IIT Madras
GATE 2027 (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering)
Important Dates
Eligibility
B.Tech/BE/B.Sc (Research)/BS (4 years) or equivalent degree, or currently in final year. Also open to MSc, MCA, and MA students in relevant disciplines.
Syllabus
30+ papers including Computer Science (CS), Electronics (EC), Electrical (EE), Mechanical (ME), Civil (CE), Chemical (CH), Instrumentation (IN), and others. Each paper has General Aptitude (15 marks) + core subject (85 marks).
Official Links
GATE 2027 — Complete Guide
GATE — the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering — opens two major doors for engineering graduates: admission to M.Tech/ME programmes at IITs, NITs, and IIITs, and direct recruitment in major Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) like ONGC, BHEL, IOCL, NTPC, GAIL, PGCIL, and many more.
IIT Madras is conducting GATE 2027. Registration is expected to begin in August 2026 and the exam will be held in February 2027.
Important Dates (Expected)
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Official Notification | July 2026 |
| Registration Opens | August 2026 |
| Last Date to Apply | September 2026 |
| Admit Card | January 2027 |
| Exam Date | February 7–8 and 14–15, 2027 |
| Result | March 2027 |
| Score Valid For | 3 years |
Based on IIT Madras official exam calendar. Confirm at gate.iitm.ac.in.
Eligibility
Any student who has completed (or is in the final year of) a B.Tech, BE, B.Sc (Research), or BS (4-year) programme can apply. MSc, MCA, and MA students in certain disciplines are also eligible. There is no age limit and no limit on the number of attempts.
Available Papers
GATE 2027 offers 30+ discipline-specific papers. Popular ones include:
| Paper Code | Subject |
|---|---|
| CS | Computer Science & IT |
| EC | Electronics & Communication |
| EE | Electrical Engineering |
| ME | Mechanical Engineering |
| CE | Civil Engineering |
| CH | Chemical Engineering |
| IN | Instrumentation Engineering |
| BT | Biotechnology |
You can appear in up to two papers (if both are allowed in combination).
Exam Pattern
Each GATE paper has 65 questions worth 100 marks, completed in 3 hours. The paper is split into General Aptitude (10 questions, 15 marks) and the core subject (55 questions, 85 marks).
Questions include MCQs (with negative marking) and NAT — Numerical Answer Type — where you type your answer directly with no negative marking.
PSU Recruitment Through GATE
A valid GATE score (valid for 3 years) is accepted by:
- ONGC — Oil & Natural Gas Corporation
- BHEL — Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
- IOCL — Indian Oil Corporation Limited
- GAIL — Gas Authority of India Limited
- NTPC — National Thermal Power Corporation
- PGCIL — Power Grid Corporation of India
- BEL — Bharat Electronics Limited
- And 20+ more PSUs
PSU jobs through GATE offer attractive salaries (₹50,000–₹70,000+ per month starting), government job security, and excellent growth prospects. This is why lakhs of engineers prepare for GATE even when they don't want to do M.Tech.
M.Tech Admissions
IITs use their own COAP (Common Offer Acceptance Portal) for M.Tech admissions based on GATE score. NITs use CCMT (Centralized Counselling for M.Tech). Both processes happen in May–July after GATE results.
Application Fee
Around ₹1,800 for general and OBC candidates, ₹900 for female/SC/ST/PwD.
Official Website
gate.iitm.ac.in — Notification expected July 2026.