Here are the official GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers from 2021 to 2026, each with its official answer key, all as direct PDF downloads from the GATE websites of IIT Guwahati and IIT Madras. That is 10 complete CS papers, because CS was held in 2 sets in 2021, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
The set starts at 2021 for a reason: 2021 was the first GATE with multiple select questions (MSQs), so every one of these GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers follows the same MCQ, MSQ and NAT pattern you will face in February 2027. Below the download table, you will also find how many questions of each type every paper had, how to read the official answer keys, and which old questions you can skip under the 2027 syllabus.
Download GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers 2021-2026 (PDF)
Each link opens the official GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers PDF in a new tab. Every file was downloaded and checked on 6 November 2026.
| Year (organising IIT) | Set | Question paper | Answer key |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (IIT Guwahati) | CS1 | CS1 paper PDF (46 pages) | CS1 answer key |
| 2026 (IIT Guwahati) | CS2 | CS2 paper PDF (42 pages) | CS2 answer key |
| 2025 (IIT Roorkee) | CS1 | CS1 paper PDF (64 pages) | CS1 answer key |
| 2025 (IIT Roorkee) | CS2 | CS2 paper PDF (48 pages) | CS2 answer key |
| 2024 (IISc Bangalore) | CS1 | CS1 paper PDF (36 pages) | CS1 final answer key |
| 2024 (IISc Bangalore) | CS2 | CS2 paper PDF (40 pages) | CS2 final answer key |
| 2023 (IIT Kanpur) | CS (single paper) | CS paper PDF (69 pages) | CS answer key |
| 2022 (IIT Kharagpur) | CS (single paper) | CS paper PDF (43 pages) | CS answer key |
| 2021 (IIT Bombay) | CS1 and CS2 in 1 file | CS1 + CS2 paper PDF (91 pages) | CS1 + CS2 answer key |
Note on the 2021 GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers: the 2021 paper file has CS Set 1 first and CS Set 2 from page 46, and the matching answer key has CS-1 on its first 3 pages and CS-2 on the next 3. Both 2021 files are scanned pages, so you cannot search or copy text in them. All other files are normal text PDFs.
The GATE 2027 CS paper and answer key will be added to these GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers after the exam in February 2027, once IIT Madras publishes them.
What Is Inside the GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers: Question Type Mix
Every one of the GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers has 65 questions for 100 marks, but the share of MCQ, MSQ and NAT questions changes from paper to paper. We counted each type from the official answer keys of the 8 text-based papers:
| Paper | MCQ (marks) | MSQ (marks) | NAT (marks) | Marks with no negative marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 CS1 | 28 (43) | 24 (35) | 13 (22) | 57 |
| 2026 CS2 | 35 (51) | 11 (17) | 19 (32) | 49 |
| 2025 CS1 | 30 (45) | 13 (18) | 22 (37) | 55 |
| 2025 CS2 | 32 (43) | 18 (31) | 15 (26) | 57 |
| 2024 CS1 | 29 (42) | 20 (30) | 16 (28) | 58 |
| 2024 CS2 | 32 (47) | 18 (25) | 15 (28) | 53 |
| 2023 CS | 34 (52) | 15 (22) | 16 (26) | 48 |
| 2022 CS | 32 (47) | 15 (25) | 18 (28) | 53 |
2 lessons from the GATE CSE previous year papers stand out. First, between 48 and 58 marks in every paper came from MSQs and NATs, which carry no negative marking, so leaving them blank is always a loss. Second, the MSQ count swings a lot, from 11 to 24 between the 2 sets of 2026 alone. Do not prepare for 1 fixed pattern; prepare to switch between MCQ, MSQ and NAT within minutes.
In all 8 papers, the 10 General Aptitude questions were MCQs. The full marking rules are in our GATE 2027 exam pattern and marking scheme guide.
How to Read the Official GATE CSE Answer Keys
The answer keys of the GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers are tables, not solutions. Each row gives the question number, session, question type, section, the key and the marks. 4 things confuse students the first time:
- MSQ keys with a semicolon: a key such as B;D means both B and D must be marked. Missing 1 correct option, or adding a wrong one, gives 0.
- NAT ranges: a key such as 4.24 to 4.26 (from the 2026 CS1 key) is the accepted range, and 2 to 2 means the answer must be exactly 2. Any value inside it gets full marks.
- MTA: it stands for Marks to All. The question was dropped and every candidate got its marks. The 2023 CS key has 1 such question in General Aptitude.
- Set order: question numbers follow the order in the paper PDF, with General Aptitude as questions 1 to 10 and the CS section from question 11.
Since the keys have no worked solutions, solve each question from the GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers fully on paper before you check the key. If you get it wrong, go back to that topic in your book; our list of the best GATE books for CSE shows which book to open for each subject.
Which Old Questions to Skip for the 2027 Syllabus
IIT Madras rewrote 3 CSE sections for 2027, so a few questions in the GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers now test topics that are no longer named in the syllabus. Solve them once for practice, but do not build revision notes around them:
| Section | Old questions you can give less time | New 2027 focus to practise instead |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Networks | ARP, DHCP, ICMP, UDP, SMTP, FTP, framing, bridging, flooding | Layering principles, performance metrics (delay, throughput), socket API |
| Computer Organization and Architecture | Disk and secondary storage numericals | Hardwired and microprogrammed control, memory interfacing |
| Digital Logic | Nothing removed (only reworded) | Karnaugh map and tabular (Quine-McCluskey) minimisation |
All other sections, including Algorithms, TOC, Databases and Operating Systems, are unchanged, so every question in the GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers on those subjects is fully valid for 2027. The line-by-line comparison is in our GATE CSE syllabus 2027 guide.
How to Solve GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers for the Best Result
Reading through papers is not the same as solving them. Use the 10 GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers in 2 rounds, so each paper does a different job:
- Round 1, topic-wise (now to December): after you finish a subject, open all 10 GATE CSE previous year papers and solve only that subject’s questions. This shows you how GATE asks each topic and which topics repeat.
- Round 2, full papers (January): take the 2025 and 2026 papers as full 3-hour tests with a timer and a rough sheet. Keep these 4 sets untouched until then, because they are the closest to the 2027 paper.
Score each of the GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers you take as a full test with the GATE rules: subtract 1/3 for a wrong 1-mark MCQ and 2/3 for a wrong 2-mark MCQ, and nothing for MSQ or NAT. Compare the result with the qualifying mark, which was 30 for General candidates in 2026, as shown in our GATE CSE previous year cutoff analysis.
For practice in the real exam screen, use our free GATE CSE mock test series, which links 12 official mocks. The GATE CSE PYQ PDFs here train your knowledge; the mocks train your speed in the exam window.
Why Solving GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers Works
GATE rarely repeats the same question, but it repeats the same ideas. Topics such as recurrences, page replacement, normal forms, subnetting, regular languages and cache mapping return in paper after paper with new numbers. Solving the GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers teaches you the depth GATE expects, which no textbook chapter can tell you on its own.
The GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers also show you where marks come from. Our most scoring subject for GATE CSE 2027 breakdown is built on the same papers, and you can revise each topic from our free GATE CSE notes.
FAQs on GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers
Where can I download GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers with answer keys?
This page links the official GATE CSE Previous Year Question Papers from 2021 to 2026 with their answer keys. All PDFs are hosted on the official GATE websites of IIT Guwahati and IIT Madras.
How many GATE CSE papers are there from 2021 to 2026?
There are 10 official CS papers. CS was held in 2 sets in 2021, 2024, 2025 and 2026, and as a single paper in 2022 and 2023.
Do the official answer keys include solutions?
No. The official keys give only the correct option, the accepted range for NAT questions and the marks. Solve each question fully before checking the key.
What does MTA mean in a GATE answer key?
MTA means Marks to All. The question was dropped and every candidate received its marks. The 2023 CS key has 1 such question.
Are GATE CSE papers before 2021 still useful?
They are good for topic practice, but they have no MSQs, which started in 2021. For full-paper practice, the 2021 to 2026 papers match the current pattern.
Is the GATE 2027 CSE question paper available?
Not yet. GATE 2027 is held in February 2027, and the question paper and answer key will be released by IIT Madras after the exam. We will add them to this page then.
Which GATE CSE questions can I skip for the 2027 syllabus?
Give less time to old Computer Networks questions on ARP, DHCP, ICMP, UDP, SMTP and FTP, and to disk numericals in COA. All other sections are unchanged for 2027.