By: Kandarp Patel
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is one of the most important exams for engineering students. This exam is considered as the most important because of the scope and benefits it offers, such as obtaining jobs in PSUs (Public Sector Undertakings), obtaining admission in M.Tech programmes in top engineering institutes like IITs, IISC, NITs, etc.
This exam is conducted by different IITs which tests a student’s abilities in the core subjects of his/her field, including the engineering mathematics and verbal ability. It is conducted every year in February.
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The first basic thing required for scoring well is to have a clear goal and a specific purpose for giving the exam. This will keep you motivated throughout the exam’s preparation.
Overall strategy in general
In order to excel in the exam, lay utmost importance on practicing more and more questions from your strong areas/topics. Do not waste too much of your time on new concepts and the topics in which you are weak. Make sure that you revise your strong topics accurately, i.e. to the point of fluency and thoroughness. Keep a track of proper time management while solving the mock test papers. Try analyzing the exam pattern in a detailed manner while going through them. Do not forget to solve the previous year’s question papers (last 5-7 years) and while attempting them, make a handy book of each and every important formula for the last minute revision. By solving more and more mock test papers you won’t get confused at any instance while attempting the real question paper. Most importantly, try to attempt all the NAT (Numerical Answer Type) questions during the exam because there is no negative marking for them.
Finally, you could allocate your daily study hours according to the given schedule:
- Branch Specific Topics: 5-6 hours
- General Aptitude: 1 hour
3. Engineering mathematics: 1-2 hours
About the Author:
Kandarp Patel is a student at Nirma University, Ahemdabad, pursuing Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering (final year). He is also a campus representative with Shiksha.com since 2016.
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Student Forum
Answered Yesterday
Candidates can check GATE response sheet answer key at GOAPS portal using enrollment ID and password. The link will be activated at candidate login.
T
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Based on past year's trends, IIT Guwahati will publish GATE answer key in the last week of February 2026. Once date is announced, it will be updated here.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Yes, GATE is a mandatory entrance exam for CGC Landran M.Tech admissions. The selection of candidates for the M.Tech course is done during the PTU counseling. During the PTU counseling round, CGC Landran will look at the GATE score obtained by a candidate to decide their admission.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
No, the GATE registrations have been closed for CGC Landran M.Tech admissions at this point. The GATE registrations are usually scheduled from the month of August till October of the prior year.
The GATE itself is conducted in the month of February of the academic year.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Scoring 700 marks in GATE is considered great. It can roughly estimate around 60 to 70 marks in GATE out of 100. With 700 marks, students have high chances to get admission to IITs, NITs, and for PSUs even.
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
A GATE score of 500 can be roughly around 40 to 50 raw scores out of 100 marks. However, it can vary depending for each engineering discipline. For example, for CSE it can be around 45 to 56 marks, for mechanical engineering it can correspond around 46 - 55, and for ECE it can roughly correspond aro
I
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, it is expected that the GATE 2026 cutoff may increase compared to last year, for the following reasons -
Increase in the number of registered applicants.
Difficulty level of the question paper
Inclination towards newer branches, such as Data Science, Machine Learning, Quantum Tech, etc.
Due to the
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 days ago
The highest GATE cutoff score for NIT M.Tech admission typically ranges from 800 to 850 in the first round. Some of the top NITs include NIT Surathkal, NIT Trichy, and NIT Warangal, accept admissions with GATE score 800 above for branches like EC, CS, ME, and EE.
Qualified candidates have to register
P
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 days ago
Based on the past-year's records and experts analysis, it is expected that the average expected cutoff for GATE exam 2026 can fall somewhere between 28 to 37 for general category, 26 to 28.3 marks for OBC-NCL/EWS category, and 27 -31 for SC/ST category.
The above cutoff mark can vary for each paper
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 days ago
Indian Institute of Technology will release GATE cutoff 2026 along with result. The IITG GATE 2026 result date is March 19. The conducting body will declare the exam result and cutoff for all 30 subjects. The cutoff for GATE 2026 will be available category-wise. Candidates securing the minimum cutof
S
Contributor-Level 7
Exam On - 14 Feb '26
