GATE MA is conducted by IISc Bangalore or one of the IITs, in rotation, and covers General Aptitude and Mathematics core. This page summarises the GATE MA 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 MA hub · GATE MA 2026 · GATE syllabus & pattern
GATE MA (Mathematics) has General Aptitude plus Mathematics subject areas. This page gives the exam pattern, the subject areas of the syllabus, and the mix of question types in every official MA paper hosted on this site.
GATE 2027: syllabus revised
IIT Madras, which runs GATE 2027, has revised the syllabus for the papers. The exam is scheduled for 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21 February 2027. Check the official MA syllabus PDF on gate2027.iitm.ac.in for the exact topic list. The subject areas below are from the pre-revision syllabus used in the papers on this site.
GATE MA exam pattern
| Questions | 65 (10 General Aptitude + 55 Mathematics) |
| Marks | 100 (15 General Aptitude + 85 Mathematics) |
| Duration | 3 hours, one sitting, online |
| Question types | MCQ (one correct option), NAT (type a number), and from 2021 MSQ (one or more correct) |
| Negative marking | MCQ only: −1/3 for a 1-mark question, −2/3 for a 2-mark question. None for NAT or MSQ |
| Calculator | On-screen virtual scientific calculator; your own is not allowed |
The 65-question, 100-mark format is the same in every MA paper hosted here. General Aptitude is always 10 questions: five worth 1 mark and five worth 2 marks.
Subject areas in the syllabus
| Subject area | What it covers |
|---|---|
| General Aptitude | Verbal ability (grammar, sentence completion, reasoning) and numerical ability (arithmetic, data interpretation, spatial reasoning). 10 questions, 15 marks. |
| Calculus | Limits, continuity, differentiability, mean value theorems, Riemann integration, multivariable calculus, vector calculus. |
| Linear Algebra | Vector spaces, linear transformations, eigenvalues, canonical forms, inner product spaces. |
| Real Analysis | Sequences and series, uniform convergence, metric spaces, compactness, Riemann-Stieltjes integral. |
| Complex Analysis | Analytic functions, contour integration, residues, conformal maps, Taylor and Laurent series. |
| Ordinary Differential Equations | First-order and linear equations, existence and uniqueness, systems, Sturm-Liouville problems. |
| Algebra | Groups, rings, fields, Sylow theorems, polynomial rings, field extensions. |
| Functional Analysis | Normed and Banach spaces, Hilbert spaces, Hahn-Banach, open mapping and closed graph theorems. |
| Numerical Analysis | Interpolation, numerical integration, iterative methods for equations and linear systems, ODE solvers. |
| Partial Differential Equations | First-order PDEs, wave, heat and Laplace equations, method of characteristics, separation of variables. |
| Topology and Linear Programming | Topological spaces, connectedness, compactness; simplex method, duality, transportation problems. |
Question types by paper
Counts come from the official answer keys hosted on this site, one row per year with a key we could tabulate.
2016–2020 (MCQ and NAT)
| Year | MCQ | NAT |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 36 | 29 |
| 2018 | 36 | 29 |
| 2019 | 41 | 24 |
2021 onward (MCQ, MSQ and NAT)
| Year | MCQ | MSQ | NAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 37 | 9 | 19 |
| 2023 | 30 | 13 | 22 |
| 2024 | 37 | 9 | 19 |
| 2025 | 34 | 17 | 14 |
| 2026 | 32 | 14 | 19 |
From the papers hosted here, NATs ranged from 14 (2025) to 29 (2017) out of 65, and MCQs from 30 (2023) to 41 (2019). Among the 5 hosted papers from 2021 on that list MSQs, the most in one paper was 17 (2025). Since only MCQs carry negative marking, a paper with more MCQs punishes guessing more.
How to use this page
- Study the subject areas in the order of your own paper tally, not the order of the syllabus.
- Do not drop a low-weight subject completely. Small subjects are usually 1-mark questions that take a minute once you know the basics.
- Sit full papers from the GATE MA hub under the 3-hour limit and count the marks each subject gave you.
- Check the revised GATE 2027 syllabus PDF before you finish a subject, in case a topic was added.
Subject-wise mark weightage is not tabulated here, because questions have not been tagged by subject for MA. Tally it yourself from each paper you attempt.
FAQ
What is the GATE MA exam pattern?
65 questions for 100 marks in 3 hours: 10 General Aptitude questions for 15 marks and 55 Mathematics questions for 85 marks. Only wrong MCQ answers lose marks (1/3 or 2/3).
Has the GATE MA syllabus changed for GATE 2027?
IIT Madras, which runs GATE 2027, has revised the syllabus for the papers. Check the official MA syllabus PDF on gate2027.iitm.ac.in before you plan; the subject list on this page is from the pre-revision syllabus.
How many NAT questions does GATE MA usually have?
From the papers hosted here, NATs ranged from 14 (2025) to 29 (2017) out of 65, and MCQs from 30 (2023) to 41 (2019)