GATE Architecture and Planning (AR)
Your paper is not sat whole: Part A is common for 60 marks, and in the exam you choose one of Part B1, Architecture, or Part B2, Planning, for 25. It has no Engineering Mathematics section and no shared mathematics chapter applies: the numbers the paper does ask — scales and projection, slopes and contours, floor-area ratios and densities, heat flow and daylight, structural loads, network analysis, population projection, water and sewer design, traffic flow, appraisal and the statistics of Part B2.5 — are taught inside the chapter of the heading that asks them. Part A has four headings, Design and Graphics, Environmental Planning and Landscape, Urban Design and Conservation, and Town Planning, Housing and Real Estate Development, in two chapters each. Part B1 has six headings and thirteen chapters; Part B2 has six headings and fourteen. Choose your part on the mock or course page: until you do, the mock pools every part, a paper no candidate sits.
Paper pattern
65 questions
100 marks
180 minutes
Yes negative marking
Architecture and Planning — discipline chapters
- Architectural and Engineering Graphics: Drawing, Scales, Curves, Projection, Perspective and Shadow
- Design and Human Factors: Composition, Form, Proportion, Space, Circulation, Anthropometrics, Accessibility and Bye-laws
- Environmental Planning: Ecosystems, Pollution, Sustainability, EIA and the Carbon Agenda
- Landscape: Site Planning, Contour and Slope, Suitability Analysis, Planting Design, Conservation and Historical Gardens
- Urban Design: Elements, Theories, Tools, Character, Placemaking and Form-Based Code
- Interventions, Development Controls, Renewal, Heritage Conservation and Public Spaces
- Town Planning and Housing: Principles, Planned Cities, Neighbourhoods, Densities and Standards
- Housing Economics and Real Estate: Need and Shortage, Affordable Housing, Slums, Valuation, Feasibility and Phasing
- The Classical and Medieval World: Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Gothic Architecture
- Renaissance to the Contemporary: Styles, Modern Movements and the Principles of Design
- Indian and Oriental Architecture, and the Works of Renowned Architects
- Climate, Sun and Comfort: Zones, Solar Geometry, Shading and Thermal Comfort
- Passive Design, Building Energy and Sustainable Technologies
- Construction Techniques: Foundations, Masonry, Openings, Frames, Roofs, Fire Safety, Floors, Modular Coordination and Prefabrication
- Building Materials: Cement and Concrete, Masonry Units, Timber, Steel, Glass, Finishes, Damp Prevention, Insulation, Repair and Alternative Materials
- Structural Systems: Statics, Limit State Design, RCC and Steel, Prestressing, High-Rise, Shells, Long-Span and Disaster-Resistant Structures
- Air, Water and Drainage Services: Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Water Supply, Reuse, Storm Water, Sewage and Plumbing
- Electrical, Acoustic, Transport and Safety Services: Illumination, Sound, Lifts, Fire, Automation and Specialised Buildings
- Computer Applications in Architecture: Computation, BIM and Visualisation, Parametric and Generative Design, Fabrication and AI
- Construction Planning and Equipment; Project Management Techniques: Bar Charts, CPM, Crashing and PERT
- Professional Practice, Estimation, Tendering and Arbitration; Building Economics and Allied Fields
- Planning History and Ideas: From the Origins of the City to the Smart and Global City
- Urban Geography, Growth and Location: Central Places, Regions, Growth Models and Industrial Location
- Surveys, Demography and Forecasting: Classification, Sampling, Projection and Planning Analysis
- Planning Framework: Urbanisation, Charters, the Constitution, Programmes and the Hierarchy of Plans
- Land and Governance: Eminent Domain, Pooling, Acquisition, Land Records, Local Government and Participation
- Water Supply: Demand, Sources, Reservoirs, Distribution, Treatment and Quality
- Sanitation, Sewerage, Wastewater Treatment and Storm-Water Drainage
- Solid Waste Management and Power Supply: Collection, Processing, Disposal, Siting, Rules, Transformers and Substations
- Land Use, Land Economics and Travel Demand: From Bid-Rent to the Four-Step Model
- Traffic and Transport: Flow, Geometric Design, Signals, Parking, Modes and ITS
- Data Analysis for Planning: Statistics, Hypothesis Testing, AHP and Multi-Criteria Analysis
- Remote Sensing, GIS and Urban Analytics: Imagery, Photogrammetry, Spatial Data, SQL, Python and Machine Learning
- Municipal Finance: Taxes, Budgets, Fiscal Indicators, Debt and the Pricing of Services
- Projects and Implementation: Partnerships, Viability, Monitoring, Asset Management and Institutions
Frequently asked questions
What does the GATE Architecture and Planning course cost?
The first chapter of the GATE course is free. Every chapter of this paper, in English and Hindi, unlocks with the GATE plan — ₹29 a month, less than ₹1 a day, cancel anytime — with scored practice and the full-length AR mock test in the real 65-question pattern. Premium adds the AI mentor.
How much of the GATE AR syllabus is covered?
The whole paper: 35 chapters across all 16 of its sections. General Aptitude is shared by every paper.
What is the GATE exam pattern?
65 questions for 100 marks in 180 minutes: General Aptitude for 15 marks and the paper for 85. A wrong MCQ costs a third of its marks; MSQ and NAT questions carry no negative marking.
Official sources
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