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

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

K Guna SahitiUpdated on 08 Feb 2026, 10:28 AM IST

GATE 2026 Marking Scheme- IIT Guwahati has released the GATE marking scheme at gate2026.iitg.ac.in. The authority has announced the GATE 2026 marking scheme through the 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. It will help in judgingthe performance in GATE 2026. The GATE exam is being held on February 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2026.

LiveGATE 2026 CS Feb 8 Exam LIVE: Shift 1 question paper analysis soon; answer key, cut-off updatesFeb 8, 2026 | 11:21 AM IST

The GATE 2026 CH question paper was easy to moderate in difficulty. Many questions were of a moderate level, as per the students reactions.

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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

Particulars

Details

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 Code

General Aptitude (GA)

Subject Questions

Total 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 question

GATE 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.

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Questions related to GATE

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to GATE ?

Hello,

The link to the question paper is attached here. You can also find the answer key that will help you analyse your in-depth performance. Careers360 provides students with preparation tips that will help them utilise their time effectively in preparartion.

https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-metallurgical-question-papers

Thank you

Hello,

Yes, you can get admission in M.Tech CSE without GATE .

  1. Through university entrance exams
    Many universities conduct their own M.Tech entrance exams. You have to qualify the test and sometimes attend an interview.

  2. Through JET for M.Tech
    JET (JAIN Entrance Test) is conducted by Jain University.
    It is

Hii

No  you cannot get admission to IIT for M Tech if your B Tech is not completed at the time of admission, even if you clear the GATE cutoff but Yes, you can appear for GATE 2028 in your 3rd year of B Tech even if your degree is

Hello,

The link to the question paper is attached here. You can access the question papers along with the answer key on the careers360 website. Careers360 also provides students with preparation tips that will help them in preparing and the mock test and analyse their in-depth performance.

https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/last-15-years-gate-papers-solutions

Thank you.