A highly competitive exam, the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) throws up opportunities for engineering graduates to pursue higher studies at the top institutions in the country.
The GATE results were declared recently and the results showcased the severe competition. Only 1.8 lakh candidates could qualify out of the 6.86 lakh who took the test. Now these qualified candidates have to once again compete among themselves to enter into the top institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science, the Indian Institutes of Technology, the National Institutes of Technology and the best engineering colleges. The post-admission process is quite complicated and without proper guidance, it is easy for an aspirant to miss out on his programme of choice. So it is always better to take the guidance of experienced faculty or trainers. Some institutes have created evaluators that can guide the successful candidates on the future course of action based on their rank, category and interest.
“The GateForum has created a software which by using inputs like the GATE 2012 rank and stream will show all the possible options for a student for a particular institute. The IISc, the seven IITs and six NITs are currently listed in the evaluator,” says the GateForum Director, Aditya Reddy. The institutes can be classified into seven groups with Group I being the most desired by candidates.
IISc
The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (IISc) has three different programmes — ME, M.Tech. and MS — across various disciplines. The ME and M.Tech. programmes are more industry-oriented, while the MS programmes are more research-oriented. Also, a student has the option of stretching the MS programme by six months, which is not possible for the ME and M.Tech. programmes.
The ME programmes are offered in the traditional disciplines, while the M.Tech. courses are offered in the more contemporary disciplines. Also, the admission to ME programmes is based only on the GATE score, while the admission to M.Tech. and MS programmes is based on a written test or interview after screening based on GATE score.
Who should apply?
For ME courses those who figure in ranks less than 100 can apply, while for MS courses those in the top 1,200 ranks can apply. The last date for online application is March 21 and the last date for receipt of printed version of online application form at the IISc is March 26. Details are available on www.iisc.ernet.in.
Admissions at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, are directly based on GATE scores and test plus interview for some departments (if the GATE score is lower). Those who fall in the ranks of 150-170 can apply and expect a direct admission, whereas those in the 500-600 rank bracket can expect test and interview calls for some departments, Mr. Aditya Reddy says.
IITs, Kanpur and Delhi, have a mix of direct (GATE score) and test-and-interview based admissions, whereas at IIT Madras, it is mostly direct admission. Ideally those with ranks between 80 and 250 can apply.
Admission to all the programmes in IIT Kharagpur is directly based on the GATE score. This is ideal for those with ranks between 250 and 500. IITs, Roorkee and Guwahati and the Institute of Technology of Banaras Hindu University can be put in Group IV.
IITs Roorkee and Guwahati admit students based on written test plus interview and are ideal for those with ranks between 500 and 1,000.
The NITs and IIIT, Hyderabad, can be classified into Group V.
They are ideal for those with ranks between 1,000 and 1,500.
Admission process varies from institute to institute. For example, the NIT, Warangal, has direct admission, while others follow written test plus interview. University engineering colleges, government engineering colleges, Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, and so on can be put in Group VI and they are ideal for those with ranks between 1,500 and 2,500.
All the private colleges can be put in a separate group.
Admission notification of IITs, Delhi, Bombay, Madras, and Kanpur have been issued ,while the remaining IITs and NITs are likely to issue them soon.
