GATE 2026 XE Expected Cut Off, Check Exam Details Here

GATE 2026 XE Expected Cut Off is the minimum qualifying mark required in the Engineering Science exam. The expected cutoff is decided as per the exam difficulty level and previous year cutoff trends. Candidates who have appeared in the GATE Engineering Science exam should carefully check and understand the expected cutoff marks. They can have an idea of the minimum marks required to pass the Engineering Sciences exam.

Also, check: GATE 2026 Expected Cut-Off – Branch-wise Prediction

GATE 2026 XE Expected Cut Off

GATE 2026 XE Engineering Sciences Expected Cut Off is decided considering the overall paper level along with the previous year exam trends. Candidates who appeared in the GATE exam can check the XE Engineering Science expected cutoff marks provided category-wise in the table. 

GATE 2026 XE Engineering Science Section-Wise Paper Analysis

GATE 2026 XE Engineering Science Section-Wise Paper Analysis provides the overall overview of the exam. 

 General Aptitude (GA)

• Difficulty: Generally Easy, provided concepts are clear.

• Key Shift: Traditionally, Quantitative Aptitude (Quant) carries more weight. This year, Reasoning dominated.

• Topics Covered: Reasoning (Cubes, Calendars, Venn Diagrams), English (Direct/Indirect speech, Synonyms/Antonyms).

• Insight for Mechanical Students: Do not expect the same topics. Data Interpretation (DI) and Spatial Aptitude were missing in XE but are highly likely to appear in the Mechanical paper.

Engineering Mathematics

• Difficulty: Lengthy and Calculative, consistent with IIT Guwahati's previous patterns.

• Analysis: No "out-of-the-box" questions were asked. The nature of the questions was standard but time-consuming.

• Advice: Mechanical students should solve these 10 XE math questions as a comprehensive revision, as most topics are common.

Solid Mechanics (Strength of Materials & Mechanics)

• Difficulty: Easy to Moderate.

• Key Highlights: * Engineering Mechanics: Described as the easiest in years.

• Vibration: Very straightforward (Spring series/parallel, Energy method).

• SOM: Topics included Mohr’s Circle, Thin Cylinders (linked with Von Mises theory), and Euler Columns.

• Tricky Part: One question regarding normal strain in an "OP layer" was the only significant hurdle.

Fluid Mechanics (FM)

• Difficulty: Easy Side.

• Analysis: A significant shift from last year’s tough paper. Two-mark questions were solvable in just 2-3 steps.

• Efficiency: Prepared students could have finished this 35-mark section in 35–40 minutes.

 Thermodynamics & Applied Thermal

• Difficulty: Slightly Difficult/Conceptual.

• Analysis: Unlike SOM and FM, this section was tougher than last year.

• Topics: High concentration on Ideal Gas Mixtures, Entropy (3 questions), and Thermodynamic Relations (3 questions).

• Applied Part: Included Brayton cycles with gas mixtures (Nitrogen/Helium) and Polytropic processes in compressors.

• Mechanical Insight: Revise Thermodynamic Relations—a topic students often skip, but one that this year's paper committee seems to favor.

Strategic Takeaways For GATE Engineering Sciences

Candidates should make a strategic plan related to the GATE XE Engineering Sciences exam. It can help them mark the attempt strategy to face the exam and get accurate attempts. 

Key Advice for Future GATE Aspirants

• Do not decide your optional section in advance.

• In GATE XE, usually 2 sections are easy and 1 section is difficult.

• The difficulty level changes every year.

• Choose the section based on the actual paper, not assumptions.

Specific Advice for Current ME Aspirants

• Revise the Thermodynamic Relations properly.

• This chapter is often ignored during last-minute revision.

• In the XE paper, 3 long questions came from this topic.

• It is important to revise it carefully before the ME exam.

Safe Score & Rank Prediction

• Last year, 60+ marks gave around 700 GATE score.

• This was enough for top IITs and IISc.

• This year, the safe score may be around 65–70 marks.

• Students who chose Solid Mechanics and Fluid Mechanics may score 70+ marks.

• Thermodynamics students may score slightly lower.

• Last year, Top 10 ranks were around 78+ marks.

• This year, single-digit ranks may require 80–82+ marks.

Final Message for Students

• Analyse your XE paper once.

• After that, focus completely on the ME paper.

• XE and ME papers are independent.

• Do not worry about XE performance.

• Use the remaining time only for ME preparation.

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