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.
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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.
Below is the marking scheme for GATE 2026. Check the number of questions and their mark distribution:
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
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 |
|
In test papers AR, CY, DA, EY, GE, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH, and XL |
|
XE has a common compulsory section | XE-A(Engineering mathematics) carry 15 marks |
Below is the section-wise question distribution for all GATE 2026 papers. There will be a total of 30 papers.
| 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 |
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
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
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)
GATE 2026 will be for 100 marks with a duration of 3 hours.
For 1-mark MCQs, ⅓ mark is deducted; for 2-mark MCQs, ⅔ mark is deducted. No negative marking for MSQ and NAT questions.
Most 1-mark questions carry 1 mark each, and 2-mark questions carry 2 marks each. Wrong attempts will have negative marking.
On Question asked by student community
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:
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
With a qualifying GATE 2026 score of 32 under the EWS category, candidates will likely secure MTech seats in lower-demand branches in newer NITs/IIITs/GFTIs.
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