Updated on Jul 26, 2025
Amrita Das
GATE 2026 Exam Pattern will be released along with the release of the official information brochure. This year, IIT Guwahati is going to conduct the GATE 2026 exam. The exam is expected to take place in February 2026 in two shifts- Morning Shift (9:30 am to 12:30 pm) and Afternoon Shift (2:30 pm to 5:30 pm). The exam pattern of GATE 2026 includes details about the question type, marking scheme, exam mode & duration, difficulty level, etc. The GATE 2026 will be conducted for 30 different subjects, each with its unique code. The GATE 2026 Question Paper will consist of 65 questions in total. Read further to know more about the GATE Exam Pattern 2026.
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Table of Contents
- GATE 2026 Exam Pattern
- GATE 2026 Questions Types
- GATE 2026 Marks Distribution
- GATE 2026 CSE Exam Pattern
- GATE 2026 XL Paper Pattern
- GATE 2026 Paper-Wise Code
- GATE 2026 Subject-Wise Exam Pattern
- GATE 2026 Two-Paper Combinations (New)
- GATE 2026 Syllabus Overview
- GATE 2026 Preparation Tips
- GATE 2026 Exam Pattern FAQs
GATE 2026 Exam Pattern
GATE 2026 is a Computer-Based Test that lasts for 3 hours (180 minutes). It covers 30 different subjects. A total of 65 questions are asked, consisting of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), Multiple Select Questions (MSQ), and Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions. The marking scheme includes both 1-mark and 2-mark questions. However, the negative marking is only applicable only to MCQs.
Particulars | Details |
Exam Mode | Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
Exam Duration | 180 minutes (3 hours) |
Total Papers | 30 |
Sections Included | - Candidate’s Selected Subject
- General Aptitude (GA) |
Types of Questions | - Numerical Answer Type (NAT)
- Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
- Multiple Select Questions (MSQ) |
Skills Assessed | - Comprehension
- Recall
- Analysis & Synthesis
- Application |
Total Questions | 65 (10 from GA + 55 from the subject) |
Marking Scheme | - 1-mark and 2-mark questions |
Negative Marking | - MCQ Only: 1/3 mark deducted for 1-mark question
- 2/3 mark deducted for 2-mark question
- No negative marking for MSQ & NAT |
Marks Allocation (for all except AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, XH, XL) | - General Aptitude: 15 Marks
- Engineering Mathematics: 13 Marks
- Subject-specific Questions: 72 Marks
- Total: 100 Marks |
Marks Allocation (for AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, XH, XL) | - General Aptitude: 15 Marks
- Subject-specific Questions: 85 Marks
- Total: 100 Marks |
GATE 2026 Questions Types
As per the GATE Exam Pattern 2026, it consists of 65 questions carrying a total of 100 marks. The exam includes three types of questions: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), Multiple Select Questions (MSQs), and Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions. The detailed breakdown of GATE Exam Pattern 2026 is described below:
Question Type | Marking Scheme | Options Provided | Negative Marking |
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) | 1 or 2 marks per question | 4 options (only one correct) | Yes (1/3rd for 1-mark, 2/3rd for 2-mark) |
Multiple Select Questions (MSQs) | 1 or 2 marks per question | 4 or more options (multiple correct) | No |
Numerical Answer Type (NATs) | 1 or 2 marks per question | No options (numeric input required) | No |
GATE 2026 Marks Distribution
Each GATE 2026 question paper carries a total of 100 marks and has a duration of 180 minutes. Every test paper includes two mandatory sections: General Aptitude (GA- 15 marks) & Subject-Specific Section (85 marks). Check out the table below for GATE 2026 Marks Distribution.
Paper Code | General Aptitude (GA) Marks | Subject-Specific Marks | Total Marks | Total Time (Minutes) |
AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, ES, IN, ME, MN, MT, NM, PE, PI, TF | 15 | 13: Engineering Mathematics + 72: Subject-Specific | 100 | 180 |
CY, DA, EY, MA, PH, ST | 15 | 85 | 100 | 180 |
AR (Part A + Part B1 or B2) | 15 | 60: Part A + 25: Part B1/B2 | 100 | 180 |
GE (Part A + Part B1 or B2) | 15 | 55: Compulsory Part A + 30: Part B1/B2 | 100 | 180 |
GG (Part A + Part B1 or B2) | 15 | 25: Compulsory Part A + 60: Part B1/B2 | 100 | 180 |
XE (Section A + Any Two Sections) | 15 | 15: Compulsory Section A + 35: Additional Section 1 + 35: Additional Section 2 | 100 | 180 |
XH (Section B1 + Any One Section) | 15 | 25: Compulsory Section B1 + 60: Additional Section | 100 | 180 |
XL (Section P + Any Two Sections) | 15 | 25: Compulsory Section A + 30: Additional Section 1 + 30: Additional Section 2 | 100 | 180 |
GATE 2026 CSE Exam Pattern
The NAT section of GATE Question Paper will hold maximum weightage in the GATE 2026 Exam. For GATE 2026 CSE Exam Pattern candidates can check the table below:
Section | Number of Questions | Marks per Question | Total Marks |
Computer Science Engineering | 25 (MCQ/NAT) | 1 | 25 |
30 (MSQ/NAT) | 2 | 60 | |
General Aptitude | 10 (NAT/MCQ/MCQ) | 1 or 2 | 15 |
Total | 65 | - | 100 |
GATE 2026 XL Paper Pattern
Section P (Chemistry) in GATE XL Paper Pattern 2026 will contain 15 questions. In this section, there are 5 one-mark questions and 10 two marks questions. Additionally, candidates must select any two sections from Q to U, which together include 40 questions. In this section, each selected subject contributes 10 one-mark questions and 10 two-mark questions.
Section | Total Questions | 1-Mark Questions | 2-Mark Questions | Total Marks |
General Aptitude (GA) | 10 | 5 | 5 | 15 |
Section P (Chemistry) | 15 | 5 | 10 | 25 |
Any Two Sections (Q-U) | 40 | 10 + 10 | 10 + 10 | 60 |
Total | 65 | 30 | 70 | 100 |
GATE 2026 Paper-Wise Code
The GATE 2026 exam will be conducted for 30 papers across various engineering, science, and humanities disciplines. Each subject is identified by a unique paper code used during registration and examination. These codes help candidates choose their preferred paper while filling out the application form. A new paper, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence (DA), has also been added for GATE 2026. Check out the table below for GATE 2026 Paper name & code.
Paper Name | Code |
Aerospace Engineering | AE |
Agricultural Engineering | AG |
Architecture and Planning | AR |
Biotechnology | BT |
Bio-medical Engineering | BM |
Civil Engineering | CE |
Chemical Engineering | CH |
Computer Science & Information Technology | CS |
Chemistry | CY |
Electronics and Communication Engineering | EC |
Electrical Engineering | EE |
Engineering Sciences | XE |
Petroleum Engineering | PE |
Geomatics Engineering | GE |
Geology and Geophysics | GG |
Instrumentation Engineering | IN |
Life Sciences | XL |
Mathematics | MA |
Mechanical Engineering | ME |
Mining Engineering | MN |
Metallurgical Engineering | MT |
Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering | NM |
Physics | PH |
Production and Industrial Engineering | PI |
Textile Engineering & Fibre Science | TF |
Ecology and Evolution | EY |
Statistics | ST |
Environmental Science and Engineering | ES |
Humanities and Social Sciences | XH |
Data Science & Artificial Intelligence (New) | DA |
GATE 2026 Subject-Wise Exam Pattern
The GATE 2026 exam pattern varies depending on the paper chosen by the candidate. However, each paper consists of a General Aptitude (GA) section along with subject-specific sections. The number of questions and marks distribution varies across different papers. Check out the following table for subject-wise breakdown of GATE 2026 pattern.
GATE Paper | Sections | Total Number of 1 Mark Questions | Total Number of 2 Mark Questions | Total Questions | Total Marks |
AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, ES, IN, ME, MN, MT, NM, PE, PI, TF, ST | General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics, Core Discipline | 25 | 30 | 55 | 85 |
CY, DA, EY, MA, PH, ST | General Aptitude, Core Discipline | 25 | 30 | 55 | 85 |
Architecture and Planning (AR) | General Aptitude, Part A (Mandatory), Part B1 (Architecture) or Part B2 (Planning) | 18+7 | 21+9 | 55 | 100 |
Geomatics Engineering (GE) | General Aptitude, Part A (Mandatory), Part B1 or Part B2 | 17+8 | 19+11 | 55 | 100 |
Geology and Geophysics (GG) | General Aptitude, Part A (Mandatory), Part B1 (Geology) or Part B2 (Geophysics) | 25 | 30 | 55 | 100 |
Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NM) | General Aptitude, Core Subject | 25 | 30 | 55 | 100 |
Engineering Sciences (XE) | General Aptitude, Section A (Engineering Mathematics), Section B-H (Any Two) | 7+9+9 | 4+13+13 | 65 | 100 |
Humanities and Social Sciences (XH) | General Aptitude, B1 (Reasoning & Comprehension), C1-C6 (Any One) | 5+20 | 10+20 | 65 | 100 |
GATE 2026 Two-Paper Combinations (New)
Last Year, IIT Roorkee introduced the two paper combination in GATE exam which means candidates can choose at least two papers for GATE 2026 exam. Those two papers are named as, Paper I (primary paper), and Paper II (secondary paper). The official paper combinations for GATE 2026 will be released soon by IIT Guwahati. Check out the table below for tentative paper combinations of GATE 2025.
First Paper Code (Paper I) | Second Paper Code (Paper II) |
Aerospace Engineering (AE) | Geomatics Engineering (GE) |
Agricultural Engineering (AG) | Engineering Sciences (XE) |
Architecture and Planning (AR) | Geology and Geophysics (GG) | Engineering Sciences (XE) |
Biomedical Engineering (BM) | Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA) | Electrical Engineering (EE) | Engineering Sciences (XE) |
Biotechnology (BT) | Environmental Science and Engineering (ES) | Ecology and Evolution (EY) | Computer Science and Information Technology (CS) | Data Science and Artificial Intelligence |
Civil Engineering (CE) | Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA) | Textile Engineering and Fibre Science (TF) | Electrical Engineering (EE) |
Chemical Engineering (CH) | Chemistry (CY) | Life Sciences (XL) | Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA) |
Computer Science and Information Technology (CS) | Engineering Sciences (XE) | Biotechnology (BT) | Electrical Engineering (EE) | Mechanical Engineering (ME) |
Chemistry (CY) | Chemical Engineering (CH) | Humanities and Social Sciences (XH) |
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA) | Biomedical Engineering (BM) | Civil Engineering (CE) | Instrumentation Engineering (IN) | Chemical Engineering (CE) | Metallurgical Engineering (MT) | Biotechnology (BT) | Humanities and Social Sciences (XH) | Geomatics Engineering (GE) |
Electronics and Communication (EC) | Life Sciences |
Electrical Engineering (EE) | Biomedical Engineering (BM) | Life Sciences (XL) | Computer Science and Information Technology (CS) | Civil Engineering (CE) |
Environmental Science and Engineering (ES) | Biotechnology (BT) | Ecology and Evolution (EY) |
Ecology and Evolution (EY) | Biotechnology (BT) | Mathematics (MA) | Environmental Science and Engineering (ES) |
Geomatics Engineering (GE) | Mining Engineering (MN) | Engineering Sciences (XE) | Aerospace Engineering (AE) | Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA) |
Geology and Geophysics (GG) | Architecture and Planning (AR) | Mining Engineering (MN) | Engineering Sciences (XE) |
Instrumentation Engineering (IN) | Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA) |
Mathematics (MA) | Ecology and Evolution (EY) |
Mechanical Engineering (ME) | Computer Science and Information Technology (CS) |
Mining Engineering (MN) | Geomatics Engineering (GE) | Geology and Geophysics (GG) |
Metallurgical Engineering (MT) | Production and Industrial Engineering (PI) | Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA) |
Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NM) | Engineering Sciences (XE) |
Petroleum Engineering (PE) | Engineering Sciences (XE) |
Physics (PH) | Life Sciences (XL) |
Production and Industrial Engineering (PI) | Metallurgical Engineering (MT) |
Textile Engineering and Fibre Science (TF) | Engineering Sciences (XE) | Civil Engineering (CE) |
Engineering Sciences (XE) | Agricultural Engineering (AG) | Architecture and Planning (AR) | Biomedical Engineering (BM) | Computer Science and Information Technology (CS) | Geomatics Engineering (GE) | Geology and Geophysics (GG) | Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NM) | Petroleum Engineering (PE) | Textile Engineering and Fibre Science (TF) |
Humanities and Social Science (XH) | Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA) | Chemistry (CY) |
Life Sciences (XL) | Chemical Engineering (CH) | Electrical Engineering (EE) | Physics (PH) | Electronics and Communication Engineering (EC) |
GATE 2026 Syllabus Overview
IIT Guwahati will publish the syllabus and information brochure for GATE 2026, simultaneously. The exam will consist of three main sections: General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics, and the Core subject chosen by the candidate. The General Aptitude syllabus is common across all 30 subject papers. Check out the following table for GATE 2026 Syllabus.
GATE 2026 Preparation Tips
To clear the GATE 2026 exam on the first attempt, a strong foundation and a well-organized study plan are important. Here are some effective preparation tips to help candidates succeed and pursue a career in PSUs or MTech at IITs:
- Understand the GATE exam pattern and syllabus.
- Create a structured study plan.
- Collect relevant study materials and reference books.
- Regularly practice and revise the topics.
- Take daily mock tests.
- Solve previous year’s questions of GATE exam.
- Follow last-minute tips to boost confidence and improve performance.
GATE 2026 Exam Pattern FAQs
What is the exam pattern of GATE 2026?
The GATE 2026 exam pattern includes 65 questions carrying a total of 100 marks. The exam will consist of three types of questions: MCQs, MSQs, and NATs. The total duration of GATE 2026 is 3 hours.
How many questions are asked in GATE 2026?
GATE 2026 will include a total of 65 questions. Out of these, 10 questions will be from General Aptitude and 55 questions from the subject paper. The entire paper will be for 100 marks.
What type of questions will be asked in GATE 2026?
GATE 2026 will have three types of questions, namely. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), Multiple Select Questions (MSQs), and Numerical Answer Type (NATs). Each question may carry 1 or 2 marks.
Is there any negative marking in GATE 2026?
Yes, GATE 2026 has negative marking for MCQs only. For every incorrect 1-mark MCQ, 1/3rd mark is deducted, and for 2-mark MCQs, 2/3rd mark is deducted. No negative marking applies to MSQs and NATs.
What is the marking scheme for GATE 2026?
In GATE 2026, questions will carry either 1 or 2 marks. Negative marking applies only to MCQs, while MSQs and NATs do not have negative marks. General Aptitude is for 15 marks, and the subject paper covers the remaining 85 marks.
How is GATE 2026 conducted online or offline?
GATE 2026 will be conducted in online mode as a Computer-Based Test (CBT). All questions will appear on a computer screen, and answers must be marked digitally. The interface will also provide an on-screen calculator for candidates to calculate.
What subjects are included in the General Aptitude section of GATE 2026?
The General Aptitude section in GATE 2026 includes questions on verbal ability, numerical ability, and logical reasoning. This section is common for all papers. It carries 15 marks in total.
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