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

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

RanjeetaUpdated on 07 Feb 2026, 10:00 AM IST

GATE XL Cut Off 2026: IIT Guwahati will publish the GATE 2026 cutoff for XL along with the result. The cutoff of GATE XL will be provided on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. Meanwhile, aspirants can check this page for the expected GATE Life Sciences cutoff. Based on the previous year’s GATE cutoff data, the XL branch is expected to have a cutoff percentile of 30 to 33, for general category. Last year, the GATE qualifying marks for Life Sciences was 31.3 for the general, 20.1 for the SC/ST branch and 28.1 for the OBC. The GATE cutoff percentile for XL might be different this year, since it is entirely based on the difficulty level of the exam and the number of participants. The GATE exam 2026 for XL is scheduled on February 7, 2026.

LiveGATE 2026 Feb 7 Exam LIVE: Shift 2 ends; memory-based questions, paper analysis soonFeb 7, 2026 | 5:47 PM IST

The GATE 2026 February 7 Shift 2 exam was successfully conducted at 5:30 pm. The memory-based question and the answer key PDF will be released shortly.

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This Story also Contains

  1. GATE XL Cutoff 2026 - Expected
  2. GATE XL Cutoff - Marks VS Ranks Expected
  3. Previous Year’s GATE XL Cutoff Percentile
  4. GATE XL Cutoff - Marks VS Rank, Previous Year
  5. How to Calculate GATE 2026 Score?
  6. GATE 2026 Marking Scheme
  7. Factors Affecting the GATE XL Cutoff
GATE XL Cutoff 2026: Category-wise Qualifying Marks & Previous Year Trends
GATE XL Cutoff 2026: Category-wise Marks, Previous Trends

Also, check the GATE score predictor to find out the best GATE colleges based on the exam scores. Read the article below to find the completed details on the GATE XL cutoff 2026.

GATE XL Cutoff 2026 - Expected

Candidates can speculate on the expected cutoff for the GATE 2026 exam based on the latest trends. Knowing the expected cutoff trends will help candidates plan exam preparation and set a realistic exam score. It will help students to estimate their admission chances in top GATE accepting institute or recruitment in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). Check below the expected GATE Cutoff 2026 for the Life Sciences paper in different categories.

Category

Expected GATE Cutoff

GEN

30 to 33

OBC-NCL/EWS

27-29

SC/ST

20-23

GATE XL Cutoff - Marks VS Ranks Expected

Students must be aware that raw marks don’t reflect the relative performance due to the normalisation process in every exam session. Therefore, candidates must check the GATE marks vs ranks to finalise their GATE performance. Here, the expected GATE marks vs raks has been calculated based on the latest trends.

Expected GATE Marks vs Rank 2026

Rank

GATE Score (Out Of 100)

1-10

85-90

10-50

82-87

50-100

80-85

100-200

78-83

200-500

76-81

500-1000

74-79

1000-2000

72-77

2000-5000

70-75

5000-10000

60-65

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 cutoff trends vary across the different categories. Tabulated below are the GATE cutoff percentiles for the life sciences paper from 2022 to 2025.

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 XL Cutoff - Marks VS Rank, Previous Year

Candidates can check the toppers' raw marks out of 100 vs their scores out of 1000 in the GATE Life Sciences paper.

Test Paper Year

Name of the Candidate

Raw Marks

(out of 100)

GATE Score

(out of 1000)

2025

YUGANSH BHATIA

78.67

1000

2024

SIDDHANT BHARDWAJ

77.33

1000

2023

ADVITA SHARMA

73.33

1000

2021

SOURANKUR CHAKRABARTI

74.33

983

How to Calculate GATE 2026 Score?

The exam authority calculates the candidate's GATE raw score by using the normalisation formula. The normalisations of marks are done across all the exam sessions with the idea in mind that candidates' abilities are distributed equally in all exam sessions. This allows exam authorities to maintain fairness while calculating scores of each session. Check below the formulas for calculating the actual GATE scores and the normalised GATE score.

GATE Normalisation Formula

GATE_2026_Normalisation_Formula

GATE Score Calculation Formula

GATE_Score_Calucation_Formula

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)

Factors Affecting the GATE XL Cutoff

Candidates must note that the GATE cutoff trends is not consistent every year. There are many factors in play the affects the GATE cutoff. Find below the pointer affecting the GATE XL cutoff.

Exam Difficulty Level

Candidates can expect the GATE cutoff to be low if the paper is difficult and the GATE cutoff to be higher if the exam paper is easy.

Number of GATE participants

The total number of students participating in the GATE exam also affects the GATE cutoff trends. If there is higher registration for the GATE exam, the cutoff rises, and competition also increases.

Candidate Performance

The GATE cutoff trends will shift dynamically based on candidates' performance in the GATE exam. Note that if the overall performance of the candidates is higher thet GATE cutoff will rise, and if the performance drops, the cutoff trend also falls.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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

The expected GATE XL cutof 2026 is 30 to 33 for the general category.

Q: When will the final GAET XL cutoff be released?
A:

The final GATE XL cutoff will be released after the exam.

Q: What is the date for the GATE XL 2026 exam?
A:

The GATE Life Sciences paper will be held on February 7, 2026.

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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.