Students find GATE easy on first day

S Sivamonica, an engineering graduate who took the computer-based test at the Rajalakshmi Engineering College, said that she felt the questions were not lengthy and did not require much time to be answered. 

N Sridhar, another candidate pursuing B.Tech (final year) at a Chennai based engineering college, said the machining part was tough for him. “The general aptitude portion in the test was easier than what we had expected. So I hope to score more marks,” he said. 

V Gokul, M. Tech (final year) student, had a different view about the test. “Several public sector undertakings recruit employees with GATE scores. I want to clear the exam and get placed in one of the top PSUs like Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) and National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO),” he said. 

This year candidates were provided with online virtual scientific calculator during the test. Some said they needed to click numbers using the mouse rather than keying on the number pad of the computer keyboard, which consumed more time and was hence a little complicated. 

According to Prof. V Subramanian, Chairman, GATE (IIT Madras zone) and organising chairman, Joint Admission Test for M.Sc 2016, about 37,000 candidates took the test on day one at 93 exam centres in the IIT-Madras zone and 10,000 of them were from Chennai.