GATE 2026 Life Sciences (XL) Syllabus, Important topics and Books
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering 2026 ( GATE )
Admit Card - 2 Jan '26
IIT Guwahati has released the exam pattern and syllabus for GATE 2026 Life Sciences. GATE 2026 Exam is scheduled for February 7, 8, 14 and 15 . Candidates can devise a good prep strategy with a few months left for the GATE 2026 exam through the information on this page.
GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus, Important Topics and Books
GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: IIT Guwahati will conduct the GATE 2026 exam on February 7, 8, 14 and 15 2026. IIT Guwahati has released all sections' GATE 2026 Life Sciences exam dates and syllabus. Candidates willing to appear for the GATE XL paper 2026 should know the important topics, suitable sections, marking scheme and other important aspects of the exam. Candidates can check section-wise GATE life science (XL) sample papers and syllabus in detail, the marking scheme and more on this page below;
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- Latest Updates
- GATE 2026 Life Science: Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
- GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: Section-wise brief Syllabus
- GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-P) Chemistry Syllabus
- GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-Q) Biochemistry Syllabus
- GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-R) Botany Syllabus
- GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-S) Microbiology Syllabus
- GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-T) Zoology Syllabus
- GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-U) Food Technology Syllabus
- Books for GATE 2026 Life Sciences Preparation
Latest Updates
GATE 2026 Life Science: Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
GATE Life Sciences is mainly divided into 4 sections: general aptitude, one compulsory section, chemistry, and two other sections out of 5 optional sections. Candidates can check the GATE 2026 exam pattern and marking scheme for life sciences in detail mentioned below:
| Section | No. of Questions | Total Marks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Aptitude | 5 of 1 mark | 5 of 2 marks | 10 | 15 |
| Compulsory Section [XL-P: Chemistry] | 5 of 1 mark | 10 of 2 marks | 15 | 25 |
| Optional section 1 [Any one section from Q to U] | 10 of 1 mark | 10 of 2 marks | 20 | 30 |
| Optional Section 2 [Any one section from Q to U except optional section 1] | 10 of 1 mark | 10 of 2 marks | 20 | 30 |
Candidates can use GATE books to pick out important terms and formulas and note them for last-minute revision. It is advised to focus more on clearing your concepts than memorising. The GATE exam dates 2026 are February 7, 8, 14, and 15. Candidates must attempting mock test and old question papers.
Here are some good books for GATE Electrical Engineering and Electronics and Communication Engineering -
| GATE EE Books | GATE EC Books |
| Fundamentals of Electric Circuits by Charles K. Alexander | Fundamentals of Electric Circuits by Charles K. Alexander & Matthew N.O. Sadiku |
| Signals and Systems by A. Anand Kumar | Digital Logic and Computer Design by M.Morris Mano |
| Electric Machinery by P.S Bhimbra | Modern Digital Electronics by R.P Jain |
| Electrical and Electronic Measurements and Instrumentation by AK Shawhey | Analog and Digital Communication Systems by Simon Haykin |
Also Read: Detailed GATE 2026 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
| Important Links For GATE 2026 | |
|---|---|
| GATE 2026 Application Form | GATE Previous Year Question Papers |
| GATE Exam Pattern 2026 | GATE 2026 Eligibility Criteria |
GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: Section-wise brief Syllabus
Candidates can check all the topics of each section of the GATE (XL) Life Sciences paper mentioned below, for complete syllabus read below;
| Section | Topics |
|---|---|
| XL- P (Chemistry) | Atomic Structure and Periodicity, Structure and Bonding, s, p, and d Block Elements, Chemical Equilibria, Electrochemistry, Reaction Kinetics, Thermodynamics, Structure-Reactivity Correlations, Chemistry of Biomolecules |
| XL- Q (Biochemistry) | Biomolecules, Proteins and Enzymes, Biochemical separation techniques, cell, DNA, Immune system |
| XL - R (Botany) | Plant Systematics, Plant Anatomy, Plant Development; Cell and Tissue Morphogenesis, Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Genetics and Genomics, Plant Breeding, Genetic Modification, Genome Editing, Economic and Applied Botany, Plant Pathology , Ecology and Environment |
| XL- S (Micro Biology) | Historical Perspective, Methods in Microbiology, Microbial Taxonomy and Diversity, Prokaryotic Cells: Structure and Function, Microbial Growth, metabolism & genetics, Control of Micro-organisms, Microbial Diseases and Host-Pathogen Interaction, Chemotherapy/Antibiotics |
| XL - T (Zoology) | Animal diversity & behavior, Evolution, Genetics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Parasitology and Immunology, Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Development Biology |
| XL - U (Food Technology) |
Food Chemistry and Nutrition, Food Microbiology, Food Products Technology, Food Engineering |
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GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-P) Chemistry Syllabus
Candidates can check the detailed syllabus of each section of the Chemistry section of GATE Life Sciences paper 2025 here;
| GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-P) Chemistry Syllabus | |
|---|---|
| Sections | Topics |
| Atomic Structure and Periodicity | Planck’s quantum theory, wave-particle duality, uncertainty principle, comparison between Bohr’s model and quantum mechanical model of hydrogen atom, electronic configuration of atoms and ions. Hund’s rule and Pauli’s exclusion principle. Periodic table and periodic properties: ionization energy, electron affinity, electronegativity and atomic size |
| 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 such as bond length, bond angle and bond energy, hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions. Ionic solids, ionic radii and lattice energy (Born‐Haber cycle). HSAB principle |
| 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 elements. Coordination complexes: valence bond and crystal field theory, colour, geometry, magnetic properties, and isomerism |
| Chemical Equilibria | Osmotic pressure, elevation of boiling point and depression of freezing point, 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 |
| Electrochemistry |
Conductance, Kohlrausch law, cell potentials, EMF, Nernst equation, thermodynamic aspects and their applications. |
| Reaction Kinetics |
Rate constant, order of reaction, molecularity, activation energy, zero, first and second-order kinetics, catalysis and elementary enzyme reactions. Reversible and irreversible inhibition of enzymes |
| Thermodynamics |
Qualitative treatment of state and path functions, First law, reversible and irreversible processes, internal energy, enthalpy, Kirchoff equation, heat of reaction, Hess’s law, heat of formation. Second law, entropy and free energy. Gibbs‐Helmholtz equation, free energy change and spontaneity, Free energy changes from equilibrium constant |
| Structure-Reactivity Correlations and Organic Reaction Mechanisms |
Acids and bases, electronic and steric effects, Stereochemistry, optical and geometrical isomerism, tautomerism, conformers and concept of aromaticity. Elementary treatment of SN1, SN2, E1, E2 and radical reactions, Hoffmann/Saytzeff rules, addition reactions, Markownikoff rule and Kharasch effect. Elementary hydroboration reactions. Grignard’s reagents and their uses. Aromatic electrophilic substitutions, orientation effect as exemplified by various functional groups. Identification of common functional groups by chemical tests |
| 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 (upto hexoses only). Lipids (triglycerides only). Principles of biomolecule purification-Ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. Identification of these biomolecules and Beier Lambert's law |
GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-Q) Biochemistry Syllabus
Candidates can check the detailed syllabus of each section of the Biochemistry section of GATE Life Sciences paper 2026 here;
| GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-Q) Biochemistry Syllabus | |
|---|---|
| Sections | Topics |
| 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 |
GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-R) Botany Syllabus
Candidates can check the detailed syllabus of each section of the Botany section of GATE Life Sciences paper 2026 here;
| GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-R) Botany Syllabus | |
|---|---|
| Sections | Topics |
| Plant Systematics | Botanical nomenclature, history of plant taxonomy, diversity and classification of plants, APG system of plant classification; phylogenetics and cladistics, molecular taxonomy and DNA barcoding; Centers for plant taxonomy and herbaria in India. |
| Plant Anatomy | Anatomy of root, stem and leaves, floral organs, embryo and young seedlings, Primary and secondary meristems, stellar organization, vascular system and their ontogeny, xylem and phloem structure, secondary growth in plants and wood anatomy, plant cell structure and differences from animal cells. |
| 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. |
| Plant Physiology and Biochemistry | Plant water relations, mechanisms of uptake and transport of water, ions, solutes from soil to plants, apoplastic and symplastic transport mechanisms. Mechanism of stomatal movements, nitrogen metabolism, photosynthesis; C3, C4 and CAM cycles, photorespiration, respiration: glycolysis, TCA cycle and electron transport chain. Plant responses and mechanisms of abiotic stresses including drought, salinity, freezing and heat stress, metal toxicity; role of abscisic acid in abiotic stresses. Structure and function of biomolecules (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acid), enzyme kinetics. Structure and biosynthesis of major plant secondary metabolites (alkaloids, terpenes, phenylpropanoids, flavonoids). Biosynthesis, mechanism of action and physiological effects of auxin, cytokinin, gibberellic acids, brassinosteroid, ethylene, strigolactone, abscisic acid, salicylic and jasmonic acid. Senescence and programmed cell death. |
| 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 and 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 and metabolomics. |
| Plant Breeding, Genetic Modification, Genome Editing | Principles, 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 chimeras; plastid transformation; chemical mutagenesis. |
| Economic and Applied Botany | A general account of economically and medicinally important plants- cereals, pulses, plants yielding fibers, 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 fiber economy. Genetically modified crops and its regulation, e.g. Bt cotton, Bt brinjal, golden rice etc. |
| 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, gene for gene concept. Molecular detection of pathogens; plant-microbe interactions: symbionts and mycorrhiza, pathogens and pests. Signaling pathways in plant defence response; salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) in plant-pathogen and plant-herbivore interaction, necrosis; host-parasitic plant interaction (such as Cuscuta). |
| Ecology and Environment | Ecosystems – types, dynamics, degradation, biogeochemical cycles, ecological succession; food webs and energy flow through 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. |
GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-S) Microbiology Syllabus
Honestly, textbooks are not enough for GATE preparation (especially if you are targeting IITs and top colleges).
Besides your college books, look out for top GATE books recommended by toppers, mentors, and professors. Pick at least one standard book for each subject and start studying it side by side. Apart from that, also practice solving GATE question papers of last 5 to 10 years to get hands on the question difficulty and pattern.
Stay consistent, prepare a practical timetable and religiously follow it. At the end, it's all upto how you prepare for the exam.
Here are some good books for GATE AE that candidates can refer for preparation and revision -
- Fundamentals of Aerodynamics by JD Anderson
- Aircraft by GM Sutton and Oscar Biblarz
- Airplane Performance, Stability, and Control by Perkins and Hage
- Aerodynamics of Engineering Students by E.L Houghton, P.W Carpenter
- Introduction to Flight by JD Anderson
Candidates can check the detailed syllabus of each section of the Microbiology section of GATE Life Sciences paper 2026 here;
| GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-S) Microbiology Syllabus | |
|---|---|
| Sections | Topics |
| Historical Perspective |
Discovery of microbial world; Landmark discoveries relevant to the field of microbiology; Controversy over spontaneous generation; Role of microorganisms in transformation of organic matter and in the causation of diseases |
| Methods in Microbiology |
Pure culture techniques; Principles of microbial nutrition; Enrichment culture techniques for isolation of microorganisms; antigen and antibody detection methods for microbial diagnosis; Light-, phase contrast-, fluorescence- and electron-microscopy; PCR, real-time PCR for quantitation of microbes; Next generation sequencing technologies in microbiology |
| Microbial Taxonomy and Diversity |
Bacteria, Archea and their broad classification; Eukaryotic microbes: Yeasts, molds and protozoa; Viruses and their classification; Molecular approaches to microbial taxonomy and phylogeny. |
| 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. |
| Microbial Growth |
Definition of growth; Growth curve; Mathematical expression of exponential growth phase; Measurement of growth and growth yields; Synchronous growth; Continuous culture; Effect of environmental factors on growth; Bacterial biofilm and biofouling. |
| Control of Micro-organisms |
Disinfection and Sterilization: Principles, methods and assessment of efficacy. |
| Microbial Metabolism |
Energetics: redox reactions and electron carriers; Electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation; An overview of metabolism; Glycolysis; Pentose-phosphate pathway; Entner-Doudoroff pathway; Glyoxalate pathway; The citric acid cycle; Fermentation; Aerobic and anaerobic respiration; Chemolithotrophy; Photosynthesis; Calvin cycle; Biosynthetic pathway for fatty acids synthesis; Common regulatory mechanisms in synthesis of amino acids; Regulation of major metabolic pathways. |
| Microbial Diseases and Host-Pathogen Interaction |
Normal microbiota; Classification of infectious diseases; Reservoirs of infection; Nosocomial infection; Opportunistic infections; Emerging infectious diseases; Mechanism of microbial pathogenicity; Nonspecific defense of host; Antigens and antibodies; Humoral and cell-mediated immunity; Vaccines; passive immunization; Immune deficiency; Human diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, and pathogenic fungi. |
| Chemotherapy/Antibiotics |
General characteristics of antimicrobial drugs; Antibiotics: Classification molecular mechanism of mode of action and resistance; Antifungal and antiviral drugs. |
| 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 ; mutation in virus genomes, virus recombination and reassortment; Basic concept of microbial genomics. |
| Microbial Ecology | Microbial interactions; Carbon, sulphur and nitrogen cycles; Soil microorganisms associated with vascular plants; Bioremediation; Uncultivable microorganisms; basic concept of metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. |
GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-T) Zoology Syllabus
Candidates can check the detailed syllabus of each section of the zoology section of the GATE Life Sciences paper 2025 here;
| GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-T) Zoology Syllabus | |
|---|---|
| Sections | Topics |
| Animal Diversity | Distribution, systematics and classification of animals, phylogenetic relationships (based on classical and molecular phylogenetic tools). |
| Evolution | Origin and history of life on earth, theories of evolution, natural selection, adaptation, speciation |
| 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, genetic disorders, roles of model organisms in understanding genetic principles |
| Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | Nucleic acids, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates; replication, transcription and translation, Krebs cycle, glycolysis, enzyme catalysis, hormones and their actions, roles of vitamins and minerals |
| Cell Biology | Basic principles of cellular microscopy, structure of cell, cytoskeletal organization, cellular organelles and their structure and function, cell cycle, cell division, chromosomes and chromatin structure |
| Gene expression in Eukaryotes | Eukaryotic genome organization and regulation of gene expression, transposable elements |
| Animal Anatomy and Physiology | Comparative physiology, the respiratory system, Muscular system, circulatory system, digestive system, the nervous system, the excretory system, the endocrine system, the reproductive system, the skeletal system |
| Parasitology and Immunology | Nature of parasite, host-parasite relation, protozoan and helminthic parasites, the immune response, cellular and humoral immune response |
| Development Biology | Gametogenesis, Embryonic development, cellular differentiation, organogenesis, metamorphosis, Model organisms used in developmental biology, genetic and molecular basis of development, stem cells |
| Ecology | The ecosystem, Animal distribution, ecological niche and its contribution to ecological diversity, the food chain, population dynamics, species diversity, zoogeography, biogeochemical cycles, conservation biology, ecotoxicology |
| Animal Behaviour | Type of behaviours, courtship, mating and territoriality, instinct, learning and memory, social behaviour across the animal taxa, communication, pheromones, evolution of behavior in animals |
GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-U) Food Technology Syllabus
Candidates can check the detailed syllabus of each section of the food technology section of GATE Life Sciences paper 2025 here;
| GATE 2026 Life Sciences Syllabus: (XL-U) Food Technology Syllabus | |
|---|---|
| Sections | Topics |
| 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 quinines. 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, role of minerals in nutrition, co-factors, anti-nutrients, nutraceuticals, nutrient deficiency diseases. Chemical and biochemical changes: changes occur in foods during different processing. |
| Food Microbiology | Characteristics of Microorganisms: Morphology of bacteria, yeast, mold 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 Aspergillum genera. Fermented foods and beverages: curd, yoghurt, cheese, pickles, soya-sauce, sauerkraut, idly, dose, vinegar, alcoholic beverages and sausage |
| Food Products Technology | Processing Principles: Thermal processing, chilling, freezing, dehydration, addition of preservatives and food additives, irradiation, fermentation, hurdle technology, intermediate moisture foods. Food pack aging 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 vegetables 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 astes, 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) |
| Food Engineering | Mass and energy balance: Momentum transfer: Flow rate and pressure drop relationships for Newtonian fluids flowing through 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 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 |
Books for GATE 2026 Life Sciences Preparation
Candidates can check the suggested books for the preparation of each section of the GATE 2026 Life Sciences (XL) paper;
| Section | Suggested Books |
|---|---|
| (XL-P) Chemistry |
|
| (XL-Q) Biochemistry |
|
| (XL-R) Botany |
|
| (XL-S) Microbiology |
|
| (XL-T) zoology |
|
| (XL-U) Food Technology |
|
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Upasana Pradhan is an Mtech graduate in Electronics and Communication Engineering from DTU who specialises in curating postgraduate and undergraduate engineering entrance exam content, such as GATE, TS PGECET, KCET,
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 days ago
Yes, the TS PGECET and GATE syllabus remains the same for M.Tech admission. However, GATE questions are trickier and conceptual compared to TS PGECET. Students who want to appear both TS PGECET and GATE must prepare accordingly-
- Go through pattern of both exams and syllabus
- Solve mock test and questio
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 4 days ago
Candidates can check their offer status using their login ID and password obtained during COAP registration. GATE COAP offers will be displayed on given date and time only, where students have to confirm their choices.
I
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 4 days ago
The COAP counselling is done online only. For registrations, students need to keep the following details ready-
- GATE application details
- Scores secured in GATE exam
- Mobile number and email address
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered 4 days ago
Candidates who have qualified GATE exam will be eligible for GATE COAP counselling. The counselling offer admission to IITs. The admission counselling registration is online and is done in multiple rounds depending on seat availability.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
GATE CCMT counselling is expected to start in June/July. Students who have qualified in GATE exam 2026 and want to take admission in NITs and other engineering colleges must register and participate in CCMT. The dates will be updated here for each round.
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
GATE 2026 COAP counselling dates will be released in June/July after the announcement of results. Students who want to take admission in IITs must register through COAP for counselling.
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
GATE 2026 Electronics and Communication paper will be conducted on February 15 in the first shift. Students who have regsitered for EC paper must download their admit card on January 2.
H
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
IIT Guwahati will conduct GATE CSE exam on February 8, 2026 in two shifts. The CS1 will be held in first shift and CS2 in second shift. The exam timings can be checked below-
- CS1 paper - 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
- CS2 paper- 2:30 am to 5:30 pm
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
Students can check GATE exam dates on IIT GATE Guwahati website- gate2026.iitg.ac.in. The dates have been released for GATE admit card, branch-papers, and results. Dates for answer key and counselling will be made available soon.
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
The Panjab University accepts the GATE cutoff score for admission to the ME/ M.Tech courses. The GATE Cutoff 2023 ranged from 363 to 387 score for admission for the General category under the All India quota. The toughest and the easiest specialisation was M.E. in Electronics and Communication Engin
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Contributor-Level 10
Here are some of the best books for GATE Computer Science and Engineering preparation -
Candidates are advised not to neglect textbooks as well. They are gold. The textbooks cover majority of concepts and fundamentals explained easily. So, start with your standard books first, then use the reference books for further preparation.