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GATE Score Calculation 2025, Formula, Calculation Method, Normalization, Marks vs Score vs Rank

GATE Score Calculation: The GATE exam is conducted in multiple sessions with varied levels of difficulty for each branch. To overcome this disparity, the conducting authority uses GATE score calculation formula based on a normalization process. Authorities takes into account the relative performance of all the candidates who appeared for the exam and normalizes GATE marks (out of 100) into GATE scores (out of 1000) using the score calculation formula. 

However, you can also calculate your GATE marks before the declaration of result using the answer key and response sheet pdf. To calculate your GATE marks, you need to know that each question in GATE exam carries a weightage of 1 or 2 marks. Using the official answer key released, you can calculate GATE marks from response sheet. Check GATE total marks and negative marking

Direct Link to check GATE Result- Out on March, 2025

The qualifying GATE cut off for all the colleges could vary every year but it has been observed that the rank remains similar to what is required for admission in the respective colleges. If a candidate scores a rank within 100 then there are chances that he/she can get admission in IITs. GATE Candidates scoring more than 900 marks are expected to be in top 0.1% of all sessions. Check GATE Cutoff for Top M.Tech colleges

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GATE Rank vs Marks Analysis

GATE Rank vs Marks Analysis

GATE Rank GATE Marks
ME CSE CE EC EE
1-10 92+ 80+ 90+ 73+ 91+
10-50 87-92 75-80 85-90 67-73 87-91
50-100 85-87 72-75 78-85 63-67 84-87
100-200 82-85 68-72 74-78 60-63 81-84
200-500 79-82 62-68 70-74 56-60 77-81
500-1000 75-79 56-62 64-70 50-56 72-77
1000-2000 71-75 50-56 57-64 45-50 66-72
2000-5000 63-71 40-50 50-57 38-45 57-66
5000-10000 51-63 32-40 40-50 28-38 46-57
  • GATE rank required to get admission to the desired college will depend on the discipline and the cut off.
  • GATE rank below 200 is considered to be good for M.Tech admissions to IITs while GATE rank between 350-800 is considered good for M.Tech admission to NITs.
  • Candidates scoring between 600-800 are also able to apply for M.Tech admission to some new IITs and IIITs. 
  • The table below covers the expected GATE Rank vs Marks analysis. Candidates can check the same to get and idea about their expected rank based on their scores.

GATE Rank vs Marks vs Scores

The following tables has been curated to assist the aspirants to figure out the relationship between GATE Rank, Marks and Score. The table covers the marks and scores of GATE 2021 Toppers (AIR 1)

S. No. Paper Code  GATE Score  GATE Marks All India Rank (AIR)
AE  1000  84.00  1
AG  1000  61.33  1
AR  1000  79.67  1
BM  1000  64.00  1
BT  1000  75.33  1
CE  1000  95.56  1
10  EC  1000  82.00  1
11  EE  974  85.33  1
12  EE  974  85.33  1
13  ES  966  88.00  1
14  EY  1000  78.00  1
15  GG (Geology)  945  72.67  1
16  GG (Geophysics)  1000  68.67  1
17  IN  933  79.00  1
18  IN  933  79.00  1
19  MA  1000  68.33  1
20  ME  979  93.22  1
21  MN  1000  77.67  1
22  MT  923  87.67  1
23  MT  923  87.67  1
24  PE  954  90.67  1
25  PH  1000  69.67  1
26  PI  939  83.67  1
27  ST  1000  51.67  1
28  TF  945  79.67  1
29  TF  945  79.67  1
30  XE  1000  90.33  1
31  XH – C1 Economics  1000  62.67  1
32  XH – C2 English  986  77.67  1
33  XH – C3 Linguistics  1000  65.67  1
34  XH – C4 Philosophy  1000  71.00  1
35  XH – C5 Psychology  1000  77.33  1
36  XH – C5 Psychology  1000  77.33  1
37  XH – C6 Sociology  1000  66.00  1
38  XL  983  74.33  1

GATE Marks- Actual vs Normalized

Actual GATE Marks and Normalized GATE Marks 

Some of the papers of GATE 2025 will be conducted in multiple sessions such as CE and ME. The difficulty level of sessions also differs.  To calculate GATE Scores for these multiple session papers, score normalization is used.

Actual GATE Marks

  • GATE Marks are calculated out of 100 for 65 questions. 
  • Each correct answer in GATE paper is awarded with 1 or 2 marks. 
  • In multiple-choice questions, for every incorrect answer 1/3 or 2/3 marks are deducted from the total.
  • In the case of NATs and MSQs, no marks are deducted from the total. 

GATE Marking Scheme

Sections Total Questions Total Marks
1 mark Questions 2 marks Questions
General Aptitude 5 5 (5 x 1) + (5 x 2) = 15
Core Discipline 25 30 (25 x 1) + (30 x 2) = 85
Total 30 35 100

GATE Negative Marking

Type of Question GATE Negative Marking
1 Mark Questions 2 Marks Questions
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) 1/3 mark 2/3 mark
Multiple Select Questions (MSQs) No negative marking  No negative marking 
Numerical Answer Type (NATs) No negative marking No negative marking

Normalized GATE Marks

  • In order to be fair to all the candidates, the authorities have come up with the process of normalization of GATE Marks. The formula and its explanation has been mentioned in the sections below.
  • The raw marks obtained are converted to normalized marks using the formula. 
  • GATE Normalization is done base donthe assumption that "in all multi-session GATE papers, the distribution of abilities of candidates is the same across all the sessions".

GATE Score Normalization

GATE Score Normalization

  • Every year due to the maximum number of candidates opting for ME, CE papers these two exams are conducted in multiple sessions i.e. in the morning and afternoon shift. So while calculating the scores of these papers the authorities use GATE Score Normalization.
  • The formula used for GATE Score Normalization of marks of jth candidate in ith session is session ????̂???????? is given by-
  • Further, the graph can help understand the relationship between the two scores better.

  • Graph is showing the linear relationship between "actual marks" and "normalized marks" of a candidate, in multiple-session papers (CE or ME) of GATE 2025.
    • Mgt = average marks of top 0.1 % candidates in all sessions of that subject.
    • Mgq = mean + standard deviation, of marks of all candidates in all sessions of that subject.
    • Mti = average marks of top 0.1 % candidates in the ith session of that subject.
    • Miq = mean + standard deviation, of marks of all candidates in the ith session of that subject.

Check GATE Cut off


GATE Score Calculation

GATE Score Calculation

  • For single session papers, only the actual GATE Marks are used to determine GATE Score. Whereas, for multiple session papers, both the actual/ raw marks and Normalized scores are used for GATE Score Calulation.
  • The formula used for GATE Score Calulation is- 

where,

  • M: marks obtained in GATE (actual marks for single session papers and normalized marks for multi-session papers)
  • Mq: Qualifying marks for general category candidate in GATE paper
  • Mt: Mean of marks of top 0.1% or top 10 (whichever is larger) of candidates who appeared for GATE (in case of multi-session papers including all sessions)
  • Sq: 350, is the score assigned to Mq
  • St: 900, is the score assigned to Mt

GATE Qualifying Marks

GATE Qualifying Marks

The qualifying marks (out of 100) in GATE exam vary with different categories. Given below is the tabulated format for the same.

Category Qualifying Marks (Out of 100)
General Category (Gen) 25 or μ + σ, whichever is higher*
Other Backward Classes (OBC) 90% of the general category's qualifying mark
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) 2/3 (i.e., 66.67%) of the general category's qualifying mark

NOTE: In General Category, μ is the mean and σ is the standard deviation of the marks secured by all the candidates who appeared in that particular paper.


GATE Cut off Calculation

GATE Cut off

  • GATE Cut off is published based on the scores of the candidates.
  • Respective participating IITs release their own cut off list while the cut off for NITs is released in the form of opening and closing rank after each round of CCMT counselling.
  • However, it must be noted that some of these institutes accept admission based on GATE Marks. The candidates need to look up for the desired institute and study their selection process.
  • IISc Bangalore will release GATE Cutoff after the conclusion of the exam. The cutoff will be depended upon the following factors.
    • Total Number of candidates appearing for the paper
    • The difficulty level of GATE
    • Total number of available seats
    • Category of the candidate seeking admission

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GATE Marks vs Scores vs Rank

GATE Marks vs GATE Scores vs GATE Ranks

GATE Marks GATE Scores GATE Ranks
Marks calculated out of 100 based on GATE Marking Scheme Percentile score obtained out of 1000 after score normalization AIR determined based on marks obtained for M.Tech admissions

Frequently Asked Questions

GATE Score Calculation FAQs

Ques. For what purpose is GATE Score Calculation used?

Ans. GATE Score Calculation gives one the privilege to calculate the expected scores before the declaration of the examination result. With the help of score calculation, a candidate can easily predict the score and the institute in which admission is possible using GATE College Predictor


Ques. What details are required for GATE Score Calculation to calculate expected score?

Ans. For GATE Score Calculation of papers conducted in single slot, only the actual/ raw marks in GATE are required. However, for GATE Score Calculation, both the actual/ raw marks and normalized scores are required. 


Ques. Can I also predict my colleges where I would get admission after GATE Score Calculation?

Ans. Yes, you can also use your score predictions to know the institutes which offer admission for M.Tech. course on the basis of your GATE scores. Once you get your scores, you can use Collegedunia’s exclusive GATE College Predictor to get a list of colleges that might offer you admission based on your expected score. Obviously, the College Predictor will not provide the actual result, however, you can get a decent result with fair amount of accuracy about the expected colleges.


Ques. What will be the benefit of GATE Score Calculation to identify the colleges where I would get admission?

Ans. GATE Score Calculation will help you with your M.Tech admission planning. You will be able to know if you will be able to get an admission to an Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and other private institutes. In case it is not happening, you may plan for other prospects in advance.


Ques. How could I calculate the probable marks that I need to provide for GATE Score Calculation?

Ans. To calculate your probable GATE marks for the calculation of scores, you can use GATE Answer Key and your Response Sheet. You can calculate your marks based on GATE Marking Scheme based on the steps mentioned below-

  • As per GATE Marking Scheme, each correct answer is allotted 1 mark or 2 marks.
  • While there is no negative marking for MSQs or NAT, incorrect MCQs leads to a deduction in marks.
  • In MCQs carrying 1 mark each, every incorrect answer will lead to the deduction in 1/3 marks. However, for 2 mark MCQs, 2/3 marks would be deducted for incorrect answers. 
  • To calculate marks using GATE Answer Key the students can follow the following formulas.
    • For MCQs: [(1 x No. of correct 1 mark MCQs) - (⅓ x No. of incorrect 1 mark MCQs)] + [(2 x No. of correct 2 Mark MCQs) - (⅔ x No. of incorrect 2 mark MCQs)]
    • For MSQs: Total marks for 1 mark MSQs + Total marks for 2 marks MSQs
    • For NATs: Total marks for 1 mark NATs + Total marks for 2 marks NATs

TOTAL MARKS= Total MCQ score + Total MSQ scores + Total NAT scores


Ques. What is a GATE Percentile?

Ans. GATE Percentile of a candidate presents the percentage of all the other candidates who scored lower marks than the individual candidate in the GATE exam.


Ques. What is the formula for calculating GATE Percentile?

Ans. The following formula calculates GATE Percentile of a candidate:

*AIR RANK here refers to the candidate’s all India rank, and N is the number of candidates appeared in the GATE exam.


Ques. What is the difference between GATE Scores and Rank?

Ans. GATE Scores are the percentile scores obtained out of 1000 after score normalization. Whereas GATE Rank is the AIR obtained by candidates based on their scores which determines their chances of getting admission to M.Tech program at desired IITs, NITs or IIITs.


Ques. What is a good rank in GATE?

Ans. GATE rank less than 200 can be considered good for M.Tech admission to top IITs. Meanwhile, GATE rank between 350-800 can be considered good for M.Tech admission to NITs.


Ques. What is the validity of GATE Scores?

Ans. The validity of GATE Scores is three years from the date of declaration of result. For 2025, the scorecard will be valid till 2027. Check GATE Score Validity


*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.

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