Crack GATE 2025: Eligibility, Exam Pattern & Preparation Tips

December 26, 2024

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The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is a bright chance for students who want to pursue a Master of Engineering (ME), Master of Technology (M.tech), or a direct PhD degree at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IITs) and other institutes/universities across India. This year, it will be organised by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Every year, more than 9 lakh students appear for the GATE exam. It is an online computer-based exam that will be conducted at select centers in select cities. The exam duration will be 3 hours.

Eligibility Criteria for GATE 2025

Candidates must have completed 2nd year and should be currently studying in 3rd or higher years of any undergraduate degree program.
If the candidate has already graduated from any government-approved degree program in Engineering/ Technology/ Architecture/ Science/ Commerce/ or the arts, they can apply for GATE.
There is no age limit to appear for GATE 2025.

GATE 2025 Exam Pattern

Examination Mode: Computer-based
Exam Duration: 3 Hours
Total Subjects: 30
Sections: General Aptitude (GA) + Subjects Selected by Candidate
Type of Questions: Subjects Selected by Candidate
- Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
- Multiple Select Questions (MSQ)
- Numeric Answer Type Questions (NAT)
Questions for Testing These Abilities:
- Recall
- Comprehension
- Application
- Analysis & Synthesis
Distribution of Marks in All Papers Except Papers AR, CY, DA, EY, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH, and XL:
- General Aptitude: 15 marks
- Engineering Mathematics: 13 marks
- Subject Questions: 72 marks
- Total: 100 marks
Distribution of Marks in Papers AR, CY, DA, EY, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH, and XL:
- General Aptitude: 15 marks
- Subject Questions: 85 marks
- Total: 100 marks
Marking Scheme: Questions carry 1 mark or 2 marks
Negative Marking: An MCQ will have a negative marking for selecting the incorrect response.
- For a 1-mark MCQ, ⅓ mark will be deducted if the answer is incorrect.
- For a 2-mark MCQ, ⅔ mark will be deducted if the answer is incorrect.
- There is no negative marking for wrong answer(s) to MSQ or NAT questions.
- In MSQ, there is no partial marking.

All Changes in the GATE 2025 Exam

Two new subjects have been added: Geometric Engineering (GE) and Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NM). The total number of subjects was 28 before this change, which has now increased to 30.

All questions of the GATE 2025 exam will be of the objective type.

The eligibility criteria have been changed from a minimum of 10+2+4 (ongoing) to a minimum of 10+2+3 (ongoing), which means candidates studying in the third year of any undergraduate program can now apply for the examination. Students applying for the GATE 2025 exam can now choose from two distinct papers from the list of combinations that have been introduced.

GATE 2025 Exam Preparation Strategy and Tips

GATE aspirants are divided into two categories:

Neophytes: These are the freshmen preparing for the competitive exam for the first time.

Rank Improvers: These are the repeaters who have already given one or more attempts.

Strategy for Neophytes:

If you’re a fresher who is applying for the GATE exam for the first time, you can follow the below strategies and preparation tips:

Gather Important Information: The first step for freshers is to gather all the important information regarding the exam, syllabus, and pattern. They should also go through previous exam question papers to get an idea of what type of questions are asked in the exam.
Selecting Books: One mistake many candidates make is either not choosing the right book or choosing too many books for each subject. It is impossible to read too many books as they don’t have that much time.
Utilisation of Free Resources: There are various free resources available for the GATE 2025 exam, which students can access easily. Many websites offer free sample papers and notes. Candidates can also join telegram groups for tips and support from members. There are many GATE 2025 study plans and weekly sample papers available for students to make their preparation easy.
Mock Tests and PYQs: It is very important to practice more and more questions using mock tests and PYQs. Students will get an idea about the paper pattern of lengthy and important topics. This will also help you to realise the weak areas that you need to focus on more.
Revision: Reading each topic one time is not enough; you must revise daily, especially the hard ones. Solve sample papers, starting with easy issues. Make short notes, which will have only formulae, diagrams, and important points. You can also make digital short notes, as you can access them anywhere, anytime.

Strategy for Repeaters:

Examine your last performance and identify the causes of your failure. Do not consider failure the end; rather, consider it a stepping stone to success.
Identify your weak areas and work on them more than the last time.
Solve new sample papers and mock tests.
Make a better study schedule, and do not lose consistency.
Stay motivated, and do not lose hope.

GATE 2025 Complete Syllabus

GATE Test Paper	Code	Topics
Aerospace Engineering	AE	Engineering mathematics, Flight mechanics, Space dynamics, Aerodynamics, Structures, and Propulsion.
Agricultural Engineering	AG	Engineering mathematics, Farm machinery, Farm power, Soil and water conservation engineering, Irrigation, and drainage engineering, Agricultural process engineering, and Dairy and food engineering.
Architecture and Planning	AR	Part A: CommonArchitecture, planning and design, Construction and management, Environmental planning and design, Urban design, landscape and conservation, Planning process, Housing, and Services and Infrastructure. Part B1: Architecture History and contemporary architecture, Building construction and structural systems, and Building services and sustainability. Part B2: Planning Regional and settlement planning, Planning techniques and management, and Infrastructure planning.
Biomedical Engineering	BM	Engineering mathematics, Electrical circuits, Signals and systems, Analog and digital electronics, Measurements and control systems, Sensors and bio instrumentation, Human anatomy and physiology, Medical imagining systems, Biomechanics, and Biomaterials.
Biotechnology	BT	Engineering mathematics, General biology, Genetics, cellular and molecular biology, Fundamentals of biological engineering, Bioprocess engineering and process biotechnology, Plant, animal, and microbial biotechnology, and Recombinant DNA technology, and other tools in biotechnology.
Civil Engineering	CE	Engineering mathematics, Structural engineering, Geotechnical engineering, Water resources engineering, Environmental engineering, Transportation engineering, and Geomatics engineering.
Chemical Engineering	CH	Engineering mathematics, Process calculations and thermodynamics, Fluid mechanics and mechanical operations, Heat transfer, Mass transfer, Chemical reaction engineering, Instrumentation and process control, Plant design and economics, and chemical technology.
Computer Science & IT	CS	Engineering mathematics, Digital logic, Computer organisation and architecture, Programming and data structures, Algorithms, Theory of computation, Compiler design, Operating systems, Databases, and Computer Networks.
Chemistry	CY	Physical Chemistry: Structure, Group theory, Spectroscopy, Equilibrium, Kinetics, and Surfaces and interfaces. Inorganic Chemistry: Main group Elements, Transition elements, Lanthanides and actinides, Organometallics, Radioactivity, Bioinorganic chemistry, solids, and instrumental methods of analysis. Organic Chemistry:Stereochemistry, Reaction mechanisms, Organic synthesis, Pericyclic reactions and Photochemistry, Heterocyclic compounds, Biomolecules, and Experimental techniques in organic chemistry.
Data Science & AI	DA	Probability and statistics, linear algebra, Calculus and optimisation, Programming, Data structures and algorithms, Database management and warehousing, Machine learning, and AI.
Electronics & Communication Engineering	EC	Engineering mathematics, Networks, Signals and systems, Electronic devices, Analog circuits, Digital circuits, Control systems, Communication, and Electromagnetics.
Electrical Engineering	EE	Engineering mathematics, Electric circuits, Electromagnetics fields, Signals and systems, Electrical machines, Power systems, Control systems, Electrical and electronic measurements, Analog and digital electronics, Power electronics.
Environmental Science & Engineering	ES	Mathematics foundation, Environmental chemistry, Environmental microbiology, Water resources and Environmental hydraulics Water & wastewater treatment and management, Air and noise pollution, Solid and hazardous waste management, Global and regional environmental issues, Environmental management and sustainable development.
Ecology and Evolution	EY	Ecology, Evolution, Mathematics and quantitative ecology, Behavioural ecology, and Applied ecology & evolution.
Geomatics Engineering	GE	Part A: (Common)Engineering mathematics, Remote sensing, GNSS, and GIS. Part B1: Surveying and MappingMaps, Land surveying, and Aerial photogrammetry. Part B2: Image Processing and Analysis Data quantisation and processing, Digital image processing, Radiometric and geometric corrections, Image enhancement, Image transformation, and Image segmentation and classification.

Geology & Geophysics	GG	Part A: Common Section Part B: GeologyGeomorphology, Structural geology, Crystallography and mineralogy, Geochemistry, Igneous petrology, Sedimentology, Metamorphic petrology, Paleobiology, Stratigraphy, Resources geology, Global tectonics, Applied geology, Hydrogeology, Basic principles of remote sensing. Part B2: GeophysicsSolid-earth geophysics, Geodesy, Earthquake seismology, Potential and time varying fields, Gravity methods, Magnetic methods, Electrical methods, Electromagnetic methods, Seismic methods, Seismic methods, Geophysical signal Processing, Geophysical well logging, Radioactive methods, and Geophysical inversion.
Instrumentation Engineering	IN	Engineering Mathematics, Electricity and Magnetism, Electrical Circuits and Machines, Electrical Circuits and Machines, Control Systems, Analog Electronics, Digital Electronics, Measurements, Sensors and Industrial Instrumentation, Communication and Optical Instrumentation.
Mathematics	MA	Calculus, Linear algebra, Real analysis, Complex analysis, Ordinary differential equations, Algebra, Functional analysis, Numerical analysis, Partial differential equations, Topology, and Linear programming.
Mechanical Engineering	ME	Engineering mathematics, Applied mechanics and design, Fluid mechanics and thermal sciences, Materials, and manufacturing and industrial engineering.
Mining Engineering	MN	Engineering mathematics, Mining geology, mine development and surveying, Geomechanics and ground control, Mining methods and machinery, Surface environment, mine ventilation and underground hazards, mineral economics, mine planning, systems engineering.
Metallurgical Engineering	MT	Engineering mathematics, Metallurgical thermodynamics, Transport phenomena and rate processes, Mineral Processing and extractive metallurgy, Physical metallurgy, Mechanical metallurgy, manufacturing processes.
Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering	NM	Engineering mathematics, Applied mechanics and structures, Fluid mechanics and marine hydrodynamics, Naval architecture and ocean engineering, Thermodynamics and marine engineering.
Petroleum Engineering	PE	Calculus, Linear algebra, Complex variables, Differential equations, Numerical Methods, Probability and Statistics, Petroleum exploration, Oil and gas well drilling technology, Reservoir engineering, Petroleum production operations, Offshore drilling and production practices, Petroleum formation evaluation, Oil and gas well testing, Health safety and environment in the petroleum industry, enhanced oil recovery techniques, and the latest trends in petroleum engineering.
Physics	PH	Mathematical physics, Classical mechanics, Electromagnetic theory, Quantum mechanics, thermodynamics and statistical physics, Atomic and molecular physics, Solid state Physics, electronics, Nuclear and particle physics.
Production & Industrial Engineering	PI	Engineering Mathematics, General Engineering, Manufacturing Processes, Manufacturing Processes II, Quality and Reliability, Industrial Engineering, Operations research, and Operations management.
Statistics	ST	Calculus, Matrix theory, Probability, Standard discrete and continuous univariate distribution, Stochastic processes, Estimation, Testing of hypotheses, Testing of hypotheses, Non-parametric statistics, Multivariate analysis, Regression analysis.
Textile Engineering & Fibre Science	TF	Engineering MathematicsTextile Engineering and Fibre Science;Textile fibres, Yarn manufacture, yarn structure and properties, Fabric manufacture, Structure and properties, Textile testing, Chemical processing.
Engineering Sciences	XE	Linear algebra, Calculus, Vector calculus, Complex variables, Ordinary differential equations, Partial differential equations, Probability and statistics, Numerical methods.
Life Sciences	XL	Atomic structure and periodicity, Structure and bonding, s, p and d block elements, Chemical equilibrium, Electrochemistry, reaction kinetics, Thermodynamics, Structure-reactivity correlations and organic reaction mechanisms, Chemistry of biomolecules.

GATE 2025 Answer Key

The answer sheet for the GATE 2025 exam is released within 2-3 weeks of the exam for candidates to check whether their answers are correct. Candidates can download the answer key from the official website of GATE, gate2025.iitr.ac.in. With the help of the answer key, students can check and calculate their approximate score before the result declaration.

To access the answer key, students must open the official website, click on login, and enter their enrollment ID/email ID and password. The GATE 2025 answer key will be displayed and can now be downloaded.

If a candidate is dissatisfied with the answer key, they can challenge it for 500 rupees per question. Candidates need to be mindful of their time constraints because the answer key challenge has a brief 2-3 day window.