Question 1

What is the official GATE Aerospace Engineering (AE) exam pattern and scoring scheme?

Accepted Answer

GATE AE is a 3-hour (180 minutes) Computer-Based Test (CBT) consisting of 65 questions for 100 marks. General Aptitude comprises 10 questions (15 marks), and Technical Aerospace Engineering & Mathematics comprises 55 questions (85 marks). Question formats include Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ with negative marking: -1/3 for 1-mark and -2/3 for 2-mark questions), Multiple Select Questions (MSQ without negative marking), and Numerical Answer Type (NAT with official accepted intervals and no negative marking).

Question 2

Where can I find verified GATE Aerospace Engineering (AE) previous year questions (PYQs) with solutions?

Accepted Answer

GATE AE Prep Portal provides all 1,300 official GATE AE AE previous year questions spanning 2007 through 2026. Every question includes detailed step-by-step mathematical derivations, official answer keys, KaTeX formula formatting, and subject-wise categorization.

Question 3

How many full-length CBT mock tests are provided on the GATE AE portal?

Accepted Answer

The portal includes 41 full-length CBT mock tests specially crafted according to the official GATE AE 65-question / 100-mark blueprint with TCS-iON palette states, in addition to 20 official past exam papers from 2007 to 2026.

Question 4

What core subjects are covered in the GATE Aerospace Engineering syllabus?

Accepted Answer

The official GATE AE syllabus covers 6 major technical sections: Aerodynamics & Gas Dynamics, Flight Mechanics, Propulsion, Aerospace Structures, Space Dynamics, and Engineering Mathematics, in addition to General Aptitude.

Question 5

Is GATE AE Prep Portal free to use and available offline?

Accepted Answer

Yes, GATE AE Prep Portal is 100% free with zero fees. It is built as an offline-first Progressive Web App (PWA) with service worker caching and local IndexedDB data persistence, allowing aspirants to practice tests and revise formulas anywhere without an active internet connection.

Question 6

What are the qualifying cutoff marks for GATE Aerospace Engineering (AE) across categories?

Accepted Answer

Historical GATE Aerospace qualifying cutoff marks typically range between 26.0 to 30.0 marks for General/Unreserved, 23.5 to 27.0 marks for OBC-NCL and EWS, and 17.0 to 20.0 marks for SC, ST, and PwD categories out of 100 total marks. Scoring 60+ marks generally secures an All India Rank (AIR) in the top 30, qualifying for M.Tech admissions at premier institutes like IISc Bangalore, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, and recruitment shortlists at ISRO/DRDO.

Question 7

Is a virtual scientific calculator allowed in the GATE AE CBT exam?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Physical handheld calculators are strictly prohibited in the official GATE examination. Candidates must use the onscreen official TCS-iON virtual scientific calculator provided in the test interface. The GATE AE Prep Portal features an exact interactive replica of this official TCS-iON virtual calculator across all CBT mock tests and practice modes.

Question 8

What is the chapter-wise subject weightage in GATE Aerospace Engineering?

Accepted Answer

Based on trend analysis across official GATE AE papers, the approximate marks weightage is: Aerodynamics & Gas Dynamics (~22-26%), Propulsion & Rocketry (~20-24%), Flight Mechanics (~18-22%), Aerospace Structures (~16-20%), Engineering Mathematics (13-15%), and General Aptitude (15%).

A satellite orbits Earth in a circular orbit at altitude $h = 600\text{ km}$ above the surface. Given Earth's mean radius $R_E = 6400\text{ km}$ and gravitational parameter $\mu = 3.986 \times 10^5\text{ km}^3/\text{s}^2$, what is its orbital speed in km/s? (Round off to two decimal places).

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