GATE Exam Pattern for Chemistry 2026 (Out) - Check Marking Scheme, Preparation Books

GATE Exam Pattern for Chemistry 2026 (Out) - Check Marking Scheme, Preparation Books

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GATE Exam Date:07 Feb' 26 - 08 Feb' 26

K Guna SahitiUpdated on 09 Oct 2025, 05:12 PM IST

GATE Exam Pattern for Chemistry 2026 - IIT Guwahati has released the GATE 2026 chemistry exam pattern on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. Candidates can check the GATE exam pattern for chemistry 2026 on this page. As per the exam pattern for GATE Chemistry 2026, the question paper will be divided into three subsections: Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Inorganic Chemistry. A total of 65 questions will be included, which will consist of MCQs, MSQs, and NAT questions. The authority will conduct the GATE 2026 exam on February 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2026.

This Story also Contains

  1. GATE 2026 Exam Pattern For Chemistry- Highlights
  2. GATE Chemistry Syllabus 2026
  3. GATE Chemistry Exam Pattern 2026 Marking Scheme
  4. GATE 2026 Negative Marking: Chemistry
  5. Best GATE 2026 Preparation Books for Chemistry
GATE Exam Pattern for Chemistry 2026 (Out) - Check Marking Scheme, Preparation Books
GATE Exam Pattern for Chemistry

The weightage for core chemistry is 85% and General Aptitude is 15%. Go through the complete article to learn about the GATE exam pattern for Chemistry 2026.

GATE 2026 Exam Pattern For Chemistry- Highlights

Particulars

Details

Examination Mode

Computer Based Test (Online)

Duration

3 Hours

Sections

  • General Aptitude (GA)

  • Chemistry (CY)

Type of Questions




  • Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

  • Multiple Select Questions (MSQs)

  • Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions

Number of Questions



(Total 65 Questions)

10- General Aptitude

55- Chemistry

Section-wise Weightage

General Aptitude: 15 marks

Subject Questions: 85 marks

Total: 100 marks

Total Marks

100

Marking Scheme

1 or 2 marks questions

No partial marking for MSQ

Negative Marking

1/3 for 1 Mark MCQ Question

2/3 for 2 mark MCQ Question

No negative marking for MSQ & NAT

Related links:

GATE Chemistry Syllabus 2026

The GATE Chemistry syllabus PDF 2026 is available online. Candidates must check the GATE syllabus chemistry to know what the important topics are. Check the important points that candidates need to know about the GATE exam syllabus for Chemistry 2026 below.

GATE 2026 Chemistry Syllabus

Sections

Important Topics



General Aptitude

  • Verbal Aptitude

  • Quantitative Aptitude

  • Analytical Aptitude

  • Spatial Aptitude

Physical Chemistry

  • Structure

  • Group Theory

  • Spectroscopy

  • Equilibrium

  • Kinetics (Topic has been rearranged)

  • Surfaces and Interfaces

Inorganic Chemistry

  • Main Group Elements

  • Transition Elements

  • Lanthanides and Actinides

  • Organometallics

  • Radioactivity

  • Bioinorganic Chemistry

  • Solids

  • Instrumental Methods of Analysis

Organic Chemistry

  • Stereochemistry

  • Reaction Mechanisms

  • Organic Synthesis

  • Pericyclic Reactions and Photochemistry

  • Heterocyclic Compounds

  • Biomolecules

  • Experimental Techniques in Organic Chemistry

Also read: GATE Syllabus - Download Syllabus PDFs Here

GATE Chemistry Exam Pattern 2026 Marking Scheme

Subject Code/Name

No. of Questions

Marks Distribution

Marks percent weightage

Negative Marking

Total time

General Aptitude

10

5 x 1

5 x 2

15

1/3 for 1 mark Que in MCQ


2/3 for 2 marks ques in MCQ


No Negative marking in MSQ and NAT

No Negative Marking





Chemistry(CY)


55

(25 x 1)

(30 x 2)

85


Total

65


100


180 Minutes

GATE 2026 Negative Marking: Chemistry

Type of Question

Marks

Incorrect Answer

MCQ

1 or 2 Marks

⅓ for 1 mark questions

⅔ for 2 marks questions

MSQ/NAT

1 or 2 Marks

No Negative Marking

Related links:

Best GATE 2026 Preparation Books for Chemistry

Check the GATE Chemistry 2026 preparation books below

Book Name

Author

Concept Check in Organic Chemistry Tauheed Nadeem

Avinash More

Success Guide to Inorganic Chemistry

Tauheed Nadeem

3,000 Solved Problems In Chemistry (Schaum’s Outline Series)

David E Goldberg

Chapterwise GATE Chemistry Solved Papers (2014-2000)

Arihant Publications

Also Read: Download Free All subjects GATE Previous Year Papers

Download Previous Year GATE Chemistry Solved Papers PDF Free

Candidates looking for GATE Chemistry solved papers PDF can download them from careers360 for free. Practice previous years' mock test papers to understand the GATE 2026 exam pattern for chemistry so that you can score well on the final entrance test.

GATE Exam Pattern For Chemistry 2026 - Preparation Guide

  • Start your preparation for GATE as early as you can because the GATE syllabus 2026 is very vast and it will be very difficult to cover it before the examination. Students have to cover multiple sections and topics to prepare for exams.
  • Begin with understanding the GATE exam pattern for Chemistry 2026, this will give you an idea about the examination. Thoroughly understand the GATE 2026 Chemistry syllabus topics and units which have to be studied.
  • Mark the high-weightage topics on a different page, so that you can spend more time on those topics. You can check the previous GATE question papers to understand the question paper pattern.
  • Strategize your study schedule for the GATE 2026 for chemistry and divide your time specifying topics and units as per your preference.
  • Solve previous years' question papers for GATE Chemistry and practice as much as you can. Note down your mistakes and try to work on those problems.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How many questions will be there in GATE Chemistry exam 2026?
A:

There will be a total of 65 questions in Gate Chemistry including 55 questions from chemistry subject syllabus and 10 questions from General aptitude.

Q: What is GATE 2026 Chemistry Syllabus?
A:

There are 2 major sections in the GATE syllabus for Chemistry, including General Aptitude, and Chemistry.  The chemistry includes topics like Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Inorganic Chemistry.

Q: What is the paper pattern for GATE exam 2026 for Chemistry?
A:

There will be a total of 65 questions, which are divided into 2 sections. Section 1 includes 10 questions on general aptitude, Section 2 includes 55 questions on Chemistry.

Q: What is the negative marking percentage in GATE 2026 Chemistry exam?
A:

There will be a negative marking of 1/3  for 1 mark MCQ questions and 2/3 for 2 mark MCQ questions. No negative marking in MSQ and NAT questions.

Q: What is the eligibility criteria for GATE Chemistry 2026?
A:

The candidates who have completed any degree program in Engineering / Technology / Architecture / Science / Commerce / Arts or currently studying in the 3rd of any undergraduate degree program are eligible for GATE 2026 exam.

Q: What is the total time duration for GATE Chemistry 2026?
A:

The time duration will be 3 hours (180 minutes) for GATE Chemistry 2026. For physically disabled candidates, one extra hour will be given.

Q: What is the section-wise weightage of the GATE exam pattern for chemistry 2026?
A:

The total weightage for the core GATE Chemistry syllabus is 85%, and for General Aptitude is 15%.

Q: What are GATE Chemistry paper 1 and paper 2?
A:

GATE paper one covers general aptitude, and core subject (Chemistry) and for paper 2 candidates can choose one section from, CH (Chemical Engineering) and XL (Life Sciences).

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Questions related to GATE

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to GATE ?

Hello

https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-da-data-science-and-artificial-intelligence-question-papers

Just visit the link I am attaching below, so that it will help you to download and practice the papers, so that you can practice well and score well.

Hope it will help you!!!

Hello dear candidate,

You will not receive another rectification mail unless and until there is still an error in your reuploaded signature. if everything is okay your status will change to accepted on the GATE portal.

My advice is that you should keep checking your application status on the official website of GATE 2026.

Thank you.

Hello,

Visit the below website to download the previous 15 years question paper of GATE exam.

https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/last-15-years-gate-papers-solutions

You'll also get the solutions from it. These question papers will help you a lot in your preparation.

All the best.

This is likely a temporary portal or validation issue, not something you did wrong. When candidates try to change category from GEN to OBC-NCL during the GATE correction window, the system checks required fields and sometimes a supporting certificate or fee is needed. If any required data or document is missing, or the server is busy, the portal can show Something went wrong, please try again. Explain to them that first they should log into the GATE portal, open the Correction tab and confirm which fields are editable and whether a payment or document upload is required for category change. Tell them to clear browser cache or try a different browser/device and retry. If the error persists, advise contacting GATE support or the zonal office with a screenshot and timing of the error so officials can check server logs.

Hello,

The GATE 2026 Agricultural Engineering (AG) paper will have a total of 100 marks. Out of this, 15 marks are for General Aptitude and 85 marks are for core Agricultural Engineering subjects.

The marks are generally distributed among major topics like Engineering Mathematics (12–13 marks), Farm Machinery (10–11), Farm Power (14–15), Soil & Water Conservation (12–13), Irrigation & Drainage (10–12), Agricultural Process Engineering (10–12), and Dairy & Food Engineering (9–10 marks).

The official qualifying marks for GATE 2026 are not yet released. However, based on previous years, the cutoff for the Agricultural Engineering paper is expected to be around 25 marks for General, 22.5 for OBC/EWS, and 16.6 for SC/ST/PwD candidates.

Hope it helps !