Mumbai: Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is one of the toughest tests in India. More than nine lakh eligible candidates apply for the test.There are some key statistics on number of candidates register for the test and number of candidates qualify, which reflect some interesting trend.After analyzing historical trend of GATE, SkillOutlook presents some trends which may help aspirants to strategize their preparation for the test.
More than nine lakh candidates apply for GATE: The eligible aspirants apply in a large number for GATE. For GATE 2017, more than 9.22 lakh candidates registered to appear the test. Meanwhile, for GATE 2016, more than 9.7 lakh candidates applied for the test. Five year before in 2012, more than 7.7 lakh candidates registered for GATE exam.
GATE 2013 saw highest candidates: More than 12 lakh candidates applied for GATE 2013, which was the highest in recent years. Gradually, the number of registered candidates declined to 9 lakh since 2013, when it reached peak. In GATE 2013, more than 1.36 lakh candidates qualified the test. The percentage of qualified candidates stood at 13.9% in 2013.
Historical GATE qualified rate 15-17%: Only 15 to 17% candidates are able to qualify the test. In GATE 2017, the pass rate was 16% while for GATE 2016, the pass rate was 16.5%. In GATE 2015, 15% of candidates appeared were able to clear the test.
| Year | Registered | Appeared | Qualified | % Qualified |
| 2006 | 184308 | 170252 | 33813 | 19.86 |
| 2007 | 168917 | 153822 | 44387 | 28.86 |
| 2008 | 184672 | 166027 | 31694 | 19.09 |
| 2009 | 230341 | 212130 | 35273 | 16.63 |
| 2010 | 460541 | 420596 | 59853 | 14.23 |
| 2011 | 612568 | 558480 | 96239 | 17.23 |
| 2012 | 777134 | 686614 | 108526 | 15.81 |
| 2013 | 1200728 | 984855 | 136699 | 13.88 |
| 2014 | 1033625 | 889157 | 149694 | 16.84 |
| 2015 | 927580 | 804463 | 121060 | 15.05 |
| 2016 | 971831 | 818850 | 135392 | 16.53 |
| 2017 | 922167 | 787148 | 129149 | 16% |
Mechanical, Civil, Electrical and Computer Science see highest registration among subjects: GATE 2017 test was held in 23 papers (subjects). Out of these 23 subjects, Mechanical Engineering (ME) had the highest of registered candidates with 217,835 applicants. Electronics & Communication Engineering (EC) saw the second highest candidates with 171,160 applicants. Civil Engineering (CE, 147,012 applicants), Electrical Engineering (EE, 135426), Computer Science & Information Technology (CS, 116,754) had a large number of candidates.
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati is the organizing institute of Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2018. IIT Guwahati has already announced the key dates (schedule), eligibility and subject syllabus of GATE 2018 exam. GATE 2018 Online Examination will be held on February 03- 04 & February 10- 11, 2018 (Saturdays & Sundays). Full notification for GATE 2018 is yet to be released.
