GATE PI is conducted by IISc Bangalore or one of the IITs, in rotation, and covers General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics and PI core. This page summarises the GATE PI 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 PI hub · GATE PI 2026 · GATE syllabus & pattern
GATE PI (Production and Industrial Engineering) has General Aptitude plus Production and Industrial Engineering subject areas. This page gives the exam pattern, the subject areas of the syllabus, and the mix of question types in every official PI 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 PI 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 PI exam pattern
| Questions | 65 (10 General Aptitude + 55 Production and Industrial Engineering) |
| Marks | 100 (15 General Aptitude + 85 Production and Industrial Engineering) |
| 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 PI 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. |
| Engineering Mathematics | Linear algebra, calculus, differential equations, probability, statistics and numerical methods. |
| General Engineering | Engineering mechanics, strength of materials, theory of machines and vibrations, engineering materials. |
| Manufacturing Processes | Casting, forming, joining, machining and machine tools, metrology, CNC, additive and non-traditional processes. |
| Quality and Reliability | Control charts, sampling plans, process capability, reliability, TQM concepts. |
| Industrial Engineering | Work study, plant layout, inventory, forecasting, scheduling, production planning and control. |
| Operations Research | Linear programming, transportation and assignment, network models, queueing, simulation. |
| Engineering Economy and Costing | Interest formulae, depreciation, break-even analysis, cost estimation. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 41 | 24 |
| 2017 | 44 | 21 |
| 2018 | 34 | 31 |
| 2019 | 41 | 24 |
2021 onward (MCQ, MSQ and NAT)
| Year | MCQ | MSQ | NAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 31 | 0 | 34 |
| 2023 | 38 | 0 | 27 |
| 2024 | 33 | 6 | 26 |
| 2025 | 34 | 1 | 30 |
| 2026 | 33 | 12 | 20 |
From the papers hosted here, NATs ranged from 20 (2026) to 34 (2022) out of 65, and MCQs from 31 (2022) to 44 (2017). Among the 3 hosted papers from 2021 on that list MSQs, the most in one paper was 12 (2026). 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 PI 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 PI. Tally it yourself from each paper you attempt.
FAQ
What is the GATE PI exam pattern?
65 questions for 100 marks in 3 hours: 10 General Aptitude questions for 15 marks and 55 Production and Industrial Engineering questions for 85 marks. Only wrong MCQ answers lose marks (1/3 or 2/3).
Has the GATE PI syllabus changed for GATE 2027?
IIT Madras, which runs GATE 2027, has revised the syllabus for the papers. Check the official PI 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 PI usually have?
From the papers hosted here, NATs ranged from 20 (2026) to 34 (2022) out of 65, and MCQs from 31 (2022) to 44 (2017)