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    GATE XL Cutoff 2026 (Out): Previous Year Qualifying Marks, Category-wise Cutoff

    GATE XL Cutoff 2026 (Out): Previous Year Qualifying Marks, Category-wise Cutoff

    Gandubilli UnnatiUpdated on 28 Mar 2026, 05:55 PM IST

    GATE XL cutoff 2026 - IIT Guwahati has released the GATE 2026 XL cutoff on March 28, 2026. According to the notification, the GATE XL 2026 cutoff is 36.3 for the general category, 32.6 for OBC-NCL candidates, and 24.1 for SC/ST candidates. Students can check the GATE XL 2026 cutoffs from the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. The GATE cutoff 2026 indicates the minimum scores that candidates need to obtain to qualify for the exam. Only those candidates who clear the cutoff can participate in the GATE 2026 counselling. The XL cutoff for the GATE 2026 exam will differ every year based on the difficulty level of the exam, the number of students who attempted the exam and the number of seats available. Also, check the GATE score predictor to find out the best GATE colleges based on the exam scores.

    This Story also Contains

    1. GATE 2026 XL Cutoff
    2. Previous Year’s GATE XL Cutoff Percentile
    3. GATE 2026 Marking Scheme
    4. What is difference between the GATE XL Qualifying Cutoff & Admission Cutoff?
    GATE XL Cutoff 2026 (Out): Previous Year Qualifying Marks, Category-wise Cutoff
    GATE XL Cutoff 2026: Expected, Previous Year Cut-off, Qualifying Marks

    GATE 2026 XL Cutoff

    The GATE 2026 XL cutoff has been updated on the official website. Candidates can check the cutoffs, category-wise in the table. The cutoff helps candidates to predict their chances of admission to their selected colleges and for recruitment in PSUs. Candidates an check the table for GATE XL cutoff based on the results:

    CategoryExpected GATE Cutoff

    GEN

    36.3

    OBC-NCL/EWS

    32.6

    SC/ST

    24.1

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    How to Check the GATE XL Cutoff

    Candidates can check the official cutoff once it is released by following these steps:

    1. Visit the official GATE website.

    2. Click on the GATE result or cutoff link.

    3. Select the Life Sciences (XL) paper.

    4. View the category-wise qualifying marks.

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    Previous Year’s GATE XL Cutoff Percentile

    To have a better understanding of the upcoming GATE XL cutoff, candidates can check out the previous year’s cutoff trends. The GATE cutoff percentiles from 2022 to 2025 have been mentioned in the table below. Knowing this will help candidates know how much they have to aim for in the GATE exam to clear the cutoff.

    GATE Exam Year

    Qualifying Marks for GATE Life Sciences (XL paper)

    Cut-off

    (GEN)

    Cut-off

    (OBC-NCL/EWS)

    Cut-off

    (SC/ST/PwD)

    2025

    31.3

    28.1

    20.8

    2024

    29.3

    26.3

    19.5

    2023

    32.9

    29.6

    21.9 3

    2022

    33.9

    30.5

    22.5

    GATE 2026 Marking Scheme

    To calculate their GATE cutoff, candidates must have an overall idea of the GATE marking scheme. Check the table for the marking scheme process.

    Question Type

    Marks

    Negative Marking

    Multiple Choice Question (MCQ)

    1 marks

    For a 1-mark MCQ, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer.

    Multiple Choice Question (MCQ)

    2 marks

    For a 2-mark MCQ, 2/3 marks will be deducted for a wrong answer.

    Multiple Select Question (MSQ)

    1 or 2 marks

    There is no negative marking for wrong answer(s) to MSQ or NAT questions.

    Number Answer Type (NAT)

    What is difference between the GATE XL Qualifying Cutoff & Admission Cutoff?

    The GATE cutoff is of 2 types. The difference between the two is mentioned below.

    • Qualifying Cutoff - This is the minimum mark required to qualify for the GATE exam. Candidates who clear the qualifying cutoff will be eligible to participate in the COAP 2026 counselling. The GATE qualifying cutoff will be determined by the exam conducting authority.

    • Admission Cutoff - This is the minimum score required for admission to the participating institutions. This will be determined by the respective institute. The admission cutoff is usually higher than the qualifying cutoff.

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    Factors that influence the GATE 2026 Cutoff

    • Difficulty Level of the Exam

    • Number of Candidates Appearing

    • Total Number of Seats

    • Performance of Candidates

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Q: What is the expected GATE XL cutoff 2026?
    A:

    The cutoff for the Life Sciences paper is around 36.3 marks for the General category, with a lower cutoff for reserved categories.

    Q: Is the GATE XL cutoff the same for all categories?
    A:

    No, the cutoff is released separately for General, OBC-NCL/EWS, and SC/ST/PwD categories.

    Q: Does clearing the GATE XL cutoff guarantee admission?
    A:

    No. Clearing the cutoff only means candidates are qualified to participate in the GATE counselling. For admission, candidates need to clear the admission cutoffs of the specific institute.

    Q: How long is the GATE XL score valid?
    A:

    The GATE scorecard is valid for three years from when it is issued.

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    Questions related to GATE

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to GATE ?

    Hi Atihse,

    You have got a very good score and rank. Based on previous years trends, With GATEn score of 423 you are expected to get colleges like MNIT Allahabad, VNIT Nagpur, NIT Rourkela, IIEST Shibpur, Howrah. Also have a look into the below link.

    Link: https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-rank-vs-college

    Hello,

    You can find information about Mtech CS admission for 2026 without GATE qualification marks through the link provided below.

    https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/list-of-mtech-colleges-without-gate-score

    Any BTech ECE graduate can apply for all the NITs offering MTech CSE based on GATE exam. Some mid and lower NITs are:

    • NIT Warangal
    • MNIT Jaipur
    • VNIT Nagpur
    • NIT Durgapur

    You can check the complete list of NITs offers MTech CSE are - https://engineering.careers360.com/colleges/list-of-top-nit-colleges-in-india

    Hi Shipra,

    To get GATE rank of 1026 in Biotechnology, you need to score GATE marks around 75 out of 100. Check the GATE marks vs Rank article link below to understand it clearly.

    Link: https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-marks-vs-rank