GATE 2021 Exam Pattern and Syllabus

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering commonly abbreviated as GATE, is an online exam taken by millions of students across India every year. Conducted by a collaboration of all seven zonal IITs and the IISc, it is held once every year during February. Registration fee is INR 750 for female students and candidates belonging to reserved category while general students are to pay INR 1500. Students who have completed their bachelor’s in engineering or a related field can sit for any one paper out of the 25 disciplines offered. With the difficulty level of GATE being generally high, only about 15% candidates out of the total who appear qualify each year.

• This 3 hour long exam is conducted online. The paper consists of 65 questions which are out of 100 marks. Each question is allotted one or two marks. 

• This exam tests a candidate’s verbal, numerical, and technical abilities. Some papers also put engineering mathematics abilities to test.

• GATE 2021 paper will be divided into sections like General Aptitude and Technical based on the paper chosen. Each section will have MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions) and NAT (Numerical Answer Type) questions.

• Negative marking applies for MCQ based questions while for NAT based questions, there will be no negative marking.

• Normalising process is used for calculation of marks in certain subjects such as CE, CS, EC, EE and ME. this process came to effect in the year 2014.

• There is no upper age limit for taking GATE or a limit on the number of times one can for this exam. The result of the exam however, is valid only for a period of 3 years.

Highlights of GATE 2021 Exam

Some of the important features of this paper GATE 2021 are tabulated below:

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GATE 2021 Paper Options 

As the exam is for admission into graduate programs, the number of sub disciplines covering engineering and architecture are many. 25 fields are available for each candidate to opt for, while 2 out these 25 (Engineering Sciences and Life Sciences) are further divided into 14 sections. The options along with the code are tabulated below

*Sub Category of Engineering Sciences and Life Sciences

A total of 14 sub sections that fall under these two fields which are mentioned below with codes:

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GATE 2021 Syllabus

In order to score well in GATE 2021, one must be thoroughly familiar with the syllabus before preparing for it. Statistics was added in the year 2019 as a new paper. It has remained the same every year and has not changed much. The updated syllabus is uploaded in the website of the conducting body every year. 

General Aptitude

This section is common for all the papers and carries 15% of the total marks. It has two main subsections; verbal ability and numerical ability. The subtopics for each are given below:

Some of the important books recommended for this section are: 

• A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal
• Quantitative Aptitude For Competitive Examinations by R.S. Aggarwal
• High School English Grammar & CompositionWren and Martin 

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Engineering Mathematics

This section too carries 15% of the total marks in those papers where it is a part of the syllabus. Papers which do not have Engineering Mathematics are coded: AE, AG, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, IN, ME, MN, MT, PE, PI, TF, and XE.

There are 16 papers in total in which engineering mathematics is included. These papers are listed below with the sub topics for the same:

Recommended books for this section:

• Higher Engineering Mathematics by B. S. Grewal
• GATE Engineering Mathematics by Made Easy Team

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Paper Wise GATE 2021 Syllabus for Each Discipline 

The topics covered for each paper is given below:

1. Aerospace Engineering (AE)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• Introduction to Flight by John D Anderson
• Flight Mechanics Modeling and Analysis by Jitendra R. Raol
• Mechanics of Flight by R. H. Barnard
• Mechanics of Flight by C. Kermode, R. H. Barnard

2. Agricultural Engineering (AG)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• For farm machinery: Agricultural Machinery Management by Bello R S, LAP Lambert Academic Publishing
• For irrigation and drainage engineering: Soil and Water Engineering by Delmar D. Fangmeier, William J. Elliot
• For agricultural process engineering: Question Bank in Agricultural Engineering by Amandeep Godhara
• For dairy and food engineering: Food Science by B Srilakshmi

3. Architecture and Planning (AR)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• How To Crack GATE 2020 Architecture and PlanningA by r. Ashok Goel and Ar. Arjun Kamal
• Architect's Guidebook For Competitive Exams by Ar. Swapnil Vidhate
• Principles Of Town Planning And Architecture by Biswas Hiranmay
• Library Architecture: A Planning and Design Guide by Ken Worpole

4. Biomedical (BM)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• Fundamentals of Biomedical Engineering by G.S Sawhney
• Intro to Biomedical Engineering by Domach
• Biomedical Instrumentation by R.S Khandpur

5. Biotechnology (BT)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• GATE Guide Biotechnology by G.K.P
• Biotechnology GATE by B.M. Agarwal, Akanksha Singhal, Vidhika Goel
• Biotechnology for CSIR- NET, SET, GATE, JNU, AIIMS, JAM by Vinita Thakur

6. Civil Engineering (CE)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• For structural engineering: Structural Engineer's Pocket Book by Fiona Cobb, Fundamentals of Structural Engineering by Jerome J. Connor and Susan Faraji
• For geotechnical engineering: Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering by Braja M Das, Geotechnical Engineering by T. G. Sitharam and T.N. Ramamurthy

7. Chemical Engineering (CH)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• For Engineering Mathematics: Engineering Mathematics by B.S. Grewal
• For Fluid Mechanics: Introduction To Fluid Mechanics (English) 7th Edition by Yunus A. Cengel, John M. Cimbala
• For Heat Transfer: Heat Transfer by Binay.K.Dutta
• For Mass Transfer: Mass Transport Phenomena by Christie J. Geankoplis
• For Process Dynamics and Control: Process Systems Analysis and Control by Donald R. Coughanowr & Steven E. LeBlanc
• For Chemical Technology: Dryden’s Outlines of Chemical Technology by Gopala Rao M. and Marshall S

8. Computer Science and Information Technology (CS)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• GATE Computer Science & Information Technology by GKP
• TRB Lecturers ( Computer Science & Engineering ) Exam by A panel of Authors
• A Handbook for Computer Science /IT Engineering by Made Easy Editorial Board
• Graph Theory with Applications to Engineering and Computer Science by Deo and Narsingh

9. Chemistry (CY)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• Chapterwise Solved Papers Chemistry GATE 2020 by Sanjay Saxena & Preeti Gupta
• GATE 2020: Chemistry Year-wise Previous Solved Papers 2000-2019 by GKP

10. Electronics and Communication Engineering (EC)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• Microelectronic Circuits: Theory and Applications by Adel S. Sedra, Kenneth C. Smith
• Fundamentals of Electric Circuits by Charles K. Alexander, Matthew N. O. Sadiku
• Automatic Control Systems by Benjamin C. Kuo
• Digital Logic and Computer Design by M. Morris Mano
• Principles of Communication Systems by Goutam Saha, Herbert Taub, Donald Schilling

11. Electrical Engineering (EE)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• Electrical Power Systems by C. L. Wadhwa
• Electrical Machinery by P. S. Bimbhra
• Control Systems Engineering by I.J.Nagrath, M. Gopal
• Power System Engineering by I. J. Nagrath, D Kothari

12. Ecology and Evolution (EY)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• Test & Evaluation: Life Sciences / Biotechnology by Pranav Kumar
• Animal Behavior: Mechanisms, Ecology, Evolution by Lee C Drickamer,
• Global Philosophical and Ecological Concepts by Rudi Jansma
• Organic Evolution (Evolutionary Biology) by Veer Bala Rastogi
• Games of Life: Explorations in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior by Karl Sigmund,

13. Geology and Geophysics (GG)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• Principles of Engineering Geology by K M Bangar
• A text book of Geology by G. B. Mahapatra
• Engineering and General Geology by Parbin Singh
• Structural Geology by Marland P Billings

14. Instrumentation Engineering (IN)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• Instrumentation Engineering GATE 2020 by Arihant Publications 
• ExpertsGATE 2020 – Guide – Instrumentation Engineering by GKP publication

15. Mathematics (MA)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• GATE Engineering Mathematics for All Streams by Abhinav Goel
• GATE 2020: Engineering Mathematics by ME Team
• Wiley Acing the Gate: Engineering Mathematics and General Aptitude by Anil K. Maini, Wiley
• Higher Engineering Mathematics by B.S. Grewal, Khanna Publishers

16. Mechanical Engineering (ME)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• Mechanical Vibration by GK Grover
• Design Of Machine Elements by VB Bhandari
• Engineering Mechanics by SS Bhavikatti
• Fluid Mechanics by RK Bansal

17. Mining Engineering (MN)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• Objective English for Competitive Examination 5th Ed by Hari Mohan Prasad
• Advanced Engineering Mathematics by RK Jain, SRK Iyengar
• Elements of Mining Technology by DESHMUKH

18. Metallurgical Engineering (MT)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• GATE 2020 – Metallurgical Engineering – Guide by GKP
• Metallurgical Engineering Solved Papers GATE 2020 by Amritansh Frank

19. Petroleum Engineering (PE)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• Khanna’s Objective Questions in Petroleum Engineering by Vikas Mahto
• Introduction to Petroleum Engineering by John R. Fanchi, Wiley-Blackwell
• HPCL Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited Boiler Technician Mechanical Engineering (G.K Publications PVT.LTD)
• Elements of Petroleum Refinery Engineering by OP Gupta, Khanna Publishers
• Applied Petroleum Reservoir Engineering by Ronald E. Terry, Prentice Hall

20. Physics (PH)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• Chapterwise Solved Papers Physics GATE 2020 by Vijay Kumar
• GATE 2020 – Guide – Physics by GKP

21. Production and Industrial Engineering (PI)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• GATE 2020 – Guide – Production and Industrial Engineering (GKP)
• GATE 2020 – Solved Papers – Production and Industrial Engineering (GKP)

22. Statistics (ST)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• Programmed Statistics (Question-Answers) by B.L. Agarwal
• Miller and Freund’s Probability and Statistics For Engineers (Pearson)
• Introduction to Methods of Numerical Analysis by S.S. Sastry

23. Textile Engineering and Fibre Science (TF)

Recommended books for this paper: 

• Higher Engineering Mathematics by B.S. Grewal
• A Textbook of Engineering Mathematics by N P Bali and Dr. Manish Goyal
• Engineering Mathematics by Sastry S.S
• Mathematical Methods for Scientists & Engineers by Donald A. McQuarrie

24. Engineering Sciences (From XE-A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H)

Also Check: Important Books and Syllabus for Engineering Sciences

25. Life Sciences (From XL-P, Q, R, S, T, U)

Also Check: Important Books and Syllabus for Life Sciences

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GATE 2021 Exam Pattern 

GATE is a 3 hour long examination that is taken online. The paper is out of 100 marks, consisting of 65 questions in total. 10 out of 65 questions will be from General Aptitude while 55 marks will be based on the technical part, depending on the paper selected. Marks alloted to each question is one or two. There will be 5 one mark and 5 two mark questions for General Aptitude. Both MCQ (multiple choice questions) as well as NAT (numerical answer type) questions are asked. Negative marks will be awarded to incorrect answers chosen in MCQ questions; one third marks will be deducted for both one and two mark questions. For papers under Engineering Sciences, Engineering Mathematics is compulsory, while for papers falling under Life Sciences, Chemistry is compulsory. Some papers which receive more applicants than others might be conducted in multiple sessions. For these papers, a process of normalization will take place to ensure that all candidates are judged equally. These papers are:

1. Electronics and Communication Engineering
2. Computer Science and Information Technology
3. Mechanical Engineering
4. Electrical Engineering
5. Civil Engineering

Major Changes in GATE Over the Years:

Few changes in the past few years are: 

2015: From this year, sending applications by post was eliminated. The entire process of applying for this exam was to be online only. Candidates were no longer sent hard copies of their score card.

2016: Candidates were no longer allowed to bring any calculators to the exam hall. A new subject; Petroleum Engineering (PE) was also introduced. From this year, the answer key was provided to the candidates which could be challenged if found erroneous.

2017: Engineering Sciences (XE) papers were introduced this year. Students from countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and UAE were allowed to apply.

2018: A new rule regarding selection of exam centres was introduced. Candidates had to opt for 2 centres from the same GATE zone, while the third option could be from any zone of their choice. Candidates are no longer required to upload their thumb impression while applying online.

2019: Statistics (ST) is introduced. Candidates can apply after the final date of submission with an additional fee of INR 500.

Exam Pattern for Papers Where Engineering Mathematics is Compulsory: 

• Paper codes for these subjects are AE, AG, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, IN, ME, MN, MT, PE, PI, TF, and XE
• Questions from Engineering Mathematics in these papers carry 15% of the total marks. 
• Questions from the selected subject will be maximum (70%).
• Questions from the General Aptitude section will be 15%
• Candidates can attempt any two sections from the Engineering Sciences (XE) paper; from B to G.

Exam Pattern for Papers where Engineering Mathematics is not compulsory:

• Paper codes for these subjects are AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH and XL
• Questions from the subject of the paper will be given 85% weightage. 
• 15% of the total marks will be from the General Aptitude section.
• The paper will include NAT questions which will include a numerical value as the answer.
• Candidates can attempt any 2 sections from the Life Sciences (XL) paper; from Q to U.

Marking Scheme for GATE 2021

Marking scheme for Engineering Sciences (XE) papers: Section A will have 7 one mark questions and 4 two mark questions. Section B marking scheme is as follows: 9 one mark and 13 two mark questions. General Aptitude of 15 marks must also be attempted.

Marking scheme for Life Sciences (XL) papers: Section A will have 5 one mark and 10 two mark questions. Section B pattern is 10 one mark and 10 two marks questions. General Aptitude of 15 marks will be compulsory.

Marking scheme for Geology and Geophysics (GG) paper: Part A of this paper which consists of MCQs will have 25 one mark questions. Part B of this paper which has 2 sections will have 30 questions, each carrying 30 marks. General Aptitude of 15 marks is compulsory.

Marking scheme for all papers (with the exception of XE, XL, and GG): These papers will have 25 one mark and 30 two mark questions. 15 marks will be assigned to General Aptitude. 

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Preparation Tips for GATE 2021

Consider these preparation tips to score well in GATE 2021:

• Create an effective plan to cover your syllabus based on topic wise weightage. Keep daily or weekly targets and ask someone to help you ensure that these targets are met.
• Concepts are important to crack this exam as GATE tests your knowledge on the subject, so get your concepts clear.
• Start preparing for the exam at the earliest. 6 months of rigorous study should be enough. This does not mean you give up all the activities. Maintain a separate time for that as well. 
• Maintain a separate notebook for all formulas and tricks you have learned which can be used for reference.
• Solve mock tests at least 2 - 3 times a week and work on the areas in which you lack or found difficult.
• Do not try to learn new topics on which you do not know anything during the last moment. Revise what you learned already instead.
• Do not panic if an answer is not known to you during mock tests. Move on to the next one and try to solve the known ones first.
• Time management is important. While solving the mock tests, do not take more time than 3 hours. Imagine you are actually giving the exam. 
• Use the important books for each subject and do not forget to revise everything starting from at least a month before the exam!