several public sector undertakings (PSUs) have, in the past, used GATE scores for screening for providing a salaried employment. A select few such organizations are: Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, National Thermal Power Corporation, Power Grid India, etc. It is expected that such PSUs would use GATE Scores this year as well.
Note: GATE administration is not responsible for employment opportunities. The qualified candidates must check newspapers and other reliable sources for any such information.
Administration
- GATE is administered and conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) on behalf of the National Coordination Board (NCB)-GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India. The GATE committee, which comprises of representatives from these administering institutes, is the sole authority for regulating the examination and declaring the results.
- GATE is conducted through the collaboration of eight zones. The zones and the corresponding administrative institutes are:
Zone-1: Indian Institute of Science Bangalore
Zone-2: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Zone-3: Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Zone-4: Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
Zone-5: Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Zone-6: Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Zone-7: Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Zone-8: Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
- The overall co-ordination and responsibility of conducting GATE 2014 lies with Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, which is designated as the Organizing Institute (OI) for GATE 2014.