Apart from reflecting the relative performance level of a candidate, GATE scores serve as a value-add.
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is an all-India examination
being conducted and administered by the Indian Institute of Science and
seven Indian Institutes of Technology. It is conducted by the National
Coordination Board GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of
Human Resource Development, Government of India.
In the present competitive scenario, where there is mushrooming of
universities and engineering colleges, the only yardstick to measure and
test the caliber of engineering students is the GATE. There is a
misconception among students that GATE exam is meant for ME./M.Tech
which finally leads to a teaching career only.
The GATE advantage
In this context, the following points are worth noting about this examination:
Many public sector undertakings such as BHEL, Indian Oil Corporation,
NTPC, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (there are PSUs totalling 217 in
number) are using the GATE score for selecting candidates for their
organisations. Students who qualify in GATE are entitled to a stipend of
Rs 8,000 per month during their M.Tech course. Better remuneration is
being offered for students of M.Tech/M.E as compared to those pursuing
B.Tech /B.E. A good GATE rank assures a good job. After joining M.Tech.
at IITs and IISc, one can look at a salary package ranging from Rs 7
lakh to 30 lakh per annum, depending upon specialisation and
performance.
Clearing GATE is also an eligibility clause for the award of Junior
Research Fellowship in CSIR Laboratories. M.Tech. degree is mandatory
for those wishing to apply for research positions in R&D centres.
The GATE score is valid for two years and those who qualify this test
are eligible for doing Master’s degree at NUS, (National University of
Singapore), Singapore. A GATE score definitely gives one an edge when it
comes to joining reputed companies as well as off-campus recruitments.
For those who couldn’t pursue their BTech in IIT, it provides another
opportunity to study in the prestigious IITs. Above all, it certainly
gives you a huge technical edge over others in all your interviews and
career planning.
Raising numbers
In the recent years the trend is very significant. From 1.66 lakh
aspirants in 2008, the number of aspirants touched 5.5 lakh in 2011 and
is expected to touch eight lakh in 2013. It is one of the toughest
examinations in our country where competition is very high and requires
focused study in a planned manner.
It aims at rigorous testing of the students’ capability in engineering
concepts along with managerial skills. Engineering subjects cover 70 per
cent weightage while General aptitude and Engineering Mathematics cover
15 per cent respectively.
The three-hour GATE paper has a total of 65 questions, out of which 30
questions are of one mark and 35 questions are of two marks. The
two-mark questions further include two pairs of common data questions
and two pairs of linked answer questions.
To secure a high a percentile one should remember that a candidate is
being judged relatively and not absolutely. The overall rank achieved
depends upon the preparation level of your competitors.
Scoring tips
The following tips would certainly help you in scoring well in the exam:
Go through previous years’ question papers along with solutions, and
analyse the subject pattern and focus on those subjects which have
maximum weightage.
Books can further be divided into two categories: Books that deal with
the fundamentals and focus on conceptual clarity. Here textbooks by
reputed publishers are a must. Books that provide a great deal of
difficult and time-consuming questions and are used essentially as
practice material.
Do not rely on just one book for a topic; instead consult a couple of
books for the same topic. Prepare notes after completing each chapter.
Practise the maximum number of questions possible on a given topic. This certainly strengthens your preparation.
Keep in mind that those topics which are not in GATE syllabus could be certainly left out.
Make a list of topics in which you think you are ‘weak’ and focus on
them. Have all essential formulae on your fingertips. Try to see if
there are shortcut methods for a particular problem.
Joining a coaching institute is beneficial as you would be exposed to a
regular systematic study. Also, joining a peer group would make one more
competitive. Online coaching classes/test series are beneficial too.
Theory preparation should be completed one month before the exam and then practise many number of times.
Keep oneself updated about any changes or developments in the GATE examination for the coming year.
How to tackle the paper
Start the paper with one-mark question (25 in number). Since these are
easy to attempt, they will help in building confidence. Proceed then to
two-marks questions from Common Data and Linked Answer Questions.
Attempt this part with caution. These add up to eight more questions in
addition to the 25 attempted above. Then go to General Aptitude section
of 10 questions. All these will add upto 43 questions attempted. All
these should be done in a timeframe of 100-110 minutes.
Now we are left with 22 questions in the technical portion and we can
allot 50 minutes to this comfortably. At the end, you must have 15-20
minutes for a quick revision of the answer sheet to ensure all is in
order.
While attempting the paper, leave questions which you are not sure of.
The most deciding factor is negative marking. Avoid making any guesses
and try to eliminate choices by analysis and calculations.
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