Careers360 Logo
ask-icon
share
    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme: Check Negative Marking, Section-wise Marks

    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme: Check Negative Marking, Section-wise Marks

    K Guna SahitiUpdated on 09 Feb 2026, 02:02 PM IST

    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme- IIT Guwahati has released the GATE marking scheme on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. The GATE 2026 marking scheme is available in the information brochure. Candidates should be aware of the GATE marking scheme 2026 to be able to calculate their marks. The GATE exam is of 100 marks irrespective of the type of paper. The marks assigned vary with the type of questions. They have negative marking as well. Candidates can use the GATE answer key 2026 to calculate probable scores. Using the GATE 2026 answer key, candidates can determine their performance in GATE 2026. The authority is conducting the GATE exam on February 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2026.

    LiveGATE 2026 Result LIVE (OUT): IIT Guwahati MTech entrance exam result at gate2026.iitg.ac.in; toppers, branchesMar 20, 2026 | 11:33 PM IST

    The computer-based test GATE 2026 was conducted on February 7, 8, 14, and 15, 2026 by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati.

    Read More

    This Story also Contains

    1. GATE 2026 Marking Scheme
    2. GATE 2026 Marking Scheme- Paper Wise Distribution
    3. What is GATE Negative Marking Scheme?
    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme: Check Negative Marking, Section-wise Marks
    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme

    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme

    The marking scheme for GATE 2026 can be found below. It varies with the paper. The GATE exam is held for 30 papers with combination of optional papers and secondary paper. Overall, the exam is held for 100 marks. The final normalised score is out of 1000.

    Marking Scheme of GATE 2026

    ParticularsDetails

    Total Number of Questions (In all papers)

    65

    Exam Sections

    General Aptitude: 10 Questions

    Subject Component: 55 Questions

    Marks Carry

    1 or 2

    Type of Questions

    MCQ: Multiple Select Questions

    MSQ: Multiple Choice Questions

    NAT: Numerical Answer Type

    In test papers- XL, XH, AR, EY, CY, DA, GE, GG, PH, MA, PH, ST

    • 15 marks for GA

    • 85 marks for Subject Questions.

    • No mathematics questions.

    In test papers- AE, BM, BT, NM, ME, TF, PE, AG, CE, CH, EC, EE, IN, CS, ES, IN, MT, PI, MN

    • 15 marks for GA

    • 85 marks for Subject Questions.

    • Including 13 marks for Engineering Mathematics.

    XE is a common compulsory section

    XE-A(Engineering mathematics) carry 15 marks

    Negative Marking

    • 1 Mark MCQ:


      • 1 for correct attempt

      • -⅓ for wrong attempt.

    • 2 Mark MCQ


      • 2 for correct attempt

      • -⅔ for wrong attempt.

    Also Read:

    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme- Paper Wise Distribution

    Below is the section-wise question distribution for all GATE 2026 papers. There will be a total of 30 papers.

    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme

    GATE Paper CodeGeneral Aptitude (GA)Subject QuestionsTotal Marks

    AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, ES, IN, ME, MN, MT, NM, PE, PI, and TF


    15

    85

    100

    AR [Part A + Part B (B1: Architecture or B2: Planning)]

    15

    60 + 25

    100

    GE [Part A + Part B (Section I or Section II)

    15

    55 + 30

    100

    GG [Part A + Part B (Section 1: Geology or Section 2: Geophysics)]

    15

    25 + 60

    100

    XE (Section A + Any TWO Sections)

    15

    15 + (2 x 35)

    100

    XH (Section B1 + Any ONE Section)

    15

    25 + 60

    100

    XL (Section P + Any TWO Sections)

    15

    25 + (2 x 30)

    100

    CY, DA, EY, MA, PH

    15

    85

    100

    What is GATE Negative Marking Scheme?

    As per the GATE 2026 exam pattern, the authority deducts some marks for each wrong answer. Meaning, depending on the type of question, some marks will be removed from the total in case the chosen answer is wrong. Check the following table to understand the GATE 2026 negative marking scheme.

    GATE Negative Marking Scheme 2026

    Type of QuestionGATE Negative Marking Scheme

    One marker

    -⅓ for wrong attempt.

    Two marker

    -⅔ for wrong attempt.

    Unattempted questions

    No negative marking

    Partially answered questions

    No marks assigned

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Q: What is the total marks of GATE 2026?
    A:

    A GATE 2026 paper is of 100 marks.

    Q: Is there negative marking in GATE 2026?
    A:

    Yes, there is negative marking in GATE 2026.

    Q: How to calculate scores in GATE 2026?
    A:

    Candidates need to check the GATE 2026 marking scheme to be able to calculate marks in the exam.

    Q: What is the GATE marking scheme?
    A:

    GATE marking scheme mentions the marks assigned to each type of question. It also includes the GATE negative marking scheme.

    Articles
    |
    Upcoming Engineering Exams
    Ongoing Dates
    BITS HD Application Date

    18 Feb'26 - 20 Apr'26 (Online)

    Certifications By Top Providers
    B.Tech Engineering Technology
    Via Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani
    Certificate Program in Machine Learning and AI with Python
    Via Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
    Post Graduate Diploma Program in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
    Via Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi
    Computer Fundamentals
    Via Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore
    Programming Basics
    Via Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
    C-Based VLSI Design
    Via Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
    Udemy
     1525 courses
    Swayam
     817 courses
    NPTEL
     773 courses
    Coursera
     697 courses
    Edx
     608 courses
    Explore Top Universities Across Globe

    Questions related to GATE

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to GATE ?

    Every PSU has different cut-off marks and eligibility. Hence, it is suggested to apply for PSU after checking the eligibility. Also, they do not reveal the marks of the finally selected candidates. So, wait for the final merit list.

    Yes. You can. GATE eligibility specifies that students in their 3rd year and above can appear for the exam. Since the results are valid for 3 years, you can use the same for your admissions.

    If you score 500 marks in GATE2026, your chances of getting into good engineering colleges (especially NITs, IIITs and some older IITs) are strong for most disciplines, while top branches like CSE/EEE/ECE at older IITs may still require higher ranks. Your GATE AllIndia Rank (AIR) with 500 marks usually falls