GATE aspirants can challenge answer keys next year

Students appearing for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) next year will have the option to challenge the answer keys that are available two weeks after the tests.

Students appearing for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) next year will have the option to challenge the answer keys that are available two weeks after the tests.

While they will have to pay a fee to challenge the answers, students said that the ability to do so is a welcome change. The Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) has had the option of challenging the answers since it started.

GATE scores are used for admission to post-graduate engineering programs in centrally-funded Indian institutes including the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (IISc) and seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs)

According to the notification released by IISc, which is conducting the test this year, “After completion of GATE 2016 examination, all answer keys will be made available for dispute within a short time. Every answer key can be challenged. A nominal fee will be levied to prevent frivolous challenges.”

“Last year, only answer keys were available for students to review. The option to challenge answers is a good incorporation and will help students score better,”Amartya Singh, course director of TIME, a coaching institute.

Apart from challenging the answer keys, this year, students will not be allowed to carry their own calculators into the exam as they will be able to perform calculations on the screens. The GATE notification says that mock tests will also include the on-screen calculator so that students can get used to it.

Moreover, a new paper- Petroleum Engineering - has been introduced.