GATE Statistical Report Out - Year-Wise Data, Cutoffs & Trends

GATE Statistical Report Out - Year-Wise Data, Cutoffs & Trends

Gandubilli UnnatiUpdated on 13 Feb 2026, 01:22 PM IST

GATE Statistical Report - Candidates who are attempting the GATE 2026 exam can check the GATE statistical report in this article. Data regarding the total number of candidates who registered and appeared for the GATE exam, the GATE cutoffs and more are mentioned in the GATE 2026 statistical report. The GATE 2026 exam is conducted annually by IITs and IISc in rotation. Candidates who clear the GATE 2026 exam can apply for admission to MTech courses at top institutes in India. Apart from applying for MTech/PhD, they can also apply for jobs at top Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).

This Story also Contains

  1. What can I check in the GATE 2026 Statistical Report?
  2. Total Registered and Appeared Candidates for the GATE exam (2021–2025)
  3. GATE Exam - Qualified Candidates and Qualification Percentage
  4. GATE Qualifying Marks – General Category (2021–2025)
  5. Branch-Wise GATE Participation Trends (2021–2025)
  6. Top 3 Most Competitive GATE Papers (By Volume)
  7. IIT-Wise MTech Seat Intake vs Qualified Candidates (2021–2025)
GATE Statistical Report Out - Year-Wise Data, Cutoffs & Trends
GATE Statistical Report

A statistical report for the last 5 years(2021 to 2025) for the GATE exam can be found in this article. This will help candidates assess the level of competition and understand where they stand among other aspirants. It also enables them to make informed decisions regarding college preferences, target ranks, and admission strategy.

What can I check in the GATE 2026 Statistical Report?

Candidates can check the following data in this article.

  • Registered & appeared candidates (2021–2025)

  • Participation rate of the candidates

  • Qualified candidates & Qualification percentage

  • Paper-wise qualifying cut-offs (General category)

  • Branch-wise participation trends

  • GATE 2026 papers that are mostly commonly chosen.

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Total Registered and Appeared Candidates for the GATE exam (2021–2025)

Candidates can check the total number of students who have registered and appeared in the GATE exam over the past 5 years in the table below. This helps aspirants determine the growing competition in the GATE exam.

Year

Registered Candidates

Appeared Candidates

Participation Rate

2021

882,684

711,542

80.6%

2022

907,000

730,000

80.5%

2023

850,000

680,000

80.0%

2024

870,000

690,000

79.3%

2025

860,000

690,000

80.2%

GATE Exam - Qualified Candidates and Qualification Percentage

While the number of students who appear for the GATE exam is high, the number of students that qualify in the exam remains very selective. This is indicative of the high standards in the GATE exam. The percentage of students who qualify for the GATE exam remains below 20%.

Year

Qualified Candidates

Qualification Rate (%)

2021

126,813

17.8%

2022

132,000

18.1%

2023

120,000

17.6%

2024

135,000

19.6%

2025

127,000

18.4%

GATE Qualifying Marks – General Category (2021–2025)

Candidates can check the GATE 2026 qualifying marks in the table below. To clear the exam and be eligible for the GATE counselling, candidates need to score above the GATE Qualifying marks. Data for the last 5 years for the GATE Qualifying marks is given below.

Paper Code

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

AE

26.3

28.1

29.8

33.3

28.9

AG

25.0

25.0

25.0

25.0

25.0

AR

40.9

37.3

41.0

41.5

40.0

BM

25.0

25.0

29.4

25.0

29.2

BT

30.0

35.5

31.6

38.9

28.0

CE

29.2

30.4

28.3

28.3

29.2

CH

35.1

25.3

32.1

25.0

27.7

CS

26.1

25.0

28.3

27.6

29.2

CY

36.2

27.5

26.5

25.2

25.0

DA

37.1

29.0

EC

25.0

25.0

29.9

25.0

25.0

EE

30.3

30.7

25.0

25.7

25.0

ES

39.6

26.9

27.3

37.9

26.1

EY

35.7

33.4

35.9

35.8

39.5

GE

40.4

38.4

41.1

25.7

GG Geology

38.9

35.9

42.5

42.0

38.4*

GG Geophysics

44.8

47.7

48.7

49.0

40.0*

IN

36.0

31.4

32.2

32.7

25.6

MA

29.0

27.3

25.0

25.0

25.0

ME

33.0

28.1

28.4

28.6

35.8

MN

31.0

25.0

25.0

25.0

30.6

MT

48.5

46.2

47.5

41.0

40.0

NM

25.0

25.0

25.1

25.1

PE

51.4

34.4

37.8

42.6

31.1

PH

32.8

26.5

31.1

32.0

26.8

PI

35.7

31.3

30.5

30.5

35.6

ST

25.0

25.0

25.0

26.6

30.2

TF

41.8

25.0

28.7

28.1

34.7

XE

37.0

35.4

35.4

XH-All

29.4–48.5

40.0

40.0

XL

36.0

29.9

31.8

29.3

31.3

Branch-Wise GATE Participation Trends (2021–2025)

Data regarding the GATE 2026 papers that were mostly chosen by candidates over the last 5 years can be found in this table. While papers like CS and EC remain the most popular, papers such as DA seem to be gaining popularity in recent years.

Major High-Volume Papers – Appeared Candidates (Approximate Trends)

Year

CS

EC

CE

EE

ME

DA

2021

~165,000

~85,000

~78,000

~70,000

~65,000

2022

~172,000

~88,000

~82,000

~72,000

~68,000

2023

~160,000

~83,000

~79,000

~69,000

~64,000

2024

~168,000

~82,000

~77,000

~67,000

~62,000

~55,000

2025

~170,000+

~81,000+

~79,000+

~68,000+

~62,000+

~57,000+

Top 3 Most Competitive GATE Papers (By Volume)

Candidates can also refer to the table below to determine the highly competitive GATE 2026 papers.

Rank

Paper

Average Appeared (2021–2025)

Competition Intensity

1

Computer Science (CS)

~165,000

Extremely High

2

Electronics & Communication (EC)

~85,000

Very High

3

Civil Engineering (CE)

~79,000

Very High

IIT-Wise MTech Seat Intake vs Qualified Candidates (2021–2025)

There is a considerable difference between the number of students who qualify in the GATE exam and the total number of MTech seats available for admission. The number of GATE-qualified students will be considerably higher than the number of seats available for admission. Hence, candidates can check the GATE- qualified students vs the available seats data from the table below.

Approximate Total MTech Seats in IITs (All papers)

Year

Approx. Total IIT MTech Seats

Qualified Candidates

Seats-to-Qualified Ratio

2021

~11,800

126,813

1: 10.7

2022

~12,000

132,000

1: 11

2023

~12,200

120,000

1: 9.8

2024

~12,500

135,000

1: 10.8

2025

~12,700

127,000

1 10

A five-year statistical review of GATE (2021–2025) mentions the GATE exam participation trends, qualification ratios, and stable cut-off patterns across major engineering disciplines. Candidates can refer to the data above to determine how the GATE exam trends have shifted over the years and the competition for the exam.

  • From 2021 to 2025, GATE has shown high registration numbers indicating the same amount of popularity for the GATE exam.

  • The participation rate has also remained consistent, at approximately 80% each year.

  • The qualification percentage remains below 20%, which means that the GATE exam has been highly competitive over the years.

  • Core engineering branches such as CS, EC, CE, EE, and ME have remained popular over the years. However, newer branches like AI & DA are also being chosen by candidates.

  • Qualifying cut-offs (General category) across most major papers typically fall within the mid-20 to low-30 mark range.

GATE Previous Year Question Paper's
Download GATE previous year question papers to understand exam pattern and difficulty level. Practice with these papers to boost your preparation and improve your score.
Check Now

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What does the GATE Statistical Report include?
A:

The GATE Statistical Report mentions data about various topics like total registrations, candidates appeared, participation rate, qualified candidates, qualification percentage, and paper-wise qualifying cut-offs (General category).

Q: What was the average participation rate in GATE from 2021 to 2025?
A:

Participation in the GATE exam from 2021 to 2025 has remained consistent at around 80%.

Q: Which GATE papers attract the highest number of candidates?
A:

Core papers such as Computer Science (CS), Electronics and Communication (EC), Civil Engineering (CE), Electrical Engineering (EE), and Mechanical Engineering (ME) recorded the highest candidate participation across the years.

Q: Do GATE cut-offs vary every year?
A:

Yes, GATE Cut-offs vary every year due to a variety of factors such as exam difficulty level, normalisation, candidate's performance and overall competition in the GATE exam.

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Questions related to GATE

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to GATE ?

Hello,

The link to the question paper is attached here. You can also find the answer key that will help you analyse your in-depth performance. Careers360 provides students with preparation tips that will help them utilise their time effectively in preparartion.

https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-metallurgical-question-papers

Thank you

Hello,

Yes, you can get admission in M.Tech CSE without GATE .

  1. Through university entrance exams
    Many universities conduct their own M.Tech entrance exams. You have to qualify the test and sometimes attend an interview.

  2. Through JET for M.Tech
    JET (JAIN Entrance Test) is conducted by Jain University.
    It is

Hii

No  you cannot get admission to IIT for M Tech if your B Tech is not completed at the time of admission, even if you clear the GATE cutoff but Yes, you can appear for GATE 2028 in your 3rd year of B Tech even if your degree is

Hello,

The link to the question paper is attached here. You can access the question papers along with the answer key on the careers360 website. Careers360 also provides students with preparation tips that will help them in preparing and the mock test and analyse their in-depth performance.

https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/last-15-years-gate-papers-solutions

Thank you.