Marks awarded for unattempted questions in GATE CSE

Unattempted questions in the GATE CSE (Computer Science Engineering) exam are not awarded any marks. The GATE exam follows a specific marking scheme, where marks are only awarded for correct answers and there is negative marking for incorrect answers. However, unattempted questions do not receive any positive or negative marks. Let's understand this in detail:

Marking scheme for GATE CSE:
The GATE CSE exam consists of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and numerical answer type (NAT) questions. The marking scheme for these question types is as follows:

1. MCQs:
- Each MCQ carries 1 or 2 marks.
- For a correct answer, 1 or 2 marks are awarded, depending on the question.
- For an incorrect answer, there is negative marking.
- For 1-mark MCQ, 1/3 mark is deducted for an incorrect answer.
- For 2-mark MCQ, 2/3 mark is deducted for an incorrect answer.

2. NAT questions:
- Each NAT question carries 1 or 2 marks.
- There is no negative marking for NAT questions.
- The candidates have to enter the answer using the virtual keyboard, and the answer is evaluated by a computer.

Marks for unattempted questions:
Unattempted questions, whether they are MCQs or NAT questions, do not receive any marks. These questions are simply not evaluated, and no positive or negative marks are awarded for them. It is important to note that leaving questions unattempted does not affect the overall score directly. The final score is determined based on the marks obtained for the attempted questions only.

Strategy for handling unattempted questions:
Since there is no penalty for unattempted questions, candidates can choose to leave a question unattempted if they are unsure about the answer. It is advisable not to guess the answer for the sake of avoiding negative marking. Instead, candidates can utilize their time to answer the questions they are confident about and maximize their chances of scoring well.

In conclusion, unattempted questions in the GATE CSE exam do not receive any marks. It is important for candidates to focus on attempting the questions they are confident about and not guess answers, as negative marking is applicable for incorrect responses.