GATE 2022 Exam Pattern (OUT): Check paper wise marking scheme
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering 2026 ( GATE )
GATE 2026 Scorecard (free download)
27 Mar '26 - 31 May '26
Preparing for GATE 2022? Here is all you need to know about GATE 2022 exam pattern.
A candidate preparing for GATE 2022 may have many questions regarding the Exam Pattern of the upcoming exam. Preparing for GATE can be quite tricky and stressful sometimes for a student. To avoid such a situation, they need a perfect study plan. Read this article to know all your queries regarding the GATE 2022 exam pattern.
For a good study plan, every candidate must be aware of the GATE exam pattern. The right GATE preparation plan will include overall strategy, hours an aspirant should devote to studies, study material, quality mock tests, and previous year GATE papers. If a candidate is seeking a good rank in the GATE entrance exam to admission to premier engineering institutes of India or a job to top PSUs (Public Sector Unit), candidates will need to prepare for the exam keeping the GATE syllabus, exam pattern, types of questions, and duration of preparation in mind.
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According to the GATE 2022 exam pattern, candidates will need an all-around preparation for the exam. They can start with a week-wise study plan and check the preparation levels weekly.
- GATE Exam Pattern Highlights
- Paper wise GATE Exam Pattern
- GATE Exam Pattern: Important Points
- When to start preparing for GATE?
GATE Exam Pattern Highlights
Have a look at the table below for GATE exam pattern highlights based on the year 2022:
| Particulars |
Details |
|---|---|
| Examination Mode |
Computer Based Test (CBT) |
| Duration |
3 hours (180 minutes) |
|
29 |
| Sections |
|
| Type of Questions |
|
| Questions for testing these abilities |
|
| Number of Questions |
10 (GA) + 55 (subject) = 65 Questions |
| Distribution of Marks in all Papers except papers AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, XH and XL |
|
| Distribution of Marks in papers AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, XH and XL |
|
| Marking Scheme |
Questions carry 1 mark and 2 marks |
| Negative Marking |
For a wrong answer chosen in an MCQ, there will be negative marking. 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 |
Note: Candidates can appear in more than one of the 29 papers of GATE. however, they must choose the paper combination as prescribed by the exam conducting authority.
Paper wise GATE Exam Pattern
Check the paper-wise marking scheme from the table below:
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| Paper Code |
General Aptitude (GA) Marks |
Subject Marks |
Total Marks |
Total Time (Minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, CY, EC, EE, ES, EY, IN, MA, ME, MN, MT, NM, PE, PH, PI, TF, ST |
15 |
85 |
100 |
180 |
| AR [Part A + Part B1 or B2 (B1: Architecture or B2: Planning)] |
15 |
60 + 25 |
100 |
180 |
| GE [Part A + Part B (Section I or Section II) |
15 |
55 + 30 |
100 |
180 |
| GG [Part A + Part B (Section 1: Geology or Section 2: Geophysics)] |
15 |
25 + 60 |
100 |
180 |
| XE (Section A + Any TWO Sections) |
15 |
15 + (2 x 35) |
100 |
180 |
| XH (Section B1 + Any ONE Section) |
15 |
25 + 60 |
100 |
180 |
| XL (Section P + Any TWO Sections) |
15 |
25 + (2 x 30) |
100 |
180 |
GATE Exam Pattern: Important Points
Too many formula-based questions in some subjects
When an aspirant is focusing on subjects like Mechanical Engineering, they need not ignore the General Aptitude (GA) section of the exam. During the exam, they must try to finish the GA section as soon as possible to score 9-11 marks easily. Mechanical engineering has more than 800 formulae to remember. So, it is important to practice these formulas and learn them regularly.
Managing Time for Preparation
Students in BTech final year find it difficult to manage time with semester exams in Jan/Dec. It is very tough for them to attend classes in college and in coaching along with studying for their course as well as preparing for GATE. To avoid this, candidates must opt for various online channels that will help them to save time as well as prepare well for the exam. Candidates can also take help from online videos from famous coaching centres.
Practice is very important for online calculators
One should appear in the online mock test having calculators in it. It is so, most of the students use the online calculator for the first time while appearing for the exam. Those who have not practised it before will face difficulty and need more time to solve a question. It leads to a lesser number of attempted questions and then lesser marks later.
Avoid any kind of stress
Do not stress yourself too much during the GATE exam 2022 as this will destroy the hard work. Keep yourself calm during the exam to remember formulae and concepts. If at any stage, a candidate is unable to recollect concepts then they must take a deep breath to calm down and again start attempting the paper.
When to start preparing for GATE?
Experts suggest that the GATE aspirants should start their preparation as soon as possible and they must be clear about which exam they should take. This will give the aspirant a head start and they will be able to understand the concepts better for a particular subject/paper. However, many candidates choose to prepare for the exam before a month or two. This also depends on the ability, dedication of the candidate.
While making a preparation strategy, every candidate must devote equal time to every section of a subject while preparing for it. While studying, they must analyse their strengths and weaknesses. After this, they can develop a clear concept before they begin. Once they will have an idea about how to study, the next step would be to focus on how much of the syllabus can they cover in a given time frame.
Now that the candidates have has covered the complete GATE syllabus then they must start taking a mock test. Candidates must devote their last months to mock tests and solving previous year papers. This way, an aspirant will have a good hand of the speed and accuracy required to solve the GATE question.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 days ago
Candidates who have qualified GATE exam are given preference for admission in M.Arch in BMS School of Architecture. But those who have qualified Karnataka PGCET are also considered for admission.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
hi,
With a GATE EC 2026 score of 609 under the EWS category, you have a strong profile for M.Tech in VLSI and related specializations. Along with IITs and NITs, Lovely Professional University is also a good option to consider for advanced studies in VLSI and Electronics. LPU offers industry-oriented
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a week ago
Yes, GATE qualified candidates will also have to appear for the PGET exam held on the scheduled date. The merit list will combine performance of both WBUT and GATE paper.
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
Yes, WBUT PGET do accept GATE score for admission. The merit list will be prepared considering 70% weightage to GATE scores and 30% to PGET.
I
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
Candidates with GATE score of 2026, 2025 or 2024 are eligible for BITS HD 2026 entrance examination.
T
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
No, students can not get direct admission in Cluster Innovation Centre MSc. The college only accepts CUET PG score. Hence, having a GATE scorecard will not come in handy during admissions.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
If you are seeking admission in NIT Surathkal MTech, then GATE is mandatory. Students applying for non-MTech programmes do not need to appear for GATE. For M.Tech however, GATE followed by the centralised counselling is mandatory.
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No, students can not get admission in IIT Roorkee MSc with GATE scores. The institute accepts IIT JAM score only. No other tests including GATE are accepted. Students also have to appear for the centralised counselling to get a seat.
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
IISc Bangalore GATE cutoff 2026 for the ECE course for the General AI category was 650 in round 1. For the OBC AI category, the round 1 cutoff for the same course was 600. This difference in the score says that the competiton for the General AI category was higher than the OBC AI quota.
To know the
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
IISc Banglore GATE COAP cutoff 2026 was declared for admission to the M.Tech course for various All India categories up to Round 1. For the General AI category, the round 1 cutoff ranged from 480 to 800, wherein M.Tech. in Instrumentation Systems and M.Tech. in Microelectronics and VLSI Design were
N
Contributor-Level 10
Is qualifying GATE compulsory for admission in M.Arch in BMS School of Architecture?