100+ Free GATE EY Practice Questions

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The MacArthur and Wilson (1967) Theory of Island Biogeography predicts species richness on an island to be a balance between:

Mutation and selection

Birth and death rates

Immigration rate (decreases with species number) and extinction rate (increases with species number)

Production and respiration

to track

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: GATE EY Exam

65 questions / 100 marks

GATE EY paper composition (10 GA + 55 subject)

GATE 2026 brochure, gate2026.iitg.ac.in

180 minutes

Total exam duration (3 hours, computer-based)

GATE 2026 official notification

15 marks

General Aptitude section (common to all GATE papers)

GATE 2026 Information Brochure

INR 1000 / INR 2000

Application fee (Female/SC/ST/PwD vs other categories)

GATE 2026 registration portal

100

Free practice questions here

OpenExamPrep

GATE EY is a 3-hour computer-based test with 65 questions worth 100 marks: 15 marks General Aptitude plus 85 marks of Ecology and Evolution. Mix of MCQ, MSQ, and NAT; MCQs have negative marking. Conducted by IIT Guwahati for GATE 2026.

Sample GATE EY Practice Questions

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

1If the average growth rate of a population is given by dN/dt = rN(1 − N/K), what does K represent?

A.Intrinsic growth rate

B.Carrying capacity

C.Population size at time zero

D.Death rate per capita

Explanation: The logistic growth equation dN/dt = rN(1 − N/K) describes density-dependent growth, where K is the carrying capacity — the maximum population size that the environment can sustainably support. When N approaches K, the term (1 − N/K) approaches zero and dN/dt approaches zero.

2In a Hardy-Weinberg population, the frequency of the recessive allele q is 0.2. What is the expected frequency of heterozygotes?

A.0.04

B.0.16

C.0.32

D.0.64

Explanation: Under Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, heterozygote frequency is 2pq. With q = 0.2, p = 0.8, so 2pq = 2 × 0.8 × 0.2 = 0.32. This is the maximum heterozygote frequency at q = 0.5, where 2pq = 0.5.

3Which of the following correctly defines the niche of a species in Hutchinson's framework?

A.The physical habitat where the species is found

B.An n-dimensional hypervolume of environmental conditions in which the species can persist

C.The geographical range across which the species occurs

D.The biome category that the species belongs to

Explanation: G. E. Hutchinson (1957) defined the ecological niche as an n-dimensional hypervolume where each axis represents an environmental variable (temperature, humidity, food size, etc.) and the volume bounds the conditions under which the species can survive and reproduce. This concept distinguishes the fundamental niche from the realized niche (where competitors restrict actual distribution).

4Which mechanism of evolution acts by chance and is strongest in small populations?

A.Natural selection

B.Sexual selection

C.Genetic drift

D.Directional mutation

Explanation: Genetic drift is the random change in allele frequencies due to sampling error from one generation to the next. Its magnitude is inversely proportional to effective population size (Ne); in small populations, drift can fix or lose alleles regardless of their fitness, often overpowering weak selection.

5If a researcher rejects the null hypothesis at α = 0.05 when in fact it is true, what type of error has occurred?

A.Type I error

B.Type II error

C.Sampling error

D.Standard error

Explanation: A Type I error (false positive) is rejecting a true null hypothesis, and its probability equals the significance level α. At α = 0.05, the long-run probability of a Type I error is 5 percent. Type II error (β) is accepting a false null.

6A General Aptitude question: If a train travels 60 km in 45 minutes, what is its average speed in km/h?

A.60 km/h

B.75 km/h

C.80 km/h

D.90 km/h

Explanation: Average speed = distance/time. Convert 45 minutes to hours: 45/60 = 0.75 h. Speed = 60/0.75 = 80 km/h.

7Which of the following is the best example of a keystone species concept introduced by Robert Paine?

A.Phytoplankton in oceans

B.Starfish Pisaster ochraceus in rocky intertidal communities

C.Earthworms in temperate soils

D.Reef-building corals

Explanation: Robert Paine's classic 1966 experiment on the Washington coast showed that removing the starfish Pisaster ochraceus caused mussel monocultures that excluded other species, reducing diversity from 15 to 8. He coined 'keystone species' to describe a predator whose impact on community structure is disproportionately large relative to its biomass.

8What is the value of the determinant of the matrix [[2, 3], [1, 4]]?

A.5

B.8

C.11

D.14

Explanation: For a 2×2 matrix [[a, b], [c, d]], the determinant is ad − bc. Here, 2×4 − 3×1 = 8 − 3 = 5.

9The hypothesis that altruistic behaviour toward relatives is favoured when rB > C (where r = relatedness, B = benefit to recipient, C = cost to actor) is known as:

A.Hamilton's rule

B.Trivers' reciprocity rule

C.Fisher's runaway selection

D.Group selection principle

Explanation: Hamilton (1964) formalised kin selection with the inequality rB > C: an altruistic gene spreads when the benefit B to the recipient, weighted by genetic relatedness r, exceeds the cost C to the actor. This is the foundation of inclusive fitness theory and explains social insect eusociality, alarm calling, and parental care.

10Which Indian national park was the first to be established under Project Tiger (1973)?

A.Kanha National Park

B.Jim Corbett National Park

C.Bandhavgarh National Park

D.Ranthambore National Park

Explanation: Project Tiger was launched on 1 April 1973 at Jim Corbett National Park (Uttarakhand), making it the first designated tiger reserve. Project Tiger initially covered 9 reserves; today the network exceeds 50, managed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

About the GATE EY Exam

GATE Ecology and Evolution (EY) is one of the 30 papers offered in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering, conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore and the seven older IITs. GATE 2026 is organised by IIT Guwahati. The EY paper assesses comprehensive understanding of ecology, evolution, behaviour and applied conservation science, and is used for admission to MSc/MTech/PhD programmes and JRF positions at IISc, IITs, IISERs, and several public research institutes (CSIR, DBT-funded centres). The Computer-Based Test runs 3 hours with 65 questions worth 100 marks. As a science paper, EY combines 15 marks of General Aptitude with 85 marks of subject-specific questions (no separate Engineering Mathematics section). Questions are MCQ, MSQ (multiple-select), and NAT (numerical answer). MCQs carry negative marking (−1/3 for 1-mark and −2/3 for 2-mark items), while MSQ and NAT have no negative marking.

Questions

100 scored questions

Time Limit

180 minutes (3 hours)

Passing Score

Qualifying mark set yearly (typically 25-33 out of 100, varies by category)

Exam Fee

INR 1000 (Female/SC/ST/PwD); INR 2000 (other categories) for GATE 2026 regular window (IIT Guwahati for GATE 2026, on behalf of National Coordination Board (NCB-GATE))

GATE EY Exam Content Outline

15%

General Aptitude (GA)

Verbal aptitude, quantitative aptitude, analytical aptitude, and spatial aptitude — 10 questions worth 15 marks, common to all GATE papers

~25%

Ecology

Fundamental concepts; population ecology (logistic growth, life-history strategies, age structure, metapopulation); species interactions (predation, competition, mutualism); community ecology (diversity, succession, biogeography); ecosystem structure & function; biogeochemical cycles

~25%

Evolution

Origin of life; concepts of variation, inheritance, selection; Darwinian theory; mechanisms (natural and sexual selection, genetic drift, mutation); population genetics (Hardy-Weinberg, allele/genotype frequencies); speciation; macroevolution; molecular evolution; coevolution; phylogenetics and systematics

~15%

Mathematics and Quantitative Ecology

Probability; counting; permutations and combinations; matrices; calculus; differential equations; statistics including distributions, hypothesis testing, and regression; quantitative and population genetics

~10%

Behavioral Ecology

Foraging behaviour and optimal foraging; sexual selection (handicap principle, runaway); mating systems; altruism and kin selection (Hamilton's rule); communication and signalling

~10%

Applied Ecology and Evolution

Biodiversity and conservation; in-situ and ex-situ conservation; protected areas; invasive species; climate change impacts; ecosystem services; sustainable management; molecular tools in conservation including DNA barcoding

How to Pass the GATE EY Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Qualifying mark set yearly (typically 25-33 out of 100, varies by category)
Exam length: 100 questions
Time limit: 180 minutes (3 hours)
Exam fee: INR 1000 (Female/SC/ST/PwD); INR 2000 (other categories) for GATE 2026 regular window

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 EY Study Tips from Top Performers

1Master the core formulas: logistic growth (dN/dt = rN(1−N/K)), Hardy-Weinberg (p²+2pq+q²), Hamilton's rule (rB>C), Shannon H' = −Σpᵢln(pᵢ), and Lincoln-Petersen mark-recapture — these recur every year as NAT items

2Read at least one chapter per week from Begon-Townsend-Harper 'Ecology' and Futuyma 'Evolution' as your core texts; build a topic map matching the official syllabus sections

3Practise GATE-style NAT problems daily — numerical questions on probability, statistics, calculus, and matrices appear in the Quantitative section worth ~15 marks

4Solve the previous 8-10 years of GATE EY papers (post-2014, after the EY paper was introduced as a separate subject) to learn the question style and difficulty calibration

5For Indian conservation policy and biodiversity content, study the Wildlife Protection Act (1972), CBD, Project Tiger, India's biodiversity hotspots (Western Ghats, Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Sundaland), and IUCN Red List categories

6In MSQs, answer only when you are confident about ALL correct options — partial marking does not apply, so a partly-correct selection scores zero

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the exam pattern for GATE EY 2026?

GATE EY 2026 is a 3-hour computer-based test with 65 questions worth 100 marks. The paper contains 15 marks of General Aptitude (10 questions) and 85 marks of subject-specific Ecology and Evolution questions. As a science paper, EY does NOT have a separate Engineering Mathematics section. Questions appear in three formats: multiple-choice (MCQ), multiple-select (MSQ), and numerical answer type (NAT).

What is the marking scheme for GATE EY?

MCQs award full marks for correct answers (1 or 2 marks each) with negative marking of −1/3 mark for 1-mark MCQs and −2/3 mark for 2-mark MCQs. MSQ (multiple-select) and NAT (numerical answer) questions have NO negative marking, but require all correct options or the exact numerical value within tolerance to score full marks.

Who is conducting GATE 2026?

GATE 2026 is being conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati on behalf of the National Coordination Board – GATE, Department of Higher Education, MoE, Government of India. The official website is gate2026.iitg.ac.in. Organising responsibility rotates among IISc Bangalore and the seven older IITs.

What is the eligibility for GATE EY?

There is no age limit. Candidates must be in the third year or higher of any undergraduate degree, or have already completed a Bachelor's degree (in any branch — science, engineering, or commerce). For EY specifically, candidates from biology, life sciences, ecology, environmental science, agriculture, and related streams are typical applicants.

What is the GATE 2026 application fee for EY?

The regular registration fee is INR 1000 for Female, SC, ST, and PwD candidates and INR 2000 for all other categories. Late fee (extended period) adds INR 500 to each. Payment is online via the official GATE portal.

How is the GATE EY score used?

A valid GATE EY score is used for admission to MSc, MTech, MS-by-Research, and PhD programmes in ecology, evolutionary biology, wildlife biology, conservation, and related disciplines at IISc, IITs, IISERs, NISER, and many central universities and research institutes. It also qualifies candidates for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) positions at CSIR/DBT-funded labs. PSUs occasionally recruit through GATE; for life sciences this is less common than for engineering papers.

How should I prepare for GATE EY?

Begin with the official GATE EY syllabus from gate2026.iitg.ac.in and standard textbooks: Begon, Townsend and Harper (Ecology), Futuyma (Evolution), Krebs (Ecology), Davies, Krebs and West (Behavioural Ecology), and Sokal & Rohlf (Biometry). Practise NAT-style numerical problems involving Hardy-Weinberg, logistic growth, mark-recapture, and statistics. Take at least 8-10 full-length mocks in the final two months to refine pacing across all three question types.

100+ Free GATE EY Practice Questions

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