GPAT Stands for Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test.

GPAT is an all India examination conducted by an institution nominated by AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education), New Delhi.

GPAT was started in the year 2010 and the first GPAT Test was conducted by the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara.

Before GPAT, the Scores in GATE were used for admission in Master’s Programme in Pharmacy (M. Pharm) and also for awarding fellowships and scholarships to Pharmacy Graduate along with engineering graduates.

In 2011, the GATE committee wanted to exclude pharma students from the test owing to operational problems due to large number of candidates appearing for GATE examination. Thus GPAT came to being and started as an alternative to GATE for Pharmacy Students.

Admission to postgraduate programmes with MHRD and other government scholarships in pharmacy colleges is open to those who qualify GPAT. Candidates who qualify GPAT examination and have Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy are eligible for admission to Master/Doctoral programmes in Pharmacy. To avail the scholarship, the candidate must secure admission to such a postgraduate programme.

GPAT qualified candidates are also eligible for the award of JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) in CSIR Laboratories and CSIR/UGC sponsored projects.

Candidates who have Master’s degree in Pharmacy may seek admission to relevant PhD programmes with scholarship without appearing in the GPAT examination.