Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) in Physics
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is a national examination conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore and the seven Indian Institutes of Technology (at Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee) on behalf of the National Coordination Board (NCB)-GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India.
Qualifying in GATE is a mandatory requirement for seeking admission and/or financial assistance to.
Master's programs and direct Doctoral programs in Engineering/Technology/Architecture
Doctoral programs in relevant branches of Arts and Science, in the institutions supported by the MoE and other Government agencies.
Even in some colleges and institutions, which admit students without MoE scholarship/assistantship, the GATE qualification is mandatory. Further, many Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) have been using the GATE score in their recruitment process.
Age Limit: There is no age limit for the candidates.
GATE Schedule
GATE exam is conducted once in a year, i.e., in the months of February. The notifications announcing the GATE exam published in the months of September in the weekly journal of nation-wide circulation (Employment News).
Eligibility for GATE
The following categories of candidates ONLY are eligible to appear for GATE:
Degree/Program Qualifying Degree/Examination Description of Eligible Candidates Expected Year of Completion
B.Sc. (Research) / B.S. Bachelor’s degree in Science (Post-Diploma/4 years after 10+2) Currently in the 3rd year or higher grade or already completed 2022
M. Sc. / M.A. / MCA or equivalent Master’s degree in any branch of Arts/Science/Mathematics/Statistics/ Computer Applications or equivalent Currently in the first year or higher or already Completed
2022
B.Sc. / B.A. / B.Com. Integrated M.Sc. or 5-year integrated B.S.-M.S. program Currently in the 3rd year or higher or already completed 2022
Int. M.Sc. / Int. B.S. / M.S. Integrated M.Sc. or 5-year integrated B.S.-M.S. program Currently in the 3rd year or higher or already completed 2022
Scheme of Test
The examination will be conducted in an ONLINE Computer Based Test (CBT) mode where the candidates will be shown the questions on a computer screen. GATE examination will be for 3 hours duration and they consist of 65 questions for a total of 100 marks. Since the examination is an ONLINE computer based test, at the end of the stipulated time (3-hours), computer will automatically close thescreen inhibiting any further action.
A Virtual Scientific Calculator will be available on the computer screen during the examination. Candidates have to use the same during the examination. Personal calculators, wristwatches, mobile phones or any other electronic devices are NOT allowed inside the examination hall.
Candidates should not bring any charts/tables/papers into the examination hall. GATE officials will not be responsible for the safe-keep of the candidates’ personal belongings.
Scribble pads will be provided to the candidates for any rough work. The candidate has to write his/her name and registration number on the scribble pad before he/she starts using it.
EXAM PATTERN
The GATE Examination is carried out as ONLINE Computer Based Test (CBT) where the candidates will be shown the questions in a random sequence on a computer screen. The duration of the examination will be 3 hours. The medium for all the test papers is English only. There will be a total of 65 questions carrying 100 marks.
GATE paper would contain questions of THREE different types
(iii) Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions.
For these questions, the answer is a signed real number, which needs to be entered by the candidate using the virtual numeric keypad on the monitor (keyboard of the computer will be disabled). No choices will be shown for these types of questions.
The answer can be a number such as 10 or -10 (an integer only). The answer may be in decimals as well, for example, 10.1 (one decimal) or 10.01 (two decimals) or -10.001 (three decimals). These questions will be mentioned with, up to which decimal places, the candidates need to present the answer. Also, for some NAT type problems an appropriate range will be considered while evaluating these questions so that the candidate is not unduly penalized due to the usual round-off errors. Candidates are advised to do the rounding off at the end of the calculation (not in between steps). Wherever required and possible, it is better to give NAT answer up to a maximum of three decimal places.
General Aptitude Section
The paper will consist of a mandatory General Aptitude (GA) section which will have 10 questions. 5 of the questions will be of 1 mark and the remaining 5 will be of 2 marks. Therefore, the total marks for this section will be 15 marks.
This section is intended to test typically the Language and Analytical Skills.
Marking Scheme
1 Mark MCQs – 1/3 mark will be deducted for every wrong answer.
2 Mark MCQs – 2/3 mark will be deducted for every wrong response.
Zero marks will be awarded for unattempted questions
