SRM University-AP recently hosted a GATE-JAM Awareness Session, designed to acquaint students with two of the country’s most significant postgraduate entrance examinations, the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) and the Joint Admission Test for Masters (JAM), and to outline the pathways these examinations open towards advanced research and rewarding careers.

The session was introduced by Dr Jayaseelan Murugaiyan, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, who welcomed the gathering and offered a brief overview of the examination, setting the context for the detailed discussion that followed.

The principal address was delivered by Dr J M Mallikarjuna, Professor, Internal Combustion Engines Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), representing the GATE-JAM Office at IIT Madras. Drawing on his long association with both examinations, Dr Mallikarjuna gave students a comprehensive account of what GATE and JAM entail, the doors they open simply by virtue of appearing for them, and the career and research trajectories that follow.

He explained that GATE serves as a gateway to bright careers and advanced research opportunities, and went on to elaborate upon the purpose of the examination, the body responsible for administering it, and the eligibility criteria that govern who may apply. He also spoke about the structure of the GATE test papers and the pattern of the question paper, giving students a clear sense of what to expect and how to prepare. Beyond the examination itself, he observed that the process of preparing for GATE cultivates problem-solving ability and technical skill that serve candidates well beyond the examination hall.

The discussion also covered the wider opportunities that follow a good GATE score, including recruitment and placement prospects and admission to postgraduate and doctoral programmes at premier institutions. Dr Mallikarjuna introduced students to NPTEL, the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning, as a valuable resource for examination preparation and lifelong learning alike, and concluded his address with the important dates for GATE 2027, urging students to plan their preparation well in advance.

More than an information session, the gathering offered students a vantage point onto the possibilities that follow disciplined preparation, from admission to India’s foremost research laboratories to careers built on rigorous engineering scholarship. With GATE 2027 now on the horizon, SRM University-AP hopes the session will prove the first of many such interventions, equipping students not merely to sit an examination, but to look towards research and industry with genuine ambition.