1 REPORT OF GATE PAPER RESTRUCTURING COMMITTEE
The GATE Paper Restructuring Committee has met twice. The First Meeting took place on December 25, 2008 at IIT Delhi. The members present were Prof. V. Ramanarayanan, Prof. B. Jayram, Prof. S. V. Rao, Prof. V. Jagadeesh Kumar, Prof. N. M. Bh andari and Prof. S. S. Major. Prof. G. Biswas and Prof. O. P. Sha could not attend the meeting. The Second Meeting took place at IIT Delhi during March 28-29, 2009. All the members of the committee, namely, Prof. V. Ramanarayanan, Prof. B. Jayram, Prof. S. V. Rao, Prof. V. Jagadeesh Kumar, Prof. N. M. Bhandari, Prof. R. K. Dube, Prof. O. P. Sha, Prof. T. Sundararajan and Prof. S. S. Major attended the meeting. A brief report of the two meetings and the recommendations of the committee are given below: A. REPORT OF FIRST MEETING
The committee deliberated on the following issues: 1. Problem with GATE Papers The nature of the problems faced by GATE Question papers was discussed and the following issues were identified.
a) In GATE 2009, there were 19 main papers and 11 section papers (under XE and XL Papers), which is considered to be a large number and results in increased operational burden on various examination processes, such as, paper setting and conduct of examination. b) There is a significant content overlap ove rlap between various GATE papers. c) There is limited scope for testing of some non-core and interdisciplinary engineering subjects. d) New interdisciplinary subjects, which overlap engineering and biology, such as Biotechnology and Bioinformatics have emerged and call for a revision of the XL paper structure. The testing of mathematical ability of students from some some biorelated backgrounds also needs to be incorporated. e) The papers do not contain any aptitude test component, such as verbal, comprehension and logical reasoning etc. f) The Sciences papers of GATE are also limited to testing the capability of candidates only in their specialization. These papers do not attempt to test any aptitude or applied component, nor awareness of broader scientific/engineering aspect, which may be useful u seful in testing the suitability of candidates who wish to move into interdisciplinary programmes at the interface of science and engineering. g) There is a large variation in the qualifying percentage across various papers and across years. For example, GATE 2008 data shows a variation from 11 % to 50% qualification across disciplines. It is noticed that usually, the papers with smaller number of candidates have a larger qualifying percentage.
2 2. History of GATE Papers The History of GATE papers was reviewed. A summary is presented below:
1983 - 85 Paper I - General Engg. Sciences / General Sciences Paper II - Engineering Streams / Science Streams 1986 - 88 Paper I - SE paper (4 sections to be attempted from several (11 -14) sections) Paper II – Engineering and Sciences Specializations (14 -16) Appearance in only Paper - I was allowed for candidates not belonging to disciplines under paper II. 1989 – 92 Paper I – SE paper was divided in two parts SEA and SEB Paper II – Engineering and Sciences Specializations Both SEA and SEB had several sections, out of which any 4 were to be attempted. The choice of SEA and SEB depended on the qualifying discipline of the candidate (as per the provided list). The other candidates were allowed to appear in paper I only. 1993 A Single paper of 4 / 3 / 2 hours duration (depending on qualifying discipline) was introduced, with the following description: Major Engg. disciplines - 4 hrs paper having 75 marks portion on core (having 3 compulsory sections) and a 125 marks portion for specialization. PH, CH, MA, PY, AR - 3 hrs paper XA, XB - 2 hrs paper having one(1) compulsory and several optional sections for candidates from non-core disciplines. XA was meant primarily for candidates with Engg/ Physics/ Mathematics backgrounds and XB for Biology/Chemistry/ Earth Sciences Backgrounds. 1994 Main papers – 20 in various Engg. and Science disciplines SE paper - having eight (8) sections ( 3 sections to be attempted) for non-core area candidates For 8 papers, with smaller registrations, GATE was conducted only at 20 centres. 1996 -1998 SE paper was split into XE (Engineering Sciences) , XL ( Life Sciences) , XP ( Physical Sciences) and only 12 main papers were offered Selected centres policy was dropped. 1999 – 2008 XP dropped in 2000; XE and XL continue with varying no. of Sections Main Papers - Nos. vary from 17 – 20
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3. Possible Models While discussing the possible models, it was agreed that the structure of GATE Papers should not only be versatile to cover the needs of candidates from different backgrounds, including those with smaller numbers from non-core areas, but also be flexible and expandable to incorporate the requirements with changing times. In particular, the following possibilities were discussed.
a) Limit to a few Main papers in core areas which also have alternative sections for overlapping areas. In addition, have a more versatile and flexible XE and XL type sections. b) Have a certain number (say 6-8) of XE / XL type papers (with several sections each) covering different core and non-core science and engineering disciplines. c) Have 30 to 40 sections (each, roughly 1/3 of the present main paper) and allow candidates to opt for any three sections. d) An aptitude component should be added in GATE papers.
4. Relevant Data The committee felt the need to look at the following data before further deliberations on restructuring GATE Papers. It was noted that this data was not available in the GATE Statistical Reports:
a) Complete Registration Data of Qualifying Disciplines of candidates vs. Opted GATE Papers. b) Appearance data for all GATE papers including, the section combinations of XE/ XL papers attempted by candidates from various qualifying disciplines. c) Data from admitting institutes on the M.Tech. programmes / scho larships available across the country.
4 B. REPORT OF SECOND MEETING
The above listed data for the year 2009, was made available to the committee. The committee had detailed deliberations on this data, which are summarized below: 1. Registration Data
a) The Main Papers can be approximately divided into three categories in terms of the number of registrations in GATE 2009. It may be noted that the registrations in 2009 have gone up by about 20 %, compared to 2008. The relative trend amongst different disciplines for the last 10 years or so, however, were similar.6 Category A: Registration nearly or higher than 5,000 candidates: CE (9695), CH (4587), CS (46960), CY (7674), EE (23518), EC (47606), IN (6200), PH (6209), PY (26054), ME (25889), XL (15006) Category B: Registration between 1000 – 3000 candidates: AR (1265), MA (3151), PI (1539), XE (1227) Category C: Registration lower than 1000 candidates: AE (913), AG (698), GG (827), MN (163), MT (856), TF (525) b) Discipline – wise breakup under XE Paper for some specific disciplines, which exist as sections in XE Paper (Total XE Registration -1227) Discipline Total Registered for XE Appeared Registration paper under the section in the relevant to discipline section Materials Science (Sec. C) 148 113 103 Polymer Technology/ 258 230 207 Science and Plastic Technology (Sec. F) Food Technology (Sec. G) 423 371 343 It was found that 153 (~ 20 %) of Aerospace Engg. candidates appeared for XE.
c) Discipline – wise breakup under XL Paper ( Total XL Registration -15006) Discipline Total Registered for XL Appeared in Registration paper under the section the section relevant to discipline Biochemistry (Sec. I) 1405 1400 1010 Biotechnology (Sec. J) 5730 5676 3770 Botany (Sec. K) 946 944 822 Microbiology (Sec. L) 1681 1678 1436 Zoology (Sec. M) 702 699 596
5 d) Disciplines not explicitly covered in GATE papers but with registrations near /above 100 candidates, along with the GATE Paper opted in maximum cases: Discipline Registrations GATE Paper (No. registered) Automobile Engg. 321 ME (275) Biomedical Engg. 545 IN (423) Environmental Engg. 101 CE (73) Industrial Engg. 111 PI (85) Manufacturing Engg. 116 ME (75) + PI (37) Mechatronics 124 ME (97) Petrochem./Petroleum Engg. 99 CH (96) Agricultural Sc. 114 XL (106) e) Registrations with unknown disciplines: It was found that for GATE 2009, there are 3914 candidates, whose disciplines are not known. In the GATE 2009 data, these are listed as under: - All other disciplines in Engg. / Technology – 754 - All other disciplines in sciences – 1199 - Others - 1961 The committee suggests that in future, the disciplines of such candidates be explored through a suitable mechanism, so that the changing requirements of specific disciplines can be taken into account, as far as possible. f)
Appearance Data for XE and XL Optional Sections XE Section Appearances B- Fluid Mechanics 407 C - Materials Science 397 D – Solid Mechanics 182 E - Thermodynamics 482 F – Polymer Science and Engg. 352 G - Food Technology 389 It is seen from the table that sections corresponding to specific disciplines (C, F and G) are being extensively utilized by candidates from respective, as well as other disciplines. The general sections (B, D and E) are also significantly utilized by candidates from non-core disciplines. XL Section Appearances I- Biochemistry 5428 J - Biotechnology 7050 K – Botany 4414 L – Microbiology 6035 M – Zoology 3975 It is seen from the table that all the XL sections are being extensively utilized by significantly large No. of candidates, with Biotechnology showing maximum utilization.
6 2. Data on Post-graduate (M.Tech. / M.E) Programmes
The following data was extracted from the Websites of institutes/colleges listed under the approved post graduate programmes of AICTE (website updated 2004). a) M.Tech. Programmes in Core Engineering Areas Programme / Discipline Chemical Engg Civil Engg (incl. Environment, Water resources) C S E / IT Electrical Engg Mechanical Engg. ( incl. Production, Industrial) Total
No. 52 288 208 434 331 1313
b) M. Tech. Programmes in Non-core Engg./ Science Areas Programme / Discipline No. Aerospace/ Space Engg and Rocketry 19 Agriculture and related areas 11 Applierd Mechanics 07 Atmospheric / Climate Science 04 Ceramic Engg. 05 Chemistry/ Industrial Chemistry 05 Energy Engg. 07 Food Technology 11 Geology/ Applied Geology/ Earth Sciences 07 Mechatronics 03 Materials Science/ Engg 05 Metallurgical Engg. / Materials Sc. 24 Mining / Mineral Engg 10 Petroleum / Petrochemical Engg 07 Polymer / Plastics 09 Physics and related areas 28 Textiles 06 Total 168 c) M. Tech. Programmes in Biology related areas Programme / Discipline Biotechnology Bio- medical Engg. Bio-informatics Bio-electronics Total
No. 23 08 04 01 36
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d) M.Tech. Programmes in Misc. Disciplines M.E./ M.Tech. Specialization Alternate Hydro Energy System Auditing & Lighting Bio Mineral Processing Clean Coal & Energy Engg. Computational and System Biology Conservation of Rivers and Lakes Corrosion Science & Enginnering Earth System Science and Technology Engg. and architecture Engg. Management Engg. Statistics Engg. Systems Forest Technology Fuel Engg. GIS and Remote Sensing Health Science & Water Engg. Housing Human Resources Development and Management Hydrology Lean Manufacturing Leather Technology Media and Sound Engg. Nano Science and Technology Ocean Engg. and Naval Architecture Ocean Technology PEST Planning(Housing) Port Management Printing & Media Engg. Printing Technology Pulp and Paper Engg. Quality Engg. & Management Quality, Reliability and Operations Research Reliability Engg. Rubber Technology Total
No. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 39
8 C. RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE
The committee analyzed the qualifying disciplines vs. registrations / appearance data as well as the data on M.Tech. programmes available within the country. Keeping in view the requirements of the candidates, as well as, smooth operation of GATE, the committee makes the following recommendations: 1. General Recommendations
a) Considering that GATE is an aptitude test, it is recommended that all the GATE papers have a compulsory aptitude section (A) containing topics related to testing of verbal, comprehension and logical reasoning abilities, etc. The weightage of Sec. A should be 15%. b) It is recommended that there be a Compulsory and Common Section (B) on Engineering Mathematics (B1) / General Science (B2) for all papers. The weightage of Sec. B should be 15%. c) For science students , the GATE paper should aim at assessing their ability to move to engineering / research programmes , as well as applied and interdisciplinary programmes at the interface of science and engineering. It is therefore recommended that the Physics paper should include Sec. B1 (Engg. Mathematics), while other science disciplines, such as Mathematics, Chemistry, Geology and Biology related papers should include Sec. B2 (General Science). d) It is recommended that faculty from Engineering Departments must be involved in the setting of the Engg. Maths. Section (B1). e)
The content of General Science Section (B2) should typically be B.Sc. (Pass) level and it should have portions with Physics / Chemistry (as alternatives) and Biology / Mathematics ( as alternatives), to suit candidates from various backgrounds..
f) Rather than testing the full breadth of knowledge across the disciplines, GATE must concentrate on testing the core ability and analytical capability of students and limit the questions to the basic aspects covered usually in the first three years of engineering programmes, as far as possible. The syllabus committee may be specifically asked to take note of this aspect. g)
In every GATE Paper, the extent of subject specific testing should thus be limited to only 70 %, in accordance with the above policy of a compulsory section (A +B) of 30% weightage.
9 h) GATE Papers with significant overlap should be merged, having a common section (in addition to the compulsory section (A+B), as a bove) of 35 % wieghtage ( Sec. C) and choices for another section of 35 % wieghtage (D1, D2,... etc.). It is also recommended that, in such cases, the results of candidates opting for the different optional sections be processed independently. i) If some papers do not find any overlap with other papers, then these should, as far as possible, be considered as a Main Paper, only if the number of registered candidates is at least 1 - 2 % of the total No. of candidates. j) GATE Papers with very small number of registrants (less than 1 % candidates) should, as far as possible, be either included as part of a Main paper (as described in Item ‘h’ above) or be included as a section in the Modular Engineering (XE) or Modular Science (XS) Papers. This will not only result in operational simplification, but will also lead to normalization of the qualifying percentage of smaller discipline registrants, as part of a larger population group, since these candidates will also answer sections common with some other candidates. It must however, be ensured that there should be at least two sections in the modular papers (XE and XS), which candidates from smaller registration disciplines are able to attempt. k) Considering the trend of registrations in Bio-related disciplines, it is recommended to have a Main paper in Biotechnology and inclusion of Bioinformatics in the Modular Science section.
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2. Proposed Structure
Based on the above, the following Structure of GATE Papers is recommended. a) MAIN Papers Name 1. Electrical* Sciences
2. Mechanical Sciences
3. Architecture 4. Biotechnology 5. Civil Engg. 6. Chemical Engg. 7. Computer Science** 8. Physics 9. Mathematics 10. Chemistry
Description Comprising of EC, EE and IN papers
Comprising of ME and PI Papers
Sections A B1 C- Common Section
15% 15% 35%
D – D1: EC section D2: EE section D3: IN section
35% (each section)
A B1 C – common Section
15% 15% 35%
D – D1: ME Section D2: PI Section A B1 C D
35% (each section) 15% 15% 35% 35%
A B2 C D
15% 15% 35% 35%
B
B
B
B
P.S. Sections C and D have identical patterns for papers 3-10. Sec. C should contain the core part, while Sec. D should have contents which may have possible overlap with related disciplines, including those, which may come up in future. This will also lead to operational convenience (see Item (d) below)
*A sample syllabus for the Electrical Sciences pa per is attached as Annexure –I. **If strongly desired by the subject experts, the Engg. Mathematics Section of CS paper may be allowed to have a syllabus different from that of the Common B1 (Engg. Mathematics Section). It is however, highly desirable for operational convenience, that the CS Paper also has the common B1 section, and the rest of CSspecific mathematics be included in the main body (70%) of the CS paper.
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b) XE Paper: Modular Engg. Disciplines Sec A (Aptitude): 15% Sec B1 (Engg. Maths): 15% Thirteen (13) sections, each of 35 % weightage (as listed below), with any two (2) to be attempted: 1. General Engg.* 2. Thermodynamics** 3. Solid Mechnaics** 4. Fluid Mechanics** 5. Polymer Sc. and Engg. 6. Food Technology 7. Aeronautical Engg. 8. Agricultural Engg. 9. Mining Engg. 10. Metallurgical Engg. – Materials Science common section*** 11. Metallurgical Engg. 12. Materials Science 13. Textile Engineering and Fibre Science P.S. In cases of Secs. 5 -13, the syllabi should exclude topics covered under Secs. AD, which are of general nature.
* The General Engg. section should typically consist of Engineering Mechanics, Basic Electronics and Programming. ** The Sections 2- 4 are meant to provide options to candidates from non-core areas and interdisciplinary backgrounds. It is recommended that these papers be set by faculty drawn from the non-core areas and not those from core disciplines. *** Section should be suitably named according to its content, by subject experts.
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c) XS Paper: Modular Science Disciplines Sec A (Aptitude): 15% Sec B2 (General Science): 15% Nine (9) sections, each of 35 % weightage (as listed below), with any two (2) to be attempted: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Biochemistry Bio-informatics Botany Geology – Geophysics common section* Geology Geophysics Microbiology Pharmacy** Zoology
* Section should be suitably named by subject experts. ** Pharmacy candidates can attempt Biochemistry as the second section.
d) Operational Issues a. For operational convenience, it is proposed that the Compulsory Section (A+B1/B2) be printed separately as a booklet, which may be given to all the candidates, irrespective of their choice of GATE paper. b. Note, that if all papers follow the pattern of Sections [A + (B1/B2) + C + D] of respective weightages, 15%, 15%, 35% and 35%, then a single ORS sheet should suffice for all the twelve (12) GATE Papers, including the XE and XS papers.
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3. A Modular GATE Structure for Future
Considering the emphasis on testing of aptitude and core capability of students, as well as, the growing inter-disciplinary trends, it is desirable that GATE should ultimately take a completely modular structure consisting of several sections, such as: a) Compulsory Aptitude section b) Compulsory Engg Maths / General Science section c) Optional Sections comprising of : - General Engg. Section - Core Engg and Science (non-bio) topics common to several disciplines - Specialized Engg topics - Interdisciplinary Engineering topics - Core Bio disciplines - Science - Engg Interdisciplinary topics Each section can roughly be 1/3 or 1/4 of the present paper and there may be a total of 30 - 40 such sections. In addition to the compulsory Aptitude and Engg. Maths / Gen Sc. Sections, the candidates may be asked to attempt any two or three sections. The number of sections and relative weightages can be decided on the basis of inputs from different disciplines, particularly from the non-core areas. Operationally, the question papers can, in principle, consist of the different ‘section combinations’ opted by registered candidates. It is envisaged that the presently recommended GATE paper structure (Sec.C.2) will pave the way towards this ultimate objective of a flexible and expandable modular GATE, which can easily accommodate new and interdisciplinary topics, that come up from time to time. The proposed future model should also be highly amenable to on-line testing.
14 4. Stage-wise Implementation
It is recommended that the proposed structure of GATE be implemented in the following stages: Stage 1: The committee strongly feels that the following recommendations can be immediately implemented. - 15% aptitude section (A) - 15% engineering mathematics / general science (B) - 70% weightage to the subject portion in all papers (in two parts, Secs. C and D) - Restructuring of EC/EE/IN into one paper - Restructuring of ME / PI into one paper - Introduction of BT as a main paper Restructuring XL with addition of Bio-informatics and inclusion of PY as a section paper Stage 2: Restructuring of XE paper to incorporate sections based on GATE Main Papers with smaller number of registrants, can be taken up in the second stage. While it was possible to merge some papers (though having large number of registrants, e.g., EE/EC/IN or ME/PI), it was not possible to combine these papers with some other main papers, on account of the syllabi being different in breadth and depth. Therefore, it is recommended that the re-structuring of XE Pap er along the above lines, may be taken up after wider discussions with stake holders. It may also be explored if the syllabi of these papers can be suitably tuned, so that these can go as a Section Di with some other paper (see Sec.C.1(h)). This will also result in reduction in the number of sections in XE Paper. Stage 3: The evolved modular structure (Future Model, Sec. C.3) may be implemented for all disciplines.
Prof. V. Ramanarayanan
Prof. B. Jayram
Prof. S. V. Rao
Prof. V. Jagadeesh Kumar
Prof. N. M. Bhandari
Prof. O. P. Sha
Prof. R. K. Dube*
Prof. T. Sundararajan
Prof. S. S. Major Convener
*Dissent note in Annexure - II th
7 April, 2009
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ANNEXURE –I
Common Syllabus for Electronic Sciences (EC/EE/IN) A - Aptitude – 15% B1 - Engineering Mathematics (15%) Linear Algebra Calculus Differential Equations Complex Variables Probability and Statistics Numerical Methods B
C - Electrical Sciences: common section (35%) Circuits Analog and Digital Electronics Transform Theory Signals and Systems Control Systems D1 - Electronics and Communication Engineering (35%) Eletronic Devices Networks Electromagnetics Communications D2 - Electrical Engineering (35%) Electrical Machines Power Systems Electrical & Electronic Measurements Power Electronics & Drives D3 - Instrumentation Engineering (35%) Transducers, Mechanical Measurements and Industrial Instrumentation Electrical and Electronic Measurements Process Control Analytical, Optical and Biomedical instrumentation
16 ANNEXURE – II
Dissent Note from Prof. R. K. Dube
Dear Professor Major, Your new proposal is OK. I still feel that the XE section covering AE, MN, MT etc needs further discussion so that these students are not in disadvantageous situation. I do not agree with the proposal for XE section in the present format. My note of dissent should be mentioned in the report. With kind regards, R.K. Dube -Dr. R. K. Dube, FIMMM(London),FIM(Kolkata) Professor, Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engg., Indian Institute of Technology, KANPUR 208016 INDIA
