MCQ, MSQ, NAT — How GATE CS Questions Actually Work
GATE CS asks exactly three kinds of questions, and the marking rules are not symmetric. Knowing which kind a topic usually asks changes how you attempt it — and whether you should guess.
Below: the three kinds, the marking math, and which subject areas are the most NAT-heavy in the real 18-paper record.
GATE CS exam intelligence
A syllabus tells you what can be asked. These tools show what GATE actually asked — decoded from official papers, question by question. Free, with no account needed.
Built from 18 papers · 1,137 mapped questions · 11 years of analysis (2015–2026)
- Weightage & trends11-year subject-weightage viewSee marks per paper, long-term movement and the subject areas that deserve your time first.
- Important topics & questions11 years of topic recurrence analysedConcepts ranked by recurrence, marks and how recently they appeared in a real GATE paper.
- Previous-year questions1,137 questions from 18 papersSearch and filter official questions by year, area, marks and MCQ, MSQ or NAT type.
- Predicted paper65 questions · 100 marks · 3 hoursA 65-question, 100-mark mock assembled from real PYQs using live weightage and recurrence.
- Revision strategyPriority ordered from weightage and trendA preparation order based on marks, trends and historical payoff rather than guesswork.
- GATE CS syllabus11 sections mapped to paper historyThe official syllabus mapped against what each section actually earned across past papers.
Historical patterns guide preparation; they do not promise the next paper.
The three kinds, in one glance
MCQ
Single correct option. The only kind with negative marking: −1/3 for 1-mark, −2/3 for 2-mark.
MSQ
Multiple correct options — all-or-nothing, no partial credit. No negative marking.
NAT
Type the number — no options, no negative marking. A wrong guess costs nothing: always attempt.
Frequently asked questions
Which GATE question types have negative marking?
Only MCQs: −1/3 mark for a wrong 1-mark answer, −2/3 for a wrong 2-mark answer. MSQ and NAT questions never deduct.
Are NAT questions free attempts?
Yes. NAT has no options and no negative marking — a wrong guess costs zero. Always write something in a NAT blank.
How does MSQ marking work?
All correct options must be selected and no wrong ones — there is no partial credit. But there is also no negative marking, so an educated attempt is free.
Keep exploring GATE CS
AcademicArk is not affiliated with GATE or IIT Madras. Figures are computed from official past papers (2015–2026). "Predicted" content is a statistical estimate, not a leak or official material.