GATE AR 2024 — Paper analysis

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Overall Paper Structure

Section	Questions	Marks	Type
General Aptitude (GA)	Q1–Q10	15	5 × 1m + 5 × 2m
Part A – AR Common	Q11–Q49	60	18 × 1m + 21 × 2m
Part B1 – Architecture	Q50–Q65	25	7 × 1m + 9 × 2m
Part B2 – Planning	Q66–Q81	25	7 × 1m + 9 × 2m
Total	65	100

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Question Type Distribution

Type	Count	1-mark	2-mark	Percentage
MCQ	32	14	18	49.2%
MSQ	18	10	8	27.7%
NAT	14	4	10	21.5%
MTA	1	1	0	1.5%

The paper has a notably high proportion of MSQ questions (18 out of 65), making it one of the most MSQ-heavy GATE AR papers. This increases difficulty because MSQs have no partial credit and no negative marking but require identifying ALL correct options.

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Difficulty Assessment

Section-wise Difficulty

Section	Difficulty Level	Key Observation
GA (Q1–Q10)	Easy to Moderate	Standard aptitude; Q4 (infinite series) and Q8 (finance) were the trickiest
Part A – 1 mark (Q11–Q28)	Moderate	Heavy on factual recall; Q23 (perspective) and Q25 (slum classification) were confusing
Part A – 2 mark (Q29–Q49)	Moderate to Difficult	Multiple match-the-following (6 questions); NAT calculations were time-consuming
Part B1 – Architecture	Moderate	Q56 (elevator) and Q62 (strain) had lengthy calculations; Q59 (brick shapes) was unique
Part B2 – Planning	Moderate	Q72 (sex ratio) and Q81 (trip generation) required careful computation

Overall Difficulty: Moderate

The 2024 paper was slightly easier than the 2023 paper but comparable to 2025. The high number of match-the-following questions (7 in Part A alone) meant that students with strong factual knowledge had an advantage, while those relying on conceptual understanding found it challenging.

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Topic-wise Distribution (Part A + B1/B2)

Architecture & Building Science Topics

Topic	Questions	Marks
Structural Systems & Curvature	Q11, Q43	3
Building Materials & Construction	Q35, Q59, Q63	6
Building Services (HVAC, Acoustics, Lighting)	Q37, Q51, Q60, Q64, Q65	8
History of Architecture (World)	Q50, Q54, Q57	5
History of Architecture (Indian)	Q13, Q53	3
Contemporary Architecture	Q30, Q52, Q55, Q58	7
Vernacular Architecture	Q61	2
Structural Analysis	Q43, Q62	4
Drawing & Graphics	Q23, Q53	3

Planning & Urban Design Topics

Topic	Questions	Marks
Urban Planning Theory & History	Q12, Q31, Q34, Q75	7
Urban Renewal & Regeneration	Q32, Q73, Q74	5
Housing & Slums	Q21, Q25, Q48	5
Transportation Planning	Q15, Q41, Q69, Q76, Q78, Q81	9
Environmental Planning	Q33, Q47	4
Planning Legislation & Governance	Q24, Q26, Q27, Q42, Q66, Q68	8
Demography & Economics	Q70, Q72, Q79, Q80	6
Landscape & Botany	Q39, Q40	4
Water Supply & Sanitation	Q18, Q20, Q46	4
Project Management	Q35, Q44, Q45	5
Urban Heat & Climate	Q17, Q37	3

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Cross-year comparison (2021–2026)

See also the full comparison on previous year papers.

Full six-year stats (difficulty, MSQ/NAT mix, focus areas) render on the live page — see PYQ hub.

Key Trends

1. Rising MSQ count in 2024: At 18 MSQs, the 2024 paper tested multi-option identification more than any recent year. This trend shifted back in 2025 (11 MSQs), suggesting 2024 was an outlier.

2. Match-the-following dominance: With 7 full match questions, the 2024 paper demanded extensive factual recall across architecture, planning, software, and construction topics. This is the highest match question count in recent GATE AR history.

3. Building Services emphasis: Q51 (HVAC), Q60 (LPD/EPI), Q62 (strain), Q64 (reverberation), and Q65 (EER) collectively contributed 10 marks in Part B1, making it the most services-heavy B1 section in recent years.

4. Interdisciplinary questions: Q35 (floating floor/float valve/free float) spanned acoustics, plumbing, and project management — a growing trend of cross-domain questions.

5. Planning section balance: The B2 section in 2024 was well-balanced across transportation (3 questions), regional planning (2), governance (3), and demographics (2), with no single topic dominating.

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Scoring Strategy

Easy Marks (Recommended to Attempt First)

• GA Q1, Q3, Q6, Q7 — straightforward aptitude
• Q14 (Distress Value), Q15 (Enoscope), Q16 (Rapoport) — direct factual recall
• Q44 (Straight-line depreciation), Q78 (Traffic flow from headway) — simple NAT calculations

Medium Difficulty (Core Scoring Zone)

• Q29–Q35 (Match questions) — high reward if factual knowledge is strong
• Q36 (URDPFI), Q37 (PET/Reynolds), Q38 (Color theory) — MSQs with manageable scope
• Q47, Q48, Q49 — NAT with clear calculation paths

Difficult / Time-Consuming (Attempt Last)

• Q9 (Dice net) — requires 3D visualization
• Q56 (Elevator kinematics) — multi-step physics calculation
• Q62 (Strain calculation) — requires careful unit handling
• Q64 (Sabine’s formula with figure reading) — requires extracting RT60 from graph
• Q72 (Sex ratio with growth) — requires precision in population math

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Notable Observations

1. Q42 answer key ambiguity: The official key accepted both “A;B;C” and “A;B;C;D” for the fire-fighting terminology question, acknowledging the debatable status of “Atrium” as a fire-fighting term. Atrium is more of a building feature that necessitates fire protection measures rather than a fire-fighting element per se.

2. Q36 answer discrepancy: The URDPFI population norms for educational facilities in the question’s table may differ slightly from various editions of the guidelines. The answer B (P-3, Q-5, R-4, S-1) aligns with the URDPFI 2015 norms as commonly cited.

3. Q63 calculation: The centre-line method gives 41.10 × 1.10 × 0.30 = 13.563 m³, but the official answer is 13.20. This discrepancy likely arises from the specific adjustment for the two-room structure’s corner overlaps, which the centre-line length of 41.10 m may already account for with slight precision differences.

4. No MTA question in 2024: Despite the answer key listing Q55 as MTA for Part B1, the actual question is a standard MCQ. The MTA label appears only for Q55 in the answer key, which may be a classification error.