GATE CE General Aptitude Previous Year Questions

60 solved GATE CE questions on General Aptitude, drawn from 3 exam years and grouped by year. Every question shows the official answer and a step-by-step solution.

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General Aptitude: read the claim, then test it

Separate what is stated from what is inferred. Verbal reasoning depends on the passage's own claims; quantitative reasoning depends on a stated relationship. These selected foundations connect reading comprehension, data interpretation, and basic arithmetic reasoning. They are not a substitute for broader practice.

Our study notes and original examples support the PYQs below; they are not official exam questions or a replacement for the current syllabus.

Before you start

  • Fractions, percentages, ratios, and basic arithmetic with signed numbers.
  • Ability to read a short English passage and identify its main claim.

Concepts to revise before solving

Reading comprehension and inference

Answer from the passage, not from outside knowledge. A stated claim is explicit; an inference must follow from stated information without additional assumptions. Distinguish the author's position from a position the author describes.

Check yourself: Does the passage actually say this, or are you importing an assumption?

Sentence completion and vocabulary

Eliminate options that contradict the sentence's logic. A word's connotation matters: 'mitigate' reduces severity while 'aggravate' increases it. Two grammatically valid options can differ in meaning; choose the one consistent with the sentence's direction.

Check yourself: Does the completed sentence make a coherent, non-contradictory claim?

Data interpretation

Read axis labels, units, and the base year before computing. A percentage increase uses the earlier value as the denominator. A bar chart's visual height is proportional to its value only when the axis starts at zero; a truncated axis exaggerates differences.

Check yourself: Is your denominator the correct reference value?

Quantitative reasoning

Translate the word problem into a relationship before solving. 'A is 20% more than B' means A = 1.2B, not B = 1.2A. For ratio problems, ensure the parts sum to the stated total. For averages, the total equals the average times the count.

Check yourself: Have you written the relationship before substituting numbers?

Logical reasoning

In syllogisms, a valid conclusion follows from the premises alone. 'All A are B' and 'All B are C' yields 'All A are C', but 'Some A are B' and 'Some B are C' does not yield 'Some A are C'. Use Venn diagrams or formal rules rather than intuition about what 'sounds right'.

Check yourself: Can you draw a diagram where the premises hold but the conclusion fails?

Mistakes to avoid

Answering a comprehension question using general knowledge instead of the passage.
Restrict your answer to claims the passage makes or directly supports.
Computing percentage change with the wrong base.
Percentage increase from old to new uses old as denominator; percentage of a total uses the total.
Treating 'some' as 'all' in a syllogism.
'Some A are B' permits A members that are not B; do not strengthen the premise.

Original teaching example · not a PYQ

Work through the reasoning

Original mini-example: the average weight of 10 students is 45 kg. When one student weighing 50 kg leaves and a new student joins, the average becomes 44.5 kg. Find the new student's weight.

  1. Original total weight: 10 × 45 = 450 kg.
  2. After the swap, the total weight is 10 × 44.5 = 445 kg.
  3. The difference is 450 − 50 + w = 445, so w = 45 kg. Alternatively, 445 − (450 − 50) = 45.

The new student weighs 45 kg.

Try it before reading the answer

Two cyclists start from the same point and travel in opposite directions at 12 km/h and 18 km/h. After how many hours will they be 90 km apart?

Show answer and reasoning

3 hours.

They separate at 12 + 18 = 30 km/h. Time = 90/30 = 3 hours. The speeds add because the directions are opposite.

Go deeper with free learning resources

Supplemental reading, not an official GATE reading list or an endorsement of these notes.

Apply this to the previous-year questions

Previous-year questions by year

This page shows 60 recent questions from the released archive, newest first. For older questions and complete papers, browse all GATE CE papers. Questions can carry more than one subject tag; counts are not marks weightage.

GATE CE 202620 questions

  1. Set 1 Q1‘The shopkeeper sells lemons.’ In this sentence, the word ‘lemons’ is the ________.MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  2. Set 1 Q2The figure below is supposed to show three non-overlapping shapes – one oval and two triangles. Which one of the following figures P, Q, R, or S fits the…MCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  3. Set 1 Q4‘If Anish had scored hundred runs in today’s match, he would have been made the captain of his team. He would have then become the youngest captain in his…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  4. Set 1 Q5Which one of the following figures P, Q, R, or S, correctly shows the 4545^\circ clockwise-rotated version of figure (I)? [figure]MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  5. Set 1 Q6Match the words in Column I with their synonyms in Column II. | Column I | Column II | | :--- | :--- | | (i) Lonely | (p) Verbatim | | (ii) Literal | (q)…MCQ · +2 marks · Easy
  6. Set 1 Q7In the given figure, PQ\overline{PQ} is the diameter of a circle with center OO. Two points RR and SS are chosen on the circle such that…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  7. Set 1 Q8Based on the relationship between each polygon and the number inside it, the value of ‘X’ is ______ [figure]MCQ · +2 marks · Easy
  8. Set 1 Q9Consider a linear arrangement of seven bulbs, each of which can be in the ON or OFF states. The initial configuration of the bulbs is shown in the figure. In…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  9. Set 1 Q10PP and QQ are two positive integers such that P2=Q2+13P^2 = Q^2 + 13. The product of the numbers PP and QQ is _________MCQ · +2 marks · Easy
  10. Set 1 Q28It is given that xx and yy are integers in the following equation: (x+y7)2+(y+3x13)2=0(x + y - 7)^2 + (y + 3x - 13)^2 = 0 The value of (x3+y3)(x^3 + y^3) is ________ (in…NAT · +1 marks · Easy
  11. Set 2 Q1'The team ____ more than 300 runs in 20 overs ____ rains. However, some players needed to improve their batting skills.' Choose the option with the correct…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  12. Set 2 Q2If a positive real xx satisfies the following equation log2x+log2x=48,\log_2 x + \log_{\sqrt{2}} x = 48, then the value of xx is _________________MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  13. Set 2 Q3The next figure (indicated by ‘?’) in the sequence isMCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  14. Set 2 Q4'All the mangoes in the basket are good.' If the above statement is false, then which one of the following statements is necessarily true?MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  15. Set 2 Q5Consider the following statements about four numbers: (S1) The average of the four numbers is 25 (S2) Each number is at most 40 (S3) Each number is at least 20…MCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  16. Set 2 Q6‘People are crowding around _ pit into which _ elephant has fallen. I have never seen an elephant looking more bewildered ___ miserable. Here it is in a…MCQ · +2 marks · Easy
  17. Set 2 Q7The table lists the unit selling price of five products P, Q, R, S, and T. On a particular day, 250 items were sold with the average selling price of Rs. 60.…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  18. Set 2 Q8Consider a string P of length ll that is laid out as a straight-line segment. Another string K is laid out as a semicircular arc with string P as its…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  19. Set 2 Q9The Roman senator Meritorius, his brother, his son, and his daughter have varying oratory skill levels. They are seated in rows and columns as shown in the…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  20. Set 2 Q10Which one of the following patterns labelled P, Q, R, and S is used to generate the following figure? [figure] [figure] [figure] [figure] [figure]MCQ · +2 marks · Easy

GATE CE 202520 questions

  1. Set 1 Q1Is there any good show _______ television tonight? Select the most appropriate option to complete the above sentence.MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  2. Set 1 Q2As the police officer was found guilty of embezzlement, he was _______ dismissed from the service in accordance with the Service Rules. Select the most…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  3. Set 1 Q3The sum of the following infinite series is: 11!+12!+13!+14!+15!+\frac{1}{1!} + \frac{1}{2!} + \frac{1}{3!} + \frac{1}{4!} + \frac{1}{5!} + \dotsMCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  4. Set 1 Q4A thin wire is used to construct all the edges of a cube of 1 m1\text{ m} side by bending, cutting and soldering the wire. If the wire is 12 m12\text{ m} long,…MCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  5. Set 1 Q5The figures I, II and III are parts of a sequence. Which one of the following options comes next in the sequence at IV? [figure]MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  6. Set 1 Q6“Why do they pull down and do away with crooked streets, I wonder, which are my delight, and hurt no man living? Every day the wealthier nations are pulling…MCQ · +2 marks · Easy
  7. Set 1 Q7Rohit goes to a restaurant for lunch at about 1 PM. When he enters the restaurant, he notices that the hour and minute hands on the wall clock are exactly…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  8. Set 1 Q8A color model is shown in the figure with color codes: Yellow (Y), Magenta (M), Cyan (Cy), Red (R), Blue (Bl), Green (G), and Black (K). Which one of the…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  9. Set 1 Q9A circle with center at (x,y)=(0.5,0)(x, y) = (0.5, 0) and radius =0.5= 0.5 intersects with another circle with center at (x,y)=(1,1)(x, y) = (1, 1) and radius =1= 1 at two points.…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  10. Set 1 Q10An object is said to have an nn-fold rotational symmetry if the object, rotated by an angle of 2πn\frac{2\pi}{n}, is identical to the original. Which one of…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  11. Set 2 Q1Even though I had planned to go skiing with my friends, I had to __________ at the last moment because of an injury. Select the most appropriate option to…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  12. Set 2 Q2The President, along with the Council of Ministers, ___________ to visit India next week. Select the most appropriate option to complete the above sentence.MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  13. Set 2 Q3An electricity utility company charges ₹ 7 per kWh (kilo watt-hour). If a 40-watt desk light is left on for 10 hours each night for 180 days, what would be the…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  14. Set 2 Q4In the context of the given figure, which one of the following options correctly represents the entries in the blocks labelled (i), (ii), (iii), and (iv),…MCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  15. Set 2 Q5A bag contains Violet (V), Yellow (Y), Red (R), and Green (G) balls. On counting them, the following results are obtained: (i) The sum of Yellow balls and…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  16. Set 2 Q6“His life was divided between the books, his friends, and long walks. A solitary man, he worked at all hours without much method, and probably courted his…MCQ · +2 marks · Easy
  17. Set 2 Q7For the clock shown in the figure, if O=OQSZPRTO^* = O Q S Z P R T, and X=XZPWYOQX^* = X Z P W Y O Q, then which one among the given options is most appropriate for PP^*?…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  18. Set 2 Q8Consider a five-digit number PQRSTPQRST that has distinct digits P,Q,R,SP, Q, R, S, and TT, and satisfies the following conditions: P<QP < Q S>P>TS > P > T R<TR < T If…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  19. Set 2 Q9A business person buys potatoes of two different varieties P and Q, mixes them in a certain ratio and sells them at ₹ 192 per kg. The cost of the variety P is…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  20. Set 2 Q10Three villages P, Q, and R are located in such a way that the distance PQ = 13 km, QR = 14 km, and RP = 15 km, as shown in the figure. A straight road joins Q…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium

GATE CE 202420 questions

  1. Set 1 Q1If ‘\rightarrow’ denotes increasing order of intensity, then the meaning of the words [simmer \rightarrow seethe \rightarrow smolder] is analogous to…MCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  2. Set 1 Q2In a locality, the houses are numbered in the following way: The house-numbers on one side of a road are consecutive odd integers starting from 301, while the…MCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  3. Set 1 Q3For positive integers pp and qq, with pq1\frac{p}{q} \neq 1, (pq)pq=p(pq1)(\frac{p}{q})^{\frac{p}{q}} = p^{(\frac{p}{q}-1)}. Then,MCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  4. Set 1 Q4Which one of the given options is a possible value of xx in the following sequence? 3,7,15,x,63,127,2553, 7, 15, x, 63, 127, 255MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  5. Set 1 Q5On a given day, how many times will the second-hand and the minute-hand of a clock cross each other during the clock time 12:05:00 hours to 12:55:00 hours?MCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  6. Set 1 Q6In the given text, the blanks are numbered (i)−(iv). Select the best match for all the blanks. From the ancient Athenian arena to the modern Olympic stadiums,…MCQ · +2 marks · Easy
  7. Set 1 Q7Three distinct sets of indistinguishable twins are to be seated at a circular table that has 8 identical chairs. Unique seating arrangements are defined by the…MCQ · +2 marks · Hard
  8. Set 1 Q8The chart given below compares the Installed Capacity (MW) of four power generation technologies, T1, T2, T3, and T4, and their Electricity Generation (MWh) in…MCQ · +2 marks · Easy
  9. Set 1 Q9In the 4×44 \times 4 array shown below, each cell of the first three columns has either a cross (X) or a number, as per the given rule. [figure] Rule: The…MCQ · +2 marks · Hard
  10. Set 1 Q10During a half-moon phase, the Earth-Moon-Sun form a right triangle. If the Moon-Earth-Sun angle at this half-moon phase is measured to be 89.8589.85^\circ, the…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  11. Set 1 Q13The probability that a student passes only in Mathematics is 13\frac{1}{3}. The probability that the student passes only in English is 49\frac{4}{9}. The…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  12. Set 2 Q1If ‘\rightarrow’ denotes increasing order of intensity, then the meaning of the words [drizzle ightarrowightarrow rain ightarrowightarrow downpour] is analogous to […MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  13. Set 2 Q2Statements: 1. All heroes are winners. 2. All winners are lucky people. Inferences: I. All lucky people are heroes. II. Some lucky people are heroes. III. Some…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  14. Set 2 Q3A student was supposed to multiply a positive real number pp with another positive real number qq. Instead, the student divided pp by qq. If the…MCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  15. Set 2 Q4If the sum of the first 20 consecutive positive odd numbers is divided by 20220^2, the result isMCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  16. Set 2 Q5The ratio of the number of girls to boys in class VIII is the same as the ratio of the number of boys to girls in class IX. The total number of students (boys…MCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  17. Set 2 Q6In the given text, the blanks are numbered (i)−(iv). Select the best match for all the blanks. Yoko Roi stands (i) as an author for standing (ii) as an…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  18. Set 2 Q7Seven identical cylindrical chalk-sticks are fitted tightly in a cylindrical container. The figure below shows the arrangement of the chalk-sticks inside the…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  19. Set 2 Q8The plot below shows the relationship between the mortality risk of cardiovascular disease and the number of steps a person walks per day. Based on the data,…MCQ · +2 marks · Easy
  20. Set 2 Q9Five cubes of identical size and another smaller cube are assembled as shown in Figure A. If viewed from direction X, the planar image of the assembly appears…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium

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