GATE 2018 - Registration, Exam Date & Syllabus

GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) is a national level test for admission to M.Tech/ Ph.D. and other Government Scholarships/Assistantships in the field of engineering and technology. The exam is conducted annually by IISc Bangalore and 7 IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee) on a rotational basis.

IIT Guwahati, the conducting body of GATE 2018, has released the notification on July 05, 2017 at www.gate.iitg.ac.in. The online window for GATE Registration will close on October 05, 2017. Check the list of top GATE Coaching Centers and choose the best one for boosting exam preparation.

Some key points to know more about GATE 2018-

• The official notification for GATE 2018 was published in leading newspapers on August 26, 2017.
• GATE 2018 is scheduled for February 03, 04, 10 and 11, 2018 in multiple sessions.
• As per GATE Eligibility, candidates must hold a Bachelor’s degree to apply for the exam.
• The questions asked in the exam are based on topics of graduate level. Check GATE 2018 Syllabus
• Check out the new changes introduced by IIT Guwahati in GATE 2018.
• GATE Admit Card will be available to download on January 5, 2017.

The national level examination is a computer based test with 65 questions to be solved within 3 hours. Two types of questions are asked in GATE – Objective Type and Numerical Type. Virtual calculators will be provided to solve numerical type questions. CheckGATE Exam Pattern in detail.

Given below are some key points about GATE Registration 2018:

• GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS) website opens from September 01, 2017.
• The application fee for GATE 2018 is INR 1500 for general category while for reserved category and female candidates, it is INR 750.
• Application Fee for centers outside India (Addis Ababa, Colombo, Dhaka, Kathmandu) is US$ 50. For Dubai and Singapore as exam centers, the fee is US$ 100.
• Check the list of zone wise GATE Exam Centers- 3 choices of centers have to be filled during GATE Registration.
• Don’t forget to check the actual size of photograph and signature required for GATE Registration.

Highlights of GATE 2018

What is GATE Exam?

• GATE is an online test with multiple choice and numerical type questions conducted for 23 disciplines (papers) of engineering. Mostly questions are fundamental, concept based and thought provoking.
• Please don’t have a misconception that GATE is only meant for ME/MTech which leads to the teaching career only. 
• There are many other advantages of taking GATE such as employment in PSUs (Public Sector Undertakings), direct recruitment to Group A level posts in Central Government and some other Government of India Organizations. 
• GATE qualifiers can use their GATE Scorecard for admission to Master’s Program and direct Doctoral Programs in Engg./Tech./Architecture. 
• The GATE Scorecard is also used to avail financial assistance (scholarship) for the post-graduate program.
• GATE Registration can be made online at GOAPS website. Check our page for GATE 2018 Registration or directly visit  www.gate.iitg.ac.in. for more information.
• The exam will also be held for international candidates in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates (U.A.E).
• GATE Exam consists 65 questions divided into 3 section –
  • General Aptitude
  • Engineering Mathematics
  • From Respective Subjects

GATE 2018 Exam Dates

IIT Guwahati has released the schedule for GATE exam. The exam dates and other important dates for GATE are tabulated below- 

GATE 2018 Exam Schedule

Candidates can take GATE according to their Paper Code only. As there is a huge number of aspirants, thus GATE is held in multiple sessions. The table below depicts the tentative GATE 2018 schedule for all the papers:

GATE Eligibility Criteria

It is advised to all the GATE aspirants to check their eligibility before making the registration. They can apply for only 1 paper in GATE. The minimum academic qualification to apply for GATE 2018 is indicated below for all the applicants:

• Bachelor’s degree (4 years after 10+2, or 3 years after Diploma) in the related engineering and science stream
• Master’s Degree in any branch of Mathematics/Science/Statistics/Computer Applications or equivalent degree.
• International applicants possessing a Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree in the related engineering or science stream.
• Students in final year of Bachelor’s/Master’s degree.
• There is no stipulated age limit criterion defined for GATE applicants.

NOTE: Candidates with a backlog in their qualifying exam have to submit a copy of the final year mark sheets or a declaration from their Principal along with the seal and signature. Check out the documents required in support of GATE eligibility and qualifying disciplines in GATE. 

GATE 2018 Registration

GATE Application Form will be available on the official website from September 01, 2017. It can be filled online through GOAPS (GATE Online Application Processing System). GATE Registration closes on October 05, 2017. Candidate has to follow 3 steps primarily to register online for GATE 2018.

• Register and create a candidate’s login on the website of GOAPS. Provide your email-ID, phone number and create a password to register.
• Then, fill GATE Application Form and upload the scanned images of Photograph and Signature in JPEG format.
• The next step before final submission of GATE Online Application Form is fee payment.

The application fee for female, SC/ST candidates is INR 750 while it is INR 1500 for other candidates. The application fee can be paid in either online or offline mode.

How to fill GATE Online Application Form?

The steps followed to fill the GATE 2018 Online Application form are explained below:

Registration- Visit the official website of GOAPS. Enter few personal details, a valid e-mail ID and mobile number. Create a password which will be used to login later.

Filling GATE 201 Application Form- Enter your personal and educational details in the application form for GATE. Preview the form to verify the information entered and modify the incorrect immediately to avoid discrepancies later. Note that the applications cannot be modified post final submission. 

Fee payment- After saving application form candidate can make the payment by net banking, debit card and credit card. After paying GATE application fees, a fee payment number is generated which candidate can note for the later stages of the GATE Selection process.

GATE Application Form Correction

From the year 2018, the exam conducting authority has introduced a change that once the application form is submitted, it cannot be changed/rectified. Therefore, candidates must ensure that all the details and supporting documents are correct and uploaded. If everything is found correct then GATE Application Form will be accepted else the defects will be notified to the candidate. This correction needs to be carried out within a stipulated time. 

Candidates should be quick in fixing the errors in the form before the deadline. Those who fail to fix, their application form will be rejected and no communication will be made in this regard. 

GATE Application Form Status

Candidates can check their form status i.e. whether the authority has received the form or not. It also tells if the application form submitted by candidate needs any correction or not. Visit GOAPS to check the status of the GATE Online Application. The status will be displayed from one of the below-mentioned categories:

• Received
• Under Scrutiny
• Accepted
• Defect Status
• Status after Rectification
• Rejected with Valid Reason

GATE 2018 Admit Card

GATE 2018 Admit Card will be available from January 05, 2018. To download the document, visit the official website of GATE 2018. One must print multiple copies of admit card for GATE 2018 to avoid discrepancies on the exam day.

• Admit Card carries candidate’s name, location of the exam center, photograph, and signature of candidate.
• It is mandatory to verify the given information before downloading GATE Admit card
• In case of any discrepancy, immediately report the conducting authority i.e. IIT Guwahati.

Download GATE Admit Card by following the steps given below:

• Candidates have to visit the official Website
• Click on the GATE 2018 Admit Card Link
• Enter the Registration Number and Password
• Candidate’s admit card will display on screen
• Take the Printout of GATE Admit Card 

GATE 2018 Paper Pattern

Every candidate can apply for one stream among all the 23 papers for which GATE 2018 is conducted. GATE 2018 Exam Pattern might seem a little confusing at first as it varies for different disciplines. GATE is an online mode examination with 65 questions to be solved in 3 hours. The total weightage of the GATE Exam is 100 marks.

• There will be two types of questions Objective type and Numerical Type (NAT). In NAT question, there will be no choices. Answer is to be entered manually with the help of Virtual Calculator. 
• XE paper will have a new section on Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. With this, there will be eight sections (A-H) in XE paper.

Marking Scheme for GATE 2018

• Candidates are marked separately for MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions) and NAT (Numerical Answer Type).
• For every correct answer in MCQ, candidates are awarded 1 mark or 2 marks depending on the weightage of the question.
• For every incorrect MCQ, candidate loses 1/3 or 2/3 marks for 1 mark or 2 markers respectively.
• For Numerical Answer Type, every correct answer is awarded 1 mark or 2 marks as per the marks allotted to the question. There is no negative marking for such questions.

Read More GATE Exam Pattern

GATE 2018 Syllabus

GATE Syllabus is released on the official website by IIT Guwahati for all the 23 disciplines. Candidates should check out the detailed syllabus for the related discipline to identify and focus on the important topics to be asked in the exam. Candidates can click on the links provided below in the table to check GATE 2018 Syllabus for the relevant discipline.

GATE 2018 Answer Key

GATE 2018 Answer Key for all the papers will be published on the official website soon after the exam is conducted. There will be separate question paper and answer key sets for all the separate sessions. The answer keys can be viewed by logging in using Registration details.

Candidates can also challenge any answer in case the correct response is not mentioned on the key. Candidate can challenge the answer key by paying a nominal fee. 

GATE 2018 Result

GATE Result will be declared on March 17, 2018. Candidates can check the result by using their GATE 2018 login credentials (Registration No or Email ID). Candidates those who qualify can download GATE Score card from the official Website of GATE.

Read More: GATE Result

How to Download the GATE Score Card

Candidates qualifying GATE 2018 will be eligible to download their GATE score card. The validity of the score card is for 3 years. Before 2014, the score card was valid uptill 2 years, the change in increase of the validity up to 3 years was made by IIT Kharagpur in 2014. Candidates can download the score card from the official website. The steps followed to download the GATE Score Card:

GATE 2018 Counselling

GATE Exam Counselling is done separately by various IITs, NITs and other institutes. Candidates after having qualified in GATE have to appear for GD/ PI for admission. For admissions, candidates have to check notification by GATE participating institutes.

For admission in NITs, IIITs and in some government funded colleges, a centralized counselling– CCMT (Centralized Counseling for M.Tech/M.Plan) will be conducted. IITs and IISc will conduct their separate counselling process. Most of the other participating universities and state wise institutions will conduct their own counseling process. 

All the IITs conduct their own counselling process for the admission in M.Tech programs.

Read More About GATE Counselling

Common Offer Acceptance Portal (COAP)

For taking admission in IITs, COAP provides a common platform for candidates to make the most preferred choice for admission in M.Tech programs. All the participating IITs will upload admission offers in a common time window. So that they will be able to access all the admission offers made by participating IITs. 

The following information is asked while registering at COAP-

• Name
• GATE Registration Number
• GATE Scores
• Date of Birth
• Email ID
• Phone Number

Check more information on M.Tech admissions through COAP from here. 

PSU through GATE 2018

Candidates applying for GATE 2018 will have two options based on GATE score – either to continue with the studies with a Master’s degree or apply for a job with Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) jobs through GATE 2018. All the top PSUs hire graduate engineers based on GATE for various job profiles. 

Candidates have to register separately for all the PSUs and GATE. All the PSUs will release their own cutoff based on GATE score. Shortlisted candidates have to appear for the selection rounds conducted separately by all PSUs. 

Candidates can check the latest registration dates for various PSUs recruiting through GATE 2018.

Read More About PSU Recruitment through GATE

GATE Cut off

GATE cut off is the minimum score which must be scored by candidate in order to reserve a seat. The cut off varies for different institutes, streams and the category of candidate. The expected GATE cut offs (streamwise) for the year 2018 is provided below (on the basis of previous year cut offs)-

Check Out GATE 2017 Cutoff for Top IITs, NITs and IIITs

Benefits of GATE 2018 Score Card

GATE Result is expected to be released on the official website one month after the exam has been conducted. GATE Scorecard is valid for 3 years. GATE Scorecard validates that candidate appeared and qualified GATE. The benefits of GATE Scorecard are enlisted below:

Enrollment to Masters and Ph.D. Programs

A decent GATE Score can fulfill any aspiring engineer’s dream of studying from an IIT or NIT. GATE enables candidates to seek admissions in M.Tech. /M.E. / M.S. in their respective discipline in IITs or NITs or institutes in Germany and Singapore depending on the GATE Cutoff released by them.

Institutes such as IIT, Bombay offer admissions to Ph.D., PGDM, and PGDIE programs right after graduation on the basis of GATE Score. Some IIMs reserve seats for admissions to doctoral programs through GATE.

Fellowships

MHRD (Ministry of Human Resource Development) provides scholarships to candidates on the basis of the GATE Score. Candidates who opt for PG courses through GATE 2018 are given scholarships by MHRD. CSIR laboratories offer Junior Research Fellowships (JRF) and Senior Research Fellowships (SRF) to GATE Qualifiers. BARC, well-known Institute offers a stipend to GATE Qualifiers.

PSU Recruitment

Various known PSUs (Public Sector Undertaking) recruit eligible and qualified candidates for different posts. Candidates are offered high compensation packages and other benefits (medical benefits and other aids). CEL, MDL, GAIL, BHEL, Cabinet Secretariat etc. have recently released notifications for PSU Recruitment through GATE.

Candidates have to apply separately for the posts offered by various institutes. The application forms for different PSUs are released on different dates and candidates have to submit the application form in the stipulated time to be recruited by the PSU.

Check What are the benefits of taking GATE Exam?