GATE Cut-Off 2024: Affecting Factors, Testing Criteria, Exam Pattern

GMU

Updated on - May 21, 2025

The GATE examination, which stands for Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering, is an entrance exam conducted in India for admission to technical postgraduate programs that tests the undergraduate subjects of engineering and sciences. It is conducted only once every year, usually in the first or second week of February. This exam acts as a crucial gateway for students to get admission in one of the most prestigious institutes of the country, which are the IITs (Indian Institute of Technology). The exam offers almost 30 disciplines from which the students can choose according to their preferred or desired discipline. The most popular disciplines amongst the candidates are Computer Science and Information Technology (CS), Electronics and Communication Engineering (EC), Mechanical Engineering (ME), Civil Engineering (CE), and Electrical Engineering (EE).

The exam is conducted in the CBT form (Computer Based Standardized Test) over an interval of 3 hours, where the candidates are tested rigorously on their bachelor's degree level knowledge of the chosen engineering or science discipline. The exam is conducted over a period of two weekends that is 4 days in total with each typically having two sessions. It is conducted in such a way to accommodate the large number of test takers (almost 6 to 7 lakhs). 

For aspirants aiming for top institutes through the GATE exam, understanding the cutoff trends is crucial. Analyzing the previous years’ cutoffs can help make smarter, better, and more informed decisions when selecting institutes or planning for a particular discipline. This breakdown of GATE 2024 cutoff patterns across different categories and top engineering institutes/PSUs gives a clearer picture of how competitive the admissions are and provides insights into the level of preparation needed to secure a seat in the most prestigious institutes.

GATE 2024 CutOff Highlights

The GATE 2024 exam was conducted by IISc Bangalore from February 3 to 11, 2024, across multiple sessions for various Engineering, Science, Architecture, and Humanities papers. Depending on the paper chosen, candidates were tested on core subjects, engineering mathematics, and general aptitude. The provisional answer key was released on February 21, and results were officially declared on March 16. Candidates could download their scorecards from March via the GATE portal.

Understanding the GATE 2024 cutoff trends is super important for aspirants aiming for top M.Tech colleges or PSU jobs. The cutoffs differed across papers and categories, showing how competitive the exam is. Popular streams like CS, ME, and EE saw relatively higher cutoffs. The counselling process for IITs began through COAP, and for NITs and other institutes through CCMT, starting in April 2024. Multiple rounds were conducted to ensure that candidates across all ranks and categories had a fair chance at securing a seat or an opportunity.

Factors Affecting GATE 2024 Cutoff

The cutoff for the exam is determined by various factors. Some of them are listed below with the reasoning:

• Number of students registered and appeared for GATE: A higher number of applicants usually increases competition, which always impacts the cutoff trends.
• Number of students who qualified the exam: The proportion of candidates who clear the qualifying marks affects how high or low the cutoff will be.
• Exam difficulty level: If the paper is tough, the cutoff tends to be lower, and if it's relatively easy, the cutoff generally rises.
• Number of seats in the participating institutes: The seats in IITs and other prestigious institutes are very less for courses like M.Tech. Therefore, the availability of seats across IITs, NITs, IIITs, and other institutes also affects the cutoff, especially for high-demand streams.

• Category of the Candidate: The category of the candidate matters as well because the cutoff varies a lot with category. Different categories have different thresholds.

Category-wise GATE 2024 Cutoff

The document provides comprehensive data that assists students in understanding the competitive landscape and planning their counselling preferences effectively. The cutoff according to courses, and category are given below:

The cutoff trends for GATE 2024 underscore the highly competitive nature of admissions to postgraduate courses (M.Tech, M.E., MS) or secure jobs in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) in prestigious institutes of the country, like IITs and IISc. Leading institutions regularly require outstanding ranks, standing up to their reputation, and limited seat availability.

However, a wide range of colleges and programs offer ample opportunities for qualified candidates across different categories. By carefully analyzing these cutoff patterns, aspirants can establish practical expectations, shortlist suitable colleges, and formulate focused preparation plans for GATE 2025, thereby enhancing their chances of securing admission to their preferred courses.

GATE 2024 Eligibility Criteria

To appear for the GATE exam, one should have the following prerequisites, which are quite straightforward  but depend highly on the candidate’s academic background:

1. Academic Qualification: This factor depends on the discipline of the candidate. It can be broadly divided into two categories:

1. For Engineering/Technology/Architecture Disciplines: Final year students or graduates of B. Tech. (4 year program) or B. Arch is eligible.
2. For Science Disciplines: Students in the final year of their M. Sc. of the relevant subjects (like Mathematics/Statistics/Computer Applications) or who have completed their degree are eligible.
3. Age Limit: There is no age limit to be eligible for this exam.

3. Nationality: Both Indian nationals as well as foreign nationals ( keeping the fact in mind that there are specific regulations for each country) can appear for the exam.

4. Previous Attempts: There are even no limits on the number of attempts that a candidate can take.

5. Multiple Papers: Candidates can only choose one paper from the available list. However, for some disciplines, there are combination papers such as CS + IT.

GATE 2024 Testing Criteria and Paper Pattern

GATE exam tests candidates on various parameters, which are required skill sets for the candidate in an M.Tech. course. The following are the testing criteria for the GATE exam:

1. Core Subjects Knowledge: Candidates are tested on their understanding of the concepts of their undergraduate course be it engineering, science, technology, or humanities.
2. Problem-Solving Ability: The exam also tests the candidates in their abilities of analytical thinking, problem solving, and logical thinking.
3. Application of Concepts: The exam assesses whether the candidate can apply the theory they learnt during their academic life to solve the real world problems.
4. General Aptitude: It is common to all the papers and tests to test the candidates ' skills, like verbal and numerical reasoning.

The GATE exam 2024 was conducted by IISc (Indian Institute of Science) in the CBT Mode (Computer-Based Test). The maximum marks for the paper are 100. These 100 marks are spread over 65 questions. Those 65 questions can be bifurcated into two parts: i) General Aptitude (GA), which has a total of 10 questions and accounts for 15 marks. ii) Subject-specific part has a total of 55 questions, which make a total of 85 marks.

Three types of questions are asked in the exam:

• MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions)
• MSQ (Multiple Select Questions)
• NAT (Numerical Answer Type)

For the marking scheme there are 1 mark and 2 marks questions all across the various sections of the paper. There is even a scheme of negative marking, which deducts one third of the marks of the given question for every wrong answer. The negative marking scheme is only applied to multiple choice questions (MCQs). The Multiple Select Questions (MSQs)  and Numerical Answer Type (NATs) sections do not  have any negative marking.