Since a candidate is allowed to appear in ONLY ONE of the 22 papers for which GATE 2018 examination is being held, the candidate has to make the choice of the paper he/she wishes to write carefully. The candidate is expected to appear in a paper appropriate to the discipline of his/her qualifying degree. However, the candidate is, free to choose any paper according to his/her admission plan, keeping in mind the eligibility criteria of the institutions in which he/she wishes to seek admission.

For more details regarding the admission criteria in any particular institute, the candidate is advised to refer to the websites of that institute. In all the papers, there will be a total of 65 questions carrying 100 marks, out of which 10 questions carrying a total of 15 marks are in General Aptitude (GA).

In the papers bearing the codes AE, AG, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, IN, ME, MN, MT, PI, TF and XE, the Engineering Mathematics will carry around 15% of the total marks, the General Aptitude section will carry 15% of the total marks and the remaining 70% percentage of the total marks is devoted to the subject of the paper.

In the papers bearing the codes AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH and XL, the General Aptitude section will carry 15% of the total marks and the remaining 85% of the total marks is devoted to the subject of the paper.

GATE 2018 would contain questions of two different types in various papers:

1. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) carrying 1 or 2 marks each in all papers and sections. These questions are objective in nature, and each will have a choice of four answers, out of which the candidate has to mark the correct answer(s).
2. Numerical Answer Questions of 1 or 2 marks each in all papers and sections. For these questions the answer is a real number, to be entered by the candidate using the virtual keypad. No choices will be shown for this type of questions.
3. Design of Questions- The questions in a paper may be designed to test the following abilities: (i) Recall: These are based on facts, principles, formulae or laws of the discipline of the paper. The candidate is expected to be able to obtain the answer either from his/her memory of the subject or at most from a one-line computation.
4. Marking Scheme: For 1-mark multiple-choice questions, 1/3 marks will be deducted for a wrong answer. Likewise, for 2-marks multiple-choice questions, 2/3 marks will be deducted for a wrong answer. There is no negative marking for numerical answer type questions.
5. General Aptitude (GA) Questions: Question Papers other than GG, XE and XL. GG (Geology and Geophysics), Paper XE Paper (Engineering Sciences), XL Paper (Life Sciences). Note on Negative Marking for Wrong Answers. For a wrong answer chosen for the multiple choice questions, there would be negative marking. For 1-mark multiple-choice questions, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. Likewise, for 2-mark multiple choice questions, 2/3 mark will be deducted for wrong answer. However, there is no negative marking for a wrong answer in numerical answer type questions.

Highlights of GATE Exam Pattern

Some key points about GATE Registration 2018:

• The application fee for GATE 2018 is INR 1500 for general category while for reserved category and female candidates, it is INR 750.
• Application Fee for centers outside India (Addis Ababa, Colombo, Dhaka, Kathmandu) is US$ 50. For Dubai and Singapore as exam centers, the fee is US$ 100.
• 3 choices of centers have to be filled during GATE Registration.
• Don’t forget to check the actual size of photograph and signature required for GATE Registration.

GATE Eligibility Criteria

It is advised to all the GATE aspirants to check their eligibility before making the registration. They can apply for only 1 paper in GATE. The minimum academic qualification to apply for GATE 2018 is indicated below for all the applicants:

• Bachelor’s degree (4 years after 10+2, or 3 years after Diploma) in the related engineering and science stream
• Master’s Degree in any branch of Mathematics/Science/Statistics/Computer Applications or equivalent degree.
• International applicants possessing a Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree in the related engineering or science stream.
• Students in final year of Bachelor’s/Master’s degree.
• There is no stipulated age limit criterion defined for GATE applicants.

NOTE: Candidates with a backlog in their qualifying exam have to submit a copy of the final year mark sheets or a declaration from their Principal along with the seal and signature.