Forget generic advice. The cutoffs vary wildly by discipline, category, and even the PSU. For example, Civil Engineering (General) needed 746 in 2026; while Instrumentation only needed 440. And if you’re in PwD category? Some cutoffs drop as low as 232. PSUs like ONGC, NTPC, BARC don’t just look at your rank; they have their own internal cutoffs for each post. Some accept GATE scores from the last 3 years. So even if you didn’t crack it this year; your 2025 or 2026 score might still land you a job. Pro tip: Target 10–15% above last year’s cutoff for your category. Because guess what? Competition is rising, and cutoffs usually creep up each year. Don’t just clear GATE; aim to dominate it.