The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has published the syllabus for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2026.
The exam will be held on February 7, 8, 14, and 15, 2026. Registration portal will open this month, on August 25, through the official website: gate2026.iitg.ac.in.
GATE 2026 scores will be used for admission to MTech, MS, and PhD programmes in IITs, National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs). Several Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) will also consider GATE results for recruitment.
What’s new?
30 test papers will be offered this year, including both full and sectional papers.
A new “Energy Science” section has been added to the Engineering Sciences (XE) paper.
Candidates can appear for one or two papers from approved combinations (details to be announced on the official site).
The exam will be conducted only in English.
Exam pattern
The exam will be conducted for a total of 100 marks, comprising 15 marks for General Aptitude (GA), which is common to all papers, and 85 marks for subject-specific questions.
For the XE paper, Engineering Mathematics (15 marks) is mandatory, along with two optional sections carrying 35 marks each.
In the XH paper, Reasoning and Comprehension (25 marks) is compulsory, accompanied by one optional section worth 60 marks.
For the XL paper, Chemistry (25 marks) is mandatory, along with two optional sections of 30 marks each.
Application guidelines
Submit only one application form; for a second paper, add it to the same form.
Multiple applications will result in cancellation of all but one, with no fee refund.
Keep your paper codes handy for both registration and the exam.