GATE Exam Details: What are the Benefits & Eligibility?

Over the years, the GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) has assumed significance since its score is used to recruit candidates in prestigious Public Service Sectors in the country. A good GATE score assures you a good job with an attractive annual salary. A good GATE score can also help you secure admission to a top college in India. However, even those with lower GATE scores and ranks can qualify for admission in private colleges and state universities

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What is GATE?

The GATE is an exam conducted in eight zones by the GATE committee (faculty members from IISc, Bengaluru and seven IITs) for the National Coordinating Board, Department of Education, Ministry of HRD. Your GATE score can help you get admission to a postgraduate programme (like PhD, MS, M Tech, etc.) in the IITs and IISc. Successful applicants also get financial assistance from the HRD Ministry, such as a UGC scholarship of INR 8,000 per month.

When applying for the GATE exam, you can appear for one of 23 papers listed below, based on your qualifying degree:

Eligibility for GATE Exam

Benefits of GATE Exam

It’s no surprise that GATE is one of the most prestigious exams, with so many opportunities for students to advance in their careers. Let’s look at the benefits of taking the GATE Exam:

Gateway for Post Graduation Programme

If you got an excellent grade on the GATE exam, the best option you can get is a postgraduate degree from a reputable institution. After passing the GATE exam, you can pursue M.Tech or ME at prestigious institutions such as IITs, NITs, or IISC. You can choose your preferred institutes based on your main subjects and GATE score. These institutions, on the other hand, are free to set their own admissions cutoffs. To gain admission to these prestigious engineering schools, you must meet their cutoff.

Research Institutes Recruitment

Candidates who have passed the GATE exam and desire to pursue a career in research can take this path. You are also qualified for Junior Research Fellowships in CSIR Laboratories and CSIR-funded projects. You no longer have to be concerned about your finances, since you may now earn a substantial stipend while conducting research and development.

Study Abroad

Another great advantage of passing the GATE exam is this. You can now pursue higher education in another country. The National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore, Technical University of Germany, and RWTH Aachen University are some of the overseas institutions that accept GATE results. If you wish to study abroad, you can gain access to this option by passing the GATE exam.

Attractive Job Offers

It’s another intriguing bonus connected with the GATE exam. After passing the GATE exam, you will have access to a plethora of excellent job prospects. Furthermore, if you are accepted to a prestigious institute such as IIT or NIT, your chances of being placed on the college campus are extremely high. And, as we all know, institutes like IIT and NIT are known for providing excellent on-campus opportunities.

PSU Sectors

Many GATE applicants dream of working for a PSU (Public Sector Undertaking), and this is yet another advantage of the GATE test. By passing the GATE exam, you will be able to fulfil your dream. PSU has a special spot for students who have achieved high GATE scores and approaches them for future recruiting. It’s incredible that if you pass GATE, you’ll be able to get employment offers from prestigious companies like BHEL, IOCL, ONGC, SAIL, NTPC, HPCL, PGCIL, BARC, and many others. 

Teaching Jobs

Many schools and institutions now employ postgraduate engineering students directly from their campuses. If you want to pursue a career in academics, you can do so after earning your ME or M.Tech by applying for faculty positions at reputable universities. It’s no surprise that teaching is one of the most prestigious careers you can get after passing the GATE.

Chances of Getting Placed in Renowned Foreign Companies

After completing your post-graduate programme, candidates might try their luck in worldwide firms. If you’ve ever fantasised about working overseas and advancing your profession, GATE can assist you. You can gain admission to a foreign university by taking the GATE test. So, after completing your PG programme at an overseas university, you can look for work.

GATE results have already been announced. Consider these important points before you apply for admission after getting your GATE score:

• A good GATE score qualifies you for admission to the IITs, NITs and IISc. However, private institutions do accept students with lower scores, too. Top management and engineering colleges accept ranks up to 1500, while private colleges and Government engineering colleges may accept ranks up to 11000. If you are ranked lower than 11000, you may reappear for the GATE exam for higher scores.
• You can get many job opportunities after GATE – via campus placements, private firms (in R&D departments, primarily), companies based abroad, PSUs, etc.
• You can download your GATE 2022 scorecard if you have qualified in the exam (equal to or above the qualifying marks in your category), up to May 31, 2022. Check the list of colleges and universities based on your GATE scores here. These details are mentioned in your GATE scorecard: Your name, GATE 2022 registration number, Exam paper and code, Score out of 100, Qualifying marks and All India Rank (AIR).
• The GATE 2022 cutoff marks have been announced. Please check the qualifying marks for General, OBC and SC/ST/PwD here.

The GATE score is applicable for three years after the results are announced. Please save a few copies of the score – you will need them for admission and recruitment.

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Didn’t do too well at GATE? Here’s a list of 10 colleges that conduct separate PG entrance exams:

• IIIT Bengaluru
• IIIT Hyderabad
• DAIICT
• CSIR
• Thapar University
• ISI Kolkata
• BITS Pilani
• ISM Dhanbad

List of Colleges accepting Gate Score

• IIT Madras
• IIT Delhi
• IIT Bombay
• IIT Kharagpur
• IIT Kanpur
• IIT Roorkee
• IIT Guwahati 
• IIT Hyderabad
• Anna University
• NIT Trichy

Click here for the complete list

If you have an AIR between 4000 and 8000, check out these colleges:

• Delhi Technological University
• Jadhavpur University
• DAIICT, Gandhinagar
• The IITs at Jabalpur and Gwalior
• JNTU Hyderabad
• Osmania University
• Punjab Engineering College
• Anna University, Chennai
• University of Hyderabad
• Pondicherry University
• NIE Mysore

If you have an AIR between 7001 and 11000, check out these colleges:

• Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Pune
• Bengal Engineering and Science University
• Andhra University
• Manipal Institute of Technology
• Thapar University
• Nirma University
• Coimbatore Institute of Technology
• College of Engineering, Trivandrum
• Bangalore Institute of Technology
• BMS College of Engineering

Don’t lose heart if your GATE scores are not as high as you expected. You can try applying to any of the colleges listed above or prepare afresh for GATE 2022 to get a higher rank.

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