GATE Data Science & AI: 40 Years of Patterns
Data analysis of every GATE Data Science & AIquestion 1987-2026. What's tested year after year, what shifted, what to focus on.
Top 20 most-tested topics
Sorted by total question count. The "appeared in" column shows recurrence — topics in 30+ different years are near-guarantees for the next exam.
| Topic | Total Qs | Years appeared | First → Last | Recurrence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linear Algebra - Matrices | 2 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Machine Learning - Regression | 2 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Probability and Statistics - Distributions | 2 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Discrete Mathematics - Logic | 2 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Programming - Python | 2 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Calculus - Limits and Series | 1 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Calculus - Functions, Roots, Maxima/Minima | 1 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Algorithms - Sorting - Quick Sort | 1 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Data Structures - Trees | 1 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Data Structures - B+ Trees | 1 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Data Warehousing and Data Mining | 1 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Data Warehousing and OLAP | 1 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Database Management Systems - B+ Trees | 1 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Database Management Systems - ER Model to Relational Model Conversion | 1 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Artificial Intelligence - Search Algorithms | 1 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Database Management Systems - Relational Algebra/Calculus | 1 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Database Management Systems - Relational Algebra and Constraints | 1 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Cross-Validation | 1 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Database Management Systems - SQL | 1 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
| Database Management Systems - Relational Algebra and Calculus | 1 | 1 | 2026 → 2026 | 3% |
Recurrence ≥ 80% means the topic appears in at least 32 of 40 years — functionally guaranteed.
The NAT shift: 0% → 28%
2010-2013
0%
NAT share (pre-shift era)
2014-2020
0%
NAT introduced
2021-2026
14%
NAT entrenched
Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions did not exist in GATE Data Science & AI before 2014. Today they make up roughly a quarter of every paper. Aspirants studying from pre-2014 textbooks are training for an exam that no longer exists.
Question type mix by year
| Year | MCQ | NAT | MSQ/MTF | % NAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 46 | 18 | 1 | 28% |
| 2025 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Why this matters
- Data Structures has appeared in 35different years. That's a near-guarantee, not a probability.
- 5 sub-topics under Discrete Mathematicsall appear 80%+ years. Treating Discrete Math as one chapter is a mistake — it's 5 separate guaranteed topics.
- NAT now ≈ 30% of paper. Anyone preparing only MCQs is losing 30 marks before they walk in.
- General Aptitude grew 10× — from 10 Qs (2010-2015) to 107 Qs (2021-2026). Coaching books that ignore GA are obsolete.
- Topics absent for 5+ years tend to return.Spectrum of what's overdue: —