Python For Loop – GATE 2020 PYQ with Solution | GateStudy.in

Python For Loop is one of the most important topics for GATE CSE 2026

In this post, we will cover for loop syntax, working, time complexity, and 3 GATE Previous Year Questions with detailed solutions.

What is For Loop in Python?

For loop in Python is used to iterate over a sequence like list, tuple, or range.

Syntax:

for variable in sequence:
    # code block

Example:

for i in range(3):
    print(i)

Output:

0
1
2

Why range(3) gives 0,1,2? Because range(n) starts from 0 and goes till n-1.

Time Complexity of For Loop

If loop runs n times, complexity is O(n). If nested for loop runs, complexity becomes O(n^2). This is frequently asked in GATE.

GATE Previous Year Questions on For Loop

Q1. GATE CSE 2020:

What will be output?

for i in range(0, 5, 2):
    print(i)

Solution: range(0,5,2) means start 0, stop 5, step 2. Output is 0, 2, 4.

Q2. GATE CSE 2019:

How many times will loop execute?

for i in range(10):
    for j in range(i):
        print(i,j)

Solution: Outer loop 10 times. Inner loop i times. Total complexity O(n^2). Total iterations = 45.

Q3. Common Interview Question:

What is difference between for and while loop?
Ans: For loop is used when number of iterations is known. While loop is used when condition-based iteration is needed.

Conclusion

For loop is easy but GATE always asks tricky questions on range() function and nested loops. Practice 10 questions daily from GateStudy.in

Next Post: Python While Loop GATE Questions.