GATE Application Date:28 Aug' 25 - 06 Oct' 25
GATE 2026 CSE Important Topics - The GATE exam is a prestigious national level examination conducted once in a year for admission into post graduate programs like ME, Mtech or Ph.D or for recruitment into top public sector undertakings (PSU) all over India. CSE is one of the core subjects and if taken, it opens doors to top class institutes like IIT, IISc and other research labs supported by the government. In this article, we shall dive into the important topics for CSE, GATE exam pattern, study tips and a lot of resources that will help you to ace your GATE 2026 exam. Let’s dive in!
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Now that we have understood the exam pattern, it is time to dive into the main component of this article:GATE 2026 CSE important topics:
This table will give you a brief overview of the last 5 years question paper:
Chapter | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Total (5 Years) | Weightage |
Engineering Mathematics | 16 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 73 | 16.40% |
Aptitude | 20 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 70 | 15.73% |
Computer Networks | 10 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 44 | 9.89% |
Programming and Data Structures | 17 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 44 | 9.89% |
Computer Organization & Architecture | 13 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 42 | 9.44% |
Operating System | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 38 | 8.54% |
Databases | 9 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 39 | 8.76% |
Theory of Computation | 9 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 32 | 7.19% |
Digital Logic | 9 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 4.94% |
Compiler Design | 9 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 4.72% |
Algorithms | 8 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 4.49% |
Grand Total | 130 | 130 | 65 | 65 | 55 | 445 | 100.00% |
As seen, engineering mathematics covers the maximum weightage followed by aptitude. Well, these are seen as two different subjects. Coming to core chapters computer networks and programming and data structures both seem to have 9.89% overall weightage. You can also compare it according to the trends followed in the different years. Another point to note is that until 2021 there were only 55 total questions and 2024 onwards there are two papers being conducted: CSE I and CSE II making it a total of 130 questions overall. This graph will give you a visual representation and understanding of the chapters for preparation of GATE CSE 2026.
Now that we have seen the weightage table, lets look into the top chapters and understand the books to refer to. This other table will give you a lot of information and resources to refer to:
Subject | Top Chapter | Main Topics | Recommended Book |
Aptitude (16.40%) | Numerical Ability | Percentages, Ratios, Averages, Time & Work, Speed & Distance, Profit & Loss, Number Series, Simple & Compound Interest | Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R.S. Aggarwal |
Engineering Mathematics (15.73%) | Linear Algebra | Matrices, Eigenvalues & Eigenvectors, Systems of Linear Equations, Vector Spaces | Higher Engineering Mathematics by B.S. Grewal |
Programming & Data Structures (9.89%) | Trees and Graphs | Binary Trees, AVL Trees, Binary Search Trees, Graph Traversals (DFS, BFS), Spanning Trees, Graph Representations | Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis in C by Mark Allen Weiss |
Computer Networks (9.89%) | TCP/IP and OSI Models | OSI Layers, TCP/IP Stack, IP Addressing, Routing Protocols, UDP vs TCP, Application Layer Protocols (HTTP, DNS) | Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach by James Kurose and Keith Ross |
Computer Organization & Architecture (9.44%) | Memory Hierarchy and Cache | Cache Mapping Techniques, Memory Access Time, Virtual Memory, RAM & ROM, Instruction Cycles, Pipeline Architecture | Computer Organization and Design by David A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy |
Also check: GATE 2026 CSE Syllabus
The GATE 2026 Computer science and information technology paper is conducted to test candidates on their understanding of core concepts of CS, problem solving and coding practices. This paper mainly consists of 3 main sections: Aptitude, Engineering Maths and Computer science. This table below will give you all the information you require for the exam pattern understanding:
Feature | Details |
Exam Mode | Online Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
Duration | 3 Hours (180 Minutes) |
Total Marks | 100 |
Total Questions | 65 |
Sections | GA (15 Marks), Engineering Maths & CSE (85 Marks) |
Question Types | MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions) MSQ (Multiple Select Questions) NAT (Numerical Answer Type) |
Marking Scheme | 1-mark and 2-mark questions Negative marking for MCQs: -1/3 for 1-mark & -2/3 for 2-mark questions No negative marking for NAT & MSQ |
Now that we have looked into the chapters to prioritize and the books to refer to, its time to dive into some resources. Lets look into previous years GATE CSE question papers that can help you prepare for the exam and practice.
Year | Download GATE Previous Year Paper |
2025 | |
2025 | |
2024 | GATE 2024 CS Question Paper and Answer Key PDF (Shift 1 & 2) |
2023 | |
2022 | |
2021 | |
2020 | |
2019 | |
2016 - 2018 |
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
Yes, you as a Bachelor of Science graduate in home science can appear for the GATE 2026 exam, as the eligibility criteria include graduates from "Science" and other fields, as well as those in the 3rd year or higher of an undergraduate program.
I hope it will clear your query!!
Hey! The GATE exam (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) is very important for long-term career growth. It opens opportunities for postgraduate studies (M.Tech, MS, PhD) in top institutes like IITs and NITs and is also used by many public sector companies (PSUs) for recruitment, often with higher salary packages. In the long run, qualifying GATE can enhance your technical knowledge, career prospects, and credibility in the engineering field.
If your GATE application shows failed status even after a successful payment, don’t worry, this usually happens due to server or transaction update delays. First, wait for 24–48 hours as sometimes the status gets updated automatically. If it still shows failed, you should raise a query through the GATE application portal by providing your enrollment ID and payment receipt or transaction details. You can also contact the GATE zonal office via email or helpline with proof of payment. Keeping a screenshot of the payment success message will also help in resolving the issue quickly.
Hi dear candidate,
You can refer to the online E Books for GATE examination available on our official website that you can download anytime.
Kindly refer to the link attached below to access them for practice.
Link: GATE E-books and Sample Papers
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Hey! The qualifying cutoff for GATE CSE in 2025 was around 29.2 marks for General, 26.2 for OBC/EWS, and 19.4 for SC/ST/PwD. For GATE 2026, the official cutoff is not declared yet, but if we look at the past trends, it usually stays around 30–32 marks for General category. So, if you are preparing, it’s better to target a score well above this range to be on the safer side.
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