GATE 2027 Syllabus Changes and Paper Codes: 30 Papers, New RA Paper
Key takeaways
- GATE 2027 has 30 test papers; IIT Madras says the syllabi of all papers have been revised, so use only the 2027 PDFs from gate2027.iitm.ac.in.
- Robotics and Automation (RA) is a new paper, and Textile Engineering and Fibre Science (TF) is no longer a separate paper; it is now section XE9 inside Engineering Sciences.
- XE, XH and XL section codes changed: XE0 (15 marks) + any two of XE1-XE9 (35 each); XH0 (25) + one of XH1-XH6 (60); XL0 Chemistry (25) + any two of XL1-XL5 (30 each).
- Every paper is 100 marks in 3 hours, with 15 marks of General Aptitude; you may take one paper or two papers from the official combination list.
- Paper choice is made in the application: regular registration now closes on 5 October 2026 and late-fee registration on 12 October 2026.
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The GATE 2027 syllabus has been revised for all 30 test papers, according to IIT Madras. The biggest structural changes are a new Robotics and Automation (RA) paper, Textile moving into Engineering Sciences as section XE9, and new number-based section codes for the XE, XH and XL papers.
This guide lists all 30 paper codes, explains the XE, XH and XL section structure with marks, shows the two-paper combination rules and tells you where to download the official syllabus PDFs. Everything here was checked on gate2027.iitm.ac.in and the revised information brochure on 29 September 2026.
What has changed in the GATE 2027 syllabus?
IIT Madras says the syllabi of the GATE 2027 test papers have been revised and asks every candidate to check the updated version. It has also added a new RA paper, turned the old TF paper into section XE9, and changed the XE, XH and XL section codes. The paper count stays at 30.
The official site does not publish a topic-by-topic "what changed" list for each paper. So do not trust any claim that a specific chapter was added or dropped unless you have seen it in the 2027 PDF yourself. The safe method is simple: download the 2027 syllabus for your paper, keep the GATE 2026 syllabus beside it, and mark the differences.
- New paper: Robotics and Automation (RA), announced on 20 July 2026.
- Merged paper: Textile Engineering and Fibre Science (TF) is now XE9, a section of the XE paper.
- New codes: XE sections are XE0-XE9, XH sections are XH0-XH6, XL sections are XL0-XL5.
- Revised syllabi: for all papers, as per the official test papers page.
Paper codes matter. IIT Madras says you need your paper code both while applying and in the exam. If you write XE, XH or XL, learn the new section codes now so you do not pick the wrong section.
What are the 30 GATE 2027 paper codes?
GATE 2027 has 30 papers, from AE (Aerospace Engineering) to XL (Life Sciences). RA is the only new code. TF no longer appears as a separate paper. You can appear in one paper, or in two papers if they form an allowed combination.
| Code | Paper | Code | Paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| AE | Aerospace Engineering | IN | Instrumentation Engineering |
| AG | Agricultural Engineering | MA | Mathematics |
| AR | Architecture and Planning | ME | Mechanical Engineering |
| BM | Biomedical Engineering | MN | Mining Engineering |
| BT | Biotechnology | MT | Metallurgical Engineering |
| CE | Civil Engineering | NM | Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering |
| CH | Chemical Engineering | PE | Petroleum Engineering |
| CS | Computer Science and Information Technology | PH | Physics |
| CY | Chemistry | PI | Production and Industrial Engineering |
| DA | Data Science and Artificial Intelligence | RA | Robotics and Automation (new) |
| EC | Electronics and Communication Engineering | ST | Statistics |
| EE | Electrical Engineering | XE | Engineering Sciences |
| ES | Environmental Science and Engineering | XH | Humanities and Social Sciences |
| EY | Ecology and Evolution | XL | Life Sciences |
| GE | Geomatics Engineering | GG | Geology and Geophysics |
Source: GATE 2027 test papers and syllabus page, gate2027.iitm.ac.in. All papers are in English only.
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What is the GATE 2027 exam pattern and marks split?
Every GATE 2027 paper is a 3-hour computer-based test of 100 marks with 65 questions: 10 in General Aptitude (15 marks) and 55 in the subject (85 marks). Questions are MCQ, MSQ or numerical answer type. Only MCQs have negative marking: 1/3 mark for a wrong 1-mark MCQ and 2/3 for a wrong 2-mark MCQ.
How the 85 subject marks are split depends on the paper. The official question paper pattern page gives this breakdown.
| Paper(s) | General Aptitude | Common section | Optional section(s) | When you pick the option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AE, AG, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, ES, IN, ME, MN, MT, NM, PE, PI | 15 | 85 (includes 13 marks of paper-specific Engineering Mathematics) | - | - |
| CY, DA, EY, MA, PH, ST | 15 | 85 | - | - |
| AR (B1 Architecture or B2 Planning) | 15 | 60 | 25 | During the exam |
| GE (B1 Surveying and Mapping or B2 Image Processing and Analysis) | 15 | 55 | 30 | During the exam |
| GG (B1 Geology or B2 Geophysics) | 15 | 25 | 60 | At the time of application |
| RA (B1 Electrical or B2 Mechanical) | 15 | 60 | 25 | During the exam |
| XE | 15 | 15 (XE0) | 2 x 35 | During the exam |
| XH | 15 | 25 (XH0) | 60 | At the time of application |
| XL | 15 | 25 (XL0) | 2 x 30 | During the exam |
MSQ and NAT questions have no negative marking, and there is no partial marking in MSQ. You must use the on-screen virtual calculator.
How is the GATE 2027 XE paper structured?
In GATE 2027, the XE (Engineering Sciences) paper has a compulsory XE0 Engineering Mathematics section worth 15 marks, plus any two optional sections from XE1 to XE9 worth 35 marks each. With General Aptitude, the total is 100. You pick the two optional sections during the exam after seeing the questions.
The brochure says XE0 has 11 questions and each optional section has 22 questions. If you change a section during the exam, you must first de-select one; that clears its answers.
| GATE 2026 code | GATE 2027 code | XE section | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| XE-A | XE0 | Engineering Mathematics (compulsory) | 15 |
| XE-B | XE1 | Fluid Mechanics | 35 |
| XE-C | XE2 | Materials Science | 35 |
| XE-D | XE3 | Solid Mechanics | 35 |
| XE-E | XE4 | Thermodynamics | 35 |
| XE-F | XE5 | Polymer Science and Engineering | 35 |
| XE-G | XE6 | Food Technology | 35 |
| XE-H | XE7 | Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences | 35 |
| XE-I | XE8 | Energy Science | 35 |
| TF (separate paper) | XE9 | Textile Engineering and Fibre Science | 35 |
For textile students, this is the biggest change. Earlier you wrote a full TF paper. Now you write XE, which means you must also prepare XE0 Engineering Mathematics and one more optional section besides XE9. Pick that second section early, ideally one close to your course, such as Polymer Science or Materials Science.
How are the GATE 2027 XH and XL papers structured?
XH has a compulsory XH0 Reasoning and Comprehension section (25 marks) and one optional section (60 marks), which you must choose in the application form. XL has a compulsory XL0 Chemistry section (25 marks) and any two optional sections of 30 marks each, chosen during the exam.
| Paper | GATE 2026 code | GATE 2027 code | Section | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XH | XH-B1 | XH0 | Reasoning and Comprehension (compulsory) | 25 |
| XH | XH-C1 to XH-C6 | XH1 to XH6 | Economics, English, Linguistics, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology (choose one) | 60 |
| XL | XL-P | XL0 | Chemistry (compulsory) | 25 |
| XL | XL-Q to XL-U | XL1 to XL5 | Biochemistry, Botany, Microbiology, Zoology, Food Technology (choose two) | 30 each |
The XH section cannot be changed in the exam hall, so decide carefully while filling the form. The brochure says GG and XH candidates get separate scores and ranks based on their section. Section-wise scores are not given for other papers, including AR, RA and GE.
Media reports earlier described this structure (for example, XE0 of 15 marks with two 35-mark options). It is now confirmed by the official test papers page and the revised brochure, so you can rely on these numbers.
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Which two-paper combinations are allowed in GATE 2027?
You can write two GATE 2027 papers only if the second paper is on the official combination list for your first (primary) paper. Combinations outside the list are not allowed in the regular and extended registration windows. Mining Engineering (MN) has no allowed second paper. The fee for two papers is higher.
| Primary paper | Allowed second paper |
|---|---|
| CS | DA, EC, GE, MA, ME, PH, RA, ST |
| DA | CS, EC, EE, MA, ME, PH, RA, ST, XE |
| EC | CS, DA, EE, IN, PH, RA |
| EE | DA, EC, IN, PH, RA |
| ME | AE, CS, DA, IN, NM, PI, RA, XE |
| IN | BM, EC, EE, ME, RA |
| RA | CS, DA, EC, EE, IN, ME |
| CE | AE, AG, AR, ES, GE, NM, XE |
| CH | ES, PE, XE |
| XE | AE, CE, CH, CY, DA, ME, MT, NM, PH, PI |
| XL | BT, CY, EY |
| XH | ST |
| MN | None |
This table shows the combinations most engineering students ask about. The full list for all 30 papers is on the official two-paper combination page. IIT Madras says it may open more combinations later, and it may also remove some; if a combination is removed, the fee for the second paper is refunded. Your second paper may be at a different centre, but in the same city.
Where can you download the official GATE 2027 syllabus PDFs?
Download the GATE 2027 syllabus only from the Test Papers and Syllabus page of gate2027.iitm.ac.in. Click your paper code there to get a PDF. The same syllabi are also printed at the end of the revised information brochure. Coaching PDFs may still carry the 2026 version.
- GATE 2027 test papers and syllabus page (links to all 30 PDFs)
- RA syllabus PDF
- XE combined syllabus PDF (XE0 to XE9)
- XH combined syllabus PDF
- XL combined syllabus PDF
- GATE 2027 information brochure (revised 27 September 2026)
Other papers follow the same pattern, for example CS_GATE2027_Syllabus.pdf or ME_GATE2027_Syllabus.pdf in the same folder. The official site was slow at times on 29 September, so retry if a PDF does not open.
How should you use the revised syllabus in your preparation?
Treat the 2027 syllabus PDF as your checklist. Print it, tick off topics as you finish them, and highlight anything missing from your coaching notes. With about four months left before the February exams, focus on high-weightage core topics first.
- Download the 2027 PDF for your paper and the matching 2026 PDF.
- Mark new or reworded topics. Collect notes for them first, because old question banks will not cover them.
- Practise General Aptitude every week; it is 15 marks in every paper.
- XE and XL candidates: choose your optional sections early, even though the final choice happens in the exam.
- XH candidates: lock your optional section before submitting the form.
- Solve previous-year papers, but skip questions from topics that are no longer in the syllabus.
GATE 2027 exams are on 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21 February 2027, and the result is on 19 March 2027. See every IIT-run exam in one place on our IIT exam dates 2027 calendar.
What should you do next?
Your paper choice is part of the GATE 2027 application, and IIT Madras has officially extended the regular registration last date to 5 October 2026 (late fee until 12 October 2026). Decide your paper, and any second paper, before you submit. Then build your plan around the revised GATE 2027 syllabus.
- Check the extended dates and fee in our GATE 2027 registration extension update.
- For the full schedule and result timeline, read the our main GATE 2027 page.
- Thinking about the new paper? Read GATE 2027 Robotics and Automation: who should take it.
- Plan how your score will be used: M.Tech admission through COAP and CCMT or upcoming IIT and IISc PhD deadlines.
- Helping a younger sibling still in the JEE stage? Start with our list of colleges for a low JEE Main rank.
Frequently asked questions
How many papers are there in GATE 2027?
GATE 2027 has 30 test papers, as per the official IIT Madras website and information brochure. The list includes the new Robotics and Automation (RA) paper. Textile Engineering and Fibre Science is no longer a separate paper; it is now section XE9 of the Engineering Sciences (XE) paper.
Has the GATE 2027 syllabus changed?
Yes. IIT Madras says the syllabi for the GATE 2027 test papers have been revised and asks candidates to check the updated syllabi. The website does not publish a topic-by-topic list of changes, so download the 2027 PDF for your paper and compare it with the GATE 2026 syllabus yourself.
What is the new paper in GATE 2027?
The new paper is Robotics and Automation, with paper code RA. It has a common Part A of 60 marks and a Part B of 25 marks, where you choose either B1 Electrical or B2 Mechanical during the exam. General Aptitude adds 15 marks, making 100 marks in total.
What are the new XE section codes in GATE 2027?
XE sections now use numbers. XE0 is Engineering Mathematics (compulsory, 15 marks). XE1 to XE9 are Fluid Mechanics, Materials Science, Solid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Polymer Science, Food Technology, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Energy Science, and Textile Engineering and Fibre Science. You answer any two, 35 marks each.
Is Textile Engineering removed from GATE 2027?
Textile is not removed, but it is no longer a standalone paper. From GATE 2027, Textile Engineering and Fibre Science becomes section XE9 inside the XE paper. So a textile candidate now writes XE: General Aptitude, the compulsory XE0 Engineering Mathematics section, and two optional sections, one of which can be XE9.
When do I choose XH and XL sections in GATE 2027?
For XH, you must choose your one optional section (XH1 to XH6) while filling the application; it cannot be changed in the exam. For XE and XL, you choose your two optional sections during the exam after viewing the questions. GG and XH candidates get section-wise scores and ranks.
Can I choose two papers in GATE 2027?
Yes, but only from the official two-paper combination list on gate2027.iitm.ac.in. For example, CS can be paired with DA, EC, GE, MA, ME, PH, RA or ST. Mining Engineering (MN) has no allowed second paper. Combinations outside the list are not allowed in the regular and extended registration windows.
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