By: Kandarp Patel
Only PSUs and IITs are not the options in GATE. There are also some good options or opportunities apart from these if your GATE score is low.
Got a low score in GATE 2020? There would be a lot of questions running through your head right now. Read this article to know what all options and opportunities you can still avail of.
The first step is to seriously think, whether or not should you re-attempt. If you are ready to do enough hard work for one more year and your passion is to pursue MTech from any of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) or to obtain a job in public sector undertakings (PSUs), then go for one more attempt.
Explore colleges based on GATE
However, remember the risk will be higher. If you are ready for one more attempt then try to do a job or take admission in MTech in any private university along with the preparation for safer side. I am not advising you to do MTech from any private university as it is not worth but it is a better option than just to do GATE preparation.
Only PSUs and IITs are not the options in GATE. There are also some good options or opportunities apart from these if your GATE score is low. These include:
- MTech from NITs
- MTech from top state universities
- MTech or MS from foreign universities
- Research & development programmes in India or abroad
- MS from IITs (Apply in Winter session)
- PhD courses After BTech from IITs (Apply in Winter session)
- Project assistantship
- Interdisciplinary programmes from IITs
- Job opportunities in private companies if GATE qualified or appeared (varies from company to company)
Entrance Exams apart from GATE
There are various entrance exams apart from GATE to get admission to an MTech course from some good institutes. These include:
| Entrance Exam |
Institute |
|---|---|
| Postgraduate Entrance Examination (PGEE) |
Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Hyderabad |
| IIIT Delhi M.Tech Entrance Exam |
IIIT Delhi |
| IIIT Bangalore M.Tech Entrance Exam |
IIIT Bangalore |
| IIIT Bhubaneswar M.Tech Entrance Exam |
IIIT Bhubaneswar |
| Vellore Institute of Technology Master’s Entrance Exam (VITMEE) |
VIT University |
| SRM Graduate Engineering Test (SRMGEET) |
SRM University |
| BITSAT Entrance Exam |
Birla Institute of Technology & Science |
| DAIICT Entrance Exam |
Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology (DAIICT) |
| UPES Entrance Exam |
University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) Dehradun |
| Calicut University M.Tech Entrance Exam |
Calicut University |
| Nirma University M.Tech Entrance Exam |
Nirma University |
| LPUNEST (M.Tech) |
Lovely Professional University (LPU) |
| Manipal Entrance Test PG (MET) |
Manipal University |
| Jawaharlal Nehru University Combined Entrance Examination for Biotechnology (JNU CEEB) |
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) |
Note: Apart from these entrance exams there are also state-wise M.Tech entrance exams of various states. Kindly go through the official websites of these institutes for detailed information like application form, dates & schedules and eligibility.
Don’t worry about a low score, there are many options mentioned above. Kindly go through all these options and make your decision wisely whether to choose any one option from these or to go for reattempt of GATE.
About the Author:
Kandarp Patel is a student at Nirma University, Ahemdabad, pursuing Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering (final year). He is also a campus representative with Shiksha.com since 2016.
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Student Forum
Answered 3 days ago
MANIT M.Tech fellowship is paid every month based on your attendance. You need to fill out a simple form and get it signed by your teacher. This shows you attended your classes and did your lab assistant work. Once the department confirms this, the money goes straight to your bank account.
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered 3 days ago
MANIT M.Tech application starts by qualifying the GATE. Next, you register on the CCMT portal during the month of May. You will fill in your personal details and upload your scorecard. Then, you must list your preferred branches at MANIT in order. If you are allotted a seat, pay the fee and verify y
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered a week ago
This year, 10,11,719 candidates registered for Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering, and 797434 candidates appeared for the GATE. The number of qualified students list will be available once statistical report is released.
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
Yes, COAP is only for M.Tech and PhD admissions at IITs and IISc Bangalore. The portal also updates job offers for some PSUs. Overall, around 23+ IITs participate in GATE COAP counselling every year.
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With a GATE EC 2026 score of 609 and EWS category rank, you are well within the cutoff range for M.Tech in VLSI/Microelectronics at several IITs (like IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Roorkee) and top NITs (like NIT Trichy, NIT Warangal, NIT Calicut). Your score is strong enough to target premier in
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Yes, you can join NIT Puducherry without GATE, but only through specific alternative admission channels such as the Self-Support M.Tech program, Sponsored/QIP (Quality Improvement Program), or DASA (Direct Admission of Students Abroad). Regular M.Tech seats are primarily filled via GATE and CCMT cou
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The GATE exam is conducted in the month of February. Registrations can be done on respective website. The application forms are generally out in last week of August. The application fee is INR 1,000 (female/SC/ST/PWD) and INR 2,000 (Male/General/OBC/EWS). Students have to register separately on univ
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Answered 2 weeks ago
No, Indian students don't need JEE, NEET, or GATE exam score to get a seat at Imperial College. However, programs like MBBS (UCAT), MBA (GMAT), and some STEM programs (ESAT, TMUA, GRE) do ask for additional test scores.
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Yes, you can get admission in M.Tech without GATE exam at MIT College of Management and Computer Application. In that case, you can appear for PERA CET or MIT-WPU CET exam and get a valid score for admission.
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Answered 2 weeks ago
| Target Performance | Desired Score | Approx. Questions to Attempt | Reasoning |
| Top IITs / PSUs | 70 - 85+ | 55 - 60 Questions | High attempts with near-perfect accuracy are required to compete for the top 500 ranks. |
| Old IITs / Top NITs | 55 - 70 | 45 - 52 Questions | A safe zone where you focus on high-weightage topics and core subjects. |
| Qualification / New NITs | 30 - 45 | 35 - 40 Questions | Focus on General Aptitude, Mathematics, and your the strongest 3–4 technical subjects. |
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