The GATE exam, organized by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, and seven IITs, serves as an admission test for M.Tech and PhD programs at IITs, IISc, NITs, GFTIs, and various other engineering institutions in India. It is also used as a screening test for entry-level engineering positions in several public sector undertakings (PSUs). Approximately 500,000 students take this exam, competing for 2,800 seats at various IITs.
Frequency- yearly
Mode- Computerised Exam
Exam Pattern
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Examination Mode | The test papers will be in English. Computer Based Test (CBT) [will be conducted at select centers in select cities]. |
| Duration | 3 Hours* |
| Number of Subjects (Papers) | 30 |
| Sections | General Aptitude (GA) + Candidate's Selected Subjects |
| Type of Questions | Candidate’s Selected Subject(s) (a) Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) (b) Multiple Select Questions (MSQ) and/or (c) Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions |
| Questions for testing these abilities | (a) Recall (b) Comprehension (c) Application (d) Analysis & Synthesis |
| Distribution of Marks in all Papers EXCEPT papers AR, CY, DA, EY, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH and XL | General Aptitude: 15 marks Engineering Mathematics**: 13 marks Subject Questions: 72 marks Total: 100 marks (**XE includes Engineering Mathematics section XE-A of 15 marks) |
| Distribution of Marks in papers AR, CY, DA, EY, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH and XL | General Aptitude: 15 marks Subject Questions: 85 marks Total: 100 marks |
| Marking Scheme | Questions carry 1 mark or 2 marks |
| Negative Marking | For a wrong answer chosen in an MCQ, there will be negative marking. For a 1-mark MCQ, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. For a 2-mark MCQ, 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. There is no negative marking for wrong answer(s) to MSQ or NAT questions. There is no partial marking in MSQ. |
| Paper Code | General Aptitude (GA) Marks | Compulsory Section | Subject Marks | Total Marks | Total Time* (Minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, ES, IN, ME, MN, MT, NM, PE, PI, TF; Subject marks in these papers include questions on Engineering Mathematics (13 marks), which are paper-specific. | 15 | -- | 85 | 100 | 180 |
| CY, DA, EY, MA, PH, ST | 15 | -- | 85 | 100 | 180 |
| AR [Part A is Common and Compulsory for all; Part B1 or Part B2 can be selected during Exam. B1: Architecture or B2: Planning] | 15 | 60 | 25 | 100 | 180 |
| GE [Part A is Common and Compulsory for all; Part B1 or B2 can be selected during the Exam. B1 - Surveying and Mapping or B2 -Image Processing and Analysis.] | 15 | 55 | 30 | 100 | 180 |
| GG [Part A is Common and Compulsory for all; Part B can either be Geology (B1) or Geophysics (B2) -- which must be chosen at the time of Application.] | 15 | 25 | 60 | 100 | 180 |
| XE [Section A (Engineering Mathematics) is Common and Compulsory for all; Applicants must select any TWO additional Sections during the Exam] | 15 | 15 | 2 x 35 | 100 | 180 |
| XH [Section B1 (Reasoning and Comprehension) is Common and Compulsory for all; Applicants must select any ONE additional Section at the time of Application] | 15 | 25 | 60 | 100 | 180 |
| XL [Section P (Chemistry) is Common and Compulsory for all; Applicants must select any TWO additional Sections during the Exam] | 15 | 25 | 2 x 30 | 100 | 180 |
*PwD candidates with benchmark disability greater than 40% are eligible for compensatory time of one hour. PwD candidates with less than 40% disability and having difficulty in writing are eligible for compensatory time subject to the production of a certificate as stated in Appendix I of the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Eligibility Criteria
Before filing an application, candidates are advised to ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria for GATE 2024.
Candidates who are currently studying in the 3rd or higher years of any undergraduate degree program or who have completed any government approved degree program in Engineering/ Technology/ Science/ Architecture/ Humanities are eligible to appear for GATE 2024.
Some Professional Societies/Institutions, which conduct examination in various fields of engineering, are given below.
Candidates who possess certification from any such professional societies must ensure that those examinations are approved by MoE/AICTE/UGC/ UPSC as being equivalent to B.E./ B.Tech./ B.Arch./ B.Planning, etc.
Candidates who have obtained/are pursuing their qualifying degree from countries other than India: Candidates must be currently in the 3rd or higher years or must have completed their Bachelor’s degree (of at least three years duration) in Engineering/ Technology/ Science/ Architecture/ Humanities.
Any candidate fulfilling the above-mentioned criteria is eligible to appear for GATE 2024.
More details of eligibility criteria are given below.
Note:
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