Exam Date: February 7, 2026 | Comprehensive Paper Review
Overall Difficulty Level
The GATE 2026 PE paper was rated Moderate. Unlike previous years where drilling was the toughest section, 2026 saw more complex, multi-step NAT questions in Reservoir Engineering. General Aptitude was straightforward and scoring for most candidates.
Core PE: 72 Marks
Engineering Math: 13 Marks
General Aptitude: 15 Marks
Topic-wise Weightage Analysis
Subject Domain
Approx. Marks
High-Yield Topics (2026)
Reservoir Engineering
15-18 Marks
Phase Behavior, Drive Mechanics, Material Balance.
Due to a slight increase in conceptual complexity, the qualifying marks are projected to be slightly higher than the record-low 2025 levels but lower than 2024.
Category
2026 (Exp.)
2025 (Actual)
2024 (Actual)
General (GEN)
32.0 - 34.5
31.1
40.3
OBC-NCL / EWS
28.8 - 31.0
27.9
36.2
SC / ST / PwD
21.0 - 23.0
20.7
26.8
Safe Scores for PSUs & IITs
For Petroleum Engineering, recruitment by ONGC, OIL, and BPCL is the primary goal. Safe targets for 2026 are:
Short tests, one topic at a time, with every answer explained.
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SampleGATE Petroleum Engineering · Free sample (4 questions)A few questions in the exact player you get after buying: the clock, the question palette, then your score and every answer explained.
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Porosity and Permeability Measurement Fundamentals | GATE Petroleum Engineering
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10 Qs · ~10 min Mirza leads with 10/10
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