Checked 28 September 2026. From the official GATE AR question papers and final answer keys 2023–2026 on the GATE 2027 download page, and the 2027 AR syllabus. The section each question belongs to, and every count built on it, is our classification.
Every GATE AR paper from 2023 to 2026 has 81 questions: 10 General Aptitude, 39 in Part A (Q11–Q49), 16 in Part B1 (Q50–Q65) and 16 in Part B2 (Q66–Q81). We read all 284 subject questions of those four papers and filed each one under the 2027 syllabus heading it now belongs to, with marks from the final keys. That matters because the 2027 syllabus moves whole areas between the parts: a past Part A question on CPM or estimation is now B1 material, and one on sewerage or solid waste is now B2 material. Three findings stand out. Past Part A spent only 23 to 28 of its 60 marks on topics that stay in Part A. The subject marks are split fairly evenly between MCQ, MSQ and NAT, and only MCQs carry negative marks. And the same themes return: accessibility norms every year, beam numericals every year, URDPFI plan hierarchy every year.
Official AR papers and keys 2023–2026; classification ours.
The papers and keys
Official AR question papers and final answer keys (IIT Madras mirror)
- 2026: question paper · final key (Sun 15 Feb 2026, afternoon)
- 2025: question paper · final key (Sun 2 Feb 2025, forenoon)
- 2024: question paper · final key
- 2023: question paper · final key (Sat 4 Feb 2023, afternoon)
The GATE 2027 download page offers a bulk download of question papers from 2007 to 2026; individual answer keys are linked for recent years.
| Block | Question numbers | Marks | Counted here |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Aptitude | Q1–Q10 | 15 | No (same for all papers) |
| Part A (compulsory) | Q11–Q49 | 60 | Yes |
| Part B1 (Architecture) | Q50–Q65 | 25 | Yes |
| Part B2 (Planning) | Q66–Q81 | 25 | Yes |
| Subject questions counted, 2023–2026 | 71 a year × 4 papers | 85 a year | 284 questions |
Numbering is the same in all four official papers.
Part A: where each year’s 60 marks now belong
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 section |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 4 | 10 | 6 | A.1 Design and Graphics |
| 9 | 8 | 4 | 8 | A.2 Environmental Planning and Landscape |
| 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | A.3 Urban Design and Conservation |
| 6 | 7 | 6 | 3 | A.4 Town Planning, Housing and Real Estate |
| 28 | 25 | 26 | 23 | Subtotal: stays in Part A |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | B1.1 History and Theory |
| 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | B1.2 Climatology |
| 0 | 5 | 3 | 5 | B1.3 Construction, Materials, Structures |
| 3 | 6 | 2 | 5 | B1.4 Building Services |
| 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | B1.5 Computer Applications |
| 7 | 4 | 7 | 8 | B1.6 Project Management and Practice |
| 11 | 20 | 17 | 24 | Subtotal: now B1 |
| 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | B2.1 Planning History, Theory, Techniques |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | B2.2 Planning Policy and Practice |
| 11 | 6 | 11 | 6 | B2.3 Infrastructure, Services, Utilities |
| 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | B2.4 Land Use and Transportation |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | B2.5 Data, Remote Sensing, GIS |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | B2.6 Implementation and Financing |
| 21 | 15 | 17 | 13 | Subtotal: now B2 |
Marks per section, our classification of Q11–Q49 of each official paper. A question spanning two sections was filed under the dominant one.
Read the subtotals first. In 2026 the four sections that remain in Part A supplied only 23 marks; project management and practice alone (CPM, depreciation, estimation) supplied 8, and city-scale infrastructure (runoff, water demand, solid waste) 6. Those are exactly the lines the 2027 syllabus moves out. So the table is not a forecast of 2027 Part A. It is evidence that 2027 Part A will look different: the setters must write 60 marks from A.1 to A.4, which gave 23 to 28 marks in the past (our reading).
Parts B1 and B2 on the 2027 headings
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | B1 section |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 9 | 6 | 6 | B1.1 History and Theory |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | B1.2 Climatology |
| 8 | 6 | 11 | 11 | B1.3 Construction, Materials, Structures |
| 9 | 8 | 7 | 2 | B1.4 Building Services |
| 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | B1.6 Project Management and Practice |
Marks in Q50–Q65, our classification. B1.5 Computer Applications had no B1 question in these years.
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | B2 section |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | A.2 topics asked in B2 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | A.3 topics asked in B2 |
| 2 | 8 | 4 | 0 | B2.1 Planning History, Theory, Techniques |
| 8 | 5 | 7 | 4 | B2.2 Planning Policy and Practice |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 7 | B2.4 Land Use and Transportation |
| 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 | B2.5 Data, Remote Sensing, GIS |
| 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | B2.6 Implementation and Financing |
Marks in Q66–Q81, our classification. B2.3 Infrastructure had no B2 question in these years; it was asked in Part A instead.
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1.1 History and Theory | 7 | 9 | 6 | 6 |
| B1.2 Climatology | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| B1.3 Construction, Materials, Structures | 8 | 6 | 11 | 11 |
| B1.4 Building Services | 9 | 8 | 7 | 2 |
| B1.6 Project Management and Practice | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| A.2 topics asked in B2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| A.3 topics asked in B2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| B2.1 Planning History, Theory, Techniques | 2 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| B2.2 Planning Policy and Practice | 8 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| B2.4 Land Use and Transportation | 9 | 10 | 11 | 7 |
| B2.5 Data, Remote Sensing, GIS | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| B2.6 Implementation and Financing | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
Shade: none = 0 marks, light = 1–3, medium = 4–7, dark = 8 or more. The first five rows are B1, the rest B2.
Our classification of the official papers; the same numbers are in the two tables above.
Two patterns hold in B1: history plus construction and structures gave 15 to 17 marks every year, and building services fell from 9 to 2 as climatology rose from 1 to 6 in 2026. In B2, land use and transportation was the steadiest block (7 to 11 marks), followed by planning policy. From 2027 both parts share their 25 marks with sections that have almost no question history (B1.5, B2.3 inside B2, B2.6), so expect those to appear in the optional part for the first time.
MCQ, MSQ and NAT: the type mix
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Part | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 (20 Q) | 25 (17 Q) | 28 (22 Q) | 21 (14 Q) | Part A | MCQ |
| 23 (13 Q) | 20 (14 Q) | 8 (5 Q) | 20 (13 Q) | Part A | MSQ |
| 12 (6 Q) | 15 (8 Q) | 24 (12 Q) | 19 (12 Q) | Part A | NAT |
| 16 (10 Q) | 9 (6 Q) | 13 (9 Q) | 9 (6 Q) | B1 | MCQ |
| 5 (4 Q) | 7 (5 Q) | 3 (2 Q) | 6 (4 Q) | B1 | MSQ |
| 4 (2 Q) | 9 (5 Q) | 9 (5 Q) | 10 (6 Q) | B1 | NAT |
| 17 (12 Q) | 9 (6 Q) | 13 (9 Q) | 9 (6 Q) | B2 | MCQ |
| 4 (2 Q) | 7 (5 Q) | 6 (4 Q) | 6 (4 Q) | B2 | MSQ |
| 4 (2 Q) | 9 (5 Q) | 6 (3 Q) | 10 (6 Q) | B2 | NAT |
Marks (questions), from the official papers and keys. General Aptitude is 15 marks of MCQ every year.
Only MCQs carry negative marks (−1/3 for a 1-mark and −2/3 for a 2-mark question). In 2026, Part A plus either B part held 29 NAT marks and 26 MSQ marks with no penalty for a wrong answer, but also no partial credit: an MSQ earns marks only if every correct option is chosen and no wrong one. In our reading, the numericals are a likely place to find the marks between a 40 and a 50. They repeat by type: quantity estimation, CPM and depreciation, beam moments, reverberation, runoff, density and FAR, population projection and PCU flow.
Topics asked more than once
| 2027 section | Topic | Questions (year Q number) |
|---|---|---|
| A.1 | Accessibility norms and NBC minimum widths: ramps, doors, tactile tiles | 23Q30, 24Q28, 25Q13, 26Q22 |
| A.1 | Colour theory | 23Q11, 24Q38, 25Q37 |
| A.1 | Perspective and projection | 24Q23, 25Q47, 26Q49 |
| A.1 | Design principles and proportion (Ching) | 25Q32, 26Q27 |
| A.2 | Sustainable Development Goals | 23Q34, 25Q25, 26Q16 |
| A.2 | National Action Plan on Climate Change missions | 23Q33, 26Q69 |
| A.2 | Biosphere reserves and Man and Biosphere | 23Q28, 24Q33 |
| A.2 | Historic gardens | 23Q22, 24Q39, 25Q19 |
| A.2 | Contour interval and slope | 23Q80, 26Q15 |
| A.3 | Heritage charters and law (Burra Charter, AMASR 100 m) | 23Q14, 23Q25 |
| A.3 | World Heritage sites | 24Q22, 25Q31 |
| A.3 | Urban-design authors and books (Lynch and others) | 24Q16, 25Q33, 26Q35 |
| A.3 | FAR and incentive-zoning numericals | 25Q39, 26Q48 |
| A.4 | URDPFI norms | 24Q36, 25Q12 |
| A.4 | Density numericals | 23Q32, 26Q28 |
| A.4 | Manasara and grid-iron towns | 24Q13, 25Q28 |
| B1.1 | Dome-transition elements (pendentive, squinch, onion dome, oculus) | 24Q54, 25Q50, 25Q24, 26Q50 |
| B1.3 | Beam moment and deflection numericals | 23Q65, 24Q43, 25Q62, 26Q63 |
| B1.3 | Elongation numericals | 23Q64, 24Q62 |
| B1.3 | Bricks | 23Q55, 24Q59 |
| B1.4 | Reverberation and sound-level numericals | 24Q64, 25Q65 |
| B1.4 | Lighting (inverse square, lumen method) | 25Q64, 26Q64 |
| B1.4 | Pumps | 23Q59, 25Q59 |
| B1.4 | Fire safety | 24Q42, 25Q45, 26Q14 |
| B1.6 | Depreciation | 24Q44, 26Q26 |
| B1.6 | CPM, PERT and crashing | 24Q45, 25Q46, 26Q46 |
| B1.6 | Quantity estimation | 23Q45, 24Q63, 25Q41, 26Q24, 26Q44 |
| B2.1 | Population projection | 24Q72, 25Q44 |
| B2.1 | Ekistics | 24Q12, 26Q11 |
| B2.1 | Gini coefficient and Lorenz curve | 25Q75, 26Q68 |
| B2.2 | URDPFI plan hierarchy, plan types and land-use categories | 23Q76, 24Q71, 25Q74, 26Q75 |
| B2.2 | 73rd and 74th Amendments, urban local body functions | 23Q43, 23Q78 |
| B2.2 | Census town and urban agglomeration definitions | 25Q72, 25Q78 |
| B2.3 | Rational-formula runoff | 23Q39, 25Q40 |
| B2.3 | Composting | 23Q42, 25Q18 |
| B2.3 | Solid waste management rules | 23Q40, 25Q17, 26Q19 |
| B2.3 | Water demand | 25Q38, 26Q43 |
| B2.4 | Trip generation | 23Q81, 24Q81 |
| B2.4 | Speed-flow-density (Greenshields) | 24Q69, 25Q79, 26Q71 |
| B2.4 | Four-stage model and mode choice | 23Q73, 25Q80 |
| B2.5 | NDVI and remote sensing | 25Q67, 26Q77 |
Our reading of the four official papers. “23Q30” is question 30 of the 2023 paper. A few questions sit in a different part from their 2027 section (for example 26Q69 on climate missions was a B2 question).
Repeat-topic finder: what the four papers asked more than once
Pick a 2027 section to list its repeat topics with the exact question numbers, so you can open the official paper and solve the originals. “25Q40” means question 40 of the 2025 paper.
Our reading of the official AR papers 2023–2026, filed under the 2027 headings. The same rows are in the table above.
Marks to All and key changes
| Paper | Question | Part | Type and marks | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Q12 | Part A | MCQ, 1 mark | Construction contract (SCC) |
| 2024 | Q55 | B1 | MSQ, 1 mark | PTFE membrane roof |
| 2025 | Q37 | Part A | MSQ, 2 marks | Complementary colours |
| 2025 | Q52 | B1 | MCQ, 1 mark | Paint vehicle |
| 2026 | none | — | — | No Marks-to-All question in the final key |
“Marks to All” entries in the official final keys. A question given to all has no correct answer to learn from; do not memorise the provisional key for these.
How to use the papers for 2027
Our suggestion, not an official method. Solve each paper as a timed three-hour attempt first, answering Part A and both B1 and B2, because you choose only in the hall. Then sort your mistakes by the 2027 heading, using the tables above. A wrong answer on a topic that is now outside your chosen part costs nothing in 2027; a wrong answer on an A.1 to A.4 topic will cost more in 2027 than it did in the past, because Part A will have more questions there. Finally, work through the repeat-topic list with the originals open.
GATE AR papers solved
Tick each part once you have attempted it under time and checked it against the final key.
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Practise it, don't just read it
The papers show the pattern; topic quizzes build the reflexes. Our History of Architecture, Structural Systems and Analysis, Water Supply and Sanitation, and Settlement Geography quizzes match the repeat topics above.
The ProSyllabus GATE Architecture and Planning library has ten 10-question topic quizzes today, among them Principles of Architectural Composition, Development Control and Zoning Regulations and Housing and Slum Improvement (Part A ground), History of Architecture, Climate and Solar Geometry, Structural Systems and Analysis and Building Materials and Properties (B1 ground), and Settlement Geography and Regional Theories and Water Supply and Sanitation Services (B2 ground). Every option comes with a worked explanation.
Where can I download GATE AR previous year papers?
On the GATE 2027 download page of IIT Madras, which offers question papers from 2007 to 2026 as a bulk download and answer keys for recent years. The direct links for 2023 to 2026 are in the sources below.
How many questions are in the GATE AR paper?
You answer 65: 10 General Aptitude, 39 in Part A and 16 in either B1 or B2. The paper shows 81, because B1 and B2 are both printed.
Which topics repeat most in GATE AR?
Accessibility norms (every year in Part A), beam moment and deflection numericals (every year in B1), the URDPFI plan hierarchy (every year in B2), quantity estimation, CPM and PERT, and speed-flow-density.
Are old GATE AR papers still useful after the 2027 syllabus change?
Yes, but sort them by the 2027 headings. Many past Part A questions on project management and city infrastructure are now B1 or B2 material only.
Is there negative marking for NAT in GATE AR?
No. Only MCQs carry negative marks. MSQ and NAT have no penalty and no partial credit.
How many NAT marks were in GATE AR 2026?
Part A had 19 NAT marks and each of B1 and B2 had 10, so a candidate faced 29 NAT marks in the subject part.
More in this series
- GATE AR 2027 syllabus: what moved where
- GATE AR marks vs score vs rank
- Jobs through GATE Architecture
- M.Arch and M.Plan admission through GATE AR
- GATE AR 2027 preparation plan
- GATE Architecture and Planning: the complete guide
- GATE Architecture and Planning 2026 paper analysis
- GATE Architecture and Planning notice board: official updates
- Parental advice for GATE Architecture and Planning
Sources
- official — GATE 2026 AR question paper (PDF)
- official — GATE 2026 AR final answer key (PDF)
- official — GATE 2025 AR question paper (PDF)
- official — GATE 2025 AR final answer key (PDF)
- official — GATE 2024 AR question paper (PDF)
- official — GATE 2024 AR final answer key (PDF)
- official — GATE 2023 AR question paper (PDF)
- official — GATE 2023 AR final answer key (PDF)
- official — GATE 2027 — Downloads (previous question papers and answer keys)
- official — GATE 2027 AR (Architecture and Planning) syllabus (PDF, IIT Madras)
- official — GATE 2027 Information Brochure, IIT Madras (revised 27 Sep 2026) — AR paper structure, fees, score formula, qualifying rule
- official — GATE 2026 — examination schedule (AR on Sun 15 Feb 2026, afternoon session)
- official — GATE 2025 — examination schedule (AR on Sun 2 Feb 2025, forenoon session)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
