The GATE examination consists of a single paper of 3 hours duration and of 150 marks. The choice of the appropriate paper is the responsibility of the candidate. The question paper of GATE  will be fully of objective type. The question papers will be in English only. 

GATE  will have the following papers - Aerospace Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Architecture and Planning, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering, Chemistry, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Geology & Geophysics, Instrumentation Engineering, Information Technology, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Mining Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Physics, Production & Industrial Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Textile Engineering & Fiber Science, Engineering Science, Life Sciences. 

Papers like Engineering Science and Life Sciences are of general nature. Engineering Science comprise of  the following topics like Engg. Mathematics (Compulsory), Computational Science, Electrical Sciences, Fluid Mechanics, Materials Science, Solid Mechanics, Thermodynamics.

Life Sciences include Chemistry (Compulsory), Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Botany, Microbiology, Zoology

Candidates appearing in  these papers are required to answer three sections. Engg. Mathematics and Chemistry are compulsory. Candidates can choose any two out of the remaining sections mentioned against the respective papers.

Some guidelines are suggested below:

• Candidates are expected to appear in a paper appropriate to the discipline of their qualifying degree.

• The candidates are free to choose any paper according to their admission plan, keeping in mind the eligibility criteria of the admitting institute.

• Candidates have to mark the correct choice by darkening the appropriate bubble against each question on an Objective Response Sheet (ORS).

• There will be 'negative' marking for wrong answers. The deduction will be 25% of the marks allotted.

The criteria for postgraduate admission with scholarship/assistantship are different in various Institutes. For more details, the candidates are required to contact the institutes/universities to which they are interested in seeking admission.

Every qualified candidate will receive an original GATE Score Card which will include the GATE Score, Percentile Score and Rank of the candidate. The Gate score is valid for two years. Additional Score Cards, up to a maximum of two, will be issued on request and on payment of Rs 250/- per card.

Exam centers

Indian Institute of Science Bangalore Zone-Ananthapur, Bangalore, Davangere, Hassan, Hyderabad, Kurnool, Mahbubnagar, Mysore, Surathkal

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Zone- Akola, Amravati, Aurangabad, Gulbarga, Hubli, Jalgaon, Kolhapur, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nanded, Nasik, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Sangli, Shegaon, Solapur, Surat, Thane, Goa

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi Zone -Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Amritsar, Bathinda, Chandigarh, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Moga, New Delhi, Patiala, Pilani, Srinagar (J&K), Udaipur, Vadodara

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Zone- Agartala, Asansol, Bhagalpur, Dhanbad, Durgapur, Gangtok, Guwahati, Imphal, Itanagar, Jorhat, Kalyani, Patna, Silchar, Siliguri

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur Zone-Allahabad, Bhopal, Gorakhpur, Indore, Jabalpur, Jhansi
Kanpur, Lucknow, Saugar (Sagar, MP),Sultanpur, Ujjain

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Zone- Balasore, Berhampur (Orissa), Bhimavaram, Bhubaneswar ,Bilaspur, Cuttack, Eluru,  Jamshedpur, Kakinada (AP)Kharagpur, Kolkata, Kothagudem, Machilipatnam, Jaipur, Rajahmundry, Ranchi, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Tadepalligudem, Vijayawada, Vishakapatnam

Indian Institute of Technology Madras Zone-Bapatla, Calicut, Chennai, Chidambaram,Coimbatore, Cuddapah, Dindigul, Ernakulam, Guntur, Kannur, Kollam, Kottayam, Madurai, Manchiriyala, Nagercoil, Nellore, Ongole, Palakkad, Tenali, Pondicherry, Salem, Thanjavur, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Tiruchirapalli, Tirupati, Warangal, Tirunelveli

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee Zone-Agra, Aligarh, Bareilly, Bijnor, Dehradun, Ghaziabad
Gwalior, Hamirpur(HP), Haridwar, Hissar, Kota, Mathura, Kurukshetra, Meerut, Noida, Pantnagar,
Rohtak, Roorkee, Shimla,Yamunanagar