📋 EXAM GUIDE • 2027 • IIT Madras

GATE 2027 – Notification, 30 Test Papers, Eligibility, Pattern, Syllabus & Apply Online

Last updated: 16 Sept 2026, 07:08 am WhatsApp Telegram
Latest update on GATE 2027 :

GATE 2027 is the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering — a national-level examination conducted jointly by IISc Bangalore and the seven IITs on behalf of the National Coordination Board, Ministry of Education, Government of India. GATE 2027 covers 30 test papers with a 3-year score validity, and is used for M.Tech/PhD admission in MoE-supported institutions and recruitment by several Public Sector Undertakings.

Important Dates
  • GOAPS Registration Opens: 14 August 2026
  • Regular Registration Closes: 21 September 2026
  • Extended Registration Closes (with late fee): 30 September 2026
  • Application Rectification: 14 – 21 October 2026
  • City Allotment Notification: 4 January 2027
  • Admit Card Download: TBA
  • GATE 2027 Examinations: 6 – 7, 13 – 14, 20 – 21 February 2027
  • Result: 19 March 2027
Application Fee
Category Regular — One Paper Regular — Two Papers Extended — One Paper Extended — Two Papers
Female / SC / ST / PwD ₹1,000 ₹2,000 ₹1,500 ₹2,500
All other candidates + Foreign nationals ₹2,000 ₹4,000 ₹2,500 ₹4,500

Payment is online only (Net Banking / Credit Card / Debit Card / UPI / Wallet). Fee once paid is non-refundable.

Age Limit : No Restriction
  • GATE 2027 has no age limit.
  • Any candidate meeting the educational-qualification criteria can appear, regardless of age.
Total Posts
30 Test Papers

GATE 2027 Notification

The GATE 2027 notification has been released. The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is a national-level examination conducted jointly by IISc Bangalore and the seven IITs on behalf of the National Coordination Board (NCB), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India.

GATE 2027 will be conducted across 30 test papers. A valid GATE score can be used for admission to M.Tech and PhD programs in MoE-supported institutions, and several Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) also use GATE scores for recruitment. The score is valid for 3 years.

Registration for GATE 2027 through DigiLocker is mandatory for all Indian nationals. All necessary application data (name, date of birth, mobile number, email, photo, address, verified ID) will be fetched from DigiLocker. Candidates must create or update their verified DigiLocker account before applying.

Candidates can apply online only at gate2027.iisc.ac.in (GOAPS portal). A candidate may appear in one or up to two test papers (from the allowed two-paper combinations) with a single application.

GATE 2027 Test Papers

GATE 2027 is conducted for 30 test papers. A candidate may appear in one or up to two test papers from the allowed combinations (see Two-Paper Combinations below).

Code Test Paper
AE Aerospace Engineering
AG Agricultural Engineering
AR Architecture and Planning
BM Biomedical Engineering
BT Biotechnology
CE Civil Engineering
CH Chemical Engineering
CS Computer Science & Information Technology
CY Chemistry
DA Data Science & Artificial Intelligence
EC Electronics & Communication Engineering
EE Electrical Engineering
ES Environmental Science & Engineering
EY Ecology and Evolution
GE Geomatics Engineering
GG Geology & Geophysics
IN Instrumentation Engineering
MA Mathematics
ME Mechanical Engineering
MN Mining Engineering
MT Metallurgical Engineering
NM Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering
PE Petroleum Engineering
PH Physics
PI Production & Industrial Engineering
RA Robotics & Automation
ST Statistics
XE Engineering Sciences
XH Humanities & Social Sciences
XL Life Sciences

All test papers are in English only. Each paper carries 100 marks and the duration is 3 hours.

GATE 2027 Eligibility Criteria

Candidates who are currently in the 3rd or higher year of any undergraduate degree program or who have completed any government-approved degree program in Engineering / Technology / Architecture / Science / Commerce / Arts / Humanities are eligible to appear for GATE 2027.

Candidates pursuing any higher degree or in possession of a degree higher than that mentioned in the table below will also be allowed to appear. Candidates with B.Sc. / B.A. / B.Com. degrees (3-year program) desirous of seeking admission to Master's programs in IITs and IISc are also eligible.

Degree / Program Qualifying Degree / Examination Description of Eligible Candidates
B.E. / B.Tech. / B.Pharm. Bachelor's degree in Engineering / Technology (4 years after 10+2 or 3 years after B.Sc. / Diploma) Currently in 3rd year or higher, or already completed
B.Arch. Bachelor's degree of Architecture (5-year) / Naval Architecture (4-year) / Planning (4-year) Currently in 3rd year or higher, or already completed
B.Sc. (Research) / B.S. Bachelor's degree in Science (Post-Diploma / 4 years after 10+2) Currently in 3rd year or higher, or already completed
Pharm.D. Professional Pharmacy doctoral program (6 years after 10+2 including 1 year internship) Currently in 3rd/4th/5th/6th year, or already completed
M.B.B.S. / B.D.S. / B.V.Sc. / B.S.M.S / B.A.M.S / B.U.M.S / B.H.M.S / B.N.Y.S Professional Medical degree programs 5th/6th/7th or higher semester, or already completed
M.Sc. / M.A. / MCA or equivalent Master's degree in any branch of Arts / Science / Mathematics / Statistics / Computer Applications Currently in 1st year or higher, or already completed
Int. M.E. / M.Tech. (Post-B.Sc.) Post-B.Sc. Integrated Master's in Engineering / Technology (4-year) Currently in 1st/2nd/3rd/4th year, or already completed
Int. M.E. / M.Tech. / M.Pharm. or Dual Degree Integrated Master's or Dual Degree in Engineering / Technology (5-year, after Diploma or 10+2) Currently in 3rd/4th/5th year, or already completed
B.Sc. / B.A. / B.Com. / BCA or equivalent Bachelor's degree in any branch of Science / Arts / Commerce (3-year program) Currently in 3rd year, or already completed
Int. M.Sc. / Int. B.S. / M.S. Integrated M.Sc. or 5-year integrated B.S. - M.S. program Currently in 3rd year or higher, or already completed
Professional Society Examinations B.E. / B.Tech. / B.Arch. equivalent exams of Professional Societies recognized by MoE/UPSC/AICTE (e.g. AMIE, AMICE) Completed Section A or equivalent
B.Sc. (Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry) 4-year program Currently in 3rd/4th year, or already completed

Foreign candidates: Must have completed a Bachelor's degree of at least 3 years duration in Engineering / Technology / Architecture / Science / Commerce / Arts / Humanities, or be currently in the 3rd or higher year of such a program.

GATE 2027 Exam Pattern

The GATE 2027 exam pattern is a Computer Based Test (CBT) conducted in English only.

Particulars Details
Mode Computer Based Test (CBT)
Language English
Duration 3 hours
Total Papers 30 test papers
Sections General Aptitude (GA) + Candidate's Selected Subject(s)
Question Types MCQ, MSQ, NAT
Total Questions 10 (GA) + 55 (Subject) = 65 questions
Total Marks 100 marks

Marks Distribution

Papers with Engineering Mathematics: GA 15 marks + Engineering Mathematics 13 marks + Subject 72 marks = 100 marks.

Papers without Engineering Mathematics (CY, DA, EY, MA, PH, ST, AR, GE, GG, RA, XH, XL): GA 15 marks + Subject 85 marks = 100 marks.

XE: GA 15 + Engineering Mathematics (XE0) 15 + any two optional sections (2 × 35) = 100 marks.

XH: GA 15 + Reasoning & Comprehension (XH0) 25 + any one optional section (60) = 100 marks.

XL: GA 15 + Chemistry (XL0) 25 + any two optional sections (2 × 30) = 100 marks.

Negative Marking

  • MCQ: 1-mark question — ⅓ mark deducted for wrong answer. 2-mark question — ⅔ mark deducted.
  • MSQ: No negative marking. No partial marking.
  • NAT: No negative marking.

Two-Paper Combinations

A candidate may appear in one or up to two test papers. The secondary paper must be chosen from the allowed combinations given below. The examination centre for the secondary paper may be different (but in the same city).

Primary Paper Allowed Secondary Papers
AE CE, ME, XE
AG CE
AR CE, GE
BM BT, IN
BT BM, ES, EY, XL
CE AE, AG, AR, ES, GE, NM, XE
CH ES, PE, XE
CS DA, EC, GE, MA, ME, PH, RA, ST
CY XE, XL
DA CS, EC, EE, MA, ME, PH, RA, ST, XE
EC CS, DA, EE, IN, PH, RA
EE DA, EC, IN, PH, RA
ES BT, CE, CH, GE
EY BT, XL
GE AR, CE, CS, ES, GG
GG GE
IN BM, EC, EE, ME, RA
MA CS, DA, PH, ST
ME AE, CS, DA, IN, NM, PI, RA, XE
MN —
MT XE
NM CE, ME, XE
PE CH
PH CS, DA, EC, EE, MA, XE
PI ME, XE
RA CS, DA, EC, EE, IN, ME
ST CS, DA, MA, XH
XE AE, CE, CH, CY, DA, ME, MT, NM, PH, PI
XH ST
XL BT, CY, EY

GATE 2027 Syllabus

The syllabi for the GATE 2027 test papers have been revised. Candidates are advised to check the updated syllabi on gate2027.iisc.ac.in.

Each test paper has its own syllabus. Click the paper name on the official site to download the detailed syllabus PDF.

XE Paper Sections

XE0 (Engineering Mathematics) is common — 15 marks. Candidates select any two optional sections (2 × 35 = 70 marks) from: Fluid Mechanics, Materials Science, Solid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Polymer Science & Engineering, Food Technology, Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences, Energy Science, Textile Engineering & Fibre Science.

XH Paper Sections

XH0 (Reasoning & Comprehension) is common — 25 marks. Candidates select any one optional section (60 marks) from: Economics, English, Linguistics, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology.

XL Paper Sections

XL0 (Chemistry) is common — 25 marks. Candidates select any two optional sections (2 × 30 = 60 marks) from: Biochemistry, Botany, Microbiology, Zoology, Food Technology.

All GATE 2027 papers are in English only.

GATE 2027 Selection Process

The GATE 2027 selection process involves a single written examination — there is no interview or group discussion for GATE itself.

Stage Process
1 GATE 2027 CBT Examination (6–7, 13–14, 20–21 February 2027)
2 Result declaration (19 March 2027) and GATE Scorecard issuance

The GATE score is valid for 3 years from the date of result. Institutions and PSUs use this score independently for their own admission / recruitment processes.

GATE 2027 Score Usage

A valid GATE score is used for admission to postgraduate and doctoral programs, and by several Public Sector Undertakings for recruitment.

Admission

GATE score can be used for seeking admission to:

  • Master's programs and direct Doctoral programs in Engineering / Technology / Architecture / Science / Humanities.
  • Doctoral programs in relevant branches, in institutions supported by the MoE and other Government agencies.

PSU Recruitment

Several Public Sector Undertakings use GATE scores in their recruitment process. PSUs known to use GATE scores include:

PSU Full Name
AAI Airports Authority of India
BHEL Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
BSNL Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
CIL Coal India Limited
CRIS Centre for Railway Information Systems
CVPPL Chenab Valley Power Projects Limited
DVC Damodar Valley Corporation
ECIL Electronics Corporation of India Limited
EIL Engineers India Limited
GAIL Gas Authority of India Limited
HAL Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
IOCL Indian Oil Corporation Limited
MDSL Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited
NALCO National Aluminium Company Limited
NHAI National Highways Authority of India
NLCIL NLC India Limited
NMDC National Mineral Development Corporation
NPCIL Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited
NTPC National Thermal Power Corporation
OPGC Odisha Power Generation Corporation Limited
ONGC Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
POWERGRID Power Grid Corporation of India Limited
GRID-INDIA Grid Controller of India Limited
RINL Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited
SAIL Steel Authority of India Limited

Note: This list is indicative, not exhaustive. GATE scores may also be shared with other institutions and bodies for admission and recruitment purposes.

GATE 2027 Financial Assistance

Qualifying with a valid GATE score can make candidates eligible for financial assistance (stipend / fellowship) during their postgraduate programs at MoE-supported institutions.

Program Monthly Assistance Duration
M.Tech / Direct PhD ₹12,400 per month Generally up to 22 months
PhD (after B.E./B.Tech/M.Sc) ₹37,000 per month (1st & 2nd year) 2 years
PhD (from 3rd year onward) ₹42,000 per month 3rd to 5th year

Reference: Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure Circular No. 33(14)PFC-II/2018 dated 21 June 2023. Check PG Scholarship (GATE/GPAT) portal for latest details.

GATE 2027 Admit Card

The GATE 2027 admit card has not been released yet. It will be available for download on the GOAPS portal (gate2027.iisc.ac.in) before the examination. Candidates must carry the admit card along with the original verified photo ID (same as used in DigiLocker registration) to the examination centre.

GATE 2027 Answer Key

The GATE 2027 answer key will be published on the GOAPS portal after the examination. Candidates can raise objections against the answer key within the specified window. The final answer key is used for result preparation.

GATE 2027 Result

The GATE 2027 result will be announced on 19 March 2027 on the GOAPS portal. Candidates can download their GATE scorecard from the portal. The score is valid for 3 years from the date of result declaration.

GATE 2027 Cut Off

The GATE 2027 qualifying cut off will be announced with the result on 19 March 2027. GATE cut offs are paper-wise and category-wise (General, OBC-NCL, SC/ST/PwD). The actual score used by institutions and PSUs may be different from the qualifying cut off.

GATE 2027 Exam Centres

GATE 2027 will be conducted only in centres within India. International centres have been withdrawn. Foreign nationals and Indian citizens residing abroad must choose examination cities within India and make their own travel and accommodation arrangements.

A candidate can opt for six cities from the same GATE zone. All six options must be from the same zone. GATE 2027 reserves the right to add or remove cities and allot a city that may not be from the options provided.

IIT Bombay Zone (tentative cities)

State Cities
Goa Goa
Gujarat Ahmedabad, Anand, Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Surat-Bardoli, Vadodara
Maharashtra Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar), Akola, Amravati, Baramati, Chandrapur, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad), Dhule, Jalgaon, Kolhapur, Latur, Mumbai-Thane, Nagpur, Nanded, Nashik, Navi Mumbai-Rasayani, Pune, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Satara, Solapur-Pandharpur, Vasai-Palghar, Wardha

Cities under the other zones — IISc, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee — will be listed on the GATE 2027 website. City allotment notification is on 4 January 2027.

Note: This is a tentative list. Any changes will be updated on the website.

FAQs — GATE

Q. What is GATE 2027?

GATE 2027 is the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering — a national-level CBT conducted jointly by IISc Bangalore and the seven IITs on behalf of the MoE, Government of India. It covers 30 test papers and the score is valid for 3 years.

Q. How many test papers are there in GATE 2027?

GATE 2027 is conducted for 30 test papers across Engineering, Technology, Architecture, Science, Commerce, Arts, and Humanities. A candidate may appear in one or up to two papers.

Q. Who is eligible for GATE 2027?

Candidates in the 3rd or higher year of any undergraduate degree program, or who have completed a government-approved degree in Engineering/Technology/Architecture/Science/Commerce/Arts/Humanities, are eligible. There is no age limit.

Q. What is the GATE 2027 exam pattern?

GATE 2027 is a 3-hour Computer Based Test in English. Each paper has 65 questions (10 GA + 55 subject) for 100 marks. Question types are MCQ, MSQ, and NAT. Negative marking applies to MCQ only (1/3 for 1-mark, 2/3 for 2-mark).

Q. What is the GATE 2027 application fee?

For Female/SC/ST/PwD candidates: Rs. 1,000 (one paper, regular) or Rs. 2,000 (two papers). For all others: Rs. 2,000 (one paper) or Rs. 4,000 (two papers). Extended-period fees are higher.

Q. Can I appear in two GATE test papers?

Yes. A candidate may appear in one or up to two test papers from the allowed combinations. The secondary paper must be from the list published on the GATE 2027 website. Both papers share the same application.

Q. When is the GATE 2027 exam?

GATE 2027 examinations will be held on 6–7, 13–14, and 20–21 February 2027 across centres in India.

Q. What is the GATE 2027 result date?

The GATE 2027 result will be announced on 19 March 2027 on the GOAPS portal. The answer key will be released before the result, with an objection window.

Q. How can I use my GATE score?

A valid GATE score can be used for M.Tech/PhD admission in MoE-supported institutions, and several PSUs (BHEL, IOCL, ONGC, NTPC, SAIL, GAIL, etc.) use it for recruitment.

Q. What financial assistance is available for GATE qualifiers?

M.Tech students receive Rs. 12,400 per month (up to 22 months). PhD students receive Rs. 37,000/month (1st–2nd year) and Rs. 42,000/month (3rd–5th year), subject to MoE guidelines.