How to use the GATE Negative Marking Calculator
- 1. Count your answersFrom the answer key, count right and wrong answers by type and marks.
- 2. Enter the countsFill MCQ right and wrong, and MSQ and NAT right, for 1 and 2 marks.
- 3. See your net marksGet raw marks, marks lost to negatives and the net total out of 100.
GATE marking rules
A GATE paper has 65 questions for 100 marks: General Aptitude has 10 questions (5 of 1 mark and 5 of 2 marks, total 15 marks) and the subject part has 55 (25 of 1 mark and 30 of 2 marks, total 85 marks). There are three question types:
- MCQ (one correct option): a wrong 1-mark answer costs 1/3 mark and a wrong 2-mark answer costs 2/3 mark.
- MSQ (one or more correct options): no negative marks and no partial marks.
- NAT (type a number): no negative marks.
Unattempted questions score 0. Check the current information brochure on the official GATE website for your year.
Worked example
Suppose you had 12 right and 3 wrong 1-mark MCQs, 10 right and 4 wrong 2-mark MCQs, 2 right 1-mark and 3 right 2-mark MSQs, and 4 right 1-mark and 5 right 2-mark NATs.
Raw marks = 12 + 20 + 2 + 6 + 4 + 10 = 54. Negative marks = 3 × 1/3 + 4 × 2/3 = 1 + 2.67 = 3.67. Net marks = 54 − 3.67 = 50.33 out of 100. MCQ accuracy is 22 out of 29 attempted, about 75.9%.
Should you guess?
For a 4-option MCQ, a pure guess has a 1 in 4 chance of +1 and a 3 in 4 chance of −1/3, so the expected gain is 1/4 − 3/4 × 1/3 = 0. Blind guessing neither helps nor hurts on average, but if you can rule out even one option, the odds turn in your favour. MSQ and NAT have no penalty, so always attempt them. Turn your marks into a score with the GATE score calculator, and plan your remaining weeks with the GATE study planner.
Frequently asked questions
How much is deducted for a wrong 2-mark MCQ in GATE?
2/3 of a mark. For a wrong 1-mark MCQ it is 1/3 of a mark.
Is there negative marking for MSQ in GATE?
No. MSQ has no negative marking, and there are no partial marks: you must select all correct options and no wrong ones.
Is there negative marking for NAT?
No. Numerical answer type questions have no negative marks.
Is this calculator free?
Yes. You enter your name and WhatsApp number once when you see your result, and other Uncodemy tools then open without the form.