Engineering is the most popular and favoured stream of study in India. Several studies show that India gets around 1.5 million engineering graduates every year at present. To be at par with the heightening demand, the number of colleges and universities are also increasing. But the main question posed in front of the engineering graduates is the step after completing engineering. As lucrative as the stream sounds, cracking the post-graduation examinations is not at all a cakewalk. Most of them are reserved for the crème de la crème students, but once someone is successful, it opens up multiple opportunities in different sectors.
Whether the candidate wants to pursue further studies or land a job with a handsome pay package or both – that will determine the nature of the examination. However, here are 5 exams that the engineering graduates can take and entrust as the best possible recourse after college.
- GATE – Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
GATE is the highest and toughest engineering examination of the country. For students aspiring to do M.E or M. Tech or wishing to pursue a Ph.D. in the same stream, cracking GATE is the best option they have got. A higher GATE score not only makes it easier to get into the top engineering schools of the country like IIT, NIT or IISC, but it is also an attractive addition to their resume. Moreover, GATE scores are considered by a number of PSUs in the country, like NTPC, ONGC, SAIL, BHEL, Airport Authorities and so on.
GATE is organised by a revered committee formed with the faculty members of seven participating IITs and IISC, one of which is the administrating organisation every year. The examination assesses the students in terms of the core subject as well as mathematics and general aptitude. Civil, mechanical, electrical, computer and IT, and communication engineering are the top five branches of GATE. Although there are 23 papers altogether, an individual can attempt only one of them. But on the other side, each of these papers opens up possibility of admission in many courses as well as job opportunities for future. Other offbeat but applicable streams like Aerospace engineering, Geology and Geophysics and Industrial engineering are also there.
- IES – Indian Engineering Services
Indian Engineering Services is actually a part of the UPSC exams that are conducted every year to recruit the middle level civil servants of the Indian government and administration. But IES is specifically meant for the technical and managerial posts involved with the departments that have to deal with engineering. It is a great scope for new engineers as an IES placement means a respectable government employment, with a secured salary, benefits and job security. The exam is taken over three stages of elimination and includes five tests. The public works department, factory services, railways, army, navy and air force are some of the main recruiters of IES qualified candidates.
- CAT – Common Entrance Test
Following up an engineering degree with an MBA is the most common form of academic line taken in India. There has been a great demand for the course in the last couple of decades, and institutions have popped up to cater to it as well. Nevertheless, all these does not take away from the fact that a MBA degree can prove to be quite quintessential in today’s competitive world if it is from a reputed organisation. And CAT is the best way to ensure that. Any candidate with 50% marks in their gradation certificate can appear for the test. The top examinees will be taken up by the IIM institutes, while for the rest there are more than 170 other colleges and universities.
- CEED – Common Entrance Examination for Design
It is a joint entrance examination for students who want to pursue the specific line of technological architecture and designing after graduation. It is an excellent stream of choice for candidates who love to bring together their knowledge of science and engineering and their scientific creativity and make something worthwhile. The examination tests a student’s logical, observational, creative and industrial drawing skills. The examination sets no bar of age or number of attempts, but it does require the examinee to be a graduate in engineering, architecture, technical design or even fine arts. Although the successful candidates have to take the DAT test after this, CEED offers great chances of getting into product designing, animation and graphics, software and application designing et cetera.
- XAT – Xavier Aptitude Test
XAT is a separate admission test for all the Jesuit Xavier institutes across the country the XLRI, XIME, XIM and other such associate institutes spread all-over India. The candidates do not need to have a B.E or B. Tech degree to take this, but engineers have the highest chance of cracking the exam. XAT evaluates appeared candidates on the basis of Quantitative, Qualitative, Verbal, Data Interpretive and decision making abilities.
