Admission to M.Tech(CSE) by coursework/M.Tech by research/MS courses

I wish to share my M.Tech. admission experiences. Reading my seniors' interview experiences were very beneficial for me during my interviews. Hence I wish to document parts of my ventures too!

I initially thought about taking the GATE examination when I was pursuing my B.Tech. I always wanted to be a part of some prestigious institute, as they open up so many opportunities (research, industry experience, new technologies, beautiful projects....you name it!).

In GATE examination I managed to secure an AIR of 422 (GATE 2019, Computer Science and Information Technology). It is around 99.5 percentile, which is not that bad!

Like many others I wished to complete my master's degree from some old IIT or IISc. Now even this rank wasn't enough to get direct admission into those institutes.

Approximate cutoffs for direct admission being as below(General, Non EWS Category):-

1. IISc :- top 50
2. IIT Bombay :- top 80 - 90
3. IIT Delhi CSE interview :- top 200
4. IIT Madras :- top 150 - 170
5. IIT Kharagpur :- top 190 - 220
6. IIT Guwahati and Roorkee :- top 300 by the last/spot round.

But this isn't the end of the road! In fact this is the whole new beginning of another bumpy ride!

Be ready for the upcoming Bharat Bhraman!

There is an interview pathway into these institutes too. If GATE rank is within 500 (approximately, in some cases goes higher) then one can get written test and/or interview calls from these top institutes.

These are certain courses which send interview/written test call letter to such rankers(the pattern might vary slightly year to year, so keep a follow up with the institutes' websites):-

1. IISc CSA and CDS departments (M.Tech by research):- Written test, which if qualified will be followed by an interview.
2. IIT Madras MS :-  Written test, which if qualified will be followed by an interview.
3. IIT Kanpur MS:- Written test and programming test, which if qualified will be followed by an interview.
4. IIT Kanpur M.Tech :- In 2019 it was only on the basis of a programming test. Previously they used to take a written test and a programming test, which if qualified used to be followed by an interview.
5. IIT Guwahati Data Science :- Written test, based on mathematics.
6. IIT Delhi Computer Technology :- Interview.
7. IIT Bombay (Research Assistant) :- Programming test, which if qualified will be followed by an interview.
8. IIT Hyderabad AI and CSE :- Written test and/or interviews.

(I would also like to mention about entry to IIT Kharagpur MS programme. Here are the steps:-

1. http://www.iitkgp.ac.in/temporary-jobs This website posts about job vacancies in research positions. Students can apply here for the post of JRF/Research officers. The eligibility criteria is different for each project is different. They are mentioned in the website, they might or might not include GATE score requirement.
2. After applying one might get an interview call. Interviews are based on GATE concepts and other experiences that the candidate has.
3. After getting selected for the research positions, one can start working on them and appear for the MS entrance test(won't be very hard to clear). The test takes place once in every semester. After clearing the test, one gets admitted as a MS student there. )

GATE authorities release the response sheets of students within 10-15 days of the GATE examination. Students can use the response sheet and GateOverflow marks and rank predictor(personal recommendation) to get an idea of where they stand. If the rank is likely to fall beyond 300, it is advisable to spend the months of February, March and April in interview preparation instead of relaxing after the exam.

Here are the things that students can preferably spend their time in, to maximize their chances of clearing the interviews:-

1. Practice coding algorithm based problems for the coding rounds. Look up the previous year trends and practice accordingly from any source which you find suitable. Practice coding in C language as the institutes seldom allow any other languages or the usage of any library other than the very essential ones.
2. Keep revising all the GATE notes/books which one used for GATE preparation, this time with all the relevant definitions and proofs of concepts, wherever applicable.
3. Prepare the final year project/research papers, that one might want to mention to the interviewers and concepts related to them.
4. People tend to ignore mathematics during GATE preparation. But in these interviews, especially if one is interested in machine learning, mathematics is very important. Prepare topics like Linear Algebra, Probability, Discrete Mathematics well.

Other points which I personally feel would help a lot if kept in mind during this period:-

1. While filling the application forms, which are generally released in the month of April, one should be informed about every possible (existing and new courses) that one can apply for. Do not miss on any opportunity. One should keep a good track of the last dates of the application forms so as to not miss anything.
2. So much travel can be a little hectic, and one might face rejections in the process. Keeping oneself together, learning from mistakes and promptly improving upon those would help one to be successful in the next tests. All in all, never give up!
3. Planning the travel well in advance helps a lot. Especially final year students should plan the hectic travel and final semester exams and assignments well in advance to make the process smoother.

Thank you for your patience! All the best!