GATE Cut-off

The GATE 2026 cutoff varies every year. The organising institute (IIT Guwahati) determines cutoff based on certain factors - number of registered candidates, question paper difficulty, normalisation process, seat intake, etc.

• If the GATE question paper is tough, then the cutoff is likely to be low. 
• On the other hand, if the GATE question paper is easy, then the cutoff may get high.

Specialization (General Category)

Approx. GATE Score

Computer Science & Engineering

~750

Civil Engineering (Structures)

~675

Mechanical / Thermal & Fluids

~600

Electrical Engineering (various)

~510

Biomedical Engineering

~400

Earth Sciences

~325

A GATE score of 700 to 800 is mainly required for M.Tech admission at IIT (especially for top IITs). However, the score also depends on the IIT popularity, branch popularity, and other factors. For new IITs, a GATE score of 500 to 600 is mainly required. 

It is advised to check the past year's GATE cutoff trends before opting for counselling and admission. 

The GATE cutoff for computer Science and engineering will be available along with result announcement on March 19. As per the past year's cutoff trends, the expected GATE 2026 CSE cutoff can be around 30 to 34 marks for general category. 

Candidates can also refer to last year's GATE CSE cutoff below for a better understanding -

• General category - 29.2 marks
• OBC-NCL/EWS  - 26.2 marks
• SC/ST and PwD - 19.4 marks

Based on last year's cutoff mark and number of students appearing in the exam, the expected GATE cutoff for DA this year can be checked below -

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. 

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 around 50 to 60 marks depending on the paper difficulty level. 

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 introduction of new and innovative programmes, there can be slight increase in the cutoff trend, especially for CSE, EE, EC, DA, CE and ME

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 at the CCMT portal to participate in the GATE counselling. The counselling process will begin in June/July.

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, depending on the question paper difficulty level and past cutoff trends.