GATE Exam 2026: 7 Feb (Shift-1 & 2) Analysis, Review, Difficulty Level & Question Paper with Answer Key

IIT Guwahati has started the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2026 exam. The Day 1 exam took place on February 7, 2026, in two shifts. The first shift (9:30 AM to 12:30 PM) covered AG, ES, GG, IN, MA, MN, TF, XE, and XL papers. The second shift (2:30 PM to 5:30 PM) is scheduled for AE, BT, CH, CY, GE, PH, and XH papers.

If you are appearing for the GATE 2026 exam, make sure you carry your GATE 2026 admit card and a valid ID proof. Follow all the exam guidelines carefully to avoid any problems during the verification process.

IIT Guwahati is conducting the GATE 2026 exam on February 7, 8, 14, and 15, 2026. In this article, you'll find a complete subject-wise analysis of the GATE 2026 exam. This includes the overall difficulty level, expected good attempts, question types, and key topics asked across different subjects.

Note: GATE 2026 Shift 2 starts at 2:30 PM. It's advised that candidates reach the exam centre early to complete the verification and security checks on time.

GATE 2026 February 7 General Aptitude Analysis

The General Aptitude (GA) section carries 15 marks. It includes questions from Verbal Ability and Numerical Ability. This section is common across all GATE papers.

Key Highlights from the Forenoon Session:

The overall difficulty was moderate to tough.
General Aptitude was easy and mostly doable.
GA questions were asked from topics like Dice, Pythagoras, Age-related problems, and Distance problems.
Microbiology was moderate.
Biochemistry was easy. MSQ and NAT questions increased significantly compared to earlier years.
Zoology was moderately challenging.
Food Technology was easy.
Botany was moderate to tough.
Chemistry was moderately challenging.
Engineering Sciences (ES) was moderate to tough.
AG was moderate.

General Aptitude: Forenoon vs Afternoon Session Comparison

The subjects differ in both sessions, but the GA section follows the same syllabus and marking scheme. Here's a quick comparison:

Section	Forenoon Session	Afternoon Session
General Aptitude	Easy	To be updated

GATE 7 February Shift 1 Analysis 2026: Subject-Wise Overview

Here's the detailed subject-wise breakdown of the forenoon session. It covers the difficulty level and important topics for each subject.

Subject	Difficulty Level	Important Topics
AG	Moderate	Soil and Water Conservation
ES	Moderate to Difficult	Thermodynamics
GG	Easy to Moderate	Remote Sensing
IN	Moderate	Sensors and Transducers
MA	Moderate to Difficult	Linear Algebra, Calculus
MN	Easy to Moderate	Mine Ventilation
TF	Moderate	To be updated
XE	Moderate	Navier-Stokes Equations, Pipe Flow (Major/Minor Losses), Dimensional Analysis, Potential Flow
XL	Moderate to Tough	Reaction-based questions from Organic Chemistry, SN1 & SN2, Nitric Acid Reaction, Buffer Solution, Coordination Compound

GATE 7 February Shift 2 Analysis 2026

The GATE 2026 February 7 afternoon session paper analysis for AE, BT, CH, CY, GE, PH, and XH will be updated here once the exam is over. Stay tuned for the latest updates.

Subject	Difficulty Level	Important Topics
Aerospace Engineering (AE)	To be updated	To be updated
Biotechnology (BT)	To be updated	To be updated
Chemical Engineering (CH)	To be updated	To be updated
Chemistry (CY)	To be updated	To be updated
Geology and Geophysics (GE)	To be updated	To be updated
Physics (PH)	To be updated	To be updated
Humanities & Social Sciences (XH)	To be updated	To be updated