GATE is an all-India examination designed for the students with a science and technology background, testing candidates for their depth of understanding in various Engineering subjects. It is held on behalf of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India by the Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Bangalore, and seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). These eight institutes are the sole authority and have the responsibility to conduct the GATE exam.
Qualifying in GATE is a mandatory requirement for seeking admission and/or financial assistance to:
(i) Master’s programs and direct Doctoral programs in Engineering/Technology/Architecture and
(ii) Doctoral programs in relevant branches of Science, in the institutions supported by the MHRD and other Government agencies. Even in some colleges and institutions, which admit students without MHRD scholarship/assistantship, the GATE qualification is mandatory.
(iii)Further, many Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) solely use the GATE score in their recruitment process for entry level engineering and science positions. Successful candidates can use the GATE score to get jobs in public sector units.
GATE 2021 Eligibility
- A candidate who is currently studying in the 3rd or higher years of any undergraduate degree program
OR
- Has already completed any government approved degree program in Engineering / Technology / Architecture / Science / Commerce / Arts is eligible for appearing in the GATE 2021 exam.
Age Limit for GATE 2021
- There is no age limit (minimum & maximum) prescribed for the candidates who are applying for GATE 2021 examination.
Nationality
- Candidates with Indian citizenship are eligible to apply for GATE 2021.
- Foreign candidates who have citizenship of Sri Lanka, Singapore, Ethiopia, Nepal, Bangladesh, and United Arab Emirates (UAE) are also eligible to apply for GATE 2021 exam.
Educational Qualification for GATE 2021
Only the applicants who have completed their degree from Govt. recognized university are eligible to appear in the GATE exam. Check any of the following qualifications criteria that are required for a candidate.
- B.E / B.Tech: Candidates must have Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Technology (4 years after 10+2 or 3 years after Diploma in Engineering/Technology) and those who are in the final year of such programmes.
- B.Arch.: Candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture (Five-year course) and those who are in the final year of such programmes.
- B.Sc. (B.S./Research): Candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree of a Four-year programme in Science (B.S.) and those who are in the final year of such programmes.
- M.Sc./M.A./MCA or equivalent: Candidates must have Master’s degree in any branch of Science / Mathematics / Statistics / Computer Applications or equivalent and those who are in the final year of such programme.
- M.Tech./Int. M.E.: Four-year Integrated Master’s degree (Post-B.Sc.) in Engineering/ Technology and those in the second or higher year of such programmes.
- Int. M.E./ M.Tech or Dual degree: Five-year Integrated Master’s degree or Dual Degree in Engineering/ Technology and those in the fourth or higher year of such programmes.
- Int. M.Sc./Int.B.S.-M.S: Five-year Integrated M.Sc. or Five-year Integrated B.Sc./ M.Sc. degree and those in the final year of such programmes.
- Professional Courses equivalent to B.E / B.Tech: Candidates with qualifications obtained through examinations conducted by professional societies recognized by UPSC/ AICTE as equivalent to B.E./ B.Tech. Those who have completed Section-A of AMIE or equivalent of such professional courses are also eligible.
GATE 2021 Papers & Subject Codes
GATE 2021 will be conducted on 27 subjects (papers). The table below shows the list of papers and paper codes for GATE 2021. A candidate is allowed to appear in ANY ONE or UP TO TWO papers of the GATE examination.
| GATE Paper | Code | GATE Paper | Code |
| Aerospace Engineering | AE | Instrumentation Engineering | IN |
| Agricultural Engineering | AG | Mathematics | MA |
| Architecture and Planning | AR | Mechanical Engineering | ME |
| Bio-medical Engineering | BM | Mining Engineering | MN |
| Biotechnology | BT | Metallurgical Engineering | MT |
| Civil Engineering | CE | Petroleum Engineering | PE |
| Chemical Engineering | CH | Physics | PH |
| Computer Science and Information Technology | CS | Production and Industrial Engineering | PI |
| Chemistry | CY | Statistics | ST |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering | EC | Textile Engineering and Fibre Science | TF |
| Electrical Engineering | EE | Engineering Sciences | XE* |
| Environmental Science & Engineering | ES | Humanities & Social Sciences | XH** |
| Ecology and Evolution | EY | Life Sciences | XL*** |
| Geology and Geophysics | GG |
GATE Exam Pattern 2021
GATE 2021 is an online exam for the duration of 3 hours, it consists of 65 questions of 100 Marks. The different type of questions which will included in GATE 2021 are: MCQ, NAT, MSQ. MSQ are new type of questions which are introduced this year, with no negative marking and having multiple answers. Find the GATE 2021 Exam pattern below in detail.
| Events | Details |
| Exam Duration | 3 Hours |
| Total Marks | 100 |
| Type of Question Asked | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)Multiple Select Questions (MSQ)Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions |
| Total Number of Questions | 65 |
1. The GATE Exam is a single paper online examination of three hours, with 65 questions carrying a total of 100 marks.
2. The question paper will consist of multiple-choice questions (MCQ), multiple select questions(MSQ) and numerical answer type questions(NAT).
3. In GATE AE, AG, BT, BM, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, IN, ME, MN, MT, PE, PI, TF ST and XE papers, the weightage of marks divided into three sections.
- Engineering Mathematics will carry around 13% of the total marks that is 13 marks.
- General Aptitude section will carry 15% of the total marks that is 15 marks.
- Remaining 72% percentage of the total marks is devoted to the subject (technical section) of the paper, that is 72 marks.
4. In GATE AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, XH and XL papers, the weightage of marks divided into two sections.
- General Aptitude section will carry 15% of the total marks that is 15 marks.
- Remaining 85% of the total marks is devoted to the subject of the paper, that is 85 marks.
5. Take a look at the type of Questions usually being asked in GATE exam:
- Recall: These are based on facts, principles, formulae or laws of the discipline. The candidate is expected to be able to obtain the answer either from his/her memory directly or at most from the one-line computation.
- Comprehension: These questions will examine the candidate’s knowledge of the basics of his/her field/course, by requiring him/her to draw simple conclusions from basic concepts.
- Application: In these questions, the candidate is required to apply his/her expertise either through computation or by logical reasoning.
- Analysis and Synthesis: In these questions, the candidate is presented with data, diagrams, images, etc. that require analysis before a question can be answered. A Synthesis question might require the candidate to compare two or more pieces of information.
6. For a wrong answer chosen in a MCQ, there will be negative marking. For 1-mark MCQ, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. Likewise, for 2-mark MCQ, 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer.
7. There is no negative marking for MSQ’s.
GATE Cut Off 2021
- The cut off marks will be announced separately for each branch for GATE 2021.
- Various public and private sector undertakings that consider GATE scores for employment purposes will also declare their own cut off marks.
- You can check the cut off marks on the official website.
· GATE Cut off marks are the minimum marks required for a candidate to qualify the GATE Exam. Candidates can check the official cut off for GATE 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014. Here we are sharing GATE 2020 Cutoff along with previous year cut off marks & statistics for the main engineering streams. The following cut off marks will help you to estimate the marks cut off for next year and accordingly you can target the preparation to qualify in the GATE 2021 Exam.
GATE 2020 Cutoff Official
| Branch | Total Candidates Appeared | Gen/EWS | OBC | SC/ST/PH |
| Computer Science Engineering | 97481 | 28.5 | 25.6 | 19.0 |
| Civil Engineering | 125974 | 32.9 | 29.6 | 21.9 |
| Electrical Engineering | 93526 | 33.4 | 30 | 22.2 |
| Electronics & Communication | 83418 | 28.8 | 25.9 | 19.2 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 137826 | 34.0 | 30.6 | 22.6 |
GATE 2019 Cutoff Official
| Branch | Total Candidates Appeared | Gen | OBC | SC/ST/PH |
| Computer Science Engineering | 99932 | 29.5 | 26.6 | 19.7 |
| Civil Engineering | 145064 | 28.2 | 25.4 | 18.8 |
| Electrical Engineering | 112097 | 39.6 | 35.6 | 26.4 |
| Electronics & Communication | 104782 | 26.7 | 24.0 | 17.8 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 167376 | 34.1 | 30.7 | 22.7 |
GATE 2018 Cutoff Official
| Branch | Total Candidates Appeared | Gen | OBC | SC/ST/PH |
| Computer Science Engineering | 107893 | 25.00 | 22.50 | 16.60 |
| Civil Engineering | 153078 | 26.90 | 24.20 | 17.90 |
| Electrical Engineering | 121383 | 29.1 | 26.1 | 19.4 |
| Electronics & Communication | 125870 | 25.00 | 22.50 | 16.60 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 194496 | 34.7 | 31.2 | 23.1 |
GATE 2017 Cut off Official
| Branch | Total Candidates Appeared | Category | ||
| GEN | OBC | SC/ST/PWD | ||
| Mechanical Engg. (ME) | 234727 | 32.70 | 29.40 | 21.80 |
| Electronics & Comm. Engg. (EC) | 183152 | 25.00 | 22.50 | 16.60 |
| Electrical Engg. (EE) | 146293 | 25.20 | 22 | 16.70 |
| Computer Science & IT (CS) | 131803 | 25.00 | 22.50 | 16.60 |
| Civil Engg. (CE) | 138140 | 28.70 | 25.80 | 19.10 |
