GATE 2022 Exam Pattern (OUT): Check paper wise marking scheme
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering 2026 ( GATE )
Exam On - 8 Feb '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 Yesterday
The GATE 2026 question paper difficulty level of all subjects will be available after the completion of exam. In addition, students will also get an idea about chapter-wise weightage and important topics asked in major papers like GATE CSE, ME, EC, EE, DA, XE, etc.
H
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 days ago
No, GATE questions are not exactly repeated. However, the concept, core, and question format may remain the same. Therefore, candidates must focus on concept-building and practice GATE PYQs as many times as possible. In addition, solve mock test paper to improve accuracy and time management.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, GATE has negative marking for Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) only. In GATE question paper, MCQs will be of one and two marks. Hence, the marking scheme for such questions can be checked below -
- For one mark MCQ - 1/3rd mark will be deducted
- For two mark MCQ - 2/3rd mark will be deducted
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
NHCE Bangalore accepts GATE score for admission to M.Tech programme. However, it is not compulsory. Aspirants can also get into M.Tech course based on their Karnataka PGCET scores. Selected candidates have to confirm their seat by paying the course fees.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered a week ago
Chandigarh University does not announce branch-wise GATE Exam 2026 cut-offs for M.E. admissions. Since GATE is not mandatory for admission, there are no fixed cut-offs for different specialisations. However, for GATE fellowship allocation, competition may vary by branch depending on the number of ap
A
Guide-Level 11
Answered 2 weeks ago
Candidates need to graduate from BTech at IIT Dhanbad with a minimum GPA of 8.0 or above to qualify for M.Tech admissions without GATE. Only the candidates who clear BTech from IIT Dhanbad are allowed admissions without GATE into M.Tech at II Dhanbad with the aforementioned score.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
No, the GATE 2026 has already been concluded for IIT Dhanbad M.Tech admissions. The GATE 2026 registrations are closed in the month of October. Candidates who have appeared for GATE will need to wait for all merit-lists to be revealed.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
The PhD admissions to the Institute Assistantship courses at IIT Guwahati require candidates to appear for the GATE or CEED.
However, PhD admissions to the other categories of PhD courses at IIT Guwahati are not decided on the basis of the aforementioned entrance exams scores.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
No, GATE is not a mandatory entrance exam for Plaksha University MS in AI admissions. Candidates also have the option to appear for other entrance exams to qualify for MS in AI admissions such as GRE, CAT and GMAT.
However, candidates who have cleared their UG level course from top institutes such as
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
The GATE paper will be divided into sections like engineering mathematics, structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, water resources engineering, environmental engineering, etc.
Here's the GATE 2026 Syllabus for Civil Engineering
N
Contributor-Level 9
What is the difficulty level of GATE 2026 question paper?