GATE 2026 Architecture & Planning Exam Pattern: IIT Guwahati has uploaded the GATE Architecture & Planning 2026 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 GATE 2026 architecture & planning exam pattern is updated on this page. The GATE exam pattern includes details such as the types of questions, total marks, exam mode, marking scheme, and the number of questions asked. Candidates must also be aware of the GATE 2026 A&P syllabus along with the exam pattern. The authority will conduct GATE 2026 exam will be conducted on February 15, 2026. The GATE 2026 admit card will be issued on January 2, 2026.
The GATE 2026 admit card will be released soon on the official website. Candidates will be able to download it using their registration credentials once the portal is active. It is mandatory to carry the printed admit card along with a valid photo ID to the exam centre.
This Story also Contains
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.
The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati has released the GATE Architecture and Planning exam pattern on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. 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 optional 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.
| 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
Part A- 39 Questions
Part B- 16 questions
|
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. |
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.
| Subjecy | Total No of Questions | Marks Allotted |
|---|---|---|
General Aptitude | 10 | 15 |
Compulsory Subject (Part A) | 39 | 60 |
Optional Subject (Part B) | 16 | 25 |
Total | 65 | 100 |
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.
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 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 MCQ,s there will be negative marking.
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.
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)
GATE 2026 architecture question paper will consist of three sections - General Aptitude, Compulsory subject, and core subject.
The total time duration of GATE will be 180 minutes.
For a wrong answer chosen in a MCQs, there will be negative marking as follows:
There will be 39 questions in Part A (compulsory section) of the paper.
The GATE paper will be of 100 marks for architecture and planning.
No, candidates will have to choose any one section in the question paper.
On Question asked by student community
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.
Hello,
Here is a link for the sample papers for GATE Exam with DA subjects. Tap on the link given below to open it:
Thankyou.
Hello aspirant,
If you missed the correction window for GATE 2026, the portal will not allow changes right now. Usually, IIT opens a correction period only once. Since you need to change your surname, the best option is to contact the GATE organizing institute through their official support email or
Hi Aanchal,
Balancing Engineering semester exams with competitive exam preparation can feel confusing but with right and realistic routine makes it very achievable.
Start by dividing your day into two parts: use college hours and afternoons for semester prep and keep early mornings or late evenings for GATE prep.
Make
If you are interested in Development Studies and planning to appear for GATE XH C6 (Sociology), then you are already moving in the right direction. Having a backlog does not disqualify you from pursuing higher studies, as long as you clear it before the admission process begins. Since you mentioned
Among top 100 Universities Globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026
Ranked #45 Among Universities in India by NIRF | 1950+ Students Placed 91% Placement, 800+ Recruiters
NAAC A+ Accredited | Among top 2% Universities Globally (QS World University Rankings 2026)
Apply for Online MBA from UPES
Asia’s only university to be awarded the highest accreditation by WASC, USA and by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), UK
Online PG programs from Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning
