GATEFORUM announced the launch of eGATE for the benefit of students preparing for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE). GATE is an all India examination conducted by the seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, on behalf of the National Coordination Board — GATE and the department of higher education, ministry of human resource development (MHRD), government of India. It is the second largest qualifying exam in the technical side after AIEEE. It is also the qualifying examination for admission to ME/ MTech/ MS courses in various institutes in India like the IISc, IITs, NITs, government engineering colleges and a number of private engineering colleges. GATE has a vast but highly fragmented market in the country. Unlike the CAT, where the bulk of the aspirants come from the metros and tier-I cities, GATE aspirants come from a wide variety of small and big towns. The eGATE will have live classes via the internet, with two-way interaction between the faculty and students. The faculty will conduct the lectures from GATEFORUM studios in Hyderabad and an aspirant can access them via the internet or at a GATEFORUM centre and view them on a large screen. It will benefit students in far flung areas and also those in the larger towns who find urban commuting stressful and inconvenient. Abhijit Chaudhari, Director GATEFORUM said, “We feel that with the introduction of eGATE, which is essentially live classes through the internet, it would be easier for the aspirants to avail the technical training from their respective cities.”