GATE 2026: IIT Guwahati releases exam pattern, announces paper-wise syllabus

By
Prakhar
-

This article will talk about the GATE 2026: IIT Guwahati releases exam pattern, announces paper-wise syllabus. The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering, or GATE exam, is more than just a test for aspirational engineering candidates – it’s an incredible opportunity. Therefore, if you want to enrol in M.Tech, ME, or a straight PhD program at prestigious universities like IIT, NIT, or IIIT, or if you want to work for prestigious Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) like ONGC, NTPC, BHEL, DRDO, or ISRO, the GATE 2026 exam can be your launching pad.

IIT Guwahati releases exam pattern

Also learn: GATE 2026 Registration Process

GATE 2026: IIT Guwahati releases exam pattern, announces paper-wise syllabus

The GATE 2026 exam pattern has been posted on the official website of IIT Guwahati. As part of their preparation, candidates might review the GATE 2026 exam format. In 2026, the authority included Energy Science as a new elective under the Engineering Mathematics paper. test length, format, scoring system, question kinds, and much more are all included in the test pattern. The GATE exam will consist of 65 questions divided across the general aptitude and core topics portions. Inaccurate responses will result in a negative marking system on the GATE 2026 exam. For all papers, the GATE 2026 total score is 100. In order to prepare for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering, candidates need to be aware of the format of the test.

Candidates must review the GATE syllabus in addition to the GATE examination pattern to understand the key subjects covered in the test. Visit this link to learn more about the GATE 2026 exam pattern.

GATE 2026: Highlights of the Exam Pattern

The exam style, duration, marking scheme, test codes, and other information are included in the following GATE exam pattern highlights table to assist candidates in creating a well-thought-out preparation plan.

Highlights of the GATE Exam Paper Pattern for 2026

Particulars Details
Examination Mode Online Computer Based Test
Medium of GATE 2026 exam English
Duration 3 Hours
Total Number of Papers in GATE 2026 30 Papers
Section
  • General Aptitude (GA)
  • Candidate Selected Subject
Type of Questions
  • Multiple Choice Questions or MCQs
  • Multiple Select Questions or MSQs
  • Numerical Answer Type or NAT Questions
GATE Design of Questions The questions are designed to test the listed abilities:
  • Application
  • Comprehension
  • Analysis
  • Recall
  • Synthesis
Number of Questions 65 Questions – containing 10 questions from General Aptitude
Distribution of Questions in all Papers except AR, EY, GG, MA, CY, DA, PH, ST, XH and XL
  • Engineering Mathematics – 13 Marks
  • Subject Questions – 72 Marks
  • General Aptitude – 15 Marks
Distribution of Questions in AR, EY, GG, MA, CY, DA, PH, ST, XH and XL
  • Questions from Subject Concerned – 85 Marks
  • General Aptitude – 15 Marks
Total Marks 100 Marks
Marking Scheme All of the questions will be worth 1 or 2 marks
GATE Negative Marking Two types of MCQs:
  • MCQs – One mark is awarded for each right response; one-third of a mark is subtracted for each incorrect response.
  • MCQs – For every right response, you will receive two marks; for every wrong response, you will lose two-thirds of your marks. Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions do not carry any negative grades.
  • No negative marking for MSQ & NAT.
  • No partial marking.

Exam Pattern and Marking System for GATE 2026

The GATE total scores for the following courses can be found in the table: Mechanical, Civil, Computer Science, Electrical, and others.

GATE Paper Code for Test Preparation GA – General Aptitude Marks Subject Marks Total Marks Total Time (Minutes)
AE, AG, CH, CS, EC, EE, ES, BM, BT, CE, IN, ME, MN, MT, NM, PE, PI, TF; these papers include questions on Engineering Mathematics 15 85 100 180
AR [Part A + Part B (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 × 35) 100 180
XH (Section B1 + Any ONE Section) 15 25 + 60 100 180
XL (Section P (Chemistry compulsory) + Any TWO Sections) 15 25 + (2 × 30) 100 180
CY, DA, EY, MA, PH, ST 15 85 100 180

GATE 2026 Exam Pattern: Subject Weighting by Paper Code

Paper Code Exam Pattern
CE, CS, EC, CH, ME, MN, MT, EE, AE, AG, BT, IN, TF, XE, PE, ST, and PI GA (General Aptitude) – 15
Engineering Mathematics – 13 questions
Subject of the Paper – 72 questions
AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, XH, and XL GA (General Aptitude) – 15
Subject of the Paper – 85

GATE 2026: Paper Wise Syllabus

Civil Engineering

Section Subtopics
Engineering Mathematics
  • Linear Algebra
  • Calculus
  • Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE)
  • Partial Differential Equation (PDE)
  • Probability and Statistics
  • Numerical Methods
Structural Engineering
  • Engineering Mechanics
  • Solid Mechanics
  • Structural Analysis
  • Construction Materials and Management
  • Concrete Structures
  • Steel Structures
Geotechnical Engineering
  • Soil Mechanics
  • Foundation Engineering
Water Resources Engineering
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Hydraulics
  • Hydrology
  • Irrigation
Environmental Engineering
  • Water and Waste Water Quality and Treatment
  • Air Pollution
  • Municipal Solid Wastes
Transportation Engineering
  • Transportation Infrastructure
  • Geometric Design of Railway Track
  • Concept of Airport Runway Length
  • Highway Pavements
  • Traffic Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Section Subtopics
Engineering Mathematics
  • Linear Algebra
  • Calculus
  • Differential Equations
  • Complex Variables
  • Probability and Statistics
  • Numerical Methods
Applied Mechanics and Design
  • Engineering Mechanics
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Theory of Machines
  • Vibrations
  • Machine Design
Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Heat Transfer
  • Thermodynamics
  • Applications
Materials, Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering
  • Engineering Materials
  • Casting, Forming and Joining Processes
  • Machining and Machine Tool Operations
  • Metrology and Inspection
  • Computer Integrated Manufacturing
  • Production Planning and Control
  • Inventory Control
  • Operations Research

Electrical Engineering

Section Subtopics
Engineering Mathematics
  • Linear Algebra
  • Calculus
  • Differential Equations
  • Complex Variables
  • Probability and Statistics
Electric Circuits
  • Network Elements
Electromagnetic Fields
  • Coulomb’s Law
  • Electric Field Intensity
  • Gauss’s Law
  • Divergence
  • Field and Potential Distributions
  • Magnetic Fields and Inductance
Signals and Systems
  • Continuous and Discrete Time Signals
  • Shifting and Scaling Properties
  • Fourier Series and Transforms
  • Sampling Theorem
Electrical Machines
  • Single Phase Transformer
  • Three-Phase Transformers
  • DC Machines
  • Three-Phase Induction Machines
  • Synchronous Machines
Power Systems
  • Generation and Transmission Concepts
  • Transmission Line Models and Performance
  • Load Dispatch
  • Power Factor Correction
  • Symmetrical Components
  • Protection Systems
  • Power System Stability
Control Systems
  • Representation and Feedback Principles
  • Transfer Functions
  • Block Diagrams
  • Stability Analysis
  • PID Controllers
  • State Space Models
Electrical and Electronic Measurements
  • Bridges and Potentiometers
  • Voltage, Current, Power, and Energy Measurement
  • Instrument Transformers
  • Digital Voltmeters and Multimeters
  • Phase, Time, and Frequency Measurement
  • Oscilloscopes
  • Error Analysis
Analog and Digital Electronics
  • Simple Diode Circuits
  • Amplifiers

Electronics and Communication Engineering

Section Subtopics
Engineering Mathematics
  • Linear Algebra
  • Calculus
  • Differential Equations
  • Vector Analysis
  • Complex Analysis
  • Probability and Statistics
Networks, Signals and Systems
  • Circuit Analysis
  • Continuous-time Signals
  • Discrete-time Signals
Electronic Devices
  • Energy Bands in Semiconductors
  • Carrier Transport
Analog Circuits
  • Diode Circuits
  • BJT and MOSFET Amplifiers
  • Current Mirrors and Differential Amplifiers
  • Op-amp Circuits
Digital Circuits
  • Number Representations
  • Combinatorial Circuits
  • Sequential Circuits
  • Data Converters
  • Semiconductor Memories
  • Computer Organization
Control Systems
  • Control System Concepts
  • Feedback Principles
  • Transfer Functions
  • Stability Analysis
  • State Variable Models
Communications
  • Random Processes
  • Analog Communications

Computer Science and Information Technology

Section Topics
Section 1: Engineering Mathematics
  • Discrete Mathematics
  • Linear Algebra
  • Calculus
  • Complex variables
  • Probability and Statistics
  • Computer Science and Information Technology
Section 2: Digital Logic
  • Boolean algebra
Section 3: Computer Organization and Architecture
  • Machine instructions and addressing modes.
Section 4: Programming and Data Structures
  • Programming in C. Recursion. Arrays, queues, stacks, linked lists, binary search trees, trees,binary heaps, graphs.
Section 5: Algorithms
  • Searching, sorting, hashing. Asymptotic worst case time and space complexity. Algorithm design techniques: greedy, dynamic programming and divide-and-conquer. Graph traversals, minimum spanning trees, shortest paths.
Section 6: Theory of Computation
  • Regular expressions and finite automata. Context-free grammars and push-down automata. Regular and context-free languages, pumping lemma. Turing machines and undecidability.
Section 7: Compiler Design
  • Lexical analysis, parsing, syntax-directed translation. Runtime environments. Intermediate code generation. Local optimisation, Data flow analyses: common subexpression elimination, constant propagation, liveness analysis,.
Section 8: Operating System
  • System calls, processes, threads, inter-process communication, concurrency and synchronization. Deadlock. CPU and I/O scheduling. Memory management and virtual memory. File systems.
Section 9: Databases
  • ER-model. Relational model: relational algebra, tuple calculus, SQL. Integrity constraints, normal forms. File organization, indexing (e.g., B and B+ trees). Transactions and concurrency control.
Section 10: Computer Networks
  • Concept of layering: OSI and TCP/IP Protocol Stacks; Basics of packet, circuit and virtual circuit-switching; Data link layer: framing, error detection, Medium Access Control, Ethernet bridging; Routing algorithms; Fragmentation and IP addressing, IPv4, CIDR notation, Basics of IP support protocols (ARP, DHCP, ICMP), Network Address Translation (NAT); Transport layer: flow control and congestion control, UDP, TCP, sockets; Application layer protocols: DNS, SMTP, HTTP, FTP, Email.

FAQs on the GATE 2026

Will there be a white paper available for me to use for calculations and preliminary work during the test?

The candidate will receive a scribble pad to complete the preliminary work on. Nevertheless, following the test, candidates must return the scribble pad.

Where can I locate the official GATE exam pattern?

The GATE 2026 exam pattern is available to candidates on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in.