Difference between GATE Marks, Score and Percentile: Analysis and Expected Cutoff

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering 2027 ( GATE )

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GATE 2027 Application Form Correction

14 Oct '26 - 21 Oct '26

UPASANA
UPASANA PRADHAN
Assistant Manager- Editorial
Updated on Mar 20, 2025 16:33 IST
Is GATE percentile & score the same, how to calculate the GATE percentile from the rank. Know the difference between GATE Marks, Score & Percentile here. After the GATE 2025 result is announced, the next set of questions in every student’s mind is what will be my score, are GATE percentile and score same, how to calculate the percent

IIT Roorkee has announced GATE 2025 results and cutoff marks on March 19, 2025. The most common question asked among the students is the GATE 2025 percentile & score, the same as how to calculate the GATE percentile from the rank. Know the difference between GATE 2025 Marks, Score & Percentile here.

Difference between GATE 2020 Marks, score, and Percentile

The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2025 was conducted on Feb 1, 2, 15, and 16, 2025. IIT Roorkee was responsible for conducting Graduate Aptitude in Engineering. The GATE  result is now available along with the qualifying cutoff marks, now the next set of questions in every student’s mind is, what will be my score, are GATE 2025 percentile and score the same, how to calculate the percentile from rank, and others.

As one of the biggest exams for engineering graduates to pursue higher studies, every candidate appearing in the GATE must be free from confusion. The article below is the answer to every query that a candidate may have in their mind.

Before understanding how GATE marks and percentiles will be calculated, candidates must understand the GATE exam pattern.

Table of contents
  • GATE exam pattern
  • Detailed GATE Marking Scheme
  • GATE Rank
  • Marks Out of 100
  • GATE Score
  • GATE Percentile Calculation

GATE exam pattern

Candidates can check GATE paper pattern and types of questions asked in GATE exam

Multiple-choice questions

In such questions, candidates will have four options to choose the correct question. There are two types of multiple-choice questions:

One mark multiple-choice questions: Candidates will be awarded 1 mark for marking the correct option but 1/3 marks will be deducted for a wrong answer.

Two marks multiple-choice questions: Candidates will be awarded two marks for marking the correct option but 2/3 marks will be deducted for a wrong answer.

Also Read:

Numerical Answer Type Questions

Such questions have a unique integer-type answer (which is the only single correct answer) or else a floating-point answer that can take a range of values. There is NO negative marking for numerical answer-type questions.

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Is IIT Bombay better than IIT Delhi for BDes?
A: 

IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi both offer BDes course. Below is the comparison of BDes course of top IITs based on fee and ranking parameters:

IITsTotal Tuition Fee*NIRF Overall Ranking (2023)
IIT BombayINR 8 Lacs - INR 11.6 lakh4
IIT DelhiINR 8 lakh3

*The fee is taken from an unofficial source. Hence, is indicative.

Q:   Which is better for MTech: IIT Delhi or IIT Kanpur?
A: 

IIT Delhi has been ranked better than IIT Kanpur. Candidates can also look at the ROI calculated based on fee and average package offered to take a decision. The following table presents a comparison between the two institutes:

MTech Institutes

NIRF Ranking 2023

Total Tuition Fee

IIT Delhi

2

INR 3 Lacs - INR 8.7 lakh

IIT Kanpur

4

INR 20,000 - INR 8 lakh

NOTE: The fee mentioned above is taken from an unofficial source. Hence, is indicative.

Q:   I am getting IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay for Chemical and IIT Gandhinagar for CSE. What should I opt for?
A: 

The JEE Advanced cutoff has been released up to the last round for all three IITs. For BTech in Chemical Engineering, the last round closing rank for both IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay was 2724 and 2833, respectively, for the General AI category candidates. 

At IIT Gandhinagar, the closing rank for BTech CSE was 2315 for the same aforementioned category. 

Therefore, regardless of the branch you get, IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay are always considered to be better options due to their brand value, academics, and placements.  

In case your preference is only CSE, IIT Gandhinagar is not a bad option, as it is also known for its academics and faculty. Plus, the CSE branch has better placement opportunities. To make your decision, other aspects, such as the ranking and average package for IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, and IIT Gandhinagar, are tabulated below:

College

NIRF Ranking (2025)

Average Package

IIT Delhi

2

 INR 21.9 LPA (2025 overall)

IIT Bombay

3

 INR 26.45 LPA (2026 overall)

IIT Gandhinagar

25

 INR 23.21 LPA (CSE for 2025)

 

Q:   What is the expected GATE cutoff marks?
A: 

IIT Guwahati has released GATE 2026 cutoff mark on its official page. Candidates who have appeared exam, can check qualifying marks now. The GATE passing mark differs for each branch paper.

Detailed GATE Marking Scheme

Candidates can check the detailed marking scheme for GATE below:

Paper Code

General Aptitude (GA) Marks

Subject Marks

Total Marks

Total Time (Minutes)

AE, AR, AG, BT, CE, CH, CS, CY, EC, EE, ES, EY, IN, MA, ME, MN, MT, PE, PH, PI, TF, ST and BM

15

85

100

180

GG [Part A + Part B (Section 1 Geology OR Section 2 Geophysics)]

15

25 + 60

100

180

XE (Section A + Any TWO Sections)

15

15 + (2 x 35)

100

180

XH (Section B1 + Any ONE Section)

15

25 + (1 x 60)

100

180

XL (Section P + Any TWO Sections)

15

25 + (2 x 30)

100

180

Note: There will be NO negative marking for a wrong answer in NAT questions.

Click here to check the GATE Exam Pattern and division of marks

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GATE Rank

GATE rank is also known as All India Rank (AIR). A candidate gets his/her GATE rank only for his branch. For example, candidates appearing in the Electrical Engineering paper will get the rank among students who appeared in the same paper only.

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What is the GATE cutoff for CSE?
A: 

GATE 2026 CSE cutoff (category-wise) can be checked here -

General

OBC-NCL EWS

SC/ST and PwD

30

27

20

The cutoff is the minimum mark that is required for all candidates to qualify for the exam. IIT Guwahati announced GATE result 2026 on March 19. 

Q:   What is the distribution of marks in AR, CY, DA, EY, GE, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH, and XL?
A: 

Candidates can check GATE exam pattern and question distribution of the papers - AR, CY, DA, EY, GG, GE, MA, PH, ST, XH, and XL below -

  • General aptitude section carry 15 marks and subject mark consists questions of 85 marks
  • Total marks of GATE question paper - 100 marks
  • Mode of exam is online and time duration is 3 hours
Q:   What is the GATE 2026 cutoff release date?
A: 

The GATE 2026 cutoff will be released soon on official website. IIT Guwahati announced the GATE 2026 result on March 19. The cutoff is different for each subject/branch and varies every year. 

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Marks Out of 100

It is displayed on the GATE 2025 scorecard of every candidate, but all students must be very clear about it. These marks have two versions:

For papers conducted in a single session: For Candidates who appeared in the single session papers/subjects, actual marks obtained in the subject will be displayed in this field.

For papers conducted in multiple sessions: Candidates who appeared in the single session papers/subjects will get their normalised marks will be displayed in this field. The normalization will be done using the formula given below:

GATE Normalised Marks

Candidates can have a rough idea about what will be their normalised marks against the actual marks with the help of the graph below:

Actual_vs_Normalized_Marks_in_GATE

Also Read: Opportunities after GATE: Check Career Scope & Salary Options

GATE Score

The GATE score of candidates will also be calculated based on the paper the candidate has appeared for. 

For papers conducted in a single session: For all papers for only one session, actual marks obtained by the candidates will be used for calculating the GATE 2025 Score.

For papers conducted in multiple sessions: For papers conducted in multiple sessions: For papers in multiple sessions, normalized marks will be calculated corresponding to the raw marks obtained by a candidate, and the GATE 2025 Score will be calculated based on the normalized marks.

For all candidates (including single and multiple sessions) GATE Score will be calculated using the following formula:

GATE score

Candidates can have a rough idea about what their score will be against the actual marks/normalised marks with the help of the graph below:

GATE_score vs marks_graph

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GATE Percentile Calculation

The percentile is the percentage of people behind you in the GATE exam. The percentile is calculated as shown below:

GATE Percentile

For Example:

Suppose 5,00,000 candidates appeared in your subject of the GATE exam.

Example 1:

Your rank is 1

Percentile = ((5,00,000-1)/(5,00,000-1)) x 100 = 100

Example 2:

Your rank is 100

Percentile = ((5,00,000-100)/(5,00,000-1)) x 100 = 99.95

Example 3:

Your rank is 5,00,000

Percentile = ((5,00,000-5,00,000)/(5,00,000-1)) x 100 = 0

Candidates who wish to get direct admission into IISC/ IITs must try to score nearly 100 percentile.

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About the Author
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UPASANA PRADHAN
Assistant Manager- Editorial

Upasana Pradhan is an Mtech graduate in Electronics and Communication Engineering from DTU who specialises in curating postgraduate and undergraduate engineering entrance exam content, such as GATE, TS PGECET, KCET,

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No 

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