GATE Life Sciences Question Papers 2026: IIT Guwahati will release the GATE 2026 life sciences question papers on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. Candidates can check the GATE life sciences question papers 2026 on this page once it is released. The Chemistry Section (Section P) consists of 15 questions, with 5 one-mark questions and 10 two-mark questions, totaling 25 marks. Sections Q to U include 20 questions, with 10 one-mark questions and 10 two-mark questions, totaling 30 marks. The authority will conduct the GATE entrance exam as computer based test. In this articles, candidates can refer to the previous year question paper for GATE life sciences. The GATE 2026 exam will be held on February 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2026.
For admissions into NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs, candidates need to register through the CCMT counselling process. Seat allotment is done based on GATE score, preferences, and availability of seats across institutes.
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The authority will release the GATE life science 2026 question paper on the official website. Candidates can check the previous year's question paper for GATE 2026 in the table below.
In the given table, candidates can download the GATE previous year question papers for Life Sciences engineering.
GATE XL question paper link |
| GATE 2025 Life Sciences Question Paper |
To have a better understanding of the exam candidates are advised to know the weightage of the GATE 2026 question paper. The candidates can check the weightage of GATE XL question paper 2026 in the given table:
Section | Type of Questions | Number of Questions | Sub-Total (Marks) |
Chemistry Section or Section P (Compulsory) | 1 mark questions | 5 | 5 |
2 mark questions | 10 | 20 | |
Sections Q to U | 1 mark questions | 10 | 10 |
2 mark questions | 10 | 20 |
Candidates preparing for the GATE Life Sciences must be familiar with the exam pattern. The authority will release the GATE exam pattern online. GATE Life Science question paper consists of three sections: General Aptitude, Chemistry, and Core Discipline. The question paper of GATE Life Sciences includes 65 questions, with a weightage of 100 marks. Candidates should prepare every topic mentioned in the syllabus carefully to score good marks.
Particulars | Details |
GATE Exam Mode | Computer Based Test (CBT)/ Online |
GATE exam duration | 3 Hours |
GATE Life Sciences paper Sections | General Aptitude (GA) + Chemistry + Life Sciences (Core Subject) |
GATE XL Number of Questions | 10 (GA) + 15(Chemistry)+ 40 (Life Sciences)=65 Questions |
Distribution of Marks in Life Sciences paper | General Aptitude: 15 Marks + Chemistry: 25 Marks + Subject Questions: 60 Marks = Total: 100 Marks |
The authority conducts the GATE Life Sciences for 100 marks. The GATE XL question paper will be divided into three sections: General Aptitude (GA), Chemistry (mandatory), and any two optional sections. The Chemistry section is mandatory and carries a weightage of 25 marks. The optional sections carry a weightage of 30 marks each. GATE Life Sciences marking schemes will be based on Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and Multiple Select Questions (MSQs). Check the below table to understand the GATE XL marking scheme.
GATE Paper Code | General Aptitude (GA) Marks | Subject Marks | Total Marks | Total Time (Minutes) |
XL (Section P + Any TWO Sections) | 15 | 25 + (2 x 30) | 100 | 180 |
From the given set of available options candidates appearing for the upcoming exam can opt for any combination of GATE Life Sciences question paper.
Code of the First (Primary) Paper | Codes of Papers Allowed as The Second Paper |
XL | BT, CY, EY |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Candidates can check the previous year for GATE question papers on the official website.
The GATE Life Sciences exam consists of three sections: General Aptitude, Section P (Chemistry), and Section Q-U (any two of these). There will be two types of questions including Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions, and the total number of questions is 65.
Yes, candidates can appear for 2 GATE papers. However, the choice of GATE papers can be made only based on the GATE Paper Combination released by the authorities.
On Question asked by student community
Yes, you can get a seat in VLSI. However, different colleges have different cut-off scores. Check the respective college GATE cut off before applying.
Every PSU has different cut-off marks and eligibility. Hence, it is suggested to apply for PSU after checking the eligibility. Also, they do not reveal the marks of the finally selected candidates. So, wait for the final merit list.
If you are getting confused, you can explore more courses after 12th for the science stream . Based on your interest, you can pursue B.Tech in CSE and later specialise in cybersecurity. After your graduation, you can appear in GATE to pursue higher studies in some of the top institutes
Yes. You can. GATE eligibility specifies that students in their 3rd year and above can appear for the exam. Since the results are valid for 3 years, you can use the same for your admissions.
If you score 500 marks in GATE2026, your chances of getting into good engineering colleges (especially NITs, IIITs and some older IITs) are strong for most disciplines, while top branches like CSE/EEE/ECE at older IITs may still require higher ranks. Your GATE AllIndia Rank (AIR) with 500 marks usually falls
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