GATE 2027 exam hall: allowed and prohibited items
The GATE 2027 cycle
Appendix C of the official GATE 2027 Information Brochure lists what a candidate must carry, what is provided in the hall, and what is strictly prohibited.
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What a candidate may take into a GATE 2027 examination hall is printed in Appendix C of the official GATE 2027 Information Brochure, on printed page 34, under the heading “Code of Conduct for GATE 2027 Examination”. Two things must be carried in: the Admit Card, and the ORIGINAL valid photo-identity proof used at the time of registration. One thing is provided inside the hall — a scribble pad for rough work, given by the invigilator. Everything else the page names that a candidate might carry in is prohibited, and the one piece of equipment it does name — the computer and its related hardware — must not be tampered with. Carrying mobile phones, in the brochure's words “even in the switched-off mode”, watches of any form and calculators inside the examination hall is strictly prohibited. So is carrying any electronic or communication device, wallets, papers, loose sheets, pen or pencil boxes and pouches, and printed or hand-written textual materials. All means and modes of communication between candidates inside the hall are prohibited as well. The brochure prints the consequence in the same list: if any of the prohibited acts or items is detected during the examination, it will automatically lead to cancellation of candidature, and results will not be declared for such candidates.
Source: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 34, as on 19 September 2026
Item by item: carried in, provided, or prohibited
| Item | Required, allowed or prohibited | What the brochure says | Printed page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admit Card | Required | Must be carried to the examination hall. A printed copy on A4 paper, “preferably in color”, is to be brought for verification. | 34 and 21 |
| Photo-identity proof | Required | “ORIGINAL valid photo-identity proof (used at the time of registration)”. Section 6.10 calls it a valid original photo ID, the one specified while filling the online application. | 34 and 21 |
| Scribble pad | Provided in the hall | Given by the invigilator for rough work. The candidate writes name and registration number on it before use, and holds only one at a time. | 34 |
| On-screen virtual calculator | The only calculator allowed | “The candidates must use only the on-screen virtual calculator provided for their calculations.” Section 7 calls it a virtual scientific calculator, available on the computer screen. | 2 and 22 |
| Your own calculator | Prohibited | Carrying calculators inside the examination hall is strictly prohibited. | 34 |
| Mobile phone | Prohibited | Prohibited “even in the switched-off mode”. Switching it off is not a way to keep it with you. | 34 |
| Watch of any form | Prohibited | “watches of any form”. Section 7 spells the same rule as analog, digital and smart watches. | 34 and 22 |
| Electronic or communication device | Prohibited | Named in the sentence that begins “Carrying any electronic/communication devices”. Section 7 also names bluetooth devices. | 34 and 22 |
| Wallet | Prohibited | Named in the same prohibited list as electronic and communication devices. | 34 |
| Papers, loose sheets, textual material | Prohibited | “papers, loose sheets … and printed or hand-written textual materials”. Section 7 also names books, data or handbooks and tables. | 34 and 22 |
| Pen or pencil box or pouch | Prohibited | “pen or pencil boxes/pouches” are named in the same prohibited list. | 34 |
| Talking or signalling to a candidate | Prohibited | “All means and modes of communication (verbal or otherwise) among the candidates inside the examination hall are strictly PROHIBITED.” | 34 |
| The computer and its hardware | Must not be tampered with | Candidates MUST not tamper with the computer and the related hardware provided in the hall; those “found tampering the computers will have their candidature cancelled summarily”, and legal action may follow. | 34 |
Source: Appendix C, “Code of Conduct for GATE 2027 Examination”, GATE 2027 Information Brochure, printed page 34 (IIT Madras), read 19 September 2026, with the rows that cite a second page drawn from section 7 (printed page 22), section 6.10 (printed page 21) and the Highlights list (printed page 2) of the same brochure. Printed page 34 is PDF page 38, because the brochure's printed page numbers run four behind its PDF page numbers. Every cell is the brochure's own wording or a direct restatement of it; nothing here is inferred, and no item appears that the brochure does not name.
Detection cancels candidature, whether or not the item was used
The brochure does not describe a warning, a confiscation or a penalty in marks. It says: “If any of the PROHIBITED acts or items listed above is detected during the examination, it will automatically lead to CANCELLATION of candidature. Results will NOT be declared for such candidates.” Section 7 states the same rule for the items it lists there, and closes the obvious gap: candidates found in possession of such devices “will be disqualified regardless of whether they use them or not”. A switched-off phone in a pocket is therefore detection, not an accident. The brochure also records that the GATE Examination Body will not take responsibility for the safety and security of mobile phones, electronic devices or any kind of valuables belonging to candidates, and section 7 adds that GATE 2027 will not be responsible for safeguarding the candidates’ personal belongings. The brochure describes no place to leave one.
Sources: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 34, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 22, as on 19 September 2026
The scribble pad rules, in the order they apply
- The scribble pad is provided in the examination hall by the invigilator, for rough work. Candidates do not bring their own paper — loose sheets are on the prohibited list.
- Candidates MUST write their name and registration number on the scribble pad before they start using it.
- A candidate can possess ONLY one scribble pad at any point of time.
- Before taking the next scribble pad, the previous scribble pad MUST be returned to the invigilator.
- Any scribble pad in the possession of the candidate MUST be returned to the invigilators after the end of the examination.
- “The tearing of sheets from the scribble pads is prohibited.”
Sources: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 34, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 22, as on 19 September 2026
The calculator is on the screen, and so is the number pad
The Highlights page states it in one line: the candidates must use only the on-screen virtual calculator provided for their calculations. Section 7 adds that a virtual scientific calculator will be available on the computer screen, and that the calculator, along with the syllabus, previous years' question papers and mock examination links, is accessible through the GATE 2027 official website — which is where a candidate can practice with the same tool before the examination day. There is a second on-screen control worth rehearsing. For Numerical Answer Type questions the answer is a signed real number, and the brochure says it must be entered using the virtual numeric keypad on the monitor, with the keyboard of the computer disabled. Typing a NAT answer on the keyboard will not work, and finding that out during the examination costs time. How many decimal places to key in, and when to round off, are covered in /guide/gate-nat-answer-tolerance. The question types and the marking, including negative marking, are covered in /guide/gate-2027-exam-pattern-and-marking and are not repeated here.
Sources: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 2, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 22, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 23, as on 19 September 2026
The two documents, and how they reach you
Section 6.10 of the brochure, on printed page 21, states that Admit Cards will NOT be sent by post or email. They are downloaded from the application portal, and the brochure says the download dates will be announced on the GATE 2027 official website. Nothing arrives in the letterbox, so there is nothing to wait for. Candidates must bring a printed copy of the Admit Card, preferably in colour, on A4 paper, for verification, together with a valid original photo ID — the one specified while filling up the online application, which Appendix C describes as the photo-identity proof used at the time of registration. Two further sentences in that section are easy to read past. The brochure says the Admit Card is valid only if the candidate's photograph and signature are clear, which is where the upload specifications in /guide/gate-photo-signature-rejection stop being an application formality and start being an entry condition. And it says that without these documents, entry to the examination centre may NOT be allowed.
Sources: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 21, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 34, as on 19 September 2026
The clock inside the hall, as section 7.1 sets it
- All test papers of GATE 2027 are of three hours duration — a maximum of four hours for candidates availing compensatory time, which is explained in /guide/gate-scribe-and-compensatory-time.
- Candidates will be permitted to occupy their allotted seats 40 minutes before the scheduled start of the examination.
- Candidates can login and start reading the instructions 20 minutes before the start of the examination.
- A candidate will NOT be permitted to login after 15 minutes from the scheduled start of the examination.
- Candidates will NOT be permitted to leave the examination hall before the scheduled end of the examination.
- After the examination duration has elapsed, the examination will terminate automatically.
Source: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 22, as on 19 September 2026
What the Disclaimer adds on top of Appendix C
Clause 7 of section 9, the Disclaimer, on printed page 29, goes further than cancellation. It states that candidates found using unfair means and not complying with the code of conduct and ethics of GATE 2027 will have their candidature cancelled regardless of whether they have been allowed to complete their examination or not, that appropriate legal action may be initiated against all such candidates, and that if a candidate is found to be involved in malpractice, the GATE committee “reserves the rights to ban the candidate from appearing in GATE for the next 3 years”. Section 7 repeats that three-year sentence in the same words. A cancelled paper is one attempt; a malpractice finding can reach the attempts after it.
Sources: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 29, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 22, as on 19 September 2026
What to do with this before the examination day
Pack the morning bag against the table above rather than against habit. The two documents go in; the phone, the watch, the wallet, the pouch and the formula sheet do not, and there is no cloakroom promise in the brochure to fall back on. Practice on the virtual scientific calculator and the mock examination links that the brochure says are accessible through the GATE 2027 official website, because the first time a candidate meets the on-screen calculator or the virtual numeric keypad should not be in the examination hall. Read Appendix C in full on printed page 34 of the brochure — it is one page, and it is the page a centre will apply. Registration dates, the application fee, eligibility and how long a GATE score stays valid are not covered here; they are on /resources/gate-2027-application-checklist and /resources/gate-2027-eligibility, both built from the same brochure. The rule on how examination cities are allotted is in /guide/gate-2027-exam-city-choice.
Source: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 34, as on 19 September 2026
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Common questions
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