Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has officially announced the schedule Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2027. The exam will be held over six days in February next year, while the online application process is expected to begin in mid-August.GATE 2027 brings a revised syllabus after five years, a new robotics and automation paper and stricter verification measures through the integration of DigiLocker and face authentication, changes that reflect the changing demands of higher education and industry.
GATE 2027 will be held for six days
According to IIT Madras, GATE 2027 will be held on February 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21, 2027, with exams scheduled in both morning and afternoon sessions.IIT Madras is organizing the exam on behalf of the National Coordinating Board-GATE, under the Ministry of Education. GATE is jointly run by IIT and Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Introduced in 1983, this year the exam is in its 45th edition.Nearly 10,000 candidates take the exam every year, making it one of the country’s largest computer-based entrance exams for graduate studies and technical careers.
Registration is expected to begin in mid-August
The online registration window is expected to open in mid-August 2026. Candidates can apply through the official GATE 2027 portal once the application process starts.This year, IIT Madras has also taken another crucial decision in its application process. The apps will be linked to DigiLocker and facial recognition. This decision has been taken in order to ensure that identity verification is foolproof, without any delay in entering the examination centre.
Program revised for the first time in five years
The most significant change in GATE 2027 is the revision of the syllabus in all test papers. This was stated by IIT Madras.It will affect the aspirants in such a way that the candidates will have to change their preparation strategy for those subjects which will have a different syllabus due to the introduction of new topics and omission of old topics from the previous syllabus.
Robotics gets its own GATE paper
Recognizing the growing importance of automation and intelligent systems, GATE 2027 will introduce a dedicated paper on Robotics and Automation (AR).The addition reflects the growing demand for professionals in robotics, manufacturing automation, artificial intelligence and smart technologies. It also indicates how engineering education is adapting to emerging sectors that are expected to drive future innovation.Another notable change is that the Textile Engineering and Fiber Science (TF) paper has now become a section paper in Engineering Sciences (XE).Despite these revisions, the exam will continue to offer 30 test papers, and candidates can choose one or two papers from the approved combinations.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility criteria remain unchanged. Candidates who have completed or are in the final year of a degree in engineering, technology, architecture, science, commerce or arts can apply for GATE 2027.There is no upper or lower age limit for the exam. As per the revised eligibility rules introduced earlier, third year BTech students are also eligible to apply, giving students a chance to secure a GATE score before graduation.
The exam pattern remains unchanged
The exam will be conducted in the Computer Based Test (CBT) mode and will last for three hours.Each paper will contain 65 questions with a total of 100 points.The marking scheme remains the same:
- General Aptitude: 15 marks (mandatory for all candidates)
- Engineering Mathematics: 13 points in most engineering papers
- Negative marking applies only to Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
- Multiple Choice Questions (MSQs) and Numeric Answer Type Questions (NATs) will not be negative marked
The exam will continue to be conducted in English only.