GATE 2026 Mining Engineering (MN) Paper Analysis: Difficulty, Weightage & Cutoffs
Detailed Subject-wise Review, Geomechanics & Rock Mechanics Trends, and Expected PSU/IIT Admission Scores.
Updated: just now
Categories: GATE 2026, Paper Analysis, Mining Engineering.
GATE 2026 Mining Engineering (MN) Detailed Analysis
Overall Difficulty & Student Feedback
The GATE 2026 MN paper followed an Easy to Moderate difficulty trend. Students reported that the paper was more application-oriented this year. While the theoretical questions on Mining Methods were approachable, the Geomechanics and Rock Mechanics sections featured several tricky NAT questions that required precise calculation.
Aptitude: Easy
Core Technical: Moderate
Calculations: High
Subject-Wise Marks Weightage
| Subject Domain | Weightage (Approx) | High-Yield Topics in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Mining Methods & Design | 20-23% | Bord & Pillar, Longwall Mining, Surface Mining. |
| Geomechanics & Rock Mechanics | 15-18% | Rock Mass Classification, Slope Stability, Failure Theories. |
| Mine Environment & Ventilation | 12-15% | Ventilation Planning, Mine Fans, Methane Drainage. |
| Mineral Processing & Economics | 8-10% | Reserve Estimation, Mine Valuation, Linear Programming. |
| Math & General Aptitude | 28-30% | Linear Algebra, Numerical Methods, Logical Reasoning. |
Expected Qualifying Cutoff 2026
The expected cutoffs for 2026 are likely to align closely with the 2025 trends, reflecting the steady difficulty level of the core technical sections.
| Category | 2026 (Expected) | 2025 (Actual) | 2024 (Actual) |
|---|---|---|---|
| General (GEN) | 30.0 - 32.5 | 30.6 | 25.0 |
| OBC-NCL / EWS | 27.0 - 29.5 | 27.5 | 22.5 |
| SC / ST / PwD | 20.0 - 21.5 | 20.4 | 16.6 |
Safe Scores for PSUs & Top IITs
For Mining Engineering, PSU recruitment (like Coal India Limited) is a major goal. Here are the target scores for 2026:
Coal India / Top PSUs
Score: 800+ | Rank: Under 100
IIT Kharagpur / IIT ISM Dhanbad
Score: 700+ | Rank: Under 250
Other NITs & IITs
Score: 600+ | Rank: Under 500
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