GATE Exam 2021: Eligibility, Application Process, Exam Pattern, Cut-Off

About GATE:

Every engineering student who is pursuing or has passed dreamt of Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE).

Through GATE exam one can eligible for Master of Engineering (ME), Masters in Technology (MTech) and you can also get direct admissions in PhD in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) and other institutes/universities in India.

gate-exam-2021-2022
GATE Exam 2021

Public Sector Organizations(PSUs) & Research Organizations recruit candidates using GATE score. Some of the PSUs are ONGC, NTPC, GAIL, HPCL, PGCIL, BHEL, BSNL, HPCL, NHPC, BARC, DRDO, etc. which recruits candidates through GATE score.

Notification for GATE 2021

Latest Announcement

  • 11th September: Online application form released by IIT Bombay.
  • 7th August: Information brochure and important dates released that registration will be start from 14 September.
  • 26th July: Notification of latest dates, eligibility criteria and addition of two new subjects released which are Environmental Science and Engineering (ES) and Humanities and Social Science (XS). The total number of subjects increased to 27.
  • 16th July: Official website of IIT Bombay made live.

Important Dates

Event Date
Official website makes live July 16, 2020
Registration for GATE 2021 September – October 2020
Availability of Application form 11th September, 2020
Last Date of Application form 30th September, 2020
Register with late fee (Last Date) 7th October, 2020
Correction of Application form 13th November, 2020
Request for Date change of Examination Center 3rd week of November 2020
Admit Card released 8th January, 2021
Exam Dates 5-Feb-2021 to 7-Feb-2021 and 12-Feb-2021 to 14-Feb-2021
Release of Official Answer Key 10 days after the exam
Declaration of Result 22nd March, 2021
Scorecard Publish One week after the declaration of results
Counseling Process Start April 2021

GATE 2021 Eligibility Criteria

There are some changes done for GATE 2021. You are suggested to check eligibility criteria before application to ensure that you are eligible. General eligibility criteria are mention below.

  • Nationality: Indian, Candidates of other countries are also eligible.
  • Educational Qualification: Must possessed graduation in engineering/ technology or Master’s degree in any relevant subject of science.
  • Age Limit: No age limitations.

Depending upon the paper eligibility criteria is discuses below:

  • For B.E./ B. Tech/ B. Pharm: After 12th Grade complete Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/ Technology (4 year course) or you can also complete B.Sc./ Diploma in Engineering/ Technology(3 year course), final year students can also apply for GATE.
  • B. Arch : Completed or Final year students of Bachelor’s degree in Architecture/Naval Architecture (4-year course)/Planning (4-year course).
  • B.Sc.(Research)/B.S: Bachelor’s degree in Science (4 year course) or Post Diploma in Science.
  • M.Sc./ M.A./ MCA or equivalent degree: Master’s degree in any branch of Science/Mathematics/Statistics/Computer Applications or equivalent.
  • Int. M. Sc./ Int. B.S.-M.S.: Integrated M.Sc. or 5 years integrated B.S.-M.S. programme.
  • Professional Society Exams (equivalent to B.E/ B. Tech/ B. Arch.): B.E./ B. Tech./ B.Arch. equivalent examinations of Professional Societies, recognized by MHRD/UPSC/AICTE.

GATE 2021 Application Form

Before online application, go through all the guidelines regarding form fill up. Follow the steps to fill up application form successfully.

  • Do Registration: New candidates at first do registration to fill up application form. Here, you have to enter Your Name, Your Address, Email ID, Mobile Number at GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS). After successful registration you will get Enrollment ID and Password.
  • Application Form fill up: Using Enrollment ID and Password which you have got after registration, do login and fill up the Application from.
  • Upload Certificates: you will be asked to upload documents like Image (5 kb -200 kb) with background, Signature (5 kb-200 kb) in running hand, Eligibility Certificate, SC/ST Certificate (10 kb -300 kb) and PwD (10 kb -300 kb) Certificate as given in the notification.
  • Make Payment: You can make your payment online through credit card, debit card, or net banking. It should be kept in mind that fees of GATE Application are not refundable or transferable.
  • Declaration of Student: You must read the application from carefully before submitting it. Once you are satisfied with the given information in the application from then submit it.

GATE 2021 Application Fee

Application fee for GATE is different for different candidates. Payment of application fee is done online via net banking facility/credit card or debit card only. Additional charges are applicable for online transaction. There is some relaxation in fee for certain categories. Once you have made your payment it will not be refunded.

Below we have mentioned application fee for different categories:

For Women:

  • General Application fee – INR 750
  • Late Application Fee – INR 1250

For SC/ ST/ PwD:

  • General Application Fee – INR 750
  • Late Application Fee – INR 1250

All Other Candidates:

  • General Application Fee – INR 1500
  • Late Application Fee – INR 2000

For Exam Center in Addis Ababa, Colombo, Dhaka, and Kathmandu:

  • General Application Fee – US$ 50
  • Late Application Fee – US$ 70

For Exam Center in Dubai and Singapore:

  • General Application Fee – US$ 100
  • Late Application Fee – US$ 1120

If there are any defects in your application form, correct it within the given time period which is 13th November 2020. Any kind of defects in your application form may lead to the rejection.

GATE Exam Pattern

Every year GATE exam is conducted by any of the IITs. This year two new subjects Environmental Science and Engineering (ES) and Humanities and Social Science (XS) added and no any other major changes has been done.

We have provided some basic information below:

  • Examination Mode: Computer Based Test (Online)
  • Conducting Institute: Among IITs (Currently IIT Bombay)
  • Administered by: IISc Bangalore and Seven IIT’s Jointly
  • Frequency of Examination: Annual
  • Number of Subjects (Papers): 27 (ES and XH are introduced in 2021)
  • Section: General Aptitude (GA) and Selected Subject by Candidate
  • Type of Questions: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), Multiple Select Questions (MSQ), and Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions.
  • Number of Questions: 10 (GA) + 55 (subject) = 65
  • Total Marks: 100
  • Allotted Time: 3 Hours (180 Minutes)
  • Design of Questions: Application, Analysis and synthesis, Comprehension, Recall
  • Distribution of Marks in all Papers EXCEPT papers AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, XH and XL: General Aptitude(GA): 15 Marks + Engineering Mathematics: 13 Marks + Subject Questions: 72 Marks = Total: 100 Marks.
  • Distribution of Marks in papers AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, XH and XL: General Aptitude(GA): 15 Marks + Subject Questions: 85 Marks = Total: 100 Marks.
  • Marking Scheme: All Questions are either 1 or 2 Marks. Negative marking is applicable for MCQ questions only. 1 mark will be penalized for every three wrong attempt for 1 mark questions and for 2 marks questions 2/3 will be deducted for every wrong answer.
  • Validity of Score/Grade: 3 Years

GATE 2021 Cut-Off Marks

GATE examination contains two types of Cut-off viz. Qualifying Cut Off and Admission Cut Off.

  • Qualifying Cut Off: This implies the minimum score have to obtain by candidate to qualify GATE examination. Subject Cut-off is also included in it. Conducting body releases the GATE qualifying Cut-off.
  • Admission Cut Off: Different institutions releases admission Cut Off according to their number of seats, number of applicants, category of applicants, etc.

Previous years Cut of different subject provided below:

  • Aerospace Engineering (AE): General Candidates- 33.5, OBC Candidates  – 30.2, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 22.3
  • Agricultural Engineering (AG): Gen Candidates – 28.3, OBC Candidates – 25.5, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 18.9
  • Architecture and Planning (AR): Gen Candidates – 41, OBC Candidates – 36.9, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 27.3
  • Biotechnology (BT):  General Candidates – 35.9, OBC Candidates – 32.3, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 23.9
  • Civil Engineering (CE): General Candidates – 28.2, OBC Candidates – 25.4, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 18.8
  • Chemical Engineering (CH): General Candidates – 34.8, OBC Candidates – 31.3, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 23.2
  • Computer Science & Information Technology (CS): General Candidates – 29.5, OBC Candidates – 26.6, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 19.7
  • Chemistry (CY): General Candidates – 32, OBC Candidates – 28.8, SC/ ST/ PwD Candidates – 21.3
  • Electronics & Communication Engineering (EC): Gen Candidates – 26.7, OBC Candidates – 24, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 17.8
  • Electrical Engineering (EE): General Candidates – 39.6, OBC Candidates – 35.6, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 26.4
  • Ecology and Evolution (EY): General Candidates – 37.1, OBC Candidates – 33.4, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 24.7
  • Geology and Geophysics (GG): Gen Candidates – 44.5, OBC Candidates – 40.1, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 29.7
  • Instrumentation Engineering (IN): General Candidates – 31.9, OBC Candidates – 28.7, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 21.3
  • Mathematics (MA): General Candidates – 25, OBC Candidates – 22.5, SC/ ST/ PwD Candidates – 16.7
  • Mechanical Engineering (ME): Gen Candidates – 34.1, OBC Candidates – 30.7, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 22.7
  • Mining Engineering (MN): General Candidates – 31.5, OBC Candidates – 28.4, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 21
  • Metallurgical Engineering (MT): Gen Candidates – 53.5, OBC Candidates – 48.1, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 35.7
  • Petroleum Engineering (PE): General Candidates – 49.9, OBC Candidates – 44.9, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 33.3
  • Physics (PH): General Candidates – 25.2, OBC Candidates – 22.7, SC/ ST/ PwD Candidates – 16.8
  • Production and Industrial Engineering (PI): General Candidates – 32.2, OBC Candidates – 29, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 21.5
  • Statistics (ST): General Candidates – 32.5, OBC Candidates – 29.2, SC/ ST/ PwD Candidates – 21.7
  • Textile Engineering and Fiber Science (TF): General Candidates – 40.1, OBC Candidates – 36.1, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 26.7
  • Engineering Sciences (XE-A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H): Gen Candidates – 26.7, OBC Candidates – 24, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 17.8
  • Life Sciences (XL-P, Q, R, S, T, U): Gen Candidates – 36.7, OBC Candidates – 33, SC/ST/PwD Candidates – 24.5

GATE Results

Tentative date for the declaration of result is 22 March, 2021. To check qualifying status, you need the Registration Number and Password. You can check your result by following some easy steps.

  • Search Official website.
  • “GATE Result” tab will display on your screen and just click on it.
  • Enter the information you are asked such as enrollment ID, Registration ID, and Password.
  • Press ‘Submit’ button.
  • Qualifying Status will display in front of your screen.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Ans: Yes, Online application for GATE  2021 started from 11th September, 2020.

Ans: The conducting institute IIT Bombay has released tentative dates for GATE 2021 which will be conducted from  5-Feb-2021 to 7-Feb-2021 and 12-Feb-2021 to 14-Feb-2021.

Ans: This year two new subjects added to the list and now 27 subjects are available for the aspirants.

Ans: No, there is no limitations on age.

Ans: Yes, for 1 marks questions will be penalized 1 mark for three wrong attempt and for 2 marks questions 2/3 mark will be deducted for every wrong answer.



Leave a Comment