GATE Physics Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

The paper

IIT Madras's pattern page puts this paper in the group whose 85 subject marks are split into 13 of "Engineering Mathematics" and 72 of core subject. For a science paper that line is left over from a table written for the engineering papers. Plan for 15 marks of General Aptitude and 85 of physics.

Question types and negative marking

MSQ has no partial credit: you need every correct option and no wrong one. An on-screen virtual calculator is provided; physical calculators are not allowed.

Two papers

You may sit two papers from a published list of allowed pairs. With PH as the primary paper, the second can only be CS, DA, EC, EE, MA or XE.

From the official GATE 2027 PH syllabus published by IIT Madras.

Section 1: Measurements and Error Analysis

Units and dimensions, dimensional analysis; least count, significant figures; methods of measurement and error analysis for physical quantities; 2-probe and 4-probe methods for resistance measurement; grounding for electrical circuits, ground loops; design of a DC power supply; signal processing through lock-in amplifiers.

Section 2: Mathematical Physics

Linear vector spaces: basis, orthogonality and completeness; matrices: similarity transformations, diagonalization, eigenvalues and eigenvectors; linear differential equations, first and second order applications and solutions; complex analysis: the Cauchy-Riemann conditions, Cauchy's theorem, singularities, the residue theorem and its applications; Fourier analysis; tensors: tensor transformations, covariant and contravariant tensors.

Section 3: Classical Mechanics

D'Alembert's principle, the Euler-Lagrange equation, Hamilton's principle, calculus of variations; symmetry and conservation laws; central force motion and the Kepler problem; small oscillations, coupled oscillations and normal modes; rigid body dynamics: the inertia tensor, orthogonal transformations, Euler angles, torque-free motion of a symmetric top; the Hamiltonian and Hamilton's equations; canonical transformations and the Poisson bracket; special relativity: Lorentz transformations, relativistic kinematics, mass-energy equivalence.

Section 4: Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics

Laws of thermodynamics; macrostates and microstates; phase space; ensembles; the partition function, free energy and the calculation of thermodynamic quantities; classical and quantum statistics; the degenerate Fermi gas; black body radiation and Planck's distribution law; Bose-Einstein condensation; first and second order phase transitions, phase equilibria, critical phenomena.

Section 5: Electromagnetic Theory

Electrostatic and magnetostatic problems including boundary value problems; the method of images; separation of variables; dielectrics and conductors; magnetic materials; multipole expansion; Maxwell's equations; scalar and vector potentials; the Coulomb and Lorentz gauges; electromagnetic waves in free space and in non-conducting and conducting media; reflection and transmission at normal and oblique incidence; polarization; the Poynting vector and theorem; energy and momentum of electromagnetic waves.

Section 6: Optical Physics

The wave equation: plane and spherical waves, superposition, standing waves, phase and group velocity; interference: spatial and temporal coherence, dielectric films, Newton's rings, multiple-beam interference, the Michelson interferometer, Fabry-Perot interferometer and etalon; diffraction: Fresnel and Fraunhofer, rectangular and circular apertures, the Rayleigh criterion, double and many slits, dispersion by a grating; polarization: Jones vectors and matrices for linear, circular and elliptical polarization, birefringence, the ray-transfer matrix for mirrors and lenses; lasers: Einstein coefficients, population inversion, two and three level systems.

Section 7: Quantum Mechanics

Basic ideas; the uncertainty principle; linear vectors and operators in Hilbert space; the time-independent Schrodinger equation; one-dimensional potentials: step potential, finite rectangular well, tunnelling through a barrier, particle in 1, 2 and 3-dimensional boxes, single and double delta function potentials; the 1, 2 and 3-dimensional harmonic oscillator and degeneracy; central potentials; hydrogen-like atoms; orbital and spin angular momenta and their addition; the variational method; time-independent perturbation theory; elementary scattering theory and the Born approximation.

Section 8: Atomic and Molecular Physics

Spectra of one- and many-electron atoms; spin-orbit interaction and the L-S and j-j coupling schemes; fine and hyperfine structure; the Zeeman, Paschen-Back and Stark effects; electric dipole transitions and selection rules; rotational and vibrational spectra of diatomic molecules; electronic transitions and the Franck-Condon principle; the Raman effect and basic Raman spectroscopy; NMR, ESR, X-ray and Mossbauer spectroscopies.

Section 9: Solid State Physics

Elements of crystallography; diffraction methods for structure determination; bonding in solids; lattice vibrations and thermal properties; free electron theory; band theory and the nearly free electron model; metals, semiconductors and insulators; conductivity, electron and hole statistics in intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, mobility and effective mass; metal-semiconductor junctions, ohmic and rectifying contacts; dielectric properties, polarizability, ferroelectricity; magnetic properties: dia-, para-, ferro-, antiferro- and ferrimagnetism, ferromagnetic domains; superconductivity: type I and type II, the Meissner effect, the London equation, BCS theory, flux quantization.

Section 10: Nuclear and Particle Physics

Nuclear binding energy, electric and magnetic moments; the semi-empirical mass formula; nuclear models, the liquid drop and shell models; the nuclear force and the two-nucleon problem; alpha decay, beta decay, electromagnetic transitions in nuclei; Rutherford scattering, nuclear reactions, conservation laws; fission and fusion; particle accelerators and detectors; elementary particles: photons, baryons, mesons and leptons; the quark model; conservation laws, isospin symmetry, charge conjugation, parity and time-reversal invariance.

Section 11: Electronics

p-n diodes, bipolar junction transistors, field effect transistors; negative and positive feedback circuits; oscillators; operational amplifiers and their applications; active filters; waveform generators (sine, square and triangular); basics of digital logic circuits, combinational and sequential circuits, flip-flops, timers, counters, registers, A/D and D/A conversion.

General Aptitude (15 marks, common to every GATE paper)

Verbal Aptitude: basic English grammar: tenses, articles, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, verb-noun agreement and other parts of speech; basic vocabulary: words, idioms and phrases in context; reading and comprehension; narrative sequencing.

Quantitative Aptitude: data interpretation: bar graphs, pie charts and other data graphs, 2- and 3-dimensional plots, maps and tables; numerical computation and estimation: ratios, percentages, powers, exponents and logarithms, permutations and combinations, series; mensuration and geometry; elementary statistics and probability.

Analytical Aptitude: logic: deduction and induction; analogy; numerical relations and reasoning.

Spatial Aptitude: transformation of shapes: translation, rotation, scaling, mirroring, assembling and grouping; paper folding, cutting, and patterns in 2 and 3 dimensions.

Qualification

You must be in the 3rd or higher year of any undergraduate degree, or already hold a government-approved degree in Engineering, Technology, Architecture, Science, Commerce, Arts or Humanities.

Qualifying degrees include B.E., B.Tech., B.Pharm., B.Arch., three-year B.Sc./B.A./B.Com., M.Sc./M.A./MCA and equivalents, professional degrees such as MBBS, BDS and B.V.Sc., and professional society exams recognised as equivalent to B.E./B.Tech./B.Arch. With an international degree you must be in the 3rd year or higher, or hold a bachelor's degree of at least three years.

Not required

• No age limit.
• No limit on attempts.
• Your degree doesn't have to match the paper you sit.

Full rules: GATE 2027 eligibility.

Fee per paper

Two papers double it: Rs 2,000 / Rs 4,000 in the regular window, Rs 2,500 / Rs 4,500 in the extended one. Every female candidate pays the concessional fee, whatever her category. PwBD means Person with Benchmark Disability.

The portal

You apply through GOAPS, the GATE Online Application Processing System, from gate2027.iitm.ac.in. GATE 2027 adds live facial verification and DigiLocker to registration.

A paid rectification window follows the closing date for correcting details you already submitted. It isn't a second chance to register.

Admission

A GATE score is used for M.Tech, M.E., M.S. and direct PhD admission at the IITs, IISc, NITs, IIITs and many central and state institutions, and for MoE assistantships.

The IITs and IISc admit through COAP, which sequences offers so you hold one at a time. NITs and IIITs admit through CCMT. Each needs its own registration; a GATE score alone admits nobody.

Recruitment

GATE Physics is used mainly for M.Sc., M.Tech. and PhD admission and MoE assistantships, and by research organisations such as BARC for their own recruitment routes. PSU advertisements that recruit on GATE usually name engineering disciplines, so read the eligibility list of each advertisement before counting on physics being included.

Each PSU sets its own eligibility, shortlisting ratio and interview or group discussion. GATE gives you the score, not the vacancy, and the list of recruiters changes every year.

GATE runs at centres across India and a few abroad. You list preferred cities in order when you apply. The allotted city is announced separately (4 January 2027 this cycle), before the admit card, so you can plan travel early.

Allotment follows your preference where capacity allows and isn't guaranteed. The centre address is on the admit card.

GATE 2027, organised by IIT Madras.

The opening date moved twice this cycle: first 14 August 2026, then 27 August, then 2 September. IIT Madras says all dates are liable to change, so check its dates page.

There are six exam days, against four in GATE 2026, because there are now 30 papers including the new Robotics and Automation paper.

Download the admit card from GOAPS with your enrolment ID or email and password. The exam city comes first, on 4 January 2027. The admit card and centre address follow later; IIT Madras hasn't fixed that date yet.

Bring the admit card and the original photo ID whose details you entered in the application. A different document or a photocopy isn't accepted.

What you receive

• Marks out of 100: what you actually scored in your session.
• GATE Score out of 1000: a normalised figure computed against the qualifying mark and the top scorers. This is the number institutes and employers compare.

A paper held in more than one session is normalised across them, so the shift you sat doesn't help or hurt you.

Validity

The score is valid for three years from the result date, so one good attempt covers three admission cycles.

Response sheet and answer key

Your response sheet and the provisional answer key come out before the result, with a paid challenge window. The subject committee decides challenges, and the final key can differ from the provisional one.

GATE publishes a qualifying mark per paper per category, the bar for being declared qualified and getting a scorecard. It is set each year from that year's paper, so an older figure is only a rough guide.

Qualifying isn't the same as getting in. The score that wins an IIT M.Tech seat or a PSU interview call in Physics is far above the qualifying mark.

PSUs set their own cut-offs on the GATE Score in each advertisement. They swing with the discipline and that year's vacancies, so no figure is given here.

1. Don't skip Section 1. Measurements and Error Analysis is lab practice (4-probe measurement, ground loops, DC power supply design, lock-in amplifiers), and theory-only preparation misses it. Your own lab work earns marks here.
2. Section 11 is electronics, and it's examined in its own right. Op-amps, active filters, flip-flops, counters and A/D conversion are there because the paper expects you to handle instruments. Physics candidates tend to under-prepare it.
3. Attempt every MSQ and NAT question. Neither carries a penalty, so a blank is a lost mark. Save caution for MCQs, where a wrong 1-mark answer costs 1/3 and a wrong 2-mark answer 2/3.
4. Don't give away General Aptitude. It's 15 marks and needs no physics.
5. Treat Mathematical Physics as a tool. Complex analysis, tensors and Fourier methods turn up inside quantum mechanics and electromagnetic theory questions, so time spent here pays twice.
6. Practise numerical work on the virtual calculator. Solid state, nuclear and statistical mechanics questions are arithmetic-heavy and usually NAT.
7. Pick the second paper with care. PH pairs with CS, DA, EC, EE, MA and XE. EC and EE overlap Sections 9 and 11 a lot; DA and CS don't.
8. Work past papers section by section. With eleven sections across 85 marks, each gets few questions, and the papers show the depth expected better than the syllabus does. Papers and answer keys back to 2007 are on the GATE 2027 downloads page.

GATE 2027 (IIT Madras): gate2027.iitm.ac.in

PH syllabus (PDF): PH_GATE2027_Syllabus.pdf

All syllabi: Test papers and syllabus

Pattern and marking: Question paper pattern

Two-paper combinations: Allowed pairs

Eligibility: Eligibility criteria

Fees: Application fees

Previous papers and answer keys, 2007 to 2026: GATE 2027 downloads

Dates: Important dates

Which IIT is conducting GATE 2027?

IIT Madras. The organising institute rotates each year among IISc Bangalore and the seven older IITs, and the website changes with it.

Is there an age limit or a limit on attempts?

Neither. Your degree doesn't have to match the paper either; you choose the paper.

How is the PH paper's 100 marks divided?

General Aptitude 15, Physics 85.

Which questions carry negative marking?

Only MCQs: 1/3 for a wrong 1-mark question, 2/3 for a wrong 2-mark one. MSQ and NAT have no penalty.

Does MSQ give partial credit?

No. You must select every correct option and no wrong one.

Can I sit two papers?

Yes. With PH as the primary paper, the second can be CS, DA, EC, EE, MA or XE. The fee doubles.

Is a calculator allowed?

Not a physical one. There's a virtual calculator on screen.

How long is a GATE score valid?

Three years from the result date.

What is the difference between marks and GATE Score?

Marks are out of 100 and are what you scored. The GATE Score is out of 1000, normalised across sessions, and is what institutes and employers compare.

Does qualifying GATE get me a seat?

No. It gets you a scorecard. Admission is through COAP for the IITs and IISc and CCMT for the NITs and IIITs, each a separate registration, and the scores that win seats are well above the qualifying mark.

Can third-year students apply?

Yes, from the 3rd year of any undergraduate degree.

Are past GATE Physics papers available?

Yes. Papers and answer keys back to 2007 are on the GATE 2027 downloads page.