GATE 2026: Answer Key (OUT), Question Paper, Exam Analysis, Hall Ticket, Result

No, the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering examination takes place once a year. Every year, different IITs and IISc conduct exam on rotational basis. GATE is conducted online for three hours for 30 branch papers. 

This year, IIT Guwahati is conducting GATE 2026, and two things have been modified - 

• The GATE fees have been revised for all categories
• A new sectional paper has been introduced, called Energy Science (under Engineering Sciences).

The details are available on the official website as well as in the information brochure. 

The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, will be conducting the GATE 2026 exam. The dates are OUT now. IIT Guwahati last conducted the GATE exam in 2018. Candidates who want to apply for M.Tech or any research programmes can apply for GATE. The application window is available till October 7 without late fees (revised), till October 13 (with late fee) and the exam will be conducted on February 7, 8, 14, and 15. 

Official website to download GATE admit card is gate2026.iitg.ac.in. GOAPS portal link is goaps.iitg.ac.in. Candidates must provide their enrollment ID and password to download their hall ticket.

IIT Guwahati will conduct GATE 2026 exam on February 7, 8, 14, and 15 in two shifts. The exam timings are Forenoon - 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and afternoon - 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Branch-wise dates have been announced at gate2026.iitg.ac.in

Yes, candidates having qualifying degree in B.Com can apply for GATE exam to get admission to the master's programmes in IITs and IISc. Candidates must go through the GATE information brochure carefully before applying. Also, students in 3rd year or final year in commerce are also eligible for GATE. 

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. 

Qualifying mark of GATE exam usually varies every year depending on certain factors. Candidates can refer to expected cutoff based on last year's trends 

• General - 25 to 32
• OBC - 22 to 28
• SC/ST/PwD - 17 to 25

So, if you are planning to appear for GATE this year, then it is very important to solve the GATE old question paper, as they come with tons of benefits. 

• First and foremost, the GATE old question paper allows students to understand the GATE exam structure and pattern, with which you can tally and filter out the GATE subject-wise weightage, and which questions are asked more frequently.
• Also, solving the GATE previous year's paper gives you an upper hand in improving your time management skills and accuracy. 
• Besides that, the GATE old question paper also gives you a clear understanding of the difficulty level. 

Therefore, it is advised to keep a habit of solving GATE old question papers. Try to solve atleast one full-length paper per day. 

The GATE previous years question paper are available on the official website - gate2026.iitg.ac.in. Candidates who are appearing for GATE exam must attempt the question paper to understand what sort of questions are asked in the exam. Candidates can download them for free. However, they must check the paper code carefully before downloading PDF.

In case, there is an error in the GATE exam hall ticket 2026, then candidates are advised to contact the GATE helpline number. Applicants can also email, mentioning their query. The helpline number is available from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm (on Government Working Days only). 

GATE 2026 admit card release date was January 13, 2026. The hall ticket is now available for download at GATE official website. Candidates whose application has been accepted can download their hall ticket at GOAPS portal. 

The GATE admit card has details regarding the exam and the applicant like name, photo, signature, GATE paper code, exam date and time, centre code, guidelines, etc. Candidates must check details carefully before printing. If there is any discrepancy, applicants must immediately contact GATE helpline number. 

The GATE exam is conducted for 30 subject papers. In 2024, the GATE Data Science and Artificial Intelligence was introduced. Each subject or branch is determined by a paper code which applicant must note carefully. While filling out the application form, candidates must check the GATE branch and paper codes and add them. 

Candidates can download GATE syllabus from the official website - gate2026.iitg.ac.in. The syllabus is available in PDF format. Before downloading, check the GATE paper code and branch name. The GATE exam syllabus is available for 30 papers.

Yes, the GATE General Aptitude syllabus is common for all branch papers in GATE. Candidates must check the GATE syllabus PDF carefully before starting their preparation. The GATE GA syllabus includes the following -

• Verbal aptitude (basic English grammar and vocabulary)
• Quantitative Aptitude - Data interpretation and numerical computation and estimation
• Analytical Aptitude and Spatial Aptitude

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. 

Candidates can check GATE 2026 exam pattern below -

The GATE general aptitude (GA) section is common for all branch papers. The section carries 15 marks in the question paper.

The GATE GA syllabus include: verbal aptitude, quantitative aptitude, analytical aptitude, and spatial aptitude. 

Bonus tip - If you prepare and attempt the general aptitude section, it can help you fetch good marks in the GATE exam. 

The IIT Guwahati had released the GATE application form on August 28 at the GOAPS portal. The registration window is now closed. The last date to apply was (with late fees) October 13. 

This year, IIT Guwahati has revised the GATE 2026 registration fees. The fee details are mentioned on the official website and information bulletin. The details regarding the GATE application fees can be checked below -

• The GATE fee for SC, ST, and PwD applicants is INR 1000 during the regular period and INR 1500 during the extended period.
• For other candidates, including foreign nationals, the fee is INR 2000 (during the regular period) and INR 2500 during the extended timeline. 

Accepted payment modes include- Netbanking, UPI, Credit Card, Debit Card, and UPI. After the payment, candidates are advised to keep a copy of the payment receipt for future reference.

Candidates can fill GATE 2026 application form at GOAPS portal. The official website to apply is gate2026.iitg.ac.in. Registration is mandatory. First, candidates have to register and then fill their form. Overall, the stages of GATE form filling include - registration, uploading of documents, and payment of application fees.

Attempting two papers in GATE allows students to broaden their skills and career options in different disciplines. Implemented in 2021, the GATE two paper combination can be chosen from the given list of paper combinations (already set by the authorities). With the GATE two paper combination list, also, you have better chances of qualifying the examination. 

No, applicants cannot opt for any paper from the combination list. Candidates can only select from the options provided by the GATE authorities in the GATE 2026 paper combination list. For example, a CS student has the free will to choose from the following set of exam papers: DA, EC, GE, MA, PH, and ST. 

Introduced in 2021, the two paper combination in GATE is a new approach by the conducting authorities that allows candidates to atleast two papers in the examination. The main objective of the GATE 2026 two paper combination facility is to broaden the skill set and techniques of the aspirants in the relevant field they are applying for. 

IIT Guwahati has released the GATE two paper combination list for 2026 exam. Aspirants can choose two papers from the given combination while filling the application form. The first paper is termed the primary paper, and the second paper is termed as the secondary paper. However, it must be noted it is not mandatory to opt for two papers. 

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

Candidates can choose at least three exam centres while filling their GATE 2026 application form. The list of GATE exam cities (zone-wise) is available on the website. Besides that, it has to be noted that the three centres must be from the same zone. Thus, based on the availability, the centre will be allotted to the candidate for appearing the GATE 2026 exam. 

GATE scorecard 2026 is valid for three years, which means the scorecard can be used till 2029. Candidates can download their scorecard using their enrollment ID and password. It can be used for MTech, PhD, Research work admissions and PSU recruitment.

Candidates who have passed GATE exam can download scorecard. The validity of GATE exam scorecard is three years. It is available from March 27 at GOAPS portal. Candidates use their enrollment ID and password to download.

The GATE counselling process starts after the announcement of results. The GATE counselling is conducted by COAP and CCMT. The COAP (Common Offer Acceptance Portal) is the counselling portal that offers admission to IITs. While CCMT (Centralised Counselling for MTech/M.Arch/M.Plan) is the counselling portal that offers admission to NITs, IIITs, and other GFTIs. The GATE CCMT/COAP counselling usually starts in the second or third week of May. 

GATE counselling is done by CCMT and COAP to offer admission to MTech and research programmes. The mode of counselling is online. Stages of GATE counselling are as follows -

• Candidate registration
• Choice filling
• Choice locking and fee payment
• Seat acceptance and downloading the seat allotment letter
• Reporting to the allotted institute for document verification

As per past year cutoff trends and analysis, GATE 2026 cutoff can be around 25 to 50 marks for various disciplines/branches.

Many PSUs accept the GATE score for recruitment. Here are some top PSUs that accept GATE scores for jobs -

• Airports Authority of India (AAI)
• Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC)
• Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
• Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)
• Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS)
• National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)

Most of the PSUs accept the current GATE scorecard for recruitment. Therefore, it is important to stay updated with the recruitment notifications. 

The following are the most registered subjects/papers in the GATE examination -

• Computer Science and Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Electronics and Communication Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering

Every year, Lacs of candidates register for the above subjects, making the respective branch competitive. 

This year, IIT Guwahati is conducting the GATE 2026 exam. IIT Guwahati conducted the GATE exam in 2018. Based on the GATE 2018 and past year paper format, the GATE 2026 is expected to be moderately difficult. The question paper is expected to have higher weightage on concept-based questions, blending numerical and practical analysis. Candidates are advised to practice the previous year's question paper as many times as possible to understand the difficulty level of the question paper. 

There are two shift timings for the GATE exam. Candidates can find the details of the shift timing on the official website. The GATE shift timings are as follows -

• Forenoon  - 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
• Afternoon - 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Candidates can also find the exam timing details mentioned in the GATE admit card. Candidates are advised to appear for the GATE 2026 exam on the date prescribed in the hall ticket. 

The GATE 2026 exam will be conducted in more than 200 cities across eight zones in India. There are no international centres. Candidates who wish to appear for the exam must travel to India. The details regarding the test city and address will be mentioned in the GATE admit card. 

The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, has released the GATE 2026 exam dates on the official website. Candidates can check the GATE 2026 dates below -

The GATE enrollment ID is generated after registration. The enrollment ID is different for each applicant. It is used for accessing GATE related activities like form filling, hall ticket download, result and scorecard download, etc.

GATE enrollment ID is created at time of registration. It is a login credential. GATE registration is roll number given to students. The registration number is printed on hall ticket.

While filling the GATE application form 2026, candidates have to enter their personal, communication, educational qualification, and documents (photo, signature and ID proof). Reserved category had to submit their caste certificate and PwD applicants had to submit their disability certificate.

Yes, candidates can change their category at the time of application form correction facility. Additional fee is charged for changing category. The last date to modify details is November 10. Candidates can submit their changes at GOAPS portal using their enrollment ID and password.

Following documents are needed while filling GATE 2026 application form -

• Scanned photograph and signature
• Valid ID poof 
• Category certificate (optional)
• Dyslexic certificate (optional)

Above documents must be uploaded as per exam guidelines. 

The IITs and IISc prepare GATE question paper to test candidates skills and knowledge in their relevant discipline. Questions in GATE exam 2026 will be prepared under the following category - recall, comprehension, application, and analysis.

GOAPS is also known as the GATE online application portal system used for performing GATE-related activities. With the help of GATE GOAPS portal, candidates can do the following -

• GATE registration
• Downloading admit card
• Checking and raising GATE answer key
• Downloading scorecard
• Checking cutoff scores

To access the GOAPS portal, candidates need to create an enrollment ID and password. 

No, physical calculators are not allowed inside GATE exam hall. Candidates will be provided with a virtual calculator to solve their questions. It is advised to practice using GATE calculator to improve accuracy.

Candidates can download their GATE scorecard at GOAPS portal. The credentials needed are enrollment ID and password. The scorecard of GATE is valid for three years.

No, on the spot scribe facility is not available during the GATE exam day. Candidates have to apply or avail the GATE scribe assistance facility while filling the GATE application form 2026. Also, the applicant has to upload the relevant document in PDF format to proof his/her eligibility for scribe. 

Yes, candidates have the facility to change their exam city/centre, but during the application form correction window. The form correction facility will be available once the registration process is over. However, applicant can only change their exam centre from the same zone only (as mentioned earlier while filling the application form). 

A compensatory time of 60 minutes is given to candidates who have opted for scribe facility in GATE exam. To avail this facility, candidates have to choose option while filling GATE form. 

No, GATE admit card in soft copy format will not be accepted at exam centre. Candidates appearing for Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering must carry their hall ticket along with a valid ID proof and pen/pencil. The admit card must be printed on a A4 size paper with details visible clearly.

GATE normalisation process is done to provide fairness to all applicants who are appearing for examination. It is because GATE is conducted in multiple sessions. In such case, raw marks are converted into normalised marks using the formula.

As per the official notification, there is nothing as such mentioned regarding the old or new SC/ST certificate. However, it is better to upload an updated caste certificate in PDF format. The document must be uploaded at the time of form filling process.