All About Gate Exam-2025

Overview of the GATE Exam

GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) is a national-level entrance examination in India, primarily used for admission to postgraduate programs (ME, MTech, PhD) in engineering, technology, architecture, and science at top institutes like IITs, NITs, and IISc. It is also widely recognized by Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) for recruitment.

Exam Conducting Body

The GATE exam is jointly organized by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, and seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs): Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, and Roorkee.
The organizing responsibility rotates among these institutes each year.
The exam is conducted on behalf of the National Coordination Board (NCB), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India.

History

GATE was started in 1983,as a standardised test to assess the comprehensive understanding of candidates in various undergraduate engineering and science subject.
Over the years, it has grown in scope, now covering more than 30 subjects, including engineering, sciences, architecture, and select humanities disciplines.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must have completed or be in the final year of a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Technology, Architecture, or a related science discipline.
Students in the third year of their undergraduate program are also eligible.
There is no age limit for appearing in the GATE exam.
The exam is open to candidates from backgrounds including engineering, technology, science, commerce, arts, and architecture, depending on the paper chosen.

Exam Pattern

Feature	Details
Mode	Computer-Based Test (CBT)
Duration	3 hours
Total Questions	65
Total Marks	100
Sections	General Aptitude (15 marks), Engineering Mathematics (varies), Core Subject (remaining marks)
Question Types	Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), Multiple Select Questions (MSQ), Numerical Answer Type (NAT)
Marking Scheme	+1 or +2 for correct answers; -1/3 or -2/3 negative marking for MCQs; no negative marking for NAT/MSQ
Language	English
Score Validity	3 years

Exam Details

Total Questions: 65 questions.
Total Marks: 100 marks.
Sections:
1. General Aptitude (GA): 10 questions, 15 marks.
2. Psychology Subject-Specific (Part A + Part B): 55 questions, 85 marks.
One can appear for the GATE examination any number of times.

Question Types

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs): Each question has four options, with one correct answer.
Multiple Select Questions (MSQs): Each question may have more than one correct answer.
Numerical Answer Type (NAT): Candidates need to enter a numeric value as the answer.

Syllabus

GATE in 30 different papers across engineering, science, architecture, and humanities streams. Major subjects include:

Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics & Communication, Computer Science, Chemical, Instrumentation, Aerospace, Biotechnology, Environmental Science, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Statistics, Humanities & Social Sciences, and more.

Syllabus outline for Humanities and Social Sciences (Psychology)

C5.1 Research Methods and Statistics
C5.1.1 Approaches to Research
C5.1.2 Designing Research
C5.1.3 Nature of Quantitative & Qualitative Research
C5.1.4 Ethics in Conducting and Reporting Research
C5.1.5 Statistics in Psychology
C5.1.6 Correlational Analysis
C5.1.7 Experimental Designs

C5.2 Psychometrics
C5.3 Biological and Evolutionary Basis of Behaviour
C5.4 Perception, Learning, Memory and Forgetting
C5.5 Cognition: Thinking, Intelligence and Language
C5.6 Personality
C5.7 Motivation, Emotion and Stress and Coping
C5.8 Social Psychology
C5.9 Development Across the Life Span
C5.10 Applications of Psychology

“For the complete and updated list of all 30 papers and their codes, visit the official GATE site: https://gate2025.iitr.ac.in/exam-papers-and-syllabus.html“

Application process

Register on the official GATE portal (GOAPS) with your name, valid email ID, and mobile number to create login credentials.
Log in using the generated Enrollment ID and password.
Fill in personal, academic, and communication details as required in the form.
Select your preferred GATE paper and exam cities (up to three choices).
Upload scanned copies of your photograph, signature, valid photo ID, and relevant certificates (category/PwD, if applicable) as per specifications.
Pay the application fee online using net banking, debit/credit card, or UPI.
Review all details, accept the declaration, and submit the application form.
Download and save the submitted application form for future reference.