GATE 2021 Engineering(XE) Sciences Syllabus: XE paper is of a general nature. It comprises of 3 parts. First part of the exam is General Aptitude. The second part is the Section-A which is mandatory for candidates. The third part of the exam comprises of sections B to H and candidates have to choose any two sections. The syllabus for Engineering Sciences can be seen from this page.
GATE 2021 Engineering Sciences Syllabus
Apart from the General Aptitude section, there are 8 sections in the syllabus of Engineering Sciences. Out of these 8 sections, one section i.e., Section A-Engineering Mathematics is mandatory for the candidates.
The remaining 7 sections are Fluid Mechanics (XE-B), Materials Science (XL-C), Solid Mechanics (XE-D), Thermodynamics (XE-E), Polymer Science & Engineering (XE-F), Food Technology (XE-G) and Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences(XE-H). Out of these 7 sections, candidates are supposed to choose any two sections. The syllabus for all the 8 sections is given below.
Engineering Mathematics (Compulsory for all XE Candidates)
- Section 1: Linear Algebra
- Section 2: Calculus – Functions of single variable, Functions of two variables & Sequences and series.
- Section 3: Vector Calculus
- Section 4: Complex variables
- Section 5: Ordinary Differential Equations
- Section 6: Partial Differential Equations
- Section 7: Probability and Statistics
- Section 8: Numerical Methods
Fluid Mechanics (XE – B)
- Section 1: Flow and Fluid Properties – Fluid Properties, Classification of Flows and Hydrostatics.
- Section 2: Kinematics of Fluid Motion
- Section 3: Integral Analysis for a Control Volume
- Section 4: Differential Analysis
- Section 5: Dimensional Analysis
- Section 6: Internal Flows
- Section 7: Bernoulli’s Equation and its Applications, Potential Flows – Bernoulli’s equation, Elementary potential flows
- Section 8: External Flows – Prandtl boundary layer equations and Boundary-layer characteristics
Materials Science (XE – C)
- Classification and Structure of Materials – Classification of materials, Nature of bonding in materials and Defects in crystalline materials.
- Thermodynamics, Kinetics and Phase Transformations
- Properties and Applications of Materials – Electronic properties, Magnetic properties, Thermal properties and Optical properties.
- Characterization and Measurements of Properties
- Processing of Materials
- Degradation of Materials
Solid Mechanics (XE – D)
- Section 1: Mechanics of rigid bodies
- Section 2: Mechanics of deformable bodies
- Section 3: Vibrations
Thermodynamics (XE – E)
- Section 1: Basic Concepts
- Section 2: First Law of Thermodynamics
- Section 3: Second Law of Thermodynamics
- Section 4: Properties of Pure Substances
- Section 5: Thermodynamic Relations
- Section 6: Thermodynamic Cycles
- Section 7: Ideal Gas Mixtures
Polymer Science and Engineering (XE – F)
- Section 1: Chemistry of high polymers
- Section 2: Polymer Characterization
- Section 3: Synthesis, manufacturing and properties
- Section 4: Polymer blends and composites
- Section 5: Polymer Technology
- Section 6: Polymer rheology
- Section 7: Polymer processing
- Section 8: Polymer testing
- Section 9: Polymer Recycling and Waste management
Food Technology (XE – G)
- Section 1: Food Chemistry and Nutrition
- Section 2: Food Microbiology
- Section 3: Food Products Technology
- Section 4: Food Engineering
Atmospheric & Ocean Science (XE – H)
- Section A: Atmospheric Science
- Section B: Ocean Sciences
GATE 2021 General Aptitude Syllabus
Candidates must note that the General Aptitude section is common in all the papers of GATE 2021. The syllabus for GA section is also the same in all the papers. The section is divided into 2 – Verbal Ability and Numerical Ability. There will be 10 questions asked in this section. Out of these total questions, 5 questions will be carrying 1-mark each and the remaining questions will be carrying 2-marks each. The syllabus for the General Aptitude section is given below.
| Verbal Ability English grammarSentence completionInstructionsVerbal analogiesWord groupsCritical reasoningVerbal deduction | Numerical Ability Numerical computationNumerical reasoningNumerical estimationData interpretation |
GATE 2021 Engineering Sciences Exam Pattern
The exam pattern and the marking scheme for Engineering science paper GATE 2021 are given below. Candidates must go through them to prepare according to the exam. It will help them in preparing better for the exam.
| Section | Distribution of Marks | Total Marks | Types of questions |
| GA | 5 questions of 1-mark each 5 questions of 2-marks each | 15 marks | MCQs |
| Section A – Engineering Mathematics (compulsory) | 7 questions of 1-mark each 4 questions of 2-marks each | 15 marks | MCQs and NATs |
| *Sections B to H(Any two) | 9 questions of 1-mark each 13 questions of 2-marks each | 35 marks | MCQs and NATs |
* distribution of marks, total marks, and types of questions of each of the optional sections of the XE papers (Sections B through H).
The exam mode of GATE 2021 is online and it is a Computer Based Test (CBT). The duration of the same is 3 hours. There will be 2 types of questions – MCQs and NATs.The total number of questions is 65 and the total marks are 100 marks. There will be negative marking for only the MCQs in the exam.
Marking scheme
| Type of question | Negative marking for wrong answers. | Marking for correct answer |
| MCQs | ⅓ for 1 mark questions⅔ for 2 marks questions | 1 or 2 marks |
| NATs | No negative marking | 1 or 2 marks |
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