GATE Physics Exam Pattern
GATE 2026 is already conducted. The information below is for GATE 2027. Where 2027 dates have not yet been officially released by IIT/IISc, expected dates are shown based on the GATE 2026 schedule.
GATE Physics is paper code PH, a computer-based test of 3 hours conducted by the IITs and IISc on rotation. The paper has 65 questions for a total of 100 marks, split between a General Aptitude section and the Physics subject section.
Paper structure at a glance
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Aptitude (GA) | 10 | 15 |
| Physics subject | 55 | 85 |
| Total | 65 | 100 |
Question types
- MCQ — Multiple Choice Questions: exactly one correct answer out of four. Carry negative marking.
- MSQ — Multiple Select Questions: one or more correct answers; no partial credit and no negative marking.
- NAT — Numerical Answer Type: answer is entered using a virtual keypad; no choices shown and no negative marking.
Marks distribution & negative marking
- GA: 5 × 1-mark + 5 × 2-mark questions.
- Physics: a mix of +1 and +2 mark questions across MCQ, MSQ and NAT.
- MCQ negative marking: −1/3 for 1-mark, −2/3 for 2-mark.
- MSQ and NAT: no negative marking.
Eligibility
Per the official GATE eligibility (gate2026.iitg.ac.in):
- Age limit: There is no age limit for appearing in GATE.
- Educational qualification: A candidate who is currently studying in the 3rd or higher year of any undergraduate degree programme or has already completed any government-approved degree programme in Engineering / Technology / Architecture / Science / Commerce / Arts is eligible to appear in GATE.
- For Physics (PH), typical qualifying degrees include B.Sc. (3-year) / B.S. / B.Tech / M.Sc. (Physics) and equivalent — candidates in the 3rd year of B.Sc. and beyond may apply.
- Nationality: Indian nationals are eligible; international candidates from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, UAE and Singapore may also apply per the official brochure.
Application fee (as per GATE 2026 official notification)
| Category | Regular period | Extended period (with late fee) |
|---|---|---|
| SC / ST / PwD / Female | ₹ 1,000 | ₹ 1,500 |
| All other candidates (Indian) | ₹ 2,000 | ₹ 2,500 |
| International — Addis Ababa, Colombo, Dhaka, Kathmandu | US $ 50 | US $ 70 |
| International — Dubai, Singapore | US $ 100 | US $ 120 |
GATE 2027 fees will be confirmed when the official brochure is released. The 2026 fee structure is shown above for reference.
Important dates — GATE 2027 (expected, based on GATE 2026 schedule)
| Event | Expected date |
|---|---|
| Online application portal opens | Last week of August 2026 |
| Closing date — regular fee | Last week of September 2026 |
| Closing date — extended (with late fee) | Second week of October 2026 |
| Modification / correction window | First half of November 2026 |
| Admit card release | First week of January 2027 |
| GATE 2027 examination | First two weekends of February 2027 |
| Answer key release | Mid-February 2027 |
| Result declaration | Around 19 March 2027 |
| Scorecard download | Late March 2027 |
All GATE 2027 dates above are expected, pegged to the GATE 2026 calendar (gate2026.iitg.ac.in). Official 2027 dates will be published by the organising institute (IIT/IISc) on the GATE 2027 portal.
Test environment
- Mode: computer-based test (CBT).
- Duration: 3 hours (180 minutes).
- A virtual scientific calculator is provided on screen; physical calculators, watches and electronic devices are not allowed.
Exam centres
GATE Physics (PH) is conducted across 200+ cities in India and at 6 international centres. The official list of cities published in the GATE 2026 brochure includes:
Indian exam-centre cities (state-wise — selected list)
- Andhra Pradesh — Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Guntur, Kakinada, Rajahmundry, Nellore, Kurnool
- Arunachal Pradesh — Itanagar / Naharlagun
- Assam — Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Silchar, Tezpur
- Bihar — Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Purnea
- Chhattisgarh — Raipur, Bhilai, Bilaspur
- Delhi (NCR) — Delhi, Faridabad, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Noida
- Goa — Panaji, Madgaon
- Gujarat — Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Anand, Bhavnagar
- Haryana — Ambala, Hisar, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Panipat
- Himachal Pradesh — Shimla, Hamirpur, Mandi, Palampur
- J&K / Ladakh — Jammu, Srinagar, Leh
- Jharkhand — Ranchi, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, Bokaro
- Karnataka — Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi, Belagavi, Davanagere
- Kerala — Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Kannur, Kollam
- Madhya Pradesh — Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain
- Maharashtra — Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Solapur, Amravati
- Manipur — Imphal
- Meghalaya — Shillong
- Mizoram — Aizawl
- Nagaland — Kohima, Dimapur
- Odisha — Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Berhampur
- Puducherry — Puducherry
- Punjab — Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala, Mohali
- Rajasthan — Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur, Ajmer, Bikaner
- Sikkim — Gangtok
- Tamil Nadu — Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Tirunelveli, Vellore
- Telangana — Hyderabad, Warangal, Karimnagar
- Tripura — Agartala
- Uttar Pradesh — Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad (Prayagraj), Agra, Meerut, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Aligarh
- Uttarakhand — Dehradun, Haldwani, Roorkee
- West Bengal — Kolkata, Asansol, Durgapur, Siliguri, Kharagpur, Burdwan
International exam-centre cities
- Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
- Colombo (Sri Lanka)
- Dhaka (Bangladesh)
- Kathmandu (Nepal)
- Dubai (UAE)
- Singapore
Reference: official GATE 2026 brochure — list of exam cities (gate2026.iitg.ac.in). The full final list for GATE 2027 will be released on the GATE 2027 official website.
What to focus on
Across 2012–2026 the highest weightage in GATE PH has consistently come from Quantum Mechanics, Electromagnetism, Classical Mechanics, Mathematical Physics and Solid State Physics. Use the analytics page to see subject and topic-wise weightage at a glance, and the PYQ library to practise subject-wise.