The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2026 examination for Computer Science (CS) and Statistics (ST) on day two, shift one, presented a moderate challenge. Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati) administered this exam session from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM on February 8.
Exam Difficulty Analysis
Candidates found the Computer Science and IT-first paper (CS-1) to be the most difficult. This section included complex questions on compilers and algorithms. The Operating System (OS) and Theory of Computation (TOC) subjects within CS were rated as moderately challenging.
The General Aptitude (GA) section, common to all papers, was reported as straightforward. For the Statistics (ST) paper, questions focused on probability theory, statistical inference, and design of experiments. Overall, the ST paper was also assessed as moderate.
Student Feedback
Several students described the CS section as lengthy and logic-intensive. They noted the need for significant analytical thinking to answer the questions effectively.
GATE 2026 Schedule and Structure
The GATE 2026 exam format consists of a 3-hour computer-based test. It includes 30 English questions and 70 subject-specific questions. The total marks for the paper are 100.
General Aptitude (GA) contributes 15 marks, while the specific test paper syllabus accounts for the remaining 85 marks. The second shift of day two for MTech aspirants was scheduled from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM.
The GATE 2026 examination continues on February 14 and 15, with two shifts each day.
Purpose of GATE
GATE scores are essential for admission to Master of Technology (MTech) and PhD programs at Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore. Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) also utilize GATE scores for recruitment.