GATE is an online national level examination conducted for Master of Engineering (ME), Masters in Technology (MTech) and direct PhD admissions to Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) and other institutes/universities across India. The exam is jointly conducted by IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee and Indian Institute for Science, Bangalore (IISC Bangalore), on a rotational basis on behalf of the National Coordination Board (NCB – GATE), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource & Development (MHRD), Government of India.

GATE Eligibility Criteria

GATE entrance is for direct admission at the postgraduate level course of Engineering.  It conducts by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and other seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) jointly. The candidates appearing for the GATE exam must fulfill the eligibility criteria before appearing for the exam, the details of the eligibility criteria have been mentioned below :

• Candidates must have a Bachelor’s Degree in Science / BSc. Research from recognized University.
• The candidate must have a Bachelor’s Degree i.e. B.E./B.Pharm/ B.Tech/ B.Arch from a recognized University.
• Candidate should have a bachelor’s degree under 10+2+4 systems or any such equivalent. The candidate who has completed their Graduation under 10+2+3 system are ineligible for GATE.
• The applicants having a Master’s degree in any branch of Science/ Statistics/ Mathematics / Computer applications or equivalent-M.Sc/ MCA/M.A.
• The applicants appearing in the final year of the qualifying exam can also apply for the exam provided they have to submit the certificate from the Principal of University or College.
• Diploma Holders are not eligible for the examination.

GATE Answer Key

The conducting body releases official GATE answer key tentatively in the 3rd week of February. The Answer Key can be used by the candidate to re-check and verify their answers and prepare an expected score. Before the release of the answer key and question paper, the response sheet is also released by the conducting body. 

Declaration of GATE Result

The exam conducting authority declares the result of GATE exam for all the papers tentively 3rd week of March. The Candidates can download GATE result by submitting their enrollment id/ email id, registration number and date of birth.

The candidates can check their GATE result / scorecard with their marks and an all India Rank through the login at the official GOAPS website. The candidates can download their GATE Result on the scheduled date.

GATE Cutoff

A Cutoff to determine the minimum passing marks is prepared to make a list of candidates who qualify the exam.

The cutoff is determined to take into account the normalization process and other factors such as the number of students who appeared for the test, relative performance of the candidates, difficulty level of the question paper, etc.

Can I appear in any of the GATE papers?

The candidate is expected to appear in a paper appropriate to the discipline of his/her qualifying degree. The candidate can also choose any other papers of GATE, however, it is better to choose a paper in line with the eligibility criteria of the institutions/organizations in which he/she wishes to seek admission/job.

Is the Admit Card alone sufficient to gain entry to the examination centre?

NO. Candidates must bring a print-out of the downloaded Admit Card to the Examination for the verification along with the original and valid photo Identity Document (NO photocopy/scanned copy/NOT an expired document), which was specified during the filling up of the online application. For Indian candidates, only following identification cards will be accepted: Passport, PAN card, Voter ID, Aadhaar-UID, College ID, Employee ID and Driving License. For International candidates, ONLY a valid Passport/Government issued ID/College ID/Employee ID will be accepted as the recognized identification.

The Admit Card is valid if and ONLY if the candidate’s photograph and signature images are clear and legible. The photograph on the Admit Card and that in the valid photo identity document should match with the appearance of the candidate on the day of examination.

Can I bring soft copy of the Admit Card (in mobile phone/tablet/laptop) to gain entry to the examination centre?

NO. Hard copy (preferably printed in color) of the Admit Card must be brought to the examination centre along with at least one original (not photocopied/scanned copy) and valid (not expired) Identity Document (ID), which was specified during the filling up of the online application.

For how many GATE papers can I apply?

• A candidate can apply for only ONE of the 25 papers listed in the GATE INFORMATION BROCHURE or GATE website. The choice of the appropriate paper is the responsibility of the candidate. Some guidelines in this respect are suggested below:
• The candidate is, however, free to choose any other paper according to his/her admission plan, keeping in mind the eligibility criteria of the institutions in which he/she wishes to seek admission.

After submission of application, am I permitted to change my GATE Examination Paper?

YES. A request for the change of GATE Examination Paper will be entertained against payment. A specific time period for the same will be notified in the GATE 2020 website.

After submission of application, am I permitted to change my GATE Examination City?

YES. ONLY after the last date for application submission, a request for the change of examination city will be entertained against payment. A specific time period for the same will be notified in the GATE 2020 website.

After submission of application, am I permitted to change my Category?

YES. Category change request will be entertained till November 4, 2019. Any request after this date won’t be considered.

Will I be provided with any white paper for rough work and calculations during the examination?

A scribble pad will be provided to the candidate that can be used to do the rough work. The candidate has to return the scribble pad after the examination.

Am I allowed to leave the examination hall during the examination?

NO. Candidates will NOT be allowed to leave the examination hall for any reason during the examination. Candidates are allowed to leave the examination hall only after the scheduled end of examination.

What items are not permitted to be brought with me inside the examination venue?

Only Admit Card, Identification Card and a pen is permitted to be taken inside the examination hall. Mobile phones, physical calculators, wristwatches, or any other electronic items are NOT permitted inside the examination hall. If a candidate brings any of these items, they have to be kept outside the examination hall at the candidate’s own risk. If the candidate is found to be in possession of these items (even if not using them), he/she will be disqualified and the result will not be declared for the candidate.

Can I use a physical calculator during the examination?

NO. During the online GATE 2020 examination, all candidates will be provided with a virtual scientific calculator which has to be used to answer the questions. Mobile phones, physical calculators, wristwatches, or any other electronic items are NOT permitted inside the examination hall.

Will there be any arrangement at the examination centre for the safe keeping of my personal items such as my mobile phone?

NO. Such arrangements will not be made at the examination centre. If a candidate brings personal belongings including mobile phones, they have to be kept outside the examination hall at the candidate’s own risk. The GATE officials are not responsible for safe keeping of your personal items.

What happens if a physical calculator (even on an electronic watch) or a mobile phone (even in switched off mode) is found in my possession in the examination hall?

Such cases will naturally constitute violation of GATE 2020 code of conduct (as given in Appendix D) and will lead to disqualification of the candidature.