GATE 2026 CSE Shift 2 Exam Analysis: Difficulty Level, Good Attempts, Questions Asked

GATE 2026 CSE Shift 2 Exam Analysis: The GATE 2026 CSE Shift 2 exam is successfully conducted on 8 February 2026, with the test concluding at 5:30 PM. IIT Guwahati is organising the GATE 2026 examination across multiple dates for different engineering and science disciplines.

As the shift is over, candidates can review the GATE 2026 CSE Shift 2 exam analysis, Memory-based GATE 2026 CSE question paper and answer key, Section-wise difficulty level and expected good attempts and cutoff trends. These insights help aspirants understand performance before the official GATE 2026 answer key release.

Read: GATE CSE Question Paper 2026

GATE 2026 CSE Shift 2 Exam Analysis

The Computer Science & Engineering Shift 2 paper followed the standard computer-based test format. Students reported that the paper required:

• Strong conceptual clarity

• Careful time management

• Accuracy in numerical and multi-select questions

Candidates will soon be able to access the GATE 2026 CSE memory-based question paper PDF with solutions for detailed evaluation.

GATE CSE Exam Analysis 2026 Shift 2 Difficulty Level

According to initial student feedback and faculty reactions, the GATE 2026 CSE Shift 2 exam analysis suggests:

• Overall difficulty: Moderate to tough

• Questions focused on concept application rather than direct theory

• Balanced coverage of core CS subjects and engineering mathematics

• Several tricky numerical and MSQ-based problems

The difficulty trend appears slightly higher or comparable to recent GATE CSE papers.

Read: GATE CS Answer Key 2026

Good Attempts in GATE 2026 CSE Shift 2

Applicants who have participated in the GATE Computer Science & Engineering paper on Feb 8, 2026, can check the number of good attempts to estimate their chance of success. The good attempts have been determined based on the valuable feedback shared by candidates:

Because the paper is moderate to tough, the good attempts range is expected to be:

• Moderate overall attempt level

• Higher importance of accuracy over quantity

• Performance strongly influenced by NAT/MSQ correctness

Exact figures will become clearer after the official response sheet and answer key publication.

Important Topics Asked in GATE CS Shift 2 Exam 2026

From early memory-based responses, the Shift 2 paper showed:

• Emphasis on core computer science fundamentals

• Presence of numerical answer type (NAT) questions

• Multiple multi-select questions (MSQs) testing conceptual depth

• Mix of theoretical understanding and problem solving

Around 30–40% weightage was linked to NAT/MSQ formats, making precision crucial.

Also, read: GATE CS Exam Analysis 2026 Shift 1

Marking Scheme for GATE CSE 2026

Candidates should consider the official marking pattern while estimating scores:

• 1-mark MCQ: +1 correct, −1/3 incorrect

• 2-mark MCQ: +2 correct, −2/3 incorrect

• MSQ & NAT questions:

• No negative marking

• Partial marking may apply where relevant

This makes careful MCQ attempts and accurate NAT solving essential for a high score.

Expected GATE 2026 CS Qualifying Cutoff

Based on previous trends, PW Faculty predict a similar range for 2026 as well. The table below shows the GATE 2026 CS Cut Off (expected) -