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GATE XE Exam Pattern 2024: Subject-wise Pattern & Marking Scheme
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: September 25th, 2023
GATE XE Exam Pattern 2024: In this article, we are providing an official exam pattern of the GATE XE exam here. Before heading toward the preparation, you should have a proper study of the exam pattern and syllabus of the GATE XE exam. GATE XE (Engineering Sciences) is one of the 29 papers which has 9 sections (A-H) out of which 2 sections General Aptitude (GA), and Engineering Mathematics (XE-A) is compulsory along with the candidate must attempt any two sections of XE Paper from sections B-H.
The choice of two sections from B to H can be made during the examination after viewing the questions. Let’s discuss the section-wise detailed GATE XE exam pattern 2024 along with the marks distribution and topics.
Table of content
GATE XE Exam Pattern 2024
Here is the GATE XE exam pattern 2024 described in detail along with the different paper combinations. Candidates are advised to go through these details before applying for the GATE 2024 application form.
| Section | Code | Marks |
| General Aptitude(Compulsory) | GA | 15 |
| Engineering Mathematics (Compulsory) | XE-A | 15 |
| Any Two optional Sections(70 Marks) | ||
| Fluid Mechanics | XE-B | 35 x 2 |
| Materials Science | XE-C | |
| Solid Mechanics | XE-D | |
| Thermodynamics | XE-E | |
| Polymer Science and Engineering | XE-F | |
| Food Technology | XE-G | |
| Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences | XE-H | |
Details About GATE XE Exam
-
The length of the examination will be three hours.
- There will be a total of 65 questions.
- The Maximum Mark will be 100 Marks.
- The type of questions that will come in GATE XE is as follows:
- Multiple-Choice Questions(MCQ)
- Numerical Answer Type(NAT)
- In GATE XE Questions a candidate will be tested on the basis of the following parameters:
| Recall |
|
| Comprehension |
|
| Application |
|
| Analysis and Synthesis |
|
XE Combination of Papers
GATE 2024 exam allows the candidate to appear for one or up to two papers for an allowed combination of papers. Candidates can appear for GATE XE 2024 as:
- Primary paper when choosing only one paper to appear for or
- As a secondary paper along with a primary paper when choosing two papers to appear for.
- GATE XE can be the secondary paper along with the following codes
| Code of the Primary Paper | Code of Papers allowed as Secondary Paper |
| Aerospace Engineering(AE) | XE |
| Chemical Engineering(CH) | |
| Mining Engineering (MN) | |
| Metallurgical Engineering (MT) | |
| Petroleum Engineering (PE) | |
| Production and Industrial Engineering (PI) | |
| Textile Engineering and Fiber Science(TF) |
Negative Marking in MCQs
The marking scheme for GATE XE Exam is described below. Candidates must be aware that MCQ questions in the GATE XE exam carry negative marks so that it can be avoided in the GATE Exam.
- 1-mark MCQ: 1/3 mark is to be deducted for every wrong answer
- 2-mark MCQ: 2/3 mark is to be deducted for every wrong answer
GATE XE Marks Distribution 2024
The marks distribution in GATE XE papers is shown below. In the GATE exam questions either carry two marks or one mark.
- General Aptitude (Compulsory)
- Questions carry a total of 15 marks.
- It will hold a weightage of a total of 15 marks.
- There will be a total of 10 questions where
- 5 questions will be of 1 mark each and
- 5 questions will be of 2 marks each.
- Section A – Engineering Mathematics (Compulsory)
- Questions will be of two types either MCQ or NATs.
- The total no. of questions will be 11
- This section will carry 15 marks in total
- 1-mark each: 7 questions
- 2-mark each: 4 questions
- Any two of XE Sections B to H
- You can make the choice of any two sections from B to H after having a look at the questions.
- At a time you can only answer TWO optional sections.
- If you wish to change midway through the examination to another optional section must first choose to deselect one of the previously chosen optional sections (B to H).
- Optional Sections B to H of XE-Paper will have 22 questions with a total weightage of 35 marks
- 1-mark each: 9 questions
- 2-marks each: 13 questions
- A few questions will be of MSQ/NATs while the remaining will be MCQ
GATE XE Pattern 2024: Section-wise Topics
GATE XE includes a total of 9 sections out of which GA and XE-A are compulsory and candidates can choose any two sections from sections B-H. Find the overview of the different sections of GATE XE below.
| Subject code | Exam pattern |
| General Aptitude |
|
| Engineering Mathematics |
|
| Fluid Mechanics |
|
| Materials Science |
|
| Solid Mechanics |
|
| Thermodynamics |
|
| Polymer Science & Engineering |
|
| Food Technology |
|
| Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences |
|
GATE XE Previous Year’s Cutoff
Candidates can check maximum marks, previous year’s average marks & cut off for the XE branch for GATE 2022 from the below table.
|
Branch name |
Total marks |
Max marks obtained |
AVG marks out of 100 |
The cutoff marks out of 100 |
|
XE |
1000 |
90.33 |
22.00 |
37.00 |
Important articles for GATE XE 2024
- List of Best Books to Prepare for the GATE XE 2024 Exam
- GATE XE 2024 Detailed Syllabus, Download the PDF
Important Tips for GATE Preparation
- How to use Virtual Calculator for GATE 2024
- Topper’s strategy for GATE Exam preparation
- GATE 2024 Exam Syllabus
