GATE EC Previous Year Question Papers, 2018–2026
Free PDFs of the GATE EC papers from 2018 to 2026. For 2018, 2020 and 2022–2026, the study library also has every question with its official answer, with 407 solved step by step.
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About this resource
Previous-year questions show how GATE frames its questions and which topics it has asked before. They show what was asked, not what will be asked, and working through them against the clock is good practice for the exam.
These papers span every core EC area — Networks, Electronic Devices, Analog and Digital Circuits, Signals & Systems, Control Systems, Communications and Electromagnetics — alongside Engineering Mathematics and General Aptitude. Working through them turns abstract syllabus topics into a clear sense of what GATE actually asks, which subjects carry the most marks, and where you personally lose time.
What's included
- ✓Every GATE EC paper from 2018 to 2026 — nine years
- ✓The organising institute’s question paper for each year (for 2020, a printout of IIT Delhi’s GATE 2020 web page). For 2018, 2020 and 2022 the file also includes the official answer key, with the accepted answer for all 65 questions
- ✓Questions across all core EC subjects
- ✓Engineering Mathematics and General Aptitude sections
- ✓A real feel for topic weightage and difficulty
- ✓Free PDFs, ready to download
How to use this resource
Treat each paper like the real exam: three hours, no notes, no pausing. The score matters less than the experience of managing time and nerves across a full paper — a skill you can only build by rehearsing it.
Then go through your mistakes: for each question you got wrong or guessed, find its topic and revise it before your next paper. The subjects that keep tripping you up are your revision plan. Repeat across all nine years and both your speed and accuracy climb steadily.
Frequently asked questions
Do these GATE EC papers include answer keys or worked solutions?+
Three of them do. The 2018, 2020 and 2022 papers carry the organising institute’s own answer key, appended at the end of the question paper: a table giving, for all 65 questions, the question type, the section, and either the correct option or the accepted numerical range. That is the official key, not a coaching solution — it states the accepted answer and nothing more, so there are no worked steps or explanations in any Drive file. The remaining Drive files carry questions only. The study library has one page per paper for 2018, 2020 and 2022–2026, with each question's official answer and, where solved, its worked solution. They are linked from the year list above. The 2019 and 2021 files are scanned rather than digital text, so their contents cannot be searched — open them to see what they contain.
Which years of GATE EC papers are in this set?+
Nine papers, one for each year from 2018 to 2026, with no year missing from that span. Each file is the organising institute’s question paper for that year (for 2020, a printout of IIT Delhi’s GATE 2020 web page).
Did the GATE EC syllabus change for 2027?+
Yes. Six of the eight EC sections newly list items for 2027, among them scaling in MOSFETs in Section 3 and phase margin in Section 4, and two sections no longer name some items, including first order equations (linear and nonlinear). An older paper may use wording the 2027 syllabus does not print; that does not mean the topic is out of scope. The section-by-section list is at /resources/gate-ec-2027-syllabus-changes.
How should an older EC paper be marked?+
By the 2027 scheme. A test paper is three hours, 65 questions and 100 marks, of which General Aptitude is 10 questions and 15 marks; in EC the other 85 marks are the subject component, of which Engineering Mathematics carries 13 (brochure, pages 4 and 24). A wrong 1-mark MCQ deducts 1/3, a wrong 2-mark MCQ deducts 2/3, MSQ and NAT carry no negative marking, and no question carries partial marking. The full pattern is at /guide/gate-2027-exam-pattern-and-marking.
Are these EC papers free to download?+
Yes. Every year in the list above opens the question paper as a PDF in Google Drive — free, with no sign-up and no form to fill.
Want guidance beyond free papers?
Our GATE programmes come with mentor support, 1:1 sessions, and a structured curriculum, not just a PDF.