GATE Architecture & Planning Exam Pattern 2026 - Check Type of Questions, Exam Duration, Marking Scheme

GATE Architecture & Planning Exam Pattern 2026 - Check Type of Questions, Exam Duration, Marking Scheme

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GATE Application Date:28 Aug' 25 - 28 Sep' 25

Jalla VenkateshUpdated on 18 Sep 2025, 05:59 PM IST

GATE 2026 Architecture & Planning Exam Pattern: IIT Guwahati has released the GATE Architecture & Planning 2026 exam pattern on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. Candidates can check the GATE 2026 architecture & planning exam pattern on this page. The exam pattern includes details such as the types of questions, total marks, exam mode, marking scheme, and the number of questions asked. Along with the exam pattern, candidates must also be aware of the GATE 2025 A&P syllabus. The authority will conduct the GATE 2026 exam will be conducted on February 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2026.

This Story also Contains

  1. GATE 2026 Architecture and Planning Exam Pattern
  2. GATE Architecture & Planning Exam Pattern 2026 - Key Points
  3. GATE Architecture & Planning 2026 Syllabus
  4. GATE 2026 Architecture & Planning Best Books
GATE Architecture & Planning Exam Pattern 2026 - Check Type of Questions, Exam Duration, Marking Scheme
GATE 2026 Architecture & Planning Exam Pattern

In addition to understanding the exam pattern for GATE 2026, candidates must also be aware of the GATE 2026 syllabus for Architecture & Planning, as it plays a crucial role in their preparation strategy. The authority will conduct the GATE entrance exam as a computer based test.

GATE 2026 Architecture and Planning Exam Pattern

The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati has released the GATE Architecture and Planning exam pattern on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. According to the GATE 2026 architecture & planning paper pattern, the question paper will consist of three sections: General Aptitude, a compulsory section (Part A), and the core subject (Part B). The question pattern may include the following types of questions: (i) Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), (ii) Multiple Select Questions (MSQ), and/or (iii) Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions.

The General Aptitude section will hold 15 marks, the compulsory section will hold 60 marks, and the subject section will hold 25 marks in total. The paper will be prepared based on the GATE 2026 syllabus. Read the full article to know more about the key points related to the GATE architecture & planning exam pattern 2026. Candidates before appearing for the exam are advised to check the exam pattern of GATE 2026 architecture and planning.

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GATE 2026 Architecture and Planning Exam Pattern

Particulars

Details

Mode of Examination

Computer Based Test

Sections

There will be three sections-

Section 1- General Aptitude

Section 2- Compulsory Section

Section 3- Architecture/Planning

Duration of Exam

180 minutes

Type of Questions

Multiple Choice Questions, MSQs, and NATs

Total number of Questions

65

General Aptitude Section

  • 5 questions of 1 mark each

  • 5 questions of 2 marks each


Engineering Mathematics

  • 18 questions of 1 mark each

  • 21 questions of 2 marks each


Subject Section

  • Part B1: For Architecture Only

  • 7 questions of 1 mark each

  • 9 questions of 2 marks each

  • Part B2: For Planning Only

  • 7 questions of 1 mark each

  • 9 questions of 2 marks each

Total Marks

100 marks

Language of Examination

English

Marking Scheme

For a wrong answer chosen in an MCQs, there will be a negative marking as follows:

For 1-mark MCQ, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer.

For 2-mark MCQ, 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer.

There will be no negative marking for MSQs & NATs.


GATE 2026 Architecture and Planning Marking Scheme

Candidates must check the marking scheme of GATE Architecture & planning 2026 as an important step while preparing for the entrance exam. Being aware of the GATE architecture & planning marking scheme 2026 will help candidates to know the exam pattern and analyse which questions to attempt, how much time to devote to which questions, and how many questions should be attempted.

Subject

Total No. of Questions

Marks Allotted

General Aptitude

10

15

Compulsory (Part A)

39

60

Core Subject (Part A and Part B)

16

25

Total

65

100

Difficulty Level of GATE Architecture & Planning 2026

GATE is one of the toughest postgraduate engineering exams. The competition for GATE is high. Every year, lakhs of students apply for the examination. Looking at the GATE paper analysis, the difficulty level of the GATE 2026 architecture and planning paper is expected to be tough this year.

Topics Asked in Previous Year GATE Architecture & Planning Paper

Candidates can check the list of topics that have been asked by the examination conducting body previously.

S.No.

Topics

1

Architectural Graphics

2

Building Byelaws

3

Principles and design of disaster-resistant structures

4

Housing typologies

5

World History of Architecture

6

Alternative building materials

7

Principles of electrification of buildings

8

National Housing Policies

9

Land Acquisition Act

10

Traffic flow Analysis

GATE Architecture & Planning Exam Pattern 2026 - Key Points

  • GATE Architecture and Planning Exam 2026 will be conducted as a computer-based exam of 3 hours.

  • The GATE 2026 Architecture and Planning paper will have three sections- General Aptitude, compulsory part, and core subject part.

  • The GATE AR question paper will be divided into 3 types of questions. The question paper will have multiple choice questions (MCQ), multiple select questions (MSQ), and numerical answer types (NATs).

  • There is no negative marking in the GATE Architecture & planning for MSQs and NATs questions while for MCQs there will be negative marking.

GATE Previous Year Question Paper's
Download GATE previous year question papers to understand exam pattern and difficulty level. Practice with these papers to boost your preparation and improve your score.
Check Now

GATE Architecture & Planning 2026 Syllabus

IIT Guwahati will release the GATE Architecture and Planning syllabus 2026 on the official website. The question paper for architecture will be based on the syllabus of GATE 2026 Architecture and Planning. Candidates who will be appearing for the exam must go through the GATE syllabus PDF 2026 beforehand. Apart from this candidates should also practice the GATE question paper to analyse their strengths and weaknesses and thus prepare accordingly.

GATE 2026 Architecture & Planning Best Books

Studying from any random book will not fetch you a good rank in the GATE exam. If you want to get into the institute of your choice to pursue post-graduation, then you should leave no stone unturned. And therefore GATE Architecture & planning 2026 best books come into the picture. Candidates can follow the below-mentioned best books for GATE Architecture and Planning 2026.

Subject

Name of Books

Author/Publication

General Aptitude

A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning

R S Aggarwal

Quantitative Aptitude

R S Agarwal

AR

GATE Architecture/ Planning (6 Edition)

B. K. Das

GATE NUMERICALS TOPIC WISE for Architecture & Planning

Faculty of Architecture GATE

Building Construction

Sushil Kumar

The Great Ages of World Architecture

G. K. Hiraskar

Integrated Environment Planning

James K. Lein

History of Architecture

Sir Banister Fletcher

Fundamentals of Town Planning

G K Hiraskar

Theory of Structures and Strength of Materials

Henry Taylor

Urban Planning: Theory & Planning

M. Pratap Rao

Dictionary of Urban and Regional Planning

S. K. Kulshreshtha

Manual of Tropical Housing and Building

Alan Mayhew, S. V. Szokolay, T. G Ingersoll, O. H Koenigsberger

Urban Transportation Planning and Management

Pratibha Deshmuh

Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach

John L. Hennessey and David A. Patterson

Building Services and Equipment Volume I and Volume II

Fred Hall

Building Material

P C Varghese

Becoming a Landscape Architect: A Guide to Careers in Design

Kelleann Foster


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How many sections will GATE 2026 architecture exam have?
A:

GATE 2026 architecture question paper will consist of three sections - General Aptitude, Compulsory subject, and core subject.

Q: What will be the total duration of GATE 2026?
A:

The total time duration of GATE will be 180 minutes.

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

For a wrong answer chosen in a MCQs, there will be negative marking as follows:

  • For 1-mark MCQ, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer.
  • For 2-mark MCQ, 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer.
  • There will be no negative marking for MSQs & NATs.
Q: How many questions will be there from the Compulsory section?
A:

There will be 39 questions in Part A (compulsory section) of the paper.

Q: The GATE architecture and planning question paper will be of how much marks?
A:

The GATE paper will be of 100 marks for architecture and planning.

Q: Will I be required to appear for both the architecture & planning section in the question paper?
A:

No, candidates will have to choose any one section in the question paper.

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Questions related to GATE

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to GATE ?

Hello there,

For GATE Aerospace Engineering , here is a concise list of essential books to cover all important topics:

Aerodynamics:

  • Fundamentals of Aerodynamics – John D. Anderson Jr.

  • Aerodynamics for Engineering Students – Houghton & Carpenter

Flight Mechanics / Performance / Stability:

  • Introduction to Flight – John D. Anderson Jr.

  • Aircraft Performance & Design – John D. Anderson Jr.

Propulsion:

  • Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Propulsion – Hill & Peterson

  • Gas Turbines – V. Ganesan

Structures:

  • A Textbook of Strength of Materials – R.K. Bansal

  • Aircraft Structures for Engineering Students – T.H.G. Megson

Space Mechanics:

  • Orbital Mechanics for Engineering Students – Howard D. Curtis

Engineering Mathematics:

  • Advanced Engineering Mathematics – Erwin Kreyszig / R.K. Jain & S.R.K. Iyengar

Practice:

  • GATE Aerospace mock tests and previous years’ solved papers.

Focus on these books to strengthen concepts, practice numericals, and revise efficiently for the exam.

To download free study materials for your exam, CLICK HERE .

I hope this answer helps you. If you have more queries, feel free to share your questions with us, and we will be happy to assist you.

Thank you, and I wish you all the best in your bright future.

Hello,

Yes, the GATE exam is valued for M.Sc. Microbiology in some institutes.

  • Many IITs, IISc, and some top universities accept GATE scores for admission to M.Sc. or integrated PhD programmes in Microbiology and related fields.

  • It is more commonly used for M.Tech/PhD admissions, but for M.Sc. Microbiology, a few institutes also consider GATE.

  • Some universities may prefer their own entrance exams instead.

It is best to check the admission rules of the specific university or institute you are interested in.

Hope it helps !

Hello

As an EEE (Electrical and Electronics Engineering) graduate, your core GATE paper is EE (Electrical Engineering).

You can also choose papers like IN (Instrumentation) or EC (Electronics and Communication) if you're comfortable. GATE now allows two-paper combinations EE plus IN is a valid pair.

Choose based on your strengths and future goals (e.g., PSU jobs, M.Tech). Always check the latest GATE brochure for updated paper codes and combinations.

Here’s a concise 5-point version you can use:

  1. Know syllabus & pattern: Focus on core subjects of your branch and General Aptitude.

  2. Study material: Use UG textbooks, reference books, and previous year GATE papers.

  3. Plan & practice: Make a daily/weekly schedule, solve problems, and revise regularly.

  4. Mock tests & accuracy: Take weekly mock tests, analyze mistakes, and improve speed.

  5. PSU recruitment: Apply to PSUs like NTPC, IOCL, BHEL, ONGC, GAIL based on GATE scores; some conduct interviews.

Hello,

Yes, you can change your category from General to OBC during the GATE 2026 correction window.

GATE always allows candidates to correct details like category. You will need to pay a small correction fee for this change. Make sure you upload a valid OBC certificate as per the format and date mentioned by GATE.

So, wait for the correction window, log in to your application, and update your category to OBC.

Hope it helps !