GATE Life Science Syllabus 2025: Section-Wise Syllabus PDF

GATE Life Sciences syllabus 2025 is categorised into three sections. Chemistry, Botany, Bio-Chemistry, Microbiology, and Zoology are some topics covered in the Life Science syllabus.

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GATE Life Science syllabus 2024 consists of 3 sections, out of which Section 1 (General Aptitude) and Section 2 (XL-P) are compulsory for all the GATE Life Science exam applicants. Section 3 consists of 5 subjects (Q to U) and any two subjects have to be selected by the candidate out of these five.

GATE Life Science Syllabus 2024 PDF Download

To know more about the GATE Life Sciences syllabus 2024, we have provided you with the downloadable PDF file in the table below:

GATE Life Science Syllabus PDF Download
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GATE Life Sciences Syllabus 2024 Section-wise

The following is the section-wise syllabus for the GATE 2025 exam Life Sciences (XL). For more details, check the GATE Syllabus here.

Section One - General Aptitude
Section Two - Chemistry (Subject code P)
Section Three -
1. Biochemistry (XL-Q)
2. Botany (XL-R)
3. Microbiology (XL-S)
4. Zoology (XL-T)
5. Food Technology (XL-U)

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GATE Life Sciences Chemistry (XL-P) Syllabus 2024

Chemistry is mandatory for all candidates. Make sure to prepare thoroughly for this subject. Given below are the topics to be covered for the GATE chemical science syllabus.

Section 1: Atomic Structure and Periodicity

Planck’s Quantum Theory
Wave-particle Duality
Uncertainty Principle
Quantum Mechanical Model of Hydrogen Atom
Electronic Configuration of Atoms And Ions
Periodic Table A=and Periodic Properties
Ionization Energy
Electron Affinity
Electronegativity
Atomic Size

Section 2: Structure and Bonding

Ionic and Covalent Bonding
Mo and Vb Approaches for Diatomic Molecules
Vsepr Theory and Shape of Molecules
Hybridization
Resonance
Dipole Moment
Structure Parameters
Bond Length
Bond Angle
Bond Energy
Hydrogen Bonding
Van Der Waals Interactions
Ionic Solids, Ionic Radii and Lattice Energy (Born‐Haber Cycle)
HSAB Principle

Section 3: s, p and d Block Elements

Oxides, Halides and Hydrides of Alkali
Alkaline Earth Metals, B, Al, Si, N, P, And S
General Characteristics of 3d Element
Coordination Complexes
Valence Bond and Crystal Field Theory
Colour
Geometry
Magnetic Properties
Isomerism

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Section 4: Chemical Equilibria

Colligative Properties of Solutions
Ionic Equilibria In Solution
Solubility Product
Common Ion Effect
Hydrolysis of Salts, Ph, Buffer And their Applications
Equilibrium Constants (Kc, Kp And Kx) for Homogeneous Reactions

Section 5: Electrochemistry

Conductance
Kohlrausch Law
Cell Potentials
Emf
Nernst Equation
Galvanic Cells
Thermodynamic Aspects and Their Applications

Section 6: Reaction Kinetics

Rate Constant
Order of Reaction
Molecularity
Activation Energy
Zero
First and Second-order Kinetics
Catalysis & Elementary Enzyme Reactions

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Section 7: Thermodynamics

First Law
Reversible & Irreversible Processes
Internal Energy
Enthalpy
Kirchhoff Equation
Heat of Reaction
Hess’s Law
Heat of Formation
Second Law
Entropy
Free Energy
Work Function
Gibbs‐helmholtz Equation
Clausius‐clapeyron Equation
Free Energy Change
Equilibrium Constant
Trouton’s Rule
Third Law of Thermodynamics

Section 8: Structure-Reactivity Correlations and Organic Reaction Mechanisms

Acids and Bases
Electronic and Steric Effects
Optical and Geometrical Isomerism
Tautomerism
Conformers and Concept of Aromaticity
Elementary Treatment of Sn1, Sn2, E1 and E2 Reactions Hoffmann and Saytzeff Rules
Addition Reaction
Markownikoff Rule and Kharash Effect
Aromatic Electrophilic Substitutions
Orientation Effect As Exemplified by Various Functional Groups Diels‐alder
Wittig and Hydroboration Reactions
Identification of Functional Groups by Chemical Tests

Section 9: Chemistry of Biomolecules

Amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids and nucleotides
Peptide sequencing by chemical and enzymatic proteolytic methods
DNA sequencing by chemical and enzymatic methods
Carbohydrates (up to hexoses only)
Lipids (triglycerides only)
Principles of biomolecule purification-Ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography
Identification of these biomolecules and Beer-Lambert’s law

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The following are the subjects and their syllabus for section three of the GATE Life Sciences exam.

GATE Life Sciences Bio-Chemistry (XL-Q) Syllabus 2024

Given below is a table that contains the in-detail GATE Life Sciences syllabus 2024 for bio-chemistry to aid with your preparation. Various subtopics are mentioned below.

Section 1

Organization of life
Importance of water
Structure and function of biomolecules
Amino acids
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins and Nucleic acids
Protein structure, folding and function
Myoglobin
Haemoglobin
Lysozyme
Ribonuclease A
Carboxypeptidase
Chymotrypsin

Section 2

Enzyme kinetics including its regulation and inhibition
Vitamins and Coenzymes
Metabolism and bioenergetics
Generation & 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

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Section 3

Biochemical separation techniques: ion exchange, size exclusion and affinity chromatography
Characterization of biomolecules by electrophoresis
UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy and Mass spectrometry

Section 4

Cell structure and organelles
Biological membranes
Transport across membranes
Signal transduction
Hormones and neurotransmitters

Section 5

DNA replication, transcription and translation
Biochemical regulation of gene expression
Recombinant DNA technology and applications
PCR
Site-directed mutagenesis
DNA-microarray

Section 6

Immune system: Active and passive immunity
Complement system
Antibody structure, function and diversity
Cells of the immune system: T, B and macrophages
T and B cell activation
Major histocompatibility complex
T cell receptor
Immunological techniques
Immunodiffusion
Immune electrophoresis
RIA
ELISA

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GATE Life Sciences Botany (XL-R) Syllabus 2024

The GATE Life Sciences syllabus 2024 of Botany comprises nine parts. Each part contains certain subtopics which include Plant Systematics, Plant Anatomy and so on.

Section 1: Plant Systematics

Major systems of classification, plant groups, phylogenetic relationships and molecular systematics

Section 2: Plant Anatomy

Plant Cell Structure and Its Components
Cell Wall and Membranes
Organization
Organelles
Cytoskeleton
Anatomy of Root
Stem and Leaves
Floral Parts
Embryo and Young Seedlings
Meristems
Vascular System
Their Ontogeny
Structure and Functions
Secondary Growth In Plants and Stellar Organization

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Section 3: Plant Development

Cell and tissue morphogenesis life cycle of an angiosperm
Development of male and female gametophyte
Cell fate determination and tissue patterning
Spacing mechanisms in trichomes and stomata
Embryogenesis, organization and function of shoot and root apical meristems
Transition to flowering:
Photoperiodism and vernalization
ABC model of floral organ patterning
Pollen germination
Double fertilization
Seed development
Xylem and phloem cell differentiation
Photomorphogenesis
Phytochrome
Cryptochrome
Phototropin
Role of auxin, Cytokinin, Gibberellins, and Brassinosteroids on Plant Development

Section 4: Physiology and Biochemistry

Plant water relations
Transport of minerals and solutes
Stress physiology
STomatal physiology
Signal transduction
N2 metabolism
Photosynthesis
Photorespiration respiration
Flowering: photoperiodism and vernalization, biochemical mechanisms involved in flowering
Molecular mechanism of senescence and ageing
Biosynthesis, mechanism of action and physiological effects of plant growth regulators, structure and function of biomolecules, (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acid), enzyme kinetics

Section 5: Genetics and Genomics

Cell cycle and cell division
Principles of Mendelian inheritance, linkage, recombination, genetic mapping
Extrachromosomal inheritance
Introduction to epigenetics
Gene silencing
Transgene Silencing
Post-transcriptional gene silencing
miRNA
siRNA
Evolution and organization of eukaryotic genome structure
Gene expression, gene mutation and repair
Chromosomal aberrations (numerical: euploidy and aneuploidy and structural: deletion, duplication, inversion, translocation), transposons
Model organisms for functional genetics and genomics
Introduction to transcriptomics
Proteomics a
Metabolomics

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Section 6: Plant Breeding, Genetic Modification, Genome Editing Principles, and Methods

Selection, hybridization, heterosis
Male sterility, genetic maps and molecular markers, embryo rescue, haploid and doubled haploids
Plant tissue culture
Micropropagation
Embryo culture and in vitro regeneration
Somatic embryogenesis
Artificial seed
Cryopreservation
Somaclonal variation
Somatic cell hybridization
Marker-assisted selection
Gene transfer methods viz
Direct and vector-mediated
Generation of transgenic plants
Introduction to genome editing: CRISPR/Cas9, Cre-Lox system to generate chimaeras
Plastid transformation
Chemical mutagenesis

Section 7: Economic and Applied Botany

A general account of economically and medicinally important plants- cereals, pulses, plants yielding fibres, timber, sugar, beverages, oils, rubber, pigments, dyes, gums, drugs and narcotics
Economic importance of algae, fungi, lichen and bacteria
Major Indian cash crops
Effect of industrialization on agricultural botany such as plastic on fibre economy
Genetically modified crops and their regulation eg. Bt cotton, Bt brinjal golden rice etc.

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Section 8: Plant Pathology

Nature and classification of plant diseases
Diseases of important crops caused by fungi, bacteria, nematodes and viruses, and their control measures (chemical and biological) mechanism(s) of pathogenesis
Resistance: basal, systemic, induced systemic resistance, the gene for gene concept
Molecular detection of pathogens
Plant-microbe interactions: symbionts and mycorrhiza, pathogens and pests
Signalling pathways in plant defence response
Salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) in plant-pathogen plant-herbivore interaction
Necrosis
Host- parasitic plant interaction (such as Cuscuta).

Section 9: Ecology and Environment

Ecosystems – types, dynamics, degradation, biogeochemical cycles, ecological succession
Food webs and energy flow through the ecosystem
Vegetation types of the world
Indian vegetation types and biogeographical zones
Climate and flora endemism
Pollution and global climate change
Speciation and extinction
Biodiversity and conservation strategies
Ecological hotspots
Afforestation
Habitat restoration
Plant interactions with other organisms
Epiphytes, parasites and endophytes

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GATE Life Sciences Microbiology (XL-S) Syllabus 2024

The following are topics to be covered for the Microbiology subject for the GATE Life Sciences syllabus 2024. The topics include Historical perspective, Methods of Microbiology and so on. GATE Microbiology syllabus and subtopics are also mentioned here.

Section 1: Historical Perspective

Discovery of the microbial world
Landmark discoveries relevant to the field of microbiology Controversy over spontaneous generation
Role of microorganisms in transformation of organic matter and the causation of diseases.

Section 2: Methods in Microbiology

Pure culture techniques
Theory and practice of sterilization
Principles of microbial nutrition
Enrichment culture techniques for isolation of microorganisms
Light-, phase contrast- and electron microscopy

Section 3: Microbial Taxonomy and Diversity

Bacteria, Archea and their broad classification
Eukaryotic microbes: Yeasts, moulds and protozoa
Viruses and their classification
Molecular approaches to microbial taxonomy

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Section 4: Prokaryotic Cells: Structure and Function

Prokaryotic Cells:
Cell walls
Cell membranes and their biosynthesis
Mechanisms of solute transport across membranes
Flagella and pili
Capsules
Cell inclusions like endospores and gas vesicles
Bacterial locomotion, including positive and negative chemotaxis

Section 5: Microbial Growth

Definition of growth
Growth curve
The mathematical expression of an exponential growth phase
Measurement of growth and growth yields
Synchronous growth
Continuous culture
Effect of environmental factors on growth

Section 6: Control of Microorganisms

Effect of physical and chemical agents
Evaluation of the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents

Section 7: Microbial Metabolism

Energetics: redox reactions and electron carriers
An overview of metabolism
Glycolysis
Pentose Phosphate pathway
Entner-Doudoroff pathway
Glyoxylate pathway
The citric acid cycle
Fermentation
Aerobic and anaerobic respiration
Chemolithotrophy
Photosynthesis
Calvin cycle
Biosynthetic pathway for fatty acids synthesis
Common regulatory mechanisms in the synthesis of amino acids
Regulation of major metabolic pathways

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Section 8: Microbial Diseases and Host-Pathogen

Interaction Normal microbiota
Classification of infectious diseases
Reservoirs of infection
Nosocomial infection
Emerging infectious diseases
Mechanism of microbial pathogenicity
Nonspecific defence of the host
Antigens and antibodies
Humoral and cell-mediated immunity
Vaccines
Immune deficiency
Human diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, and pathogenic fungi

Section 9: Chemotherapy/Antibiotics

General characteristics of antimicrobial drugs
Antibiotics: Classification, mode of action and resistance
Antifungal and antiviral drugs

Section 10: Microbial Genetics

Types of mutation
UV and chemical mutagens
Selection of mutants
Ames test for mutagenesis
Bacterial genetic system: transformation, conjugation, transduction, recombination, plasmids, transposons
DNA repair
Regulation of gene expression: repression and induction
Operon model
Bacterial genome with special reference to E.coli
Phage λ and its life cycle
RNA phages
RNA viruses
Retroviruses
The basic concept of microbial genomics

Section 11: Microbial Ecology

Microbial interactions
Carbon, sulphur and nitrogen cycles
Soil microorganisms are associated with vascular plants

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Syllabus for Zoology (XL-T) 2024

The detailed GATE Life Sciences syllabus 2024 for Zoology is mentioned below. The various topics and sub-topics included in the syllabus are mentioned for your reference.

Section 1: Animal world

Animal Diversity
Distribution
Systematics and classification of animals
Phylogenetic relationships

Section 2: Evolution

Origin and history of life on earth
Theories of evolution
Natural selection
Adaptation
Speciation

Section 3: Genetics Basic

Principles of inheritance
Molecular basis of heredity
Sex determination and sex-linked characteristics
Cytoplasmic inheritance
Linkage
Recombination and mapping of genes in eukaryotes
Population genetics

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Section 4: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Nucleic acids
Proteins
Lipids and carbohydrates; replication
Transcription and translation; regulation of gene expression
Organization of genome
Kreb’s cycle
Glycolysis
Enzyme catalysis
Hormones and their actions
Vitamins

Section 5: Cell Biology

Structure of cell
Cellular organelles and their structure and function
Cell cycle
Cell division
Chromosomes and chromatin structure. Section 6: Gene expression in Eukaryotes Eukaryotic gene organization and expression (Basic principles of signal transduction)

Section 6: Gene expression in Eukaryotes

Eukaryotic genome organization and regulation of gene expression transposable elements

Section 7: Animal Anatomy and Physiology

Comparative physiology
The respiratory system
Circulatory system
Digestive system
The nervous system
The excretory system
The endocrine system
The reproductive system
The skeletal system
Osmoregulation

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Section 8: Parasitology and Immunology

Nature of parasite
Host-parasite relation
Protozoan and helminthic parasites
The immune response
Cellular and humoral immune response
Evolution of the immune system

Section 9: Development Biology

Embryonic development
Cellular differentiation
Organogenesis
Metamorphosis
Genetic basis of development
Stem cells

Section 10: Ecology

The ecosystem
Habitats
The food chain
Population dynamics
Species diversity
Zoogeography Ageing
Biogeochemical cycles
Conservation biology

Section 11: Animal Behaviour

Types of behaviours
Courtship
Mating and territoriality
Instinct
Learning and memory
Social behaviour across the animal taxa
Communication
Pheromones
Evolution of animal behaviour

GATE Life Sciences Food Technology (XL-U) Syllabus 2024

The following are topics to be covered for Food Technology Syllabus The topics include Food Chemistry & Nutrition, Food Microbiology and so on. Make sure you go through each topic and subtopic and prepare thoroughly.

Section 1: Food Chemistry and Nutrition

Carbohydrates: structure and functional properties of mono-, oligo-, & poly- saccharides including starch, cellulose, pectic substances and dietary fibre, gelatinization and retrogradation of starch
Proteins: classification and structure of proteins in food, biochemical changes in post-mortem and tenderization of muscles
Lipids: Classification and structure of lipids, rancidity, polymerization and polymorphism
Pigments: carotenoids, chlorophylls, anthocyanins, tannins and myoglobin
Food flavours: terpenes, esters, aldehydes, ketones and quinones
Enzymes: specificity, simple and inhibition kinetics, coenzymes, enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning
Nutrition: balanced diet, essential amino acids and essential fatty acids, protein efficiency ratio, water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, the role of minerals in nutrition, co-factors, anti-nutrients, nutraceuticals, nutrient deficiency diseases
Chemical and biochemical changes: changes occur in foods during different processing

Section 2: Food Microbiology

Characteristics of microorganisms: morphology of bacteria, yeast, mould and actinomycetes, spores and vegetative cells, gram-staining
Microbial growth: growth and death kinetics, serial dilution technique
Food spoilage: spoilage microorganisms in different food products including milk, fish, meat, egg, cereals and their products
Toxins from microbes: pathogens and non-pathogens including Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Shebelle, Escherichia, Bacillus, Clostridium, and Aspergillus genera
Fermented foods and beverages: curd, yoghurt, cheese, pickles, soya-sauce, sauerkraut, idly, dose, vinegar, alcoholic beverages and sausage

Section 3: Food Products Technology

Processing principles: thermal processing, chilling, freezing, dehydration, the addition of preservatives and food additives, irradiation, fermentation, hurdle technology, intermediate moisture foods
Food packaging and storage: packaging materials, aseptic packaging, controlled and modified atmosphere storage
Cereal processing and products: milling of rice, wheat, and maize, parboiling of paddy, bread, biscuits, extruded products and ready-to-eat breakfast cereals
Oil processing: expelling, solvent extraction, refining and hydrogenation
Fruits and vegetable processing: extraction, clarification, concentration and packaging of fruit juice, jam, jelly, marmalade, squash, candies, tomato sauce, ketchup, and puree, potato chips, pickles
Plantation crops processing and products: tea, coffee, cocoa, spice, extraction of essential oils and oleoresins from spices
Milk and milk products processing: pasteurization and sterilization, cream, butter, ghee, ice- cream, cheese and milk powder
Processing of animal products: drying, canning, and freezing of fish and meat; production of egg powder
Waste utilization: pectin from fruit wastes, uses of by-products from rice milling
Food standards and quality maintenance: FPO, PFA, A-Mark, ISI, HACCP, food plant sanitation and cleaning in place (CIP)

Section 4: Food Engineering

Mass and energy balance; Momentum transfer: Flow rate and pressure drop relationships for Newtonian fluids flowing through the pipe, Reynolds number
Heat transfer: heat transfer by conduction, convection, radiation, heat exchangers
Mass transfer: molecular diffusion and Flick's law, conduction and convective mass transfer, permeability through single and multilayer films
Mechanical operations: size reduction of solids, high-pressure homogenization, filtration, centrifugation, settling, sieving, mixing & agitation of the liquid
Thermal operations: thermal sterilization, evaporation of liquid foods, hot air drying of solids, spray and freeze-drying, freezing and crystallization
Mass transfer operations: psychometric, humidification and dehumidification operations

The second most important thing is to give mock tests. Be serious and give mock tests just like you are giving an actual exam.
Try to master the subjects that are you are weak at.
The aptitude section does not need hardcore preparation. It needs speed. So develop speed.
The road to success is long. Do not lose your focus and motivation along the way.
While selecting study material, prefer quality over quantity.
Good books are your best companion. Try to collect the books mentioned above and keep them ready for any reference.
Make a notebook for every topic and note down important points that you usually forget. Review them regularly before starting a new topic.

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