The GATE DA 2026 examination was conducted by IIT Guwahati on February 15during the second shift. Following the release of the response sheets, question papers, and the official GATE 2026 answer key, the objection submission window has now closed. IIT Guwahati is fully prepared to announce the GATE 2026 results on March 19.
Since the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence paper is relatively new in GATE, interest among aspirants has grown significantly, leading to increased competition. According to expert opinions and student feedback, the overall difficulty level of the GATE 2026 DA paper ranged from moderate to tough. This difficulty assessment is expected to influence the final qualifying cutoff and overall results.
Expected Qualifying Cutoff for GATE DA (Category-wise)
Based on the analysis of the examination paper, the anticipated qualifying cutoff for GATE DA 2026 is projected to fall within the following range:
- General Category: 30 to 32 marks
- OBC-NCL: 26 to 27.5 marks
- SC/ST and PwD Categories: 19.3 to 20 marks
Marks Required in GATE 2026 DA for IITs and NITs
For admission into top IITs, candidates typically require 80+ marks, which is generally considered a safe score for M.Tech admission and may correspond to an All India Rank (AIR) within 200.
For mid-tier and newer IITs, a score ranging between 65 and 72 marks is considered safe for securing admission.
Candidates aiming for top NITs should target a GATE score between 650 and 750 (approximately 55–65 marks) to improve their admission chances. Meanwhile, admission into mid-level and lower-ranked NITs is usually achievable with a score range of 500 to 600 (around 45–55 marks) for M.Tech programmes in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
GATE 2026 DA Result and Scorecard Release Date
IIT Guwahati will officially announce the GATE DA 2026 result on March 19. Candidates will be able to access their results through the official website , using their enrolment ID and password.
The GATE 2026 scorecardwill be released on March 27, and candidates can download it free of cost until May 31. Aspirants are advised to keep their login credentials ready ahead of the result announcement to avoid last-minute inconvenience.