GATE Computer Science Engineering (CSE) Paper Analysis 2024
The GATE CS examination, conducted on February 10th, is highly anticipated by candidates, especially those in the Computer Science (CS) stream. IMS is dedicated to providing comprehensive and insightful GATE CS Paper Analysis to help candidates prepare for the best. This analysis will not only help aspirants to have a detailed understanding of the exam’s structure but also enlighten them about the questions’ distribution across different topics and the difficulty level of each section.
With this information, aspirants can better understand their strengths and weaknesses, prioritise their study areas, and fine-tune their preparation strategies accordingly.
GATE CS Paper Analysis 2024: Overview
The GATE 2024 exam for Computer Science and Information Technology was conducted on February 10, 2024. The paper consisted of a total of 65 MCQ questions of MSQ and NAT types. Below is a table summarising the important highlights of the GATE CS Paper Analysis 2024 for your reference.
| GATE CSE Paper 2024 Overview | |
| Exam Name | GATE 2024 |
| GATE Full Form | Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering |
| Organizing Institute | IISc Bengaluru |
| GATE 2024 CSE Exam Date | 10 February 2024 |
| Purpose of GATE Exam | Offering Admission to M.E./ M.Tech/ Ph.D Courses and PSU Recruitments |
| Exam Mode | Computer-Based-Test (CBT) |
| Duration of Paper | 3 Hours (180 Minutes) |
| Number Of Questions | 65 |
| Total Marks | 100 |
| Exam Frequency | Once a Year |
| Number of Papers | 30 |
| Validity of GATE Score | 3 Years |
| GATE 2024 Official website | https://gate2024.iisc.ac.in/ |
GATE CS Paper Analysis Shift 1:
| Section | Number of Question | Total Marks | Difficulty Level |
| General Aptitude | 10 | 15 | Easy to moderate |
| Engineering Mathematics | 7 | 13 | Moderate to difficult |
| Computer Science & Information Technology | 48 | 72 | Moderate to difficult |
| Total | 65 | 100 | – |
Students can find detailed topic-wise weightage information for Computer Science Engineering in the complete GATE paper analysis 2024 for shift 1.
| Topics | Weightage |
| C-DS | 8 |
| DBMS | 8 |
| COA | 9 |
| CN | 9 |
| DMGT | 5 |
| OS | 10 |
| Algo | 8 |
| TOC | 7 |
| CD | 8 |
| Digital | 5 |
| Maths | 8 |
GATE CS Paper Analysis Shift 2:
| Section | Number of Question | Total Marks | Difficulty Level |
| General Aptitude | 10 | 15 | Easy to moderate |
| Engineering Mathematics | 7 | 13 | Moderate to difficult |
| Computer Science & Information Technology | 48 | 72 | Moderate to difficult |
| Total | 65 | 100 |
For a detailed analysis of the topic-wise weightage of shift 2, students can refer to the complete GATE CS paper analysis for 2024:
| Topics | Weightage |
| P-DS | 11 |
| DBMS | 8 |
| COA | 11 |
| CN | 7 |
| DMGT | 7 |
| OS | 8 |
| Algo | 5 |
| TOC | 5 |
| CD | 10 |
| DMGT | 7 |
| DL | 5 |
Difficulty Level
As per the feedback received from the students and the paper analysis conducted by the IMS Team, it has been concluded that the GATE CSE Paper 2024 was of moderate difficulty level. After reviewing the paper, it is observed that some technical questions were comparatively more challenging and required more time to solve.
Questions Asked
The paper consisted of questions from various subjects listed in the section below:
- Boolean algebra
- Combinational and sequential circuits
- Minimization
- Number representations and computer arithmetic (fixed and floating-point)
- Computer Organization and Architecture
- Programming and Data Structure
- Algorithms
- Operating Systems
- Computer Networks
GATE CS Exam Analysis 2023
GATE 2023 CSE exam was held on February 4, 2023, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.
- The Difficulty Level of the GATE CS 2023 Exam was Moderate to difficult to Moderate.
- The Data Structure & programming were given the highest weightage of a total of 10 marks.
- Many questions in the paper were theoretical and conceptual.
- In comparison to last year, the questions included were more descriptive.
- There were a total of 34 MCQs, 16 NATs, and 15 MSQs.
| Type of questions | No. of Questions |
| MCQs | 34 |
| NATs | 16 |
| MSQs | 15 |
| Total | 65 |
GATE CS Paper Analysis 2023 – Check Detailed Exam Review of Computer Science Engineering
The table below shows the topic-wise mark distribution.
| Topics | Questions | Total Marks | |
| 1 Mark | 2 Marks | ||
| Algorithms | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Data Structures and Programming | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| Computer Organization | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| Digital Logic | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Computer Network | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Theory of Computation | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| Databases | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Compiler Design | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Operating Systems | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| Discrete Mathematics | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| Engineering Mathematics | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| General Aptitude | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| Total | 30 | 35 | 100 |
GATE CS Exam Analysis 2022
GATE 2022 CSE paper was held on 5th February 2022 in a single session. According to candidates who appeared for the Computer Science and Information Technology (CSE) paper, the difficulty level of the exam was moderate to tough.
- In the GATE CS 2022 paper, more questions consisted of Theoretical & conceptual.
- The difficulty level of the aptitude section was also high.
- A total of 15 MSQs were given to answer. The number of NAT questions was 18, and 32 MCQs were asked.
- The overall difficulty level was Moderate to Tough.
GATE CS Paper Analysis 2022
The Computer Science Paper was conducted on February 5th, 2022, in the morning shift. The exam included 65 questions covering the following topics:
| Topic | 1-mark questions | 2-mark questions | Total |
| Algorithms | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Data Structuring & Programming | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Computer Organization & Architecture | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Digital Logic | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Computer Networks | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Theory of Computation | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Database | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Compiler Design | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Operating Systems | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Discrete Mathematics | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Engineering Mathematics | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| General Aptitude | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Total | 65 questions | ||
GATE CS Exam Analysis 2021
GATE 2021 CSE paper was conducted in two sessions on February 13, 2021. As per the aspirants who appeared for the Computer Science and Information Technology (CSE) paper, the exam was moderate to easy. And this GATE Paper Analysis will include all the details mentioned below:
- 12 and 7 MSQ questions were included in the 1st and 2nd shifts of the exam, respectively.
- Maximum NAT questions, i.e. 19, were asked in the 2nd shift.
- The paper consisted of almost 50% direct concept-based questions.
- The overall difficulty level was Moderate to Easy.
GATE 2021 CS Question Paper: Topic-wise Difficulty Level
The topic-wise distribution of questions and their level of difficulty have been given below:
| Subject | Shift 1 | Shift 2 | ||
| Total Questions | Difficulty Level | Total Questions | Difficulty Level | |
| Algorithms | 8 | Difficult | 3 | Easy to moderate |
| Data Structure | 5 | Easy to moderate | 2-3 | Moderate |
| Computer Organisation | 4 | Easy | 4 | Easy to moderate |
| Digital Logic | 3 | Easy | 4 | Moderate |
| Computer Networks | 4 | Easy | 6 | Easy |
| Theory of Computation | 5 | Easy to moderate | 7 | Moderate |
| Database | 5 | Easy to moderate | 6 | Easy to moderate |
| Compiler Design | 5 | Difficult | 4 | Easy |
| Operating System | 4 | Difficult | 5 | Easy to moderate |
| Discrete Mathematics | 7 | Moderate | 6 | Easy to moderate |
| Engineering Mathematics | 4 | Moderate | 4-5 | Easy |
| General Aptitude | 10 | Easy to moderate | 6-11 | Easy |
| Total | 65 | Easy to moderate | 65 | Easy to moderate |
GATE 2021 CS Question Paper- Distribution of the questions
Understand and utilise the GATE CS paper analysis to prepare for the exam effectively. The analysis of shift 2 is as follows:
| Sr. No. | Subject/Topics | MCQ | MSQ | NAT |
| 1 | Algorithm | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Date Structures | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Theory of Computation | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | Digital Logic | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Computer Network | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Computer Organization | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | Operating Systems | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Compiler Design | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | Database | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 | Discrete Mathematics | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | Programming | 3 | 0 | 2 |
The weightage and the distribution of the questions for the first shift were as given below:
| Topic | Weightage | 1 marks ques + 2 marks Ques |
| Algorithms | 12 | 4+4 |
| TOC | 8 | 2+3 |
| Computer Networks | 7 | 1+3 |
| Computer Organization and Architecture | 10 | 2+2 |
| Operating System | 7 | 3+2 |
| Databases | 8 | 2+3 |
| Data Structures | 8 | 2+3 |
| Digital Logic | 5 | 1+2 |
| Engineering Mathematics | 10 | 2+2 |
| General Aptitude | 15 | 5+5 |
| Compiler Design | 8 | 2+3 |
| Computer Networks | 8 | 2+3 |
| Discrete Maths | 11 | 3+4 |
GATE CS Paper Analysis FAQs:
When was the GATE CSE Paper 2024 conducted?
The GATE CSE exam was held on February 10, 2024, in two sessions: morning and afternoon.
What was the difficulty level of the GATE CSE Paper 2024?
The overall question paper for GATE CSE 2024 was of a moderate level.
How long is the duration of the GATE CS exam?
The candidates will be given a total duration of 3 hours to complete the given task. With the help of GATE test papers and a complete understanding of GATE CS paper analysis, you can better make the strategy and execute it to achieve the best possible results.
Are there negative markings in the GATE CS Exam?
MCQs with one mark will have a negative marking of 1/3rd, and MCQs with two marks will have a negative marking of 2/3rd for every incorrect answer.
What will be the total score of the GATE CS Exam 2024?
The GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) CS (Computer Science) exam, as you know, is a comprehensive assessment that evaluates a candidate’s knowledge and skills in computer science. The exam will be worth a total of 100 marks and cover a wide range of topics related to computer science and engineering. Candidates must keep learning more about the score distribution with the help of GATE CS Paper Analysis.
How many sections are included in the GATE CS Exam 2024?
The 2024 GATE CS Exam will include two sections: General Aptitude (10 questions) and Core Subjects (55 questions).