The GATE 2021 syllabus has been tweaked to a certain extent. IIT Bombay has included two new subjects in the exam. Environmental Science & Engineering (ES) and Humanities and Social Sciences (XH) are the newest papers that are included in the GATE 2021 syllabus. Now, the total number of subjects for the exam has increased to 27 from 25. Students from humanities backgrounds will now be able to apply for the exam. You can find the GATE 2021 syllabus, which has been released on the official website. Here, we will share detailed information on the syllabus for students planning to take the exam in 2021 and beyond.
GATE 2021 Syllabus – Latest Updates, Dates, New Subjects
GATE 2021 syllabus will include – General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics, and the topics from the examinees’ subject. The GATE syllabus 2021 will consist of 27 subjects. AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH, and XL will not have the syllabus’s Engineering Mathematics section.
GATE 2021 is expected to take place between 5th February – 7th February & 12th February – 14th February 2021. Now, with the information about the syllabus, students can carry on with their last-minute preparation. The information will give aspirants an idea about all the latest information about the GATE 2021 syllabus.
GATE 2021 Syllabus – New Subjects
The two new additions to the syllabus are – GATE 2021 syllabus for Humanities and Social Sciences (XH) & Environmental Science and Engineering (ES). This is a godsend for Humanities students who can now study PG degrees through GATE 2021. The detailed syllabus of the subjects mentioned above are given below:
GATE 2021 Syllabus for Environmental Science and Engineering
| Sections | Name of Topics |
| Section 1 | Foundation of Mathematics |
| Section 2 | Environmental Chemistry |
| Section 3 | Environmental Microbiology |
| Section 4 | Environmental Hydraulics and Water Resources |
| Section 5 | Water Management & Wastewater Treatment |
| Section 6 | Air & Noise Pollution |
| Section 7 | Solid & Hazardous Waste Management |
| Section 8 | Global and Regional Issues related to Environment |
| Section 9 | Sustainable Development and Environmental Management |
In the XH Paper (Humanities & Social Sciences), you will find topics from General Aptitude (GA) & Reasoning Comprehension (B1). You will need to choose any one subject from 6 subjects for that section.
These subjects are – English, Sociology, Linguistics, Philosophy, Economics, and Psychology. In the GATE XH paper 2021, the GA & B1 paper is compulsory for students to attempt. While from C1 – C6, aspirants will have to choose any one subject.
GATE 2021 syllabus for Reasoning and Comprehension (XH-B1)
The Reasoning Comprehension section in the GATE 2021 syllabus will test your skills and ability to undertake research activities in the areas of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The questions in this section will not be about testing grammar and vocabulary skills. They will be based more on logical and critical reasoning. The question pattern will be somewhat similar to other entrance exams like – GRE, GMAT, and LSAT. The topics included in this part of GATE syllabus 2021 are –
| Section Nos. | Name of Topics |
| Section 1 | Comprehension Reading |
| Section 2 | Expression |
| Section 3 | Analytical reasoning |
| Section 4 | Logical reasoning |
GATE General Aptitude Syllabus (2021)
| Verbal Ability Topics | Numerical Ability Topics |
| English Grammar | Numerical computation |
| Completion of Sentences | Estimation of Numericals |
| Word Groups and Verbal Analogies | Numerical Reasoning |
| Instructions, Reason Critically & Verbal Deduction | Interpretation of Data |
The General Aptitude (GA) section of the GATE 2021 syllabus is compulsory and common in all the papers of the exam. This section accounts for 15% of total marks. In this section students will find verbal ability and numerical based questions. Mentioned below are the syllabus of the 6 subjects that one must choose as well.
Economics Syllabus (XH-C1)
| Section Nos. | Name of Topics |
| Section – 1 | Microeconomics |
| Section – 2 | Macroeconomics |
| Section – 3 | Statistics, Mathematical Economics, and Econometrics |
| Section – 4 | World Economy |
| Section – 5 | Public Economics |
| Section – 6 | Development Economics |
| Section – 7 | Economy of India |
GATE 2021 Syllabus – English (XH-C2)
| Sections | Topics |
| Section 1 | English Literature in Multi-genre literature, like — poetry, the novel and various forms of fiction. This includes drama, short story, creative nonfiction, and non-fictional prose. The focus of the topics will be on 19th & 20th centuries |
| Section 2 | Especially in a comparative context, anglophone & in English translation, Indian Literature of India and Indian sub-continent |
| Section 3 | Criticism of Literary and Theories; cultural and critical intellectual traditions and also methods used or referred in English subject |
| Section 4 | English literary studies & English literature history |
| Section 5 | Research methods and approaches, that includes – techniques to interpret various literary forms, concepts, genres, and devices |
Linguistics Syllabus (XH C3)
| Section nos. | Linguistic Topics |
| Section 1 | Linguistics & Language |
| Section 2 | Morphology, Syntax, Semantics, Phonetics & Phonology, and Pragmatics |
| Section 3 | Historical Linguistics |
| Section 4 | Sociolinguistics |
| Section 5 | Universals, Areal Typology, and Cross-linguistic Features |
| Section 6 | Methods to analyse |
| Section 7 | Applied Linguistics |
GATE Syllabus 2021 – Philosophy (XH-C4)
| Sections | Topic Name |
| Section 1 | Indian Philosophy (Classical) – Orthodox Systems: Sānkhya, Heterodox Systems: Cārvāka, Bhagavadgītā, Upaniṣads, and Dharmaśāstras, Śaivasiddhānta, Vīra Śaivism, Kāṣmira Śaivism, Vaiṣṇavism, and Śāktism |
| Section 2 | Indian Philosophy (Contemporary) – Vivekananda |
| Section 3 | Western Philosophy (Classical & Modern) – Metaphysics, Social & Political Philosophy, Epistemology, Logic, Ethics |
| Section 4 | Contemporary Philosophy of the West |
Syllabus of Psychology (XH-C5)
| Sections | Psychology Topic Names |
| Section 1 | Statistics & Research Methods |
| Section 2 | Foundations of the Psychological measurement, Basic components, Psychometrics |
| Section 3 | Behavior – Biological and Evolutionary |
| Section 4 | Perception, Learning, Memory & Forgetting |
| Section 5 | Cognition: Intelligence, Thinking, Language |
| Section 6 | Personality & Its Theories |
| Section 7 | Motivation, Emotion, Stress & Coping |
| Section 8 | Development throughout the life’s span, Psychological Applications, Social psychology, |
GATE Syllabus 2021 – Sociology (XH-C6)
| Sections | Sociology Topic Names |
| Section 1 | Theory of Sociology |
| Section 2 | Research Methods and Methodology |
| Section 3 | Concepts of Sociology |
| Section 4 | Rural Transformation and Agrarian Sociology |
| Section 5 | Family, Kinship, and Marriage |
| Section 6 | Society of India / Sociology of India |
| Section 7 | Social Movements |
| Section 8 | Developmental Sociology |
The section-wise weightage is different though. Check the GATE 2021 Exam Pattern to know about the same. This is all about the new additions to GATE 2021 syllabus. We are hopeful that the above information will be helpful for students who will be planning to take the exam in 2021 and future.