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GATE 2026 Humanities & Social Sciences Exam Pattern: IIT Guwahati has published the GATE 2026 Humanities & Social Sciences exam pattern on the official website. Candidates can check the GATE 2026 Humanities & Social Sciences exam pattern on this page. The exam pattern consists of three sections in the GATE exam. These sections include General Aptitude, a compulsory paper, Reasoning and Comprehension (B1) and a third section in which candidates can choose from five optional subjects. The GATE 2026 exam will be conducted on February 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2026.
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The GATE Exam Pattern for each subject, including GATE XH (Humanities and Social Sciences) will be available online. The GATE XH question paper will be structured according to the GATE 2026 XH syllabus. It is crucial for aspirants to familiarize themselves with the GATE XH exam pattern to effectively begin their exam preparation.
IIT Guwahati released the exam pattern of GATE Humanities & Social Sciences 2026 on the official website. Candidates willing to appear for the exam are advised to check the GATE Humanities & Social Sciences 2026 exam pattern so that they are aware of the paper pattern in advance and hence can perform well in the examination.
Particulars | Details |
Mode of Examination | Computer Based Test |
Sections | There will be three sections- Section 1- General Aptitude Section 2- Reasoning and Comprehension (B1) (Compulsory) Section 3- 1 Optional from:
|
Duration of Exam | 3 hours |
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 Reasoning and Comprehension (B1)+ Any 1 optional subject -25 questions of 1 mark each -30 questions of 2 marks each |
Total Marks | 100 marks |
Marking Scheme | For a wrong answer chosen in MCQs, there will be negative marking as follows: For 1-mark MCQ, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. For the 2-mark MCQ, the 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. There will be no negative marking for MSQs & NATs. |
Before appearing for the exam, candidates must check the marking scheme of GATE Humanities & Social Sciences 2026 to avoid any sort of confusion during the exam. The GATE 2026 Humanities & Social Sciences exam pattern will consist of the marking scheme for all the papers. Knowing the detailed GATE Humanities & Social Sciences marking scheme 2026 helps candidates to analyse how many questions should be attempted, in how many questions should one take risk so that they do not miss the cutoff of GATE 2026.
Subject | Total No. of Questions | Marks Allotted |
General Aptitude | 10 | 15 |
Reasoning and Comprehension (B1)
| 55 | 85 (25 + 60) |
Total | 65 | 100 |
The syllabus consists of given sections
Optional Subjects | Paper code |
Economics | C1 |
English | C2 |
Linguistics | C3 |
Philosophy | C4 |
Psychology | C5 |
Sociology | C6 |
Candidates who wish to appear for the GATE Humanities & Social Sciences 2026 are advised to check the syllabus of GATE 2026. The GATE syllabus 2026 and exam pattern is available on the official website of GATE.
Candidates can check the books listed below to prepare for the exam. Candidates should not follow the market trend instead they must buy the books that suit their needs at the moment.
Book Title | Author Name |
Logical Reasoning Theory Book 2022 for GATE, ESE, MAT, SSC, BANK(PO), NDA, CDS, and other Competitive Exams | ICE GATE Institute. |
Aptitude & Reasoning for GATE and ESE 2022 (Prelims) – Theory, Practices Questions and Previous Year Solved Papers | OnlineVerdan and Hemant Jain |
GATE-2023 General Aptitude | ACE Engineering Publications |
Microeconomics | Eighth Edition | Robert Pindyck and Daniel Rubinfeld. |
Macroeconomics | H. L. Ahuja. |
Classical Indian Philosophy: A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps | Peter Adamson and Jonardon Ganeri |
Cognitive Psychology: In and Out of the Laboratory. | Kathleen M Galotti |
Advanced Engineering Mathematics | RK Jain, SRK Iyengar |
Literary Theory: Introduction Pearson: From Structuralism to Ecocriticism | Nayar |
The Phonetics and Phonology of Contrast: The Case of the Romanian Vowel System (Phonology and Phonetics [PP] Book 19) | Margaret E. L. Renwick. |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The authority will conduct the GATE 2026 exam in online mode on February 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2026.
GATE 2026 question paper will consist of three sections -
General Aptitude
Reasoning and Comprehension (B1)
5 optional subjects
The total time duration of GATE Humanities & Social Sciences 2026 will be for 3 hours.
Candidates can check syllabus for GATE Humanities & Social Science 2026 on the official website.
The syllabus consists of given sections:
General Aptitude (GA)
Reasoning and Comprehension (B1)
1 optional subject from C1 - C6:
Economics (C1)
English (C2)
Linguistics (C3)
Philosophy (C4)
Psychology (C5)
Sociology (C6)
On Question asked by student community
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 !
Hello! If you are preparing for GATE, there are plenty of free resources available online that can boost your preparation. You can easily access e-books, handwritten notes, subject wise PYQs, and test series shared by toppers on different platforms. Along with that, free PDFs and study material are available through various websites and Telegram channels. To make it easier, I will be attaching the link where you can find preparation tips, a study timetable, free study materials, and previous year question papers all in one place.
https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-preparation-timetable
https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/how-to-prepare-for-gate
https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-preparation-material
https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-mock-test
https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-question-papers
Hello, with an AIR of 25070 and a score of 499 in NEET PG 2025 under the General category, getting a government seat in West Bengal for highly demanded branches like General Surgery or Orthopedics may be difficult, as these usually close at much higher ranks. However, you still stand a chance for other clinical or para-clinical branches through the state quota counselling. I suggest using the NEET PG college predictor link I’m sharing here, which will give you a clearer idea of the colleges and branches you may get based on your rank and category.
NEET PG College Predictor-
https://medicine.careers360.com/neet-pg-college-predictor
Hello,
You can download GATE Previous Year Question Papers either from the official website of GATE 2026, or from Careers360. Here are the links for both :
Official Website : Download GATE Previous Papers (https://gate2025.iitr.ac.in/download.html)
Careers360 : GATE Question Papers with Solutions
Hope it helps !
To take GATE mock tests, first choose a reliable source like GATE official portal, NPTEL, Made Easy, or ACE Engineering. Sign up or register online to access the full-length tests. Simulate the actual 3-hour exam with proper timing and no distractions. Attempt complete tests to practice time management and exam strategy. After each test, analyze your performance to identify weak areas and revise. Regularly taking 1–2 mocks per week helps improve speed, accuracy, and confidence.
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