Top GATE 2026 Papers for Students Targeting ISRO and DRDO Jobs

The GATE 2026 examination is set to take place in February 2026. The registration for the examination will begin on 25th August 2025. A benefit of the GATE exam is that students will be able to secure well-paying jobs at top PSUs through the examination. The ISRO and DRDO are very popular organizations that recruit students within the fields of space development and national security respectively. This article highlights key details for the top GATE papers that students can pursue to get into these organizations. This article also highlights key details about these organizations for students’ reference amongst other important details.

ISRO and DRDO Recruitment Overview

Provided below is an overview of the ISRO and DRDO for students’ reference. Knowing the basics of these organizations can help students have a brief understanding of what to expect and how their recruitment process goes. The overview is as follows:

ISRO

The ISRO or Indian Space Research Organization primarily deals with India’s space related research and development. The organization helps in the development of India’s space missions, satellite development, weather forecasting and remote sensing.

The organization does not directly recruit through the GATE examination. Instead, it has its own examination known as the ICRB which recruits students for mainly engineering or scientist-related posts. The ICRB does have a lot of overlap with engineering and aerospace related topics with regards to the GATE exam syllabus.

DRDO

The DRDO or Defence Research and Development Organization is mainly concerned with furthering the development of India’ weapons programs in the interest of national security and international trade. The key areas of focus for this organization are mainly with the development of cyber defence systems, missile development, military vehicle development, naval systems, weapons and soldier-support technology.

Unlike the ISRO, the DRDO does recruit students through the GATE examination. The posts students can get through for the DRDO are also related to scientist and engineering positions.

Best GATE Exam Papers for DRDO and ISRO

For both organizations, the DRDO and ISRO, students can aspire to give the GATE exam papers provided below. These exams not only prove that students have the relevant skills through the examination in the case of DRDO, but also overlap the most with the syllabus of the ICRB exam that is conducted by ISRO.

The best GATE examinations for ISRO and DRDO are as follows:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering
• Electronics and Communication Engineering
• Computer Science and Information Technology
• Electrical Engineering

All 5 of these GATE examinations help thoroughly prepare students with the technical know-how that is required when preparing for the examination. Pursuing and preparing these subjects thoroughly can help students land positions in DRDO or ISRO if students remain motivated and really wish to get into these organizations.

Also Read: Which GATE 2026 Paper Offers the Best PSU Opportunities?

Other Top GATE Recruiters

Provided below is an overview of other top PSU recruiters that students can aspire towards through the GATE examination. These recruiters can serve as goals which students can aim to get into through their scores on the GATE examination. Students can aim to align which PSUs they want to get recruited by depending The recruiters are as follows:

• Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL)
• Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL)
• Power Grid Corporation India Limited (PGCIL)
• Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
• Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL)
• National Thermal Power Corporation (NHPC)
• Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)
• Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL)
• Airports Authority of India (AAI)
• Coal India Limited (CIL)
• Bharat Sanctuary Nigam Limited (BSNL)
• Engineers India Limited (EIL)
• National Aluminum Company Limited (NACL)
• National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
• Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCI)
• Grid Controllers of India Limited (GID-INDIA)
• Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL)

GATE 2026 Branches

Here is an overview of the various GATE branches that students can prepare for depending on their goals, background and overall interests. The branches are as follows:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Agricultural Engineering
• Architecture
• Biomedical Engineering
• Biotechnology
• Civil Engineering
• Computer Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Data Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Ecology
• Environmental Science
• Geology
• Geomatics
• Humanities and Social Sciences
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Mining
• Metallurgical Engineering
• Petroleum Engineering
• Physics
• Statistics
• Life Sciences

GATE 2026 Important Dates

Provided below is an overview of the important dates for the GATE 2026 examination. It is very important for students to keep themselves updated with the key dates about the GATE exam. Keeping up with these dates ensures students are updated on key events and deadlines about the GATE 2026 examination.

The important dates and overall schedule for the GATE 2026 exam are as follows:

Students Can Also Read: GATE 2026 Documents Required for Registration