GATE 2026 Preparation: Here's what aspirants are targeting, IIT and NIT admission tops the Shiksha Poll
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering 2026 ( GATE )
Result - 27 Mar '26 - 31 May '26
What motivates aspirants to crack the GATE exam 2026: A recent Shiksha poll with 993 votes reveals students motivation to crack GATE exam. Read below to know more.
Recently, Shiksha conducted a poll on "What motivates you most to crack GATE 2026" and with 993 votes, majority of aspirants have opted for IITs and NITs. Let's get deeper to understand, what does number say about aspirants goals.
Quick update:
- IIT Guwahati is conducting GATE 2026.
- The GATE 2026 application form fees are revised for all categories. For more details, visit the GATE 2026 admission and exam details.
- A new sectional paper, Energy Science (XE-I), is introduced under Engineering Sciences. The
- GATE 2026 examination will be held on February 7, 8, 14, and 15 in two shifts.
Admission to Top IITs and NITs through GATE 2026
For decades, IITs and NITs have been a top priority for engineering students. With 45% votes, it clearly shows its consistency among GATE aspirants for MTech and research.
⭐Why they shine so bright: An IIT/NIT admission through GATE more than a degree. Students who enter these institutes get high-package placements, research opportunties and more.
A Dream PSU Job with 42% Votes
42% of aspirants have said their motivation is securing a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) job through GATE. PSUs like ONGC, SAIL, GAIL, NTPC, and AAI have great job security, salaries, and additional perks and benefits. In addition, they offer better work and personal space with financial stability.
The close percentage difference between IIT/NIT admission and PSU jobs shows how equally popular both career routes have become among GATE aspirants.
Financial Stability
While only 13% of students selected financial stability as their top motivation, this number cannot be overlooked. For many aspirants, cracking GATE is a means to a secure and comfortable life. Both MTech admissions and PSU jobs are in a way offer rewarding career, but some aspirants prefer GATE as a mode of lifting their family's financial condition, making it personal
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Commonly asked questions
Admission to the BTech courses offered by IIT Madras are entrance-based and done on the basis of scores obtained in JEE Mains and JEE Advanced. Seats are allocated through JoSAA counselling after the results of the entrance exams are out. Students who clear the IIT Madras BTech cutoff are then required to go through document verification and pay the required fees to complete the process.
After JEE session 2 is completed, only those candidates who are aiming for IITs need to start preparing for JEE Advanced after clearing JEE Main. Those who are above the 98th percentile should start preparing for JEE Advanced as soon as possible. Those below this, between the 95th and 98th percentile, should focus on attempting more mock tests and previous year question papers so that they have a better chance of clearing JEE Advanced
To get admission in IIT Roorkee, students have to check the eligibility first. Eligible students can then apply online. The institute selects students on an entrance basis. Students have to submit scores of JEE/ IIT JAM/ GATE, etc. and go through counselling process. Selected students have to pay the admission fees to complete the process.
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What the Shiksha Poll Reveals About GATE 2026 Aspirants
Thus, the poll highlights that -
- IIT and PSU remains neck to neck competition
- Apsirants are more career and tech focused now.
The GATE exam continues to be a gateway to multiple opportunities, whether it is pursuing advanced education at IITs and NITs, landing a dream PSU job, or achieving financial stability.
The Shiksha poll for GATE 2026 reveals a clear picture: most aspirants are motivated by academic and career goals, with financial security as a strong underlying factor.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 10 hours ago
Candidates with a valid GATE scorecard of 2026/2025/2024 are eligible to participate in CCMT counselling 2026.
P
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 10 hours ago
Candidates need to meet minimum qualifying mark to participate in GATE 2026 CCMT counselling. The CGPA is different for each category. For General/EWS and OBC-NCL category, the required CGPA is 6.5 on a 10-point scale, which is 60%. On the other hand, for SC/ST and PwD, required CGPA is 6.0 on a 10-
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 11 hours ago
Candidates can check GATE expected safe marks for IIT M.Tech admission below -
Branch | Cutoff range |
Computer Science (CSE) | 65 - 75 marks |
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA) | 60 - 70 marks |
Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) | 70 - 80 marks |
Mechanical Engineering (ME) | 36 - 45 marks |
Electrical Engineering (EE) | 35- 40 marks |
Civil Engineering (CE) | 35 - 40 marks |
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 11 hours ago
Yes, candidates with GATE score of 400 to 500 are also eligible for COAP counselling. However, admission and selection chances completely depends on different criteria such as branch selection, competition level, category, etc.
B
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 11 hours ago
Candidates with a valid GATE scorecard of 2026/2025/2024 are eligible to participate in COAP counselling 2026
H
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
Yes, ITT Guwahati released GATE 2026 qualifying cutoff marks for all subjects on March 28. Candidates can check passing mark of respective papers now.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
Aspirants with GATE scores can get admission in M.Tech programme at IIIT Pune. The seats are allotted via CCMT Counselling. In 2025, the closing GATE cutoff was 354 for Electronics & Communication Engineering and 536 for CSE. The cutoffs are quite competitive considering the limited seats available
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered a week ago
Aspirants without scores can get admission in M.Tech programme at IIIT Pune. Such candidates need to appear for written test conducted by the institute. Selected aspirants also need to pass the personal interview round for final selection.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 2 weeks ago
JNU CCMT cutoff 2025 was based on the results for the GATE exam, followed by the CCMT counselling process. For the M.Tech Computer Science and Technology course, the overall cutoff ranged from 529 to 338 for the OBC AI category.
Candidates can refer to the table below to know the cutoff range for di
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
The JNU M.Tech cutoff 2025 for the OBC AI category varied from 338 to 529 for the M.Tech CSE and M.Tech ECE courses. In the last round, MTech CSE came out as the more competitive course, with the cutoff being 443.
Students can refer to the table below to know the round 1 and last round JNU CCMT cuto
N
Contributor-Level 10
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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