Previous year paper analysis · GATE

GATE 2026 Computer Science (CS) paper analysis

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 9 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

GATE 2026 Computer Science and Information Technology (CS) was held in two sessions on Sunday 8 February 2026, each with 65 questions for 100 marks. We read both official question papers and tallied every question by subject and type. Engineering Mathematics (15 and 13 marks) and Programming and Data Structures (13 and 12 marks) were the biggest blocks, and the sessions differed in format: Session 1 had 24 multiple-select questions, Session 2 only 11.

Paper facts

A candidate sat only one session. Because the question sets differed, GATE normalises marks before computing scores; see the score and normalisation guide.

Subject-wise tally

The official paper has no subject labels, so this is our own classification of each question. A few questions sit on a boundary, so treat each count as accurate to about one question. We placed number representation and floating point under Digital Logic, and pure graph-theory questions under Engineering Mathematics.

Apart from General Aptitude and Engineering Mathematics, nine core subjects shared 70 marks in Session 1 and 72 in Session 2. None was missing from either session, and the smallest, Compiler Design, carried 5 marks both times.

Question types

Only MCQs lose marks for a wrong answer. In Session 1, 57 of the 100 marks sat in MSQ and NAT questions, which have no negative marking and, for MSQ, no partial credit. In Session 2 the figure was 49.

What stood out (our reading)

• Session 1 leaned on multiple-select. The 24 MSQs reached every subject, and all four Theory of Computation questions were MSQ.
• Discrete maths carried the maths block. Session 1 asked about vertex cover, 2-colourability, matchings in a path and a counting question on binary matrices, plus eigenvalues, a null space, continuity and two probability questions. Session 2 mixed predicate logic, relation properties, the Jaccard overlap of spanning trees, a determinant, coin-toss events and the points where a function is discontinuous.
• Numerical answers rewarded tracing and sizing. Three of the four Operating System questions in Session 1 were NATs (minimum resources for deadlock freedom, a fork count, an FCFS average waiting time), and so were three of five in Session 2 (free-block list, TLB reach, memory holes). Session 2 had 13 two-mark NATs, worth 26 marks.
• Algorithms swung between sessions. It had 4 questions in Session 1 and 6 in Session 2, but with Programming and Data Structures added the two sessions held 20 and 21 marks.
• Difficulty is our reading, not an official rating. The one-mark questions were mostly direct concept checks on TCP, HTTP, parsing or scheduling. The effort sat in two-mark questions needing several steps, such as cache sizing, pipeline timing, TCP window growth and recursion tracing. Session 1's MSQ load made it less forgiving, because one wrong option scores zero.

What it means for GATE 2027 preparation

1. Cover every core subject. Each had at least 3 questions in both sessions, so skipping one gives up at least 5 marks.
2. Practise all three formats. Solve MSQs without leaning on elimination, and type NAT answers to the precision asked. The key accepts a range for some NATs (Session 1's expected-value question accepted 4.24 to 4.26), not all.
3. Treat these weights as a guide. GATE 2027 revised the syllabus, lists CS in 10 sections and fixes Engineering Mathematics at 13 marks. Check topics against the CS syllabus and plan before counting a past question as relevant.
4. Budget about 2.8 minutes a question. Skip a long 2-mark NAT and return to it.

The previous year papers guide gives a three-pass method, and the 2025 CS analysis lets you compare years.

Using the tally with PrepMatic

Take the free PrepMatic assessment (about 15 multiple-choice questions, no timer) to see your weakest subjects, then check them against the table: a weak subject worth 11 to 13 marks, such as Computer Organization or Programming and Data Structures, comes first. The study plan turns your exam date and daily hours into a roadmap, and topic tests (about 15 questions, 30 minutes) check a subject once you finish it. PrepMatic's practice questions are AI-generated, so solve the real papers from the official links below.

Frequently asked questions

How many MSQs were there in GATE 2026 CS?

Session 1 (CS-1) had 24 MSQs worth 35 marks, and Session 2 (CS-2) had 11 worth 17 marks, going by the official answer keys.

Was the GATE 2026 CS paper easy or difficult?

GATE publishes no difficulty rating. The official General qualifying mark for CS was 30.0 in 2026 and 29.2 in 2025. It depends on how every candidate scored, so it does not measure difficulty on its own.

Which subject had the most marks?

By our tally, Engineering Mathematics (15 marks in Session 1, 13 in Session 2), followed by Programming and Data Structures (13 and 12).

Official sources

• CS-1 question paper and answer key.
• CS-2 question paper and answer key.
• GATE 2026 examination schedule and cut-off marks; GATE 2025 cut-off marks.
• GATE 2027 downloads page for all past papers.

Counts above are our own tally from the official papers and keys. Confirm any figure you rely on against the official files. For the full exam guide, start from the GATE guide; more analyses are in the paper analysis index.

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