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Are you a science student? If yes, then You must have heard about JAM and GATE Exam. Both exams are conducted for post-graduation courses to get the admission in IITs, NITs, IISc.
The exam fees for both exams are same but it may be varied if you ap
Now you must be thinking if both exams are conducted for the post-graduation courses then what is a difference between IIT JAM and GATE?
So here, we are sharing the differences between IIT JAM and GATE Exam to clear your confusion to select the best suitable exam for you.
IIT JAM (Indian Institute of Technology - Joint Admission Test) is a common entrance test to get the admission in Master’s in Science such as MSc, Integrated PhD, Joint MSc-PhD, MSc-PhD Dual Degree courses while the GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test) is a national level exam for the admission in Master’s in Technology such as ME, MTech, PhD courses.
Here, we are sharing the differences between IIT JAM vs GATE Exam in terms of Subjects, Eligibility, Exam Pattern, Syllabus etc.
IIT JAM Exam is conducted for 7 subjects while GATE Exam is conducted for 24 Subjects. A candidate can select any one course in GATE or two course IIT JAM Exam after satisfying the eligibility criteria. Below, you can check the list of total subjects for JAM and GATE Exam.
Physics (PH)
Chemistry (CY)
Mathematics (MA)
Geology (GG)
Mathematical Statistics (MS)
Biological Science (BS)
Biotechnology (BT)
Aerospace Engineering (AE)
Agricultural Engineering (AG)
Architecture and Planning (AR)
Biotechnology (BT)
Civil Engineering (CE)
Chemical Engineering (CH)
Computer Science and Information Technology (CS)
Chemistry (CY)
Electronics and Communication Engineering (EC)
Electrical Engineering (EE)
Ecology and Evolution (EY)
Geology and Geophysics (GG)
Instrumentation Engineering (IN)
Mathematics (MA)
Mechanical Engineering (ME)
Mining Engineering (MN)
Metallurgical Engineering (MT)
Petroleum Engineering (PE)
Physics (PH)
Production and Industrial Engineering (PI)
Textile Engineering and Fiber Science (TF)
Engineering Sciences (XE*)
Life Sciences (XL**)
Statistics (ST)
Biomedical Engineering (Added in 2020)
It is the essential requirement to apply for IIT JAM or GATE Exam. Candidates must be satisfying the minimum education qualification and age limit to apply for the exam otherwise they would not be able to appear in the exam. Below, you can check the complete eligibility criteria for both the exams.
Candidates who want to appear in the IIT JAM Exam must have 3 years bachelor’s degree in science (Physics/ Chemistry/ Biology/ Mathematics) from a recognized University with a minimum % criteria.
Candidates who have appeared or due to appear in the final year examination of their bachelor’s degree can also apply for IIT JAM.
There are 55% marks are needed of General/ OBC and 50% marks are required for SC/ ST/ PwD Category candidates for JAM. But It depends on the IITs in which you want to get the admission after qualifying JAM. So, check the IIT JAM Eligibility Criteria for all the participating organizations here.
There is no age criteria for JAM Aspirants.
If you have a 4 years B.E./ B.Tech/ Science degree (after 10+2 or 3-years Diploma in Engineering/ Technology) can apply for the exam.
Candidates who have completed 5 years degree program in B.Arch. can also apply for GATE Exam.
The organizing IIT also allow other degree such as Integrated Degree in B.S./ M.S./ MSc or MSC/ M.Tech for appearing in the GATE Exam.
Candidates who have appeared or due to appear in the final year examination of their bachelor’s degree are eligible for the GATE Exam.
Check the complete GATE Exam Eligibility Criteria here.
The Paper pattern for IIT JAM and GATE Exam is different. Both exams have different sections with different marking schemes. Check the complete exam pattern for both exams from the given table below: -
Sections |
Total Number of Questions |
Types of Question |
Negative Marking |
Section A |
30 |
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) |
For 1 mark ques - 1/3 marks will be deducted. For 2 marks ques - 2/3 marks will be deducted. |
Section B |
10 |
Multiple Select Questions (MSQ) |
No negative marking |
Section C |
20 |
Numerical Answer Type (NAT) (No options will be displayed) |
No negative marking |
Total Question |
60 |
||
Total Marks |
100 |
Also, Check - IIT JAM Marking Scheme
Total Number of Questions |
65 |
Total Marks |
100 |
Type of Question |
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) |
Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions |
|
Sections |
General Aptitude |
Engineering Mathematics (for XL papers it is Chemistry) |
|
Subject – Specific section |
|
Marking Scheme |
For 1 mark ques - 1/3 marks will be deducted. For 2 marks ques - 2/3 marks will be deducted. |
No negative marking will be done for Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions |
Check the complete GATE Exam Pattern here.
As mentioned above, the IIT JAM Exam is conducted for seven subjects while GATE Exam is conducted for 24 subjects. All the subjects are different from each other. So, we can say that the syllabus of the subjects will be different. Below, we have provided the link to download the syllabus PDF for both exams.
IIT JAM Syllabus for All 7 Subjects
GATE Exam Syllabus for All 24 Subjects
The validity of IIT JAM Score Card is 1 year while for GATE Exam the Score Card is valid for 3 years from the date of announcement of the result.
It means candidates who have qualified for the IIT JAM Exam can apply for the admission in IITs and other institutes in the same year while in GATE Exam, a candidate can apply for admission till after 3 years from the date of announcement of the result.
IIT JAM Exam is conducted in two sessions while the GATE Exam is conducted for eight sessions. You can check the exam schedule for exams in the given table below.
Note – Candidates can appear in 2 papers together for JAM while for GATE you can apply only 1 paper at a time.
Session |
Time |
Test Papers and Codes |
I |
9:30 AM to 12:30 PM |
Mathematical Statistics (MS) Physics (PH) Biotechnology (BT) |
II |
2:30 PM to 5:30 PM |
Chemistry (CY) |
Session No. |
Time (IST) |
Test Paper Code |
S1 |
09:30 AM - 12.30 PM (Forenoon Session) |
CY, ME-1, MN |
S2 |
2:30 PM - 5:30 PM (Afternoon Session) |
ME-2, XE, XL, TF |
S3 |
09:30 AM - 12.30 PM (Forenoon Session) |
CS, CH |
S4 |
2:30 PM - 5:30 PM (Afternoon Session) |
AE, AG, AR, BT, EY, GG, IN, |
S5 |
09:30 AM - 12.30 PM (Forenoon Session) |
EC |
S6 |
2:30 PM - 5:30 PM (Afternoon Session) |
EE |
S7 |
09:30 AM - 12.30 PM (Forenoon Session) |
CE-1 |
S8 |
2:30 PM - 5:30 PM (Afternoon Session) |
CE-2 |
We have defined the major differences between IIT JAM and GATE Exam. But, some similarities are also there for both the exams. You can check the points below:
Both Exams (IIT JAM or GATE) have the same career opportunities.
Research or Scientist Job
Officer Jobs
Government Sector
Assistant Professor
Defence Job
Teaching Field
The time duration for both exams is same i.e. 3 hours.
Both exams are conducted online.
The exam fees for both exams are same but it may be varied if you apply for 2 subjects in IIT JAM.
Category |
IIT JAM Exam |
GATE Exam |
Female/SC/ST/PwD Candidates |
Rs 750 (for one paper), Rs 1050 (for two papers) |
750 INR |
General/ OBC Candidates |
Rs 1500 (for one paper), Rs 2100 (for two papers) |
1500 INR |
In this blog, we have tried to cover all the differences between the IIT JAM and GATE Exam. This will help you to clear out your confusion between both the exams.
However, if you have any doubts regarding IIT JAM or GATE Exam, you can ask your queries through the comment box. We will definitely solve your queries as soon as possible.
If you find the above information is useful, then share it with JAM and GATE Aspirants.
All the Best.