GATE
GATE is a national-level entrance exam referred to as the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering conducted by the IISc Bengaluru and seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) (IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras and IIT Roorkee) in a rotational cycle every year. applicants seeking a master’s degree and direct PhD admissions in the field of engineering, technology, architecture, science, commerce, arts, or humanities in IITs, IISc, National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and other institutes or universities across India.
Additionally, many in public sector undertaking companies (PSUs) and in the field of research, GATE scores can be considered. Some of the PSUs jobs and research organizations are ONGC, NTPC, GAIL, HPCL, PGCIL, BHEL, BSNL, NHPC, BARC, DRDO, and more.
GATE 2025
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR) or IIT Roorkee is the responsible institute for organizing the GATE 2025 exam, and it will be conducted by IISc Bengaluru and seven IITs on behalf of the National Coordination Board (GATE 2025), Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India.
Exam Pattern
The GATE 2025 exam is an objective type exam (MCQ, MSQ, and NAT) that consists of majorly two sections: General Aptitude and a candidate’s selected subject (30 test papers) the medium of test papers will be in English. The general aptitude is common for all the papers.
Note: Applicants can give upto two test papers
Furthermore, some of the test papers cover one or two optional sections depending on the subject choice. Although the candidate may choose any of the papers (up to two from the provided combinations), the candidate should select one paper that is relevant to the field of the qualifying degree. Here is the list of subject papers and their codes for the exam.
- Aerospace Engineering (AE)
- Geology & Geophysics (GG)
- Agricultural Engineering (AG)
- Instrumentation Engineering (IN)
- Architecture and Planning (AR)
- Mathematics (MA)
- Biomedical Engineering (BM)
- Mechanical Engineering (ME)
- Biotechnology (BT)
- Mining Engineering (MN)
- Civil Engineering (CE)
- Metallurgical Engineering (MT)
- Chemical Engineering (CH)
- Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering (NM)
- Computer Science & Information Technology (CS)
- Petroleum Engineering (PE)
- Chemistry (CY)
- Physics (PH)
- Data Science & Artificial Intelligence (DA)
- Production & Industrial Engineering (PI)
- Electronics & Communication Engineering (EC)
- Statistics (ST)
- Electrical Engineering (EE)
- Textile Engineering & Fibre Science (TF)
- Environmental Science & Engineering (ES)
- Engineering Sciences (XE)
- Ecology and Evolution (EY)
- Humanities & Social Sciences (XH)
- Geomatics Engineering (GE)
- Life Sciences (XL)
The above list is the test papers conducted under the GATE 2025 examination; additionally, some of these test papers or subjects have subcategories for the optional subjects or sections. Check the details mentioned below for the one or two options and a compulsory subject of the same.
For Engineering Sciences paper, Engineering Mathematics (A) is a compulsory subject and candidate can choose any two optional section from
- Fluid Mechanics (B)
- Materials Science (C)
- Polymer Science and Engineering (D)
- Solid Mechanics (E)
- Thermodynamics (F)
- Food Technology (G)
- Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (H)
For the Humanities and Science paper, the compulsory subject is reasoning and Comprehension (B1); additionally, the candidate can select one of the following sections as an optional section.
- Economics (C1)
- English (C2)
- Linguistics (C3)
- Philosophy (C4)
- Psychology (C5)
- Sociology (C6)
For the test paper, Life Sciences, Chemistry (P) will be the compulsory section, and the two other optional sections can be selected by the candidate from the given choices.
- Biochemistry (Q)
- Botany (R)
- Microbiology (S)
- Zoology (T)
- Food Technology (U)
The following is the GATE 2025 Examinations Schedule
| Exam Dates | Time | Test Paper (code) |
| 1st February 2025, Saturday | 9:30 am to 12:30 pm (Forenoon Session – FN) | CS1, AG, MA |
| 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm (Afternoon session-AN) | CS2, NM, MT, TF, IN | |
| 2nd February 2025, Sunday | 9:30 am to 12:30 pm (FN) | ME, PE, AR |
| 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm (AN) | EE | |
| 15th February 2025, Saturday | 9:30 am to 12:30 pm (FN) | CY, AE, DA, ES, PI |
| 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm (AN) | EC, GE, XH, BM, EY | |
| 16th February 2025, Sunday | 9:30 am to 12:30 pm (FN) | CE1, GG, CH, PH, BT |
| 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm (AN) | CE2, ST, XE, XL, MN |
Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria for the GATE 2025 exams may differ depending on the choice of subject the candidate has.
Education Qualification
As in general, applicants who are currently studying in their 3rd or higher years or have completed any undergraduate degree program in engineering, technology, architecture, science, commerce, Arts or the humanities are qualified to appear for the GATE 2025 examination. Here are the following eligibility criteria for the GATE 2025 exam.
- The B.E., B.Tech. or B. Pharm. degree in Engineering or Technology (duration of 4 years after 10+2 or 3 years after B.Sc. or diploma in Engineering or Technology) Currently in the 3rd year or higher or already completed
- Applicants with bachelor’s degree of Architecture (5-year course), naval architecture (4-year course), or Planning (4-year course duration)
- The B.Sc. (Research) or B.S. degree (post-diploma or 4 years after 12th standard)
- Pharm. D. after 12th standard with a 6-year degree program, including internship or residency training, during the third year onwards.
- Candidates who have attained the degree of M.B.B.S., B.D.S., or B.V.Sc. and are in their 5th, 6th, or 7th or higher semester or have already completed such a program.
- M. Sc., M.A., MCA degree or equivalent qualification in any branch of Arts, Science, Mathematics, Statistics, or Computer Applications, holder applicants who are either in the first year or higher or have already completed are eligible to appear for the exam.
- Integrated Master’s degree programs in Engineering or Technology Post-B.Sc. with a 4-year program and presently in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or the last year or already completed the degree.
- Candidates who have completed their qualification in Int. M.E., M.Tech., M.Pharm. Or Dual Degree after completing diploma or 10+2) with a 5-year program and are presently in their 3rd, 4th, or 5th year or have already passed can apply for the GATE 2025 exam.
- Candidates with a bachelor degree in any branch of science, arts, or commerce, presently in a third year or have passed a 3-year program.
- Candidates having an integrated M.Sc. or 5-year integrated B.S. or M.S. degree.
- Applicants who have given the professional societies examinations that are equivalent to B.E., B.Tech., B.Arch. acknowledged by MoE, UPSC, AICTE (e.g., AMIE by the Institution of Engineers-India, AMICE by the Institute of Civil Engineers-India, and others with a completion of Section A or equivalent of such professional courses.
- Candidates currently in the 3rd or 4th year or already completed a 4-year program in B.Sc. (Agriculture, Horticulture, and Forestry) can apply for the GATE 2025.
Some professional societies and institutions that conduct examinations in different fields of engineering are mentioned below.
- The Institution of Engineers (India) (IE)
- The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
- Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE)
- The Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI)
- The Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, including Polymer and Environmental Group (IIChE)
- The Indian Institute of Metals (IIM)
- The Indian Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIIE).
Age Criteria
There is no restriction in the GATE 2025 attempt limit and no upper age limit criteria.
Application fee
The application fees per test paper for the GATE 2025 are mentioned below as per the category.
For the female, SC, ST and PwD candidates, the application fee is Rs. 900, whereas the late fee charges are Rs. 1400.
All other candidates, including the foreign nationals, are required to pay the application fee of Rs. 1800 and the late fee charges are Rs. 2300
Applicants opting for two papers would have to pay twice the mentioned fees
Application Modification
The administration for the GATE 2025 Exam has extended the modification date of the application to 20th November 2024. Here is the list of modification points and their charges.
If the candidate wants to make changes in name, date of birth, choice of examination cities, existing paper, gender to female, category to SC or ST, non-PwD or dyslexic to PwD or dyslexic, or any other change in category, they need to pay a modification fee of Rs. 500.
Moreover, if the applicant is willing to add a second paper from the provided combinations with respect to their primary paper, a modification fee of Rs. 500 along with an application fee for the additional paper is needed to pay.
- Change of gender from female to any other gender needs the modification fee of Rs. 1400 (500 + 900) for all other candidates.
Modification fee for the change of category from SC/ST to any other category or from PwD or dyslexic to non-PwD or dyslexic.
- For the female candidates or PwD candidates, Rs. 500 is charged as a modification fee. Whereas for all other candidates, the modification fee will be 1400 (500 + 900).
Although there are no modification charges for changing the details of parents, guardians, correspondence address, college name and location, roll number, and registration number.
How to Apply?
To apply for the GATE 2025 examination, follow the points given below.
- Visit the official website of the GATE 2025 exam conducting institute; for example for the GATE exam 2025, IIT Roorkee is responsible; therefore, applicants need to fill the form through their website (i.e., gate2025.iitr.ac.in)
- Click on the ‘Apply online’ section in the application tab on the main page.
- Create the account or register for the exam with personal details such as name, date of birth, personal mobile number, parents’ name, parents’ mobile number, and more.
- Mention the education qualification along with ID proof and address, including the PIN code and other requirements.
- Choose the exam centres, optional sections, paper, code and other details.
- Check the details and pay the application fees through Net-banking, debit card, credit card, and UPI details for fee payment.
Document requirement
- Scanned copy of Valid ID documents
- Two passport-size photographs and signatures.
- Scanned copy of Category (SC or ST).
- Scanned copy of PwD Certificate.
- Scanned copy of the Certificate of Dyslexia and other necessary documents.
Note: certificates should be in pdf format wherever applicable.
Disclaimer: Check the official notice for any other updated information before applying for the exam.
FAQS
What is the GATE exam for?
The GATE 2025 exam is a national-level test organized for the candidates who are willing to take admission to Master’s programs, postgraduate engineering or technology, or analytical degree courses at top recognised universities or institutes in India, such as IITs, NITs, IIITs, and more.
What is GATE 2025 eligibility?
Applicants who have completed their bachelor’s degree or in the last year in any discipline (engineering, technology, architecture, science, commerce, or arts) are eligible to apply for the GATE 2025.
Is GATE harder than CAT?
The CAT examination is considered more challenging and has a significantly higher difficulty level than Gate 2025 due to the complexity of the questions and data interpretation, along with comprehension sections.
Who is conducting the 2025 GATE?
The GATE 2025 exam date is being organised by Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR).
Who is conducting the GATE 2026?
It is expected that the 2026 GATE Exam will be conducted by the IIT Guwahati.
