GATE 2026: July 31st : The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2026 is a national-level examination conducted annually in India for admission to postgraduate programs (M.E./M.Tech./Ph.D.) in engineering, technology, architecture, and science, as well as for various Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) recruitment.

All About GATE Exam 2026

IIT Guwahati will be the organizing institute for GATE 2026. The GATE exam is jointly conducted by the seven IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, Roorkee) and IISc Bangalore on a rotational basis.

JAM 2026: IIT Bombay Announces Exam Date, Application Process and Seats — Check Key Details

A key change for GATE 2026 is the relaxation in eligibility criteria, allowing candidates in their third year of undergraduate studies to appear for the exam.

GATE 2025 Unofficial Answer Key: Official Answer key yet to Release

Important Facts

Official Notification Release: First week of August 2025 (Expected)

GOAPS (GATE Online Application Portal System) Opens: Fourth week of August 2025 (Expected)

Last Date to Apply (Without Late Fee): Second week of October 2025 (Expected)

Last Date to Apply (With Late Fee): Third week of October 2025 (Expected)

Application Correction/Modify Details: Third week of November 2025 (Expected)

Admit Card Release: First week of January 2026 (Expected)

GATE 2026 Exam Dates: First and second weekends of February 2026 (Tentatively February 7, 8, 14, and 15, 2026)

Response Sheet Availability: Third week of February 2026 (Expected)

Answer Key Release: Fourth week of February 2026 (Expected)

Last Date for Submission of Objections/Challenges: Fourth week of February 2026 (Expected)

Final Answer Key Release: First week of March 2026 (Expected)

Result Declaration: Second week of March 2026 (Expected)

Score Card Availability: Fourth week of March 2026 (Expected)

Counseling Portal (COAP) Opening: Third week of March 2026 (Expected)

GATE Eligibility:

Candidates in the third year of their undergraduate program (10+2+3) are now eligible.
Previously, candidates had to be in at least the fourth year of their undergraduate program (10+2+4).

GATE Exam Details:

Conducting Authority: IIT Guwahati.
New Subjects: Geomatics Engineering (GE) and Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NM) have been added, bringing the total number of subjects to 30.
Paper Options: Candidates can now choose two papers from the prescribed combinations.
Question Types: The exam will consist of objective-type questions, including Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), Multiple Select Questions (MSQ), and Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions.