GATE 2026 Exam Dates Released, Question Paper Pattern, Eligibility – Check Details Now!
Exciting news for aspiring engineers and scientists! The GATE 2026 Notification IIT Guwahati, has been released. Prepare to unlock your future with the latest information on the question paper pattern and eligibility criteria. Dive in to check all the details you need to succeed in this pivotal examination. Don’t miss out—get ready to conquer GATE 2026!
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)
- Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is a prestigious national-level examination.
- The examination assesses the candidates for a comprehensive understanding of different undergraduate-level subjects in Engineering/Technology/ Science/ Architecture/Humanities.
- GATE 2026 is being conducted by IISc and all IITs, on behalf of the National Coordination Board (NCB), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India.
- IIT Guwahati is the Organizing Institute for GATE 2026.
OPPORTUNITIES
- Candidates who qualify for GATE can seek admission with possible financial assistance to Master’s programs, Direct Doctoral programs and Doctoral programs in relevant branches of Engineering/Technology/Science/Architecture/Humanities in institutions supported by Ministry of Education (MoE) and other Government agencies.
- GATE score is also used by some colleges and Institutions for admission to postgraduate programs without MoE scholarship.
- Several Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) have also been using GATE score for recruitment.
GATE 2026 TEST PAPERS
- GATE 2026 will have a total of 30 test papers comprising full and sectional papers.
- A new sectional paper on Energy Science (XE-I) is being introduced in Engineering Science (XE) paper.
- A candidate can appear for one or two test papers.
- Only selected two-paper combinations are allowed for candidates appearing in two papers.
- GATE score obtained by the candidate will remain valid for a period of THREE years from the date of announcement of results.
| Activity | Day | Date* |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Date of GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS) | Monday | August 25, 2025 |
| Closing Date of REGULAR online registration/application process (Without Late Fee) | Thursday | September 25, 2025 |
| Closing Date of EXTENDED online registration/application process (With Late Fee) | Monday | October 06, 2025 |
| GATE 2026 Examinations | Saturday Sunday Saturday Sunday |
February 07, 2026 February 08, 2026 February 14, 2026 February 15, 2026 |
*All dates are liable to change
| Day, Date | Time (IST) |
|---|---|
| Saturday, February 07, 2026 | 9:30 am to 12:30 pm (Forenoon Session – FN) |
| 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm (Afternoon Session – AN) | |
| Sunday, February 08, 2026 | 9:30 am to 12:30 pm (Forenoon Session – FN) |
| 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm (Afternoon Session – AN) | |
| Saturday, February 14, 2026 | 9:30 am to 12:30 pm (Forenoon Session – FN) |
| 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm (Afternoon Session – AN) | |
| Sunday, February 15, 2026 | 9:30 am to 12:30 pm (Forenoon Session – FN) |
| 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm (Afternoon Session – AN) |
GATE 2026 Notification IIT Guwahati
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Before filing an application, candidates are advised to ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria for GATE 2026.
Candidates who are currently studying in the 3rd or higher years of any undergraduate degree program or who have completed any government approved degree program in Engineering/Technology/Architecture/Science/Commerce/Arts/Humanities are eligible to appear for GATE 2026.
Some Professional Societies*/Institutions, which conduct examination in various fields of engineering, are given below.
Candidates who possess certification from any such professional societies must ensure that those examinations are approved by MoE/AICTE/UGC/ UPSC as being equivalent to B.E./B.Tech./B.Arch./B.Planning, etc.
Candidates who have obtained/are pursuing their qualifying degree from countries other than India: Candidates must be currently in the 3rd or higher years or must have completed their Bachelor’s degree (of at least three years duration) in Engineering/Technology/Architecture/Science/Commerce/ Arts/Humanities.
Any candidate fulfilling the above-mentioned criteria is eligible to appear for GATE 2026.
More details of eligibility criteria are given below.
| Degree/Program | Qualifying Degree/Examination | Description of Eligible Candidates |
|---|---|---|
| B.E./B.Tech./B. Pharm. | Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/ Technology (4 years after 10+2 or 3 years after B.Sc./ Diploma in Engineering/Technology) |
Currently in the 3rd year or higher or already completed |
| B. Arch. | Bachelor’s degree of Architecture (5-year course)/ Naval Architecture (4-year course)/ Planning (4-year course) |
Currently in the 3rd year or higher or already completed |
| B.Sc. (Research)/B.S. | Bachelor’s degree in Science (Post-Diploma/4 years after 10+2) |
Currently in the 3rd year or higher or already completed |
| Pharm. D. (after 10+2) | A Professional Pharmacy doctoral program of 6 years duration after 10+2 which includes 1 year of internship or residency |
Currently in the 3rd/4th/5th/6th year or already completed |
| M.B.B.S./B.D.S./B.V.Sc. | Professional Medical degree programs – M.B.B.S./B.D.S./B.V.Sc. | 5th/6th/7th or higher semester or already completed |
| M.Sc./M.A./MCA or equivalent | Master’s degree in any branch of Arts/Science/Mathematics/ Statistics/Computer Applications or equivalent | Currently in the 1st year or higher or already completed |
| Int. M.E./M.Tech. (Post-B.Sc.) | Post-B.Sc. Integrated Master’s degree programs in Engineering/Technology (4-year program) | Currently in the 1st/2nd/3rd/4th year or already completed |
| Int. M.E./M.Tech./M.Pharm. or Dual Degree (after Diploma or 10+2) | Integrated Master’s degree program or Dual Degree program in Engineering/Technology (5-year program) | Currently in the 3rd/4th/5th year or already completed |
| B.Sc./B.A./B.Com. | Bachelor’s degree in any branch of Science/Arts/ Commerce (3-year program) | Currently in the 3rd year or already completed |
| Int. M.Sc./Int. B.S./M.S. | Integrated M.Sc. or 5-year integrated B.S. – M.S. program | Currently in the 3rd year or higher or already completed |
| Professional Society* Examinations (equivalent to B.E./B.Tech./B.Arch.) | B.E./B.Tech./B.Arch. equivalent examinations of Professional Societies, recognized by MoE/UPSC/AICTE (e.g. AMIE by Institution of Engineers-India, AMICE by the Institute of Civil Engineers-India and so on) | Completed Section A or equivalent of such professional courses |
| B.Sc. (Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry) | 4-year program | Currently in the 3rd/4th year or already completed |
*Students enrolled with the professional bodies and institutions as per MHRD OM (No. 11-15/2011-AR (TS.II)) with permanent recognition upto May 31, 2013, stand recognized. Please see circular No. 13/56/PC/ODL-Mode/AICTE/2020, Dated November 23, 2020 for more details.
GATE 2026 Notification IIT Guwahati
GATE 2026 TEST PAPERS & SYLLABUS
GATE 2026 will be conducted for 30 test papers. The following table shows the list of papers with codes. Please click the Paper/Code to download the syllabus.
A candidate is allowed to appear either in ONE or UP TO TWO test papers. Please see the page Two-Paper Combination for more details.
The test papers will be in English. Each GATE 2026 paper is for a total of 100 marks, General Aptitude (GA) is common for all papers (15 marks), and the rest of the paper covers the respective test paper syllabus (85 marks). Click here for detailed pattern of the question papers.
| XE Paper Sections | Code | XH Paper Sections | Code | XL Paper Sections | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Mathematics (Compulsory) (15 marks) |
A | Reasoning and Comprehension (Compulsory) (25 marks) |
B1 | Chemistry (Compulsory) (25 marks) |
P |
| Any TWO optional Sections (2×35 = 70 marks) |
Any ONE optional Section (60 marks) |
Any TWO optional Sections (2×30 = 60 marks) |
|||
| Fluid Mechanics | B | Economics | C1 | Biochemistry | Q |
| Materials Science | C | English | C2 | Botany | R |
| Solid Mechanics | D | Linguistics | C3 | Microbiology | S |
| Thermodynamics | E | Philosophy | C4 | Zoology | T |
| Polymer Science and Engineering | F | Psychology | C5 | Food Technology | U |
| Food Technology | G | Sociology | C6 | ||
| Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences | H | ||||
| Energy Science (Newly Introduced) | I |
Candidates must familiarize themselves with the paper code as it is required both during application and examination.
Each candidate should fill ONLY ONE application. If they wish to appear in second paper (from the two-paper combination), they can add respective paper in their original application. In case of Multiple applications, only one will be accepted and remaining applications will be rejected without any refund for the paid fee.
GATE 2026 Notification IIT Guwahati
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QUESTION PAPER PATTERN
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Mode of Examination | Computer Based Test (CBT) |
| Language of examination | English |
| Duration | 3 Hours* |
| Number of papers (Subjects) | 30 test papers |
| Sections | General Aptitude (GA) + Candidate’s Selected Subject(s) |
| Type of Questions | (a) Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) (b) Multiple Select Question (MSQ) (c) Numerical Answer Type (NAT) |
| Testing of abilities | (a) Recall (b) Comprehension (c) Application (d) Analysis & Synthesis |
| Distribution of Marks in all Papers EXCEPT papers AR, CY, DA, EY, GE, 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, DA, EY, GE, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH, and XL | General Aptitude: 15 marks Subject Questions: 85 marks Total: 100 marks |
| Marking Scheme | Questions carry either 1 mark or 2 marks |
| Negative Marking | For a wrong answer chosen in an MCQ, there will be negative marking. For a 1-mark MCQ, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. For a 2-mark MCQ, 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. There is no negative marking for wrong answer(s) to MSQ or NAT questions. There is no partial marking in MSQ. |
| Paper Code | General Aptitude (GA) Marks | Subject: Compulsory Section | Subject: Optional Section(s) | Total Marks | Total Time* (Minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, ES, IN, ME, MN, MT, NM, PE, PI, TF; Subject marks in these papers include questions on Engineering Mathematics (13 marks), which are paper-specific. | 15 | 85 | — | 100 | 180 |
| CY, DA, EY, MA, PH, ST | 15 | 85 | — | 100 | 180 |
| AR: Part A is Common and Compulsory. Part B1/B2 can be selected during the exam. B1 – Architecture or B2 – Planning | 15 | 60 | 25 | 100 | 180 |
| GE: Part A is Common and Compulsory. Part B1/B2 can be selected during the exam. B1 – Surveying and Mapping or B2 – Image Processing and Analysis | 15 | 55 | 30 | 100 | 180 |
| GG: Part A is Common and Compulsory. Part B1/B2 must be chosen at the time of application. B1 – Geology or B2 – Geophysics | 15 | 25 | 60 | 100 | 180 |
| XE: Section A (Engineering Mathematics) is Common and Compulsory. Applicants must select any TWO of the other sections during the exam. | 15 | 15 | 2 x 35 | 100 | 180 |
| XH: Section B1 (Reasoning and Comprehension) is Common and Compulsory. Applicants must select any ONE of the other sections at the time of application. | 15 | 25 | 60 | 100 | 180 |
| XL: Section P (Chemistry) is Common and Compulsory. Applicants must select any TWO of the other sections during the exam. | 15 | 25 | 2 x 30 | 100 | 180 |
*PwD candidates with benchmark disability greater than 40% are eligible for compensatory time of one hour. PwD candidates with less than 40% disability and having difficulty in writing are eligible for compensatory time subject to production of a certificate as stated in Appendix-I of the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
APPLICATION FEES
| Category | Regular Period (August 25 to September 25, 2025) |
During the Extended Period (September 26 to October 06, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Female/SC/ST/PwD* candidates (per test paper) | 1000 | 1500 |
| All other candidates including foreign nationals (per test paper) | 2000 | 2500 |
*PwD means Persons with Benchmark Disability.
NOTE
MORE DETAILS WILL BE UPDATED – VISIT THIS LINK FOR MORE INFORMATION
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