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88-year-old engineer and 15-year-old undergraduate student register for GATE 2021
An 88-year-old civil engineer from Uttar Pradesh (UP) and a 15-year-old undergraduate student from Rajasthan have registered to take the Graduate Aptitude Test in
An 88-year-old civil engineer from Uttar Pradesh (UP) and a 15-year-old undergraduate student from Rajasthan have registered to take the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), making them the oldest and youngest candidates for the competitive exam.
GATE, an entrance exam for masters courses in science institutes, is being conducted by IIT Bombay this year. In addition to science students, the exam has been thrown open to commerce and arts students for the first time.
“This year we have allowed third-year students of all courses — including science, commerce and arts — to apply,” said Deepankar Choudhury, organising chairperson and institute chair professor at IIT Bombay. More than 14,000 candidates from commerce and arts streams have applied for the exam this year.
A civil engineer from UP, born in 1932, has become the oldest GATE candidate, beating the record from two years ago when a 75-year-old had applied. “The beauty of the exam is that there is no age limit so anyone can take the exam with the minimum qualifying degree,” said Choudhury.
The youngest candidate is a 2005-born instrumentation engineering student from Rajasthan.
“We were expecting the minimum age would be a year lower. However, this candidate, who may be a child prodigy, has surprised us. He is in the third year of his engineering course,” Choudhury said.
The GATE score is for admissions to Masters and doctoral programmes at IITs and Indian Institutes of Science (IISc), among other institutions. It is also a qualifier for placements in public sector undertakings and mandatory for many government scholarships and assistantships.
More than 8.8 lakh candidates have registered for the exam this year. The exam will be held between February 5 and February 14, 2021. Candidates can choose from 27 subjects.
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