The GATE 2026 Environmental Science (ES) paper has been concluded on February 7th from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

Candidates had mixed opinions on the difficulty level of the paper; however, there were no major surprises, and experts of PW GATE said overall, the paper was moderate, neither too tough nor too easy.

“The GATE ES paper had about 10-12 MSQs. Aptitude and Mathematics turned out to be easy, and direct questions were asked from these subjects.”

  • General Aptitude: Easy to moderate and scoring, with questions from verbal, numerical, reasoning, and grammar. Good attempts were around 12–14 marks.
  • Mathematics Foundation: Easy to moderate, covering core topics like calculus, linear algebra, and probability. Expected good attempts were 10–12 marks.

The Paper Analysis will cover the overall difficulty, subject-wise trends, topic-weightage, good attempts, and cutoff to help candidates check the performance and prepare for the next shifts.

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GATE 2026 Environmental Sciences and Engineering Experts' Analysis

As per the experts at the collegedunia, the GATE 2026 ES paper was moderately difficult. The questions were a mix of theoretical concepts and application-based problems, so to score in the 65–70 range, candidates needed to attempt around 45–50 questions with high accuracy.

Source / Expert Key Analysis Data Insight
APSEd Academy Paper was moderate with more conceptual questions; Aptitude and Maths were easy and direct. Expected cutoff ~26–27; high NAT weightage in applied topics
Physics Wallah Emphasised conceptual clarity and application-based questions across sections. Good attempts ~48–53; strong focus on Air & Water Pollution
Collegedunia Experts Moderate paper with a balance of theory and application; accuracy was crucial for high scores. 65–70 marks with 45–50 good attempts; cutoff ~26–27
Jagran Josh / Expert Trends Difficulty similar to previous years; conceptual and numerical mix. Expected good attempts in the 65–75 marks range

GATE 2026: Subject-Wise Environmental Science and Engineering Paper Analysis

Based on the candidates' feedback analysis and the expert predictions from various coaching institutes, the Environmental Science paper was moderately difficult.

Core subjects were more application-based rather than just theoretical, and there were questions on recent environmental issues on a global level and on climate change.

In the GATE 2025 ES paper, students found microbiology and ecology questions a bit tricky. NAT questions were dominant in water resources topics.

Subjects Expected Difficulty Level Expected Key Topics and High Weightage
General Aptitude Easy to Moderate English grammar, spatial reasoning
Mathematics Foundation Moderate Linear algebra, calculus, and probability & statistics (Hypothesis testing)
Environmental Chemistry Easy-moderate Redox reduction, PH calculation, and atmospheric chemical cycles
Environmental Microbiology Moderate Monod’s model, nitrification/denitrification, Cell biology
Water Resources and Environmental Hydraulics Moderate-tough Runoff’s models, Open channel flow, and Bernoulli’s application.
Water and Wastewater Treatment Moderate BOD/COD calculations, sedimentation
Air and Noise Pollution Moderate Noise level measurements, dispersion modelling, and air quality standards.
Solid & Hazardous waste Easy-moderate Waste generation rates, landfill design, and incineration principles

Check: What is the rank of 40 marks in GATE?

Expected Good Attempts and Cutoff for GATE 2026 Environmental Science and Engineering Paper

As per the expert's analysis, you need to have a good attempt of around 48-53 questions with good accuracy to score good marks in the GATE Environmental Science and Engineering Paper.

GATE Paper Expected Good Attempts Expected Cutoff Marks (General) Expected Cutoff marks (OBC/EWS) Expected Cutoff Marks (SC/ST)
Environmental Science & Engineering (ES) 48-53 26-27 24-25 18-19

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