Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering

Conducted by one of seven Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in rotation, Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is an annual exam for admission to M.Tech and M.S. programs in most engineering institutes in India like Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore IITs, NITs, as well as pharmacy institutes.Fact|date=February 2007. It is regarded as a benchmark test for engineering graduates in India.This examination is coordinated by a committee, comprising of and seven Indian Institutes of Technology on behalf of the National Coordinating Board - GATE, Department of Education, Government of India. The pattern and syllabus are usually based on a candidate's B.Tech. or BE syllabus. Minimum eligibility for appearing in this exam is usually a B.Tech, BE, B. Arch. or M.Sc. The exam is usually conducted on second Sunday of February.

Eligibility

In 2004, 102,790 students appeared for GATE, out of which 21,689 qualifiedFact|date=February 2007.

Forms are usually available in late September till late October at prominent SBI Branches. Students can [http://www.iitk.ac.in/gate/eligibility.htm attempt] in GATE under different disciplines according to their M.Tech interests. The discipline specification is done while filling the forms. Apart from the basic engineering disciplines there are XE and XL papers which are general in nature.

The current format of the GATE exam paper pattern is:
* Total of 150 marks, fully objective, with three sections
* Group I: Question Numbers 1 to 20 (20 questions) will carry one mark each.
* Group II: Question numbers 21 to 75 (55 questions) will carry two marks each. Out of this, Q.71 to Q.75 may be common data based questions.
* Group III: Question Numbers 76 to 85 (10 questions) will carry two marks each.

These questions are called linked answer questions. These 10 questions comprise five pairs of questions (76 & 77, 78 & 79, etc.). The solution to the second question of each pair (e.g. Q.77) will be linked to the correct answer to the first one (e.g. Q.76) in the pair.

* Each question will have four choices for the answer. Only one choice is correct.

* The score card of the Qualified Candidates formerly included GATE Score, Percentile Score and Rank. However, from 2006 onwards percentile has been excluded from the results.

Advantages of GATE Scores

PSU's like BARC, NPCIL, HAL etc. give importance to GATE scores for various job positions in their organizations.GATE seats are fixed in every institute.Pharma graduate (post-graduate in India) schools have also got there fixed GATE seats. A student is also eligible for a monthly scholarship of Rs. 8000.The examination also tests the takers' perseverance and patience.

Applying to various institutes

Usually IISc application dates are within 4-5 days of announcement of results. Most institutes do not specify their cut-offs for previous years. So there is a general confusion in terms of selecting institutes and specializations. But in the recent years IIT Kharagpur and Guwahati have been specifying last year cut-off mark list.

=PLS CLARIFY THIS=If a pre-final year student qualifies in GATE 2009, will he be admitted to PG based on this score in 2010, when he completes his UG?Ref: http://gate.iitm.ac.in/gate2009/Gate%20score.htm

External links

* [http://gate.iisc.ernet.in GATE 2008 Homepage]
* [http://www.youdowetest.com Free tests for GATE preparation]
* [http://www.gateforum.com GATE 2008 Info]
* [http://www.gatementor.com GATE Discussion Forum for Doubts and General Discussions]