Pattern of Question Papers and Marking Scheme

Pattern of Question Papers

The examination for the papers with codes AE, AG, AR, BT, CE, CH, CY, GG, MA, MN, MT, PH, TF, XE and XL will be conducted ONLINE using computers where the candidates will be required to select the answer for each question using a mouse. For all other papers (CS, EC, EE, IN, ME & PI), the exam will be conducted OFFLINE in whicih candidates will have to mark the correct choice on an Optical Response Sheet (ORS) by darkening the appropriate bubble against each question.

In all the papers, there will be a total of 65 questions carrying 100 marks, out of which 10 questions carrying total of 15 marks are in General Aptitude (GA). The remaining of 85% of the total marks is devoted to the syllabus of the paper (as indicated in the syllabus section)

GATE 2013 would contain questions of four different types in various papers:

(i) Multiple choice questions carrying 1 or 2 marks each; Each of  the multiple choice objective questions in all papers and sections will contain four answers,  of which one correct answer is to be marked.

(ii) Common data questions (which are also multiple choice questions), where two successive questions use the same set of input data;

Example

Statement for Common Data Questions, for instance, for Questions 48 and 49 in Main Paper: 

Let X and Y be jointly distributed random variables such that the conditional distribution of Y, given X=x, is uniform on the interval (x-1,x+1). Suppose E(X)=1 and Var(X)=5/3.

First question using common data:

Q.48 The mean of the random variable Y is

(A) 1/2  (B) 1  (C) 3/2  (D) 2

Second question using common data:

Q.49 The variance of the random variable Y is

(A) 1/2  (B) 2/3  (C) 1  (D) 2

(iii) Linked answer questions (which are also multiple choice questions), where the answer to the first question in the pair is required to answer its successor;

Example: Statement for Linked Answer Questions, for instance, for Questions 52 and 53 in Main Paper: 

An E. coli cell of volume 10-12 cm3 contains 60 molecules of lac-repressor. The repressor has a binding affinity (Kd) of 10-8 M and 10-9 M with and without lactose respectively, in the medium.

First question of the pair:

Q.52 The molar concentration of the repressor in the cell is

(A) 0.1 nM (B) 1 nM (C) 10 nM (D) 100 nM

Second question of the pair:

Q.53 Therefore the lac-operon is

(A) repressed and can only be induced with lactose.
(B) repressed and cannot be induced with lactose.
(C) not repressed.
(D) expressed only when glucose and lactose are present.

(iv) Numerical answer questions, where the answer is a number, to be entered by the candidate using the mouse and a virtual keypad that will be provided on the screen.

Design of Questions 

The questions in a paper may be designed to test the following abilities:

(i) Recall: These are based on facts, principles, formulae or laws of the discipline of the paper. The candidate is expected to be able to obtain the answer either from his/her memory of the subject or at most from a one-line computation.

Example

Q. During machining maximum heat is produced

(A)  in flank face
(B)  in rake face
(C)  in shear zone
(D)  due to friction between chip and tool 

(ii) Comprehension: 

                                   These questions will test the candidate’s understanding of the basics of his/her field, by requiring him/her to draw simple conclusions from fundamental ideas.

Example

Q. A DC motor requires a starter in order to
(A)  develop a starting torque
(B)  compensate for auxiliary field ampere turns
(C)  limit armature current at starting
(D) provide regenerative braking

(iii) Application: 

                         In these questions, the candidate is expected to apply his/her knowledge either through computation or by logical reasoning.

Example

Q. The sequent depth ratio of a hydraulic jump in a rectangular channel is 16.48. The Froude number at the beginning of the jump is:

(A)  5.0  (B) 8.0    (C)  10.0  (D) 12.0

(iv) Analysis and Synthesis:  

                                             These can be linked answer questions, where the answer to the first question of the pair is required in order to answer its successor. Or these can be common data questions, in which two questions share the same data but can be solved independently of each other.

Common data based questions: Two questions are linked to a common data problem, passage and the like. Each question is independent and its solution is obtainable from the above problem data or passage directly. (Answer of the previous question is not required to solve the next question). Each question under this group will carry two marks.

Linked answer questions: These questions are of problem solving type. A problem statement is followed by two questions based on the problem statement. The two questions are designed such that the solution to the second question depends upon the answer to the first one. In other words, the first answer is an intermediate step in working out the second answer. Each question in such ‘linked answer questions’ will carry two marks.

Examples of each of this design is given in the types of questions above.

The questions based on the above four logics may be a mix of single stand alone statement/phrase /data type questions, combination of option codes type questions or match items type questions.