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

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

    Gandubilli UnnatiUpdated on 19 Mar 2026, 05:38 PM IST

    GATE XL cutoff 2026 - IIT Guwahati will publish the GATE 2026 XL cutoff in March 2026, after the results are released. Candidates will be able to check the GATE XL 2026 cutoffs from the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. Based on the previous year's data, candidates can expect the GATE 2026 XL cutoff to be 30 to 33 for the general category. The previous year’s XL cutoffs for the GATE exam are also updated in this article.

    LiveGATE 2026 Result LIVE (OUT): IIT Guwahati declares MTech entrance exam result at gate2026.iitg.ac.in; toppersMar 20, 2026 | 4:30 AM IST

    Candidates seeking admission to MTech programmes at IIT Hyderabad can check the GATE cut-offs for the previous year 2025 from the table given below.

    Course NameMaximum GATE ScoreMinimum GATE Score
    Additive Manufacturing697483
    Aerospace Engineering788529
    Artificial Intelligence948772
    Chemical Engineering695418
    Climate Change703470
    Communications,Signal Processing and Learning917573
    Computer Science and Engineering918781
    Energy Science and Technology695521
    Environmental Engineering670484
    E-waste Resource Engineering and Management595355
    Geotechnical Engineering734416
    Hydraulics and Water Resources Engineering610415
    Integrated Circuits and Microsystems Packaging799591
    Integrated Design & Manufacturing746553
    Lightweighting Engineering560367
    Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering826453
    Mechanics & Design898573
    Medical Biotechnology897645
    Medical Device Innovation778549
    Medical Sensing, Analytics & Simulation (MedSAS)829498
    Microelectronics & VLSI928736
    Nanomedicine & Biomaterials (NBM)895630
    Network and Information Security881767
    Ophthalmic Engineering778279
    Power Electronics and Power Systems894602
    Quantum and Solid State Devices778463
    Robotics and Intelligent System Engineering801567
    Semiconductor Materials and Devices826538
    Smart Mobility812487
    Structural Engineering905622
    Sustainable Engineering773547
    Systems and Control917608
    Techno-Entrepreneurship712600
    Thermo-fluid Engineering850573
    Transportation Engineering712712
    Read More

    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: Previous Year Qualifying Marks, Category-wise Cutoff
    GATE XL Cutoff 2026: Expected, Previous Year Cut-off, Qualifying Marks

    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.

    GATE 2026 XL Cutoff

    The GATE 2026 XL cutoff will be updated here once it is updated on the official website. Candidates will be able to 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:

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    Category

    Expected 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.

    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 expected cutoff for the Life Sciences paper is around 33–36 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 ?

    Every PSU has different cut-off marks and eligibility. Hence, it is suggested to apply for PSU after checking the eligibility. Also, they do not reveal the marks of the finally selected candidates. So, wait for the final merit list.

    Yes. You can. GATE eligibility specifies that students in their 3rd year and above can appear for the exam. Since the results are valid for 3 years, you can use the same for your admissions.

    If you score 500 marks in GATE2026, your chances of getting into good engineering colleges (especially NITs, IIITs and some older IITs) are strong for most disciplines, while top branches like CSE/EEE/ECE at older IITs may still require higher ranks. Your GATE AllIndia Rank (AIR) with 500 marks usually falls