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GATE Exam Date:07 Feb' 26 - 08 Feb' 26
GATE Engineering Sciences Exam Pattern 2026 - IIT Guwahati has released the GATE 2026 Engineering Sciences exam pattern on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. Candidates can check the GATE 2026 Engineering Sciences exam pattern on this page. As per the GATE XE exam pattern 2026, the paper includes two mandatory sections: Engineering Mathematics (XE A) and General Aptitude, along with two optional subjects. The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering aspirants must check the GATE paper pattern for XE. The question paper will be prepared based on the GATE 2026 syllabus and the exam pattern. The GATE 2026 exam will be conducted on February 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2026.
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The GATE exam pattern 2026 will provide the subject-wise distribution of marks. The General Aptitude section will carry 15 marks, while Engineering Mathematics and the two optional papers will account for a total of 85 marks. Read the article to know more about the GATE XE 2026 exam pattern.
The authority has released the GATE Engineering Sciences 2026 exam pattern on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. The Engineering Sciences (XE) is one of the 30 subjects offered in the GATE exam. Candidates can find the exam pattern for GATE Engineering Sciences 2026 below.
Particulars | Details |
Examination Mode | Computer Based Test (Online) |
Duration | 3 Hours |
Section | General Aptitude (GA) Candidate Selected Subject |
Type of Questions | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) Multiple Select Questions (MSQs) Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions |
Total Marks | 100 Marks |
Marking Scheme | All of the questions will be worth 1 or 2 marks |
GATE Negative Marking | Two types of MCQs: MCQs - 1 mark for each correct answer; 1/3 mark will be deducted for every wrong answer. MCQs - 2 marks for each correct answer; 2/3 marks will be deducted for every incorrect response. There are no negative marking for Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions NO negative marking for MSQ & NAT. |
The following is the list of topics in the GATE 2026 XE syllabus along with the subject codes:
GATE Engineering Mathematics(XE-A) -Compulsory section
ANY TWO OPTIONS from XE-B to XE-G
GATE Fluid Mechanics(XE-B)
GATE Materials Science(XE-C)
GATE Solid Mechanics(XE-D)
GATE Thermodynamics(XE-E)
GATE Polymer Science and Engineering(XE-F)
GATE Food Technology(XE-G)
GATE Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences(XE-H)
The GATE 2026 Engineering Sciences exam pattern includes a detailed marking scheme, which is crucial as it outlines how marks are allocated across different question types. Understanding the marking scheme helps candidates plan how many questions to attempt in each section strategically. Below are the marking schemes for the three sections as per the GATE 2026 Engineering Sciences exam pattern.
Subject | Marks Allotted |
General Aptitude (GA) | 15 |
Engineering Mathematics (XE A) | 15 |
2 choice Subject Questions (B-H) | 70 |
Total | 100 |
-XE SECTION A: Engineering Mathematics (Compulsory)
The best books to prepare the GATE XE Syllabus 2026 are given below. Candidates preparing for the upcoming exam can follow the books to give their best shot at the exam. These books for GATE Engineering Sciences 2026 will help the students prepare for the upcoming exam.
GATE Engineering Mathematics by Abhinav Goel and Suraj Singh
Material Science and Engineering by William F. Smith
Elements of Polymer Science and Engineering by Alfred Rudin
Atmospheric Science by John M. Wallace
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, the GATE 2026 XE exam pattern has been released on the official website.
The total time duration will be 180 minutes.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
Yes, you as a Bachelor of Science graduate in home science can appear for the GATE 2026 exam, as the eligibility criteria include graduates from "Science" and other fields, as well as those in the 3rd year or higher of an undergraduate program.
I hope it will clear your query!!
Hey! The GATE exam (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) is very important for long-term career growth. It opens opportunities for postgraduate studies (M.Tech, MS, PhD) in top institutes like IITs and NITs and is also used by many public sector companies (PSUs) for recruitment, often with higher salary packages. In the long run, qualifying GATE can enhance your technical knowledge, career prospects, and credibility in the engineering field.
If your GATE application shows failed status even after a successful payment, don’t worry, this usually happens due to server or transaction update delays. First, wait for 24–48 hours as sometimes the status gets updated automatically. If it still shows failed, you should raise a query through the GATE application portal by providing your enrollment ID and payment receipt or transaction details. You can also contact the GATE zonal office via email or helpline with proof of payment. Keeping a screenshot of the payment success message will also help in resolving the issue quickly.
Hi dear candidate,
You can refer to the online E Books for GATE examination available on our official website that you can download anytime.
Kindly refer to the link attached below to access them for practice.
Link: GATE E-books and Sample Papers
BEST REGARDS
Hey! The qualifying cutoff for GATE CSE in 2025 was around 29.2 marks for General, 26.2 for OBC/EWS, and 19.4 for SC/ST/PwD. For GATE 2026, the official cutoff is not declared yet, but if we look at the past trends, it usually stays around 30–32 marks for General category. So, if you are preparing, it’s better to target a score well above this range to be on the safer side.
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