Oldest GATE examinee is 88 years, youngest 15

Oldest GATE examinee is 88 years, youngest 15

Yogita.Rao@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:20.10.2020

The Graduate Aptitude Test for Engineering (GATE) 2021could be one for the record books. Among those taking the test is an 88-year-old civil engineer, probably the oldest candidate. At the other end of the spectrum is a 15-year-old from Rajasthan, perhaps the youngest to register.

While it is not unusual to see senior citizens appearing for the exam, the organising institutes feel the octogenarian engineer from Uttar Pradesh has set a new benchmark. A 75-year-old candidate is known to have taken the exam two years ago. The premier institutes do not impose an age bar on candidates. With the IITs opening the competitive national test to third-year undergraduate students after a decade, the youngest to apply seems to be a child prodigy.

Delhi govt schools shine in NEET, JEE

Tamanna Goel of Rohini’s Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya is one of the 569 Delhi government school students to have cleared NEET this year.CM Kejriwal lauded such students Tuesday. Fifty-three government school students also cracked JEE (Advanced).

Over 1L of 8.8L total GATE aspirants in their third year

The 15-year-old is in his third-year BTech instrumentation engineering, said Prof Deepankar Choudhury, organising chairman of GATE 2021, from IIT-Bombay. The student will graduate in 2022 and will appear for GATE in his core subject. Usually, BTech graduates who are around 21-22 years old take the exam. With the pandemic delaying graduation plans, the organising IIT has allowed students in the third year to apply as well. Over one lakh of the 8.8 lakh total aspirants are in their third year. Director of IIT-Bombay, Subhasis Chaudhuri, said the institute is delighted at the self-confidence and youthful exuberance of the senior citizen. “We are hopeful to have him as our graduate student also,” he said.

Times View: A new chapter in your life can begin even at 88, that’s the message from the civil engineer. In a country in which life is generally considered to be over after retirement, he has taken a small but important step in shattering stereotypes. The octogenarian is an inspiring figure for millions of elderly in the country.