No, GATE is not strictly compulsory for all PSUs, but it is highly recommended for most top public sector companies in India. Many PSUs such as NTPC, IOCL, BHEL, HPCL, GAIL, and others rely heavily on GATE scores to shortlist candidates for technical positions. A good GATE score can make your application stand out and sometimes even directly qualify you for interviews, depending on the PSU’s recruitment rules.