GATE 2026: Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is a national-level examination that primarily tests the comprehensive understanding of various undergraduate subjects in Engineering/ Technology/Architecture/Science/ Commerce/Arts/Humanities. GATE 2026 will be a computer-based test (CBT) and is being organised by the Indian Institutes of Technology Guwahati. The examination will be conducted by IISc Bengaluru and seven IITs (IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras and IIT Roorkee), on behalf of the National Coordination Board – GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India (GoI). Interested and eligible candidates can apply online on or before 25 September 2025 28 September 2025.
GATE 2026 – Details:
| Exam Name | GATE 2026 |
| GATE Full Form | Graduate Aptitude Test In Engineering |
| Mode of Exam | Online |
| GATE Score Validity | 3 years |
| Online Registration Start Date | |
| Online Registration End Date | |
| Exam Date | February 7, 8, 14 & 15, 2026 |
| GATE Official Website | https://gate2026.iitg.ac.in/ |
Detailed Eligibility:
- 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.
- 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.
Some Professional Societies/Institutions, which conduct examination in various fields of engineering, are given below.
- The Institution of Engineers (India) (IE)
- The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
- The Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE)
- The Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI)
- The Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, including Polymer and Environmental Group (IIChE)
- The Indian Institute of Metals (IIM)
- The Indian Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIIE)
Note:
- Candidates pursuing any higher degree or in possession of a degree higher than that mentioned in the table below, will be allowed to appear for GATE 2026.
- Candidates with B.Sc./B.A./B.Com. degrees (3-year program) desirous of seeking admission to Master’s programs in IITs and IISc.
| 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) | 6 years degree program, consisting of internship or residency training, during third year onwards | Currently in the 3rd/ 4th/ 5th/ 6th year or already completed |
| M.B.B.S. / B.D.S. / B.V.Sc. | Degree holders of M.B.B.S. / B.D.S. / B.V.Sc and those who are in the 5th/ 6th/ 7th semester or higher semester of such programme. | 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 first 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 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-years program | Currently in the 3rd/ 4th year or already completed |
GATE 2026 Examination:
| Particulars | Description |
| Exam Name | GATE 2026 |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Exam mode | Single-paper Computer-Based Test(CBT) |
| Type of questions |
|
| No. of questions | 65 |
| Total Marks | 100 |
| Number of Sections | Two/ Three (depending on the paper) |
| Section-wise Number of Questions |
|
| Section-wise Weightage |
|
| Marking Scheme | Each correct answer in the exam will be awarded either 1 or 2 marks. |
| GATE Negative Marking |
|
GATE 2026 test papers contain three types of questions: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs); Multiple Select Questions (MSQs); and Numerical Answer Type (NAT).
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ):
- Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) carry 1 or 2 marks each, in all the papers and sections.
- These questions are objective in nature, and each will have choice of four answers, out of which ONLY ONE choice is correct. Negative Marking for Wrong Answers:
- There will be negative marking for a wrong chosen answering MCQ.
- For 1-mark MCQ, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. Likewise, for 2-mark MCQ, 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer
Multiple Select Questions (MSQ):
- Multiple Select Questions (MSQ) carry 1 or 2 marks each.
- Each MSQ will have choice of four answers, out of which ONE or MORE than ONE choice(s) is / are correct.
- There is NO negative marking for a wrong answer in MSQ. However, there is NO partial credit for choosing partially correct combinations of choices or any single wrong choice.
Numerical Answer Type (NAT):
- Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions carry 1 or 2 marks each.
- For NAT questions, the answer is a signed real number, which must be entered by the candidate using the virtual numeric keypad on the monitor (keyboard of the computer will be disabled).
- No choices will be shown for these types of questions.
- The answer can be a number such as 10 or -10 (an integer only).
- The answer may be in decimals as well, for example,10.1 (one decimal) or 10.01 (two decimals) or -10.001 (three decimals).
- The stem of the NAT question will indicate the number of decimal places that must be specified in the
Marks Distribution:
- Every test paper has 65 questions carrying a total of 100 marks, out of which 10 questions carrying a total of 15 marks will be on General Aptitude (GA), which is intended to test typically language and analytical skills.
- In test papers AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, ES, GE, IN, ME, MN, MT, NM, PE, PI and TF, the General Aptitude section will carry 15 marks and the remaining 85 marks are devoted to the subject component, out of which Engineering Mathematics will carry 13 marks.
- XE has a common and a compulsory section, namely, XE-A (Engineering Mathematics), which carries 15 marks.
- In test papers AR, CY, DA, EY, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH and XL, the General Aptitude section carries 15 marks and the remaining 85 marks are devoted to the subject component.
Note:
- GATE 2026 Results: GATE 2026 results will be announced on the GATE 2026 Website. GATE 2026 score is valid for THREE YEARS from the date of announcement of the results. No information on the GATE 2026 score will be available after this period.
- GATE 2026 Scorecard: After the declaration of results, GATE 2026 Scorecards of the qualified candidates can be downloaded free of cost between from the GATE 2026 website. It is highly recommended that a softcopy of the scorecard is safely stored by the candidate for all the future uses.
Paper Codes:
| GATE Test Paper | Code | GATE Test Paper | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineering | AE | Geology & Geophysics | GG |
| Agricultural Engineering | AG | Instrumentation Engineering | IN |
| Architecture and Planning | AR | Mathematics | MA |
| Biomedical Engineering | BM | Mechanical Engineering | ME |
| Biotechnology | BT | Mining Engineering | MN |
| Civil Engineering | CE | Metallurgical Engineering | MT |
| Chemical Engineering | CH | Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering | NM |
| Computer Science & Information Technology | CS | Petroleum Engineering | PE |
| Chemistry | CY | Physics | PH |
| Data Science & Artificial Intelligence | DA | Production & Industrial Engineering | PI |
| Electronics & Communication Engineering | EC | Statistics | ST |
| Electrical Engineering | EE | Textile Engineering & Fibre Science | TF |
| Environmental Science & Engineering | ES | Engineering Sciences | XE |
| Ecology and Evolution | EY | Humanities & Social Sciences | XH |
| Geomatics Engineering | GE | Life Sciences | XL |
Two Paper Codes:
| Code of the First Paper | Code of the Second Paper | Code of the First Paper | Code of the Second Paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| AE | CE, ME, XE | GG | GE |
| AG | CE | IN | BM, EC, EE, ME |
| AR | CE, GE | MA | CS, DA, PH, ST |
| BM | BT, IN | ME | AE, DA, IN, NM, PI, XE |
| BT | BM, XL | MN | – |
| CE | AE, AG, AR, ES, GE, NM, XE | MT | XE |
| CH | ES, PE, XE | NM | CE, ME |
| CS | DA, EC, GE, MA, PH, ST | PE | CH |
| CY | XE, XL | PH | CS, DA, EC, EE, MA, XE |
| DA | CS, EC, EE, MA, ME, PH, ST, XE | PI | ME, XE |
| EC | CS, DA, EE, IN, PH | ST | CS, DA, MA, XH |
| EE | DA, EC, IN, PH | TF | – |
| ES | CE, CH, GE | XE | AE, CE, CH, CY, DA, ME, MT, PH, PI |
| EY | XL | XH | ST |
| GE | AR, CE, CS, ES, GG | XL | BT, CY, EY |
Application Fees:
- Female/ SC/ ST/ PwD candidates
- Regular Period (August 28 to September 28, 2025) – Rs. 1000/-
- Extended Period (September 29 to October 9, 2025) – Rs. 1500/-
- All other candidates, including foreign nationals
- Regular Period (August 28 to September 28, 2025) – Rs. 2000/-
- Extended Period (September 29 to October 9, 2025) – Rs. 2500/-
Application Fees Mode: Net banking/Debit card/Credit card/UPI
How to Apply for GATE 2026?
All interested and eligible candidates can apply for GATE 2026 on or before 25 September 2025, 28 September 2025 (11.59 PM)
For more details & Apply: Click here.
Important Dates:
| Activity | Day | Date* |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Date of GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS) | Thursday |
August 28, 2025 |
| Closing Date of REGULAR online registration/application process (Without Late Fee) | Sunday |
September 28, 2025 |
| Closing Date of EXTENDED online registration/application process (With Late Fee) | Thursday |
October 09, 2025 |
| GATE 2026 Examinations | Saturday Sunday Saturday Sunday |
February 07, 2026 February 08, 2026 February 14, 2026 February 15, 2026 |
| Announcement of results | Thursday | March 19, 2026 |
Examination Schedule:
| 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) |
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE):
GATE is administered jointly by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and seven Indian Institutes of Technology (namely, IITs at Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee). The GATE Committee, which comprises of representatives from the administering institutes, is the sole authority for regulating the examination and for declaring the results. For administrative purposes, the examination cities in India are segregated into eight zones. The operations related to GATE, in each of the eight zones, are managed by a Zonal GATE Office at the administering institute (IT or isc).
About GATE 2026:
- GATE 2026 will be conducted for 30 subjects (also referred to as “test papers”).
- Examination for all the 30 test papers (subjects) will be conducted as Computer Based Test (CBT).
- The Computer Based Test examination papers will contain some questions of (i) Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) type, where only one option out of four options is correct.
- Remaining questions may be of (ii) Multiple Select Question (MSQ) type, where one or more than one options out of four options is/are correct, and/or
- (iii)Numerical Answers Type (NAT) where answer must be keyed in by the candidate using a virtual keypad. The candidates will use ONLY an on-screen virtual calculator provided for the examination.
- A candidate can appear in ONE or TWO test papers of the GATE examination. However, note that the combination of TWO test papers in which a candidate can appear MUST be selected from the pre-defined list
- Even if a candidate is appearing for TWO test papers, the candidate should fill ONLY ONE application form.
- GATE 2026 examinations will be held during the forenoon and afternoon sessions on Saturday 7th , Sunday 8th , Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th of February 2026.
- Examination for some of the test papers in GATE 2026 may be held in multiple sessions. However, a candidate will be required to appear for the examination in ONLY one of the multiple sessions of the same paper.
- Exact details of the complete examination schedule will be notified later on the GATE 2026 website (https://gate2026.iitg.ac.in/)
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