MS vs MTech and GRE Vs GATE

I saw a lot of people asking this question about if they should go for GRE or GATE or MS or M.Tech. So I thought to write all I can about it.

This article will describe the pros and cons of each and is an attempt to bring things to light. This article is not about which one is better, because it depends on individual choices, background and future plans to select an appropriate choice.

M.Tech. via GATE score:
If you are interested in pursuing higher studies in India in engineering, you will have to write GATE exam, which is conducted once every year usually in Jan end to early Feb, with application opening in Oct the previous year.

GATE is a technical test of your undergraduate courses that you studied for last 4 years, hence will be a good option for someone who has really strong technical knowledge and wants to study in India. You can apply to IITs, IISc, NITs and other universities using the GATE score.

It is a tough test and the problem increases even more since the number of applicants are increasing every year. If you are a GATE qualified student and you get an admission in any M.Tech course, you will be receiving a monthly stipend of 12400 INR during the course. The selection by the universities for M.Tech courses is totally based on GATE score and nothing else is required.
Since you will be doing master's degree in India, the cost of studying will be low as compared to studying abroad. The tuition fee will also be low, but the chances of scholarships is rare. After the M.Tech degree from a reputed university, you will probably join either a company or a research institute or go for a PhD. An M.Tech degree is a good choice if you are interested in technical studies and join a company in India for a job.

Since the research in India in many specializations is not state-of-the-art, it may not be the best option if you are interested in going for a research based career or a PhD from a foreign university. If you are financially stable and interested in a research based career, an MS from abroad from a good university will have a better impact on your profile. But if you cannot take a loan to study abroad, then crack GATE, and score admit in IITs or IISc, which will be a really good option for PhD too. Going for PhD after M.Tech from any institute other than IITs/IISc may not give you good admits abroad.

MS via GRE:
GRE stands for Graduate Record Examination and is conducted by ETS almost 3-4 times every week the whole year in all major cities, at its own test centers. It is a mandatory requirement if you are interested in pursuing MS from a foreign university (except a few universities). It is evaluated out of 340, with an increment step of 1 mark. Average GRE score is about 300-310, descent GRE is 310-320, good score is 320-330, and if you can score 330+ you have an excellent score. GRE consists of 3 major sections: Verbal (English test), Quants (Math test) and AWA (Analytical Writing Assessment; 2 essays). 
You can read more about the test pattern, marking scheme etc etc here:GRE.
Ideally, if you study full time for GRE, you can write the test within 2 months of preparation. If you are working, then may be more. GRE is basically a test of one's logical, writing and thinking ability and is not at all a technical test. Those who are good at logical reasoning and similar test, GRE is the test for you.

Now, to pursue, MS from a foreign university, you will have to write GRE as well as TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). These are mandatory for Indian students who did their undergraduate in India. MS is usually of 2 types: MS with thesis (1 yr) and MS without thesis (2 yrs). Students usually apply to the US, Canada, Singapore and Europe for MS studies. Each country may have its own version of master's degree. They can call it MS, M.Engg, MSc etc each of which may serve different purposes and may be of different duration. It is strongly advised to learn about it more. M.Engg in the US is a one year course, while in Singapore it is a 2 year course and done with a thesis. So it is variable.

MS from a foreign university is advisable for those who wish to learn more in their field of expertise and get a job or apply for a PhD. It is NOT recommended for those who want to earn more and think that students who go abroad to study will get rich faster, or have other similar myths. MS from abroad also needs hard work, the same way one studies M.Tech in India. If you want a shortcut to get rich don't try this way, you will only loose what you bet as tuition fee and leave the course half way.

If you have a strong interest in your specialization and are looking for a research oriented course or a technical job in a foreign country, MS is an option for you. After completing master's degree from a foreign university, you can try applying for jobs in the same country, or even in India. You can also apply for PhD at good universities anywhere. If ultimately your aim is a PhD, then apply for MS with thesis, since it will have more impact on your profile as compared to MS without thesis. MS from a good university will be helpful only if you have performed well during the course. If your performance is not good, it will be difficult to find internships and later jobs too. 
The problem that most students face when they want to apply for MS, is lack of funds. Since MS is a costly affair, it is advisable to have a stable financial condition. There are a lot of scholarships available too, but even if your tuition fee is waived partly, you will have to pay for the rest of the tuition fee and your living expenses.

MS via GATE score:
GATE as told above is a technical test and is very valuable if you are applying to  universities in Singapore (NTU and NUS) and in some European universities (TUM etc). These universities consider GATE score as a replacement for GRE and a good GATE score can do wonders for you. GATE score is highly weighted in the master's degree admission process in these universities. So if you feel you may not be able to score good in GRE but very well in GATE and want to study abroad, I will suggest you to score well in GATE and apply with it. The universities in the US do not accept GATE score and need GRE. Some Canadian universities also accept GATE score (I guess.. not sure about it).

Some things to consider superficially:
NOTE: A lot of other important factors will play a big role in this decision like future plans, family commitments, one's ability to adapt in a foreign country etc etc. What is given below is just a suggestion you might want to consider and not something you must do.

• If you want technical career in India and you think you can score well in GATE, then go for M.Tech via GATE.

• If you want a technical career in India and you think you CANNOT score well in GATE, then apply for a job soon after under-graduation, as there is not other way for higher education in engineering in India.

• If you want technical career abroad and you think you can score well in GRE and that you are financially stable, then go for MS via GRE.

• If you want technical career abroad and you think you can score well in GATE (and not GRE) and that you are financially stable, then go for MS via GATE in Singapore or Europe.
• If you are financially stable, and cannot score well in GATE but still want t study higher degree in technical area, go for MS via GRE.
• If you want to go for a research based career and you are financially stable, go for MS via GRE.
• If you want to go for a research based career and you are financially UNstable, go for M.Tech. via GATE.
• If you want to go for a research based career and you are financially stable and want to settle in India as soon as you complete your course, go for M.Tech via GATE.

All the best... !!