GATE 2026 Exam Analysis (Feb 7): Shift 1 & 2 Difficulty Level, Topics Asked, Expected Cutoff
GATE 2026 Exam Analysis GATE 2026 exam analysis has been performed by many edtech giants to help students assess their performance in GATE 2026 exam. GATE 2026 exam analysis is now available for the February 7 shift 1 papers. Shift 2 is underway.
The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2026 is conducted by IIT Guwahati. Candidates can check the GATE 2026 Exam Feb 7 Question Paper Answer Key soon. Many candidates who appeared in the exam gave reactions on social platforms with memory-based solutions.
The Feb 7 shift 2 exam is held between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm. Papers scheduled in this session are:
- XH (Humanities and Social Sciences)
- AE
- BT
- CH
- CY
- GE
- PH
Students who appeared today can find the following in our blog:
- Detailed GATE 2026 Feb 7 shift 1 analysis
- Difficulty level
- Key topics
- Expected GATE 2026 cutoffs and GATE Results
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GATE 2026 Feb 7 Shift Timings and Papers Scheduled
IIT Guwahati has officially released the Day 1 schedule on the GATE website.
Shift | Timing | Papers Conducted |
Shift 1 | 9:30 AM-12:30 PM | AG, ES, GG, IN, MA, MN, TF, XE, XL |
Shift 2 | 2:30 PM-5:30 PM | AE, BT, CH, CY, GE, PH, XH |
Read Also: GATE 2026 Exam Details
GATE 2026 Feb 7 Shift 2 Exam Live: XH Paper Ongoing
GATE second shift has the XH paper. It is one of the most awaited humanities-based subjects in GATE.
Candidates can check:
- GATE Feb 7 shift 2 question paper
- Answer key
- Student reactions
- Expected cutoff updates
Once the exam ends at 5:30 pm.
GATE 2026 Feb 7 Shift 1 Paper Analysis OUT
GATE first shift papers are now over. Students reported that the overall difficulty level was on the easy to moderate side.
Overall Difficulty Level (Shift 1)
Here is the quick snapshot of GATE shift 1 paper difficulty level:
Subject | Overall Difficulty | GA Difficulty Level |
AG | Moderate | Easy to Moderate |
ES | Moderate | Moderate |
GG | Easy to Moderate | Easy to Moderate |
IN | Easy to Moderate | Moderate |
MA | Moderate to Difficult | Moderate |
XE | Moderate | Moderate to Slightly Difficult |
XL | Moderate | Moderate |
TF | Moderate | Easy to Moderate |
MN | Easy to Moderate | Moderate |
GATE 2026 XE Paper Analysis (Engineering Sciences)
Student feedback place GATE XE paper in an easy-to-moderate category. Some sections were lengthy.
Highlights of GATE XE Paper
- Overall difficulty: Easy to Moderate
- Statement-based questions were more
- Fluid Mechanics: tough
- XE-E section: lengthy
- XE-D reflected Mechanical GATE PYQs
- Attempts ranged between 50-57
- High cutoff expected
Topics Asked in GATE XE
- Diesel Cycle
- Fluid Mechanics
- Navier-Stokes Equations
- Pipe Flow (Major/Minor Losses)
- Dimensional Analysis
GATE 2026 XL Paper Review: Moderate to Tough
GATE Life Sciences (XL) paper was slightly tougher.
Important areas:
- Organic Chemistry reactions
- SN1 and SN2 mechanisms
- Coordination compounds
- Buffer solutions
- Nitric acid-based questions
Candidates who will appear in the next session must check: GATE Exam 2026 Preparations.
GATE 2026 IN Paper Analysis (Instrumentation Engineering)
GATE IN paper was moderate. Many questions are similar to last year.
Question Pattern
- NAT: 18
- MSQ: 4
- MCQ: 43
Topics Students Noted
Experts estimate around 45-55 attempts:
- Amplifier-based questions
- Control Systems
- Laplace Transform
- Linear & Non-linear systems
- D Flip-Flop
GATE 2026 Feb 7 Shift 1 Subject-wise Topic Overview
Here we have tabulated major topics asked in GATE Feb 7 paper 1:
Subject | Difficulty Level | Important Topics |
AG | Moderate | Soil and Water Conservation |
ES | Moderate to Difficult | Thermodynamics |
GG | Easy to Moderate | Remote Sensing |
IN | Moderate | Sensors and Transducers |
MA | Moderate to Difficult | Linear Algebra, Calculus |
MN | Easy to Moderate | Mine Ventilation |
TF | Moderate | To be updated |
XE | Moderate | Pipe Flow, Potential Flow, Navier-Stokes |
XL | Moderate to Tough | Organic Chemistry, SN1/SN2, Coordination |
Documents Required at GATE Exam Centre
Candidates need to bring these on exam day:
- GATE 2026 hall ticket
- Valid photo ID proof
- Recent photograph
GATE 2026 Question Paper Attempt Tips
GATE is a 3-hour computer-based test. Students should:
- Start with easy questions first
- Reserve 20-30 minutes for revision
- Avoid blind guessingbecause there is negative marking
- Use rough sheets wisely
- Submit only in invigilator’s presence
GATE 2026 Expected Marks vs Rank (Predicted)
Following the previous trend:
Marks (Out of 100) | Expected Rank Range |
85-90 | 1-10 |
80-85 | 50-100 |
74-79 | 500-1000 |
70-75 | 2000-5000 |
60-65 | 5000-10000 |
GATE 2026 Expected Cutoff May Rise for XE
GATE XE student feedback predicts that the cutoff for Engineering Sciences could increase.
Last year’s XE topper scored:
- Raw marks: 88.3/100
- GATE Score: 1000
What’s Next? Answer Key and Shift 2 Analysis Coming Soon
GATE 2026 Exam Feb 7 Question Paper Answer Key for shift 2 will be available soon.
Candidates must bookmark this blog for:
- Memory-based questions
- Official answer key updates
- Expected cutoff and rank predictions
- Shift-wise paper difficulty
We Also Covered Other National-level Exam Analysis
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Frequently Asked Questions
Ques: What are the qualifying marks in GATE exam 2026?
Ans: GATE qualifying cutoff varies by paper. Check this for a tentative guess:
Paper | General | OBC-NCL/EWS | SC/ST/PwD |
CSE | 30–32 | 27–29 | 20–22 |
ME | 34–36 | 30–32 | 23 |
Civil | 29–31 | 26–28 | 19–21 |
EE/ECE | 25–27 | 22–25 | 17 |
Ques: What is the GATE 2026 expected cutoff for IISc Bangalore?
Ans: IISC GATE cutoff vary on the category. Hebrew e have given the expected GATE cutoff for the general category for IISc MTech:
Branch | Expected GATE IISc Cutoff |
Computer Science | 910 - 870 |
Electrical Engineering | 845-870 |
Mechanical Engineering | 775 - 815 |
Civil Engineering | 790 - 760 |
Aerospace Engineering | 750 -770 |
Electronic Systems Engineering | 825 - 845 |
Computational and Data Science | 830 - 850 |
Artificial Intelligence | 840 - 870 |
Data Science | 830 - 850 |
Instrumentation | 750 - 790 |
Ques: Is it mandatory that I submit the rough sheet after GATE exam 2026?
Ans: Yes. It is necessary that you submit your GATE rough sheet once the exam concludes. This has to be done in the presence of the invigilator.
Ques: What are the GATE 2026 exam Feb 7 live updates?
Ans: The GATE 2026 exam has started on 7 February 2026. The first paper has concluded so far, and the second shift is going on. GATE 2026 exam analysis is also out.
Ques: Has GATE 2026 exam analysis paper 2 been released?
Ans: Currently, paper 2 is underway. The analysis will be out once the paper has ended. But if you are looking for paper 2 analysis, go through paper 1 also. It will give you a rough idea about the difficulty trend and an overall insight.