Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering commonly abbreviated as GATE, is an online exam taken by millions of students across India every year. Conducted by a collaboration of all seven zonal IITs and the IISc, it is held once every year during February. Registration fee is INR 750 for female students and candidates belonging to reserved category while general students are to pay INR 1500. Students who have completed their bachelor’s in engineering or a related field can sit for any one paper out of the 25 disciplines offered. With the difficulty level of GATE being generally high, only about 15% candidates out of the total who appear qualify each year.
This 3 hour long exam is conducted online. The paper consists of 65 questions which are out of 100 marks. Each question is allotted one or two marks.
This exam tests a candidate’s verbal, numerical, and technical abilities. Some papers also put engineering mathematics abilities to test.
GATE 2021 paper will be divided into sections like General Aptitude and Technical based on the paper chosen. Each section will have MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions) and NAT (Numerical Answer Type) questions.
Negative marking applies for MCQ based questions while for NAT based questions, there will be no negative marking.
Normalising process is used for calculation of marks in certain subjects such as CE, CS, EC, EE and ME. this process came to effect in the year 2014.
There is no upper age limit for taking GATE or a limit on the number of times one can for this exam. The result of the exam however, is valid only for a period of 3 years.
Some of the important features of this paper GATE 2021 are tabulated below:
Level of the exam | Masters |
Date of exam | First week of February, 2022 |
Number of registrations | Expected to be over 8 lakhs |
Mode of conducting the exam | Online (CBT) |
Total duration of the exam | 3 hours (180 minutes) |
Types of questions | MCQ and NAT |
Number of disciplines to choose from | 25 options in total |
Negative marking | Only applicable for MCQ questions |
Syllabus includes | Verbal Ability, Numerical Ability, Technical Ability, and Engineering Mathematics depending on the paper selected. |
As the exam is for admission into graduate programs, the number of sub disciplines covering engineering and architecture are many. 25 fields are available for each candidate to opt for, while 2 out these 25 (Engineering Sciences and Life Sciences) are further divided into 14 sections. The options along with the code are tabulated below
Paper | Code | Paper | Code |
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Aerospace Engineering | AE | Instrumentation Engineering | IN |
Agricultural Engineering | AG | Mathematics | MA |
Architecture and Planning | AR | Mechanical Engineering | ME |
Biomedical | 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 | Textile Engineering and Fiber Science | TF |
Electronics and Communication Engineering | EC | Engineering Sciences | XE* |
Electrical Engineering | EE | Life Sciences | XL* |
Ecology and Evolution | EY | Statistics | ST |
A total of 14 sub sections that fall under these two fields which are mentioned below with codes:
Engineering Sciences | Code | Life Sciences | Code |
---|---|---|---|
Engineering Mathematics (Compulsory) | A | Chemistry (Compulsory) | I |
Fluid Mechanics | B | Biochemistry | J |
Materials Science | C | Botany | K |
Solid Mechanics | D | Microbiology | L |
Thermodynamics | E | Zoology | M |
Polymer Science and Engineering | F | Food Technology | N |
Food Technology | G | - | - |
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences | H | - | - |
In order to score well in GATE 2021, one must be thoroughly familiar with the syllabus before preparing for it. Statistics was added in the year 2019 as a new paper. It has remained the same every year and has not changed much. The updated syllabus is uploaded in the website of the conducting body every year.
This section is common for all the papers and carries 15% of the total marks. It has two main subsections; verbal ability and numerical ability. The subtopics for each are given below:
Verbal Ability | Numerical Ability |
English Grammar | Numerical Computation |
Sentence Completion | Numerical Estimation |
Verbal Analogies | Numerical Reasoning |
Word Groups | Data interpretation |
Instructions | - |
Critical Reasoning | - |
Verbal Deduction | - |
This section too carries 15% of the total marks in those papers where it is a part of the syllabus. Papers which do not have Engineering Mathematics are coded: AE, AG, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, IN, ME, MN, MT, PE, PI, TF, and XE.
There are 16 papers in total in which engineering mathematics is included. These papers are listed below with the sub topics for the same:
Aerospace Engineering (AE) Linear Algebra Calculus Differential Equations | Agricultural Engineering (AG) Linear Algebra Calculus Differential Equations Vector Calculus Probability Statistics Numerical Methods | Biotechnology (BT) Linear Algebra Calculus Differential Equations Probability Statistics Numerical Methods | Civil Engineering (CE) Linear Algebra Calculus Ordinary Differential Equations (ODE) Partial Differential Equations (PDE) Probability Statistics Numerical Methods |
Chemical Engineering (CH) Linear Algebra Calculus Differential Equations Probability and Statistics Numerical Methods Complex Variables | Computer Science and Information Technology (CS) Linear Algebra Calculus Probability Statistics Discrete Mathematics | Electronics and Communication (EC) Linear Algebra Calculus Differential Equations Probability and Statistics Numerical Methods Vector Analysis Complex Analysis | Electrical Engineering (EE) Linear Algebra Calculus Differential Equations Probability and Statistics Numerical Methods Complex Variables Transform Theory |
Instrumentation Engineering (IN) Linear Algebra Calculus Differential Equations Probability and Statistics Numerical Methods Analysis of Complex Variables | Mechanical Engineering (ME) Linear Algebra, Calculus Differential Equations Probability and Statistics Numerical Methods Complex Variables | Metallurgical Engineering (MT) Linear Algebra Calculus Differential Equations Vector Calculus Probability and Statistics Numerical Methods | Mining Engineering (MN) Linear Algebra Calculus Differential Equations Vector Calculus Probability and Statistics Numerical Methods |
Petroleum Engineering (PE) Linear Algebra Calculus Differential Equations Probability and Statistics Numerical Methods Complex Variables | Production and Industrial Engineering (PI) Linear Algebra Calculus Differential Equations Probability and Statistics Numerical Methods Complex Variables | Textile Engineering and Fiber Science (TF) Linear Algebra Calculus Differential Equations Probability and Statistics Numerical Methods Complex Variables | Engineering Sciences (XE) Linear Algebra Calculus Ordinary Differential Equations (ODE) Partial Differential Equations (PDE) Probability and Statistics Numerical Methods Vector Calculus Complex Variables |
The topics covered for each paper is given below:
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Architecture and Design | Building Materials, Construction and Management | Building and Structures | Environmental Planning and Design |
Urban Design | Urban Planning and Housing | Planning Techniques and Management | Services, Infrastructure and Transportation |
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Electrical Circuits | Signals and Systems | Analog and Digital Electronics |
Measurements and Control System | Sensors and Bioinstrumentation | Human Anatomy and Physiology |
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Mechanical Imaging Systems | Biomaterials |
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Recombinant DNA Technology |
Plant and Animal Biotechnology | Bioprocess Engineering and Process Biotechnology |
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Geomatics engineering |
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Process Calculations and Thermodynamics | Fluid Mechanics and Mechanical Operations | Heat Transfer | Mass Transfer |
Chemical Reaction Engineering | Instrumentation and Process Control | Plant Design and Economics | Chemical Technology |
Recommended books for this paper:
Computer Networks | Digital logic | Computer Organization and Architecture |
Programming and Data Structures | Algorithms | Theory of Computation |
Compiler Design | Section 8: Operating System | Databases |
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Recommended books for this paper:
Engineering Mathematics | Networks, Signals and Systems | Electronic Devices | Analog Circuits |
Digital Circuits | Control Systems | Communications | Electromagnetics |
Recommended books for this paper:
Electric Circuits | Electromagnetic Fields | Signals and Systems |
Electrical Machines | Power Systems | Control Systems |
Electrical and Electronic Measurements | Analog and Digital Electronics | Power Electronics |
Recommended books for this paper:
Ecology | Evolution |
Mathematics and Quantitative Ecology | Behavioral Ecology |
Recommended books for this paper:
Geology | Geophysics |
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Electrical Circuits: | Signals and Systems | Control Systems | Analog Electronics |
Digital Electronics | Measurements | Sensors and Industrial Instrumentation | Communication and Optical Instrumentation |
Recommended books for this paper:
Calculus | Linear Algebra | Real Analysis | Complex Analysis |
Ordinary Differential Equations | Algebra | Functional Analysis | Numerical Analysis |
Partial Differential Equations | Topology | Linear Programming | - |
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Recommended books for this paper:
Engineering Mathematics | Thermodynamics and Rate Processes | Extractive Metallurgy |
Physical Metallurgy | Physical Metallurgy | Manufacturing Processes |
Recommended books for this paper:
Linear Algebra | Calculus | Differential equations: | Complex variable |
Probability and Statistics | Numerical Methods | Petroleum Exploration | Oil and Gas Well Drilling Technology |
Reservoir Engineering | Petroleum Production Operations | Offshore Drilling and Production Practices | Petroleum Formation Evaluation |
Oil and Gas Well Testing | Health Safety and Environment in Petroleum Industry | Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques | Latest trends in Petroleum Engineering |
Recommended books for this paper:
Mathematical Physics | Classical Mechanics | Electromagnetic Theory | Quantum Mechanics |
Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics | Atomic and Molecular Physics | Solid State Physics & Electronics | - |
Recommended books for this paper:
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Recommended books for this paper:
Calculus | Linear Algebra | Probability | Stochastic Processes |
Interface | Regression Analysis | Multivariate Analysis | Design of Experiment |
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Textile Fibers | Yarn manufacture, Yarn structure and Properties |
Fabric manufacture, Structure and Properties | Textile Testing |
Chemical Processing | - |
Recommended books for this paper:
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Also Check: Important Books and Syllabus for Engineering Sciences
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Also Check: Important Books and Syllabus for Life Sciences
GATE is a 3 hour long examination that is taken online. The paper is out of 100 marks, consisting of 65 questions in total. 10 out of 65 questions will be from General Aptitude while 55 marks will be based on the technical part, depending on the paper selected. Marks alloted to each question is one or two. There will be 5 one mark and 5 two mark questions for General Aptitude. Both MCQ (multiple choice questions) as well as NAT (numerical answer type) questions are asked. Negative marks will be awarded to incorrect answers chosen in MCQ questions; one third marks will be deducted for both one and two mark questions. For papers under Engineering Sciences, Engineering Mathematics is compulsory, while for papers falling under Life Sciences, Chemistry is compulsory. Some papers which receive more applicants than others might be conducted in multiple sessions. For these papers, a process of normalization will take place to ensure that all candidates are judged equally. These papers are:
Few changes in the past few years are:
2015: From this year, sending applications by post was eliminated. The entire process of applying for this exam was to be online only. Candidates were no longer sent hard copies of their score card.
2016: Candidates were no longer allowed to bring any calculators to the exam hall. A new subject; Petroleum Engineering (PE) was also introduced. From this year, the answer key was provided to the candidates which could be challenged if found erroneous.
2017: Engineering Sciences (XE) papers were introduced this year. Students from countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and UAE were allowed to apply.
2018: A new rule regarding selection of exam centres was introduced. Candidates had to opt for 2 centres from the same GATE zone, while the third option could be from any zone of their choice. Candidates are no longer required to upload their thumb impression while applying online.
2019: Statistics (ST) is introduced. Candidates can apply after the final date of submission with an additional fee of INR 500.
Marking scheme for Engineering Sciences (XE) papers: Section A will have 7 one mark questions and 4 two mark questions. Section B marking scheme is as follows: 9 one mark and 13 two mark questions. General Aptitude of 15 marks must also be attempted.
Marking scheme for Life Sciences (XL) papers: Section A will have 5 one mark and 10 two mark questions. Section B pattern is 10 one mark and 10 two marks questions. General Aptitude of 15 marks will be compulsory.
Marking scheme for Geology and Geophysics (GG) paper: Part A of this paper which consists of MCQs will have 25 one mark questions. Part B of this paper which has 2 sections will have 30 questions, each carrying 30 marks. General Aptitude of 15 marks is compulsory.
Marking scheme for all papers (with the exception of XE, XL, and GG): These papers will have 25 one mark and 30 two mark questions. 15 marks will be assigned to General Aptitude.
Consider these preparation tips to score well in GATE 2021:
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.