GATE is to be held in January 2013. Learn all about GATE 2013 before you sit for the examiantion!
This is a good time to be an engineering graduate. With many public sector undertakings now recruiting through the
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE),
science and engineering graduates in the country can look forward to
secure and lucrative jobs. GATE is conducted for admission to
postgraduate programmes in engineering and science at the
Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, Indian Institutes of Technology, National Institutes of Technology and other engineering colleges in the country.
The all-India examination conducted jointly by the IISc and seven IITs, including
IIT Bombay,
IIT Delhi,
IIT Guwahati,
IIT Kanpur,
IIT Kharagpur,
IIT Madras
and IIT Roorkee. It primarily tests the comprehensive understanding of
various undergraduate subjects in engineering and technology.
All about GATE 2013
GATE
2013 will be a three-hour exam with 65 questions (30 one-mark questions
and 35 two-mark questions) totalling up to 100 marks with questions
from core subjects, engineering maths and general aptitude. “Questions
from the core engineering subjects far outweigh the other two areas with
70% weightage. General aptitude and engineering maths with 15 marks
each, however, play a vital role in maximising the score. A good
performance in aptitude and maths ensures the minimum qualification
marks in GATE,” says Prudhvi Reddy, course director of GATE at TIME. IIT
Bombay is the organising institute for GATE 2013. One-third of the
marks allotted to each question are deducted in case of a wrong answer.
How GATE can help you
Along
with a chance to pursue higher education, GATE comes with multiple
benefits. With the introduction of the aptitude section from 2010,
focused preparation for GATE comes handy for other PSU exams such as
Coal India Limited, Steel Authority of India Limited, GAIL India Ltd etc
and also campus recruitment interviews. GATE scores are considered as
the merit criterion by organisations such as Powergrid, Bharat Heavy
Electricals Ltd, IndianOil Corporation Ltd, Hindustan Petroleum
Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, HECL and
National Thermal Power Corporation, for recruitment to the posts of
executive trainees and management trainees. “In the last five years, it
has more than quadrupled from 1.8 lakh applicants in 2008 to 7.7 lakh
applicants in 2012. Out of the total applicants, only 15-20% of the
applicants manage to qualify in GATE. This means that it is highly
competitive,” says Reddy. The GATE score is valid for two years. Since
GATE is also the entrance test for MTech/ME/direct PhD courses in India,
it has other advantages too.
“It gives great research and
development opportunities. All GATE qualified students pursuing a
masters programme at any college are eligible for a financial assistance
of Rs. 8000 per month from the ministry of human resource development,”
says Abhijit Chaudhury, director, GATE Forum.
Tips for preparation
GATE
tests a persons grasp over his or her undergraduate studies - right
from the first year to the final year. It checks concepts as well as
their application. In most cases, the one-mark questions usually check
for concepts while the two-mark questions (usually numerical) check for
application. “Candidates should plan their preparation strategically, by
attempting previous papers and analysing the weightage for various
topics,” says Reddy.
“There are two stages in the preparation
— concept building and assessment. For concept building, it is
advisable to start early and pay a lot of attention to what is taught in
the class. Engineering mathematics and general aptitude constitute more
than 30% of the marks and have to be given due importance. A good mock
test series is an ideal assessment platform,” says Chaudhury.
Kind of questions asked?
Questions
can be categorised as - recall, comprehension, application and analysis
& synthesis. Most of the recall-based questions will be in the
one-mark category.
Offline mode exams have only
multiple-choice type questions. Online mode exams will have numerical
answer type questions in addition to multiple choice type questions.
Changes in GATE 2013
For
GATE 2013, 15 papers would be conducted online, including civil
engineering, chemical engineering and biotechnology, while the remaining
six papers (electronics, computer science, electrical, mechanical,
instrumentation and production engineering) are offline. “Another change
is in the formula used in calculating the GATE score. While historical
data will be used for arriving at the qualifying score, the performance
of the top 0.1% of the test takers in each stream will play a
significant role,” adds Chaudhury.
Institutes accepting GATE scores
Institutes
such as IISc, IITs, NITs, few IIITs, and state-level institutes such as
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, Osmania
University and Jadhavpur University accept GATE scores. It is also
considered by institutions such as the Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre to select
students with a penchant towards research.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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