GATE Syllabus 2026 and Exam Pattern

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• Mechanics

  Kinematics, Dynamics, Energy, Per GATE Official Notification

  ~1 marks
  • Kinematics — Motion in 1D/2D/3D, Projectile, Circular, Relative Motion
  • Newton's Laws, Friction, Work-Energy-Power, Circular Motion, Gravitation
  • Rotational Mechanics — Torque, Angular Momentum, Moment of Inertia, Rolling
  • Properties of Matter — Elasticity, Fluid Mechanics, Surface Tension, Viscosity
  • SHM, Oscillations, Waves, Sound, Doppler Effect, Beats, Resonance
  • Heat & Thermodynamics — Laws, Calorimetry, Heat Transfer, Kinetic Theory
  • Mechanical Engineering Topics (for GATE — Machine Design, TOM, SOM, FMS)
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• Electrodynamics & Optics

  Electrostatics, Magnetism, Optics, Per GATE Official Notification

  ~1 marks
  • Electrostatics — Coulomb's Law, Electric Field, Potential, Capacitance, Dielectrics
  • Current Electricity — Ohm's Law, Kirchhoff, Circuits, Wheatstone Bridge, Potentiometer
  • Magnetism — Biot-Savart, Ampere's Law, Magnetic Field, Earth's Magnetism
  • EMI & AC — Faraday, Lenz, Transformer, Generator, AC Circuits, RLC
  • Optics — Reflection, Refraction, Lens, Prism, Wave Optics, Diffraction, Polarization
  • Modern Physics — Photoelectric Effect, Bohr Model, Atomic, Nuclear, Radioactivity
  • Semiconductors & Electronics — Diode, Transistor, Logic Gates, Communication
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• Mechanics (Physics)

  Kinematics, Dynamics, Rotational Motion, Gravitation

  ~4 marks
  • Kinematics — Motion in 1D/2D/3D, Projectile, Circular, Relative Motion
  • Newton's Laws of Motion, Friction, Pseudo Forces, Constraint Motion
  • Work, Energy, Power, Kinetic and Potential Energy, Conservation
  • Circular Motion, Banking of Roads, Conical Pendulum, Vertical Circle
  • Rotational Mechanics — Torque, Angular Momentum, Moment of Inertia, Rolling
  • Gravitation — Kepler's Laws, Universal Law, Gravitational Field, Satellite
  • Elasticity — Stress, Strain, Hooke's Law, Young's Modulus, Bulk Modulus, Shear Modulus
  • Fluid Mechanics — Pressure, Buoyancy, Bernoulli's Theorem, Viscosity, Surface Tension
  • Mechanical Waves — SHM, Oscillations, Spring, Pendulum, Wave Motion, Sound
  • Properties of Matter, Units, Dimensions, Error Analysis, Significant Figures
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• Heat & Thermodynamics (Physics)

  Heat Transfer, Laws, Kinetic Theory

  ~4 marks
  • Heat and Temperature — Scales, Thermometry, Thermal Expansion
  • Calorimetry — Specific Heat, Latent Heat, Heat Capacity
  • Heat Transfer — Conduction, Convection, Radiation, Thermal Conductivity
  • Thermodynamics — Zeroth, First, Second, Third Law, PV Diagram, Work, Heat
  • Kinetic Theory of Gases — Pressure, RMS Speed, Mean Free Path, Degrees of Freedom
  • Gas Laws — Boyle's, Charles', Gay-Lussac's, Ideal Gas Equation, Real Gases
  • Thermodynamic Processes — Isothermal, Adiabatic, Isobaric, Isochoric, Cyclic
  • Heat Engines, Refrigerators, Carnot Cycle, Entropy
  • Calorimetry, Phase Changes, Latent Heat, Triple Point, Critical Point
  • Thermal Radiation, Black Body, Stefan-Boltzmann Law, Wien's Displacement Law
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• Optics & Modern Physics

  Light, EM Waves, Relativity, Quantum, Nuclear

  ~4 marks
  • Ray Optics — Reflection, Refraction, Total Internal Reflection, Prism
  • Lenses and Mirrors — Image Formation, Formulae, Power, Combination
  • Optical Instruments — Microscope, Telescope, Magnifying Glass, Camera
  • Wave Optics — Interference, Diffraction, Polarization, Young's Double Slit
  • Electromagnetic Waves — EM Spectrum, Properties, Maxwell's Equations
  • Photoelectric Effect — Einstein's Equation, Work Function, Threshold Frequency
  • Bohr's Atomic Model, Hydrogen Spectrum, Atomic Structure
  • Nuclear Physics — Atomic Structure, Radioactivity, Half-Life, Decay
  • Modern Physics — Photoelectric Effect, X-rays, Lasers, Optical Fibers
  • Semiconductor Physics — Diode, Transistor, Logic Gates, Communication
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• Atomic Structure & Chemical Bonding

  Quantum, Periodic Table, Bonds

  ~4 marks
  • Atomic Structure — Bohr's Model, Quantum Numbers, Electronic Configuration, Shapes
  • Atomic Models — Thomson, Rutherford, Bohr, Schrodinger (Qualitative), Heisenberg
  • Photoelectric Effect, Wave-Particle Duality, de Broglie Wavelength, Heisenberg
  • Periodic Table — Periodicity, Atomic Radius, Ionization Energy, Electronegativity
  • Chemical Bonding — Ionic, Covalent, Coordinate, Hydrogen Bonding, Metallic
  • Hybridization — sp, sp2, sp3, sp3d, sp3d2 with Examples (CH4, NH3, H2O)
  • VSEPR Theory, VBT (Valence Bond Theory), MOT (Molecular Orbital Theory)
  • Bond Parameters — Bond Length, Angle, Energy, Polarity, Dipole Moment
  • Resonance, Hyperconjugation, Inductive Effect, Mesomeric Effect, Electromeric
  • Lattice Energy, Born-Haber Cycle, Fajan's Rules, Polarizing Power
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• States of Matter & Solutions

  Gas, Liquid, Solid, Solutions, Colloids

  ~4 marks
  • Gas Laws — Boyle's Law, Charles' Law, Gay-Lussac's Law, Avogadro's Law, Ideal Gas
  • Kinetic Molecular Theory — Postulates, Derivation of Gas Laws, RMS Speed
  • Real Gases — van der Waals Equation, Critical Constants, Liquefaction
  • Liquid State — Properties, Vapor Pressure, Surface Tension, Viscosity
  • Solid State — Crystalline, Amorphous, Crystal Systems, Bravais Lattices
  • Unit Cell, Coordination Number, Packing Efficiency, Density Calculations
  • Imperfections in Solids — Point Defects, Schottky, Frenkel, F-Centers
  • Solutions — Types, Concentration (Molarity, Molality, Normality, Formality)
  • Colligative Properties — Lowering of VP, Elevation of BP, Depression of FP, Osmotic
  • Colloids — Types, Preparation, Properties, Emulsions, Gels, Tyndall Effect
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• Algebra (Advanced)

  Sets, Relations, Functions, Complex Numbers, P&C

  ~4 marks
  • Sets, Relations, Functions, Venn Diagrams, Equivalence Relations
  • Complex Numbers — Algebra, Argand Plane, Modulus-Argument, De Moivre's
  • Quadratic Equations, Polynomials, Identities, Factorization, Remainder Theorem
  • Sequences and Series — AP, GP, HP, Sum, Special Series, Method of Differences
  • Permutations and Combinations, Binomial Theorem, Multinomial Theorem
  • Probability — Conditional, Bayes, Independent Events, Random Variables
  • Matrices and Determinants — Types, Operations, Inverse, Cramer's Rule
  • Linear Algebra — Vector Spaces, Eigenvalues, Linear Programming, Graph Theory
  • Logarithms, Antilogarithms, Partial Fractions, Induction, Mathematical Reasoning
  • Number Theory — Divisibility, Modular Arithmetic, Fermat's, Wilson's Theorem
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• Trigonometry (Advanced)

  Ratios, Identities, Equations, Inverse, Heights

  ~4 marks
  • Trigonometric Ratios (sin, cos, tan, cot, sec, cosec) — Sign Conventions
  • Trigonometric Identities — Pythagorean, Sum-Difference, Product-to-Sum
  • Trigonometric Equations — General Solutions, Specific Solutions
  • Inverse Trigonometric Functions — sin^-1, cos^-1, tan^-1, Properties
  • Heights and Distances — Angle of Elevation, Depression, Problems
  • Properties of Triangles — Sine Rule, Cosine Rule, Half-Angle, Napier Analogy
  • Trigonometric Series — Taylor Series, Maclaurin Series for sin, cos
  • Multiple and Sub-multiple Angles — sin 2θ, cos 2θ, sin 3θ, cos 3θ
  • Conditional Trigonometric Identities, Maxima and Minima
  • Heights and Distances — Bearing, Compass, Survey Problems, Real-World Applications
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• Coordinate Geometry (Advanced)

  2D/3D, Conics, Vectors, Transformations

  ~4 marks
  • Straight Lines — Slope, Equation, Distance, Angle Between Lines, Family of Lines
  • Circles — Standard Form, General Form, Tangent, Normal, Chord of Contact, Pole-Polar
  • Conic Sections — Parabola, Ellipse, Hyperbola (Standard Forms, Focus, Directrix, Eccentricity)
  • 3D Coordinate Geometry — Distance, Section Formula, Direction Cosines, Ratios
  • Plane and Line in 3D — Equation, Angle, Distance, Symmetric Form
  • Sphere, Cone, Cylinder — Equations, Tangent Plane, Generator, Curved Surface
  • Vectors — Types, Addition, Subtraction, Dot, Cross, Triple Product
  • Vector Algebra — Position Vector, Section Formula, Projection, Resolution
  • Coordinate Transformations — Translation, Rotation, Reflection, Scaling
  • Locus, Curve Tracing, Parametric Equations, Applications to Motion
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