GATE 2020 (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) is a very prestigious national level qualifying exam conducted for the admissions to different PG programmes such as M.E, M.Tech, and Direct Ph.D. etc. in highly reputed institutes in India like IITs, IISERs, and IISCs etc. GATE exam is conducted by different zonal IITs on a rotational basis. In addition to granting admissions to highly rated institutes, GATE scores are also considered as one of the recruitment criteria for various technical jobs in government and private organizations. The official notification for GATE 2020 exam is yet to be released; Aspiring candidates can get all the necessary details through this article.
Latest Update: IIT Delhi is going to conduct GATE in 2020. The application form may be released in September 2019.
Benefits of GATE Exam (Why GATE?)
GATE score enables students to gain admission to various prestigious PG programs in IITs and IISc such as –
- ME (Master of Engineering)
- MTech (Master of Technology)
- Doctor of Philosophy
Students also get direct interview calls for prestigious PSU jobs in India whose starting salary is sometimes as high as 14.9L (example, Power Grid).
GATE score can also be used in the following prestigious programs –
- Admission in reputed foreign universities with good scholarships such as
- Aachen university (Germany) – best known for mechanical and automobile engineering
- Technical University of Munich (Germany)
- National University of Singapore
- Nanyang Technical University (Singapore)
- Fellowship programs in IIMs (equivalent to PhD) with stipend ranging from Rs. 35,000 to 40,000 per month along with a one time grant of Rs. 1,00,000 to 2,00,000 specialization in
- Behavioral Sciences
- Economics
- Finance and Control
- Management Information Systems
- Marketing
- Human Resource Management
- Operations Management
- Public Policy and Management
- Strategic Management
- Admission to NITIE, Mumbai – best known for Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Management, Project Management. In 2018, the average salary of graduates from this prestigious institute was 19.2L.
GATE 2020 Exam Schedule (Tentative)
Chandigarh University Admission 2019 Open – Apply Here
Manav Rachna Admission 2019 Open – Apply Here
| Important Events | Tentative Schedule |
| Availability of Application form | September 2019 |
| Last date to submit the application form | October 2019 |
| Online Application Form | October 2019 |
| Availability of Admit Card | January 2020 |
| Date of Examination | February 2020 |
| Declaration of Result | 4th week of March 2020 |
GATE Exam Eligibility Criteria 2020
Crucial details about GATE eligibility criteria is as follows:
Age Limit: There is no age limit for taking the GATE exam.
Educational Qualification:
Read out here about educational requirements for appearing in GATE examination:
| Qualifying Exam | Eligibility Criteria | Desired candidates | Passing Year |
| B.Tech | Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Tech. | Candidates in the final year or already passed | 2020 |
| B.Arch | Bachelor’s degree in Architecture or B.Sc after diploma in architecture | Candidates in the final year or already passed | 2020 |
| B.Sc (Research) | 4 years B.Sc after 12th or B.Sc degree after diploma | Candidates in the final year or already passed | 2020 |
| MA/MCA/M.Sc. | Master’s degree in relevant subject | Candidates in the final year or already passed | 2020 |
| Integrated ME/M.Tech (Post B.SC) | 4 years B.SC integrated programme | Candidate in 2nd/3rd /4th year or already passed | 2022 |
| Integrated ME/M.Tech (after 10+2) | 5 Year Integrated degree in Engineering/Technology | Candidates in 4th/ 5th year or already passed | 2021 |
| Professional Society Exam* | Professional Society Exam recognized by UPSC/AICTE/MHRD | Completed Section A in such professional course | NA |
*Here are some professional societies/institutions that conduct exam in several fields of engineering:
- The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
- The Institution of Engineers (India) (IE)
- The Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE)
- The Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, including Polymer and Environmental Group (IIChemE)
- The Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI)
- The Indian Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE)
- The Indian Institute of Metals (IIM)
However, students who have acquired certification from any of these professional societies they need to ensure that the examinations organized by the societies should have approval from MHRD/AICTE as equivalent to B.E/B.Tech/B.Arch subject to public notice.
GATE Application Form 2020
We have elaborated the GATE application process in detail. Students are suggested to go through the process as given below.
Documents/Data Required for Filling Up GATE Application
- Personal information such as name, personal mobile number, date of birth, parents name, parents mobile number, etc. Please make a note that the name of candidate mentioned in application form should be similar to the qualifying degree certificate or the certificate provided by the Head of Department/Institute. It is not required to use Mr/Shri/Dr/Mrs/Smt, etc before the name.
- Communication address
- Eligibility degree details
- GATE paper (subject)
- College name including address with PIN code
- Choice of examination cities
- Photograph of candidates with size between 5KB and 200KB
- Signature of candidate with size between 5KB and 200KB
- Eligibility certificate in PDF format (Provisional certificate or degree certificate or certificate obtained from the Head of the Department) with size between 10KB and 500KB
- SC/ST certificate in PDF format (if applicable). The file size should be in between 10KB and 300KB
- PwD certificate in PDF format (if applicable). The file size should be in between 10 KB and 300KB
- Dyslexic certificate in PDF format (if applicable). The file size should be in between 10KB and 300KB
- A valid Identity proof (the same needs to brought in the examination hall). List of valid documents include Passport/ Voter ID/ PAN card/ Aadhaar-UID/ Employee ID/ College ID/ Driving License.
- Credit card/debit card/net banking detailed for payment of fee
Quick Notes:
- The application form will be available only in online mode through the official website.
- It is expected that the application form will be released in the month of September 2019.
- Candidates have to upload the scanned copy of all the relevant documents.
- While registering for GATE 2020, candidates will be allowed to select three exam cities as the examination center.
- There will no requirement of sending hard copy of application form to the authorities.
Application Process
Please make a note that the application form would not be available for sale or otherwise anywhere. The application form would be accessible online on the official website of GOAPS i.e. https://appsgate.iitm.ac.in/. Please make a payment of the required application fee. For GATE 2020, all related information shall be uploaded at the GOAPS website.
During online application, candidates have to upload the signature, photograph, qualifying degree certificate, Dyslexic certificate and/or category certificate (SC/ST/PwD). They also need to provide an identity number of one of the following documents such as PAN Card, passport number, Voter ID, College ID, Aadhaar UID, Employee ID, and Driving License. If you do not hold any of these ID proofs then please get the one prior to making an application.
Application Fee
Have a look at the application fee for GATE examination 2020:
| For test centre in India | On or before the deadline | During the extended period |
| Female students | Rs.750/- | Rs.1250/- |
| SC/ST/PwD category | Rs.750/- | Rs.1250/- |
| All other category | Rs.1500/- | Rs.2000/- |
| For test centre outside India | On or before the deadline | During the extended period |
| Colombo, Addis Ababa, Dhaka and Kathmandu | US $50 | US $70 |
| Dubai and Singapore | US $100 | US $120 |
GATE 2020 Exam Pattern
The exam pattern for GATE 2020 exam is given in the table below:
| Mode of Exam | The exam will be conducted in online mode. |
| Subjects | The exam will be conducted for 24 different subjects. |
| Type of Questions | Only MCQ and Numerical type of questions will be asked. |
| Duration of Exam | The duration of the exam will be three hours. |
| Number of Questions to be asked | Total 65 Questions will be asked in the exam |
| Sections common to All GATE Papers | The section of General Aptitude is common in GATE paper |
| Maximum Marks | 100 |
| Negative Marking | 1/3rd of a mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer. However, 2/3rd of a mark will be deducted in case of question carrying 2 Marks |
Section wise Marks and Questions Distribution:
| Sections | No. Of Questions and Marks | Total no. of Questions | Total Marks |
| General Aptitude (GA) | 5 Questions:- 1 Mark5 Questions:- 2 Marks | 10 | 15 |
| Question Papers other than GG, XE and XL | 25 Questions:- 1 Mark30 Questions:- 2 Marks | 55 | 85 |
| Question Paper GG (Geology and Geophysics) | Part A (Compulsory)25 Question – 1 Mark
Part B Have to attempt only 1 part, 30 Question – 2 Marks |
55 | 85 |
| XE Paper (Engineering Sciences) | Part A (Compulsory)Engineering Mathematics
7 Questions:- 1 Mark 4 Questions:- 2 Marks Part A to H (Any two) 10 Questions:- 1 Mark 10 Questions:- 2 Marks |
55 | 85 |
| XL Paper | Part P (Compulsory)Chemistry
7 Questions:- 1 Mark 4 Questions:- 2 Marks Part Q to U (Any Two) 10 Questions:- 1 Mark 10 Questions:- 2 Marks |
55 | 85 |
Post Exam Related Details
- Once the exam process is over, candidates’ responses would be uploaded at GOAPS in downloaded format.
- Answer keys for different GATE papers would be displayed at its official website.
- Candidates can contests on the answer key for a specific period of time.
- Once the evaluation process is finished the final result would be published at its official website.
- GATE scorecard would be available at the official website of GOAPS.
GATE Syllabus 2020
As we know GATE 2020 will be organized for 23 different subjects, the syllabus will be published by authorities for each subject separately.
The list of 23 Subjects are as follows:
General Aptitude (GA): Numerical Ability & Verbal Ability.
Architecture and Planning (AR): Construction and Management, Building and Structure, Architecture and Design etc.
Agricultural Engineering (AG): Farm Power, Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, Engineering Mathematics, Farm Machinery, Irrigation and Drainage engineering, etc
Aerospace Engineering (AE): Space Dynamics, Aerodynamics, Structures, Propulsion, Engineering Mathematics, Flight Mechanics.
Chemistry (CY): Physical, Inorganic & Organic Chemistry
Computer Science and Information Technology (CS): Digital Logic, Computer Organization and Architecture, Engineering Mathematics and Data Structures, etc
Chemical Engineering (CH): Process Calculations and Thermodynamics, Engineering Mathematics and Mechanical Operations etc.
Civil Engineering (CE): Structural Engineering, Engineering Mathematics, Geotechnical Engineering etc.
Biotechnology (BT): General Biotechnology, Recombinant DNA Technology Etc.
Ecology and Evolution (EY): Mathematics and Quantitative Ecology, Ecology etc.
Electrical Engineering (EE): Electric Circuits, Electromagnetic Fields, Electrical Machine, Engineering Mathematics etc.
Electronics and Communication Engineering (EC): Networks, Signals and Systems, Analog Circuit, Engineering Mathematics etc.
Instrumentation Engineering (IN): Electrical Circuits, Engineering Mathematics, Control Systems etc.
Geology and Geophysics (GG): Weathering and soil formation etc.
Metallurgical Engineering (MT): Thermodynamics and Rate Processes, Engineering Mathematics and Extractive Metallurgy etc.
Mining Engineering (MN): Mine Development and Surveying, Engineering Mathematics, Geo mechanics and Ground Control etc.
Mechanical Engineering (ME): Applied Mechanics and Design, Engineering Mathematics, Fluid Mechanics etc.
Mathematics (MA): Real Analysis, Algebra, Linear Algebra, Numerical Analysis, etc
Production and Industrial Engineering (PI): General Engineering, Quality and Reliability, Manufacturing Processes, Engineering Mathematics etc.
Physics (PH): Classical Mechanics, Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics, Mathematical Physics etc
Petroleum Engineering (PE): Petroleum Formation Evaluation, Linear Algebra etc.
(XE – A) to (XE – H): Fluid Mechanics, Materials Science, Polymer Science and Engineering, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences etc.
(XL – P) to (XL – U): Biochemistry, Microbiology, Food Technology and Bio Chemistry Etc.
Admit Card
Candidates will be able to download the admit card from the 1st week of January 2020. Authorities will not send admit cards by post to any candidate. Biometric information will also be collected for random candidates before the commencement of exam. It will be mandatory for every candidate to carry one photo identity proof along with the admit card at the exam venue.
Result and Cutoff
The result of GATE 2020 is expected to be released in the 3rd week of March 2020 tentatively. Candidates will be able to check their result online by entering their roll no. and date of birth.
After the declaration of result cut off marks for admissions to PG courses will be released. Cut off marks will also be published on the official website.
The cutoff marks for the previous year is as follows:
| Paper | Categories | ||
| GEN | OBC | SC/ST/PH | |
| Computer Science and Information Technology (CS) | 25 | 22.5 | 16.6 |
| Civil Engineering (CE) | 28.7 | 25.8 | 19.1 |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering (EC) | 25 | 22.5 | 16.6 |
| Electrical Engineering (EE) | 25.2 | 25.2 | 16.7 |
| Mechanical Engineering (ME) | 32.87 | 29 | 21 |
| Chemical Engineering (CH) | 44.3 | 39.8 | 29.5 |
