Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati has successfully conducted the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2026, and the answer key for the same has been released at https://goaps.iitg.ac.in/login. Lakhs of candidates who participated in the Entrance exam are awaiting the official qualifying marks to be considered “GATE Qualified.”
The qualifying marks are the minimum scores a candidate must secure to officially pass the examination. GATE Qualifying Marks 2026 will be released along with the GATE Result on the official GATE portal.
GATE Qualifying Marks 2026
GATE 2026 Cut Off marks/ Qualifying Marks represent the minimum score a candidate must secure to be considered GATE qualified. However, qualifying for the exam does not guarantee admission or recruitment. The qualifying cutoff simply certifies the candidate’s GATE score, while admission to IITs, NITs, or PSU recruitment demands a separate, higher performance threshold.
GATE 2026 Qualifying Marks- Highlights
- GATE qualifying marks are announced separately for each paper and for every candidate category.
- Category-wise relaxation is applicable: OBC-NCL and EW candidates get a 10% relaxation, whereas SC, ST, and PwD candidates receive a 33.3% relaxation compared to the General category cutoff.
- The qualifying cutoff is different from the admission or PSU recruitment cutoff, which is usually set at a higher level.
- These marks are calculated using a statistical normalization method that considers variations in exam difficulty and overall candidate performance.
- A valid GATE score remains valid for three years from the date of result declaration.
GATE Expected Qualifying Marks 2026
Till now, the GATE 2026 Minimum Qualifying Marks will be released Paper-wise and category-wise along with the announcement of result. Based on previous year trends, exam difficulty analysis, and candidate performance, we have tabulated below the GATE Expected Qualifying Marks 2026.
| Paper Name | General | OBC-NCL / EWS | SC / ST / PwD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instrumentation Engineering (IN) | 25 – 30 | 23 – 28 | 22 – 25 |
| Engineering Sciences (XE) | 35 – 37 | 31.5 – 33.5 | 23 – 25 |
| Chemical Engineering (CH) | 25 – 28 | 22 – 25 | 16 – 19 |
| Environmental Science & Engg. (ES) | 32 – 35 | 28.5 – 31.5 | 21 – 23.5 |
| Computer Science & IT (CS) | 30 – 32 | 27 – 30 | 24 – 25 |
| Civil Engineering (CE) | 29.2 – 33 | 26.2 – 28.5 | 19.4 – 20 |
| Electrical Engineering (EE) | 25 – 27 | 22 – 23 | 21 – 22 |
| Mechanical Engineering (ME) | 28 – 30 | 26 – 27 | 23 – 24 |
| Electronics & Comm. Engg. (EC) | 25 – 29 | 22 – 23.8 | 16.3 – 17.5 |
| Data Science & AI (DA) | 29.5 – 32 | 26.5 – 28.5 | 19.5 – 21 |
GATE Previous Year Qualifying Marks 2026
Here we have provided the minimum qualifying marks/cut-off marks for the GATE 2025 exam for 30+ test papers:
| Code | Paper | General | OBC-NCL / EWS | SC / ST / PwD |
| AE | Aerospace Engineering | 28.9 | 26.0 | 19.2 |
| AG | Agricultural Engineering | 25.0 | 22.5 | 16.6 |
| AR | Architecture and Planning | 40.0 | 36.0 | 26.6 |
| BM | Biomedical Engineering | 29.2 | 26.2 | 19.4 |
| BT | Biotechnology | 28.0 | 25.2 | 18.6 |
| CE | Civil Engineering | 29.2 | 26.2 | 19.4 |
| CH | Chemical Engineering | 27.7 | 24.9 | 18.4 |
| CS | Computer Science & IT | 29.2 | 26.2 | 19.4 |
| CY | Chemistry | 25.0 | 22.5 | 16.6 |
| DA | Data Science & AI | 29.0 | 26.1 | 19.3 |
| EC | Electronics & Comm. Engg. | 25.0 | 23.0 | 17.0 |
| EE | Electrical Engineering | 25.0 | 23.0 | 17.0 |
| ES | Environmental Science & Engg. | 26.0 | 23.0 | 17.0 |
| EY | Ecology and Evolution | 39.5 | 35.5 | 26.3 |
| GE | Geomatics Engineering | 26.0 | 23.0 | 17.1 |
| GG1 | Geology & Geophysics (Geology) | 38.4 | 34.5 | 25.5 |
| GG2 | Geology & Geophysics (Geophysics) | 40.0 | 36.0 | 26.6 |
| IN | Instrumentation Engineering | 25.6 | 23.0 | 17.0 |
| MA | Mathematics | 25.0 | 22.5 | 16.6 |
| ME | Mechanical Engineering | 35.8 | 32.2 | 23.8 |
| MN | Mining Engineering | 30.6 | 27.5 | 20.4 |
| MT | Metallurgical Engineering | 40.0 | 36.0 | 26.6 |
| NM | Naval Architecture & Marine Engg. | 25.1 | 22.5 | 16.7 |
| PE | Petroleum Engineering | 31.1 | 27.9 | 20.7 |
| PH | Physics | 26.8 | 24.1 | 17.8 |
| PI | Production & Industrial Engg. | 35.6 | 32.0 | 23.7 |
| ST | Statistics | 30.2 | 27.1 | 20.1 |
| TF | Textile Engg. & Fibre Science | 34.7 | 31.2 | 23.1 |
| XE | Engineering Sciences | 35.4 | 31.8 | 23.5 |
| XH-C1 | Humanities (Economics) | 40.0 | 36.0 | 26.6 |
| XH-C2 | Humanities (English) | 40.0 | 36.0 | 26.6 |
| XH-C3 | Humanities (Linguistics) | 40.0 | 36.0 | 26.6 |
| XH-C4 | Humanities (Philosophy) | 40.0 | 36.0 | 26.6 |
| XH-C5 | Humanities (Psychology) | 40.0 | 36.0 | 26.6 |
| XH-C6 | Humanities (Sociology) | 40.0 | 36.0 | 26.6 |
| XL | Life Sciences | 31.3 | 28.1 | 20.8 |
Factors Affecting GATE 2026 Qualifying Marks
Multiple factors affected the qualifying marks for each paper in GATE 2026.
- Difficulty Level of the Exam – A harder paper generally leads to a lower qualifying cutoff, while an easier paper can push the cutoff up.
- Total Number of Applicants – Larger candidate pools can mean more competition and a marginally higher cutoff in popular papers like CS, EE, and ME.
- Performance of Candidates – A wider spread in scores results in a different cutoff compared to years when scores are clustered.
- Previous Year Trends – Historical data is one of the most reliable indicators of expected ranges, especially when paper difficulty is comparable.
- Category-Specific Calculations – OBC-NCL/EWS cutoffs are set at 90% of the General category cutoff, and SC/ST/PwD cutoffs are set at 66.67% of the General cutoff.
| Important Links | |
| GATE Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026 | GATE Cut off (Previous Year) |
