IIT Guwahati will release the official paper-wise cutoff and number of qualified candidates who cleared the cutoff after the GATE 2026 results. GATE 2026 results are scheduled for March 19 2026. Roughly 1.2-1.3 lakh candidates clear the GATE cutoff every year.
- Roughly 1.2 to 1.4 lakh candidates are expected to clear the GATE 2026 cutoff out of approximately 7-8 lakh candidates who took the GATE 2026.
- The cutoff for CS paper is expected to be around 30-32, mainly due to the increased number of candidates and comparatively scoring paper than last year.
- Based on the previous year’s data, we can expect approximately 32,000 CS candidates to clear the cutoff.
- DA paper was relatively easier this year, due to this we can expect slight increase in the cutoff, around 28-32 marks.
Also Check:
- GATE cutoff marks for IIT and NIT for General category
- GATE cutoff marks for IIT and NIT for SC category
- GATE cutoff marks for IIT and NIT for OBC category
- GATE Cutoff 2026, Branch-wise Cutoff for IITs, NITs
Key Summary
- GATE 2026 cutoff data will be released by IIT Guwahati after the GATE Results.
- 1.2-1.4 lakh candidates are expected to qualify the GATE 2026 across 30 papers.
- CS and ME cutoffs are likely to be around 30–33 marks, while EC and EE are stable near 25-26.
- Historically, only 16-18% candidates qualify, highlighting GATE’s competitiveness and paper difficulty.
- In GATE 2025, 7.47 lakh appeared, 1.41 lakh qualified across all GATE papers.
Paper Wise Appeared vs Qualified Candidates GATE 2026
Qualifying the GATE exam means meeting the official GATE qualifying marks, which will be announced by IIT. GATE-qualified candidates are allowed to take part in the IIT admission process through COAP.
- Only about 16-18% of the candidates clear the GATE cutoff every year.
- The number of qualified candidates compared to the number of those who appeared shows the level of difficulty of the paper.
- Low qualification rates show the competitive and difficult nature of the GATE exam.
| GATE Paper | Paper Name | Approximate number of candidates appeared | Expected Qualified candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS | Computer Science and Information Technology | ~185,000 | 32,000 |
| CE | Civil Engineering | ~85000 | 16,000 |
| EC | Electronics and Communication | ~88,000 | 15,500 |
| EE | Electrical Engineering | ~75000 | 13,000 |
| ME | Mechanical Engineering | ~65,000 | 12,500 |
| DA | Data Science and AI | ~65,000 | 11,000 |
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Expected Category-wise GATE Cutoff Marks 2026
Based on the initial paper analysis and historical trends, many coaching centres and experts are expecting a slight increase in the cutoff marks for major papers like CS and CE. This prediction is mainly due to increasing number of candidates and the moderately difficult papers.
- Due to a slightly tough paper, the cutoff for ME paper can go low this year, 30-33 marks.
- The cutoff for EC and EE is expected to stay stable around 25-26, the same as previous years.
| GATE Paper | Expected GATE Cutoff marks General | Expected GATE cutoff marks for OBC/EWS | Expected GATE Cutoff marks for SC/ST |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS | 30-32 | 27-29 | 22-25 |
| CE | 29-32 | 26-28 | 19-21 |
| EC | 25-26 | 23-24 | 17-18 |
| EE | 24-25 | 21-23 | 16-17 |
| ME | 30-33 | 28-31 | 23-25 |
| DA | 28-32 | 27-29 | 19-21 |
Source: GATE 2026 Expected cutoff analysis by Margdarshan Prep.
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Ques. Is the ME cutoff going to be lower this year, since the exam was somewhat tough?
Ans. Many experts are saying that ME cutoff is going to be lower this year. We can expect the cutoff marks to be around 30-33.
Ques. Is 27 marks safe for general category in EE paper?
Ans. The expected range of cutoff for EE paper is 24-25. 27 seems fine but due to very narrow margin, you might not clear the cutoff if the official cutoff exceeds 27.
Check: GATE 2026 Marks Vs Rank Vs Cutoff Explained
Previous Year’s GATE Cutoff Trends
The GATE cutoff marks for each paper varies every year mainly due to the number of candidates appearing in the exam that year and difficulty level of the each paper.
Previous year’s cutoff helps us understand the dynamics between difficulty of the paper, number of candidates who took the exam and how it affects the cutoff of each paper.
Category-wise GATE 2025 Paper-wise Cutoff
The cutoff for Mechanical paper saw a significant jump from 28.6 (2024) to 35.8 (2025). This is mainly due to the easy ME paper. Both EC and EE stayed at 25, due to the moderate to tough paper.
Here is the GATE cutoff data for the popular papers such as CS, BT, CE, EC, EE, ME, and DA
| GATE Paper | Cutoff Marks for General Candidates | Cutoff marks for OBC/EWS Candidates | Cutoff marks for SC/ST Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS | 29.2 | 26.2 | 19.4 |
| BT | 28 | 25.2 | 18.6 |
| CE | 29.2 | 26.2 | 19.4 |
| ME | 35.8 | 32.2 | 23.8 |
| EC | 25 | 22.5 | 16.6 |
| EE | 25 | 22.5 | 16.6 |
| DA | 29 | 26.1 | 19.3 |
Source: GATE 2025 official performance report
Category-wise GATE 2024 Paper-wise Cutoff
In its first year, DA paper saw a very high cutoff of 37.1. This was mainly because of high number applicants and the paper was relatively easy.
- CS paper was tougher than 2023, because of that cutoff significantly reduced from 32.5 to 27.6.
- Due to high difficulty level technical sections, EC and EE both saw low cutoff marks at 25 and 27.5 respectively.
| GATE Paper | Cutoff marks for General Candidates | Cutoff marks for OBC/EWS Candidates | Cutoff marks for SC/ST Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS | 27.6 | 24.8 | 18.4 |
| BT | 38.9 | 29.9 | 22.1 |
| CE | 28.3 | 25.4 | 18.8 |
| ME | 28.6 | 25.7 | 19 |
| EC | 25 | 22.5 | 16.6 |
| EE | 25.7 | 23.1 | 17.1 |
| DA | 37.1 | 33.3 | 24.7 |
Source: GATE 2024 official performance report
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GATE Appeared vs Qualified Candidates: Historical Trends
The previous year's cutoff information is useful for predicting the overall cutoff data. We can see the number of students appearing for CS nearly doubled from 2023, which reflects the massive shift towards CS and AI roles.
Even with the increasing number of candidates taking the exam, the qualification rate seems to be stable between 15-20%.
Paper-wise GATE 2025 Appeared vs Qualified Candidates
As per the GATE 2025 Performance report released by IIT Roorkee, total of 7,47,319 candidates took the exam across 30 test papers.
- Out of these candidates, only 1,41,802 candidates qualified the GATE 2025 Exam.
- Approximately 16.11% of the candidates cleared the CS paper, with only 27518 candidates clearing the exam out of 1.7 lakh candidates who took the exam.
- Relatively new DA paper saw a qualification rate of 19.295% with 11007 candidates clearing the exam.
| GATE Paper | Appeared Candidates | Qualified Candidates |
|---|---|---|
| CS | 170825 | 27518 |
| BT | 20048 | 4417 |
| CE | 79951 | 15108 |
| ME | 62015 | 10664 |
| EC | 81475 | 14112 |
| EE | 67701 | 11902 |
| DA | 57054 | 11007 |
Source: GATE 2025 official performance report
Read: GATE BT 2026 Expected Cutoff
Paper-wise GATE 2024 Appeared vs Qualified Candidates
Based on the official GATE 2024 performance report released by the IISc Bangalore, total of 6,53,292 candidates attended the exam across 30 papers.
- Out of these candidates, only 129268 candidates cleared the exam, making the qualification rate of GATE 2024 19.78%.
- CS paper saw approximately 17.71% qualified candidates, with only 21,949 candidates clearing the exam out of 1,23,967 who took the exam.
- Only 124 candidates cleared the BM paper out of 1860 who took the exam, making the lowest number of candidates who cleared the paper.
| GATE Paper | No of Appeared Candidates | No of Qualified Candidates |
|---|---|---|
| CS | 123967 | 21949 |
| BT | 17078 | 3894 |
| CE | 85869 | 16604 |
| ME | 65546 | 11922 |
| EC | 63092 | 13260 |
| EE | 59599 | 12596 |
| DA | 39210 | 8377 |
Source: GATE 2024 official performance report
Check: What is the rank of 70 marks in GATE?
This GATE 2026 cutoff analysis gives you a clear picture of paper-wise appeared vs qualified candidates. While a exact GATE 2026 cutoff will be released after the results, these trends and expected cutoff analysis will help you plan your next steps.
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