GATE Score Normalisation 2026 Explained: Check How GATE Scores and Ranks are Calculated

GATE 2026 Score Calculation: The GATE 2026 exam is a gateway to numerous academic and professional opportunities. Many students get confused about how GATE scores are normalised and how ranks are decided. Here’s a simple, step-by-step guide to understand GATE Score Normalisation 2025 with easy examples. Understanding the GATE 2026 score normalisation and rank calculation process is important for candidates to evaluate their performance and strategise their preparation effectively. The GATE score usually highlights the relative performance level of the aspirants in a particular subject.  With the right mindset, a clear understanding of the evaluation process, and dedication, aspirants can succeed in GATE 2026.

GATE 2026 Score Normalisation and Rank Calculation

The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is a national-level entrance exam assessing a candidate’s knowledge in various undergraduate and post-graduate level subjects. Conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and the seven Indian Institutes of Technology, the GATE 2026 score will be used for admissions to postgraduate programs and recruitment in PSUs.

As GATE 2026 is around the corner, one essential element that candidates often wonder about is how their scores are normalized and ranks are calculated. In this article, we have shared complete details about the GATE 2026 score normalization and rank determination to ease the preparation of the candidates effectively.

What is the GATE Score?

After the answers are evaluated, the actual (raw) marks secured by a candidate will be considered to calculate the GATE Score. For tests administered across multiple sessions, raw marks will be standardised into normalized marks for each subject. Subsequently, raw marks (for single-session tests) or normalized marks (for multi-session tests) will be used to calculate the GATE score, considering the qualifying criteria.

Actual GATE Marks

Let’s discuss the marking scheme followed to calculate the actual GATE marks for the reference of the candidates:

• GATE scores are computed out of 100 marks for 65 questions.

• 1 or 2 marks will be allocated for every correct answer.

• A negative marking of 1/3rd or 2/3rd mark for each incorrect response.

• There shall be no negative marking for wrong answers in NATs and MSQ questions.

GATE 2026 Score Normalisation Method

In GATE 2026, some test papers will be conducted across multiple sessions. To account for potential variations in difficulty levels between these sessions, a normalization process is applied.  This process is based on the assumption that the aspirant's abilities are evenly distributed across all sessions. This assumption is valid due to the large number of candidates and the random allocation of sessions. Moreover, the number of candidates in each session is kept relatively equal. After evaluating various normalization methods, the committee adopted the following formula to compute normalized marks for multi-session papers;

GATE Normalisation Formula

How GATE Score is Calculated

For single-session papers, the GATE 2026 score will be based on the actual marks secured by the candidate. However, for multi-session papers, raw marks will be converted into normalized marks, and these normalized marks will be used to calculate the GATE 2026 Score as explained above. Here is the formula to calculate the GATE 2026 score for all test papers.

GATE Score Calculation Formula

GATE 2026 Qualifying Cut Off

As per GATE 2026 notification, the qualifying cut-off marks vary as per general category, OBC-NCL/EWS, and SC/ST/PwD categories. Check the category-wise GATE qualifying cut-off marks shared below for the reference of the candidates.

Note:  μ denotes the mean of marks of all test-takers and σ denotes the standard deviation of positive marks of all the aspirants who appeared for the test paper.

GATE Score vs Rank: How to Calculate GATE Rank

Once the GATE scores are calculated, candidates are assigned All India Ranks (AIRs) based on the marks obtained by them. The GATE rank required for admission to your preferred college is based on both the chosen discipline and the cutoff score. Going by past trends and analysis, a GATE rank below 200 is considered good to secure M.Tech admission at IITs whereas a GATE rank between 350 and 800 can be used to secure admission to an M.Tech program at an NIT.  Here is the detailed analysis of GATE Rank vs. marks for all the subjects based on the previous year's data shared below for the reference of the candidates.

GATE Rank vs Marks vs Scores

Here we have discussed GATE Rank vs Marks vs Scores to help candidates understand the relationship between all three in a detailed manner. This table comprises scores and marks obtained by GATE toppers (AIR 1) in 2021 for reference purposes.

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