Eligibility

Candidates who have completed, or are in the third year or above of, a government-approved undergraduate degree in engineering, technology, architecture, science, commerce, arts or humanities are eligible. There is no age limit and no cap on the number of attempts. A candidate may appear in one paper or an approved two-paper combination, and the score remains valid for three years.

Age limit: No age limit

Exam pattern

Computer-based test of 3 hours, held across 30 subject papers; GATE 2027 introduces a new Robotics and Automation (RA) paper, converts Textile Engineering and Fibre Science into a section of the Engineering Sciences paper, and uses a syllabus revised after five years, with all papers offered in English only. Every paper has 65 questions for 100 marks: General Aptitude for 15 marks plus the chosen subject for 85 marks. Question types are Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), Multiple Select Questions (MSQ) and Numerical Answer Type (NAT), with an on-screen virtual calculator. Wrong MCQs attract negative marking of one-third mark (1-mark) or two-thirds mark (2-mark); MSQ and NAT carry no negative marking. Candidates may take two papers from the approved combination list, and the exam is spread over multiple days in forenoon and afternoon sessions.

Syllabus at a glance

Each paper covers the full undergraduate core of its discipline — for example Computer Science spans algorithms, operating systems, DBMS, computer networks and theory of computation, while Mechanical spans thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, manufacturing and machine design. Engineering Mathematics is a substantial common component in most engineering papers. The General Aptitude section (verbal, quantitative, analytical and spatial reasoning) is common to all 30 papers. Syllabi were revised for GATE 2027; detailed paper-wise syllabi are published on the official website.

Upcoming dates

Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.

Free prep material

Standard books

• Higher Engineering Mathematics — B.S. Grewal
• Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations — R.S. Aggarwal (General Aptitude)
• GATE Previous Years' Solved Papers (branch-wise) — Made Easy Publications
• A Handbook series for quick formula revision (branch-wise) — Made Easy Publications
• Signals and Systems — Oppenheim & Willsky (EE/ECE core reference)
• Operating System Concepts — Silberschatz, Galvin & Gagne (CS core reference)

How toppers play it

• Treat the 15-mark General Aptitude section as guaranteed marks — an hour a week of practice takes most candidates to 13-plus, which routinely decides admission cutoffs.
• Respect the marking scheme: attempt every MSQ and NAT since they carry no negative marks, but skip MCQs where you cannot eliminate at least two options (one-third to two-thirds mark penalty).
• Practise exclusively on the official mock interface so the on-screen virtual calculator becomes second nature — slow calculator handling costs NAT questions.
• Solve at least 10–15 years of previous papers for your branch, but cross-check topics against the revised GATE 2027 syllabus; Engineering Mathematics plus core subjects give the best marks-per-hour return.
• If targeting PSUs as well as M.Tech, remember scores are valid three years and PSU cutoffs are typically higher than admission cutoffs — plan attempts accordingly, including a possible two-paper combination.