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GATE Subject: Complete List of GATE Exam Subjects

By BYJU'S Exam Prep

Updated on: October 17th, 2023

GATE Subjects: GATE Exam is a national-level examination conducted for 29 disciplines jointly managed by IISc Bangalore and 7 IITs. The New changes became helpful to the candidates as per the new advancement in the exam since candidates can now opt for two GATE Subjects in a single exam cycle.

One of the most crucial aspects of the GATE exam is its subjects. The exam covers a vast range of subjects, and each subject has its unique exam pattern. It is essential to have a thorough understanding of each subject’s syllabus and exam pattern to perform well in the exam. In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about GATE subjects, including an overview of the different subjects covered.

Download GATE Syllabus for All Engineering Branches PDF

Overview of GATE Subjects

The GATE exam covers 29 different subjects. These 29 disciplines are also known as GATE subjects. Each subject is assigned a code to them. Candidates are allowed to appear in any of these subjects as per their qualifications and expertise in order to get admission to Post-Graduate courses. The GATE examination is being held by IISc Bangalore on 3, 4, 5, 10, and 11 February 2024.

Each GATE subject has a specific syllabus, and students are expected to have a deep understanding of the core concepts in that particular field of study. Earlier, the GATE exam was conducted for 27 subjects. In recent years, two new subjects: GE (Geomatics Engineering) and NM (Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering) have been included. As per the officials, candidates can opt for one or two of the 29 subjects.

Subjects in GATE Exam

GATE subjects are to be chosen from the list shown below for the exam. Candidates can prepare the subjects from the GATE Notes provided for exclusive preparation. All 29 GATE subjects in which candidates can appear in the GATE exam are:

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Agricultural Engineering
  • Architecture and Planning
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Biotechnology
  • Civil Engineering
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Computer Science and Information Technology
  • Chemistry
  • Electronics and Communication Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Ecology and Evolution
  • Environmental Science and Engineering
  • Geology and Geophysics
  • Instrumentation Engineering
  • Mathematics
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Mining Engineering
  • Metallurgical Engineering
  • Petroleum Engineering
  • Physics
  • Production and Industrial Engineering
  • Statistics
  • Textile Engineering and Fibre Science
  • Engineering Sciences
  • Life Sciences
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Geomatics Engineering
  • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering

GATE Subjects and Their Codes

Each GATE subject is assigned specific codes. The code for each subject consists of a two-letter code. Candidates appearing for the GATE exam should be familiar with the subject codes in order to select the correct subject while filling out the application form.

Check out the codes of all 29 GATE exam subjects from the table given below:

GATE Subjects and Subject Codes

Paper

Code

Paper

Code

Aerospace Engineering

AE

Petroleum Engineering

PE

Architecture and Planning

AR

Instrumentation Engineering

IN

Biotechnology

BT

Life Sciences

XL

Agricultural Engineering

AG

Geology and Geophysics

GG

GATE Civil Engineering

CE

GATE Mechanical Engineering

ME

Biomedical Engineering

BM

Mathematics

MA

Chemical Engineering

CH

Mining Engineering

MN

GATE Computer Science & Information Technology

CS

Metallurgical Engineering

MT

GATE Electronics and Communication Engineering

EC

Production and Industrial Engineering

PI

Chemistry

CY

Physics

PH

GATE Electrical Engineering

EE

Textile Engineering & Fibre Science

TF

Engineering Sciences

XE

Ecology and Evolution

EY

Geomatics Engineering

GE

Environmental Science and Engineering

ES

Naval Architecture and Marine

Engineering

NM

Statistics

ST

Humanities and Social Sciences

XH

XH, XL, and XE GATE Subjects with Paper Codes

Let us discuss one of the important GATE subjects, i.e., GATE XE, which refers to Engineering Science. It consists of compulsory engineering maths and two remaining optional papers out of seven, which are mentioned below.

XE Paper Sections CODES
Engineering Mathematics

(Compulsory) (15 Marks)

A
Any Two Optional Sections (2×35=70 marks)
Fluids Mechanics B
Materials Science C
Solid Mechanics D
Thermodynamics E
Polymer Science and Engineering F
Food Technology G
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences H

The GATE exam subject, XH, refers to Humanities and Social Science. It consists of compulsory Reasoning & Comprehension and two remaining optional papers out of the seven papers mentioned below.

XH Paper Sections CODE
Reasoning and Comprehension

(Compulsory) (25 Marks)

B1
Any One Optional Section (60 Marks)
Economics C1
English C2
Linguistics C3
Philosophy C4
Psychology C5
Sociology C6

GATE XL refers to Life Science. It consists of compulsory Chemistry and two remaining optional papers out of the seven papers mentioned below.

XL Paper Sections CODE
Chemistry (Compulsory) (25 Marks) P
Any Two Optional Sections (2 x 30=60 Marks)
Biochemistry Q
Botany R
Microbiology S
Zoology T
Food Technology U

Suppose you are opting for two subject papers. In that case, you must have a primary choice of paper, the default paper for the subject chosen, and the second choice of paper selected from the suggested combinations mentioned.

List of Combination of Two Papers in the GATE Exam

Aspirants appearing in two subject papers must have a primary choice of paper as their default preference. The second choice of paper must be chosen from the permitted combinations in the table below. Combinations of two papers other than the ones which are listed below are not allowed.

Primary Paper Papers Allowed as Secondary Paper
Aerospace Engineering Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Engineering Sciences
Agricultural Engineering Environmental Science and Engineering, Geomatics Engineering, Engineering Sciences, Life Sciences
Architecture and Planning Civil Engineering
Biomedical Engineering Biotechnology, Life Sciences Electronics, Communication Engineering, Instrumentation Engineering
Biotechnology Biomedical Engineering, Life Sciences
Civil Engineering Aerospace Engineering, Architecture and Planning, Environmental Science and Engineering, Geomatics Engineering, Naval Architecture, and Marine Engineering
Chemical Engineering Petroleum Engineering, Engineering Sciences
Computer Science and Information Technology Electronics and Communication Engineering, Geomatics Engineering, Maths, Statistics
Chemistry Life Sciences
Electronics and Communication Engineering Instrumentation Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology, Geomatics Engineering
Electrical Engineering Electronics and Communication Engineering, Instrumentation Engineering
Environmental Science and Engineering Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Geomatics Engineering
Ecology and Evolution Life Sciences
Geomatics Engineering Civil Engineering, Geology and Geophysics, Environmental Science and Engineering, Mining Engineering
Geology and Geophysics Geomatics Engineering, Mining Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Physics
Instrumentation Engineering Electronics and Communication Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics
Maths Computer Science and Information Technology, Geomatics Engineering, Physics, Statistics
Mechanical Engineering Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, Production and Industrial Engineering, Engineering Sciences
Mining Engineering Geomatics Engineering, Geology and Geophysics, Engineering Sciences
Metallurgical Engineering Physics, Engineering Sciences
Petroleum Engineering Chemical Engineering, Geology and Geophysics, Engineering Sciences
Physics Electronics and Communications Engineering, Geomatics Engineering, Geology and Geophysics, Instrumentation Engineering, Mathematics, Metallurgical Engineering, Statistics, Engineering Sciences
Production and Industrial Engineering Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Engineering Sciences
Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Aerospace Engineering, Civil Engineering, Engineering Sciences
Statistics Mathematics, Physics
Textile Engineering and Fibre Science Engineering Sciences
Engineering Science Aerospace Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mining Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Production and Industrial Engineering, Textile Engineering and Fibre Science, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
Humanities and Social Science Statistics
Life Sciences Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Ecology, and Evolution

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