GATE Exam Pattern


GATE 2026 Exam Pattern

Your Complete Guide to Exam Structure & Marking Scheme

📋 Exam Overview

Particulars Details
Mode of Examination Computer Based Test (CBT) conducted at select centers in select cities
Duration 3 Hours*
Number of Subjects (Papers) 30
Sections General Aptitude (GA) + Candidate’s Selected Subjects
Type of Questions
• Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
• Multiple Select Questions (MSQ)
• Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions
Questions for testing abilities
Recall
Comprehension
Application
Analysis & Synthesis
Marking Scheme Questions carry 1 mark or 2 marks
Negative Marking
• MCQ: ⅓ mark deduction for 1-mark, ⅔ for 2-mark questions
• No negative marking for MSQ or NAT questions

📊 Paper Code Details

Paper Code GA Marks Compulsory Subject Marks Total Duration
AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, ES, IN, ME, MN, MT, NM, PE, PI, TF 15 85 100 180
CY, DA, EY, MA, PH, ST 15 85 100 180
AR [Part A + B1/B2] 15 60 25 100 180
GE [Part A + B1/B2] 15 55 30 100 180
GG [Part A + B1/B2] 15 25 60 100 180
XE [Section A + 2 optional] 15 15 2×35 100 180
XL [Section P + 2 optional] 15 25 2×30 100 180

🔑 Key Takeaways

⏱️ Duration
All papers: 3 hours (180 minutes)

📝 Common Elements
All papers have 15 marks General Aptitude section

⚠️ Caution
Negative marking only for MCQs (not MSQ/NAT)