GATE 2026 DA Important Topics: Exam Date (OUT), Topic-Wise Weightage, Pattern, and Revision Tips
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering 2026 ( GATE )
Exam On - 7 Feb '26
The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE 2026) for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA) syllabus, important topics, high-weightage chapters can be checked here. A thorough understanding of syllabus, important GATE DA topics, and their respective weightage is crucial for aspirants aiming to excel in this examination. Read below for more.
IIT Guwahati has released the GATE 2026 DA syllabus on official website. Candidates who want to appear for the GATE DA paper must fill out the GATE 2026 application form, which was available on gate2026.iitg.ac.in.
Latest Update: GATE 2026 branch-wise exam schedule released
GATE 2026 DA Marks: Distribution and Weightage
The GATE 2025 DA question paper comprises two sections -
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- General aptitude - 15 marks
- Subject questions - 85 marks
A total of 100 marks is allotted for the GATE 2026 DA question paper. The question types include Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), Multiple Select Questions (MSQs), and Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions. Negative marking applies only to MCQs, with a deduction of 1/3 mark for 1-mark questions and 2/3 mark for 2-mark questions. There is no negative marking for MSQs and NAT questions.
GATE 2026 DA Exam Date
IIT Guwahati will conduct GATE DA exam on February 15 in second shift (2:30 pm to 5:30 pm). Candidates appearing for exam must download their admit card on January 2.
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For IIT Delhi M.Tech admission, candidates must have a valid GATE score. Aspirants are also supposed to meet the minimum eligibility criteria set by the institute. Candidates seeking admission to IIT Delhi M.Tech course must visit the official website of GATE to apply online. Registered candidates are then required to appear for the GATE entrance exam. Candidates shortlisted based on exam score are further required to participate in COAP counselling.
The GATE zones are the authorities that perform any operations related to the GATE examination. These are managed by the GATE offices of IISc and IITs. The list of GATE zones is as follows-
- IISc Bengaluru
- IIT Delhi
- IIT Bombay
- IIT Guwahati
- IIT Kanpur
- IIT Kharagpur
- IIT Madras
- and IIT Roorkee
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No, IIT Roorkee does not offer direct admissions. All candidates seeking admission are required to appear for CAT. It is a national-level entrance test conducted by the IIMs. Moreover, this exa is genereally conducted in the month of November.
The MCQ, MSQ, and NAT are the types of questions asked in the GATE examination.
- MCQs are the multiple-choice questions
- MSQs are the multiple select questions
- and NAT are numerical answer type questions
Each question type has a different marking scheme, which the candidates must go through the information brochure carefully.
Yes, GATE has negative marking for MCQs only. There is no negative marking for MSQs and NATs. For 1 mark question, 1/3rd marks is deducted for incorrect response and for 2 marks, 2/3rd mark is deducted for incorrect response. Candidates who are appearing for the exam this year, must be aware of the exam pattern and marking scheme.
GATE 2026 DA Syllabus- Topics and Weightage
The GATE Data Science and Artificial Intelligence syllabus, as per the GATE 2025 exam, is as follows. Aspirants can also check an approximate weightage section-wise below-
| Subjects | Approximate Weightage/Marks |
|---|---|
| Probability and Statistics | 16 marks |
| Linear Algebra | 10 marks |
| Calculus and Optimisation | 8 marks |
| Programming, Data Structures, and Algorithms | 21 marks |
| Database Management and Warehousing | 8 marks |
| Machine Learning | 11 marks |
| Artificial Intelligence | 11 marks |
GATE 2026 DA Expected Questions (Topic-Wise)
IIT Guwahati conducted the GATE exam in 2018, and looking at the pattern and format of the questions, here are some expected questions that can be asked from following topics covered in the GATE 2026 DA question paper -
| Topics |
Expected Questions in the following topics |
|---|---|
| Data Structures and Algorithms |
Tree Traversal, Hashing, Stack application, Graph traversal, Time complexities, master theorem, sorting, searching, shortest path, minimum cost spanning tree |
| Programming in Python |
Recursion, List and dictionary comprehension, List, Tuple, set, and dictionary data types, and Scope of variable in a function |
| Database Management and Warehousing |
Checking FD’s, Additional FD’s, Finding Normal Form of the relation, Decomposition properties, Tuple relational calculus, Data normalisation, OLAP operations, Equivalence FD’s, Decomposing the relation, B and B+ tree insertion and deletion, |
| Machine Learning |
Decision trees -information gain, entropy, K-value selection in KNN, K-means, single linkage clustering in KNN, Model parameters in Naive Bayes, model parameters in ANN, Hyper plane, decision boundary, and linearly non-separable data, distance-weighted KNN, decision trees pruning, cross validation techniques, etc. |
| Artificial Intelligence |
Iterative deepening search, depth limited search, bi-directional search, rules of inference, tautologies, exact inference through variable elimination, quantifies and multiple quantifiers |
GATE 2026 DA Important Formulas (Topic-Wise)
| Topics/Subjects | Important Formulas to Focus |
|---|---|
| Probability and Statistics | Baye's Theorem, Mean and Variance, Probability and Distributions (Binomial, Poisson, and Normal Distribution) |
| Linear Algebra | Matrix operations, Principal component analysis - (Formula for Eigenvalues of Covariance Matrix) |
| Calculus and Optimization | Gradient Descent Update Rule, Lagrange Multiplier Method |
| Machine Learning | Loss Functions, Naïve Bayes Classifier |
| Data Structures and Algorithms | Time Complexity (Big-O Notation), Dynamic Programming |
| Artificial Intelligence | Minimax Algorithm (Game Theory), Perceptron Rule (Basic Neural Network) |
Quick Tips for Memorisation and Problem Solving
- Revise short notes, mind maps, and cheat sheets for quick concept review.
- Memorize important formulas, such as Bayes’ Theorem, Eigenvalues, Gradient Descent, etc.
- Attempt at least 2 to 3 full-length mock tests following real exam guidelines.
- Attempt 50+ NAT-type questions for numerical accuracy.
- Follow a 50-40-30 rule during the exam- (50 mins for General aptitude, 40 mins for medium-difficulty questions, and 30 mins for tough questions & review)
- Get 7-8 hours of sleep before the exam. Avoid starting new topics. Revise what you've read already.
Upasana Pradhan is an Mtech graduate in Electronics and Communication Engineering from DTU who specialises in curating postgraduate and undergraduate engineering entrance exam content, such as GATE, TS PGECET, KCET,
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 4 days ago
No, IIT Guwahati has not released GATE exam admit card 2026 yet. The revised date to download GATE hall ticket will be available soon at gate2026.iitg.ac.in. The expected GATE 2026 admit card release date is yet to be announced. Candidates must keep their enrollment ID and password to download admis
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered 6 days ago
The IIIT Bangalore M.Tech Cutoff 2025 has been released for admission for all categories under the All India quota. The closing cutoff in the last round for 2025 was 668 for the General AI category candidates. Whereas, in 2024, the closing cutoff in the last round was 570, indicating that the compe
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
The IIIT Bangalore GATE COAP Cutoff 2025 has been released for admission to the M.Tech course specialisations for all categories under the All India quota. For the General AI category candidates, the last round cutoff score ranged from 555 to 668, wherein M.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
The IIIT Bangalore GATE Cutoff 2025 was released for admission to the M.Tech programmes via the COAP counselling process. The cutoff was released for all categories under the All India quota. According to the IIIT Bangalore COAP Cutoff 2025, the closing cutoff score ranged from 522 to 635 for the st
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
GATE 2026 hall ticket can be downloaded anytime till the scorecard availability. The admit card will be required at the time of counselling process. Candidates can download their scorecard of GATE exam in two timeline, which can be checked below -
| Scorecard (free download) | March 27 to May 31, 2026 |
| Scorecard (by paying a fee of INR 500) | June 1 to December 31, 2026 |
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
IIT Guwahati will release GATE entrance admit card for MTech, M.Pharma, ME, PhD, and other programmes soon. To download, candidates have to login at GOAPS using their enrollment ID and password. Students appearing for GATE exam must download their hall ticket in advance and keep it safe till counsel
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
To download GATE admit card, students have to enter their enrollment ID and password along with arithmetic expression at GOAPS portal
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
No, GATE authorities do not release any notification regarding dress code. However, it is advised to wear simple and comfortable clothing, as it will ease the checking process.
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
No, passport size is not mandatory to carry. Along with GATE hall ticket, students must carry their valid ID proof, pen or pencil and water bottle. Scribe applicants can carry their assistive devices.
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
GATE CSE exam will take place on February 8 in two sessions. CS 1 and 2 shift timings are-
- Forenoon - 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
- Afternoon - 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm
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Contributor-Level 7
Admission to the BTech courses offered by IIT Madras are entrance-based and done on the basis of scores obtained in JEE Mains and JEE Advanced. Seats are allocated through JoSAA counselling after the results of the entrance exams are out. Students who clear the IIT Madras BTech cutoff are then required to go through document verification and pay the required fees to complete the process.