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Does GATE have negative marking? Yes, IIT Guwahati has announced that GATE 2026 has negative marking for its MCQ questions. As per the GATE 2026 exam pattern, there will be a negative marking of 1/3rd and 2/3rd for an incorrect answer to a 1-mark and a 2-mark question, respectively. Note that the negative marking scheme is only for the MCQ questions; no negative marking scheme will be applied to the MSQ (multiple selection questions) and NAT (numerical answer type) questions. Having a better understanding of the GATE 2026 marking scheme will provide students with a better chance in preparation for the exam. IIT Guwahati is conducting the GATE exam for all 30 papers on February 7, 8, 14, and 15, 2026. The GATE exam will be conducted in an online mode.
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Further, students can also check the GATE 2026 college predictor to find out the best colleges to get into based on their expected GATE scores. Find more details on the GATE marking scheme 2026 in the article below.
Negative marking in GATE 2026 is the method to deduct marks for every wrong answer. It is implemented to discourage random guessing while answering and providing only the accurate answer. As per the GATE 2025 marking scheme, negative marking is only applicable for the Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ). The MCQ will have a choice of four answers, out of which only one answer is correct. A negative mark is awarded for a wrong answer chosen from the answer options. Tabulated below is the GATE 2026 negative marking scheme for MCQ.
| Types of Questions | Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|---|
MCQ – 1 mark question | +1 | -1/3 |
MCQ – 2 marks question | +2 | -2/3 |
No, MSQ (Multiple Select Questions) and NAT (Numerical Answer Type) questions in GATE 2026 have no negative marking schemes. There will be no deduction of marks for an incorrect answer in MSQ and NAT questions. Find below more details on the MSQ/NAT questions marking scheme.
The MSQ questions will have a choice of four answers.
Out of the four choices, one or more than one choice(s) is/are correct.
The candidate must select the correct combination of answers from the choices.
Candidates will be awarded zero marks if the answer is partly correct.
Therefore, to secure full marks, candidates must get the entire answer combination correct.
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The NAT question doesn't have multiple choices; candidates must enter a numerical value using a virtual keypad.
Each NAT question carries 1 or 2 marks.
The answer may be in decimals as well, for example,10.1 (one decimal) or 10.01 (two decimals) or -10.001 (three decimals).
Only correct answers are awarded full marks, while unanswered questions is given zero marks.
No partial credit is applicable for NAT questions.
The GATE 2026 test paper will consist of 65 questions carrying a total of 100 marks, out of which 10 questions will have a total of 15 marks on General Aptitude (GA), and 55 subject-specific questions.
Find below the distribution of marks in various test papers for GATE 2026.
Paper Code | Marks General Aptitude (GA) Subject: Compulsory (A) and optional (B) | Total Marks (TM/ Total Time (TT) |
AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, ES, IN, ME, MN, MT, NM, PE, PI, TF (incl. Engg Math 13 marks) | GA:15 Subject:85 | TM- 100 TT- 180 min |
CY, DA, EY, MA, PH, ST | GA:15 Subject:85 | TM- 100 TT- 180 min |
AR (A compulsory; B1/B2 optional) | GA:15 Subject - A:60, B:25 | TM- 100 TT- 180 min |
GE (A compulsory; B1/B2 optional) | GA:15, Subject- A:55, B:30 | TM- 100 TT- 180 min |
GG (A compulsory; B1/B2 chosen at application) | GA:15 Subject- A:25, B:60 | TM- 100 TT- 180 min |
XE (A compulsory; any TWO other sections) | GA:15 Subject- A:15, 2x35:70 | TM- 100 TT- 180 min |
XH (B1 compulsory; ONE other section) | GA:15, Subject- A::25, B:60 | TM- 100 TT- 180 min |
XL (P compulsory; any TWO other sections) | GA:15, Subject - A:25, B: 2x30 | TM- 100 TT- 180 min |
Candidates can take a look at the GATE score vs rank using the table given below. Here, we have given the previous year's GATE score vs rank analysis of the top scorers for a better understanding.
| Test Paper | Name of the Candidate | Raw Marks (out of 100) | GATE Score (out of 1000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineering | BALAMURUGAN | 81 | 990 |
| Agricultural Engineering | KEERTHI REVANTH KUMAR | 74.67 | 1000 |
| Architecture and Planning | JAYANTH GIFTSON R | 83 | 1000 |
| Biomedical Engineering | TANISH GUPTA | 77.67 | 1000 |
| Biotechnology | ARNAB PAUL | 66.67 | 1000 |
| Civil Engineering | ABHAY SINGH | 89.02 | 1000 |
| Chemical Engineering | AMLAN KUMAR TRIPATHY | 75.33 | 1000 |
| Computer Science and Information Technology | RAHUL KUMAR SINGH | 100 | 1000 |
| Chemistry | DEBASIS MANDAL | 70 | 1000 |
| Data Science and Artificial Intelligence | SADINENI NIKHIL CHOWDARY | 96.33 | 1000 |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering | SWARNAVA BISWAS | 82.67 | 1000 |
| Electrical Engineering | PRADIP CHAUHAN | 81.67 | 1000 |
| Environmental Science and Engineering | YASH JAIN | 67.33 | 1000 |
| Ecology and Evolution | KESHAV R MENON | 86.33 | 1000 |
| Geomatics Engineering | NITISH KUMAR | 61.67 | 1000 |
| Geology and Geophysics (Geology) | SUMIT GHOSH | 76.67 | 970 |
| Geology and Geophysics (Geophysics) | RAHUL MUKHERJEE | 70.67 | 1000 |
| Instrumentation Engineering | KAILASH GOYAL | 65 | 993 |
| Mathematics | SOHAM PAL | 57 | 1000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | RAJNEESH BIJARNIYA | 95.33 | 967 |
| Mining Engineering | ANIKET KUMAR GUPTA | 75.67 | 1000 |
| Metallurgical Engineering | YOGESH SARMA SEDAI | 89.67 | 941 |
| Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering | JATIN PAL | 52.33 | 1000 |
| Petroleum Engineering | SAURABH KUMAR | 74 | 1000 |
| Physics | PURNENDU DAS | 76.67 | 1000 |
| Production and Industrial Engineering | DEVENDRA DHANANJAY UMBRAJKAR | 85.67 | 1000 |
| Statistics | ARCHISHMAN MUKHERJEE | 77 | 1000 |
| Textile Engineering and Fibre Science | YADAV AVADHESH ANANTRAM | 73.67 | 1000 |
| Engineering Sciences (Engineering Mathematics, Fluid Mechanics, Solid Mechanics) | ANANT PRAKASH PANDEY | 88.33 | 1000 |
| Humanities and Social Sciences (Sociology) | VICTOR PRINCE N J | 80 | 939 |
| Humanities and Social Sciences (Psychology) | SANJNA SHUKLA | 89 | 922 |
| Humanities and Social Sciences (Linguistics) | MOOMAL MAJEE | 81 | 1000 |
| Humanities and Social Sciences (Sociology) | ARIJIT SENGUPTA | 80 | 939 |
| Humanities and Social Sciences (English) | NAOREET KHONDEKAR | 71 | 1000 |
| Humanities and Social Sciences (Economics) | SAMBUDDHA ROYCHOWDHURY | 87.33 | 948 |
| Humanities and Social Sciences (Philosophy) | MOHIT KUMAR | 76 | 1000 |
| Life Sciences (Chemistry, Biochemistry, Zoology) | YUGANSH BHATIA | 78.67 | 1000 |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, there will be negative marking for GATE 2026 for the MCQ questions.
Under the GATE 2026 negative marking schemes, 1/3 mark is deducted for an incorrect answer to 1 marks question. In the same way, 2/3 marks will be deducted for every incorrect 2-mark question.
No, there is no negative marking for MSQ/NAT-type questions in GATE 2026.
On Question asked by student community
Hello Bhaskar
You can check you Admission chances from the link given below:
https://engineering.careers360.com/gate-college-predictor
Hope it helps.
Check the syllabus first - https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-data-science-and-ai-syllabus . Understand where you stand with your knowledge. Check out any past question papers for this and see the question types.
Start preparing on those lines, take up free mock tests and series. There are plenty available on reddit and telegram and other social
Hello, admission for MTech or PhD depends on your GATE score, cutoff, college and branch you choose. Cutoff is different for each and changes every year.
For more details, please check this link: GATE Cutoff 2026
Hello Student,
You can click on the following link and know the branch-wise Gate cutoff for IIIT Pune.
Link - IIIT Pune Cutoff 2026: Check JEE Main and GATE Closing Ranks
Students are advised to carry only their exam admit card and a pen. Only a few exam centres offer a safe area, but usually, exam centres don’t provide storage; you must keep bags and phones outside the gate at your own risk or avoid bringing them.
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