Zollege is here for to help you!!
Need Counselling
GATE logo

GATE Score Validity for Admission in IITs, NITs, and PSU Recruitment

OverviewScore ValiditySyllabusQuestion PaperspreparationAnswer KeyCutoffMock TestCollege PredictorNewsQ&A
Sonam Rana updated's profile photo

Sonam Rana updated

Content Curator updated | Updated On - Oct 17, 2023

GATE Score Validity: Candidates seeking admission to M.Tech programs at IITs, NITs, etc. or job at top PSUs in India require GATE scores to be eligible for application. Students must note that GATE Scores are valid for 3 years from the date of announcement of result for seeking M.Tech admission. However, for candidates seeking job at top PSUs, GATE scores are valid for a year only. Therefore, candidates who have qualified GATE 2023 will be valid for admission for the next three years i.e., till 2025.However, to get a job in PSUs will be valid for that particular year only i.e., for 2023 recruitment only. 

The article below will cover details on GATE Score Validity, a good GATE Score, and the total number of attempts allowed to give the GATE exam.

Time Validity of GATE Score

Time Validity of GATE Score

Similar to many other competitive exams, GATE is also held each year and the aspirants are allowed to give the exam as many times as they want. 

  • There is no restriction on the total number of GATE attempts as well. 
  • But many GATE aspirants assume that since this entrance exam is taken each year so the scorecard is valid only for one year which is not true in the case of GATE.
  • The scorecards for the GATE exam are valid for 3 years which starts from the year in which the scorecard has been issued. 
  • The aspirants can appear in the GATE examination again the next year to improve their GATE scores.
  • The scorecard issued the following year will be valid for 3 years starting from that year.
  • Also, in case any candidate has more than one valid GATE scorecard in any particular year, he/she can be allowed to use any of the scorecards to get admission to the desired institution. 

Check How to Download GATE Scorecard?

GATE Validity - For Admission in IITs

GATE Validity - For Admission in IITs

Direct Admissions:

  • The validty of GATE score for admission in IITs is 3 years.
  • The candidates who are among the top rankers with AIR less than 200 will have an opportunity to get direct admissions to the IISc and IITs. 
  • The older and prestigious IITs like IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi have higher cutoffs as compared to newer ones simply because these institutes remain the top priority and to get a seat in these IITs, having a valid and good GATE score is essential. 
  • The candidates with GATE Scores ranging from 600 to 800 have higher chances to get a call from these institutes depending upon the discipline they have applied to.
  • The candidates can consider GATE Cutoffs from the previous years to have a better understanding of the admissions, as it will give them a good idea of the scores for each M.Tech course as per the category.

Check GATE IIT Counselling

GATE Validity - For Admission in NITs

GATE Validity - For Admission in NITs

Admissions to the NITs:

  • The validity of GATE score for admission in NITs is also 3 years.
  • Admission to these institutes is granted through CCMT which is organized by NIT every year. 
  • The disciplines that are preferred less by the students have lower cutoffs while the CCMT cutoffs for the popular disciplines vary from 300 to 900. 
  • The admissions in these institutes are based on discipline and seat intake among other factors.

Other Universities/Institutes: 

  • Most of the private universities don’t have any specific GATE cutoffs; however, they ask for valid GATE scores. Hence the validity of GATE scores in private colleges varies from college to college.
  • The candidates who have qualified GATE test with satisfactory scores have higher chances to get admission in other popular universities and institutes offering PG or master courses in engineering programs.

Check GATE CCMT Counselling

GATE Validity - For PSUs Recruitment

GATE Validity - For PSUs Recruitment

The PSU department started accepting candidates through GATE for different jobs, the popularity of GATE increased greatly. 

  • GATE scores for PSU recruitment are different for each PSU according to the category and discipline. 
  • Some PSU considers only current year GATE Score valid for the recruitment process, while some also consider previous year scores for recruitment. 
  • The PSUs invite more candidates than the actual vacancies so that they can shortlist the most eligible candidates for different organization roles. 
  • So getting an idea of the GATE scores will help the candidates to know more PSU interviews and they can plan their preparation for the exam accordingly.
  • Various PSUs such as NTPC and GAIL prefer to call only the top rankers for the interview and the candidates with AIR rank of less than 50 have higher chances to get a call to the interview in these PSUs.
  • While other PSUs like Power Grid look for the candidates that in addition to having a good GATE score and perform well in the interview as well. 

So in case you have AIR 200 rank then you might get a decent job in the PSU department only in case your performance is exceptionally amazing in the interview. A total number of vacancies in a particular year also plays an important role in getting a job in PSU, in case there are more vacancies in any particular year, then chances of an interview call for candidates with a lower rank also increases.

Check GATE PSU Recruitment

What is the valid score for GATE?

GATE Valid Score/GATE Qualifying Cut off

  • For the year 2020, more than 8, 50,000 candidates had registered for the exam for all 25 subjects while almost 7, 00,000 candidates had appeared for the exam. 
  • The passing percentage of the GATE 2020 exam was just 18.8% and close to 1, 30,000 candidates were declared qualified. 
  • The candidates with a good GATE score are eligible to get admission to PG programs as well as for PSU recruitment.

The candidates need to qualify in GATE before they think of scores, admissions or their appointments as well.

Paper Name Paper Code Qualifying marks
General OBC (NCL) SC/ST/PwD
Life Sciences XL 31.7 28.5 21.1
Civil Engineering CE 32.9 29.6 21.9
Electrical Engineering EE 33 30 22.8
Mechanical Engineering ME 34.0 30.6 22.6
Petroleum Engineering PE 39.8 35.8 26.5
Electronics and Communication Engineering EC 28.8 25.9 19.2
Chemical Engineering CH 35.7 32.1 23.8
Chemistry CY 26.7 24.0 17.8
Biotechnology BT 30.7 27.6 20.4
Engineering Sciences Minor XE 26.0 23.4 17.3
Fibre Science and Textile Engineering TF 37 33 24
Aerospace Engineering AE 27.2 24.4 18.1
Agricultural Engineering AG 26.3 23.6 17.5
Architecture and Planning AR 34.8 31.3 23.2
Ecology and Evolution EY 42.2 37.9 28.1
Geology GG 38.4 34.5 25.6
Geophysics GG 51.9 46.7 34.6
Instrumentation Engineering IN 34.6 31.1 23.0
Mathematics MA 25 22.5 16.7
Mining Engineering MN 32.7 29.4 21.8
Metallurgical Engineering MT 49.2 44.2 32.8
Physics PH 37.2 33.4 24.8
Industrial Engineering and Production PI 36 32 24
Statistics ST 25 22.5 16.6
Biomedical Engineering BM 25.0 22.5 16.6

GATE qualifying cutoff for each paper is based on numerous factors including:

  • The total number of candidates appearing for the paper.
  • The difficulty level of the paper
  • The total available seats.
  • Category under which the candidates will get admission.

Know More GATE Cut off

How to Improve GATE Scores?

How to Improve GATE Scores?

  • It is important to understand the concepts clearly and while giving the answers, make sure that you are well versed with the concepts so that you can apply them while giving the answers.
  • Look for the shorter but accurate ways to solve the numerical questions so that your time and efforts can be saved. Questions must be solved with complete accuracy.
  • Take more mock tests so that you can effectively manage your time; take the tests as if you are giving your final examination.
  • Do not waste time as effective utilization of time is very important.
  • You must attempt the questions smartly without leaving any kind of loopholes.
  • Read the questions carefully, ignoring the important data or any part of a question can affect your overall score as well.
  • You must understand what is being asked as the examiner asks questions in a tricky way to confuse the GATE test takers. Since most of the questions are twisted, so reading the question carefully can help a lot in understanding the concept clearly.

So stay confident and motivated while appearing for the GATE exam as it can help to achieve a milestone in your career.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ques: What is the validity of GATE score?

Ans: GATE score is laid for 3 years from the date of announcement of result. For instance, suppose one candidate appeared in GATE examination in February 2023 then he/she will get the scorecard one month after the examination. This scorecard is valid till 2025 and the candidates are eligible to get admissions in 2023, 2024, and 2025 for further studies.

Ques: Is GATE valid for PSU recruitments for 1 year or for 3 years?

Ans: GATE scores for PSU recruitment are different for each PSU according to the category and discipline. Some PSU considers only current year GATE Score valid for the recruitment process, while some also consider previous year scores for recruitment. The validity of GATE score in PSU recruitment varies from PSU to PSU.

Ques: What is a valid GATE score?

Ans: The valid GATE score is minimum qualifying marks that candidates need to score in order to become eligible for admission in various institutes. Further the institutes will have their own cut off criteria but for initial screening candidates must obtain GATE qualifying or valid score.

Ques: Can I use my GATE 2023 score which is high in comparison to GATE 2022 score which is low for admission in NITs?

Ans: Yes. Candidates can use one valid GATE score for the admission process. If their previous year score is better than the current year then they can use previous years scores. Candidates are also advised to go through the cut off criteria to get a better idea about the cut-offs accepted by various colleges. 

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

Ask your question