Skip to main content
Food Science Daily

Exam resources

GATE Engineering Sciences (XE) 2027

Notification Out

GATE Engineering Sciences (XE) is used for postgraduate admission and some PSU recruitment. Food Technology is the XE6 section for GATE 2027, alongside General Aptitude and Engineering Mathematics.

Exam date
6 Feb 2027
Previous papers
19
Full mocks
23
Sectionals
33

GATE Engineering Sciences (XE) supports postgraduate admission and recruitment by participating organisations. For GATE 2027, Food Technology is section XE6, formerly XE-G. General Aptitude and Engineering Mathematics are compulsory, followed by any two of the available optional sections.

Conducted by
IISc Bengaluru and the seven zonal IITs, in rotation

Who can apply

The GATE 2027 eligibility criteria apply to XE and XL alike: candidates in the third or later year of an approved undergraduate degree, or graduates, may appear. Admission to a particular programme has separate institutional criteria.

  • Currently in the third or a later year of an approved undergraduate programme, or already completed an approved degree
  • Engineering, Technology, Architecture, Science, Commerce, Arts and Humanities degrees are included
  • Check the degree-specific table for integrated, medical and professional-society programmes

A summary. Confirm the details in the current notice.

Source: GATE 2027 eligibility (IIT Madras) ↗. Checked 2026-09-21.

Based on past papers, not an official scheme. Confirm in the current notice.

2 compulsory sections are followed by 2 chosen from 8 optional sections, and the paper is timed at 180 minutes.

Sections, questions and marks
Section Questions Marks Status
General Aptitude 10 15 Compulsory
Engineering Mathematics 11 15 Compulsory
Fluid Mechanics 22 35 Optional
Materials Science 22 35 Optional
Solid Mechanics 22 35 Optional
Thermodynamics 22 35 Optional
Polymer Science and Engineering 22 35 Optional
Food Technology 22 35 Optional
Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences 22 35 Optional
Energy Science 22 35 Optional
Paper total 65 100 any 2 optionals

This site's reproduction of the official pattern carries 92 of those 100 marks; questions that depend on a printed figure are excluded, so the score reported here is out of 92, not 100.

General Aptitude and Engineering Mathematics are compulsory. Choose two more sections.

Marking scheme

A wrong 1-mark MCQ loses 1/3 mark and a wrong 2-mark MCQ loses 2/3 mark. MSQ and NAT answers carry no negative marking. An unanswered question scores zero. Our mocks for this exam are scored the same way.

Source: GATE 2026 question paper pattern, IIT Guwahati ↗

Qualifying marks for the whole XE (Engineering Sciences) paper, out of 100. This is the minimum needed for a GATE scorecard. It applies to the XE paper as a whole, not to the Food Technology section on its own. Admission cut-offs at individual institutes are higher and each institute publishes its own.

Category-wise cut-off marks by year
Year Stage General OBC-NCL / EWS SC / ST / PwD Source
2026 Qualifying marks (out of 100) 35.2 31.6 23.4 Official, GATE 2026, IIT Guwahati ↗
2025 Qualifying marks (out of 100) 35.4 31.8 23.5 Official, GATE 2025, IIT Roorkee ↗
2024 Qualifying marks (out of 100) 36.2 32.5 24.1 Official, GATE 2024, IISc Bengaluru ↗
2023 Qualifying marks (out of 100) 37.9 34.1 25.2 Reported, Careers360 ↗

Compared across past papers. Not an official announcement.

Detected changes between consecutive papers
Change Compared papers Before After What changed
2026 GATE XE Engineering Sciences 2025 → GATE XE Engineering Sciences 2026 164 q 261 marks 180 min 9 sections 177 q 281 marks 180 min 10 sections
Questions 164 → 177 Marks 261 → 281 Added Energy Science
2025 GATE XE Engineering Sciences 2024 → GATE XE Engineering Sciences 2025 151 q 240 marks 180 min 9 sections 164 q 261 marks 180 min 9 sections
Questions 151 → 164 Marks 240 → 261 Section split Engineering Mathematics 9q → 10q Section split Fluid Mechanics 18q → 20q Section split Materials Science 14q → 21q Section split Solid Mechanics 19q → 21q Section split Thermodynamics 18q → 20q Section split Polymer Science and Engineering 22q → 21q
2024 GATE XE Engineering Sciences 2023 → GATE XE Engineering Sciences 2024 159 q 251 marks 180 min 9 sections 151 q 240 marks 180 min 9 sections
Questions 159 → 151 Marks 251 → 240 Section split General Aptitude 5q → 7q Section split Engineering Mathematics 10q → 9q Section split Fluid Mechanics 19q → 18q Section split Materials Science 19q → 14q Section split Solid Mechanics 22q → 19q Section split Thermodynamics 22q → 18q Section split Polymer Science and Engineering 20q → 22q Section split Food Technology 21q → 22q Section split Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences 21q → 22q
2023 GATE XE Engineering Sciences 2022 → GATE XE Engineering Sciences 2023 151 q 239 marks 180 min 8 sections 159 q 251 marks 180 min 9 sections
Questions 151 → 159 Marks 239 → 251 Added General Aptitude
2022 GATE XE Engineering Sciences 2021 → GATE XE Engineering Sciences 2022 175 q 275 marks 180 min 9 sections 151 q 239 marks 180 min 8 sections
Questions 175 → 151 Marks 275 → 239 Dropped General Aptitude
2021 GATE XE 2020 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology → GATE XE Engineering Sciences 2021 43 q 65 marks 180 min 3 sections 175 q 275 marks 180 min 9 sections
Questions 43 → 175 Marks 65 → 275 Added Fluid Mechanics, Materials Science, Solid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Polymer Science and Engineering, Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences
2020 GATE XE 2019 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology → GATE XE 2020 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology 42 q 64 marks 180 min 3 sections 43 q 65 marks 180 min 3 sections
Questions 42 → 43 Marks 64 → 65 Section split General Aptitude 9q → 10q
2019 GATE XE 2018 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology → GATE XE 2019 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology 43 q 65 marks 180 min 3 sections 42 q 64 marks 180 min 3 sections
Questions 43 → 42 Marks 65 → 64 Section split General Aptitude 10q → 9q
2014 GATE XE 2013 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology → GATE XE 2014 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology 42 q 64 marks 180 min 3 sections 43 q 65 marks 180 min 3 sections
Questions 42 → 43 Marks 64 → 65 Section split Food Technology 21q → 22q
2013 GATE XE 2012 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology → GATE XE 2013 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology 43 q 65 marks 180 min 3 sections 42 q 64 marks 180 min 3 sections
Questions 43 → 42 Marks 65 → 64 Section split Food Technology 22q → 21q
2012 GATE XE 2011 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology → GATE XE 2012 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology 42 q 64 marks 180 min 3 sections 43 q 65 marks 180 min 3 sections
Questions 42 → 43 Marks 64 → 65 Section split Food Technology 21q → 22q
2011 GATE XE 2010 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology → GATE XE 2011 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology 43 q 65 marks 180 min 3 sections 42 q 64 marks 180 min 3 sections
Questions 43 → 42 Marks 65 → 64 Section split Food Technology 22q → 21q
2010 GATE XE 2009 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology → GATE XE 2010 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology 36 q 60 marks 180 min 2 sections 43 q 65 marks 180 min 3 sections
Questions 36 → 43 Marks 60 → 65 Added General Aptitude
2009 GATE XE 2008 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology → GATE XE 2009 — Engineering Mathematics & Food Technology 52 q 90 marks 180 min 2 sections 36 q 60 marks 180 min 2 sections
Questions 52 → 36 Marks 90 → 60 Section split Engineering Mathematics 18q → 12q Section split Food Technology 34q → 24q

Free PDFs and recommended books for GATE XE. How we choose

Free PDFs

12 free PDFs

Processing & preservation

FSSAI

Manual of Methods of Analysis of Foods — Cereal and Cereal Products (2022)

Official analytical methods for cereals and flours.

NCERT

Class 12 Human Ecology & Family Sciences — Food Processing and Technology

A plain-language overview of preservation and processing.

Food chemistry

FSSAI

Manual of Methods of Analysis of Foods — Oils and Fats

Official methods for acid, iodine and saponification values and related tests.

Nutrition

FAO

Human Nutrition in the Developing World (Latham)

A classic free textbook on macro- and micronutrients and deficiency diseases.

NCERT

Class 12 Human Ecology & Family Sciences — Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics

A simple introduction to clinical nutrition and dietetics.

Food microbiology

Official and open resources

4 resources

Exam-specific preparation

1 resource

GATE guide

GATE Food Technology (XE/XL): The Complete Concept Guide

Exam-oriented concept book for GATE Food Technology sections.

Core food science

4 resources

Core food technology

Textbook of Food Science and Technology (ICAR)

Indian food-science baseline for processing, preservation, chemistry.

Core food science

Food Science by B. Srilakshmi

Useful for food chemistry, nutrition, preservation.

Microbiology

Food Microbiology by M. R. Adams and M. O. Moss

Strong reference for spoilage, pathogens, fermentation.

Food engineering

Food Process Engineering and Technology by Zeki Berk

Good engineering reference for heat transfer, dehydration, freezing.

Free channels worth following for GATE XE.

YouTube channels

4 channels

University/NPTEL

Fundamentals of Food Process Engineering — IIT Kharagpur (Prof. Jayeeta Mitra)

A full IIT lecture course on rheology, heat and mass transfer.

University/NPTEL

Novel Technologies for Food Processing & Shelf Life Extension — IIT Kharagpur (Prof. H. N. Mishra)

IIT course on food constituents, quality and safety.

Educator

Food Tech 360

Topic-wise food-tech MCQs and concept videos, with playlists for GATE XL/XE.

Educator

Food Tech Online

Previous-year-question videos for ICAR-PG food science, GATE food technology.

Telegram channels

1 channel

Educator

Food Tech 360

Exam notifications, official syllabi, admit-card and date updates.

Free access

Start with a free sectional test

Sign up and start. No payment details.

Start Thermodynamics

Complete series

GATE XE — Complete Test Series

Every test. Free to practice.

30 tests 44h of practice

Tests for this exam

33 results · page 3 of 3