GATE 2021 Life Sciences (XL) Syllabus: The XL paper is of a general nature. The paper consists of 3 parts. The first part of the XL paper is General Aptitude and the second part is Section P – Chemistry which is compulsory for the candidates. The third part of the XL paper comprises of Sections Q to U and candidates have to choose any two of them. Candidates can see the syllabus for Life Science from this page.
GATE 2021 Life Sciences Syllabus
Apart from the General Aptitude section, there are 6 sections in the syllabus of Life Sciences. Out of these 6 sections, one section i.e., Section P – Chemistry is compulsory for the candidates.
The remaining 5 sections are Biochemistry (XL-Q), Botany (XL-R), Microbiology (XL-S), Zoology (XL-T), and Food Technology (XL-U). Out of these 5 sections, candidates are supposed to choose any two sections. The syllabus for all the 6 sections of Life Sciences paper is given below.
Chemistry (Compulsory for all XL candidates) {XL – P}
- Section 1: Atomic Structure and Periodicity
- Section 2: Structure and Bonding
- Section 3: s, p and d Block Elements
- Section 4: Chemical Equilibria
- Section 5: Electrochemistry
- Section 6: Reaction Kinetics
- Section 7: Thermodynamics
- Section 8: Structure-Reactivity Correlations and Organic Reaction Mechanisms
- Section 9: Chemistry of Biomolecules
Biochemistry (XL – Q)
Section 1:
Organization of life; Importance of water; Structure and function of biomolecules: Amino acids, Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins and Nucleic acids; Protein structure, folding / misfolding and function; Myoglobin, Hemoglobin, Lysozyme, Ribonuclease A, Carboxypeptidase and Chymotrypsin.
Section 2:
Enzyme kinetics, regulation and inhibition; Vitamins and Coenzymes; Bioenergetics and
metabolism; Generation and utilization of ATP; Metabolic pathways and their regulation:
glycolysis, TCA cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, oxidative phosphorylation,
gluconeogenesis, glycogen and fatty acid metabolism; Metabolism of Nitrogen containing
compounds: nitrogen fixation, amino acids and nucleotides. Photosynthesis, Calvin cycle.
Section 3:
Biochemical separation techniques: ion exchange, size exclusion and affinity chromatography, centrifugation; Characterization of biomolecules by electrophoresis; DNA- protein and protein – protein interactions; UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy; Mass spectrometry.
Section 4:
Cell structure and organelles; Biological membranes; Action potential; Transport across membranes; Membrane assembly and Protein targeting; Signal transduction; Receptor-ligand interaction; Hormones and neurotransmitters
Section 5:
DNA replication, transcription and translation; DNA damage and repair; Biochemical regulation of gene expression; Recombinant DNA technology and applications: PCR, site directed mutagenesis, DNA-microarray; Next generation sequencing; Gene silencing and editing
Section 6:
Immune system: Innate and adaptive; Cell of the immune system; Active and passive immunity; Complement system; Antibody structure, function and diversity; B cell and T Cell receptors; B cell and T cell activation; Major histocompatibilty complex; Immunological techniques: Immunodiffusion, immune-electrophoresis, RIA and ELISA, flow cytometry; monoclonal antibodies and their applications.
Botany (XL – R)
- Section 1: Plant Systematics
- Section 2: Plant Anatomy
- Section 3: Plant development; cell and tissue morphogenesis
- Section 4: Plant physiology and biochemistry
- Section 5: Genetics and genomics
- Section 6: Plant Breeding, Genetic Modification, Genome Editing
- Section 7: Economic and applied Botany
- Section 8: Plant Pathology
- Section 9: Ecology and Environment
Microbiology (XL – S)
- Section 1: Historical Perspective
- Section 2: Methods in Microbiology
- Section 3: Microbial Taxonomy and Diversity
- Section 4: Prokaryotic Cells: Structure and Function
- Section 5: Microbial Growth
- Section 6: Control of Micro-organisms
- Section 7: Microbial Metabolism
- Section 8: Microbial Diseases and Host Pathogen Interaction
- Section 9: Chemotherapy/Antibiotics
- Section 10: Microbial Genetics
- Section 11: Microbial Ecology
Zoology (XL – T)
- Section 1: Animal Diversity
- Section 2: Evolution
- Section 3: Genetics
- Section 4: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Section 5: Cell Biology
- Section 6: Gene expression in Eukaryotes
- Section 7: Animal Anatomy and Physiology
- Section 8: Parasitology and Immunology
- Section 9: Development Biology
- Section 10: Ecology
- Section 11: Animal Behaviour
Food Technology (XL – U)
- Section 1: Food Chemistry and Nutrition
- Section 2: Food Microbiology
- Section 3: Food Products Technology
- Section 4: Food Engineering
GATE 2021 General Aptitude Syllabus
The General Aptitude section is common in all the 25 subjects of GATE 2021. The syllabus of this section also remains the same in all the papers. Candidates can check the syllabus for the General Aptitude section below. The section is divided into Verbal Ability & Numerical Ability. There are a total of 10 questions in this section, out of which 5 questions will carry 1-mark each and 5 questions will carry 2-marks each.
Verbal Ability
- English grammar
- Sentence completion,
- Instructions
- Verbal analogies
- Word groups
- Critical reasoning
- Verbal deduction
Numerical Ability
- Numerical computation
- Numerical reasoning
- Numerical estimation
- Data interpretation
GATE 2021 Life Sciences Exam Pattern
Before you begin with their GATE 2021 preparation, make sure that you go through the exam pattern of the examination. Also, take a look at the marking scheme of the examination as both are important in your preparation. The knowledge about the exam related information will help them in preparing well for the examination. We have given the exam pattern as well as the marking scheme of GATE 2021 below. Let’s have a look at it.
| 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 P – Chemistry (compulsory) | 5 questions of 1-mark each 10 questions of 2-marks each | 25 marks | MCQs and NATs |
| *Sections Q to U(Any two) | 10 questions of 1-mark each 10 questions of 2-marks each | 30 marks | MCQs and NATs |
* distribution of marks, total marks, and types of questions of each of the optional sections of the XL papers (Sections Q through U).
Exam Mode: The exam will be conducted online and it will be a Computer-Based Test.
Duration: 3 hours
Types of questions: MCQs and NAT
Total questions: 65 questions
Total marks: 100 marks
Negative Marking: For MCQs only
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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