The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati has officially announced the examination schedule for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2026. Aspiring candidates can now mark their calendars as the prestigious entrance test is slated to be conducted over two consecutive weekends in February next year.
GATE 2026 Exam Dates and Session Timings
The GATE 2026 examination will be held on February 7, 8, 14, and 15, 2026. The test will be administered in a computer-based test (CBT) mode. Each day will feature two distinct sessions. The forenoon session is scheduled from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST). The afternoon session will follow from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM IST.
In a significant update for candidates, the organising institute has indicated that the release date for the GATE 2026 admit cards is likely to be announced within this very week. Students are advised to keep a close watch on the official GATE 2026 website for this crucial update and other related guidelines.
Detailed Subject-Wise Schedule for GATE 2026
The examination will encompass a wide array of papers spanning engineering, science, and interdisciplinary subjects. The detailed day-wise breakdown is as follows:
Saturday, February 7, 2026: The forenoon session will include papers for Agricultural Engineering (AG), Engineering Sciences (ES), Geomatics Engineering (GG), Mathematics (MA), Mining Engineering (MN), Textile Engineering (TF), and the XE/XL papers. In the afternoon, candidates for Aerospace Engineering (AE), Biotechnology (BT), Chemical Engineering (CH), Chemistry (CY), Geology (GE), Physics (PH), and Humanities and Social Sciences (XH) will appear for their test.
Sunday, February 8, 2026: This day is crucial for Computer Science aspirants. The forenoon session is dedicated to CS-1 and Statistics (ST). The afternoon session will host papers for CS-2, Environmental Science and Engineering (EY), Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NM), and Petroleum Engineering (PE).
Saturday, February 14, 2026: Civil Engineering-1 (CE-1), Electrical Engineering (EE), and Production and Industrial Engineering (PI) are scheduled for the morning. The afternoon slot will see Biomedical Engineering (BM), Civil Engineering-2 (CE-2), Mechanical Engineering (ME), and Metallurgical Engineering (MT).
Sunday, February 15, 2026: The final day of the examination will have Electronics and Communication Engineering (EC) in the forenoon. The concluding afternoon session will be for Architecture and Planning (AR) along with the papers for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA).
Importance of GATE 2026 Scores and Next Steps
The GATE 2026 score is a critical gateway for numerous academic and professional opportunities. The scores are primarily used for admission to postgraduate programmes (MTech, MS, and PhD) in premier institutions like IITs, NITs, and other recognised universities. Additionally, many Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) use GATE scores for recruiting graduate engineers into various roles.
With the schedule now public, candidates should intensify their preparation according to their paper's date and session. The imminent announcement regarding the admit card release is the next major milestone. IIT Guwahati has advised all registered candidates to monitor the official website regularly for updates on hall tickets, exam day protocols, and result declaration dates.
