PrepMaticExam glossary · GATE
GOAPS: the GATE application portal
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GOAPS is the GATE Online Application Processing System, the official portal where you register for GATE, pick your paper and exam cities, and pay the fee. The same portal later shows your recorded responses, ahead of the provisional answer key. Each year the organising institute runs it, and for GATE 2027 that is IIT Madras (gate2027.iitm.ac.in).
GATE 2027 dates on GOAPS
As of 9 October 2026, the official schedule is:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration opened | 2 September 2026 (postponed twice from 14 August, then 27 August) |
| Regular window closed | 5 October 2026 |
| Late-fee window closes | 12 October 2026 |
| Application correction | 14 to 21 October 2026 |
| City allotment announced | 4 January 2027 |
| Admit card | To be announced |
| Exam days | 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21 February 2027 |
All dates are liable to change. The 2026 and 2027 windows were both extended more than once, but do not plan around an extension.
What you need to register
- DigiLocker: mandatory for Indian nationals. It supplies your name, date of birth, mobile, email, address and verified ID. An unverified account is allowed, but that application is scrutinised later and you must show the original ID at the centre.
- Live face photo: taken during registration with a webcam or a phone camera of at least 5 MP, plus a photo and signature that meet the specifications.
- Category documents: SC or ST certificate uploaded as CATEGORY.pdf in a DigiLocker folder named GATE2027. PwD candidates upload the UDID or PwD certificate there too. OBC-NCL and EWS candidates upload nothing.
- Marksheets: not needed at registration.
Fee per paper
| Category | Regular | Late |
|---|---|---|
| Female, SC, ST, PwD | Rs.1,000 | Rs.1,500 |
| Others, including foreign nationals | Rs.2,000 | Rs.2,500 |
Candidates choose six exam cities, all from the same zone. If you take two papers, use the rules in two-paper combinations and apply once. Full steps are in the GATE 2027 registration guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is DigiLocker compulsory for GATE 2027?
Yes for Indian nationals. It is how your identity details reach GOAPS.
What else is GOAPS used for after registration?
Your recorded responses appear in it, as the response sheet page explains, and the answer key challenge follows after the provisional key.
Official sources
- GATE 2027 website: important dates, fees and required documents.
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- Response sheetThe GATE response sheet shows the answers recorded from your exam. See when it appears, how to compute raw marks with negative marking, and a worked example.
- Organising instituteEach year one of IISc or seven IITs acts as the GATE organising institute. See who ran 2024 to 2027, what it handles, and what it does not decide.
- Two-paper combinationGATE lets you take one paper or two, but the second must be allowed for your first. See the 2027 rules, allowed pairs for CS, EC, EE, ME, CE and DA.
- GATE 2027 registrationGATE 2027 registration on GOAPS: regular and late-fee deadlines, fee per paper, DigiLocker and live photo rules, paper choice and city selection.
- GATE eligibilityWho can apply for GATE 2027: degrees and year of study, no age limit or attempt cap, foreign candidates, documents, fees and the 12 October late-fee deadline.
More in GATE
- GATE scorecardThe GATE scorecard goes only to qualified candidates. See the free window, the Rs.500 fee after it, the 31 December 2027 limit and the three-year validity.
- GATE scoreThe GATE score runs up to 1000 and is worked out from your marks, the qualifying mark and the top scorers' average. See the formula, an example, validity.
- GATE qualifying marksGATE qualifying marks are the minimum marks for a scorecard: max(25, min(40, mean + SD)) for General. See the OBC and SC/ST/PwD rules and 2026 values.
- M.Tech stipendGATE qualifiers admitted to M.Tech can get Rs.12,400 a month, generally for 22 months. See the rules, the direct-PhD fellowship and why it is not automatic.
- MSQAn MSQ in GATE has four options with one or more correct answers, no negative marking and no partial credit. See how it is scored and how to attempt it.
- COAPCOAP is the portal where GATE candidates accept, retain or reject M.Tech offers from IITs and IISc. See how it works, what it is not, and who can register.
- Multi-session paperA multi-session GATE paper is held in more than one session, and you sit only one. See how sessions are assigned, why marks are normalised and the key facts.
- NAT questionA NAT question in GATE has no options. You key in a number on a virtual keypad, with no negative marking. See how it is scored and how to attempt it well.