GATE CS vs GATE DA

GATE Computer Science and Information Technology (CS) and GATE Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA) compared using the official notifications: how the papers are built, how marks are given, and how much you can prepare for both at once.

At a glance

At a glance
At a glance	GATE CS	GATE DA
Conducted by	IISc and IITs for NCB-GATE, Ministry of Education (GATE 2027: IIT Madras)	IISc and IITs for NCB-GATE, Ministry of Education (GATE 2027: IIT Madras)
Question paper languages	English	English
Number of stages	1	1
Last checked against official sources	2026-10-14	2026-10-14

Exam pattern

Every stage with its duration, questions, total marks and negative marking.

GATE CS

Computer Based Test
180 min · 65 questions · 100 marks · negative marking MCQ: 1/3, MSQ: 0, NAT: 0 / MCQ: 2/3, MSQ: 0, NAT: 0

Full GATE CS guide

GATE DA

Computer Based Test
180 min · 65 questions · 100 marks · negative marking MCQ: 1/3, MSQ: 0, NAT: 0 / MCQ: 2/3, MSQ: 0, NAT: 0

Full GATE DA guide

Shared and unique syllabus

Topics below the subject level that appear under the same name in both syllabi.

Topics in both: 17
Only in GATE CS: 68
Only in GATE DA: 48

Subjects in both: General Aptitude, Database Management and Warehousing

Show shared topics (17)

Verbal Aptitude · Basic English grammar (tenses, articles, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, verb-noun agreement, parts of speech) · Basic vocabulary: words, idioms and phrases in context · Reading and comprehension · Narrative sequencing · Quantitative Aptitude · Data interpretation: bar graphs, pie charts, 2-D and 3-D plots, maps, tables · Numerical computation and estimation: ratios, percentages, powers, exponents, logarithms, permutations and combinations, series · Mensuration and geometry · Elementary statistics and probability · Analytical Aptitude · Logic: deduction and induction · Analogy · Numerical relations and reasoning · Spatial Aptitude · Transformation of shapes: translation, rotation, scaling, mirroring, assembling, grouping · Paper folding, cutting and patterns in 2 and 3 dimensions

Topics are matched by name. The same ground covered under a different name is not matched, so treat the shared count as a minimum.

GATE CS syllabus explorer GATE DA syllabus explorer

Official sources

Confirm every date and rule on the official website before you apply.