The TIFR GS 2027 syllabus is set separately for each subject test: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Computer Science and LIDS, Biology (JGEEBILS) and Science Education. Most tests follow a standard Indian BSc course, and Physics and Chemistry also cover MSc-level topics. TIFR publishes each syllabus with its exam instructions as a PDF. The GS-2027 test is on 13 December 2026.
TIFR GS Syllabus 2027
Topics for each GS-2027 subject test, the marking scheme, official PDFs and how to prepare.
What is the TIFR GS 2027 Physics syllabus?
The Physics syllabus is the usual undergraduate and Master’s course in Physics at an Indian university. Questions in the screening test and the later interviews come from these areas:
- Classical Mechanics
- Mathematics relevant to Physics
- Electricity and Magnetism
- Quantum Mechanics
- Heat, Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
- General Physics and Modern Physics
- Electronics and Experimental Physics
What is the TIFR GS 2027 Chemistry syllabus?
The Chemistry test follows the standard BSc and MSc syllabus of Indian universities and checks basic understanding in these areas:
- Physical, organic and inorganic chemistry
- Analytical chemistry and electrochemistry
- Quantum chemistry and thermodynamics
- Spectroscopy: NMR, fluorescence, IR, UV and X-ray
- Biophysics
- Logic, statistics and mathematical methods
What is the TIFR GS 2027 Mathematics syllabus?
The main Mathematics test is based on a good BSc course and is used for SoM Mumbai, the CAM I-PhD, ICTS and the CAM-ICTS programme.
- Algebra: groups, subgroups, homomorphisms, group actions, Sylow theorems, rings, fields, polynomial rings, vector spaces, matrices, determinants, characteristic and minimal polynomials, inner products.
- Analysis: real and complex numbers, sequences and series, continuity, differentiability, Riemann integration, elementary functions, convergence of sequences and series of functions.
- Geometry and topology: plane and solid figures, coordinate geometry, trigonometry, metric spaces, connectedness, compactness, continuity.
- General: pigeon-hole principle, induction, divisibility, permutations and combinations, graphs, elementary probability.
The separate Mathematics (PhD at CAM) paper goes further: real analysis, ordinary differential equations, linear algebra, topology, functional analysis, measure theory, complex analysis and probability.
What is the TIFR GS 2027 Computer Science and LIDS syllabus?
The paper has a common part for everyone, a Computer Science part and a Learning, Information and Data Science (LIDS, formerly Systems Science) part.
| Part | Topics |
|---|---|
| Computer Science | Discrete maths (sets, combinatorics, probability, graph theory, logic); automata and computability; data structures and algorithms, NP-completeness; programming languages and compilers; operating systems and concurrency; switching theory and digital circuits; databases |
| LIDS | Engineering mathematics (probability, linear algebra, basic optimisation, analysis, calculus); signals and systems; digital signal processing |
What do the Biology and Science Education tests cover?
The Biology test (JGEEBILS) has no fixed syllabus. TIFR says it covers basics only in physics, chemistry, maths and biology, so revising your fundamentals is enough.
- Biology (JGEEBILS): General, Physics, Chemistry and Biology questions, plus a few written answers that are not scored but are used in later screening.
- Science Education: quantitative reasoning, scientific literacy and technical comprehension; social and cognitive sciences and education; ten questions each on biology, chemistry, maths and physics; and a critical reasoning section with written answers. HBCSE’s graduate school website has the detailed syllabus.
What is the TIFR GS 2027 exam pattern and marking?
Every subject has its own online test on 13 December 2026, and the marking differs by subject.
| Subject test | Duration | Questions and marking |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 3 hours | Section A: 25 MCQs (+3, -1); Section B: 15 MCQs (+5, no negative) |
| Chemistry | 3 hours | 40 MCQs (+3, -1) |
| Mathematics | 3 hours | Part A: MCQs (+2, -1); Part B: true/false (+2, -2) |
| Mathematics (PhD at CAM) | 2 hours | Part A: 10 MCQs (+2, -2); Part B: 10 MCQs (+4, -4) |
| Computer Science & LIDS | 3 hours | 15 questions in each part (+4, -1); attempt the common part and CS, LIDS or both |
| Biology (JGEEBILS) | 3 hours | 60 MCQs, Part A 1 mark and Part B 2 marks, with negative marking; unscored written answers |
| Science Education | 3 hours | Section I: 80 MCQs, answer any 50 (2 marks each, no negative); Section II: 3 descriptive questions (50 marks) |
Calculators are not allowed in the Mathematics and Computer Science tests. The Physics test has an on-screen calculator.
Where can I download the official TIFR GS syllabus PDFs?
TIFR posts one PDF per subject on its Syllabus and Exam Instructions page. Some were written for earlier tests, so look for GS-2027 updates before the exam.
| Subject | Official PDF |
|---|---|
| Physics | Open PDF |
| Chemistry | Open PDF |
| Mathematics | Open PDF |
| Mathematics (PhD at CAM) | Open PDF |
| Computer Science & LIDS | Open PDF |
| Biology (JGEEBILS) | Open PDF |
| Science Education | Open PDF |
How should I prepare for TIFR GS 2027?
- Revise your BSc (and, for PhD, MSc) core subjects first; TIFR questions test concepts rather than memory.
- Solve past papers of your subject in 3-hour sittings to learn the marking and the level.
- Practise skipping uncertain questions where negative marking applies, such as Physics Section A and Chemistry.
- Take TIFR’s official mock test on its website to get used to the online test screen.
- Read the instruction sheet for your subject again in the week before 13 December 2026.
Our TIFR GS previous year question papers page has subject-wise papers from 2015 to 2026.
Free full-length TIFR GS mock tests with timers and answers.