GATE 2026 Paper Analysis (OUT): Subject-Wise Exam Analysis, Difficulty Level, Cutoff

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering 2027 ( GATE )

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GATE 2027 Application Form Release Date

27 Aug '26

UPASANA PRADHAN
Updated on Jun 19, 2026 11:12 IST

By UPASANA PRADHAN, Assistant Manager- Editorial

GATE 2026 Exam Analysis: IIT Guwahati completed conducting GATE exam 2026. Candidates can check the paper analysis for all exam dates and shifts. With the help of the GATE exam analysis, students can check difficulty level of respective subjects. GATE exam was conducted for 30 subjects. 

Based on student reaction and experts feedback, GATE was overall moderate to difficult. For subjects like CSE, ME, EE, ECE and DA, the difficulty level ranged from difficult to moderately difficult. 

On the other hand, subjects like XE, BT, AE, AG, etc, were moderate. This year, GATE question paper had more conceptual-based questions. Therefore, candidates must work on fundamentals and practice more PYQs. Check below for more. 

Table of contents
  • GATE 2026 Paper Analysis: CE, EE, ME, CSE, ECE Paper Review
  • GATE 2026 Cutoff
  • GATE 2026 Answer Key
  • GATE 2025 CS, ME, EE, EC, CE, DA, CH, and CY Paper Analysis
  • GATE 2025 CS Shift 1 and 2 Paper Analysis
  • GATE 2025 ME Paper Analysis
  • GATE 2025 EE Paper Analysis
  • GATE 2025 DA Paper Analysis
  • GATE 2025 EC Paper Analysis: Shift 2
  • GATE 2025 CE Paper Analysis: Shift 1
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GATE 2026 Paper Analysis: CE, EE, ME, CSE, ECE Paper Review

GATE day-wise paper analysis can be checked below -

GATE 2026 Feb 15 (ECE and DA) Paper Analysis

GATE Subjects GATE 2026 Paper Analysis 
GATE EC Paper Analysis

The GATE ECE paper was moderately tough. Candidates found Mathematics and Aptitude easy to moderate. Many questions were tricky and time consuming

Some important topics were EMF, Analog Circuits, Control Systems, Op-amp Circuits, Discrete Time Signals, Vector Analysis, Differential Equations, etc.

MCQs - 42 questions (1 and 2 marks), NATs - 13 questions (1 and 2 marks), and MSQs (1 and 2 marks)

GATE 2026 Data Science Exam Analysis

Questions related to DBMS were tricky and lengthy, Heavy-level mathematics based questions, Aptitude was easy, NAT and MSQs were asked the most

MCQs - 33, MSQs - 14, NATs - 6 questions

Topics covered: DBMS, TRC, Python, Probability, Algorithm

Also read:

GATE Exam 2026 CE, EE, and ME Paper Analysis

GATE Subjects GATE 2026 Paper Analysis 
GATE Civil Engineering CE-1 and CE-2 paper analysis

Civil Engineering Shift 2 was moderate. Many students found the GATE CE-2 question paper to be balanced and having similar difficulty level to that of shift 1

The overall difficulty level of the GATE 2026 CE paper was moderate, with a balanced mix of easy, medium, and a few tough questions. Geotechnical Engineering section had the maximum number marks along with GA and engineering mathematics. Students can check chapter-wise weightage below.

GATE 2026 EE (Electrical Engineering) paper analysis

Moderate with numerical questions were of higher weightage

10 to 15  NATs were asked, MCQs had 35 to 40 questions, and MSQs had 12 to 15 questions

GATE 2026 ME paper analysis ME paper was also moderate with concept-based questions. No MSQs were asked. NAT (2 questions - 1 mark, 18 questions - 2 mark, 28 questions of 1 mark, and 17 questions of 2 marks) were asked.

GATE Exam Civil Engineering (CE-2) Chapter-Wise Weightage 

Candidates can check the Civil Engineering chapter-wise weightage below -

Subject Marks Weightage
General Aptitude 15
Engineering Mathematics 13
Engineering Mechanics -
Strength of Materials 5
Structural Analysis 4
Reinforced Cement Concrete 6
Design of Steel Structures 2
Building Material Construction -
Construction Management -
Geotechnical Engineering 13
Fluid Mechanics and OCF 8
Engineering Hydrology 4
Irrigation Engineering 1
Environmental Engineering 11
Transportation Engineering 11
Surveying 7

GATE paper Civil Engineering CE-1 Chapter-Wise Weightage

Subject Marks Weightage
General Aptitude 15
Engineering Mathematics 13
Engineering Mechanics 2
Strength of Materials 4
Structural Analysis 4
Reinforced Cement Concrete 3
Design of Steel Structures 3
Building Material Construction 1
Construction Management -
Geotechnical Engineering 15
Fluid Mechanics and OCF 6
Engineering Hydrology 4
Irrigation Engineering 3
Environmental Engineering 9
Transportation Engineering 11
Surveying 7

GATE Exam Feb 7 & 8 Paper Analysis and Difficulty Level

GATE MTech paper analysis Subject-wise difficulty level, important topics, and weightage
GATE 2026 XE Exam Analysis GATE 2026 XE analysis shows a moderate-to-difficult paper. Technical sections like Solid Mechanics were challenging, while Aptitude remained scoring. The GATE XE question paper had more focus on statement-based questions. The GA section was easy and scoring. XE-E and XE-D were lengthy. Students stated that the GATE XE-D paper reflected mechanical GATE PYQs.
GATE XL Paper Analysis 2026 GATE 2026 XL exam was moderate to tough. The General Aptitude section was easy, core technical subjects featured tricky MSQs and calculation-heavy NAT questions.
GATE 2026 CS 1 and 2 Paper Analysis

GATE CSE 1 paper was overall moderate to lengthy, with Mathematics and Aptitude being moderate while CS section had some lengthy questions. (Topics covered: algorithm, OS, functions, graph theory, and CN)

GATE 2026 CSE2 paper was easy to moderate. Mathematics-based questions were fewer. COA, DBMS, and CN had maximum questions. Overall, the paper was balanced and slight easy compared to GATE 2026 CSE1. Engineering Mathematics was easy to moderate.

Number of MCQs, MSQs, and NATs asked in GATE 2026 CSE Shift 2 exam

Question type 1 mark 2 mark
MCQ 17 17
MSQ 5 6
NAT 6 13

GATE 2026 CSE Exam Chapter-wise weightage (memory-based)

Topics Marks and Weightage
Algorithm 4 questions (1 mark)
Operating Systems 5 questions (1 mark)
Engineering mathematics 7 questions (1 mark)
DBMS 4 questions (1 and 2 marks combined)
Computer Network 6 questions
COA 6 questions

GATE 2026 Feb 7 and 8 Question Paper Download

GATE 2026 Engineering Sciences XE question paper GATE 2026 XL question paper GATE 2026 CSE1 question paper
GATE 2026 CSE 2 question paper GATE Answer Key and Question Paper 2026 by Made Easy GATE 2026 All Subjects Question Paper
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GATE 2026 Cutoff

The GATE cutoff scores and results were released on March 19. The GATE 2026 cutoff is the minimum score the candidates must score to be eligible for admissions or PSU recruitments. The authorities will release the GATE minimum qualifying cutoff for all 30 subjects along with the result. To check result, candidates must log in using their enrollment ID and password through GOAP portal. 

Also check:

GATE 2026 XE cutoff GATE 2026 XL cutoff marks GATE 2026 cutoff for CSE
GATE Civil Engineering CE 2026 cutoff GATE 2026 Electrical Engineering (EE) cutoff GATE 2026 Mechanical Engineering (ME) cutoff
GATE 2026 ECE cutoff mark Is GATE score of 500 enough for CSE MTech admission GATE 2026 qualification rate for popular branches
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GATE 2025 CS, ME, EE, EC, CE, DA, CH, and CY Paper Analysis

IIT Roorkee hosted the GATE 2025 exam for all 30 subject test papers. Candidates can check the complete GATE 2025 exam analysis to analyse their attempts at the GATE 2025 question paper. The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering is a national-level entrance exam conducted to offer admission to MTech/research programs or apply for PSU recruitment. 

The GATE 2025 question paper comprises 65 questions (MSQs, NAT, and MCQs) across various subjects for 100 marks. The exam is three hours long, covering questions based on problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Here is an in-depth GATE 2025 paper analysis of CS, ME, CH, CE, DA, CY, EC, EE, IN, and XE papers

GATE 2025 Branch-Wise Difficulty Level

Subject Paper Difficulty Level
Computer Science Engineering (CSE) Moderate
Instrumentation Engineering (IN) Moderate
Mechanical Engineering (ME) Moderate
Electrical Engineering (EE) Moderate
Civil Engineering (CE) Easy to Moderate
Electronics and Communication (EC) Moderate
Chemical Engineering (CH) -
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA) Moderate

 

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GATE 2025 CS Shift 1 and 2 Paper Analysis

The GATE 2025 CSE exam was conducted in two shifts on February 1, 2025. Overall, the paper was easy to moderate with balanced-level questions. The GATE 2025 CS question paper was a mix of easy, moderate, and challenging questions. Candidates can check the section-wise difficulty level below -

Section Difficulty-Level
General aptitude easy to moderate
Engineering Mathematics easy to moderate
Core technical subjects moderate to difficult

GATE 2025 CSE Paper Analysis: Key Topics Asked

The GATE 2025 CSE shift 1 and 2 question paper answer key comprised questions from the following topics -

  • Boolean algebra
  • Combinational and sequential circuits
  • Minimization
  • Number representations and computer arithmetic (fixed and floating-point)
  • Computer Organization and Architecture
  • Programming and Data Structure
  • Algorithms
  • Operating Systems
  • Computer Networks

Read more - 

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GATE 2025 ME Paper Analysis

The GATE 2025 ME exam was conducted on February 2, 2025, in the first shift (9:30 am to 12:30 pm). Based on students' reactions and feedback, the GATE 2025 ME paper had a mix of conceptual and theoretical questions. Some technical questions were tricky in the core subject section. On the other hand, the general aptitude and engineering mathematics section had easy-to-moderate questions. MCQs had higher weightage than MSQs and NATs. Here is a section-wise breakdown of the difficulty level. 

Section Difficulty Level
engineering mathematics easy to moderate
general aptitude easy
core subject moderate to difficult

GATE 2025 ME Paper Analysis: Key Topics Covered

The GATE 2025 Feb 2 ME paper comprised questions from the following topics -

  • engineering mechanics
  • strength of materials
  • machine design
  • theory of machine
  • manufacturing process
  • fluid mechanics
  • machine design

Read More

GATE 2025 ME Paper Analysis shift 1

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GATE 2025 EE Paper Analysis

The GATE 2025 EE paper was conducted on Feb 2 in the second shift (2:30 pm to 5:30 pm). Overall, the paper was moderately tricky, with few challenging questions. The majority of the questions were solvable. The GATE EE 2025 question paper had maximum MCQ questions. Aptitude and Engineering mathematics were moderate, and technical subjects were easy to moderate. Candidates can check the section-wise difficulty level below -

Section Difficulty Level
general aptitude easy to moderate
engineering mathematics moderate
core technical subjects easy to moderate

GATE 2025 EE Paper Analysis: Key Topics Covered

The GATE EE 2025 question paper comprised questions from the following topics -

  • Signal system
  • Control system
  • Electrical machine
  • Power Electronics
  • Network Theory
  • Power System

Read here - GATE 2025 EE paper analysis shift 2

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GATE 2025 DA Paper Analysis

The GATE 2025 Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA) exam was conducted on February 15 in the first shift (9:30 am to 12:30 pm). Overall, the paper was moderate. The question paper was unbalanced for a few students with some challenging questions. Here is a section-wise GATE 2025 DA question paper difficulty level below -

Section Difficulty Level
General aptitude easy to moderate
Data Science and AI moderate

GATE 2025 DA Paper Analysis: Key Topics Covered

The GATE 2025 DA shift 1 question paper covered questions from the following topics -

  • Probability and statistics
  • linear algebra
  • calculus and optimisation
  • machine learning
  • artificial intelligence
  • programming, data structure and algorithm

Read More - GATE 2025 DA exam analysis shift 1 

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GATE 2025 EC Paper Analysis: Shift 2

The GATE 2025 electronics and communication (EC) paper was conducted on Feb 15, 2025, in the second shift (2:30 pm to 5:30 pm). Candidates found the paper to be moderately difficult. The technical question had a few questions that were challenging and time-consuming. On the other hand, the general aptitude and mathematics was easy to moderate. Candidates can check the GATE 2025 EC paper section-wise difficulty level below -

Section Difficulty level
General aptitude easy to moderate
Mathematics easy to moderate
Technical section (core subjects) moderate to difficult

GATE 2025 EC Paper Analysis: Key Topics Covered

The GATE 2025 Feb 15 EC paper comprised questions from the following topics-

  • Network theory
  • Digital circuits
  • Control systems
  • Analog circuits
  • Signals and Systems
  • Communication
  • Electronic devices

Read more - GATE 2025 EC paper analysis

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GATE 2025 CE Paper Analysis: Shift 1

The GATE 2025 Civil Engineering (shift 1) exam was conducted on February 16 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. The paper was easy to moderate, with a few challenging questions. A few questions were unconventional and required critical thinking. The general aptitude section was easy to moderate. On the other hand, the core section was moderately difficult. Read here - GATE 2025 CE shift 1 paper analysis 

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