GATE vs IES Exam; Get here detail comparison

GATE vs IES exam. Read on for the detailed comparison of both the exam.

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering GATE) and Engineering Services Examination (IES) are the two most sought after exams after the engineering degree. The number of engineering graduates passing every year is increasing year after year, but the number of candidates registering for higher education is very less. The candidates need to have a valid GATE score to get admission in government and private institutes for higher studies. The candidates need a good GATE score to become eligible for higher studies.

The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is a national level exam conducted to test the comprehensive understanding of the candidate in subjects like Engineering / Technology / Architecture and post-graduate level subjects in Arts, Commerce and Science. GATE exam and IES exam are two different exams because the GATE enables the candidates to do further studies but IES exam is the gateway to the specialised Central Service under the Government of India. IES and GATE both are the pan India level exam and the number of candidates appearing in both the exams is approximately equal.

The following comparison will provide a clear comparison between GATE and IES.

Conducting Body

Every year the GATE is conducted jointly by seven Indian Institute technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science Bangalore on behalf of the National Coordination Board (NCB)-GATE,

Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India. GATE examination is a Computer-Based Test (CBT) conducted across the nation at various designated examination centres.

The exam conducting body changes every year and the GATE 2021 will be conducted by IIT Bombay. The GATE exam is conducted outside India as well.

IES is a recruitment exam conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) every year to recruit candidates for the Indian Engineering Services (IES). IES is a central service having a pan India outlook. The candidates recruited by the IES exam can be posted anywhere in India in various central government departments. IES exam is conducted in India only.

Eligibility              

The eligibility criteria for GATE exam is much diversified. Since the GATE exam is conducted to provide a score to the candidates to get admission in Master of Engineering (ME), Masters in Technology (MTech) and direct PhD admissions. The educational eligibility as defined in the GATE notification is as follows.

• BE/BTech/BPharm
• BArch
• MSc/MA/MCA
• MBBS
• BSc/BA (For some courses)

The GATE exam is conducted in twenty-five subjects and from 2021, the number of subjects is increased to twenty-seven.

IES exam is conducted by UPSC every year and the Eligibility criteria for the exam is an Engineering degree in the following subjects

• Civil Engineering  
• Mechanical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering

The candidates having the abovementioned engineering degree are allowed to appear in the IES exam.

Syllabus

Apart from the syllabus of the opted subject, verbal ability and Numerical ability is common to all the papers in GATE exam. In IES exam, General Studies and Engineering Aptitude paper is common for all the candidates.

Get details about GATE syllabus 2021

The GATE syllabus is released in the GATE information brochure released by the exam conducting body. The IES syllabus is released by UPSC in the Engineering Services Exam notification.

Get here: IES exam syllabus

Purpose

The very purpose of the GATE and IES exam is different. GATE score serves as the eligibility score to apply for the higher studies. Qualifying in GATE is a mandatory requirement for seeking admission and/or financial assistance to:

• Master’s programs and direct Doctoral programs in Engineering/Technology/Architecture and
• Doctoral programs in relevant branches of Science, in the institutions supported by the MHRD and other Government agencies.

Some colleges and institutions, which admit students without government scholarship/assistantship, the GATE qualification is mandatory. Further, many Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) use the GATE score in their recruitment process.

IES exam is conducted to recruit the candidates for the Indian Engineering Services (IES). The candidates selected in the IES exam are assigned to the government departments after training.

Exam Process

GATE exam is a single-stage exam conducted in the CBT format across the nation. There is no essay type subjective paper in GATE. The GATE exam is conducted on multiple days, as per the number of candidates appearing in each subject stream. There is no interview in the GATE exam.

See here: GATE Pattern

IES exam is a three-stage exam conducted in the offline mode. The IES prelims exam is conducted offline at various exam centres simultaneously on a single day. The IES main exam is a conventional essay type exam conducted in a pen and paper mode. After the IES main exam, eligible candidates are called for the interview in UPSC office, New Delhi.

See here: IES exam pattern         

Validity of Score

The validity of GATE score is three years. The institutes or the PSU which accept a valid GATE score only. It means that a candidate can use his GATE score for three years after appearing in the GATE only once. The GATE score would reflect the relative performance level of the candidate in a particular subject, which is quantified based on the several years of examination data.

There is no such arrangement in the IES exam. If the candidate is selected, he will join the service. The other candidates need to appear again in the IES exam. UPSC releases the marks of candidates (who did not qualify for the exam) for other recruitment agencies to consider for recruitment.