GATE Syllabus 2026 with Exam Pattern: Complete Preparation Guide
The GATE Syllabus 2026 is available here for all branches to help aspirants excel in their preparation. Download the branch-wise GATE 2026 Syllabus PDF and check the exam pattern for effective preparation.
GATE Syllabus 2026: The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG) will conduct the GATE 2026 examination to provide admission into ME/M.Tech and Ph.D. programs at prestigious institutions across the country. Additionally, the GATE Score is widely used for PSU recruitments to hire Engineer Trainees, Management Trainees, and other specialized roles.
The organizing institute has released the GATE Syllabus 2026 PDF on its official website @gate2026.iitg.ac.in, which includes a subject-wise detailed breakdown of topics. The GATE Syllabus outlines the topics from which questions will be asked in the examination.
A clear understanding of the GATE Syllabus 2026 is crucial for aspirants to identify the important topics in each section and analyze their weightage. Candidates should be thoroughly familiar with the GATE Syllabus 2026 to design an effective preparation strategy for complete coverage.
GATE Syllabus 2026
The GATE Syllabus is divided into three main sections: General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics, and Core Engineering subjects based on the graduation level.
IIT Guwahati has released the GATE Syllabus 2026 on its official website @gate2026.iitg.ac.in. Aspirants preparing for GATE 2026 must go through the syllabus thoroughly to understand the important topics and section-wise weightage.
A valid GATE 2026 score is essential for securing admission into prestigious ME/M.Tech/Ph.D. programs and for exploring career opportunities in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
IITG GATE Syllabus 2026
IIT Guwahati (IITG) will conduct the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2026. The exam will be held for 30 different disciplines including ME, CE, EE, CH, EC, CS, DA, XE, AE, IN, and more. If any new discipline is introduced, the details will be updated here.
The GATE 2026 question paper will be based on a predefined syllabus and will consist of 65 questions covering General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics, and Core Subject topics. Here is the detailed GATE 2026 syllabus to help aspirants boost their preparation.
GATE Syllabus 2026 Overview
The GATE 2026 Syllabus has been released in PDF format for all branches. It includes all the topics and sub-topics that will be asked in the examination. Candidates are advised to carefully review the GATE 2026 Syllabus PDF to begin their preparation accordingly.
GATE Syllabus 2026 Overview | |
|---|---|
Particulars | Details |
Exam Name | GATE 2026 |
GATE Full Form | Graduate Aptitude Test In Engineering |
Organizing Authority | IIT Guwahati |
GATE Syllabus 2026 Release Date | Released |
GATE Syllabus 2026 Official Website | |
Sections in GATE Syllabus 2026 | General Aptitude |
Engineering Mathematics | |
Core Engineering Disciplines | |
Total No. of Papers | 30 (as per GATE 2025 details) |
GATE Exam Date 2026 | 07, 08, 14, 15, February 2026 |
IIT Guwahati GATE Syllabus 2026
Candidates planning to appear for the GATE 2026 Exam are advised to design their preparation strategy as per the prescribed syllabus. The official GATE 2026 Syllabus has been released along with other details such as eligibility criteria and important dates. The syllabus largely remains the same across all branches.
GATE Syllabus 2026 - List of Subjects
The table below provides the names and codes of the subjects included in the GATE 2026 Syllabus.
GATE Syllabus 2026 Subjects List | ||
|---|---|---|
1 | Aerospace Engineering | AE |
2 | Agricultural Engineering | AG |
3 | Architecture and Planning | AR |
4 | Biotechnology | BT |
5 | Civil Engineering | CE |
6 | Chemical Engineering | CH |
7 | Computer Science and Information Technology | CS |
8 | Chemistry | CY |
9 | Electronics and Communication Engineering | EC |
10 | Electrical Engineering | EE |
11 | Ecology and Evolution | EY |
12 | Geology and Geophysics | GG |
13 | Instrumentation Engineering | IN |
14 | Mathematics | MA |
15 | Mechanical Engineering | ME |
16 | Mining Engineering | MN |
17 | Metallurgical Engineering | MT |
18 | Petroleum Engineering | PE |
19 | Physics | PH |
20 | Production and Industrial Engineering | PI |
21 | Textile Engineering and Fiber Science | TF |
22 | Statistics | ST |
23 | Biomedical Engineering | BM |
24 | Engineering Sciences | XE |
25 | Life Sciences | XL |
26 | Humanities and Social Sciences | XH |
27 | Environmental Science and Engineering | ES |
28 | Geomatics Engineering | GE |
29 | Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering | NM |
30 | Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (NEW) | DA |
GATE Syllabus 2026 For General Aptitude
The GATE 2026 Syllabus for General Aptitude is common across all papers and carries a weightage of 15% in the exam. Hence, candidates must thoroughly go through the General Aptitude syllabus.
GATE Syllabus 2026 for General Aptitude | |
|---|---|
Sl. No. | Syllabus |
1 | Verbal Ability |
2 | Quantitative Aptitude |
3 | Analytical Aptitude |
4 | Spatial Aptitude |
GATE CSE Syllabus 2026
The GATE CSE Syllabus (Computer Science Engineering) includes General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics, and Core Subjects from Computer Science Engineering, as detailed below for the convenience of applicants.
GATE CSE Syllabus 2026 | |
|---|---|
Topics | Sub-Topics |
Discrete Mathematics | Propositional and first order logic. Sets, relations, functions, partial orders and lattices. Monoids, Groups. Graphs: connectivity, matching, coloring. Combinatorics: counting, recurrence relations, generating functions |
Digital Logic | Boolean algebra. Combinational and sequential circuits. Minimization. Number representations and computer arithmetic (fixed and floating-point) |
Computer Organization and Architecture | Machine instructions and addressing modes. ALU, data‐path and control unit. Instruction pipelining, pipeline hazards. Memory hierarchy: cache, main memory, and secondary storage; I/O interface (interrupt and DMA mode) |
Programming and Data Structures | Programming in C. Recursion. Arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, trees, binary search trees, binary heaps, graphs |
Algorithms | Searching, sorting, hashing. Asymptotic worst-case time and space complexity. Algorithm design techniques: greedy, dynamic programming, and divide‐and‐conquer. Graph traversals, minimum spanning trees, shortest paths |
Theory of Computation | Regular expressions and finite automata. Context-free grammars and push-down automata. Regular and context-free languages, pumping lemma. Turing machines and undecidability. |
Compiler Design | Lexical analysis, parsing, syntax-directed translation. Runtime environments. Intermediate code generation. Local optimization, Data flow analyses: constant propagation, liveness analysis, common subexpression elimination |
Operating System | System calls, processes, threads, inter‐process communication, concurrency and synchronization. Deadlock. CPU and I/O scheduling. Memory management and virtual memory. File systems |
Databases | ER‐model. Relational model: relational algebra, tuple calculus, SQL. Integrity constraints, normal forms. File organization, indexing (e.g., B and B+ trees). Transactions and concurrency control |
Computer Networks | Concept of layering: OSI and TCP/IP Protocol Stacks; Basics of packet, circuit and virtual circuit-switching; Data link layer: framing, error detection, Medium Access Control, Ethernet bridging; Routing protocols: shortest path, flooding, distance vector and link-state routing; Fragmentation and IP addressing, IPv4, CIDR notation, Basics of IP support protocols (ARP, DHCP, ICMP), Network Address Translation (NAT); Transport layer: flow control and congestion control, UDP, TCP, sockets; Application layer protocols: DNS, SMTP, HTTP, FTP, Email |
GATE Mechanical Engineering Syllabus 2026
The GATE Mechanical Engineering Syllabus is divided into five main sections, each containing multiple sub-topics. These sections are General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics, Applied Mechanics and Design, Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences, and Materials, Manufacturing, and Industrial Engineering.
GATE Mechanical Syllabus 2026 | |
|---|---|
Topics | Sub-Topics |
Applied Mechanics and Design | |
Engineering Mechanics | Free-body diagrams and equilibrium; friction and its applications including rolling friction, belt-pulley, brakes, clutches, screw jack, wedge, vehicles, etc.; trusses and frames; virtual work; kinematics and dynamics of rigid bodies in plane motion; impulse and momentum (linear and angular) and energy formulations; Lagrange’s equation |
Mechanics of Materials | Stress and strain, elastic constants, Poisson's ratio; Mohr’s circle for plane stress and plane strain; thin cylinders; shear force and bending moment diagrams; bending and shear stresses; concept of shear center; deflection of beams; torsion of circular shafts; Euler’s theory of columns; energy methods; thermal stresses; strain gauges and rosettes; testing of materials with universal testing machine; testing of hardness and impact strength |
Theory of Machines | Displacement, velocity, and acceleration analysis of plane mechanisms; dynamic analysis of linkages; cams; gears and gear trains; flywheels and governors; balancing of reciprocating and rotating masses; gyroscope |
Vibrations | Free and forced vibration of single degree of freedom systems, the effect of damping; vibration isolation; resonance; critical speeds of shafts |
Machine Design | Design for static and dynamic loading; failure theories; fatigue strength and the SN diagram; principles of the design of machine elements such as bolted, riveted, and welded joints; shafts, gears, rolling and sliding contact bearings, brakes, and clutches, springs |
Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences | |
Fluid Mechanics | Fluid properties; fluid statics, forces on submerged bodies, stability of floating bodies; control-volume analysis of mass, momentum, and energy; fluid acceleration; differential equations of continuity and momentum; Bernoulli’s equation; dimensional analysis; viscous flow of incompressible fluids, boundary layer, elementary turbulent flow, flow through pipes, head losses in pipes, bends and fittings; basics of compressible fluid flow |
Heat-Transfer | Modes of heat transfer; one-dimensional heat conduction, resistance concept and electrical analogy, heat transfer through fins; unsteady heat conduction, lumped parameter system, Heisler's charts; thermal boundary layer, dimensionless parameters in free and forced convective heat transfer, heat transfer correlations for flow over flat plates and through pipes, effect of turbulence; heat exchanger performance, LMTD and NTU methods; radiative heat transfer, Stefan-Boltzmann law, Wien's displacement law, black and grey surfaces, view factors, radiation network analysis |
Thermodynamics | Thermodynamic systems and processes; properties of pure substances, behavior of ideal and real gases; zeroth and first laws of thermodynamics, calculation of work and heat in various processes; second law of thermodynamics; thermodynamic property charts and tables, availability and irreversibility; thermodynamic relations |
Applications | Power Engineering: Air and gas compressors; vapour and gas power cycles, concepts of regeneration and reheat. I.C. Engines: Air-standard Otto, Diesel and dual cycles. Refrigeration and air-conditioning: Vapour and gas refrigeration and heat pump cycles; properties of moist air, psychrometric chart, basic psychrometric processes. Turbomachinery: Impulse and reaction principles, velocity diagrams, Pelton-wheel, Francis and Kaplan turbines; steam and gas turbines |
Materials, Manufacturing, and Industrial Engineering | |
Engineering Materials | Structure and properties of engineering materials, phase diagrams, heat treatment, stress-strain diagrams for engineering materials |
Casting, Forming and Joining Processes | Different types of castings, design of patterns, molds and cores; solidification and cooling; riser and gating design. Plastic deformation and yield criteria; fundamentals of hot and cold working processes; load estimation for bulk (forging, rolling, extrusion, drawing) and sheet (shearing, deep drawing, bending) metal forming processes; principles of powder metallurgy. Principles of welding, brazing, soldering and adhesive bonding |
Machining and Machine Tool Operations | Mechanics of machining; basic machine tools; single and multi-point cutting tools, tool geometry and materials, tool life and wear; economics of machining; principles of non-traditional machining processes; principles of work holding, jigs and fixtures; abrasive machining processes; NC/CNC machines and CNC programming |
Metrology and Inspection | Limits, fits and tolerances; linear and angular measurements; comparators; interferometry; form and finish measurement; alignment and testing methods; tolerance analysis in manufacturing and assembly; concepts of coordinate-measuring machine (CMM) |
Computer Integrated Manufacturing | Basic concepts of CAD/CAM and their integration tools; additive manufacturing |
Production Planning and Control | Forecasting models, aggregate production planning, scheduling, materials requirement planning; lean manufacturing |
Inventory Control | Deterministic models; safety stock inventory control systems |
Operations Research | Linear programming, simplex method, transportation, assignment, network flow models, simple queuing models, PERT and CPM |
GATE Electrical Syllabus 2026
The GATE Electrical Engineering syllabus is structured into 11 sections, covering a wide range of topics. These include General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics, Electric Circuits, Electromagnetic Fields, Signals and Systems, Electrical Machines, Power Systems, Control Systems, and more, as detailed below.
GATE Electrical Syllabus 2026 | |
|---|---|
Topics | Sub-Topics |
Electric Circuits: Network elements | ideal voltage and current sources, dependent sources, R, L, C, M elements; Network solution methods: KCL, KVL, Node and Mesh analysis; Network Theorems: Thevenin’s, Norton’s, Superposition and Maximum Power Transfer theorem; Transient response of dc and ac networks, sinusoidal steady-state analysis, resonance, two port networks, balanced three phase circuits, star-delta transformation, complex power and power factor in ac circuits |
Electromagnetic Fields | Coulomb's Law, Electric Field Intensity, Electric Flux Density, Gauss's Law, Divergence, Electric field and potential due to point, line, plane and spherical charge distributions, Effect of dielectric medium, Capacitance of simple configurations, Biot‐Savart’s law, Ampere’s law, Curl, Faraday’s law, Lorentz force, Inductance, Magnetomotive force, Reluctance, Magnetic circuits, Self and Mutual inductance of simple configurations |
Signals and Systems | Representation of continuous and discrete-time signals, shifting and scaling properties, linear time-invariant and causal systems, Fourier series representation of continuous and discrete-time periodic signals, sampling theorem, Applications of Fourier Transform for continuous and discrete-time signals, Laplace Transform and Z transform. R.M.S. value, average value calculation for any general periodic waveform |
Electrical Machines | Single-phase transformer: equivalent circuit, phasor diagram, open circuit and short circuit tests, regulation and efficiency; Three-phase transformers: connections, vector groups, parallel operation; Auto-transformer, Electromechanical energy conversion principles; DC machines: separately excited, series and shunt, motoring and generating mode of operation and their characteristics, speed control of dc motors; Three-phase induction machines: principle of operation, types, performance, torque-speed characteristics, no-load and blocked-rotor tests, equivalent circuit, starting and speed control; Operating principle of single-phase induction motors; Synchronous machines: cylindrical and salient pole machines, performance and characteristics, regulation and parallel operation of generators, starting of synchronous motors; Types of losses and efficiency calculations of electric machines |
Power Systems | Basic concepts of electrical power generation, ac and dc transmission concepts, Models and performance of transmission lines and cables, Economic Load Dispatch (with and without considering transmission losses), Series and shunt compensation, Electric field distribution and insulators, Distribution systems, Per‐unit quantities, Bus admittance matrix, Gauss-Seidel and Newton-Raphson load flow methods, Voltage and Frequency Control, Power factor correction, Symmetrical components, Symmetrical and unsymmetrical fault analysis, Principles of overcurrent, differential, directional and distance protection; Circuit breakers, System stability concepts, Equal area criterion |
Control Systems | Mathematical modeling and representation of systems, Feedback principle, transfer function, Block diagrams and signal flow graphs, Transient and Steady‐state analysis of linear time-invariant systems, Stability analysis using Routh-Hurwitz and Nyquist criteria, Bode plots, root loci, Lag, Lead and Lead‐Lag compensators; P, PI and PID controllers; State-space model, Solution of state equations of LTI systems |
Electrical and Electronic Measurements | Bridges and Potentiometers, Measurement of voltage, current, power, energy and power factor; Instrument transformers, Digital voltmeters and multimeters, Phase, Time and Frequency measurement; Oscilloscopes, Error analysis |
Analog and Digital Electronics | Simple diode circuits: clipping, clamping, rectifiers; Amplifiers: biasing, equivalent circuit and frequency response; oscillators and feedback amplifiers; operational amplifiers: characteristics and applications; single-stage active filters, Active Filters: Sallen Key, Butterwoth, VCOs and timers, combinatorial and sequential logic circuits, multiplexers, demultiplexers, Schmitt triggers, sample and hold circuits, A/D and D/A converters |
Power Electronics | Static V-I characteristics and firing/gating circuits for Thyristor, MOSFET, IGBT; DC to DC conversion: Buck, Boost and Buck-Boost Converters; Single and three-phase configuration of uncontrolled rectifiers; Voltage and Current commutated Thyristor based converters; Bidirectional ac to dc voltage source converters; Magnitude and Phase of line current harmonics for uncontrolled and thyristor-based converters; Power factor and Distortion Factor of ac to dc converters; Single-phase and three-phase voltage and current source inverters, sinusoidal pulse width modulation |
GATE IN Syllabus 2026
Along with General Aptitude and Engineering Mathematics, the GATE Instrumentation Engineering syllabus also covers subjects like Electricity and Magnetism, Signals and Systems, and several other topics, as outlined below:
GATE Instrumentation Engineering Syllabus 2026 | |
|---|---|
Subject | Topics |
Engineering Mathematics | Linear Algebra |
Calculus | |
Differential Equations | |
Analysis of Complex Variables | |
Probability and Statistics | |
Numerical Methods | |
Electricity and Magnetism | Coulomb's Law, Electric Field Intensity, Electric Flux Density, Gauss's Law, Divergence, Electric field and potential due to point, line, plane, and spherical charge distributions, Effect of the dielectric medium, Capacitance of simple configurations, Biot‐Savart’s law, Ampere’s law, Curl, Faraday’s law, Lorentz force, Inductance, Magnetomotive force, Reluctance, Magnetic circuits, Self and Mutual inductance of simple configurations. |
Electrical Circuits and Machines | Voltage and current sources: independent, dependent, ideal and practical; v-i relationships of resistor, inductor, mutual inductance and capacitor; transient analysis of RLC circuits with dc excitation. Kirchoff’s laws, mesh and nodal analysis, superposition, Thevenin, Norton, maximum power transfer and reciprocity theorems. Peak-, average- and rms values of ac quantities; apparent-, active- and reactive powers; phasor analysis, impedance and admittance; series and parallel resonance, locus diagrams, realization of basic filters with R, L and C elements. transient analysis of RLC circuits with ac excitation. One-port and two-port networks, driving point impedance and admittance, open-, and short circuit parameters. Single-phase transformer: equivalent circuit, phasor diagram, open circuit and short circuit tests, regulation and efficiency; Three-phase induction motors: principle of operation, types, performance, torque-speed characteristics, no-load and blocked rotor tests, equivalent circuit, starting and speed control; Types of losses and efficiency calculations of electric machines |
Signals and Systems | Periodic, aperiodic and impulse signals; Laplace, Fourier and z-transforms; transfer function, frequency response of first and second-order linear time-invariant systems, impulse response of systems; convolution, correlation. Discrete-time system: impulse response, frequency response, pulse transfer function; DFT and FFT; basics of IIR and FIR filters. |
Control Systems | Feedback principles, signal flow graphs, transient response, steady-state-errors, Bode plot, phase and gain margins, Routh and Nyquist criteria, root loci, design of lead, lag and lead-lag compensators, state-space representation of systems; time-delay systems; mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic system components, synchro pair, servo and stepper motors, servo valves; on-off, P, PI, PID, cascade, feedforward, and ratio controllers, tuning of PID controllers and sizing of control valves. |
Analog Electronics | Characteristics and applications of diode, Zener diode, BJT and MOSFET; small-signal analysis of transistor circuits, feedback amplifiers. Characteristics of ideal and practical operational amplifiers; applications: adder, subtractor, integrator, differentiator, difference amplifier, instrumentation amplifier, precision rectifier, active filters, oscillators, signal generators, voltage-controlled oscillators and phase-locked loop, sources and effects of noise and interference in electronic circuits. |
Digital Electronics | Combinational logic circuits, minimization of Boolean functions. IC families: TTL and CMOS. Arithmetic circuits, comparators, Schmitt trigger, multi-vibrators, sequential circuits, flipflops, shift registers, timers and counters; sample-and-hold circuit, multiplexer, analog-to-digital (successive approximation, integrating, flash and sigma-delta) and digital-to-analog converters (weighted R, R-2R ladder and current steering logic). Characteristics of ADC and DAC (resolution, quantization, significant bits, conversion/settling time); basics of number systems, Embedded Systems: Microprocessor and microcontroller applications, memory and input-output interfacing; basics of data acquisition systems, basics of distributed control systems (DCS) and programmable logic controllers (PLC). |
Measurements | SI units, standards (R,L,C, voltage, current and frequency), systematic and random errors in measurement, expression of uncertainty - accuracy and precision, propagation of errors, linear and weighted regression. Bridges: Wheatstone, Kelvin, Megohm, Maxwell, Anderson, Schering and Wien for measurement of R, L, Cand frequency, Q-meter. Measurement of voltage, current and power in single and three phase circuits; ac and dc current probes; true rms meters, voltage and current scaling, instrument transformers, timer/counter, time, phase and frequency measurements, digital voltmeter, digital multimeter; oscilloscope, shielding and grounding. |
Sensors and Industrial Instrumentation | Resistive-, capacitive-, inductive-, piezoelectric-, Hall effect sensors and associated signal conditioning circuits; transducers for industrial instrumentation: displacement (linear and angular), velocity, acceleration, force, torque, vibration, shock, pressure (including low pressure), flow (variable head, variable area, electromagnetic, ultrasonic, turbine and open channel flow meters) temperature (thermocouple, bolometer, RTD (3/4 wire), thermistor, pyrometer and semiconductor); liquid level, pH, conductivity and viscosity measurement. 4-20 mA two-wire transmitter. |
Communication and Optical Instrumentation | Amplitude- and frequency modulation and demodulation; Shannon's sampling theorem, pulse code modulation; frequency and time division multiplexing, amplitude-, phase-, frequency-, quadrature amplitude, pulse shift keying for digital modulation; optical sources and detectors: LED, laser, photo-diode, light-dependent resistor, square-law detectors, and their characteristics; interferometer: applications in metrology; basics of fiber optic sensing. UV-VIS Spectrophotometers, Mass spectrometer. |
GATE CE Syllabus 2026
The GATE Civil Engineering (CE) Syllabus is outlined in this section. Candidates preparing for the GATE CE exam should make sure to include the following topics in their study plan.
GATE CE Syllabus 2026 | |
|---|---|
Topics | Sub-Topics |
Structural Engineering | |
Engineering Mechanics | System of forces, free-body diagrams, equilibrium equations; Internal forces in structures; Frictions and its applications; Centre of mass; Free Vibrations of undamped SDOF system |
Solid Mechanics | Bending moment and shear force in statically determinate beams; Simple stress and strain relationships; Simple bending theory, flexural and shear stresses, shear centre; Uniform torsion, Transformation of stress; buckling of column, combined and direct bending stresses |
Structural Analysis | Statically determinate and indeterminate structures by force/ energy methods; Method of superposition; Analysis of trusses, arches, beams, cables and frames; Displacement methods: Slope deflection and moment distribution methods; Influence lines; Stiffness and flexibility methods of structural analysis |
Construction Materials and Management | Construction Materials: Structural Steel – Composition, material properties and behavior; Concrete - Constituents, mix design, short-term and long-term properties. Construction Management: Types of construction projects; Project planning and network analysis - PERT and CPM; Cost estimation |
Concrete Structures | Working stress and Limit state design concepts; Design of beams, slabs, columns; Bond and development length; Prestressed concrete beams |
Steel Structures | Working stress and Limit state design concepts; Design of tension and compression members, beams and beam-columns, column bases; Connections - simple and eccentric, beam-column connections, plate girders and trusses; Concept of plastic analysis -beams and frames |
Geotechnical Engineering | |
Soil Mechanics | Three-phase system and phase relationships, index properties; Unified and Indian standard soil classification system; Permeability - one-dimensional flow, Seepage through soils – two - dimensional flow, flow nets, uplift pressure, piping, capillarity, seepage force; Principle of effective stress and quicksand condition; Compaction of soils; One- dimensional consolidation, time rate of consolidation; Shear Strength, Mohr’s circle, effective and total shear strength parameters, Stress-Strain characteristics of clays and sand; Stress paths |
Foundation Engineering | Sub-surface investigations - Drilling boreholes, sampling, plate load test, standard penetration and cone penetration tests; Earth pressure theories - Rankine and Coulomb; Stability of slopes – Finite and infinite slopes, Bishop’s method; Stress distribution in soils – Boussinesq’s theory; Pressure bulbs, Shallow foundations – Terzaghi’s and Meyerhoff’s bearing capacity theories, effect of water table; Combined footing and raft foundation; Contact pressure; Settlement analysis in sands and clays; Deep foundations – dynamic and static formulae, Axial load capacity of piles in sands and clays, pile load test, pile under lateral loading, pile group efficiency, negative skin friction |
Water Resources Engineering | |
Fluid Mechanics | Properties of fluids, fluid statics; Continuity, momentum and energy equations and their applications; Potential flow, Laminar and turbulent flow; Flow in pipes, pipe networks; Concept of boundary layer and its growth; Concept of lift and drag |
Hydraulics | Forces on immersed bodies; Flow measurement in channels and pipes; Dimensional analysis and hydraulic similitude; Channel Hydraulics - Energy-depth relationships, specific energy, critical flow, hydraulic jump, uniform flow, gradually varied flow and water surface profiles |
Hydrology | Hydrologic cycle, precipitation, evaporation, evapotranspiration, watershed, infiltration, unit hydrographs, hydrograph analysis, reservoir capacity, flood estimation and routing, surface runoff models, groundwater hydrology - steady state well hydraulics and aquifers; Application of Darcy’s Law |
Irrigation | Types of irrigation systems and methods; Crop water requirements - Duty, delta, evapotranspiration; Gravity Dams and Spillways; Lined and unlined canals, Design of weirs on permeable foundation; cross drainage structures |
Environmental Engineering | |
Water and Waste Water Quality and Treatment | Basics of water quality standards – Physical, chemical and biological parameters; Water quality index; Unit processes and operations; Water requirement; Water distribution system; Drinking water treatment; Sewerage system design, quantity of domestic wastewater, primary and secondary treatment. Effluent discharge standards; Sludge disposal; Reuse of treated sewage for different applications |
Air Pollution | Types of pollutants, their sources and impacts, air pollution control, air quality standards, Air quality Index and limits |
Municipal Solid Wastes | Characteristics, generation, collection and transportation of solid wastes, engineered systems for solid waste management (reuse/ recycle, energy recovery, treatment and disposal) |
Transportation Engineering | |
Transportation Infrastructure | Geometric design of highways - cross-sectional elements, sight distances, horizontal and vertical alignments. Geometric design of railway Track – Speed and Cant. Concept of airport runway length, calculations and corrections; taxiway and exit taxiway design |
Highway Pavements | Highway materials - desirable properties and tests; Desirable properties of bituminous paving mixes; Design factors for flexible and rigid pavements; Design of flexible and rigid pavement using IRC codes |
Traffic Engineering | Traffic studies on flow and speed, peak hour factor, accident study, statistical analysis of traffic data; Microscopic and macroscopic parameters of traffic flow, fundamental relationships; Traffic signs; Signal design by Webster’s method; Types of intersections; Highway capacity |
Geomatics Engineering | |
Geomatics Engineering | Principles of surveying; Errors and their adjustment; Maps - scale, coordinate system; Distance and angle measurement - Levelling and trigonometric levelling; Traversing and triangulation survey; Total station; Horizontal and vertical curves. Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing - Scale, flying height; Basics of remote sensing and GIS |
GATE ECE Syllabus 2026
The GATE ECE Syllabus (Electronics and Communication Engineering) is divided into eight major sections: Engineering Mathematics, Networks, Signals and Systems, Electronic Devices, Analog Circuits, Digital Circuits, Control Systems, Communications, and Electromagnetics.
GATE ECE Syllabus 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
Sl. No. | Sections | Topic-Wise Syllabus |
1 | Engineering Mathematics | Linear Algebra |
Calculus | ||
Differential Equations | ||
Vector Analysis | ||
2 | Networks, Signals and Systems | Circuit analysis: Node and mesh analysis, superposition, Thevenin's theorem, Norton’s theorem, reciprocity. Sinusoidal steady state analysis: phasors, complex power, maximum power transfer. Time and frequency domain analysis of linear circuits: RL, RC and RLC circuits, solution of network equations using Laplace transform, Linear 2-port network parameters, wye-delta transformation Continuous-time signals: Fourier series and Fourier transform, sampling theorem and applications Discrete-time signals: DTFT, DFT, z-transform, discrete-time processing of continuous-time signals. LTI systems: definition and properties, causality, stability, impulse response, convolution, poles and zeroes, frequency response, group delay, phase delay |
3 | Electronic Devices | Energy bands in intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, equilibrium carrier concentration, direct and indirect band-gap semiconductors. |
Carrier transport: diffusion current, drift current, mobility and resistivity, generation and recombination of carriers, Poisson, and continuity equations. P-N junction, Zener diode, BJT, MOS capacitor, MOSFET, LED, photodiode, and solar cell. | ||
4 | Analog Circuits | Diode circuits: clipping, clamping, and rectifiers. |
BJT and MOSFET amplifiers: biasing, ac coupling, small-signal analysis, frequency response. Current mirrors and differential amplifiers. | ||
Op-amp circuits: Amplifiers, summers, differentiators, integrators, active filters, Schmitt triggers, and oscillators | ||
5 | Digital Circuits | Number representations: binary, integer, and floating-point- numbers. |
Combinatorial circuits: Boolean algebra, minimization of functions using Boolean identities and Karnaugh map, logic gates, and their static CMOS implementations, arithmetic circuits, code converters, multiplexers, and decoders. | ||
Sequential circuits: latches and flip-flops, counters, shift-registers, finite state machines, propagation delay, setup and hold time, critical path delay. | ||
Data converters: sample and hold circuits, ADCs, and DACs. | ||
Semiconductor memories: ROM, SRAM, DRAM. | ||
Computer organization: Machine instructions and addressing modes, ALU, data-path, control unit, instruction pipelining | ||
6 | Control Systems | Basic control system components; Feedback principle; Transfer function; Block diagram representation; Signal flow graph; Transient and steady-state analysis of LTI systems; Frequency response; Routh-Hurwitz and Nyquist stability criteria; Bode and root-locus plots; Lag, lead and lag-lead compensation; State variable model and solution of state equation of LTI systems. |
7 | Communications | Random processes: autocorrelation and power spectral density, properties of white noise, filtering of random signals through LTI systems. |
Analog communications: amplitude modulation and demodulation, angle modulation and demodulation, spectra of AM and FM, superheterodyne receivers. | ||
Information theory: entropy, mutual information, and channel capacity theorem. | ||
Digital communications: PCM, DPCM, digital modulation schemes (ASK, PSK, FSK, QAM), bandwidth, inter-symbol interference, MAP, ML detection, matched filter receiver, SNR, and BER. | ||
Fundamentals of error correction, Hamming codes, CRC. | ||
8 | Electromagnetics | Maxwell's equations: differential and integral forms and their interpretation, boundary conditions, wave equation, Poynting vector. |
Plane waves and properties: reflection and refraction, polarization, phase and group velocity, propagation through various media, skin depth. | ||
Transmission lines: equations, characteristic impedance, impedance matching, impedance transformation, S-parameters, Smith chart. | ||
Rectangular and circular waveguides, light propagation in optical fibers, dipole and monopole antennas, linear antenna arrays. | ||
GATE Exam Pattern 2026
The GATE Exam Pattern has been released by IIT Guwahati on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. It provides key details such as the mode of examination, number of questions, sections in the paper, marking scheme, and other important information. Candidates must be well-acquainted with both the GATE 2026 syllabus and the exam pattern.
For the better understanding of aspirants, the detailed GATE Exam Pattern 2026 has been presented in the table below:
GATE Exam Pattern 2026 | |
|---|---|
Particulars | Details |
Examination Mode | Computer Based Test (Online) |
Duration | 3 Hours |
Number of Papers in GATE 2026 | 30 Papers |
Section | General Aptitude (GA) |
Candidate Selected Subject | |
Type of Questions | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) |
Multiple Select Questions (MSQs) | |
Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions | |
Design of Questions | The questions are designed to test the listed abilities |
Application | |
Analysis | |
Comprehension | |
Recall | |
Synthesis | |
Number of Questions | 65 Questions (including 10 questions from General Aptitude) |
Distribution of Questions in all Papers except AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, and XL | Engineering Mathematics - 13 Marks |
Subject Questions - 72 Marks | |
General Aptitude - 15 Marks | |
Distribution of Questions in AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, XH, and XL | Questions from Subject Concerned - 85 Marks |
General Aptitude - 15 Marks | |
Total Marks | 100 Marks |
Marking Scheme | Each correct answer in the exam will be awarded either 1 or 2 marks |
GATE Negative Marking | For 1 mark MCQ, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer; |
For 2-mark MCQ, 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer; | |
No negative marking for MSQs and NATs | |
GATE Syllabus 2026 - Preparation Tips
The GATE 2026 Syllabus is vast, and candidates preparing for the exam must build a solid strategy to cover all the crucial topics in their respective subjects.
Here are some of the best GATE preparation tips, proven effective by toppers:
Begin your preparation with a thorough understanding of the GATE syllabus. This will help you recognize important topics and organize your study plan effectively.
Go through the GATE exam pattern to become familiar with the question paper structure and the time allotted.
Practice GATE 2026 mock tests regularly to enhance your time management skills.
Refer to standard GATE preparation books and online resources for a deeper understanding of complex topics.
Solve multiple previous years’ GATE question papers. This will help you understand the exam pattern and identifyfrequently asked topics.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2026 will be conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG).
GATE 2026 will be conducted for 30 disciplines, including popular branches like Mechanical Engineering (ME), Civil Engineering (CE), Electrical Engineering (EE), Computer Science (CS), Electronics & Communication (EC), and a new subject — Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA).
The GATE 2026 syllabus is divided into three primary sections:
General Aptitude (15% weightage)
Engineering Mathematics (in most papers)
Core Subject Discipline (based on the candidate’s chosen paper)
The exam will be a Computer-Based Test (CBT) of 3 hours duration. It will have 65 questions for a total of 100 marks, consisting of:
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Multiple Select Questions (MSQs)
Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions
Yes, negative marking is applicable only for MCQs:
1-mark question → 1/3 mark deducted for wrong answer
2-mark question → 2/3 mark deducted for wrong answer
There is no negative marking for MSQs and NATs.
Some proven tips for GATE preparation include:
Thoroughly understand the syllabus and exam pattern.
Practice mock tests regularly to improve speed and accuracy.
Solve previous years’ question papers to identify important topics.
Refer to standard GATE preparation books and online resources.
Create a structured study plan to ensure complete coverage of the syllabus.