Checked 28 September 2026. Papers and final keys are official (GATE 2027 download page). The section classification, question-type counts and repeat list are ours, from a question-by-question working file built from those keys.
Four official GATE PE papers (2023–2026) are available with final answer keys, and together they are the best guide to 2027 you will get. We sorted the 220 subject questions onto the eleven sections (all but 2024 Q53, a 2-mark statics question that fits none) of the 2027 syllabus and counted marks by question type. Three findings should change how you prepare. MSQ marks more than doubled, from 11 in 2023 to 23 in 2026, while NAT fell from 44 to 32. Drilling, Production and Well Testing rose from 19 to 41 marks in the same period. And Reservoir Engineering, the traditional heavyweight, fell from 19 marks in 2024 to 10 in 2026. This guide has the official PDFs, the tables, a section explorer and the list of numericals that keep coming back.
Our counts from the official GATE PE keys; 85 subject marks each year.
Where other pages get this wrong
GATE PE 2026 was held on Sunday 8 February 2026, afternoon session. NAT carried 32 of the 85 subject marks (37.6%) and MSQ 23. In 2023 NAT carried 44 of 85 (51.8%), and in 2024 33 (38.8%), so “nearly 40%” fits only some years (our arithmetic).
Commonly published instead: Pages we checked, including older pages on this site, give the 2026 date as 7 February (“first Saturday”), call PE a paper that is “nearly 40% NATs”, and put Drilling at 12–14 marks every year. Our counts are 5, 6, 11 and 13 marks for Drilling in 2023–2026.
GATE 2026 examination schedule; official PE papers and final keys 2023–2026.
The official papers and keys
Download the official GATE PE papers
- 2026: question paper · final key
- 2025: question paper · final key
- 2024: question paper · final key
- 2023: question paper · final key
All files are on the GATE 2027 (IIT Madras) download page, which also has 2021 and 2022.
| Year | Organiser | Date and session | Paper PDF pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | IIT Kanpur | Sat 11 Feb 2023, forenoon | 36 |
| 2024 | IISc Bangalore | Not confirmed: the official schedule table did not load; the official paper file is named session 4 (PE24S4) | 39 |
| 2025 | IIT Roorkee | Sun 2 Feb 2025, forenoon | 38 |
| 2026 | IIT Guwahati | Sun 8 Feb 2026, afternoon | 40 |
GATE schedules 2023, 2025 and 2026 and the official PDFs. PE was a single-session paper in each of these years. The 2023 key awards marks to all for GA Q6; no subject question was marks-to-all in 2024–2026.
Question types: the MSQ shift
Negative marking applies only to MCQs. MSQs and NATs carry none, but they also carry no partial credit: an MSQ earns its marks only if you tick exactly the right set. Over four years PE moved marks from NAT to MSQ, while MCQ stayed at 30–39.
| Year | MCQ (questions / marks) | MSQ (questions / marks) | NAT (questions / marks) | Marks free of negative marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 23 / 30 | 9 / 11 | 23 / 44 | 55 |
| 2024 | 28 / 39 | 8 / 13 | 19 / 33 | 46 |
| 2025 | 23 / 31 | 11 / 17 | 21 / 37 | 54 |
| 2026 | 21 / 30 | 16 / 23 | 18 / 32 | 55 |
Subject section only (55 questions, 85 marks); General Aptitude adds 10 questions and 15 marks each year. Our count from the official keys.
Same figures as the table above.
One detail matters for MSQ strategy. An MSQ can have a single correct option, and PE has used that: 2023 Q27 (Knudsen number in pores) and 2026 Q30 and Q45 each have one keyed answer. There were none in 2024 or 2025. So do not tick a second option just because the question says “is/are”.
| Question | Section | Marks | Keyed answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Q27 | S4 Reservoir | 1 | B only |
| 2026 Q30 | S1 Engineering Mathematics | 1 | B only |
| 2026 Q45 | S7 Formation Evaluation | 2 | B only |
Official final keys. Every other MSQ in the four papers has two or more keyed options.
Marks by section, 2023–2026
The 2027 syllabus has eleven sections. The table gives each one’s subject marks in each paper; the heat grid shows the same numbers so you can see the drift at a glance. Maths holds steady at 11–14. Reservoir Engineering was worth 16–19 marks from 2023 to 2025 and then only 10. Offshore and EOR, heavy in 2023–2024, almost vanished in 2025–2026. Drilling and Well Testing each more than doubled.
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Section (2027) | 4-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 11 | 13 | 14 | S1 Engineering Mathematics | 50 |
| 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | S2 Petroleum Exploration | 16 |
| 5 | 6 | 11 | 13 | S3 Oil and Gas Well Drilling | 35 |
| 16 | 19 | 18 | 10 | S4 Reservoir Engineering | 63 |
| 8 | 11 | 14 | 15 | S5 Petroleum Production Operations | 48 |
| 9 | 8 | 1 | 3 | S6 Offshore Drilling and Production | 21 |
| 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | S7 Petroleum Formation Evaluation | 35 |
| 6 | 5 | 11 | 13 | S8 Oil and Gas Well Testing | 35 |
| 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | S9 HSE in Petroleum Industry | 14 |
| 6 | 8 | 2 | 1 | S10 EOR Techniques | 17 |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | S11 Latest Trends | 4 |
Out of 85 subject marks each year (our classification). Two 2024 marks (Q53, a weight hung on two strings, NAT) match no 2027 line and are not in any row, so the 2024 column sums to 83 and the four-year total to 338.
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 Engineering Mathematics | 12 | 11 | 13 | 14 |
| S2 Petroleum Exploration | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| S3 Oil and Gas Well Drilling | 5 | 6 | 11 | 13 |
| S4 Reservoir Engineering | 16 | 19 | 18 | 10 |
| S5 Petroleum Production Operations | 8 | 11 | 14 | 15 |
| S6 Offshore Drilling and Production | 9 | 8 | 1 | 3 |
| S7 Petroleum Formation Evaluation | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| S8 Oil and Gas Well Testing | 6 | 5 | 11 | 13 |
| S9 HSE in Petroleum Industry | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| S10 EOR Techniques | 6 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| S11 Latest Trends | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Darker = more marks: 0–3, 4–7, 8–12, 13 or more.
Our classification of the official papers.
| Section (2027) | MCQ marks | MSQ marks | NAT marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 Engineering Mathematics | 29 | 5 | 16 |
| S2 Petroleum Exploration | 13 | 1 | 2 |
| S3 Oil and Gas Well Drilling | 11 | 4 | 20 |
| S4 Reservoir Engineering | 18 | 9 | 36 |
| S5 Petroleum Production Operations | 17 | 12 | 19 |
| S6 Offshore Drilling and Production | 6 | 3 | 12 |
| S7 Petroleum Formation Evaluation | 11 | 7 | 17 |
| S8 Oil and Gas Well Testing | 12 | 8 | 15 |
| S9 HSE in Petroleum Industry | 5 | 9 | 0 |
| S10 EOR Techniques | 4 | 6 | 7 |
| S11 Latest Trends | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Four-year totals by question type per section (our count; 2024 Q53’s 2 NAT marks are in no section). Reservoir (36 NAT marks) and Drilling (20) are the numerical sections; HSE (9 MSQ, 0 NAT) and Latest Trends are conceptual.
Explore one section across four GATE PE papers
Pick a 2027 section. You get its marks in each paper split by question type, how many of those marks carried negative marking, and the topics that repeated.
Our classification of the official 2023–2026 PE papers and final keys onto the 2027 sections. The same figures are in the tables on this page.
The numericals and ideas that repeat
GATE PE reuses its ideas more than its numbers. Material balance has appeared in three of four papers, skin factor in two papers with two questions each, and hydraulic fracturing in three. A formula sheet built from this list is a sensible core for the numerical questions.
| Section (2027) | Topic | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| S4 Reservoir Engineering | Material balance | 2023 Q52–53; 2025 Q25; 2026 Q62 |
| S4 Reservoir Engineering | Dietz shape factor | 2025 Q18; 2026 Q58 |
| S4 Reservoir Engineering | Fractional flow / Buckley–Leverett | 2023 Q50; 2024 Q64 |
| S4 Reservoir Engineering | Ideal vapour–liquid equilibrium (Raoult) | 2023 Q51; 2024 Q57 |
| S8 Oil and Gas Well Testing | Skin factor | 2024 Q21, Q65; 2026 Q21, Q51 |
| S8 Oil and Gas Well Testing | Drawdown, buildup and superposition | 2023 Q54; 2026 Q56, Q61 |
| S8 Oil and Gas Well Testing | Gas pseudo-pressure | 2025 Q61; 2026 Q43 |
| S10 EOR Techniques | Pattern flooding (five- and seven-spot) | 2024 Q22, Q56; 2025 Q34 |
| S10 EOR Techniques | Polymer flooding | 2023 Q30; 2025 Q30 |
| S5 Petroleum Production Operations | Sucker-rod pump | 2025 Q16; 2026 Q57 |
| S5 Petroleum Production Operations | Hydraulic fracturing and proppant | 2023 Q14; 2025 Q58; 2026 Q20 |
| S3 Oil and Gas Well Drilling | Drilling-fluid rheology and viscometer readings | 2024 Q33; 2026 Q59–60 |
| S3 Oil and Gas Well Drilling | Stokes settling | 2024 Q62; 2026 Q44 |
| S1 Engineering Mathematics | Simpson’s rule | 2023 Q45; 2024 Q52 |
| S2 Petroleum Exploration | Kerogen | 2023 Q20; 2025 Q41 |
| S11 Latest Trends | Coal-bed methane and gas hydrate | 2023 Q41; 2024 Q16; 2026 Q18 |
| S6 Offshore Drilling and Production | Offshore rigs, FPSO, spar and risers | Every year 2023–2026 |
| S7 Petroleum Formation Evaluation | Gamma-ray, resistivity and porosity logs | Every year 2023–2026 |
Official papers 2023–2026; the grouping is ours.
How to use these papers
Work the 2025 and 2026 papers first, timed, because they reflect the current balance: drilling, production and well-testing numericals, and more MSQs. Then use 2023 and 2024 for reservoir and EOR practice, where they are richer. Mark every MSQ you got partly right: in the real exam that is zero. Skip 2024 Q50 (LNG value chain), which is no longer in the syllabus. Our 18-week revision plan turns these weights into hours, and the syllabus guide lists the six 2027 lines already asked.
Practise it, don't just read it
Formation evaluation has carried 8–9 marks every year. Try our Well Logging and Formation Evaluation Tools quiz, then Porosity and Permeability Measurement.
The ProSyllabus GATE Petroleum library has ten topic quizzes today: Porosity and Permeability Measurement, Reservoir Drive Mechanisms, Drilling Fluid Properties, Rotary Drilling Rig Components, Well Cementing Operations, Artificial Lift Methods, Multiphase Flow in Pipes and Tubing, Hydraulic Fracturing and Well Stimulation, Well Logging and Formation Evaluation Tools and Offshore Production Platforms and Systems, each with a worked explanation for every option.
Where can I download GATE PE previous year papers?
From the official GATE 2027 download page at IIT Madras, which has the PE question papers and final answer keys for 2021 to 2026.
Which subject carries the most marks in GATE PE?
Over 2023 to 2026, Reservoir Engineering (63 marks in four papers), then Engineering Mathematics (50) and Production Operations (48). In 2026 alone, Production (15), Maths (14), Drilling (13) and Well Testing (13) led.
How many MSQs are in GATE PE?
16 MSQs for 23 marks in 2026, up from 9 for 11 marks in 2023. MSQs have no negative marking and no partial credit.
How many NAT questions are in GATE PE?
18 NATs for 32 marks in 2026; 23 for 44 marks in 2023.
Which GATE PE topics repeat most?
Material balance, skin factor, drawdown and buildup analysis, hydraulic fracturing, drilling-fluid rheology, and pattern flooding each recur in two or three of the four papers; offshore systems and well logs appear every year.
When was GATE PE 2026 held?
On Sunday 8 February 2026, in the afternoon session.
More in this series
- ONGC petroleum engineer recruitment: GATE to CBT
- GATE PE marks vs score vs rank + calculator
- GATE PE 2027 syllabus: every change
- M.Tech after GATE PE: IIT ISM, IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati
- GATE PE 2027 revision plan: 18 weeks
- GATE Petroleum Engineering notice board — official updates
- GATE Petroleum Engineering: the complete guide
- GATE Petroleum Engineering paper analysis
- GATE Petroleum Engineering cut-off, colleges and placements
Sources
- official — GATE 2027 — Downloads (previous papers and keys)
- official — GATE 2026 PE question paper (PDF)
- official — GATE 2026 PE final answer key (PDF)
- official — GATE 2025 PE question paper (PDF)
- official — GATE 2025 PE final answer key (PDF)
- official — GATE 2024 PE question paper (PDF)
- official — GATE 2024 PE final answer key (PDF)
- official — GATE 2023 PE question paper (PDF)
- official — GATE 2023 PE final answer key (PDF)
- official — GATE 2026 — examination schedule (PE on Sun 8 Feb 2026, afternoon)
- official — GATE 2027 PE (Petroleum Engineering) syllabus (PDF, IIT Madras)
- official — GATE 2027 Information Brochure, IIT Madras (PDF, revised version dated 27 Sep 2026)
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.
