How to Prepare for the GATE 2024 Exam

Are you planning to apply for the GATE 2024 exam? Then this article is a must-read for you. The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering is a national-level examination conducted every year to offer admission to master’s programmes, postgraduate engineering (ME/M.Tech) and other analytical-based courses related to the field of engineering or architecture.

The GATE score is used by various Public Sector Undertakings to recruit candidates for jobs at Indian Oil, GAIL, etc. Around 8.5 lakh students appear for the examination every year, out of which only a handful are able to clear the test. The examination preparation needs to be very strong.

This year, the examination was conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Kharagpur, on February 4, 5, 11, and 12 for 29 papers. As per the information released, the GATE exam registration will be conducted in August 2023.

The table mentioned below provides some important GATE 2024 exam details.

Important Days GATE 2024 Dates
Official notification August 2023
GATE 2024 registration  August 2023
Application submission deadline October 2023
Application correction November 2023
Admit card release date January 2024
GATE 2024 exam date February 2024
Release of response sheets February 2024
Answer key release date February 2024
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering result date March 2024

How to Prepare for the GATE 2024?

Strategy planning is the first and most crucial step to cracking a competitive examination. And the best way to do that is by first going through the exam pattern. Your first plan of action when preparing for the GATE exam should be to understand the GATE exam pattern.

When you don’t feel alienated and know what is going to happen next, you feel more confident and less confused. This helps to get yourself mentally prepared for the learning journey. Once you finish that, follow the steps mentioned below to ace the examination strategically.

Schedule: Create a timetable that is easy to follow and work according to that so you complete all the required tasks on time.

Step-by-step learning: Complete one concept and then move to another. Don’t rush into completing the syllabus. Focus on easy concepts first and then proceed to complicated concepts. Quantity learning is more critical than quantity learning.

Tests: After completing each unit, take a small test to check your knowledge. Then focus on the gaps. Don’t forget to clear your doubts. Once you are confident enough, move on to the next topic.

Revise: Recall what you have learnt regularly so that it becomes easier for your brain to store information.

Previous year’s papers: Attempt past years’ question papers to check your knowledge and learn how to manage time so that you don’t face any issues on the day of the examination. This also allows students to get familiarised with the exam structure and helps to build confidence.

What Is the Exam Pattern of GATE 2024?

Particulars Information
Total Subjects  29
Sections General Aptitude (GA) +

Candidate’s Selected Subject

Type of Questions
  • Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQ)
  • Multiple-Select Questions (MSQ) and/or Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions
Questions for Testing These Abilities
  • Recall
  • Comprehension
  • Application
  • Analysis & Synthesis
Number of Questions 10 (GA) + 55 (subject) = 65 Questions
Distribution of Marks in all Papers

EXCEPT Papers AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH,

XH and XL

General Aptitude: 15 Marks +

Engineering Mathematics: 13 Marks +

Subject Questions: 72 Marks =

Total: 100 Marks

Distribution of Marks in Papers AR, CY,

EY, GG, MA, PH, XH and XL

General Aptitude: 15 Marks +

Subject Questions: 85 Marks =

Total: 100 Marks

Marking Scheme Questions carry 1 mark and 2 marks
Negative Marking
  • Negative marking will be done for every wrong answer.
  • In case of 1-mark MCQ, 1/3 mark

will be deducted for a wrong answer. Likewise, for a 2-mark MCQ, a 2/3 mark will be deducted.