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100+ Free GATE BT Practice Questions

Pass your Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering — Biotechnology exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

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Which animal cell line is most widely used for industrial production of recombinant therapeutic proteins?

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: GATE BT Exam

65 / 100

Questions and marks in GATE BT 2026

GATE 2026 Information Brochure, IIT Guwahati

180 minutes

Total exam duration (3 hours)

gate2026.iitg.ac.in

15 + ~13 + ~72

Marks split: GA + Eng Math + BT subject

GATE BT 2026 syllabus, IIT Guwahati

1/3 and 2/3

Negative marking for 1-mark and 2-mark MCQs (no negative for MSQ or NAT)

GATE 2026 Information Brochure

100

Free GATE BT practice questions here

OpenExamPrep

GATE BT 2026 is a 3-hour computer-based test of 65 questions / 100 marks (15 GA + ~13 Eng Math + ~72 BT subject) with MCQ (negative marking), MSQ and NAT (no negative marking), administered by IIT Guwahati for IIT/IISc/NIT PG admissions, PSU recruitment, and PhD fellowships.

Sample GATE BT Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your GATE BT exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Select the word that is most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to the word PRUDENT:
A.Cautious
B.Wise
C.Reckless
D.Sensible
Explanation: Prudent means acting with or showing care and thought for the future — being cautious and wise. The opposite is 'reckless', meaning heedless of danger or consequences. Cautious, wise, and sensible are all near-synonyms of prudent.
2The mean of five numbers is 18. If one number is removed, the mean of the remaining four numbers becomes 16. What is the value of the removed number?
A.20
B.22
C.24
D.26
Explanation: Sum of five numbers = 5 × 18 = 90. Sum of remaining four numbers = 4 × 16 = 64. The removed number = 90 − 64 = 26. This is a direct application of the relationship between sum and arithmetic mean.
3Choose the word most nearly opposite in meaning to 'EPHEMERAL':
A.Transient
B.Permanent
C.Brief
D.Fleeting
Explanation: Ephemeral means lasting for a very short time. Its antonym is 'permanent', which means lasting or intended to last indefinitely. Transient, brief, and fleeting are all synonyms of ephemeral.
4A train 150 m long crosses a platform 250 m long in 20 seconds. What is the speed of the train in km/h?
A.60
B.72
C.80
D.90
Explanation: Total distance covered while crossing the platform = length of train + length of platform = 150 + 250 = 400 m. Speed = distance / time = 400 / 20 = 20 m/s. Converting: 20 × 18/5 = 72 km/h.
5If the cost of 6 pens and 9 notebooks is INR 480, and the cost of 4 pens and 5 notebooks is INR 280, what is the cost of one notebook?
A.INR 30
B.INR 35
C.INR 40
D.INR 45
Explanation: Let pen = p, notebook = n. Then 6p + 9n = 480 and 4p + 5n = 280. Multiply the first by 2 and the second by 3: 12p + 18n = 960 and 12p + 15n = 840. Subtract: 3n = 120, so n = 40. Therefore one notebook costs INR 40.
6A shopkeeper marks an article 40 percent above the cost price and then offers a 25 percent discount on the marked price. What is the percentage profit or loss?
A.5 percent profit
B.10 percent profit
C.5 percent loss
D.15 percent profit
Explanation: Let cost price = 100. Marked price = 140. Selling price after 25 percent discount = 140 × 0.75 = 105. Profit = 105 − 100 = 5, which is 5 percent of cost price. So the shopkeeper makes a 5 percent profit.
7If the statement 'All scientists are curious' is true, which of the following must also be true?
A.All curious people are scientists
B.Some curious people are scientists
C.No scientist is uncurious
D.Most scientists are curious
Explanation: The universal statement 'All scientists are curious' is logically equivalent to 'No scientist is not-curious' (no scientist is uncurious). This is a direct contrapositive style reformulation in categorical logic.
8A square garden has an area of 144 square metres. A path 1 metre wide runs around the outside of the garden. What is the area of the path in square metres?
A.48
B.52
C.56
D.60
Explanation: Side of garden = √144 = 12 m. Outer side of garden plus path = 12 + 2 = 14 m. Outer area = 14² = 196. Path area = 196 − 144 = 52 m².
9If P : Q = 3 : 4 and Q : R = 5 : 6, what is the ratio P : R?
A.5 : 8
B.3 : 6
C.15 : 24
D.5 : 7
Explanation: Make Q common. P : Q = 3 : 4 = 15 : 20. Q : R = 5 : 6 = 20 : 24. Thus P : Q : R = 15 : 20 : 24, so P : R = 15 : 24 = 5 : 8 after dividing by 3.
10A graph shows that the population of a town doubled every 10 years over the period 1980 to 2020. If the population in 1980 was 25,000, what was the population in 2020?
A.200,000
B.300,000
C.400,000
D.500,000
Explanation: From 1980 to 2020 is 40 years, comprising four doubling periods of 10 years each. Population multiplies by 2⁴ = 16. So 25,000 × 16 = 400,000.

About the GATE BT Exam

GATE Biotechnology (BT) is one of the 30 papers offered in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering, jointly conducted by IISc Bangalore and the seven IITs on behalf of the National Coordination Board, Ministry of Education, Government of India. The BT paper is used for admission to ME/MTech and PhD programmes at IITs/IISc/NITs and centrally funded institutes, for several PSU recruitment processes, and for direct PhD admission at premier research institutes. GATE 2026 is being organised by IIT Guwahati. The paper is a 3-hour computer-based test of 65 questions totalling 100 marks, with 15 marks of General Aptitude, ~13 marks of Engineering Mathematics, and ~72 marks across the four BT subject sections (General Biotechnology, Recombinant DNA Technology, Plant/Animal/Microbial Biotechnology, and Bioprocess Engineering and Process Biotechnology).

Questions

100 scored questions

Time Limit

180 minutes

Passing Score

Qualifying score = max(25 marks, mean + 1 SD); admission/PSU cutoffs are higher

Exam Fee

INR 1000 (Women/SC/ST/PwD); INR 2000 (others) per paper for GATE 2026 (IISc Bangalore and seven IITs (GATE 2026 organised by IIT Guwahati))

GATE BT Exam Content Outline

15%

General Aptitude (GA)

Verbal aptitude (English grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension), quantitative aptitude (numerical, data interpretation), analytical aptitude (logical reasoning), spatial aptitude — 5 one-mark + 5 two-mark questions = 15 marks, common across all GATE papers

~13%

Engineering Mathematics

Linear algebra (matrices, eigenvalues, determinants), calculus (limits, integrals, partial derivatives, Taylor series), differential equations, probability and statistics (distributions, sampling), numerical methods (root finding, integration)

~20%

General Biotechnology

Biochemistry (amino acids, enzyme kinetics, metabolism, glycolysis, TCA, ETC); microbiology (bacterial/viral structure, growth, control); cell biology and anatomy (organelles, cell cycle, signaling); molecular biology and genetics (replication, transcription, translation, gene regulation, Mendelian and population genetics); analytical techniques (chromatography, electrophoresis, spectrophotometry, microscopy); immunology (innate/adaptive, antibody classes, MHC); bioinformatics (sequence alignment, BLAST, databases)

~18%

Recombinant DNA Technology

Restriction and modifying enzymes; molecular cloning vectors (plasmids, phages, BAC, YAC); PCR, RT-PCR, qPCR; DNA sequencing (Sanger, NGS); gene expression analysis (Northern, qPCR, microarrays, RNA-seq); transgenic plants (Agrobacterium-mediated, biolistics, Bt and Golden Rice) and transgenic animals (microinjection, ES cell, CRISPR)

~17%

Plant, Animal and Microbial Biotechnology

Plant tissue culture (callus, organogenesis, somatic embryogenesis, anther culture, somatic hybridisation); animal cell culture (primary culture, cell lines, CHO, hybridoma); bioethics (ICMR, DBT, CPCSEA guidelines); gene knockouts (homologous recombination, Cre-loxP, CRISPR); stem cells (ES, iPS, MSCs); microbial product fermentation (antibiotics, organic acids, enzymes, biofertilisers, vermicomposting)

~17%

Bioprocess Engineering and Process Biotechnology

Chemical engineering principles (mass and energy balances, fluid flow, heat transfer); bioreactor design and analysis (batch, fed-batch, chemostat, packed-bed, airlift, scale-up, Monod kinetics, kLa); downstream processing (cell disruption, centrifugation, filtration, chromatography, membrane separation); upstream processing (sterilisation, medium design, inoculum); biosensors and biomarkers (enzyme, antibody, aptamer-based recognition; transduction methods)

How to Pass the GATE BT Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Qualifying score = max(25 marks, mean + 1 SD); admission/PSU cutoffs are higher
  • Exam length: 100 questions
  • Time limit: 180 minutes
  • Exam fee: INR 1000 (Women/SC/ST/PwD); INR 2000 (others) per paper for GATE 2026

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

GATE BT Study Tips from Top Performers

1Build the 4 BT sections from a standard textbook each — Lehninger or Nelson Cox for biochemistry, Lewin or Molecular Biology of the Cell for molecular cell biology, Old and Primrose for rDNA technology, Shuler and Kargi for bioprocess engineering
2Solve at least the last 10 years of GATE BT previous-year question papers under timed conditions — pattern recognition wins the exam
3For Engineering Mathematics, work through the GATE-focused Made Easy / ACE handbook chapters on linear algebra, calculus, probability and ODEs — these recur every year
4Master NAT (numerical answer type) questions by drilling Monod kinetics, doubling-time, Beer-Lambert calculations, and amplification math; NAT carries no negative marking and is a major scoring lever
5For General Aptitude, do 10 quick verbal + 10 quantitative practice items daily in the final 60 days — easy 15 marks if you do not let GA slide
6Make a one-page formula sheet for kLa, OTR, Monod, doubling time, eigenvalue, Laplace transforms — revise it daily in the last 30 days

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the GATE 2026 BT exam pattern?

GATE BT is a 3-hour computer-based test with 65 questions totalling 100 marks. The paper has 15 marks of General Aptitude, ~13 marks of Engineering Mathematics, and ~72 marks of the Biotechnology core split across General Biotech, Recombinant DNA, Plant/Animal/Microbial Biotech, and Bioprocess Engineering. Question types are MCQ (one correct), MSQ (one or more correct), and NAT (numerical answer).

What is the marking scheme and negative marking for GATE BT?

MCQs carry 1 or 2 marks. For 1-mark MCQs, 1/3 mark is deducted for a wrong answer; for 2-mark MCQs, 2/3 mark is deducted. MSQs (multiple select) and NAT (numerical answer type) questions carry no negative marking. Unanswered questions receive zero.

Who organises GATE 2026 and what are the key dates?

GATE 2026 is being organised by IIT Guwahati on behalf of IISc and the seven IITs. The official portal is gate2026.iitg.ac.in. The exam is typically held over two weekends in February. Registration usually opens in late August and closes in late September with an extended (late-fee) window in October; admit cards are issued in early January and results are declared in mid-March.

What is the application fee for GATE 2026?

For GATE 2026, the regular application fee is INR 1000 for Women, SC, ST and PwD candidates, and INR 2000 for all other candidates, per paper. Late-fee registration adds INR 500 per paper. International candidates pay USD 50 (regular) or USD 70 (late).

Who is eligible to appear for GATE BT 2026?

Candidates currently in the third year or higher of any undergraduate programme, or who have completed any government-approved degree programme in Engineering/Technology/Architecture/Science/Commerce/Arts/Humanities are eligible. There is no upper age limit and no restriction on the number of attempts.

What is the GATE BT 2026 syllabus structure?

The BT syllabus has four main sections: Section 1 General Biotechnology (biochemistry, microbiology, cell biology, molecular biology and genetics, analytical techniques, immunology, bioinformatics); Section 2 Recombinant DNA Technology; Section 3 Plant, Animal and Microbial Biotechnology; Section 4 Bioprocess Engineering and Process Biotechnology. The full syllabus PDF is published on gate2026.iitg.ac.in.

How is the GATE score calculated and how long is it valid?

Raw marks are normalised to a GATE score on a 0–1000 scale using a formula based on the qualifying mark and the mean of the top 0.1 percent or top 10 candidates. The GATE score is valid for THREE years from the date of result announcement and is used for PG admissions, PSU recruitment, and PhD fellowships across India.