It is important for the candidates to know the GATE exam pattern in order to prepare better for the exam. GATE exam will be conducted online and will be consisting of MCQ and numerical types of Questions. As the GATE exam is conducted by IISc and seven different IITs on the rational basis, there may be some minor changes in the syllabus of the exam but the exam pattern generally remains the same.
In this article, we will provide exam pattern for GATE exam for all the aspiring candidates.
Table of Contents
Papers in GATE Exam
The exam will be conducted for 29 subjects (papers) as follows.
| GATE Paper | Code | GATE Paper | Code |
| Aerospace Engineering | AE | Instrumentation Engineering | IN |
| Agricultural Engineering | AG | Mathematics | MA |
| Architecture and Planning (New Pattern) | AR | Mechanical Engineering | ME |
| Biomedical Engineering | BM | Mining Engineering | MN |
| Biotechnology | BT | Metallurgical Engineering | MT |
| Civil Engineering | CE | Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (New Paper) | NM |
| Chemical Engineering | CH | Petroleum Engineering | PE |
| Computer Science and Information Technology | CS | Physics | PH |
| Chemistry | CY | Production and Industrial Engineering | PI |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering | EC | Statistics | ST |
| Electrical Engineering | EE | Textile Engineering and Fibre Science | TF |
| Environmental Science & Engineering | ES | Engineering Sciences | XE |
| Ecology and Evolution | EY | Humanities & Social Sciences | XH |
| Geomatics Engineering (New Paper) | GE | Life Sciences | XL |
| Geology and Geophysics | GG |
Type of Question
Two types of questions will be asked in the GATE exam i.e. objective type MCQ and Numerical Answer Types.
Multiple Choice Questions
- These types of Questions will be carrying 1 or 2 marks each in all the papers.
- There will be four options given and the candidates have to select the correct one.
Numerical Answer Type
- Numerical Answer type (NAT) questions will also carry 1 or 2 marks each in all the papers
- No options will be provided in such questions
- The answer will always be a signed real number. The authorities will consider the answer correct even if the candidates’ answer deviates from the exact answer up to a limit. Candidates are advised to answer up to three decimal places for NAT Questions.
Marking Scheme
- In all the paper there will be 65 Question asked carrying 100 marks. 10 questions out of total 65 questions carrying 15 marks will be asked from General Aptitude (GA) in order to determine candidates Aptitude and Language skill.
For paper codes AE, AG, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, IN, ME, MN, MT, PE, PI, TF and XF the distribution of marks will be as follows
| Subject | Percentage of Total Marks |
| Engineering Mathematics | 15% |
| General Aptitude | 15 % |
| Main Subject of the Paper | 70 % |
For paper codes AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH and XL, the distribution of marks is given in the table below
| Subject | Percentage of Total Marks |
| General Aptitude | 15% |
| Main Subject of the Paper | 85 % |
Negative Marking
For MCQs
- There will be a negative marking of 1/3 marks in the questions carrying 1 marks.
- 2/3 marks will be deducted for the question carrying 2 marks in case of a wrong answer.
For NAT
There will be no negative marking for NAT questions.
Exam Pattern for GG (Geology and Geophysics)
The exam pattern of GG will be a little different from rest of the papers as given below
- The exam will be divided into two parts i.e. Part A and Part B.
- Part A will be compulsory for all the candidates.
- Part B will be further divided into two sections i.e. section 1 and section 2 for geology and geophysics. The candidate will be required to attempt any one.
| Part A (Compulsory for all candidates) | ||
| No. of Questions | Marks per question | Total |
| 25 | 1 marks each | 25 Marks |
| Part B (Attempt only section A or B) | ||
| No. of Questions | Marks per question | Total |
| 30 (For both section A or B) | 2 marks each | 60 Marks |
Note: Apart from part A and part B the candidates will have to attempt 10 GA questions as well which are common for all the papers
Exam Pattern for XE Paper (Engineering Science) and XL (Life Science)
Similarly to GG, the exam pattern for XE and XL paper will also be different from rest of the papers
For XE (Engineering Science)
| Section A- Engineering Mathematics (Compulsory for all candidates) | ||
| No. of Questions | Marks per question | Total |
| 11 | 7 one marks questions and 4 two marks Question | 15 Marks |
| Section B to H (Attempt only two sections) | ||
| No. of Questions | Marks per question | Total |
| 22 Question for each section = 44 Question | 18 one mark Questions and 26 two mark questions | 70 Marks |
For XL (Life Science)
| Section P – Chemistry (Compulsory for all candidates) | ||
| No. of Questions | Marks per question | Total |
| 15 | 5 one marks questions and 10 two marks Question | 25 Marks |
| Section Q to U (Attempt only two sections) | ||
| No. of Questions | Marks per question | Total |
| 20 Question for each section = 40 Question | 20 one mark Questions and 20 two mark questions | 60 Marks |
GATE Exam Important Points
- A virtual scientific calculator will be provided to candidates on their computer screen.
- Use of Personal Calculators, mobile phones and other electronic gadgets will not be permitted
- Candidate will not be allowed to bring any type of table, chart or paper into the exam hall.
- Scribble pads will be given to all the candidates for the rough works. The scribble pads will be returned to the invigilators after the exam.
- No applicant will be allowed to leave before as long as the duration of the exam ends
This is very useful for aspirants.