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The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering GATE 2026, conducted by IIT Guwahati in different test centres across India, is scheduled for 4 days starting from today, 7th February to 15th February 2026. As per the examination schedule is released on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in while the paper is conducted in 2 shifts, the first is a morning session and the other is an afternoon session.
Each exam shift is for a duration of 3 hours. After the exam, aspirants must know the difficulty level of the exam to get a fair idea about their performance, chances of securing a good rank to qualify for top-tier institutes or direct entry to PSUs. The overall exam analysis will be shared with the GATE 2026 applicants here.
GATE Exam Analysis 2026
GATE Exam 2026 is organised by IISc and all IITs under the guidance of the National Coordination Board which functions under the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India. The exam conducting body for this year is the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, responsible for organising the GATE online test 2026 for a total of 30 test papers for candidates from branches of Engineering, Technology, Science, Architecture & Humanisites.
The GATE Exam 2026 scorecard remains valid for 3 years; therefore, the candidates must carefully read the complete analysis of the examination.
GATE Exam 2026 Analysis: Difficulty Level & Student Reactions
The GATE 2026 exam has started, and we will discuss the difficulty level of the overall exam day-wise and shift-wise in this section.
Exam Analysis of Shift 1 & Shift 2 Exams
| Date | Shift | Subjects | Difficulty Level |
| 07 Feb | Shift 1 (FN) | XE, XL, IN, MA, etc. | |
| Shift 2 (AN) | AE, CH, BT, CY, etc. | ||
| 08 Feb | Shift 1 (FN) | CS-1, ST | |
| Shift 2 (AN) | CS-2, EY, NM, PE | ||
| 14 Feb | Shift 1 (FN) | CE-1, EE, PI | |
| Shift 2 (AN) | BM, CE-2, ME, MT | ||
| 15 Feb | Shift 1 (FN) | EC | |
| Shift 2 (AN) | AR, DA |
Subject-Wise GATE Exam Analysis (7th Feb 2026)
| Subject | Difficulty level | Good Attempt | Good Score |
| Engineering Sciences (XE) | |||
| Instrumentation Engineering (IN) | |||
| Life Sciences (XL) |
GATE Exam 2026 Shift & Schedule
| Day | Date | Time (IST) | Session | Test Papers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | February 07, 2026 | 9:30 am – 12:30 pm | Forenoon (FN) | AG, ES, GG, IN, MA, MN, TF, XE, XL |
| Saturday | February 07, 2026 | 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm | Afternoon (AN) | AE, BT, CH, CY, GE, PH, XH |
| Sunday | February 08, 2026 | 9:30 am – 12:30 pm | Forenoon (FN) | CS-1, ST |
| Sunday | February 08, 2026 | 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm | Afternoon (AN) | CS-2, EY, NM, PE |
| Saturday | February 14, 2026 | 9:30 am – 12:30 pm | Forenoon (FN) | CE-1, EE, PI |
| Saturday | February 14, 2026 | 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm | Afternoon (AN) | BM, CE-2, ME, MT |
| Sunday | February 15, 2026 | 9:30 am – 12:30 pm | Forenoon (FN) | EC |
| Sunday | February 15, 2026 | 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm | Afternoon (AN) | AR, DA |
GATE Exam Pattern 2026
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Sections | General Aptitude (GA) + Candidate’s Selected Subject(s) |
| Type of Questions |
|
| Testing of Abilities |
|
| Total Marks | 100 Marks |
GATE 2026 Exam Marking Scheme
| Question Type | Marks per Question | Negative Marking |
|---|---|---|
| MCQ | 1 mark | 1/3 mark deducted for wrong answer |
| MCQ | 2 marks | 2/3 mark deducted for wrong answer |
| MSQ | 1 or 2 marks | No negative marking |
| NAT | 1 or 2 marks | No negative marking |
GATE Exam 2026 Section-Wise Weightage
| Subjects/Sections | Papers with Engineering Mathematics | AR, CY, DA, EY, GE, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH & XL |
|---|---|---|
| General Aptitude (GA) | 15 marks | 15 marks |
| Engineering Mathematics | 13 marks | Not Applicable |
| Subject Questions | 72 marks | 85 marks |
| Total Marks | 100 marks | 100 marks |
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