GATE 2026 Exam Details: Date, Pattern, Merit List, Old Question Pages, and Answer Keys
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
GATE Exam Details Overview
The GATE exam 2026 will be organized by IIT Guwahati and will be conducted in February 2026. The GATE 2026 exam notification has already been released on 5th August 2025. Some of the important dates concerning the GATE exam 2026 are displayed in the table below:
Important Events | Dates | Time / Additional Info |
Admit Cards Available for Download | January 13, 2026 | — |
GATE 2026 Examination | February 07, 2026 (Saturday) | Forenoon: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM; Afternoon: 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM |
GATE 2026 Examination | February 08, 2026 (Sunday) | Forenoon: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM; Afternoon: 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM |
GATE 2026 Examination | February 14, 2026 (Saturday) | Forenoon: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM; Afternoon: 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM |
GATE 2026 Examination | February 15, 2026 (Sunday) | Forenoon: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM; Afternoon: 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM |
Announcement of Results (GOAPS) | March 19, 2026 | — |
Score Cards Available for Free Download | March 27, 2026 – May 31, 2026 | — |
Score Cards Available (Paid, ₹500 per test paper) | June 01, 2026 – December 31, 2026 | — |
GATE 2026: Exam Day Guidelines
Students must follow certain guidelines to avoid last minute hassle at the exam center while preparing for GATE exam 2026. The below mentioned are some basic exam-day guidelines that are to be followed at the exam center.
- Candidates must bring a valid photo ID proof like Aadhaar, Passport, Voter ID, or Driving License.
- Students should avoid bringing digital gadgets like mobile phones, calculators, and smartwatches.
- Students should avoid wearing any unnecessary and prohibited accessories like jewellery at the time of exam.
- Students must reach the exam centre on time, ideally 1-hour before. If the centre is too far candidates should consider reaching a day before.
Distribution of Marks in GATE 2026 Papers
Here is the paper-wise distribution of marks in GATE 2026.
Paper Code | General Aptitude (GA) Marks | Subject: Compulsory Section | Subject: Optional Section(s) | Total Marks |
AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, ES, IN, ME, MN, MT, NM, PE, PI, TF | 15 | 85 (includes Engineering Mathematics, 13 marks) | — | 100 |
CY, DA, EY, MA, PH, ST | 15 | 85 | — | 100 |
AR (Architecture / Planning) | 15 | 60 | 25 | 100 |
GE (Surveying & Mapping / Image Processing & Analysis) | 15 | 55 | 30 | 100 |
GG (Geology / Geophysics) | 15 | 25 | 60 | 100 |
XE (Engineering Mathematics + Any 2 sections) | 15 | 15 | 2 × 35 | 100 |
XH (Reasoning & Comprehension + Any 1 section) | 15 | 25 | 60 | 100 |
XL (Chemistry + Any 2 sections) | 15 | 25 | 2 × 30 | 100 |
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
GATE Exam Pattern
The GATE exam pattern includes Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), Multiple Select Questions (MSQs), and Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions. A total number of 65 questions are asked in the exam for which 3 hours are allocated to the student. The table below shows the detailed exam pattern of GATE exam 2026.
Particulars | Details |
Exam Format | Computer Based Examination |
Exam Duration | 3-Hours |
Total Marks | 100 |
Type of Questions |
|
Marking Scheme | 1 mark or 2 marks questions with negative marking for incorrect answers (1/3 mark for 1-mark questions, 2/3 mark for 2-mark questions). |
Paper Combination | Candidates can choose a maximum of 2 papers (a primary and secondary) |
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
Download GATE Old Question Papers
Students can refer to the table below to download the year wise previous year question papers from the link provided below.
GATE Exam 2024 Subject-wise Previous Year Question Papers
The Table below shows the GATE Exam 2024 Subject-wise Question papers.
Subject Code | GATE 2024 Question Paper |
AE | |
AG | |
AR | |
BM | |
BT | |
CE | |
CH | |
CS | |
CY | |
DA | |
EC | |
EE | |
ES | |
EY | |
GE | |
GG | |
IN | |
MA | |
ME | |
MN | |
MT | |
NM | |
PE | |
PH | |
PI | |
ST | |
TF | |
XE |
Note: To bulk download the GATE Exam Previous year question papers students can click here.
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
GATE 2026 Answer Key
The GATE exam answer key 2026 will be released by IIT Guwahati. The answer key is expected to be released in February 2026 after the GATE Examination 2026. Candidates may raise objections on the provisional answer key based on which the GATE exam final answer key will be prepared. The following is the step-by-step process to download GATE 2026 answer key.
- Visit the GATE 2026 exam’s official website.
- Navigate to the “GATE Exam 2026 Answer Key” tab in the latest notification area.
- Download and print the answer for reference.
Students can use the Gate 2026 Answer key to provisionally calculate their scores.
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
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Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
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