GATE Chemistry Syllabus 2025 (Out): Important Topics, Tips, PDF Download

Kriti Jain
Kriti Jain

Updated on - Sep 3, 2024

GATE Chemistry syllabus 2025 has been released on the official website by IIT Roorkee. It includes three major sections: Physical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry. The key topics in the GATE chemistry syllabus are Chemical Kinetics, Group theory, Spectroscopy, Thermodynamics, Bio-inorganic chemistry, and more.

The Chemistry paper of GATE 2025 will involve 65 questions; 55 from the core subjects and 10 from the general aptitude. GATE 2025 Chemistry paper is coded as CY. Those who opted for this paper can choose between Chemical Engineering (CH) or Life Sciences (XL) as their second choice of paper.

GATE Chemistry Syllabus 2025 PDF Download

The examination authority has released the official GATE Chemistry Syllabus 2025 PDF on the official website of GATE 2025. Candidates can download the syllabus from the official website or from the link given below:

Particulars Link
GATE Chemistry Syllabus 2025 Download Here

GATE Chemistry Syllabus 2025

The GATE Chemistry Syllabus 2025 comprises three sections. The GATE syllabus 2025 PDF for each topic is attached in the table below. Candidates can download it and check the syllabus:

GATE Chemistry Syllabus 2025
GATE 2025 Chemistry Syllabus Download
Physical Chemistry Download PDF
Inorganic Chemistry Download PDF
Organic Chemistry Download PDF

GATE Physical Chemistry Syllabus 2025 

GATE Physical Chemistry syllabus is divided into six topics. Check out the topics and sub-topics involved in the Physical Chemistry section of the GATE Chemistry syllabus 2025:

GATE 2025 Physical Chemistry Syllabus: Structure

Physical Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Structure
Postulates of quantum mechanics Operators
Time-dependent and time-independent Schrödinger equations Born interpretation
Harmonic oscillator Rotational motion
Hydrogen and hydrogen-like atoms Multi-electron atoms
Chemical bonding Approximation Methods
Hybrid orbitals Hückel approximation and its application to annular π– electron systems

GATE 2025 Physical Chemistry Syllabus: Group Theory

Physical Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Group Theory
Symmetry elements and operations Point groups and character tables
Internal coordinates and vibrational modes Symmetry adapted linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO-MO)
Construction of hybrid orbitals using symmetry aspects -

GATE 2025 Physical Chemistry Syllabus: Spectroscopy

Physical Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Spectroscopy
Atomic spectroscopy Russell-Saunders coupling
Term symbols and spectral details Rotational, vibrational, electronic, and Raman spectroscopy of diatomic and polyatomic molecules
Line broadening Einstein’s coefficients
Relationship of transition moment integral with molar extinction coefficient and oscillator strength Basic principles of nuclear magnetic resonance

GATE 2025 Physical Chemistry Syllabus: Equilibrium

Physical Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Equilibrium
Laws of thermodynamics Standard states
Thermochemistry Thermodynamic functions and their relationships
Absolute entropy Partial molar quantities
Debye-Hückel limiting law Phase rule
Clausius- Clapeyron equation Azeotropes and eutectics
Debye-Hückel-Onsager equation Statistical thermodynamics

GATE 2025 Physical Chemistry Syllabus: Kinetics

Physical Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Kinetics
Elementary, parallel, opposing, and consecutive reactions Mechanisms of complex reactions
Unimolecular reactions Transition state theory
Kinetics of polymerization Catalysis concepts and enzyme catalysis
Kinetic isotope effects Fast reaction kinetics
Diffusion-controlled reactions Kinetics of photochemical and photophysical processes

GATE 2025 Physical Chemistry Syllabus: Surfaces and Interfaces

Physical Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Surfaces and Interfaces
Physisorption and chemisorption Langmuir, Freundlich and Brunauer–Emmett– Teller (BET) isotherms
Surface catalysis Surface tension and viscosity
Self-assembly. Physical chemistry of colloids, micelles and macromolecules

GATE Inorganic Chemistry Syllabus 2025

The section on Inorganic Chemistry consists of the below-mentioned topics. Learn the chapters included in the GATE Chemistry syllabus 2025 of inorganic chemistry from the table below:

GATE 2025 Inorganic Chemistry Syllabus: Main Group Elements

Inorganic Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Main Group Elements
Hydrides, halides, oxides, oxoacids, nitrides, sulfides – shapes and reactivity Allotropes of carbon, phosphorus and sulphur
Industrial synthesis of compounds of main group elements Chemistry of noble gases
Acid-base concepts and principles -

GATE 2025 Inorganic Chemistry Syllabus: Organometallics

Inorganic Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Organometallics
18-Electron rule Types of organometallic reactions
Homogeneous catalysis Fluxionality in organometallic complexes
Heterogeneous catalysis -

GATE 2025 Inorganic Chemistry Syllabus: Solids

Inorganic Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Solids
Crystal systems and lattices Bragg’s law
Instrumental Methods of Analysis Mössbauer spectroscopy (Fe and Sn)
X-ray crystallography Chromatography
Mass spectrometry Thermoanalytical methods
Atomic absorption spectroscopy Electroanalytical methods

GATE 2025 Inorganic Chemistry Syllabus: Transition Elements

Inorganic Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Transition Elements
Coordination chemistry Energy level diagrams in various crystal fields, CFSE, applications of CFT, and Jahn-Teller distortion
Electronic spectra of transition metal complexes Orgel and Tanabe- Sugano diagrams
Nephelauxetic effect and Racah parameter Magnetic properties of transition metal complexes
Ray-Dutt and Bailar twists Spectroscopic term symbols

GATE 2025 Inorganic Chemistry Syllabus: Radioactivity

Inorganic Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Radioactivity
Detection of radioactivity Decay processes
Bioinorganic Chemistry Ion (Na+ and K+) transport
Oxygen binding Half-life of radioactive elements
Fission and fusion processes Nitrogen fixation

GATE 2025 Inorganic Chemistry Syllabus: Reaction Mechanisms

Inorganic Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Reaction Mechanisms
Kinetic and thermodynamic stability Substitution and redox reactions
Lanthanides and Actinides Metal-metal multiple bonds
Periodic properties, spectra and magnetic properties -

GATE Organic Chemistry Syllabus 2025

The third section of the GATE Chemistry syllabus 2025 is Organic Chemistry. Candidates can expect questions from the following areas.

GATE 2025 Organic Chemistry Syllabus: Stereochemistry

Organic Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Stereochemistry
Chirality and symmetry of organic molecules Relative stereochemistry in compounds
Homotopic, enantiotopic and diastereotopic atoms, groups and faces Stereoselective and stereospecific synthesis
Conformational analysis of acyclic and cyclic compounds. Geometrical isomerism and optical isomerism
 Configurational and conformational effects Atropisomerism

GATE 2025 Organic Chemistry Syllabus: Organic Synthesis

Organic Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Organic Synthesis
Synthesis, reactions, mechanisms and selectivity in compounds Uses of reagents in organic synthesis
Carbon-carbon bond formation through coupling reactions Multistep synthesis
Atom economy and Green Chemistry Umpolung reactivity
Selectivity in organic synthesis Protection and deprotection of functional groups
Concepts of asymmetric synthesis Carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bond forming reactions

GATE 2025 Organic Chemistry Syllabus: Heterocyclic Compounds

Organic Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Heterocyclic Compounds
Structure, preparation, properties and reactions of furan Structure, preparation, properties and reactions of pyrrole
Structure, preparation, properties and reactions of thiophene Structure, preparation, properties and reactions of pyridine
Structure, preparation, properties and reactions of indole Structure, preparation, properties and reactions of quinoline and isoquinoline

GATE 2025 Organic Chemistry Syllabus: Experimental Techniques in Organic Chemistry

Organic Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Experimental Techniques in Organic Chemistry
Optical rotation (polarimetry) Applications of various chromatographic techniques
Applications of UV-visible Mass spectrometry in the structural determination of organic molecules

GATE 2025 Organic Chemistry Syllabus: Reaction Mechanisms

Organic Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Reaction Mechanisms
Mechanistic concepts of kinetic versus thermodynamic control Methods of determining reaction mechanisms
Linear free-energy relationship – Hammett and Taft equations Nucleophilic and electrophilic substitution reactions
Carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom (N and O) multiple bonds Elimination reactions
Reactive intermediates Molecular rearrangements

GATE 2025 Organic Chemistry Syllabus: Pericyclic Reactions and Photochemistry

Organic Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Pericyclic Reactions and Photochemistry
Electrocyclic Cycloaddition and sigmatropic reactions
Orbital correlations Woodward-Hoffmann rule
Photochemistry of alkenes, arenes and carbonyl compounds Photooxidation and photoreduction
Di-π-methane rearrangement Barton-McCombie reaction
Norrish type-I and II cleavage reaction -

GATE 2025 Organic Chemistry Syllabus: Biomolecules

Organic Chemistry GATE Syllabus: Biomolecules
Structure, properties and reactions of mono- and di-saccharides Physicochemical properties of amino acids
Chemical synthesis of peptides Chemical structure determination of peptides and proteins
Structural features of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, steroids, terpenoids, carotenoids, and alkaloids -

GATE Chemistry Syllabus 2025 Weightage of Important Topics

Here is the topic-wise distribution of questions from the GATE Chemistry syllabus 2025. The table is created by monitoring the past trends in GATE questions from each section. 

Important Topics Weightage in GATE Chemistry Syllabus 2025
Subject Average No. of Questions Asked
Chemical Kinetics 5
Chemical Equilibrium 4
Stereochemistry 4
Transitional Elements 3
Group Theory 3
Organics Synthesis 5
Experimentation Techniques in Organic Chemistry 2
Biomolecules 2
Reaction Mechanisms 5
Main Group Elements 4
Spectroscopy 2
Organometallics 3
Main Group Elements 4
Structure 3
Radioactivity 2
Solids 2
Pericyclic Reactions and Photochemistry 2
Heterocyclic Compounds 2

GATE Chemistry Syllabus 2025 Preparation Tips

Aspirants must use the right strategy to prepare for the GATE Chemistry syllabus 2025 as it impacts the overall score. Keep in mind the following tips to ace the Chemistry section of GATE 2025.

  • Go through the test pattern in detail: The GATE 2025 exam pattern for Chemistry involves details like type of questions, sectional weightage, and more. Familiarity with the exam pattern will help the candidates approach their preparation better.
  • Refer to the latest syllabus: Check out the GATE Chemistry syllabus 2025 thoroughly before starting your preparation for the test.
  • Solve previous papers: Attempt as many mock tests as possible to boost confidence for the exam. Download the past year’s papers to get an idea of the frequently asked questions.
  • Regular revision: Review the syllabus on a regular basis, especially in the last month before the exam. It will allow the candidates to retain all that they studied during their preparation.
  • Pick the Right Books: Choosing the right GATE 2025 study material for preparation is vital. Also, do not use too many resources at once for GATE chemistry preparation, as it will lead to confusion.

Read More: GATE 2025 Preparation

GATE Chemistry Syllabus 2025 Best Books for Preparation

There are several GATE books available in the market to prepare for the GATE exam. It becomes challenging for the aspirant to select the relevant ones. Here are the best reference books for the GATE Chemistry syllabus 2025.

Best Books for GATE Chemistry Preparation
Book Author
Success Guide to Inorganic Chemistry Tauheed Nadeem 
Success Guide to Inorganic Chemistry Tauheed Nadeem 
Concept Check in Organic Chemistry Avinash More
Chapterwise Solved Papers Chemistry GATE 2025 Sanjay Saxena & Preeti Gupta
GATE Chemistry Solved Papers Career Endeavour Publications
Wiley’s Gate Chemistry Chapter Wise Solved papers Wiley Editorial
GATE 2025: Chemistry Year-wise Previous Solved Papers GKP

GATE Chemistry 2025 Exam Pattern

As per the exam pattern of GATE 2025, candidates have to solve 65 questions in a duration of 3 hours. Moreover, the type of questions involved is MCQs and NATs.

GATE Chemistry Exam Pattern 2025
Section Marks Distribution Total Marks Type of Questions
General Ability 5 one-mark questions and 5 questions worth 2 marks each 15 Marks MCQs
Chemistry 25 one-mark questions and 30 questions worth 2 marks each 85 Marks MCQs and NATs

GATE Chemistry 2025 Marking Scheme 

Refer to the table below to get an overview of the GATE marking scheme 2025 for Chemistry.

Marking Scheme of GATE 2025 Chemistry
Particulars Details
Total Marks 100 Marks
Negative Marking MCQs- 1/3 for 1 mark problems 2/3 for 2 marks problemsNATs- No negative marking

GATE Chemistry Previous Year Question Papers

Aspirants must practice the past year’s papers to gain insights into the key topics from the GATE Chemistry syllabus. Click on the links below to download the previous years' GATE question papers and answer keys.

Previous Years' GATE Chemistry Papers
Year GATE Question Paper Answer Key
2023 Click Here Click Here
2022 Click Here Click Here
2021 Click Here Click Here
2020 Click Here Click Here
2019 Click Here Click Here
2018 Click Here Click Here

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