GATE exams India simplified: all your basic questions answered

Are you keen on pursuing a postgraduate engineering course at an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in India? If so, you need to register for the GATE exam. This blog post provides detailed basic information for beginners about this all-important exam.

GATE FAQs

What is GATE?

GATE is the acronym for Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering.

Is GATE only for admission to IITs in India?

No, GATE is also for getting admission to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Even more important, you can get a job at a top Govt. PSU such as Indian Oil, HPCL, BPCL, etc through your GATE scores.

What is the difference between IIT JEE and GATE?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions by students aspiring to be engineers. While both IIT JEE and GATE are entrance exams to get admissions to the IITs in India, the difference lies in what level of education they are for: IIT JEE is the entrance exam for those who wish to apply for graduate level IIT courses (that is, B.Tech. programs), GATE is the entrance exam for those who wish to apply for higher level post graduate IIT courses (that is, M.Tech. programs).

Is it mandatory to appear for GATE?

Yes, it is mandatory to appear for GATE if you wish to get admission to IIT  & IISc. M.Tech. programs.

Is GATE having the same format & questions for all the IITs?

Yes, irrespective of at which IIT you wish to pursue your M.Tech. course, you will be appearing for the same GATE exam papers as other students.

What is the eligibility criteria to qualify to appear for GATE?

For each year’s GATE, you will need to check the eligibility criteria as generally the requisite year of qualification changes for each year’s exam.

Which IITs are part of the GATE exam?

There are totally 7 IITs, as per the Zones (demarcated on the basis of regions). They are:

1. Zone 1: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Contact Information:

• Website: http://www.gate.iitb.ac.in/
• Ph: 022-25767068 / 022 25724054 // FAX:022 25723706
• Email: gateoffice @ iitb.ac.in

2. Zone 2: Indian Institute of Technology Delhi 
Contact Information:

• Website: http://gate.iitd.ac.in/
• Ph: 011-26591749 / 011-26596137 // FAX: 011 26581579
• Email: gate @ admin.iitd.ernet.in

3. Zone 3: Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
Contact Information:

• Website: http://www.iitg.ac.in/gate
• Ph: 0361-2582751 // FAX:0361 2582755
• Email: gate @ iitg.ernet.in

4. Zone 4: Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Contact Information:

• Website: http://gate.iitk.ac.in/
• Ph: 0512-2597412 // FAX: 0512 2590932
• Email: gate @ iitk.ac.in

5. Zone 5: Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Contact Information:

• Website: http://gate.iitkgp.ac.in/gate2014
• Ph: 03222 – 282091 // FAX: 03222 278243
• Email: gate @ adm.iitkgp.ernet.in

6. Zone 6: Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Contact Information:

• Website: http://gate.iitm.ac.in/
• Ph: 044 – 22578200 // FAX: 044 22578204
• Email: gate @ iitm.ac.in

7. Zone 7: Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 

Contact Information

•  Website: http://www.iitr.ac.in/gate
• Ph: 01332 – 284531 // FAX: 01332 285707
• Email: gate @ iitr.ernet.in

The overall coordination and responsibility of conducting GATE 2014 lies with Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, designated as the Organizing Institute for GATE 2014.

Where is the IISc. located?

The Indian Institute of Science is located at Bengaluru (earlier known as Bangalore), in the State of Karnataka.

Contact Information:

Website: http://gate.iisc.ernet.in/

Ph: 080 – 22932392 / 080 23600902 // FAX: 08023601227
Email: gate @ gate.iisc.ernet.in

Which institute is responsible for conducting GATE and announcing the results?

For GATE 2015, IIT Kanpur has been officially appointed as the organizing institute for GATE. Each year, it may be a different institute which organizes it.

Is GATE a paper-based exam or is it online?

GATE is strictly an online Computer Based Test (known in short as CBT). There is no offline / paper-based GATE anywhere in India.

Can I submit my application for GATE directly at the office of any IIT?

No. All applications to GATE must be done online only.

Is GATE only one paper / subject?

No. There are totally 22 papers for GATE covering various subjects, mainly related to the field of engineering. It should be noted here that the additional paper for 2014 GATE is Ecology and Evolution (this paper was not there in earlier GATEs).

Do I have to appear for all 22 GATE papers?

No, of course not! You can apply only for ONE category (there may be different sections in each paper) of the 22 papers. It makes sense, of course, to appear for that paper which is (a) aptly matching the discipline of your qualifying degree;  (b) fits in with your future career plan; and (c) compatible with the admission’s eligibility criteria of the institute where you will seek admission.

What is the complete list of GATE papers?

Given below is the complete list of GATE papers (as of 2014)

GATE Paper	Code
Aerospace Engineering	AE
Agricultural Engineering	AG
Architecture and Planning	AR
Biotechnology	BT
Civil Engineering	CE
Chemical Engineering	CH
Computer Science and Information Technology	CS
Chemistry	CY
Electronics and Communication Engineering	EC
Electrical Engineering	EE
Ecology and Evolution	EY
Geology and Geophysics	GG
Instrumentation Engineering	IN
Mathematics	MA
Mechanical Engineering	ME
Mining Engineering	MN
Metallurgical Engineering	MT
Physics	PH
Production and Industrial Engineering	PI
Textile Engineering and Fibre Science	TF
Engineering Sciences	XE
Life Sciences	XL

XE Paper Sections	Code
Engineering Mathematics (Compulsory)	A
Fluid Mechanics	B
Materials Science	C
Solid Mechanics	D
Thermodynamics	E
Polymer Science and Engineering	F
Food Technology	G

XL Paper Sections	Code
Chemistry (Compulsory)	H
Biochemistry	I
Botany	J
Microbiology	K
Zoology	L
Food Technology	M

What is the syllabus of each paper?
[this information will be provided in another blog post]

What is an XE paper?

An XE paper refers to the papers in the category of Engineering Sciences. If you are appearing for XE papers, you will need to answer: (1) Section A – Engineering Mathematics (this is mandatory section)

(2) GA – General Aptitude (this is also compulsory); and (3) Any two of XE sections B to G

Important:

• You can select your choice of two sections from B to G during the exam itself, after viewing the questions.
• You can answer only 2 optional sections can at a time.
• In case during the exam you wish to change to another optional section, you will fist have to deselect one of the previously chosen optional sections (B to G).

What is an XL paper?

An XL paper refers to the papers in the category of Life Sciences. If you are appearing for XE papers, you will need to answer: (1) Section H – Chemistry (this is compulsory); (2) GA – General Aptitude (this is also compulsory); (3) Any two of XL sections I to M

Important:

• You can select your choice of two sections from I to M during the exam itself, after viewing the questions.
• You can answer only 2 optional sections can at a time.
• In case during the exam you wish to change to another optional section, you will fist have to deselect one of the previously chosen optional sections (I to M).

More information on GATE papers: GATE exam papers format

Readers are welcome to point out any errors in the information provided here & give additional details in your comments. More information on GATE will be  submitted in various posts in this blog in due course of time.