Careers360 Logo
ask-icon
share
    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme Explained - Negative Marking & Total Marks

    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme Explained - Negative Marking & Total Marks

    Chintakuntla Sai GnanUpdated on 11 Dec 2025, 02:46 PM IST

    GATE Marking Scheme 2026 - IIT Guwahati has published the GATE 2026 marking scheme on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. Candidates can check the GATE marking scheme 2026 on this page. The marking scheme includes details such as the total number of questions, section-wise questions, and mark distribution. In MCQs, incorrect answers will incur a penalty: 1/3 mark for 1-mark questions and 2/3 mark for 2-mark questions, with no negative marking for MSQs or NATs. The GATE exam will consist of a total of 65 questions: 10 questions from General Aptitude (GA) and 55 subject-specific questions. Each question will carry either 1 or 2 marks. The GATE 2026 exam will be held on February 7, 8, 14, and 15, 2026.

    This Story also Contains

    1. GATE 2026 Marking Scheme Highlights
    2. GATE 2026 Marking Scheme Question Distribution
    3. GATE 2026 Exam Pattern
    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme Explained - Negative Marking & Total Marks
    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme Explained - Negative Marking & Total Marks

    Students can also attempt the GATE 2026 mock test to understand the marking scheme. The exam will be conducted for 30 test papers. Read this article carefully to understand the GATE 2026 better marking scheme.

    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme Highlights

    Below is the marking scheme for GATE 2026. Check the number of questions and their mark distribution:

    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme

    ParticularsDetails

    Total Number of Questions

    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

    Negative Marking

    1 Mark MCQ: 1 for correct attempt and -⅓ for wrong attempt.

    2 Mark MCQ : 2 for correct attempt and -⅔ for wrong attempt.

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

    • 15 marks for GA

    • 85 marks for Subject Questions.

    • Including 13 marks for Engineering Mathematics.

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

    • 15 marks for GA

    • 85 marks for Subject Questions.

    • No mathematics questions.

    XE has a common compulsory section

    XE-A(Engineering mathematics) carry 15 marks

    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme Question 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

    GATE 2026 Exam Pattern

    Candidates must understand the GATE exam pattern and the GATE 2026 syllabus before starting the GATE exam preparation. Check the latest exam pattern as well.

    GATE Exam Pattern

    ParticularsDetails

    Examination Mode

    Computer based Exam(CBT)

    Language

    English

    Exam Duration

    3 Hours (180 minutes)

    Numbers of Questions

    65

    Marks Carry

    1 or 2

    Type of Questions

    MCQ : Multiple Select Questions

    MSQ : Multiple Choice Questions

    NAT : Numerical Answer Type

    Negative Marking

    1 Mark MCQ : 1 for correct attempt and -⅓ for wrong attempt.

    2 Mark MCQ : 2 for correct attempt and -⅔ for wrong attempt.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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

    GATE 2026 will be for 100 marks with a duration of 3 hours.

    Q: How much is the negative marking in GATE 2026?
    A:

    For 1-mark MCQs, ⅓ mark is deducted; for 2-mark MCQs, ⅔ mark is deducted. No negative marking for MSQ and NAT questions.

    Q: What is the marking scheme in GATE 2026?
    A:

    Most 1-mark questions carry 1 mark each, and 2-mark questions carry 2 marks each. Wrong attempts will  have negative marking.

    Articles
    |
    Upcoming Engineering Exams
    Ongoing Dates
    BITS HD Application Date

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

    Ongoing Dates
    IIIT Delhi M.Tech Entrance Exam Application Date

    16 Mar'26 - 13 Apr'26 (Online)

    Certifications By Top Providers
    Online Certificate Course on Cyber Laws
    Via Indian Law Institute, New Delhi
    Basic Programming using Python
    Via Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
    Software Engineering Essentials
    Via Technical University of Munich, Munich
    Material Science
    Via Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi
    B.Tech Engineering Technology
    Via Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani
    Principles of Digital Communications
    Via Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
    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 ?

    Hi Atihse,

    You have got a very good score and rank. Based on previous years trends, With GATEn score of 423 you are expected to get colleges like MNIT Allahabad, VNIT Nagpur, NIT Rourkela, IIEST Shibpur, Howrah. Also have a look into the below link.

    Link: https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-rank-vs-college

    Hello,

    You can find information about Mtech CS admission for 2026 without GATE qualification marks through the link provided below.

    https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/list-of-mtech-colleges-without-gate-score

    Any BTech ECE graduate can apply for all the NITs offering MTech CSE based on GATE exam. Some mid and lower NITs are:

    • NIT Warangal
    • MNIT Jaipur
    • VNIT Nagpur
    • NIT Durgapur

    You can check the complete list of NITs offers MTech CSE are - https://engineering.careers360.com/colleges/list-of-top-nit-colleges-in-india

    Hi Shipra,

    To get GATE rank of 1026 in Biotechnology, you need to score GATE marks around 75 out of 100. Check the GATE marks vs Rank article link below to understand it clearly.

    Link: https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-marks-vs-rank