GATE Exam Pattern 2026: Paper-wise Marking Scheme, Pattern for XE, XH, & XL.
The GATE 2026 exam will consist of 65 questions in total that will be released by IIT Guwahati, as per the previous year's exam pattern. There will be two categories for these 65 questions: Core Subjects and General Aptitude (GA).
GATE 2026 Exam Pattern: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati will release the GATE exam pattern for the year 2026. Aspirants appearing for the exam this year must be aware of the GATE pattern and changes made by the conducting authority (if any).
According to the paper pattern for GATE 2025 exam released by IIT Roorkee last year, the question paper will have a total of 65 questions. These 65 questions will be divided into two sections: General Aptitude (GA) and Core Subjects. The General Aptitude section will have 10 questions, while the Core Subject section will have 55 questions.
The GATE question paper includes three types of questions: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), Multiple Select Questions (MSQs), and Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions.
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According to the GATE Marking Scheme, the Multiple Select Questions and Numerical Answer Type questions will carry no negative marking. Each question asked in the GATE paper will be either 1 or 2 marks with total marks being 100.
GATE Exam Pattern 2026
Understanding exam pattern is crucial to cover the GATE syllabus comprehensively. Recall, Comprehension, Application, and Analysis & Synthesis are abilities that would be tested through GATE exam 2026.
Below are the highlights of the GATE exam pattern 2026 that shall be released by IIT Guwahati. If there are any further changes mentioned later in the official notice, the list will be updated:
|
Particulars |
Details |
|
Mode of Exam |
Computer Based Test |
|
Duration of Exam |
3 Hours* |
|
Number of Subjects |
30 |
|
Sections |
General Aptitude (GA) + Candidate’s Selected Subject(s) (Core Subject) |
|
Question Types |
|
|
Questions for testing these abilities |
|
|
Number of Questions |
10 (GA) + 55 (subject) = 65 Questions |
|
Distribution of Marks in all Papers EXCEPT papers AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH and XL |
General Aptitude: 15 Marks + Engineering Mathematics**: 13 Marks + Subject Questions: 72 Marks = Total: 100 Marks (**XE includes Engineering Mathematics section XE-A of 15 Marks) |
|
Distribution of Marks in papers AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH and XL |
General Aptitude: 15 Marks + Subject Questions: 85 Marks = Total: 100 Marks |
|
Marking Scheme |
Questions carry 1 or 2 marks |
|
Negative Marking |
For a wrong answer chosen in a MCQ, there will be negative marking. For 1-mark MCQ, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. Likewise, For 2-mark MCQ, 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. No negative marking for Incorrect answers to MSQ or NAT questions. |
GATE Marking Scheme: Paper-Wise
Interested candidates can check the paper-wise marking scheme of GATE exam:
|
Paper Code |
General Aptitude (GA) Marks |
Subject Marks |
Total Marks |
Total Time (Minutes) |
|
AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, CY, EC, EE, ES, EY, IN, MA, ME, MN, MT, NM, PE, PH, PI, ST, TF |
15 |
85 |
100 |
180 |
|
AR [Part A + Part B1 or B2 (B1: Architecture or B2: Planning)] B1 or B2 can be selected during Exam. |
15 |
60 + 25 |
100 |
180 |
|
GE [Part A + Part B1 or B2 (B1 - Surveying and Mapping or B2 -Image Processing and Analysis)] B1 or B2 can be selected during the Exam. |
15 |
55 + 30 |
100 |
180 |
|
GG [Part A + Part B] (Section 1: Geology or Section 2: Geophysics) |
15 |
25 + 60 |
100 |
180 |
|
XE (Section A + Any TWO Sections) Sections can be selected during Exam. |
15 |
15 + (2 x 35) |
100 |
180 |
|
XH (Section B1 + Any ONE Section) |
15 |
25 + 60 |
100 |
180 |
|
XL (Section P + Any TWO Sections) Sections can be selected during Exam. |
15 |
25 + (2 x 30) |
100 |
180 |
GATE Paper Codes
GATE Exam Pattern for XE
GATE Exam Pattern for XH
GATE Exam Pattern for XL
GATE Combination of Two Papers
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Has the GATE pattern changed?
The GATE exam pattern for 2023 has been announced publicly, and it is the same as last year's.
Is there a negative marking in the GATE 2025 exam?
Yes, there is a negative marking in the GATE 2025 exam. However, negative marking applies to only Multiple Choice questions and not to Multiple Select Questions and Numerical Answer Type questions.
What is the negative marking to 1-mark and 2-mark questions?
There is a negative marking of 1/3rd to both 1-mark and 2-mark questions. Hence, upon giving wrong answers to both 1-mark and 2-mark questions, ⅓ and ⅔ marks will be deducted, respectively.
Is using a physical calculator permitted during the exam?
NO. All students will have access to a virtual scientific calculator throughout the GATE 2025 examination.
Is it compulsory for candidates to answer every question in the GATE exam?
Yes, all questions asked in the GATE exam must be attempted by applicants.
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