GATE Petroleum Engineering Syllabus 2026-27: Check Important Topics, Weightage & Topper Tips
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Content Writer | Updated On - Jul 29, 2025
The GATE Petroleum Engineering syllabus for the academic year 2026-2027 is released on the official website, gate2026.iitr.ac.in by IIT Roorkee. However, no new changes have been made this year. The GATE Syllabus for petroleum engineering is divided into three major sections.
- General Aptitude - 72%
- Engineering Mathematics - 15%
- Petroleum Engineering Core Subjects - 13%
The Petroleum Engineering syllabus includes the General Aptitude section which is common to all the GATE exams and various subjects of petroleum engineering, such as reservoir engineering, production engineering, drilling engineering, etc. Those having PE as their first paper can choose CH, XE or GG as their second paper.
- The question paper will have 65 questions for 100 marks, 10 from General Aptitude and 55 from Engineer Mathematics and Petroleum Engineering Core subjects.
- As per the GATE exam pattern, there will be no negative markings on MSQs and NATs, however, marks will be deducted for incorrect MCQs.
Candidates who are going to appear for the GATE 2026 exam must get a deep understanding of the syllabus and exam pattern to start their preparation effectively.
Aspirants can download the syllabus PDF from the direct link provided below.
- GATE Petroleum Engineering Syllabus 2026-27: Highlights
- What Is GATE Syllabus For Petroleum Engineering?
2.1 GATE Petroleum Engineering Syllabus 2026 For General Aptitude (GA)
2.2 Gate Petroleum Engineering Syllabus 2026 For Engineering Mathematics
2.3 Gate Petroleum Engineering Syllabus 2026 For Core Subjects
- What is GATE 2026 Petroleum Engineering Sectional Weightage?
3.1 Weightage of Important Topics (Expected)
3.2 Marking Scheme
3.3 Negative Marking
- What Is GATE 2026 Preparation Strategy In Last 3 Months?
4.2 GATE Previous Year Question Papers
- Tips From Toppers
- How To Analyse GATE 2026 Mock Tests?
- FAQs
GATE Petroleum Engineering Syllabus 2026-27: Highlights
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Mode of Exam | Online |
| Number of Questions | 65 |
| Duration of Exam | 3 hours |
| Pattern of Questions |
|
| Marking Scheme |
|
| Number of Sections |
|
| Topic wise weightage |
|
What Is GATE Syllabus For Petroleum Engineering?
The Petroleum Engineering GATE syllabus consists of sections that you have to study for the examination and these sections are further divided into multiple topics. Given below are the details of all the sections of the Petroleum Engineering GATE syllabus.
GATE Petroleum Engineering Syllabus 2026 For General Aptitude (GA)
The details of the General Aptitude syllabus are given below.
| Topics | Syllabus |
|---|---|
| Verbal Aptitude |
|
| Quantitative Aptitude |
|
| Analytical Aptitude |
|
| Spatial Aptitude |
|
Gate Petroleum Engineering Syllabus 2026 For Engineering Mathematics
The details of Engineering Mathematics are given below.
| Topics | Syllabus |
|---|---|
| Linear Algebra |
|
| Calculus |
|
| Differential Equations |
|
| Vector Analysis |
|
| Complex Analysis |
|
| Probability and Statistics |
|
Gate Petroleum Engineering Syllabus 2026 For Core Subjects
The core subjects for the Petroleum Engineering GATE Syllabus are given below.
| Subject | Topics |
|---|---|
| Petroleum Exploration |
|
| Oil and Gas Well Drilling Technology |
|
| Reservoir Engineering |
|
| Petroleum Production Operations |
|
| Offshore Drilling and Production Practices |
|
| Petroleum Formation Evaluation |
|
| Oil and Gas Well Testing |
|
| Health Safety and Environment in Petroleum Industry |
|
| Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques |
|
| Latest trends in Petroleum Engineering |
|
Quick Links:
What is GATE 2026 Petroleum Engineering Sectional Weightage?
The section-wise weightage details of the Petroleum Engineering GATE Syllabus are given below.
| Section | Marks per Question | Number of Questions | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Aptitude | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| 2 | 5 | 10 | |
| Petroleum Engineering | 1 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | 30 | 60 | |
| Total questions and marks | 65 | 100 | |
Weightage of Important Topics (Expected)
Based on the previous year’s trends, the table below includes the topic-wise expected weightage of GATE Petroleum Engineering.
| Topics | Expected Weightage (Marks) |
|---|---|
| Petroleum Geology & Exploration | 5 |
| Oil & Gas Drilling Technology | 10 |
| Reservoir Engineering | 8 |
| Petroleum Production Operations | 11 |
| Offshore Drilling & Production Practices | 6 |
| Formation Evaluation | 8 |
| Oil & Gas Well Testing | 6 |
| HSE in the petroleum Industry | 5 |
| EOR Techniques | 7 |
| Latest trends in PE | 4 |
Marking Scheme
| Sections | 1 mark Questions | 2 marks Questions | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Aptitude | 5 | 5 | (5 x 1) + (5 x 2) = 15 |
| Engineering Mathematics | 25 | 30 | (25 x 1) + (30 x 2) = 85 |
| Core Discipline- Petroleum Engineering | |||
| Total | 30 | 35 | 100 |
Negative Marking
| Type of Question | 1 Mark Questions | 2 Marks Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) | 1/3 mark | 2/3 mark |
| Multiple Select Questions (MSQs) | No negative marking | No negative marking |
| Numerical Answer Type (NATs) | No negative marking | No negative marking |
What Is GATE 2026 Preparation Strategy In Last 3 Months?
Study for an effective number of hours each day. Give your time to:
- Question-Solving
- Numerical Solving Skills/Analysis
- Revision
- Complete pending syllabus
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of days | 90 |
| Effective Number of hours per day | 6 |
| Total study hours | 540 (90 x 6) |
| Percentage Distribution | |
| Question-Solving | 35% |
| Numerical Solving Skills/Analysis | 35% |
| Revision | 25% |
| Complete pending syllabus | 5% |
| Hourly Distribution | |
| Question-Solving | 189 hr |
| Numerical Solving Skills/Analysis | 189 hr |
| Revision | 135 hr |
| Complete pending syllabus | 27 hr |
Recommended Books
The recommended books for each section of Petroleum Engineering are given below.
General Aptitude
| Name of the Book | Author |
|---|---|
| Reasoning and Aptitude | Nem Singh |
| A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal |
| Wiley Acing the GATE: Engineering Mathematics and General Aptitude | Anil Kumar Main |
| GATE General Aptitude & Engineering Mathematics | Trishna |
| How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude | Arun Sharma |
| Aptitude & Reasoning for GATE 2023 and ESE 2023 (Prelims) – Theory, Practices Questions and Previous Year Solved Papers | Hemant Jain |
| High School English Grammar | Wren and Martin |
Engineering Mathematics
| Name of the Book | Author |
|---|---|
| Advanced Engineering Mathematics | Erwin Kreyszig |
| GATE Engineering Mathematics | Made easy Publications |
| A Handbook of Engineering Mathematics | ME Editorial Board |
| Higher Engineering Mathematics | B.S. Grewal |
| GATE Engineering Mathematics for all streams | Arihant Publications |
| Engineering Mathematics for GATE 2021 and ESE 2021 (Prelims)-Theory and Previous Year Solved Papers | MADE EASY Editorial Board |
Core Subjects
| Name of the Book | Author |
|---|---|
| Khanna’s Objective Questions in Petroleum Engineering | Vikas Mahto, Khanna Book Publishing Company Private Limited |
| Introduction to Petroleum Engineering | John R. Fanchi, Wiley-Blackwell |
| HPCL Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited Boiler Technician Mechanical Engineering | G.K Publications PVT.LTD |
| Elements of Petroleum Refinery Engineering | OP Gupta, Khanna Publishers |
| Applied Petroleum Reservoir Engineering | Ronald E. Terry, Prentice Hall |
| Oil Well Testing | Navid Naderpour and Maryam Khoshtinat Nikoo |
GATE Previous Year Question Papers
| Year | GATE Previous Question Paper | Answer Key |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Download PDF | Download PDF |
| 2020 | Download PDF | Download PDF |
| 2019 | Download PDF | Download PDF |
Quick Links:
Tips From Toppers
Given below are the do’s and donts for Petroleum Engineering paper according to the tips given by toppers.
| Dos | Donts |
|---|---|
|
|
How To Analyse GATE 2026 Mock Tests?
The analysis is divided into three broad categories.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Macro Analysis |
|
| Accuracy Analysis |
|
| Micro Analysis |
|
Note - Go through all those questions that you did correctly.
FAQs
Ques. How many applicants pass the GATE for petroleum engineering each year?
Ans. Every year, nearly 21–30% of applicants pass the Petroleum Engineering exam.
Ques. How to download the GATE Petroleum Engineering syllabus 2026?
Ans. Aspirants can download the GATE Petroleum Engineering Syllabus 2026 PDF from the IIT Roorkee's official website or the direct link provided above.
Ques. Based on the weightage of sections what could be the most important sections from GATE Petroleum Engineering Syllabus?
Ans. All the sections are very important because the basics or concepts are interrelated and you should not leave any topic during your preparation. However, there are some of the important topics from which one can expect the maximum number of questions.
Some of the important topics are given below.
- Oil & Gas Drilling Technology
- Petroleum Production Operations
- Reservoir Engineering
- Formation Evaluation
- EOR Techniques
Ques. What will be the difficulty level of GATE Petroleum Engineering?
Ans. According to the previous year’s trends, the difficulty level of the Petroleum Engineering paper ranges from easy to moderate.
Ques. What is GATE Petroleum Engineering Cutoff?
Ans. Candidates can check the GATE Petroleum Engineering Cutoff of previous years from the table given below.
| Category | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 37.8 | 51.4 | 39.8 | 49.9 | 39.8 |
| OBC-NCL/EWS | 34 | 47.1 | 35.8 | 44.9 | 35.8 |
| SC/ST/PWD | 25.1 | 34.9 | 26.5 | 33.3 | 26.5 |
Ques. What is GATE Petroleum Engineering exam analysis?
Ans. Candidates can find the paper analysis for the previous year from the table below.
| Petroleum Engineering Paper Analysis 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sectional Analysis | Marks Distribution | Total Marks | |
| Marks 1 | Marks 2 | ||
| Technical | |||
| 1. Petroleum Exploration | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. Oil and Gas Well Drilling Technology | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| 3. Reservoir Engineering | 3 | 7 | 17 |
| 4. Petroleum Production Operations | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| 5. Offshore Drilling and Production Practices | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6. Petroleum Formation Evaluation | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 7. Oil and Gas Well Testing | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| 8. Health Safety and Environment in Petroleum Industry | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 9. Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 10. Latest trends in Petroleum Engineering | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 11. General Aptitude | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| 12. Engineering Mathematics | 5 | 4 | 13 |
| Total Marks | 100 | ||
Comparison between MCQ/MSQ/NAT for GATE Petroleum Engineering exam 2022
| Comparison | Number of 1 marks question | Number of 2 marks question | Total Marks | Percentage Weightage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCQ | 17 | 12 | 41 | 41 |
| MSQ | 9 | 2 | 13 | 13 |
| NAT | 4 | 21 | 46 | 46 |
GATE Petroleum Engineering Question Paper Analysis 2021
| Petroleum Engineering Paper Analysis 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sectional Analysis | Marks Distribution | Total Marks | |
| Marks 1 | Marks 2 | ||
| Technical | |||
| 1. Petroleum Exploration | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 2. Oil and Gas Well Drilling Technology | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 3. Reservoir Engineering | 3 | 8 | 19 |
| 4. Petroleum Production Operations | 2 | 6 | 14 |
| 5. Offshore Drilling and Production Practices | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 6. Petroleum Formation Evaluation | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 7. Oil and Gas Well Testing | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| 8. Health Safety and Environment in Petroleum Industry | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9. Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 10. Latest trends in Petroleum Engineering | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 11. General Aptitude | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| 12. Engineering Mathematics | 5 | 4 | 13 |
| Total Marks | 100 | ||
Comparison between MCQ/MSQ/NAT for GATE Petroleum Engineering exam 2021
| Comparison | Number of 1 marks question | Number of 2 marks question | Total Marks | Percentage Weightage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCQ | 13 | 12 | 37 | 43.5 |
| MSQ | 6 | 2 | 10 | 11.8 |
| NAT | 6 | 16 | 38 | 44.7 |
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.
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