Engineering, in India, is always considered as one of the top sought after career as it opens

doors to a variety of the options in different fields. The charm of business schools is no less.
The struggle to make a choice between the two has become difficult over the years. Several
aspirants find it difficult to finalise when it comes to making a selection: CAT or GATE.

How To Choose Between CAT or GATE

Common Admission Test (CAT) is an all-India entrance examination conducted by the
Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) for granting admission to the postgraduate courses
in management courses of several management institutes all over India including the
Indian Institute of Managements (IIM).
Eligibility: The applicant must be a graduate with minimum of 50% marks (45% in the case
of reserved categories). Candidates appearing for their final year of graduation or are
waiting for the final results can also apply.

Career prospects after MBA

After MBA through CAT: There is no dearth of opportunities once you complete your
MBA degree from a reputed institute after cracking CAT. Following are the options one can
start their career post completing their MBA degree.
IT sector- After MBA in IT one can work as an IT manager, who is responsible to manage
the computer systems of a company and ensuring that the computer systems are matching
the companys requirements. He also looks after upgrading of technology and ensuring the
security of the systems. MBA graduates who stay updated about the latest technological
innovations are more likely to get selected.
Finance sector: A graduate with a degree in MBA (finance) can work both in banking and
non-banking sectors. The students possessing an MBA degree in finance have a variety of
job opportunities in government and the private sector. Opportunities such as investment
banking, retail banking, wholesale banking in banks and corporate finance in non banking
companies are open to finance graduates
Human Resource: The Human resource graduates are in great demand nowadays. The
HR manager deals with the recruiting and hiring for an organisation and is also responsible
for the administrative tasks of the company. An MBA degree can offer advancement for the
position and experience on the other hand is added cherry on the cake.
Sales & Marketing The bread and butter of the Indian MBA placement scenemarketing is an evergreen field with recruiters such as P&G, HUL, Nestle, etc. taking in top
tier MBA grads for marketing (product managers, advertising, etc.) and sales

Graduate Aptitude Test Engineering (GATE) is an all India entrance Examination,

which is conducted jointly by IISc (Indian Institute of Science) and IITs (Indian Institute of
Technology). On the basis of the GATE score, one can take admissions to Postgraduate
Programmes (ME, M. Tech, MS, direct PhD) in IISc, IITs and other Universities in India,
with financial assistance provided by MHRD. The GATE Score may also be used by PSUs
for recruitment of candidates for prestigious jobs with attractive salary packages.
Eligibility: Candidates having a bachelors degree in Engineering/ Technology/
Architecture or Masters degree in any branch of Science/ Mathematics/ Statistics/
Computer Applications can appear for GATE. Students who are waiting for their final year
exam results can also apply for it.
Career prospects after GATE
As believed by many GATE is not only meant for higher studies, i.e. ME or MTech that
leads to a teaching career. In fact, after cracking GATE entrance, the following are the
option for the candidate:
Jobs in PSUs: several Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) such as BHEL, IOC, NTPC,
BPCL, BARC, and HPCL are using the GATE score for selecting candidates for their
organisations. Jobs in PSUs are considered as one with higher job satisfaction and career
growth which also assures work-life balance.
Research Fellowship: Candidates, who successfully clear GATE, are also considered in
as research fellows in various institutes helping in maintaining the balance in the desired
field of study. It adds value to the academic record as research work experience directly
helps in higher studies.
Higher Education: For all those candidates who wish to apply for research, post
graduation is mandatory. After completing the post-graduate studies, the candidate may
also choose for higher studies in India or in abroad. Students having an MTech / ME degree
with a qualified GATE score are offered better remunerations.
Which Exam is Tougher to Crack: CAT or GATE?
Honestly saying, no exam is tough or easy. It entirely depends upon ones ability. If one has
a good hold at aptitude and English then CAT would seem easier. On the other hand, if one
has a good hold over the major subjects then GATE would be easier.
Talking in terms of course outline, GATE has a defined syllabus. You will encounter only
those questions which you have studied in your degree syllabus. While in CAT, there is no
syllabus.

Should You Opt for the CAT or GATE?

If you want to work in a managerial and non-technical field, you should take the CAT. You
can leverage the knowledge you gained in your engineering degree and find jobs in finance,

IT and sales. However, if you want to continue on the technical side- working in research
and development, you should go for the GATE. There is no wrong choice here. To those who
can crack the exams, both the CAT and the GATE offer top notch career prospects.