The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is one of the prestigious competitive examinations in India. GATE is an all-India examination conducted by Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) on behalf of the National Coordination Board GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. But many students have a lot of questions in their mind about the GATE Exam like
Why GATE 2017 Exam is important?
What are the benefits of qualifying GATE Exam?
What are the career options after clearing the GATE with good score?
.. Are some of the common questions among a lot of students (Source).
Here, in this article you can find answers to these questions.
Why GATE Exam is important?
The purpose of the GATE 2017 exam is to test the students knowledge and understanding of their under Graduate level subjects in Engineering and Science. The GATE score reflects the relative performance level of a candidate.
Every year lakhs of Engineering graduate students are coming from universities and engineering colleges. In the present competitive scenario, to measure and test the calibre of engineering students is possible through the GATE exam only.
There is a misconception among students is that the GATE exam is only for ME. /M. Tech which finally leads to a teaching career only.
But, it is not correct. The GATE score of the candidate is also used by several public sector undertakings(PSU) (i.e., government-owned companies) for recruitinggraduate engineers in entry-level positions, to get Fellowship Programs from CSIR and Scholarships in ME/M.Tech and many more.
Eligibility for GATE 2017 Exam:
To take the GATE exam, the candidate must have one of the following qualification.
1. Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/ Technology(4 years after 10+2/ or 3 years after Diploma in Engineering and Technology) and those who were in the last year of such programs.
2. Bachelor’s degree in Architecture (Five year course) and those who were in the last year of such programs.
3. Bachelor’s degree Four-year program in Science (B.S) and those who were in the last year of such programs.
4. A master’s degree in any branch of Science/ Mathematics/ Statistics/ Computer Applications or equivalent and those who were in the last year of such programs.
5. Four-year integrated Master's degree programs (Post-B. Sc.) in Engineering/ Technology and those in the second or higher year of such programs.
6. Five-year integrated Master's degree or Dual Degree in Engineering/Technology and those in the fourth or higher year of such programs.
7. Five-year integrated M.Sc. Or Five year integrated B.Sc. / M.Sc and those in the last year of such programs.
8. Candidates with qualifications obtained through examinations conducted by professional societies recognized by UPSC/AICTE (e.g. AMIE by iE(i), AMICE(i) by the institute of Civil Engineers (India)-iCE(i)) as equal to B.E./B. Tech. Those who have completed section A of AMIE or equivalent of such professional courses are also eligible.
GATE Exam Pattern:
The examination pattern for GATE 2017 Exam is similar to GATE 2016 Exam. Examinations for all the papers of the GATE Exam shall be conducted in online mode only.
Gate Exam is 3 hours duration and total score is 100 marks and it has 2 sections.
Section – I (General Aptitude):
This section is common to all papers. It has Verbal Ability and Numerical Ability for 15 Marks. It has 10 questions, 1 Mark (from Q1 to Q5) and 2 Mark questions (from Q6 to Q10).
Section – II (Concern Engineering Subjects):
In this section, It has 55 questions in which from Q1 to Q25 are 1 Mark and Q26 to Q55 are 2 Marks questions.
Negative Marks for GATE Exam: There are negative marks on the GATE Exam.1/3 marks for 1 mark questions and 2/3 marks for 2 mark questions. No negative marks for numerical ability questions.
Engineering Maths for 15 Marks and Engineering Core subjects for 70 Marks. So concentrate on topics belongs to the recent developments in your core subjects.
GATE 2017 Syllabus:
AE: Aerospace Engineering
AG: Agricultural Engineering
AR: Architecture and Planning
BT: Biotechnology
CE: Civil Engineering
CH: Chemical Engineering
CS: Computer Science and Information Technology
CY: Chemistry
EC: Electronics and Communications
EE: Electrical Engineering
EY: Ecology and Evolution
GG: Geology and Geophysics
IN: Instrumentation Engineering
MA: Mathematics
ME: Mechanical Engineering
MN: Mining Engineering
MT: Metallurgical Engineering
PE: Petroleum Engineering
PH: Physics
PI: Production and Industrial Engineering
TF: Textile Engineering and Fibre Science
XE (A‐H): Engineering Sciences
XL (P‐U): Life Sciences
For more detailed syllabus refer GATE Exam 2017 Syllabus
New in GATE 2017 Exam:
GATE 2017 examination shall be held for international candidates in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates (U.A.E).
New paper in GATE 2017 Exam:
The XE paper now has a new section on Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (section H). With this the sections in the XE paper increased to eight (A-H).
How to get good marks - Scoring Tips for GATE Exam
To get a good marks in GATE Exam, remember the following simple tips.
1. Refer Previous Papers:
While preparation, collect earlier years' question papers along with solutions. Based on the previous papers, Analyse the subject pattern and focus on those subjects which have most weightage in the exam.
2. Books:
Find the best books which deal with fundamentals along with conceptual clarity. Books that offer difficulty and time-consuming questions are essential as practice material. For each topic it is better to refer number of books and prepare notes.
3. Practise and practise:
Assign more time for practise. Practise the maximum number of question papers as possible. It helps you more for your preparation. You must practise online model papers also.
4. Syllabus:
Before starting preparation, refer the syllabus. Keep in mind that those topics which are not included in the GATE Exam syllabus could be certainly left out.
5. Focus on your "Weakness":
While preparing the exam, list out all topics in which you are weak and give more focus on those topics. Find out short cut methods for essential formulas so that they are at your fingertips.
Benefits of GATE Exam:
As an Engineering/Science graduate, clearing the GATE 2017 exam with good score opens the doors to ocean of opportunities. There is a major misconception that after completing your M. Tech, teaching is the only career for you. But it is not true.
Here find different benefits of GATE Exam
1. Admission to PG Programs:
Clearing the GATE Exam with good score opens the path to pursue PG Programs at various institutions. Top IIT's and IIS are offering admissions into PG Programs on the basis of GATE Exam score. Some institutions specify GATE qualification as mandatory for admission into self-financing postgraduate programs. Some management institutes like NITIE, Mumbai offer admission to Post Graduate Diploma in Industrial Engineering on the basis of GATE score. Unlike undergraduate admissions in India, the Institutes release their M.Tech notifications. Then the candidate must apply individually for every institution. Even within the top institutes, the selection criteria vary widely across departments and programs depending on expertise areas.
With a good score in GATE you can get admission in colleges like:
1) IIT's
2) IIM's (their fellow program)
3) NITIE
4) Other REC's
2. PSU's Jobs through GATE 2017
Public sector undertakings (PSUs) in India, faced lot of problems in conducting their recruitment processes. More than 100,000 students are taking the exams for less than 1000 jobs (a selection rate of less than 1%).
After sensing the exponential rise in the number of engineering graduates in India who wish to get a PSU job, the PSUs have decided that a GATE score shall be the primary criteria for first shortlist. This change was the primary cause for the rapid increase in applicants for GATE 2012.
Indian Oil Corporation was the first PSU which successfully tested out this system. Then two years later, National Thermal Power Corporation, Bharat Heavy Electricals, Bharat Electronics & Power Grid Corporation of India implemented this process.
Usually these companies release their recruitment notifications right after GATE notification, indicating that candidates have to take the GATE exam to apply for a job in their organizations.
3. Fellowship Programs
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) introduced the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) - GATE scheme in 2002 to allow GATE-qualified engineering graduates and GPAT-qualified pharmaceutical graduates to pursue research through suitable Ph.D. programs at CSIRlaboratories.
Stipend and tenure:
The fellowship amount is Rs.25,000 (US$370) per month plus HRA (house rent allowance). In addition, a contingency grant of Rs.20,000 (US$300) per annum (calculated on a pro-rata basis for fraction of a year) is also provided. On completion of 2 years as JRF - GATE, the fellowship upgraded to SRF (Senior Research Fellowship) - GATE and stipend increased to Rs. 28,000 (US$420) per month in the later years, on the basis of assessment of CSIR JRF-NET guidelines.(Source)
4. Scholarships in ME/M. Tech
To enhance/promote the master education in India the Scholarship/ Assistance ship will be Rs 12,400/- per month and paid from MHRD to GATE qualified student. It is financial support for candidates so that they can easily afford their needs during their course and thesis work.
5. Integrated Ph.D.
Some colleges let you do an integrated Masters plus doctoral programme, directly after your graduation and you can also get a stipend of Rs.28,000.
6. Foreign Study
Some non-Indian universities like the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and some technical universities in Germany also recognised GATE score as a criterion for judging the candidates for admission into their Masters and Ph.D. programs.
7. DRDO Research:
From this year onwards DRDO is also considering the GATE score for their jobs.
Important Dates for GATE Exam 2017
I). GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS) Website Opens for Enrollment, Application filling, Application submission: September 1, 2016 (Thursday)
II). Last Date for Submission of Online Application through Web site: October 4, 2016 (Tuesday)
III). Last Date of Request for Change in the Choice of Examination City via GOAPS login: November 16, 2016 (Wednesday)
IV). Availability of Admit Card on the Online Application Interface for printing: January 5, 2017 (Thursday)
V). GATE 2017 Online Examination Dates: February 4 – 5, 2017 & February 11 – 12, 2017 (Saturdays and Sundays only)
VI). Announcement of Results on the Online Application Website: March 27, 2017 (Monday)
Conclusion:
So for any Engineering or Science graduates GATE exam is one of the options. So don't think that if you’re not clear the GATE Exam, then you can’t do anything. But, the GATE score is useful to get a job in PSU or get admission into the top colleges to pursue PG programs.
The success of your career depends on you, not on the college. But they offer an environment and facilities to you.
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