GATE 2026 Exam Schedule Out, Check Subject-wise Exam Dates
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Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is a national examination conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee and seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) at Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee for admission to M.Tech, ME, or direct PhD programs in top institutes like IIT, NIT, IIIT, or to make a career in leading Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). The scores of GATE 2026 will be valid for 3 years from the date of the score card release is used by different Engineering/ Technology/ Architecture Government institutes to select students for master's programs and Doctoral Programs.
GATE 2026 Exam
The GATE exam is conducted to get admission to M.Tech, other PG courses, or PSU recruitment. Candidates who are studying in the third or higher years of a degree programme or have completed the degree programme in Engineering/ Technology/ Architecture/Science/ Commerce/Arts/ Humanities from a recognised institute are eligible to appear for GATE 2026.
| GATE 2026- Exam Summary | |
| Examination Name | Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE 2026) |
| Commonly Known As | GATE |
| Conducting Institute | Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati) |
| Administered By | Jointly by IIT Roorkee and Seven IIT's |
| Purpose of Examination | Qualifying Examination for M.E./ M.Tech/ Ph.D admissions and PSU Recruitment |
| GATE Exam Date 2026 | 7th, 8th, 14th, and 15th February 2026 |
| Application Mode | Online |
| Mode of Examination | Computer Based Test (CBT) |
| Examination Duration | 180 Minutes (3 Hours) |
| Frequency of Examination | Annual |
| Total Number of Exam Cities | 176 |
| Number of GATE Papers | 30 |
| Number of Questions in Each Paper | 10 (GA) + 55 (subject) = 65 Questions |
| Total Marks of Examination | 100 |
| Validity of GATE 2026 Score/Grade | 3 Years |
| Official website | https://gate2026.iitg.ac.in/ |
GATE Exam Date 2026 Out
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering/ GATE 2026 has been announced for 7th, 8th, 14th, and 15th February 2026 for general aptitude and the candidate's preferred subjects. GATE Exam 2026 for 30 Subjects will be held in two shifts each day i.e., first shift from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, and the second shift from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. The exam will be held at 235 exam centers across 8 IIT zones.
| Exam Date | Paper Name/ Code | Exam Timing |
| 7th February 2025 | AG, ES, GG, IN, MA, MN, TF, XE, XL | 9:30 am to 12:30 pm |
| AE, BT, CH, CY, GE, PH, XH | 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm | |
| 8th February 2025 | CS-1, ST | 9:30 am to 12:30 pm |
| CS-2, EY, NM, PE | 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm | |
| 14th February 2025 | CE-1, EE, PI | 9:30 am to 12:30 pm |
| BM, CE-2, ME, MT | 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm | |
| 15th February 2025 | EC | 9:30 am to 12:30 pm |
| AR, DA | 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm |
GATE 2026- Important Dates
The online registration process for GATE 2026 has been completed at https://gate2026.iitg.ac.in/. The GATE 2026 Exam will be held on 7th, 8th, 14th, and 15th February 2026. Check important dates from the table below.
| GATE 2026 Important Dates | |
| Events | Date |
| GATE 2026 Registration Starts | 28th August 2025 |
| GATE Application Form Last Date | 7th October 2025 (Extended) |
| Last date of online registration/application (with late fee) | 9th October 2025 |
| GATE Admit Card 2026 | January 2026 |
| GATE Exam Date 2026 | 7th, 8th, 14th, and 15th February 2026 |
GATE 2026 Exam Notification
This year, IIT Guwahati launched the GATE 2026 Official Website along with the GOAP Portal - goaps.iitg.ac.in. GATE Notification 2026 PDF or Information Brochure for the GATE 2026 examination has been released at https://gate2026.iitg.ac.in/. Candidates can download the notification PDF from the official website or the direct link shared here.
GATE 2026 Poster - Click to Download
GATE 2026 Information Brochure - Click to Download
GATE Exam 2026- What’s New?
- There are now two new subjects, namely Geomatics Engineering (GE) and Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NM), added in the GATE 2026 exam. Now the total number of subjects has increased to 30.
- In GATE 2026, candidates applying for the GATE Exam 2026 can also opt for two different papers from the prescribed set of combinations.
- The eligibility criteria to appear for GATE-2026 have been relaxed from a minimum 10+2+4 (ongoing) to a minimum 10+2+3 (ongoing), enabling even those in the third year of their undergraduate studies to appear for the examination. Thus, candidates have an additional opportunity to improve their performance and secure better career options.
- All test papers of the GATE Exam 2026 will be entirely objective type. The pattern of questions may include (i) Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), (ii) Multiple Select Questions (MSQ), and/or (iii) Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions.
GATE 2026 Eligibility Criteria
The candidates who are filling out the online application form for GATE 2026 should be citizens of India. Candidates outside India can apply for the GATE exam 2026 if they meet the given eligibility criteria
Nationality
Candidates need to fulfill the eligibility requirements for admission through GATE 2026 as mentioned below. The IIT Kharagpur will be announcing the eligibility criteria as applicable for candidates willing to appear for the GATE exam 2026.
➤ Must have completed or be in the final year or in the pre-final year of their bachelor’s degree in engineering and technology or;
➤ Must have completed or be in the final year or in the pre-final year of their Post Graduate degree in any relevant science subjects
Education Qualification
Those candidates who have already obtained a degree higher than the ones mentioned in the table are also eligible to appear in GATE 2026 examination. Check the qualification for the respective degrees from the table below.
| GATE 2026 Academic Qualification | ||
| Qualifying Degree | Qualifying Degree / Examination | Passing Year Not Later than |
| B.E./ B.Tech./ B.Pharm. | Candidate must be a Bachelor in Engineering/Technology (4 years after 10+2 or 3 years after B.Sc./ Diploma in Engineering / Technology) | 2026 |
| B.Arch. | Candidate must be a Bachelor’s degree of Architecture (5- year course) / Naval Architecture (4- year course) / Planning (4- year course) | 2026 (for 5 year program) 2026 (for 4 year program) |
| B.Sc. (Research)/ B.S. | Candidate need to have completed the Bachelor's of Science degree (Post-Diploma/ 4 years after 10+2) | 2026 |
| Pharm.D (after 10+2) | Candidate must have completed 6 years program having internship or residency training during the sixth year as part of it | 2027 |
| M.Sc./ M.A./ MCA or equivalent | Candidates need to have a Masters in Science/ Mathematics/ Statistics/ Computer Applications/ or equivalent | 2026 |
| Int. M.E./ M.Tech (Post-B.Sc.) | Candidates should have done Post-BSc Integrated Master’s degree in Engineering or Technology (4 years programme) | Any Year |
| Int. M.E./ M.Tech. or Dual Degree (after Diploma or 10+2) | Candidates should have completed Integrated Master’s degree programme or Dual Degree in Engineering or Technology (5 years programme) | 2026 |
| MBBS | Degree holders of M.B.B.S. and those who are in the fifth/ sixth/ seventh semester or higher semester of such programme | 2026 |
| BSc/ BA/ BCom | Bachelor degree in any branch of Science/Arts/Commerce (3-year programme) | 2026 |
| Int. M.Sc./ Int. B.S.-M.S. | Candidates applying must have completed Integrated M.Sc. or 5 years integrated B.S.-M.S. program | 2026 |
| Professional Society Examinations* (equivalent to B.E/ B.Tech/ B.Arch.) | Candidates need to have completed B.E./ B.Tech./ B.Arch. Equivalent examinations of Professional Societies, recognized by MHRD/UPSC/AICTE (e.g., AMIE by Institution of professional courses Engineers-India, AMICE by the Institute of Civil Engineers-India) | NA |
Age Limit
There is no age limit for appearing in the GATE 2026 exam. The candidates who want admission for a Master's degree require a GATE qualification for any PSU recruitments.
GATE Eligibility Criteria 2026- Click to Check
GATE 2026 Application Form
The GATE Application Form process without a late fee has been completed on 7th October 2025. Candidates interested in the GATE 2026 exam who hold the required eligibility parameters had submitted their applications to avoid getting their applications rejected.
GATE Registration Form 2026- Click to Apply
GATE 2026 Application Fee
With the submission of a duly filled application form, the candidates will have to pay the required application fee; else their applications will not be accepted. The category-wise GATE 2026 Application Fees have been tabulated below.
| GATE 2026 Application Fees | ||
| Category | Regular Period | Extended Period |
| Female candidates SC/ST/PWD (per test paper) | Rs. 1000 | Rs. 1500 |
| All other candidates including foreign nationals (per test paper) | Rs. 2000 | Rs. 2500 |
GATE 2026 Exam Pattern
The GATE 2026 exam will be conducted in online mode (Computer-Based Test). A total no. of 65 questions will be asked in the GATE online exam for 100 marks. The total time allotted for this exam is 3 hours. Candidates can check the exam pattern of the Gate exam below.
Mode of exam- Online Computer-Based Test (CBT)
Papers- 30 Subjects
Type of Questions- Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), Multiple Select Questions (MSQ), and Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions
Duration of Exam-3 hours.
Maximum marks- 100 marks.
No. of Questions- 65 questions.
Check the Detailed GATE 2026 Exam Pattern from the table below:
| Particulars | Details |
| Examination Mode | Computer Based Test (Online) |
| Duration | 3 Hours |
| Number of Discipline in GATE 2026 | 30 Discipline |
| Section |
|
| Type of Questions |
|
| Design of Questions | The questions are designed to test the listed abilities
|
| Number of Questions | 10 (GA) + 55 (subject) = 65 Questions |
| Distribution of Questions in all Papers except AR, CY, DA, EY, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH and XL | General Aptitude: 15 Marks + Engineering Mathematics**: 13 Marks + Subject Questions: 72 Marks = Total: 100 Marks (**XE includes Engineering Mathematics section XE-A of 15 Marks) |
| Distribution of Questions in AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH and XL | General Aptitude: 15 Marks + Subject Questions: 85 Marks = Total: 100 Marks |
| Total Marks | 100 Marks |
| Marking Scheme | All of the questions will be worth 1 or 2 marks |
| Negative Marking | For 1 mark MCQ, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. For 2 mark MCQ, 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. No negative marking for Incorrect answer(s) to MSQ or NAT questions. |
Gate 2026 Marking Scheme
Candidates can check the marking scheme for GATE 2026 below:
| Paper Code | General Aptitude (GA) Marks | Subject Marks | Total Marks | Total Time (Minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AE, AR, AG, BT, CE, CH, CS, CY, EC, EE, ES, EY, IN, MA, ME, MN, MT, PE, PH, PI, TF, ST, and BM | 15 | 85 | 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 + (1 x 60) | 100 | 180 |
| XL (Section P + Any TWO Sections) | 15 | 25 + (2 x 30) | 100 | 180 |
GATE 2026 Syllabus
This year onwards, the GATE Exam will have 30 disciplines/ subjects. A candidate can appear only in any one paper of the interested discipline. To ace qualifying marks in the GATE 2026 Exam, you must be aware of the detailed syllabus for your respective subject. Click on the below link go through the detailed GATE 2026 Syllabus and begin with your preparation from now onwards.
GATE Syllabus 2026- Click to Check
Paper Codes for GATE 2026
| GATE Paper | Code | GATE Paper | Code |
| Aerospace Engineering | AE | Instrumentation Engineering | IN |
| Agricultural Engineering | AG | Mathematics | MA |
| Architecture and Planning | AR | Mechanical Engineering | ME |
| Bio-medical Engineering | BM | Mining Engineering | MN |
| Biotechnology | BT | Metallurgical Engineering | MT |
| Civil Engineering | CE | Petroleum Engineering | PE |
| Chemical Engineering | CH | Physics | PH |
| Computer Science and Information Technology | CS | Production and Industrial Engineering | PI |
| Chemistry | CY | Statistics | ST |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering | EC | Textile Engineering and Fibre Science | TF |
| Electrical Engineering | EE | Engineering Sciences | XE |
| Environmental Science & Engineering | ES | Humanities & Social Sciences | XH |
| Ecology and Evolution | EY | Life Sciences | XL |
| Geology and Geophysics | GG | Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering | NA |
| Geomatics Engineering | GE |
GATE 2026 Paper Codes for XE, XH, and XL Papers
| GATE Exam Papers and Their Codes | |||
| GATE Paper | Code | GATE Paper | Code |
| Aerospace Engineering | AE | Geology & Geophysics | GG |
| Agricultural Engineering | AG | Instrumentation Engineering | IN |
| Architecture and Planning | AR | Mathematics | MA |
| Biomedical Engineering | BM | Mechanical Engineering | ME |
| Biotechnology | BT | Mining Engineering | MN |
| Civil Engineering | CE | Metallurgical Engineering | MT |
| Chemical Engineering | CH | Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering | NM |
| Computer Science & Information Technology | CS | Petroleum Engineering | PE |
| Chemistry | CY | Physics | PH |
| Data Science & Artificial Intelligence (NEW) | DA | Production & Industrial Engineering | PI |
| Electronics & Communication Engineering | EC | Statistics | ST |
| Electrical Engineering | EE | Textile Engineering & Fibre Science | TF |
| Environmental Science & Engineering | ES | Engineering Sciences | XE |
| Ecology and Evolution | EY | Humanities & Social Sciences | XH |
| Geomatics Engineering | GE | Life Sciences | XL |
GATE 2026 Cut Off Marks
The cut off marks will be released after the GATE 2026 exam will be conducted online mode. Till then the candidates can have a look at the previous year "GATE 2021 Cut Off marks and highest marks"
There are two types of Cut-Off, one is the Qualifying Cut Off and the other is Admission Cut Off which are explained below
GATE Qualifying Cut Off: These are the minimum marks that candidate should score to qualify for the exam. There is subject cut off also. GATE qualifying cut off will be released by the conducting body.
GATE Admission Cut Off: This Cut Off is released by the individual institutes and depend on the number of seats, number of applicants, category of applicants, etc.
GATE Cut off (Previous Year) [All subjects]- Click to Check
The GATE Cut-off for 2021 is given below.
| GATE 2021 Cut Off | |||
| Paper Code | Highest Score | Highest Marks (out of 100) | Cut-off Marks (out of 100) |
| AE | 1000 | 84 | 26.3 |
| AG | 1000 | 61.33 | 25 |
| AR | 1000 | 79.67 | 40.9 |
| BM | 1000 | 64 | 25 |
| BT | 1000 | 75.33 | 30 |
| CE* | 1000 | 95.56 | 29.2 |
| CH | 1000 | 89.67 | 35.1 |
| CS* | 1000 | 87.81 | 26.1 |
| CY | 996 | 91.33 | 36.2 |
| EC | 1000 | 82 | 25 |
| EE | 974 | 85.33 | 30.3 |
| ES | 966 | 88 | 39.6 |
| EY | 1000 | 78 | 35.7 |
| GG (Geology) | 945 | 72.67 | 38.9 |
| GG (Geophysics) | 1000 | 68.67 | 44.8 |
| IN | 933 | 79 | 36 |
| MA | 1000 | 68.33 | 29 |
| ME* | 979 | 93.22 | 33 |
| MN | 1000 | 77.67 | 31 |
| MT | 923 | 87.67 | 48.5 |
| PE | 947 | 88.67 | 51.4 |
| PH | 1000 | 69.67 | 32.8 |
| PI | 939 | 83.67 | 35.7 |
| ST | 1000 | 51.67 | 25 |
| TF | 945 | 79.67 | 41.8 |
| XE | 1000 | 90.33 | 37 |
| XH-C1 (Economics) | 1000 | 62.67 | 29.4 |
| XH-C2 (English) | 986 | 77.67 | 41.7 |
| XH-C3 (Linguistics) | 1000 | 65.67 | 35.3 |
| XH-C4 (Philosophy) | 1000 | 71 | 37.9 |
| XH-C5 (Psychology) | 1000 | 77.33 | 48.5 |
| XH-C6 (Sociology) | 1000 | 66 | 34.3 |
| XL | 983 | 74.33 | 36 |
GATE 2026 Admit Card
The conducting organization will be releasing the GATE Admit Card 2026 soon on its official website. The GATE 2026 exam date will be announced soon, and the admit card will be released on its official website. The candidates will need to enter their enrollment ID and password to download their GATE 2026 Admit card.
GATE 2026 Answer Key
Firstly the provisional answer will be released by the authority on the official website for each exam shift. The candidates will submit their objections to the answer key if any, and the final GATE 2026 Answer key will be released after assessing the objections submitted.
GATE Result 2026
The GATE 2026 results are expected to be released on its official website. Candidates can check their results along with the scorecard after the release of the result by the conducting body. These scores will be used by different institutes and PSU for the admission and recruitment process.
GATE 2026 Score Card
IISc Bangalore will be releasing GATE 2026 scorecards for the candidates who qualify in the written examination after the declaration of GATE results. The GATE 2026 mark sheet will be made available online on the official website (GOAPS) portal. Candidates need to enter their enrollment ID and password to download their GATE scorecard. The GATE 2026 scorecard will contain all the important details including candidates marks, score, all India rank, qualifying marks, etc.
GATE 2026 Exam Centres
The candidates will have to choose an exam centre for GATE 2026 while filling the online application form. Allotment of GATE 2026 exam centres will be done as per preference and availability. There are eight zonal centres under which various cities are listed where the examination will be conducted.
| GATE 2026 Exam Centres | |
| Zones | Name of the cities |
| IISc Bangalore | Ananthapuramu, Kurnool, Bagalkot, Ballari (Bellary), Belagavi (Belgaum), Bengaluru North, Bengaluru South, Bidar, Chikkamagaluru, Davanagere, Hassan, Hubballi (Hubli), Kalaburagi (Gulbarga), Kolar, Mangaluru, Manipal, Mysuru (Mysore), Shivamogga (Shimoga), Tumakuru, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Hyderabad, Port Blair |
| IISc Bombay | Ahmedabad, Anand, Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar, Mehsana, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Ahmednagar, Akola, Amravati, Aurangabad, Baramati, Dhule, Jalgaon, Kolhapur, Latur, Mumbai, Navi, Mumbai-Thane, Nagpur, Nanded, Panvel-Raigad, Pune, Ratnagiri, Sangamner-Loni-Shirdi, Sangli, Satara, Solapur, Vasai-Palghar, Goa |
| IIT Delhi | Faridabad, Gurugram, Jammu-Samba, Srinagar, Leh, Indore, Ujjain, New Delhi, Ajmer, Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Sikar, Udaipur, Greater NOIDA, Mathura |
| IIT Guwahati | Itanagar, Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Jorhat, Silchar, Tezpur, Muzaffarpur, Patna, Purnea, Dhanbad, Shillong, Aizawl, Dimapur-Kohima, Agartala West, Asansol-Durgapu, Burdwa, Kalyan, Siliguri |
| IIT Kanpur | Bhopal, Gwalior, Agra, Aligarh, Allahabad, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Jabalpur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Satna, Varanasi |
| IIT Kharagpur | Eluru, Kakinada, Rajamahendravaram (Rajahmundry), Srikakulam, Tadepalligudem, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Bhilai, Bilaspur, Raipur, Hazaribag, Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Balasore, Berhampur, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Baharampur-Murshidabad, Hooghly, Kharagpur, Kolkata |
| IIT Madras | Chirala, Chittoor, Gudur, Guntur, Nellore, Ongole, Tirupati, Alappuzha, Aluva-Ernakulam, Kollam, Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram, Puducherry, Chennai South, Chennai West, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dindigul, Kanyakumari-Nagercoil, Madurai, Namakkal, Salem, Thanjavur, Thoothukudi, Tiruchirapalli, Tirunelveli, Vellore, Virudhunagar, Karimnagar, Khammam, Kodad, Nizamabad, Suryapet, Warangal |
| IIT Roorkee | Ambala, Hamirpur, Amritsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Mohali-Chandigarh, Patiala, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, NOIDA, Dehradun, Haldwani, Roorkee |
Gate 2026 Conducting Body
The exam is jointly conducted by IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee, and Indian Institute for Science, Bangalore (IISC Bangalore), on a rotational basis. The following table shows the organizing institutes in various years:
| Year | Organizing | Institute |
| 2024 | IIT | IISc Bangalore |
| 2023 | IIT | Kanpur |
| 2022 | IIT | Kharagpur |
| 2021 | IIT | Bombay |
| 2020 | IIT | Delhi |
| 2019 | IIT | Madras |
| 2018 | IIT | Guwahati |
| 2017 | IIT | Roorkee |
| 2016 | IISc | Bangalore |
| 2015 | IIT | Kanpur |
| 2014 | IIT | Kharagpur |
| 2013 | IIT | Bombay |
| 2012 | IIT | Delhi |
| 2011 | IIT | Madras |
| 2010 | IIT | Guwahati |
| 2009 | IIT | Roorkee |
| 2008 | IISc | Bangalore |
| 2007 | IIT | Kanpur |
| 2006 | IIT | Kharagpur |
| 2005 | IIT | Bombay |
| 2004 | IIT | Delhi |
| 2003 | IIT | Madras |
| 2002 | IISc | Banglore |
| 2001 | IIT | Kanpur |
| 2000 | IIT | Kharagpur |
| 1999 | IIT | Bombay |
| 1998 | IIT | Delhi |
| 1997 | IIT | Madras |
| 1996 | IISc | Banglore |
| 1995 | IIT | Kanpur |