GATE 2027: IIT Madras announces exam dates, introduces Robotics paper | Education News
3 min readNew DelhiJul 20, 2026 02:21 PM IST
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has announced the schedule for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2027. The national-level entrance examination will be held on February 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21, 2027, with tests conducted in both forenoon and afternoon sessions.
IIT Madras is the organising institute for GATE 2027, which is being conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the IITs on behalf of the National Coordination Board-GATE, Ministry of Education. The examination, first introduced in 1983, enters its 45th edition this year.
The online application portal is expected to open in the middle of August 2026. Candidates will be able to register through the official GATE 2027 website. IIT Madras has also announced that online registration will be integrated with DigiLocker and facial authentication to strengthen the examination process and enable smoother entry at test centres.
GATE is a computer-based test (CBT) that assesses candidates’ understanding of undergraduate-level subjects in engineering, technology, science, architecture, commerce, arts and humanities. Around 10 lakh candidates appear for the examination every year, making it one of India’s largest postgraduate entrance tests.
GATE 2027: What’s new?
The institute has revised the syllabus for the test papers after five years to align it with evolving academic and industry requirements.
A new Robotics and Automation (RA) paper has been introduced from GATE 2027. In another change, the Textile Engineering and Fibre Science (TF) paper has been converted into a sectional paper under Engineering Sciences (XE).
The examination will continue to be conducted in English only and will cover 30 test papers. Candidates can opt to appear for one or two papers from the prescribed combinations.
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GATE 2027: Eligibility
There is no upper or lower age limit for appearing in GATE. Candidates who have completed or are in the final year of a bachelor’s degree in engineering, technology, architecture, science, arts or commerce are eligible to apply.
Under the revised eligibility norms introduced earlier, third-year BTech students are also eligible to appear for the examination.
GATE 2027: Exam pattern
The examination will consist of 65 questions carrying 100 marks and will be conducted over three hours.
General Aptitude will carry 15 marks and is compulsory for all papers. Engineering Mathematics will account for 13 marks in most engineering papers. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) will have negative marking of one-third for one-mark questions and two-thirds for two-mark questions, while MSQ and NAT questions will not attract negative marking.
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What after GATE?
Candidates qualifying GATE 2027 can seek admission, with possible financial assistance, to Master’s, direct doctoral and doctoral programmes offered by institutions supported by the Ministry of Education and other government agencies.
The GATE score will remain valid for three years from the date of declaration of results. Apart from admissions to IITs, NITs, IIITs and other higher education institutions, GATE scores are also used by several Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and other organisations for recruitment.
Candidates are advised to keep track of updates on the official GATE 2027 website for detailed information on the application process, syllabus and other examination-related announcements.