The GATE is conducted every year for engineering students to get admission in M.E./ M.Tech/ PhD in IITs, NITs, IIITs and CFTIs or to get a high profile job in a PSU. This year IIT Roorkee is going to conduct the GATE 2025 Exam on 1st, 2nd, 15th and 16th February 2025. Candidates who are going to appear for the GATE exam must be aware of the GATE Exam Pattern to plan better for the exam. GATE is conducted in computer based mode for 30 papers and one can attempt any one of these papers.
GATE 2025 Exam Pattern Highlights
The duration of the GATE exam is 3 hours and the maximum marks are 100. The exam is divided into three sections one contains General Aptitude ( MCQ ), Engineering and Mathematics. Candidates have to choose one of the 30 subjects.
|
Examination Mode |
Computer Based Test (Online) |
|
Duration |
3 Hours |
|
Number of Subjects (Papers) |
30 |
|
Section |
General Aptitude (GA) and Candidate Selected Subject |
|
Type of Questions |
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), Multiple Select Questions (MSQ), and Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions |
|
Design of Questions |
Application Analysis and synthesis Comprehension Recall |
|
Exam Date |
1st, 2nd, 15th, and 16th February 2025 |
|
Number of Questions |
10 (GA) + 55 (subject) = 65 Questions |
|
Total Marks |
100 Marks |
|
Marking Scheme |
Questions carry 1 mark and 2 marks |
|
GATE Negative Marking |
For 1 mark MCQ, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer; For 2-mark MCQ, 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer; No negative marking for MSQs and NATs |
GATE 2025 Exam Pattern Paper Codes
This year onwards, the GATE Exam will have 30 disciplines/ subjects. A candidate can appear only in any one paper of the following disciplines.
|
GATE Paper |
Code |
GATE Paper |
Code |
|
Aerospace Engineering |
AE |
Geology & Geophysics |
GG |
|
Agricultural Engineering |
AG |
Instrumentation Engineering |
IN |
|
Architecture and Planning |
AR |
Mathematics |
MA |
|
Biomedical Engineering |
BM |
Mechanical Engineering |
ME |
|
Biotechnology |
BT |
Mining Engineering |
MN |
|
Civil Engineering |
CE |
Metallurgical Engineering |
MT |
|
Chemical Engineering |
CH |
Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering |
NM |
|
Computer Science & Information Technology |
CS |
Petroleum Engineering |
PE |
|
Chemistry |
CY |
Physics |
PH |
|
Data Science & Artificial Intelligence (NEW) |
DA |
Production & Industrial Engineering |
PI |
|
Electronics & Communication Engineering |
EC |
Statistics |
ST |
|
Electrical Engineering |
EE |
Textile Engineering & Fibre Science |
TF |
|
Environmental Science & Engineering |
ES |
Engineering Sciences |
XE |
|
Ecology and Evolution |
EY |
Humanities & Social Sciences |
XH |
|
Geomatics Engineering |
GE |
Life Sciences |
XL |
GATE 2025 Exam Pattern: Two Paper Combination
Candidates can choose two subjects in GATE 2025. You have to choose both the subjects from the allowed subject combination in GATE 2025 exam. You can check the tentative subject combinations for GATE exam below::
|
First Paper code (Primary paper) |
Second paper code (secondary paper) |
First paper code (primary paper) |
Second paper code (secondary paper) |
|
AE |
CE, ME, XE |
GE |
AR, CE, CS, ES, GG |
|
AG |
CE |
GG |
GE |
|
AR |
CE, GE |
IN |
BM, EC, EE, ME |
|
BM |
BT, IN |
MA |
CS, DA, PH, ST |
|
BT |
BM, XL |
ME |
AE, DA, IN, NM, PI, XE |
|
CE |
AE, AG AR, ES, GE, NM, XE |
MT |
XE |
|
CH |
ES, PE, XE |
NM |
CE, ME |
|
CS |
DA, EC, GE, MA, PH, ST |
PE |
CH |
|
CY |
XE, XL |
PH |
CS, DA, EC, EE, MA, XE |
|
DA |
CS, EC, EE, MA, ME, PH, ST, XE |
PI |
ME, XE |
|
EC |
CS, DA, EE, IN, PH |
ST |
CS, DA, MA, XH |
|
EE |
DA, EC, IN, PH |
XE |
AE, CE, CH, CY, DA, ME, MT, PH, PI |
|
ES |
CE, CH, GE |
XH |
ST |
|
EY |
XL |
XL |
BT, CY, EY |
Points to remember while choosing both the subjects:
-
If a new paper combination is added later (correction window), you can also choose any combination, including new and original paper combinations, during the correction window and can add a new subject with payment of the required fee.
-
If any paper combination is removed later (correction window), the fee for the second paper will be refunded to you.
GATE Exam Pattern: Marking Scheme
There is a different marking scheme depending on the paper you are attempting. Check the marking scheme of the different papers in the table below.
|
Paper Code |
General Aptitude (GA) Marks |
Subject Marks |
Total Marks |
Total Time (Minutes) |
|
AE, AR, AG, BT, CE, CH, CS, CY, EC, EE, ES, EY, IN, MA, ME, MN, MT, PE, PH, PI, TF, ST, and BM |
15 |
85 |
100 |
180 |
|
CY, DA, EY, MA, PH, ST |
15 |
85 |
100 |
180 |
|
AR [Part A + Part B1 or B2 (B1: Architecture or B2: Planning)] |
15 |
60 + 25
|
100 |
180 |
|
GE [Part A + Part B (Section I or Section II) |
15 |
55 + 30 |
100 |
180 |
|
GG [Part A + Part B (Section 1 Geology OR Section 2 Geophysics)] |
15 |
25 + 60 |
100 |
180 |
|
XE (Section A + Any TWO Sections) |
15 |
15 + (2 x 35) |
100 |
180 |
|
XH (Section B1 + Any ONE Section) |
15 |
25 + (1 x 60) |
100 |
180 |
|
XL (Section P + Any TWO Sections) |
15 |
25 + (2 x 30) |
100 |
180 |
GATE 2025 Exam Pattern: Type of Questions
The GATE exam has 65 questions for 100 marks. Three types of questions are asked in the GATE exam: MCQs, MSQs & NAT. Candidate must check question types with respective marking scheme given below:
-
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) - carries 1 or 2 marks. 4 options will be there for each MCQ. 1/3 of the marks will be deducted for each wrong answer for MCQs.
-
Multiple Select Questions (MSQs) - carries 1 or 2 marks in all the GATE question papers. 4 options will be there for each MSQ. No negative marking for MSQs. Marks will be given on proportional correctness basis with respect to other options.
-
Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions - carries 1 or 2 marks in all the GATE question papers. No options will be there for each NAT Question. Candidates must write the answer in terms of real numbers using the virtual keyboard provided during the GATE exam. No negative marking for NAT questions in GATE exam.
GATE 2025 Exam Pattern Subject Wise
The GATE Exam Pattern 2025 differs for each paper, considering the sections and marks distribution. Every GATE paper includes a General Aptitude section, which accounts for 15% of the total marks. This section evaluates verbal, numerical, and quantitative abilities. It consists of 10 questions, with 5 questions worth 1 mark each and 5 questions worth 2 marks each.
|
GATE Exam Pattern 2025 Subject Wise |
|||
|
Subject |
Number of questions |
Marks per Question |
Total Marks |
|
General Aptitude |
5 |
1 |
5 |
|
5 |
2 |
10 |
|
|
Total |
10 |
– |
15 |
GATE 2025 Exam Pattern for AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, ES, IN, ME, MN, MT, NM, PE, PI, TF, and ST Papers
For the papers with codes AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, ES, IN, ME, MN, MT, PE, PI, TF, and XE, The marks will be divided or distributed as follows: 15% will be allocated to General Aptitude, 13% to Engineering Mathematics, and the remaining 72% to the subject paper.
The Exam Pattern for the Codes are given below:
|
Subjects |
Number of questions |
Marks per Question |
Total Marks |
|
AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, ES, IN, ME, MN, MT, NM, PE, PI, TF, and ST |
25 |
1 |
25 |
|
30 |
2 |
60 |
|
|
Total |
55 |
– |
85 |
GATE 2025 Exam Pattern for AR (Architecture and Planning)
Architecture and Planning (AR) Test Paper Apart from the General Aptitude (GA) section, the test paper consists of two parts: Part A (60 marks) and Part B (25 marks).
|
Part A |
Compulsory for all the candidates Consists of 39 questions carrying a total of 60 marks 18 questions carrying one mark each and 21 questions carrying 2 marks each |
|
Part B |
Consist of 16 questions carrying a total of 25 marks 7 questions carry 1 mark each and 9 questions carry 2 marks each. |
GATE 2025 Exam Pattern for GE (Geomatics Engineering)
Geomatics Engineering (GE) Test Paper Apart from the General Aptitude (GA) section, the question paper consists of two parts: Part A (55 marks) and Part B (30 marks).
|
Part A |
Compulsory for all the candidates Consists of 36 questions carrying a total of 55 marks 17 questions carry one mark each and 19 questions carry 2 marks each. |
|
Part B |
Consist of 19 questions carrying a total of 30 marks. 8 questions carrying 1 mark each and 11 questions carrying 2 marks each. |
GATE 2025 Exam Pattern for GG (Geology and Geophysics)
Geology and Geophysics (GG) Test Paper Apart from the General Aptitude (GA) section, the GG question paper consists of two parts: Part A (25 marks) and Part B (60 marks).
|
Part A |
Compulsory for all the candidates Consists of 16 questions carrying a total of 25 marks 7 questions carry 1 mark each and 9 questions carry 2 marks each. |
|
Part B |
Consist of 39 questions carrying a total of 60 marks. 18 questions carrying 1 mark each and 11 questions carrying 21 marks each. |
GATE 2025 Exam Pattern for XE (Engineering Sciences)
Engineering Sciences (XE) Test Paper apart from the General Aptitude (GA) section, the XE question paper consists of three parts: Section A (15 marks) and any two sections from Section B to H (2×35= 70 marks).
|
Part A |
Compulsory for all the candidates Consists of 11 questions carrying a total of 15 marks 7 questions carry one mark each and 4 questions carry 2 marks each. |
|
Part B |
Consist of 22 questions carrying a total of 35 marks. 9 questions carrying 1 mark each and 13 questions carrying 2 marks each. |
GATE 2025 Exam Pattern for XH (Humanities and Social Sciences)
Humanities and Social Sciences (XH) Test Paper apart from the General Aptitude (GA) section, the XH question paper consists of three parts: Section A (15 marks), Section B1 (25 marks) and anyone section from Section C1 to C6 (2×30= 60 marks).
|
Part A |
Compulsory for all the candidates Consists of 16 questions carrying a total of 25 marks 7 questions carry one mark each and 9 questions carry 2 marks each. |
|
Part B |
Consist of 39 questions carrying a total of 60 marks. 18 questions carrying 1 mark each and 21 questions carrying 2 marks each. |
GATE 2025 Exam Pattern for XL Paper (Life Sciences)
Life Sciences (XL) Test Paper apart from the General Aptitude (GA) section, the XL question paper consists of three parts: Section P (25 marks), and any two sections from Section Q to U (2×30= 60 marks).
|
Part A |
Compulsory for all the candidates Consists of 17 questions carrying a total of 25 marks 9 questions carry one mark each and 8 questions carry 2 marks each. |
|
Part B |
Consist of 19 questions carrying a total of 30 marks. 8 questions carrying 1 mark each and 11 questions carrying 2 marks each. |
GATE Exam Pattern 2025: Points to Remember
-
The GATE 2025 exam will be conducted only in online mode (Computer Based Test mode).
-
The Gate exam time duration will be 3 hours.
-
The total mark for the GATE exam is 100.
-
The GATE exam will consist of 65 questions.
-
All of the questions that are asked in GATE will be related to the GATE exam 2025 syllabus.
-
According to the GATE question paper pattern 2025, there will be two types of questions - Multiple Choice Questions and Numerical Answer Type Questions.
-
In the case of MCQs, candidates have to select one answer from the 4 options given and in NAT questions students have to enter the correct answer through the virtual keyboard.
-
Candidates will be provided with a scribble pad for the rough work.
