GATE ME is conducted by IISc Bangalore or one of the IITs, in rotation, and covers General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics and ME core. This page summarises the GATE ME 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 ME hub · Topic-wise PYQs · GATE ME 2026 · GATE syllabus & pattern
GATE ME (Mechanical Engineering) has General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics and three core sections: Applied Mechanics and Design; Fluid and Thermal Sciences; and Materials, Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering. 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 ME 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 ME exam pattern
| Questions | 65 (10 General Aptitude + 55 Mechanical Engineering) |
| Marks | 100 (15 General Aptitude + 85 Mechanical Engineering) |
| 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 ME 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 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Engineering Mechanics | 2 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4.5 |
| Mechanics of Materials | 6 | 6 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8.1 |
| Theory of Machines | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4.6 |
| Vibrations | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Machine Design | 7 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4.6 |
| Fluid Mechanics | 6 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
| Heat Transfer | 6 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 6.2 |
| Thermodynamics | 7 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5.4 |
| Power Plants, IC Engines and Refrigeration | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4.4 |
| Engineering Materials | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2.2 |
| Casting, Forming and Joining | 6 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 6 |
| Machining and Machine Tools | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5.2 |
| Metrology and Inspection | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.8 |
| Computer Integrated Manufacturing | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2.2 |
| Production Planning and Control | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2.3 |
| Inventory Control | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1.2 |
| Operations Research | 2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2.5 |
Engineering Mathematics was exactly 13 marks in every paper from 2016 to 2026. The three core sections split the rest almost evenly, at about 23 to 25 marks each on average. Mechanics of Materials and Fluid Mechanics are the biggest single subjects at about 8 marks; Casting, Forming and Joining swings the most, from 2 marks in 2023 to 11 in 2025.
Question types by year
| Year | MCQ | MSQ | NAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 38 | 0 | 27 |
| 2022 | 35 | 6 | 24 |
| 2023 | 32 | 8 | 25 |
| 2024 | 39 | 2 | 24 |
| 2025 | 38 | 1 | 26 |
| 2026 | 45 | 0 | 20 |
ME uses almost no MSQs: at most 8 in a year, and none in 2026. NATs make up 20 to 27 questions a year, so numerical accuracy matters more than option elimination.
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 ME 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 ME 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 ME 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 ME?
After General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics at 13 marks every year. Among core subjects, Mechanics of Materials and Fluid Mechanics lead at about 8 marks each.