GATE Computer Science and Information Technology Pattern 2027: Questions, Marks and Negative Marking
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Content Writer | Updated On - Oct 26, 2026
GATE 2027 has 65 questions for 100 marks in three hours. General Aptitude carries 15 marks. The remaining structure depends on the paper and, for some papers, the selected optional sections.
CS covers Engineering Mathematics, digital logic, computer architecture, programming, algorithms, computation theory, compilers, operating systems, databases and networks. Programming is in C; the DA paper specifies Python instead.
GATE CS 2027 Paper Structure
| Feature | Rule |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Total questions | 65: 10 General Aptitude and 55 subject questions |
| Total marks | 100 |
| Mode and language | Computer-based test; English |
| Question types | MCQ, MSQ and numerical answer type |
| Mark value | 1 or 2 marks per question |
| Section | Marks | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| General Aptitude | 15 | Compulsory |
| Engineering Mathematics | 13 | Part of the subject paper |
| Core subject | 72 | All listed technical units are in scope |
There is no optional subject block in this paper. All listed sections are part of the syllabus.
MCQ, MSQ and Numerical Questions
| Question | How to answer |
|---|---|
| MCQ | Select the one correct option |
| MSQ | Select every correct option; there may be more than one |
| NAT | Enter the numerical answer using the on-screen virtual keypad |
An MSQ is not an MCQ with extra chances. Selecting a subset of the correct options, or adding a wrong option, earns no marks. NAT questions have no listed answer options; enter the number at the precision requested in the question.
Marking Scheme and Negative Marking
| Question type | Correct | Incorrect | Unanswered |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCQ, 1 mark | +1 | -1/3 | 0 |
| MCQ, 2 marks | +2 | -2/3 | 0 |
| MSQ, 1 or 2 marks | Full marks only for the exact correct set | 0; no partial credit | 0 |
| NAT, 1 or 2 marks | Full marks for an accepted numerical answer | 0 | 0 |
Unanswered questions carry zero. The MCQ penalty is a fraction of that question's marks, not a flat one-mark deduction. Wrong MSQ and NAT responses receive zero, with no additional penalty.
How Raw Marks Are Calculated
For a mixed paper, add the marks earned on correct answers and subtract only the applicable MCQ penalties. This example is illustrative, not a fixed question-type distribution.
| Answers | Calculation | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| One-mark MCQs: 12 correct, 3 wrong | 12 - 3/3 | 11 |
| Two-mark MCQs: 15 correct, 3 wrong | 30 - (3 x 2/3) | 28 |
| MSQs: four correct two-mark questions | 4 x 2 | 8 |
| NATs: six correct two-mark questions | 6 x 2 | 12 |
| Combined example | 11 + 28 + 8 + 12 | 59 / 100 |
The remaining questions in this example are incorrect non-MCQs or unanswered, contributing zero. These 59 marks are not a GATE score of 590. GATE score calculation uses paper-level qualifying and top-performance benchmarks, with normalised marks where applicable.
Subjects and Syllabus Coverage
| Unit | Topics |
|---|---|
| Engineering Mathematics | Discrete Mathematics: Propositional and first order logic. Sets, relations, functions, partial orders and lattices. Monoids, Groups. Graphs: connectivity, matching, colouring. Combinatorics: counting, recurrence relations, generating functions.; Linear Algebra: Matrices, determinants, system of linear equations, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, LU decomposition.; Calculus: Limits, continuity and differentiability, Maxima and minima, Mean value theorem, Integration.; Probability and Statistics: Random variables, Uniform, normal, exponential, Poisson and binomial distributions. Mean, median, mode and standard deviation. Conditional probability and Bayes theorem. |
| Digital Logic | Boolean algebra and minimization – algebraic technique, Karnaugh map, tabular method. Design of combinational and sequential circuits. Number representation and arithmetic (fixed and floating point). |
| Computer Organization and Architecture | Instruction set and addressing modes. Design of arithmetic and logic unit (ALU). Design of control unit – hardwired and microprogrammed. Memory interfacing and hierarchy: performance, cache memory mapping. I/O interface (interrupt and DMA). Instruction pipelining, pipeline hazards. |
| Programming and Data Structures | Programming in C. Recursion. Arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, trees, binary search trees, binary heaps, graphs. |
| Algorithms | Searching, sorting, hashing. Asymptotic worst case time and space complexity. Algorithm design techniques: greedy, dynamic programming and divide‐and‐conquer. Graph traversals, minimum spanning trees, shortest paths. |
| Theory of Computation | Regular expressions and finite automata. Context-free grammars and push-down automata. Regular and context-free languages, pumping lemma. Turing machines and undecidability. |
| Compiler Design | Lexical analysis, parsing, syntax-directed translation. Runtime environments. Intermediate code generation. Local optimisation, Data flow analyses: constant propagation, liveness analysis, common sub expression elimination. |
| Operating System | System calls, processes, threads, inter‐process communication, concurrency and synchronization. Deadlock. CPU and I/O scheduling. Memory management and virtual memory. File systems. |
| Databases | ER‐model. Relational model: relational algebra, tuple calculus, SQL. Integrity constraints, normal forms. File organization, indexing (e.g., B and B+ trees). Transactions and concurrency control. |
| Computer Networks | Principles of Layering; Basics of switching (circuit, packet and virtual circuit) and performance metrics;; Data link layer: error detection, Medium Access Control, Ethernet; Distance vector and link state routing; IPv4 - Fragmentation, CIDR Notation, Network Address Translation; TCP- flow control and congestion control, socket API; DNS and HTTP. |
The GATE CS syllabus gives the full topic list and preparation scope.
Using Previous Papers as Mocks
Use data structures before algorithm analysis, and finite automata before compiler parsing. For scheduling or cache questions, write the state after each event; skipping intermediate states often hides the actual mistake.
Use a complete paper for the three-hour practice attempt. A short topic set measures that topic only; do not convert its percentage into an expected GATE rank. Compare the question types, marks and current topics before using previous-year GATE papers as full simulations.
Raw Marks, Normalised Marks, Score and Rank
| Measure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Raw marks | Marks earned from the answers and MCQ penalties |
| Normalised marks | Adjusted marks for a paper conducted across multiple sessions |
| GATE score | Standardised score based on the official paper-level formula |
| Rank | Relative position in the applicable paper or optional-subject list |
Normalisation is not a fixed bonus for a difficult shift. It depends on session-level and all-session statistics, which are unavailable from an individual response sheet alone.
GATE CS Pattern FAQs
Is GATE 2027 a 100-mark or 100-question paper?+
It is a 100-mark paper with 65 questions: 10 General Aptitude and 55 subject questions. Questions carry either one or two marks.
Is the whole paper online?+
Yes. GATE is a computer-based examination in English. Numerical answers are entered through the on-screen virtual keypad.
Does selecting one correct MSQ option give partial credit?+
No. You must select exactly all the correct options. A partial set or a set containing an incorrect option earns zero.
Is there negative marking for numerical questions?+
No. An incorrect NAT receives zero. The negative-marking rules apply to MCQs only.
Can I multiply my marks by ten to calculate my GATE score?+
No. The score formula uses the General-category qualifying mark and a top-candidate benchmark for the paper. Multi-session papers use normalised marks first. A simple marks-times-ten calculation does not reproduce the official score.
Will the 2027 chapter distribution match last year?+
The official section allocation applies, but there is no promise of the same chapter-by-chapter distribution. Use dated paper analysis as a record of that examination, not as a guarantee for the next one.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.
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Answered Questions
For the UG Engineering courses, candidates need to have 10+2 with 45% for the general category. However, the aggregate percentage will be 40% for SC/ST/OBC. For the PG Engineering courses, candidates need to have graduation with 50% and 45% for the SC/ST/OBC.
The Fee for the B.Tech Computer Science and Engineering at VIT University is INR 1.73 Lakhs with an INR 3k caution deposit which is refundable and a One-time payment only.
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