GATE Exam Pattern for Civil Engineering 2025, Total Marks, No. of Questions, Negative Marking, Weightage

GATE CE Previous Year Analysis 2023

Given below are the highlights of the GATE CE exam in the past years. The candidates after going through the same will be able to form a better judgment of the difficulty level of GATE 2023. 

• The difficulty level of GATE CE 2021 was moderated to difficult.
• In GATE CE 2021, Geotech Engineering and Environmental Engineering carried the maximum weightage.
• GATE CE 2021 comprised 15 NATs and only 2 MCQs.
• The difficulty level of GATE CE 2020 was moderate. 
• More than 25 questions were asked in GATE 2020.
• The General Aptitude and Engineering section was considered to be easy in GATE 2020 
• The difficulty level of the technical section of GATE CE 2019 was moderate.
• GATE 2019 comprised an easy General Aptitude section. 
• A total of 26 NAT questions were asked in GATE 2019.

GATE Civil Engineering Cutoff 2023

Check the GATE cutoff for Civil Engineering for the last six years. This will enable the aspirants to set a reachable target for themselves. 

Sample Questions for GATE Civil Engineering 2023

Section 1 – General Aptitude

1 Mark Questions:

• Q.1. The lecture was attended by quite ________ students, so the hall was not very ______?
• Q.2. They have come a long way in _________________ trust among the users.

2 Mark Questions:

• Q.1. In a sports academy of 300 people, 105 play only cricket, 70 play only hockey, 50 play only football, 25 play both cricket and hockey, 15 play both hockey and football and 30 play both cricket and football. The rest of them play all three sports. What is the percentage of people who play at least two sports?

Sections 2 and 3 – Engineering Mathematics and Civil Engineering Subject Questions

1 Mark Questions:

• Q. 1. An element is subjected to biaxial normal tensile strains of 0.0030 and 0.0020. The normal strain in the plane of maximum shear strain is_______?
• Q.2. Assuming that there is no possibility of shear buckling in the web, the maximum reduction permitted by IS 800-2007 in the (low-shear) design bending strength of a semi-compact steel section due to high shear is_______?

2 Marks Questions:

• Q. 1. A survey line was measured to be 285.5 m with a tape having a nominal length of 30 m. On checking, the true length of the tape was found to be 0.05 m too short. If the line lay on a slope of 1 in 10, the reduced length (horizontal length) of the line for plotting of survey work would be________?

• Q.2. A 0.80 m deep bed of sand filter (length 4 m and 3 m) is made of uniform particles (diameter = 0.40 mm, specific gravity = 2.65, shape factor = 0.85) with bed porosity of 0.4. The bed has to be back washed at a flow rate of 3.60 m3/min. During backwashing, if the terminal settling velocity of sand particles is 0.05 m/s, the expanded bed depth (in m, round off to 2 decimal places) is __________ ?

Read How to Prepare Online for GATE Civil Engineering?

What is Civil Engineering and its Scope?

Civil Engineering includes the planning, construction, and maintenance of the human and natural environment, including public works. This division is further broken down into a range of sub-disciplines and its history is linked to knowledge of structures, mechanics, geography, hydrology, the science of materials, geology, and other fields. 

The civil engineering sub-disciplines include construction engineering, coastal engineering, environmental engineering, earthquake engineering, geotechnical engineering, etc. Civil engineering applies physical and scientific principles to solve societal problems.

Scope after GATE 2023 CE

Each year, the number of students who offer GATE in Civil Engineering (CE) is growing rapidly over the years. This is because the Master's courses now need a GATE ranking, but all the PSUs are hiring through GATE as well. 

Some students want to pursue M.Tech from IITs / NITs in different streams such as Structures, Geotechnical, Water Resources, Construction Project Management and Transportation; while others are trying to get a job at PSUs such as IOCL, HPCL, RITES, EIL, NHAI, DMRC, etc. Thus, it is important to understand the significance of the GATE exam and the various opportunities through GATE.

1. Job opportunities in PSUs

• Nearly 100 PSUs present in the country (such as IOCL, ONGC, HPCL, RITES, EIL, NHAI, DMRC, BHEL, SAIL, NTPC, PGCIL) consider the GATE examination score as criteria for recruiting civil engineers.

• A job in a successful PSU means that you keep in touch with recent developments in engineering and work on exciting country development initiatives, as well as obtain security and government job benefits. Check PSU Recruitment through GATE

2. Pursuing M.Tech after GATE

• One of the most common ways to proceed is by applying for M.Tech at the IITs, IISc, and NITs, having cleared the GATE test. You are also eligible for the MHRD stipend during the two-year Master’s program, with a clear GATE ranking. Check GATE COAP Counselling

• This can be a major step for students who dreamed of studying in the country's top institutes such as IITs and NITs.

• Also if you apply to other states / regional/private colleges that do not require GATE as their criterion for selection, getting a good GATE score will still give you an advantage over other candidates. You can go for private jobs in the technological domain after completing M.Tech, with good packages.

3. Opportunities for research through GATE

• Research is a field in which the country's civil engineers are not exploring much, as most students either try for M.Tech or government jobs.

• However, those of you who are excited about learning more should opt for a research-oriented career and give back to society.