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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.
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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:
| Category | Expected GATE Cutoff |
|---|---|
GEN | 36.3 |
OBC-NCL/EWS | 32.6 |
SC/ST | 24.1 |
Candidates can check the official cutoff once it is released by following these steps:
Visit the official GATE website.
Click on the GATE result or cutoff link.
Select the Life Sciences (XL) paper.
View the category-wise qualifying marks.
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 |
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) |
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.
Difficulty Level of the Exam
Number of Candidates Appearing
Total Number of Seats
Performance of Candidates
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The cutoff for the Life Sciences paper is around 36.3 marks for the General category, with a lower cutoff for reserved categories.
No, the cutoff is released separately for General, OBC-NCL/EWS, and SC/ST/PwD categories.
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.
The GATE scorecard is valid for three years from when it is issued.
On Question asked by student community
Hello Student,
A two year gap after b tech is not automatically affect your career negatively, especially if you have used this time productively to prepare for GATE. Many students take one or two years to prepare for competition examinations, and employers or University generally understand this provided you can
Yes, you can apply for GATE if you satisfy the eligibility criteria prescribed for the examination. GATE is open to eligible Indian and foreign nationals from approved countries. Since you are currently studying in India, your nationality alone does not automatically make you ineligible. It is advisable to check the
Hello Dear Student,
The GATE cutoff varies widely by subject paper and candidate category (General, OBC, SC/ST). For instance, the general category qualifying mark for Computer Science (CSE) was 27.6 in 2025 and 25.0 in 2024, while Mechanical Engineering (ME) was 35.8 in 2025.
You can get directly find, check,
Hello Student,
The topic wise mark distribution for GATE 2027 has not been officially released. GATE does not prescript fixed marks for each topic. The weightage varies every year independence on the question paper.
Please mention your GATE paper/branch (such as CSE, ECE, EE, ME, CE, DA, etc.), and we
Hello Dear Student,
Yes, you can appear for the GATE Mechanical Engineering (ME) paper even if you have a B.E./B.Tech in Aeronautical Engineering , provided you meet the GATE eligibility criteria.
However, qualifying GATE ME does not automatically make you eligible for PSU jobs .
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