GATE at a glance

Conducting body

IITs (rotating) + IISc Bangalore - Organising Institute changes each year

Full form

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering

What is the GATE exam format?

Duration: 3 hours total (single sitting, computer-based)

Scoring: 100 marks raw; scaled to a GATE score (0-1000). Negative marking on MCQs (-1/3 for 1-mark; -2/3 for 2-mark). NAT questions: no negative marking.

• General Aptitude

  ~30 min (within 3-hr total)

  15 marks - Verbal + numerical aptitude common across all papers.

• Subject paper

  ~150 min (within 3-hr total)

  85 marks - your engineering specialisation (CS, EC, EE, ME, CE, etc.). Mix of MCQ (1 or 2 mark) and NAT (Numerical Answer Type, no negative marking).

What does my GATE score mean?

GATE score 800+

Competitive for IIT M.Tech (top branches at IITB / IITD / IITM / IITKgp). IISc Bangalore expects 850+ for many programs.

GATE score 700-800

Strong calls from IIT branches at less-competitive IITs (Roorkee, Guwahati, Hyderabad), top NITs, and PSU recruitments.

GATE score 600-700

Acceptable for many NITs, GATE-fellowship scholarships at IIITs, and PG diploma programs.

Below 600

Limited M.Tech direct admission; consider sponsored / part-time programs or retake the next cycle.

How does T.I.M.E. Coimbatore teach GATE?

Batch types

Classroom (full-time) • Classroom (weekend / evenings) • Online live • Test-series only

Course duration

12-15 months for foundation track (final-year B.Tech start); 6-9 months for working professionals on accelerated track

Mock series

GATE All-India Mock Series - subject-wise sectional tests + 8+ full-length GATE mocks per cycle

Subject coverage tuned to the specific GATE paper (CS, EC, EE, ME, CE, IT, IN, BT, CH, etc.). Working professionals frequently take the test-series-only option to calibrate their self-study. AIMCAT-equivalent percentile reporting against the all-India T.I.M.E. cohort. Fee structure: please enquire below.

When should I start preparing for GATE?

Final-year B.Tech students typically start in July of the year prior to the February exam - about 6-8 months of focused prep. Working professionals targeting GATE for PSU jobs or M.Tech often need longer (12+ months) given the time constraints. Subject revision (your B.Tech syllabus, harder applied) is the bulk of the work; aptitude is the smaller share.

GATE for IIT M.Tech vs PSU recruitment?

Same exam, different downstream paths. IIT / IISc M.Tech: 2-year program with stipend (~Rs 12,400/month MHRD-funded) and strong placement records (typically Rs 15-25 LPA average). PSU recruitment: GATE score gates the screening; selected candidates then go through GD / PI rounds. Most PSU offers are Rs 8-12 LPA starting with structured promotions + job security.

Is GATE getting harder over time?

Average GATE difficulty has stayed roughly comparable year-over-year for the major papers (CS / EC / EE / ME). The aptitude section was revised to add more graphical / data-interpretation questions in the post-2020 format. NAT-type questions (which can't be guessed) have increased in proportion - making conceptual preparation more important than pattern-matching.