Benefits of GATE Exam

Today we want to talk about all those options that life after GATE offers you, other than that of working in best PSUs of the country. GATE is a national level examination conducted every year by the GATE committee. The examination is mainly for graduates and post graduates in the field of engineering, architecture or science. The examination tests the candidate’s knowledge of the subject that he/she has applied from by having questions which are mix of both conceptual and application based. The mode of the examination is online and is for duration of 3 hours.

There is no upper limit to the age for being eligible for the GATE examination. Also a candidate can give unlimited number of attempts in the GATE examination and the score obtained is valid for only 3 years from the result date. Life after GATE exam offers one a plethora of options to choose from. What is required is that one chooses his options sincerely and then apply to colleges or PSUs that one deems important for herself or himself.

Apart from PSUs, GATE offers you a wide range of opportunities and we will be discussing about it today:

1. Post-Graduation, M.Tech :

Once you have qualified the GATE examination with good score and percentile you can choose the path for higher studies. Various top institutes in India like IITs, NITs or IISC offer M.Tech and ME courses and the criteria to apply for these courses are by cracking the GATE examination. The private institutes too look for GATE qualified candidates for their M.Tech programs. While most of the students choose the M.Tech programs there are other programs too in the IITs, NITs or IISC that the student can opt for.

MS by research is one upcoming program that is becoming popular among the students. Each year once the GATE exam results are out, all the institutes they release their cut off marks based on the vacancies in the course, the GATE result and the reservation criteria. Certain things have to keep in mind while you choose your institute. These important points are the college you opt for and the specialization you want. Depending on what your priority is choose the other wisely.

Choosing institute: As was mentioned earlier, all the colleges have GATE as the criteria for receiving application to their M.Tech program. Which college you are provided depends on your rank, the marks obtained in the GATE examination and your choice of specialization. The admission process varies based on the institute you are applying for.

IITs: The admission to the IITs are through the COAP (Common Offer Acceptance Portal), the common admission portal which has been set up to provide a common platform for M.Tech applicants of IITs. The admission offers will be commonly available through GATE COAP but it will be compulsory for the candidates to apply for the respective IITs individually.

The candidates first need to register with the IITs and apply for their choice of course that they want to pursue. After that one has to register with the COAP to check the number of seats allotted to the candidate. The candidate has three options to choose from: accept and freeze, reject and wait and retain and wait. If you want to confirm your admission in any seat allotted you must pay the fee and lock your seat.

NITs: The admission to NITs through GATE is done by the CCMT (Centralized Counselling for M.Tech) method, which is a centralized counseling system. In this method you have to register, fill in your choices and lock your choices. Depending on the vacancies and your marks you will be allotted seats. To confirm your seat you must pay the seat confirmation fee and finally register in the allotted college.

Specialization: Depending on the latest trend and what is gaining prominence in the engineering sector you must choose your specialization very judiciously. This specialization will help shape your future. So based on your branch and the college you want to study and future career prospects choose your specialization with care.

For the students opting for higher students the provision for fellowship programs is also available which the students with a valid GATE score can avail. A monthly stipend is fix for all the M.Tech students and various programs such as student exchange, research internship program etc. are also offered in these M.Tech programs through which you can get further assistance for your research work.

GATE fellowship programs:

Candidates with a valid GATE score card are also eligible for fellowship programs by institutions supported by the MHRD and other Government agencies. For the M.Tech students the fellowship is offered in semester basis for 2 years, whereas for the PhD students it is offered for a maximum of 5 years. A stipend of INR 12,400 per month is provided to M.Tech students for 8 hours of work per week, whereas a monthly stipend of INR 25,000 for up to 2 years is provided to Ph.D. students. For the Ph.D. students the financial assistance is raised by INR 3,000 for the next two years. The programs also offer Additional assistantships in the form of scholarships, fellowship programs, etc. which may be available through other organizations, such as CSIR, DAE, etc.

2. Post-Graduation, other courses:

Other than the M.Tech courses offered by colleges for post-graduation, various colleges offer courses of PGDIE (Post graduate diploma courses in Engineering), PGDIM (Post Graduate diploma in Industrial Management), PGDPM (Post Graduate Diploma in Product Management). One can apply to these courses after the GATE results are out.

NITIE Mumbai, which is a very renowned college for its academics and college placements, also inducts students in the post graduate diploma courses in Engineering through GATE. The NITIE campus at Mumbai runs three Post Graduate Diploma courses for Engineers. The admission criterion is based on GATE score plus GD/PI. It is one of the best’s institutions for pursuing Post Graduation in the field of Industrial Engineering.

Not many students are aware of the “Fellow Program in Management (FPM)” offered by the IIMs in which students are selected on the basis of GATE score also. The Fellow Program in Management (FPM) is the doctoral program offered by the IIMs. The objective of this FPM program is to develop and provide students with necessary skills to identify and research complex issues in the field of management.

Unlike all the other program in IIMs, which require heavy fee there is no fee for this program, besides this you are entitled to an awesome monthly scholarship for the duration of the study and yearly contingency allowance to cover the expenses of research, books, photocopy and many more.  Apart from that boarding and lodging is also free for all students in most of the institutes. The scholarship amount offered by all the IIMs is not same, but it’s the best that you can get in India compared to any other doctorate program. There are many other financial benefits too, which depends on the institute in which you get the admission.

3. Fly abroad for Higher studies:

If you dream of pursuing higher studies from a foreign university, GATE helps you fulfill your this  dream too. Other than the opportunity to apply for an M.Tech programs in India, GATE also offers you the opportunity to study abroad in various universities and colleges. Some of the foreign universities that accept GATE score are National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore, Technical university of Germany, RWTH ACHEN Germany. So GATE is also your solution to studying abroad in the best universities without a GRE score.

4. Research:

Your GATE score remains valid for 3 years. So subsequent to your M.Tech if you are really passionate about your subject and want to explore on the same front you must apply for research, junior research scholarship in laboratories. Research is a field in our country which has not been developed and explored really well, which is why students opt for going to foreign countries for research. Keeping in mind the same mindset the government also is promoting research work and provides stipend to research scholars.

Therefore, instead of going for a regular job you can go into the field of research, earn well through the stipend and continue on your quest for discovering something big in life. Research is a filed which is gaining great momentum in the country and opting for the same can help provide you a leap in your career and provide you the best job you need. Research also helps you provide path breaking career paths for you with a stable economic condition.

5. Sponsorship:

Various government bodies offer sponsorship program to GATE qualified employees. So if you are working in a eminent government bodies like DRDO, ISRO, BARC, Doordarshan, IAF, INDIAN NAVY and Army etc, then a good GATE score can be a bonus for your career. The Gate score makes you eligible for their sponsorship programs, which continues for two years. These sponsorships are offered with a clause that once the M.Tech or ME is completed the candidates must work for the organization providing sponsorship for a few years. Thus a good GATE score offers you a lot of benefits.

6. Job Assurance:

The GATE score provides one a job assurance, whether through the PSUs or later if you opt for M.Tech or ME. A valid GATE score is your ticket to success. You can also get an opportunity for a technical job profile which will help you to fulfil your dream and live a comfortable life. While studying too you can work as teaching assistants in college under the professor and actually support your studies well.

While the GATE examination is becoming really popular these days, students still are not aware of the opportunities through GATE. With this article we have provided you the help to actually find your perfect match and choose from the immense career options that GATE offers you. Out of all the other exams, the GATE examination is one of the most effective ways to achieve a combination of an exciting career with job security. We all dream of having a future that excites us and actually pumps us to do the best in your career. Your GATE score will help you to choose your dreams and make a scintillating career in your subject. From M.Tech to post graduation Diploma course to fellowship programs, PSUs, foreign studies GATE is a Pandora box which offers the students various chances to grow their careers.

Now as the GATE examination is over and the results are out, keep looking for various gateways that the GATE examination opens for you. We hope you find the best for yourself. Do write to us if you have any other query. We wish you all the very best for a bright and prosperous future.