Graduate Aptitude Test In Engineering (GATE) 2026: The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2026 will be conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG), in collaboration with IISc Bengaluru and all Indian Institutes of Technology, on behalf of the National Coordination Board (NCB), Ministry of Education. The national-level exam evaluates candidates' understanding of undergraduate and postgraduate subjects across Engineering, Technology, Science, Architecture, Humanities, Commerce and Arts.
The test will be held in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode, and the GATE 2026 score will remain valid for three years from the date of result announcement.
New Addition In Test Papers
GATE 2026 will feature 30 test papers in total, with a new sectional paper on Energy Science (XE-I) introduced under the Engineering Sciences (XE) category.
All test papers will be available in English, and aspirants can choose to appear in one or two papers, provided the combination is selected from the officially approved list. Any combination may be withdrawn later due to scheduling constraints, in which case fees for the second paper will be refunded.
Question Paper Structure
Each test paper carries 100 marks, including a compulsory General Aptitude (GA) section of 15 marks. The remaining marks are allocated to subject-specific questions.
The exam will comprise 65 questions-10 from GA and 55 from the chosen subject. Questions will test recall, comprehension, application, analysis and synthesis.
Types Of Questions
GATE 2026 will include objective-type questions only:
- Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
- Multiple Select Questions (MSQs)
- Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions
Candidates must use the on-screen virtual calculator provided during the exam.
Marking Scheme
Questions carry 1 mark or 2 marks.
Negative Marking applies only to MCQs:
- For 1-mark MCQs: 1/3 mark will be deducted for each incorrect answer.
- For 2-mark MCQs: 2/3 mark will be deducted.
- No negative marking forMultiple Select Questions (MSQs) or NATs.
- No partial marking is allowed.
Session And Centre Allocation
- Some papers such as CE and CS may be held in multiple sessions. A candidate will be assigned only one session.
- For candidates appearing for two papers, the exam centres for each paper may differ within the same city due to logistical constraints.
Choosing Right Test Paper
The responsibility to select the appropriate paper lies with the candidate. While most aspirants choose papers aligned with their qualifying degree, GATE allows flexibility to choose from permitted combinations depending on future academic or employment plans.
The detailed syllabus for all papers is available on the GATE 2026 website and in the official information brochure.
Opportunities After Qualifying GATE
A valid GATE score enables candidates to seek:
- Admission with possible financial assistance to Master's and Direct PhD programmes in MoE-supported institutions.
- Admission to postgraduate courses in other institutes using GATE scores for selection, even without MoE scholarships.
- Recruitment opportunities in several Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) that accept GATE scores for engineering and technical roles.
GATE scores reflect a candidate's relative performance in the chosen test paper, and no score-related information will be provided after the three-year validity period.
