GATE CS is conducted by IISc Bangalore or one of the IITs, in rotation, and covers General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics and CS core. This page summarises the GATE CS exam pattern, marking scheme and syllabus as a study snapshot for previous year question practice. Confirm eligibility, dates and marking in the latest official notification on gate2027.iitm.ac.in.
Explore: GATE CS hub · Topic-wise PYQs · GATE CS 2026 · GATE syllabus & pattern
GATE CSE (paper code CS) has General Aptitude plus eleven Computer Science subjects. This page gives the exam pattern, the marks each subject carried in every official paper from 2021 to 2026, and how the mix of question types has moved.
GATE 2027: syllabus revised
IIT Madras, which runs GATE 2027, has revised the syllabus for every paper for the first time in about five years. The exam is scheduled for 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21 February 2027. Check the official CS syllabus PDF on gate2027.iitm.ac.in for the exact topic list. The weightage below comes from the 2016–2026 papers, before the revision.
GATE CS exam pattern
| Questions | 65 (10 General Aptitude + 55 Computer Science) |
| Marks | 100 (15 General Aptitude + 85 Computer Science) |
| Duration | 3 hours, one sitting, online |
| Question types | MCQ (one correct option), MSQ (one or more correct), NAT (type a number) |
| Negative marking | MCQ only: −1/3 for a 1-mark question, −2/3 for a 2-mark question. None for MSQ or NAT |
| Calculator | On-screen virtual scientific calculator; your own is not allowed |
The 65-question, 100-mark format has stayed the same in every paper from 2016 to 2026. General Aptitude is always 10 questions: five worth 1 mark and five worth 2 marks.
Subject-wise marks weightage
Marks per subject in the official GATE CS papers, tagged question by question against the official answer keys (set 1 where there were two). The last column is the average over all eleven papers from 2016 to 2026.
| Subject | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Avg 2016–26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Aptitude | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Engineering Mathematics | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7.2 |
| Discrete Mathematics | 9 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8.6 |
| Digital Logic | 6 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6.4 |
| Computer Organization & Architecture | 5 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7.4 |
| Programming & Data Structures | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 10.7 |
| Algorithms | 10 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6.8 |
| Theory of Computation | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 7.8 |
| Compiler Design | 8 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6.1 |
| Operating Systems | 6 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 8.8 |
| Databases (DBMS) | 8 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 |
| Computer Networks | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8.2 |
Programming & Data Structures is the biggest subject, at about 11 marks a year and 12 in 2026. Operating Systems, Discrete Mathematics and Computer Networks come next at about 8 to 9 marks each. Engineering Mathematics and Discrete Mathematics together average about 16 marks, more than any single core subject. Algorithms has swung the most, from 10 marks in 2021 to 3 in 2023.
Question types by year
| Year | MCQ | MSQ | NAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34 | 13 | 18 |
| 2022 | 32 | 15 | 18 |
| 2023 | 34 | 15 | 16 |
| 2024 | 29 | 20 | 16 |
| 2025 | 30 | 13 | 22 |
| 2026 | 28 | 24 | 13 |
MSQs have grown from 13 in 2021 to 24 in 2026, more than a third of the paper. An MSQ gives marks only if you pick every correct option and no wrong one, so practise them separately from MCQs.
How to use this weightage
- Start with the subjects at the top of the average column. They carry the most marks every year, so they decide your score.
- Do not drop a low-weight subject completely. Small subjects are usually 1-mark questions that take a minute once you know the basics.
- Practise each subject from the topic-wise PYQs, then sit full papers from the GATE CS hub under the 3-hour limit.
- Check the revised GATE 2027 syllabus PDF before you finish a subject, in case a topic was added.
FAQ
What is the GATE CSE exam pattern?
65 questions for 100 marks in 3 hours: 10 General Aptitude questions for 15 marks and 55 subject questions for 85 marks. Questions are MCQ, MSQ or NAT, and only wrong MCQ answers lose marks (1/3 or 2/3).
Has the GATE CSE syllabus changed for GATE 2027?
Yes. IIT Madras revised the syllabus for every GATE 2027 paper. Check the official syllabus PDF on gate2027.iitm.ac.in before you plan; the weightage on this page is from the 2016–2026 papers.
Which subject has the most weightage in GATE CSE?
Programming & Data Structures: about 11 marks a year from 2016 to 2026, and 12 in 2026. Operating Systems, Discrete Mathematics and Computer Networks follow at about 8 to 9 marks each.