MN Ramesh
If you are an engineering student looking for job security, a good work environment, a decent paycheck along with opportunities of career growth, then Public Sector Undertakings or PSUs can be ideal choice. If you are looking for ways or eligibility to get into these PSUs, then GATE is your “go to” test. Clearing GATE with a good percentile is a direct gateway to the PSUs.
Every year, the commencement of the month of September is an indication to all engineering graduates to shift their gears and pull up their socks for the GATE exam which is conducted in the month of February.
For engineers GATE exam is the Midas touch which transforms their dream of getting PSU job or admission in the prestigious IIT/NITs for higher studies into reality. And for this more than 9 lakh candidates appear in GATE exam every year.
With so many career opportunities available through a single exam, the level of competition is quite high, but most of the candidates are unaware of this fact.
Unlike any other exam, a good score in GATE will land you directly to the dream organisation or institute. A candidate’s overall understanding of the concepts along with the problem-solving skills must be sharp enough, to score well in the crucial 180 mins of the exam.
Syllabus & Pattern
While the authorities made a new addition to GATE 2020 in the form of Biomedical Engineering apart from the 24 existing papers, the pattern of the exam has remained unchanged for the past few years. IIT Delhi has released the syllabus for all 25 papers including the newly added paper of Biomedical Engineering and it is available on the official website. It is a single paper online examination of three hours, with 65 questions (multiple choice questions & numerical answer type) carrying a total of 100 marks.
Syllabus for each branch is different and must be reviewed properly so that preparation is aligned with the syllabus.
Pattern of GATE Exam
In GATE Exam; General Aptitude questions carry 15marks, which include both 5 questions, each of 1 mark and 2 marks. The Technical Section carries remaining 85 marks; which includes MCQs and Numerical Answer Types (NAT) questions. Both the sections are allotted a total time of 180 minutes.
Choice of Study Materials for GATE Preparation
It is recommended to go for standard books and study notes of good institutes for better concept building and problem solving. Candidates may also utilize the online education platforms and live classes for effective preparations which is time saving and cheaper than the conventional offline coaching institutes.
This year the applications concluded on October 5 and candidates now have a little over 100 days to give their best shot at the exam.
Tips for initial stage of preparation
Tips for final stages
Subject-wise tests and Mock Tests
Success mantra
Tracking opportunities
Some PSUs that hire on the basis of GATE score are
1
5
8