General FAQs regarding GATE | GATE Computer Science Engineering(CSE) 2025 Mock Test Series - Computer Science Engineering (CSE) PDF Download

Question: What is GATE? 

Answer: 

• GATE – Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering is an All-India Examination conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore and the seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Every year one IIT or IISc is selected as the Organizing Institute. 
• GATE is a passport for admission into M.E. / M.Tech. and M.Sc. Engg. courses in almost all the colleges/institutes/universities of the country. M.E. / M. Tech. is a four-semester program and admission to these programs largely depends upon the GATE percentile score.
• GATE identifies meritorious and motivated candidates for admission to Postgraduate Programs in Engineering, Technology, Architecture, Science and Pharmacy at the National level. The examination is a compulsory requirement for the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) scholarship/assistantship for M.E. and M. Tech. programs.

• To pursue M.E./ M.Tech./ M.Sc. Engg. program in one of the leading institutes of the country.
• A Master’s degree leads to specialization and cultivates and brings out the best of your interest in a certain area which may lead to research/ Ph.D.
• Many PSUs like IOCL, BPCL, HPCL, MECON, PGCIL, etc. have a lot of weightage for GATE score in their recruitment process.
• More domain-specific companies are coming for on-campus recruitment in leading Institutes.
• A higher salary is offered to a student holding a Master's degree as compared to one holding a B.E.
• A Master’s degree is a must-have for those wishing to apply for Faculty/Research positions in educational Institutes and most of the R&D centres.
• Scholarship of Rs 12,4000/- is paid during masters course, allowing one to live an independent life.
• The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research provides the award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) to engineers who have qualified the GATE exam. These fellowships also provide a stipend of Rs 31, 000 to Rs 35, 000 per month.
• Some government organizations (e.g. BARC) prescribe GATE qualification as a requirement.
• The GATE score is used as a criterion for judgement by foreign universities like Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), National University of Singapore (Singapore), RWTH Aachen (Germany), TU Munich (Germany), etc. to grant admission into Masters and Ph.D. programs without the requirement of a GRE score.  
• It is mandatory to have a ME/M. Tech degree to apply for teaching jobs in Indian universities. To ensure that a teaching job is obtained in good universities, it is necessary to have graduated from well-reputed universities and this can only be obtained by getting a high score in GATE exam.  
• Most importantly, to be a part of a Premier Institutes and enjoy learning and research in a conducive ambiance.
• Last but not least, the Master course changes the individual’s thought process; teaches them the approach to solve a problem in a totally new & challenging environment.

• A candidate who is currently studying in the 3rd or higher years of any undergraduate degree program OR has already completed any government approved degree program in Engineering / Technology / Architecture / Science / Commerce / Arts is eligible for appearing in the GATE 2023 exam.
• Candidates who have obtained / are pursuing their qualifying degree from countries other than India must be currently in the 3 rd or higher years or completed their Bachelor’s degree (duration: at least 3 years) in Engineering / Technology / Architecture / Science / Arts / Commerce.
•  If a candidate is pursuing any higher degree or has already obtained a degree higher than that mentioned in the table below, the candidate will be allowed to appear for GATE 2023 examination

The following categories of candidates are eligible to appear in GATE:

Question: What is the structure of the Examination?

Answer:

• The GATE examination consists of a single paper of 3 hours duration, which contains 65 questions carrying a maximum of 100 marks. 
• The pattern of questions will include some Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), while the remaining questions may include Multiple Select Questions (MSQ) and/or Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions.
• General Aptitude is a common section in all GATE papers. The section comprises 15% of the weightage of the total marks. The questions in GA are based on verbal, numerical and quantitative ability. There are a total of 10 questions with 5 questions carrying 1 mark each and 5 questions carrying 2 marks each.
• As for the papers with codes AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, ES, IN, ME, MN, MT, PE, PI, TF and XE, 15% marks weightage will be given to General Aptitude, 13% to Engineering Mathematics and remaining 72% to subject paper.
• Papers with codes AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH and XL, the General Aptitude section will carry 15% of the total marks and the remaining 85% of the total marks are for the subject paper.

Answer: GATE is usually held on weekends starting from the last week of January or 1st week of February. Examinations are held in two slots - forenoon session conducted between 9 am to 12 Noon and afternoon Session conducted between 2 pm to 5 pm. Dates of examination for all the 29 subjects for 2023 are: Saturday 4th, Sunday 5th , Saturday11 th and Sunday12 th February, 2023.

Question: What strategy should be followed to qualify in the GATE exam? Do we need to cover each and every topic from GATE Syllabus?

Answer: Instead of covering the entire syllabus, it is more important to focus on the right subjects and topics within the syllabus for a particular stream.  

As far as the strategy is concerned, one can refer to the previous year's papers of their stream and identify the important subjects and topics to focus upon.

• However, in such case, the following documents should be provided to GATE:
• Either a copy of any one of the final year mark sheets.
• Or a letter from the principal, stating details about the backlog and it being the reason for not being able to produce a pass certificate currently.