GATE Mechanical Subject Wise Weightage 2026 - Important Topics and Chapters

GATE Mechanical Subject Wise Weightage 2026 - Important Topics and Chapters

Team Careers360Updated on 12 Aug 2025, 12:18 PM IST

GATE Mechanical Subject Wise Weightage 2026 : Learning the weightage of subjects in GATE ME 2026 is crucial for efficient preparation and smart study planning. By analyzing the marks distribution from previous years, aspirants can focus more on high-weightage subjects, ensuring that their time and resources are invested where they can achieve the most significant score improvements. Concentrating on high-priority topics also improves time management during the exam, allowing candidates to attempt maximum questions accurately.

GATE Mechanical Subject Wise Weightage 2026 - Important Topics and Chapters
GATE Mechanical Subject Wise Weightage 2026 - Important Topics and Chapters

The GATE 2026 exam is going to be held on February 7,8, 14, and 15, 2026, with the official dates and admit card release schedule to be announced by the IIT Guwahati. Preparing with a clear understanding of subject-wise weightage not only boosts scoring potential but also enhances confidence and performance on exam day.

GATE Mechanical Engineering Subject Wise Weightage- Previous Year

Knowing the subject-wise weightage of GATE ME from previous years plays a vital role in shaping an effective preparation plan. Since our focus here is on GATE ME, we have compiled a weightage table for the 2026 exam, based on an in-depth analysis of past trends. This reference will help you identify the most important subjects and plan your study approach strategically. Check the detailed breakdown below:

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Chapter Name

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

Total of 5 year

Weightage

Applied Mechanics and Design

10

15

20

16

14

75

23.81%

Aptitude

10

10

10

10

10

50

15.87%

Engineering Mathematics

43

9

10

8

17

87

27.62%

Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences

2

15

15

15

9

56

17.78%

Materials, Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering

16

10

16

5

47

14.92%


Detailed distribution of weightage is given below. You can check it:

1754980961368

GATE Mechanical Engineering 2026 Subject Wise Weightage

To excel in GATE ME 2026, it’s essential to have a solid grasp of the subject-wise weightage from the 2025 exam. This insight helps you identify and rank topics based on their impact in the paper. Although the syllabus does not change much each year, the marks allocation for different subjects can vary slightly. By reviewing past trends, aspirants can direct more effort toward high-scoring topics.

Chapter Name

Number of Questions Asked

Applied Mechanics and Design

15

Aptitude

10

Engineering Mathematics

9

Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences

15

Materials, Manufacturing, and Industrial Engineering

16

Grand Total

65


Also Read :How to Prepare for Mechanical Engineering

1754980961237

Which Topic Has the Highest Weightage in GATE Mechanical Engineering?

An analysis of the past five years shows that the GATE ME paper, accounting Applied Mechanics and Design with 23.81%, followed by Fluid Mechanics & Thermal Sciences at 17.78%. Combined, these three areas form the majority of the exam, making them critical for scoring high. General Aptitude holds a steady 15.87%, offering a consistent scoring advantage, while Materials, Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering contributes 14.92%. Prioritizing these subjects during preparation can greatly enhance accuracy, speed, and overall exam performance.

Key benefits of GATE Mechanical Engineering Weightage

1. Efficient Study Planning
Weightage data helps you decide where to invest most of your preparation time. For example, focusing more on Engineering Mathematics, Applied Mechanics, and Fluid Mechanics ensures better returns on your study hours.

2. Smart Revision Scheduling
By knowing which subjects carry the most marks, you can design a revision plan that revisits high-weightage topics multiple times while still covering lower-weightage ones for complete preparation.

3. Maximizing Score Potential
Subjects like Engineering Mathematics and General Aptitude are relatively straightforward but contribute significantly to marks. Prioritizing them can give you a quick score boost.

4. Identifying Consistent Scoring Areas
Analyzing past papers shows which subjects maintain steady weightage over the years, allowing you to focus on areas that are almost certain to appear prominently in the exam.

5. Reducing Exam Pressure
When you know exactly which topics are worth the most marks, you can prepare with a clear roadmap. This reduces uncertainty, builds confidence, and improves accuracy on exam day.

Also Read : How to Prepare for GATE

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is there any age limit for GATE 2026?
A:

No, GATE has no age limit, so anyone meeting the educational criteria can apply.

Q: Which subject has the highest weightage for 2026?
A:

Applied Mechanics and Design has the highest weightage with 23.81%.

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

Candidates in the 3rd year or above of an undergraduate degree in engineering, technology, science, architecture, or humanities, as well as graduates, are eligible.

Q: Is the subject wise weightage consistent every year?
A:

It may vary slightly, but subjects like Manufacturing and Mathematics consistently have high weightage.

Q: How should I prioritize subjects?
A:

Focus on high-weightage subjects like Manufacturing, Thermal, and Mathematics, then move to lower-weightage topics like Industrial Engineering.

Q: How important is General Aptitude?
A:

It contributes 15% of the total marks with 10 questions and can significantly boost your score with regular practice.

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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 !