Scribe and compensatory time in GATE 2027
The GATE 2027 cycle
The official GATE 2027 Information Brochure requires both a scribe and compensatory time to be opted for while filling the application. On-spot requests at the examination hall will not be entertained.
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A scribe and compensatory time in GATE 2027 must both be requested while filling in the application. The official GATE 2027 Information Brochure says so in two separate places. On printed page 16, about a scribe: the candidate “must exercise this option at the time of filling the application”. On printed page 17, about compensatory time: “On-spot requests for compensatory time at the examination hall will not be entertained.” The supporting certificates are uploaded during the online application as well, alongside the photograph, signature and photo ID. GATE 2027 follows O.M. F. No. P-13013/75/2023-Policy-DD-III dated August 01, 2025 of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, and the brochure’s rules here are that memorandum applied to this examination.
Sources: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 16, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 17, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 13, as on 19 September 2026
What must be produced, and when it must be asked for
Each facility, the candidates it applies to, the documents it needs, and the point at which it must be requested
| What you need | Who it applies to | What must be produced | When it must be requested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scribe | A PwD candidate in the category of blindness, locomotor disability (both arms only) or cerebral palsy | Valid disability certificate or UDID card | At application, as an option on the GOAPS form |
| Scribe | A PwD candidate with any other specified disability | Valid PwD certificate or UDID, plus the Appendix B1 certificate of a functional limitation to write | At application, as an option on the GOAPS form |
| Compensatory time, using a scribe | Candidates availing a scribe | The certificates listed against the scribe rows above | At application. 60 minutes is then provided automatically |
| Compensatory time, without a scribe | PwD candidates with a functional limitation in writing, including candidates with dyslexia or similar learning disabilities | Valid PwD certificate or UDID, with Appendix B1 where the disability is outside the three categories named above | At application. On-spot requests at the examination hall will not be entertained |
| Own scribe rather than a GATE scribe | Allowed if and only if GATE is unable to arrange a scribe | The Appendix B2 undertaking, carrying the scribe’s name and qualification | The GOAPS option is required even when the candidate intends to bring their own scribe |
| Certificate of dyslexia | Dyslexic candidates seeking the services of a scribe | A valid certificate from an authorised Dyslexia Association, scanned in PDF format | Uploaded at the time of online registration |
Source: Compiled from the GATE 2027 Information Brochure (IIT Madras): Section 6.5 on printed pages 16 and 17, Section 6.4 on printed page 13, Section 6.6 on printed page 17, Appendix A on printed page 30, and Appendix B on printed page 31; read 19 September 2026. Appendix B1 is the certificate of a functional limitation to write and Appendix B2 is the letter of undertaking for a candidate’s own scribe; both proformas are printed in the brochure, on pages 32 and 33. GOAPS is the GATE Online Application Processing System. The brochure’s printed page numbers run four behind its PDF page numbers.
The sentence that settles it
The brochure prints one line about asking on the day, and it is not ambiguous: “On-spot requests for compensatory time at the examination hall will not be entertained.” The matching instruction for a scribe sits a page earlier — the candidate “must exercise this option at the time of filling the application”. Appendix B states it a third time, in a different context: the option on GOAPS is required even if the candidate is opting for their own scribe. The brochure describes both requests only as options exercised on the application form — it states that GATE scribes are used for those candidates who have a priori opted for them — and sets out no procedure for making either request at the examination centre.
Sources: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 16, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 17, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 31, as on 19 September 2026
How much compensatory time is given in GATE 2027
Candidates with a scribe can avail compensatory time of 20 minutes every hour, as specified in the office memorandum the brochure cites. For the three-hour examination the brochure states that compensatory time of 60 minutes will be “provided automatically”, and that it may be checked at the beginning of the exam. The same arithmetic appears twice more. The footnote under the pattern-of-examination table on printed page 4 marks the three-hour duration with an asterisk, repeats the 20 minutes per hour, and points the reader to Appendix B for the additional documents. Section 7.1 on printed page 22 approaches it from the other side: all test papers of GATE 2027 will be of three hours duration, “a maximum of four hours in case of candidates availing compensatory time”. Three hours plus 60 minutes is the four-hour ceiling, so the three statements agree.
Sources: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 17, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 4, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 22, as on 19 September 2026
How to request a scribe for GATE 2027
The brochure splits the requirement in two by category. A PwD candidate in the category of blindness, locomotor disability (both arms only) or cerebral palsy can request the facility of a scribe upon production of a valid disability certificate or UDID card. In the case of all other specified disabilities, the facility of a scribe will be allowed on production of a certificate to the effect that the person concerned has a functional limitation to write, caused by the specified disability, and that a scribe is therefore essential to help them in the examination. That certificate is to be issued after due medical examination by a three-member medical authority chaired by a Chief Medical Officer, a Civil Surgeon, a Chief District Medical Officer or a Medical Superintendent of a government healthcare institution, in the proforma at Appendix B1. Appendix A, on printed page 30, gives that authority’s composition: the chairperson, an orthopaedic or PMR specialist, and any other expert the chairperson nominates based on the candidate’s condition.
Sources: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 16, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 30, as on 19 September 2026
The Appendix B1 certificate carries its own validity date
The Appendix B1 proforma, printed on page 32, ends with a validity clause: the certifying authority fills in a date up to which the certificate is valid, and the proforma states that it is valid for a maximum period of one year, or less, as may be certified by the medical authority. It also records that the certificate is issued only for the purpose of appearing in written examinations conducted by examining bodies. Appendix B lists Appendix B1 among the documents a PwD-B candidate is required to upload with the application.
Sources: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 32, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 31, as on 19 September 2026
Appendix B: which documents go with which option
The brochure’s matrix of category against scribe, compensatory time and documents — the compensatory time column reads Yes on every row
| Category, as the brochure names it | Scribe | Compensatory time | Certificates and documents needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| PwD-A — blindness, locomotor disability (both arms only), or cerebral palsy | No | Yes | Valid PwD certificate or UDID |
| PwD-A — the same three categories | Yes | Yes | Valid PwD certificate or UDID; Appendix B2 if the candidate is allowed to have their own scribe |
| PwD-B — a type of disability other than those described in PwD-A | No | Yes | Valid PwD certificate or UDID; Appendix B1 |
| PwD-B — the same category | Yes | Yes | Valid PwD certificate or UDID; Appendix B1; Appendix B2 if the candidate is allowed to have their own scribe |
Source: Appendix B, “Certificates required for various categories of PwD candidates”, GATE 2027 Information Brochure, printed page 31 (IIT Madras), read 19 September 2026. The brochure introduces the table with the instruction that PwD candidates are required to fill their options as appropriate and upload the documents as indicated, and that the option on GOAPS is required even if the candidate is opting for their own scribe. It also directs the reader to the guidelines F. No. P-13013/75/2023-Policy-DD-III dated August 01, 2025 of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Appendix B1 is printed on page 32 and Appendix B2 on page 33.
What a scribe may and may not do in the examination hall
- The assistance the scribe can render is limited to reading the instructions and test paper displayed on the computer screen verbatim, and to mouse-clicks, if the candidate is not able to do so.
- The scribe will communicate only in English.
- The scribe shall not translate, interpret or emphasise the test paper contents to the candidate.
- Where GATE arranges the scribe, the candidate is presented with two scribes from the centre’s panel and must choose one of those two.
- Candidates who have already opted for scribes arranged by GATE will not be permitted to bring their own scribe.
Source: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 16, as on 19 September 2026
Scribes arranged by GATE, and scribes arranged by the candidate
Under the Government of India guidelines, the brochure states, a candidate’s own scribe is discouraged, and candidates are asked to avail the facility of scribes arranged by GATE. An own scribe will be allowed if and only if GATE is unable to arrange one, and the candidate then provides the scribe’s details in the proforma at Appendix B2. The qualification rule is the same either way: a minimum of “two academic years below” and a maximum of “three academic years below” the minimum qualification for appearing in GATE 2027. A scribe arranged by GATE will be either 12th pass or in the first year of an undergraduate degree. A scribe arranged by the candidate must not be eligible to appear in GATE 2027, and no honorarium is paid to that scribe. Where a candidate allowed to bring their own scribe does not bring one, the brochure states that it will not be possible to arrange a new scribe.
Source: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 16, as on 19 September 2026
Assistive devices, screen magnification and the centre visit
- PwD candidates are permitted to use assistive devices such as a Braille slate or a wheelchair. They may arrange for the assistive devices on their own and bring them to the examination centre.
- The GATE zonal institute cannot provide any assistive devices.
- Candidates will be given an option to view the content on the computer screen in a magnified font, approximately 1.25x or 1.5x.
- PwD candidates are encouraged to visit the exam centre a day before the examination to familiarise themselves with the arrangements.
Source: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 17, as on 19 September 2026
The certificate of dyslexia
To avail the services of a scribe, the brochure states on printed page 17 that dyslexic candidates should attach a valid dyslexic certificate issued by any authorised Dyslexia Association, and refers the reader to Appendix A. Appendix A, on printed page 30, adds the timing: a copy of the certificate of dyslexic condition should be uploaded at the time of online registration to avail the services of a scribe. It states that such a certificate can be obtained from any Dyslexia Association, and then lists five associations by name and address, one of which carries a Kolkata address. The brochure prints them as some of the associations, not as an exhaustive or approved list. The scanned copy of the dyslexic certificate appears in the brochure’s own list of data required for filling the application form, in PDF format. Disclaimer 5, on printed page 29, notes that PwD and dyslexia certificates may be verified by the admitting institute.
Sources: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 17, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 30, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 15, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 29, as on 19 September 2026
Where the rest of the application detail sits
This page covers the scribe and compensatory-time facility only. Registration dates, the application fee, the document checklist and who may apply are on the GATE 2027 application checklist at /resources/gate-2027-application-checklist and the eligibility page at /resources/gate-2027-eligibility, both built from the same brochure. Question types, negative marking and how a GATE score is computed are at /guide/gate-2027-exam-pattern-and-marking and /guide/how-the-gate-score-is-calculated. What matters on this page is the timing: the GOAPS form is where both facilities are claimed, the certificates go up with it, and the brochure states that a request made at the examination hall will not be entertained.
Sources: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 16, as on 19 September 2026; GATE 2027 Information Brochure, p. 17, as on 19 September 2026
From the Resource Centre
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Every date, fee and eligibility rule for the GATE 2027 application, from the official GATE portal and brochure, as on 5 September 2026.
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GATE 2027GATE 2027 Official Syllabus — All Papers
The official GATE 2027 syllabus, all 30 papers. Know the exact topics, sections and weightage before you plan a single day of prep. The new Robotics and Automation (RA) paper is not in this set yet.
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Common questions
How do I apply for a scribe in GATE 2027?+
How much compensatory time is given in GATE 2027?+
Can I get compensatory time in GATE without using a scribe?+
Can I ask for a scribe or extra time on the day of the GATE exam?+
What certificate is needed for a GATE scribe if the disability is not blindness, locomotor disability or cerebral palsy?+
Can I bring my own scribe to GATE 2027?+
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