GATE 2026 EC question paper PDF and answer key

The official GATE 2026 Electronics & Communication Engineering paper, organised by IIT Guwahati: 65 questions for 100 marks in 3 hours. Download the official question paper and answer key as PDFs. Below is how the marks were split by topic, the complete official answer key and 5 questions solved step by step.

Source: the official paper and answer key published by IIT Guwahati for GATE 2026 (official GATE site). Spotted a mistake? Email team@lemyte.com.

General Aptitude
10 · 15 marks
Electronics & Communication Engineering
55 · 85 marks
MCQ / MSQ / NAT
42 / 10 / 13
Marks to all
None

Where the marks were

GATE 2026 EC topic-wise marks

Electronics & Communication Engineering questions only; General Aptitude adds 15 marks on top. The top three topics carried 44 of the 85 subject marks.

TopicQuestionsMarks
Networks, Signals and Systems1320
Digital Circuits813
Communications711
Analog Circuits610
Electronic Devices69
Control Systems47
Electromagnetics56
Calculus35
Probability and Statistics12
Differential Equations11
Linear Algebra11

Free solved questions

5 solved questions from GATE 2026 EC

Question text and figures as in the official paper, the answer from the official key, and a worked solution. The other 60 solutions are in your report after you take the paper.

Q4 · General Aptitude · MCQ · 1 mark

Real numbers yy, pp, and nn (all greater than 1) satisfy

(log⁡p1/ny)(log⁡y1/np)=16,\left(\log_{p^{1/n}} y\right)\left(\log_{y^{1/n}} p\right) = 16,

where the logarithms are taken to the bases p1/np^{1/n} and y1/ny^{1/n}.

The value of nn is ________

  • (A)
    2
  • (B)
    4
  • (C)
    8
  • (D)
    16

Answer (official key): B

Solution

log⁡p1/ny=log⁡y1nlog⁡p=nlog⁡py,log⁡y1/np=nlog⁡yp\log_{p^{1/n}} y = \frac{\log y}{\frac{1}{n}\log p} = n\log_p y, \qquad \log_{y^{1/n}} p = n\log_y p

So the product is n2(log⁡py)(log⁡yp)=n2=16n^2 (\log_p y)(\log_y p) = n^2 = 16, giving n=4n = 4 (since n>1n > 1).

Q5 · General Aptitude · MCQ · 1 mark

The following observation is made about the scores obtained by 100 students in an exam:

‘For each student, there exists another student in the class such that their scores are at most ten marks away.’

If the above statement is false, which one of the following statements is necessarily true?

  • (A)
    For each student, the scores of all the other students are more than 10 marks away.
  • (B)
    There exists at least one student in the class for whom the scores of all the other students are more than 10 marks away.
  • (C)
    There is exactly one student in the class for whom the scores of some students are more than 10 marks away.
  • (D)
    For each student, the score of exactly one other student is more than 10 marks away.

Answer (official key): B

Solution

The statement has the form "for every student ss, there exists a student tt with ∣s−t∣≤10|s - t| \le 10".

Its negation is "there exists a student ss such that for every other student tt, ∣s−t∣>10|s - t| > 10", which is option (B).

Q25 · Electronic Devices · MSQ · 1 mark

Consider a p-n junction diode when it is forward biased with 2 V.

Which of the following is/are the correct magnitude(s) of the energy difference between quasi Fermi-levels, EfnE_{fn} in the n-side and EfpE_{fp} in the p-side?

  • (A)
    2 eV
  • (B)
    1 eV
  • (C)
    2 V
  • (D)
    1 V

Answer (official key): A

Solution

Under an applied forward bias VaV_a, the quasi-Fermi levels separate by Efn−Efp=qVa=2E_{fn} - E_{fp} = qV_a = 2 eV. Option (C) is in volts, which is not a unit of energy.

Q61 · Calculus · Numerical · 2 marks

Consider the square region RR in the XX-YY plane as shown with the dark shading in the Figure. The value of ∬R(x2+y2−1) dx dy\iint_R (x^2 + y^2 - 1)\,dx\,dy is ____.

(rounded off to two decimal places)

Figure for GATE 2026 EC question 61 (Calculus)

Answer (official key): 0.6 to 0.7

Solution

RR is the square with vertices (0,0),(1,1),(2,0),(1,−1)(0,0), (1,1), (2,0), (1,-1), i.e. ∣x−1∣+∣y∣≤1|x - 1| + |y| \le 1, with area 2. Put u=x−1u = x - 1: ∬R(x2+y2−1) dA=∬(u2+2u+y2) dA\iint_R (x^2 + y^2 - 1)\,dA = \iint (u^2 + 2u + y^2)\,dA By symmetry ∬2u dA=0\iint 2u\,dA = 0, and ∬u2 dA=∫−11u2⋅2(1−∣u∣) du=13\iint u^2\,dA = \int_{-1}^{1} u^2 \cdot 2(1 - |u|)\,du = \frac{1}{3}. Likewise ∬y2 dA=13\iint y^2\,dA = \frac{1}{3}.

Result=23≈0.67\text{Result} = \frac{2}{3} \approx 0.67

Q62 · Analog Circuits · Numerical · 2 marks

Consider an ideal OP-AMP circuit as shown in the Figure.

The resistances R1=R2=R3=R4=50R_1 = R_2 = R_3 = R_4 = 50 kΩ.

The magnitude of the closed loop gain is ___.

(rounded off to two decimal places)

Figure for GATE 2026 EC question 62 (Analog Circuits)

Answer (official key): 2.9 to 3.1

Solution

For an inverting amplifier with a T-network in the feedback path: vovi=−R2+R3+R2R3R4R1=−50+50+5050=−3\frac{v_o}{v_i} = -\frac{R_2 + R_3 + \frac{R_2 R_3}{R_4}}{R_1} = -\frac{50 + 50 + 50}{50} = -3 The magnitude is 3.00.

The other 60 questions are solved in your report when you take GATE 2026 EC as a 3-hour test.

Take GATE 2026 EC as a test

Official answer key

GATE 2026 EC answer key

All 65 answers from the official key. Numerical answers are ranges; “or” means the key accepts either answer.

Download the official GATE 2026 EC answer key (PDF)
QTopicTypeMarksAnswer
1Verbal AptitudeMCQ1B
2Analytical AptitudeMCQ1A
3Spatial AptitudeMCQ1D
4Quantitative AptitudeMCQ1B
5Analytical AptitudeMCQ1B
6Verbal AptitudeMCQ2A
7Analytical AptitudeMCQ2C
8Quantitative AptitudeMCQ2C
9Quantitative AptitudeMCQ2C
10Spatial AptitudeMCQ2C
11Differential EquationsMCQ1A
12CalculusMCQ1D
13Networks, Signals and SystemsMCQ1D
14Electronic DevicesMCQ1C
15Networks, Signals and SystemsMCQ1D
16Networks, Signals and SystemsMCQ1A
17Analog CircuitsMCQ1C
18Analog CircuitsMCQ1D
19Control SystemsMCQ1B
20Digital CircuitsMCQ1A
21CommunicationsMCQ1B
22CommunicationsMCQ1C
23Networks, Signals and SystemsMCQ1A
24ElectromagneticsMCQ1A
25Electronic DevicesMSQ1A
26Linear AlgebraMSQ1B, D
27Digital CircuitsMSQ1B
28ElectromagneticsMSQ1A, B
29Electronic DevicesMSQ1C, D
30Networks, Signals and SystemsNumerical10.95 to 1.05
31Networks, Signals and SystemsNumerical171.5 to 72.5
32CommunicationsNumerical10.95 to 1.05
33ElectromagneticsNumerical120.5 to 21.5
34ElectromagneticsNumerical120 to 21
35Digital CircuitsNumerical14.9 to 5.1
36CalculusMCQ2A
37Networks, Signals and SystemsMCQ2A
38Probability and StatisticsMCQ2A
39Networks, Signals and SystemsMCQ2B
40Control SystemsMCQ2B
41Control SystemsMCQ2C
42Digital CircuitsMCQ2C
43Networks, Signals and SystemsMCQ2C
44CommunicationsMCQ2B
45Digital CircuitsMCQ2B
46Networks, Signals and SystemsMCQ2B
47Networks, Signals and SystemsMCQ2B
48Digital CircuitsMCQ2C
49Digital CircuitsMCQ2A
50Analog CircuitsMCQ2A
51Networks, Signals and SystemsMCQ2D
52ElectromagneticsMCQ2B
53Analog CircuitsMCQ2C
54Electronic DevicesMSQ2A, B, D
55CommunicationsMSQ2C
56Digital CircuitsMSQ2A, D
57CommunicationsMSQ2A, B, C
58Networks, Signals and SystemsMSQ2A, C, D
59Control SystemsNumerical21386
60Electronic DevicesNumerical22.5 to 2.6
61CalculusNumerical20.6 to 0.7
62Analog CircuitsNumerical22.9 to 3.1
63CommunicationsNumerical20.1 to 0.2
64Electronic DevicesNumerical2-36.5 to -34.5
65Analog CircuitsNumerical23.7 to 4.3

Questions about GATE 2026 EC

How many questions are in the GATE 2026 EC paper?

65 questions for 100 marks: 10 General Aptitude questions worth 15 marks and 55 Electronics & Communication Engineering questions worth 85 marks. By type, there were 42 MCQs, 10 MSQs, 13 numerical answer (NAT) questions. The paper lasted 3 hours.

Is there negative marking in GATE 2026 EC?

Yes, for MCQs only. A wrong MCQ answer costs one-third of its marks (−⅓ for a 1-mark question, −⅔ for a 2-mark question). MSQ and numerical (NAT) questions have no negative marking, and an MSQ earns marks only when every correct option is chosen.

Which topics carried the most marks in GATE 2026 EC?

Outside General Aptitude, the biggest topics were Networks, Signals and Systems (20 marks), Digital Circuits (13 marks), Communications (11 marks). The full topic-wise split is in the table on this page.

Were any GATE 2026 EC questions awarded marks to all?

No. Every question was graded with the answer in the official key.

Where does this GATE 2026 EC answer key come from?

From the official answer key published by IIT Guwahati, which organised GATE 2026. Range answers for numerical questions and questions with more than one accepted answer are kept exactly as the key gives them.

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