GATE 2025 Life Sciences: Exam Date, Syllabus, Question Papers, Pattern, Cutoff
The GATE 2025 Life Sciences exam paper is divided into three main sections, namely General Aptitude, Chemistry, and Life Sciences subjects. Of these, the Chemistry section is compulsory for all candidates. The detailed GATE 2025 Life Sciences syllabus can be downloaded here.
GATE 2025 Life Sciences:GATE Life Sciences is one of the most opted and popular M.Tech specializations. In GATE 2024, 44904 candidates registered for the GATE Life Sciences paper. The competition level is high in GATE Life Science (XL) paper as several candidates sit for the exam and there are limited seats. Therefore, GATE cutoff for Life Sciences (XL) paper is set high by the authorities. As a result only 21.46% were able to pass the GATE exam in Life Sciences paper. However, candidates who are highly dedicated towards their GATE exam preparation can pass the exam with flying colors. GATE syllabus and GATE exam pattern for Life Sciences has been released. The Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, will be conducting the GATE 2025 exam on February 1, 2, 15 & 16, 2025. The candidates aspiring to sit for the GATE 2025 Life Sciences paper will be notified of the subject-specific exam date soon. Candidates who have completed their Bachelor's education can participate in the GATE 2025 Life Sciences exam to pursue postgraduation from various top universities and institutes in India including IITs and NITs. The GATE 2025 Life Sciences syllabus includes one compulsory subject and five optional subjects; candidates will have to select two out of five optional subjects for their GATE 2025 Life Sciences question paper.
In this article, we will discuss the GATE 2025 Life Sciences exam including all the important information such as the exam date, syllabus, question paper, GATE 2025 Life Sciences exam pattern, and expected cutoff score.
Also Check: GATE 2025: Dates (Out), Syllabus, Pattern, Question Papers, Preparation Tips
Quick Links:
GATE 2025 Life Sciences Exam Date
The GATE 2025 exam is set to be conducted on February 1, 2, 15 and 16, 2025, by the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. The institute has released the tentative GATE exam date 2025 and schedule. However, the authority is yet to announce the subject-wise dates including the GATE 2025 Life Sciences exam date.
Event | Date |
GATE 2025 Exam Date for All Papers | February 1, 2, 15 & 16, 2025 |
GATE 2025 Life Sciences Exam Date | To be announced |
List of Two Paper Combinations for GATE 2025 Life Sciences
Along with sitting for the GATE Life Sciences paper, candidates can also appear for other papers. Candidates must choose the list of two paper combinations of GATE 2025 as per their academic and career goals.
Applicants choosing the GATE Life Sciences paper can choose any of the following papers as the second combination -
- Biotechnology (BT)
- Chemistry (CY)
- Ecology and Evolution (EY)
*Note: Candidates must keep in mind that they have to pay an additional GATE application fee for the second combination subject.
Total Number of Candidates Appeared for GATE Life Sciences: Past Trends
GATE Life Sciences paper is one of the popular specializations of M.Tech. It is one of the most opted GATE M.Tech specializations among the students. Considering the past 3 years' trends, there has been an increase in a number of candidates registering for the GATE Life Sciences (XL) specialization. In 2024, the total number of candidates who registered for the GATE XL paper was 44904. However, there has been a huge gap in candidates registering and appearing for the GATE XL paper. In 2024, 8629 students didn't show up for the GATE XL exam though they did register for it.
Here is a look at the past trends showing the total number of candidates appearing for GATE Life Sciences:
GATE Paper Code | Year | Total No. of Candidates Registered | Total No. of Candidates Appeared |
XL | 2024 | 44904 | 36275 |
2023 | 37391 | 29605 | |
2022 | 40148 | 30336 |
GATE Life Sciences Qualifying Trends Over the Years
Considering the GATE qualifying trends of the last 3 years, it can be concluded that passing the GATE XL paper is not easy. In the GATE XL 2024 paper, only 21.46% of students were able to pass the exam. The reason behind this is GATE is a national-level exam with a high competition level. Candidates have to study very hard to qualify the GATE exam. Since so many students register for the GATE XL paper which also makes authorities set the GATE cutoff high.
Take a look at the GATE Life Sciences qualifying trends here:
GATE Paper Code | Year | Total No. of Candidates Appeared | Total No. of Candidates Qualified | Qualifying % |
XL | 2024 | 36275 | 7787 | 21.46% |
2023 | 29605 | 7007 | 23.66 % | |
2022 | 30336 | 7072 | 23.31% |
GATE 2025 Life Sciences (XL) Syllabus
The GATE 2025 Life Sciences syllabus can be accessed and downloaded in PDF format from the official website, gate2025.iitr.ac.in. The complete syllabus includes all the important topics from the compulsory subject and the five optional papers. Candidates preparing for the GATE 2025 Life Sciences exam are required to select two out of five optional subjects for their exam.
Candidates preparing for the upcoming exam should have a clear understanding of the GATE 2025 XL syllabus to decide which subject they will choose and how they will prepare for the same. The following is the subject and section-wise GATE syllabus 2025 for Life Sciences.
Subject | Topic |
Chemistry (Compulsory for all XL candidates) | Atomic Structure and Periodicity |
Structure and Bonding | |
s, p and d Block Elements | |
Chemical Equilibria | |
Electrochemistry | |
Reaction Kinetics | |
Thermodynamics | |
Structure-Reactivity Correlations and Organic Reaction Mechanisms | |
Chemistry of Biomolecules | |
Biochemistry (XL-Q) | Organization of life |
Enzyme kinetics | |
Biochemical separation techniques | |
Cell structure and organelles | |
DNA replication | |
Immune System | |
Botany (XL-R) | 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 | |
Microbiology (XL-S) | Historical Perspective |
Methods in Microbiology | |
Microbial Taxonomy and Diversity | |
Prokaryotic Cells: Structure and Function | |
Microbial Growth | |
Control of Micro-organisms | |
Microbial Metabolism | |
Microbial Diseases and Host-Pathogen Interaction | |
Chemotherapy/Antibiotics | |
Microbial Genetics | |
Microbial Ecology | |
Zoology (XL-T) | Animal Diversity |
Evolution | |
Genetics | |
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | |
Cell Biology | |
Gene expression in Eukaryotes | |
Animal Anatomy and Physiology | |
Parasitology and Immunology | |
Development Biology | |
Ecology | |
Animal Behaviour | |
Food Technology (XL-U) | Food Chemistry and Nutrition |
Food Microbiology | |
Food Products Technology | |
Food Engineering |
GATE 2025 Life Sciences Syllabus PDF Download
Any students preparing for the exam should always have a copy of the GATE 2025 Life Sciences syllabus with them to keep their preparations focused on the subject and important topics. Candidates can download the GATE 2025 XL syllabus directly from the official website, or through the link given below:
GATE 2025 Life Sciences Exam Pattern
The GATE 2025 Life Sciences exam can majorly be divided into three sections, General Aptitude, Chemistry (compulsory for all the candidates), and two optional subjects of candidates' choice. The GATE 2025 XL exam pattern highlights how the question paper will be formed, which section will cover how many marks, and how they will eventually get scored. Candidates must be aware of the GATE 2025 Life Sciences paper pattern to be well prepared on the exam day. Let’s have a closer look at the GATE exam pattern 2025 with the table below:
Particulars | Details |
Mode of exam | Online |
Duration | 3 hours (PwD candidates with benchmark disability are eligible for a total compensatory time of one hour) |
Medium | English |
Scheme of questions to test ability |
|
Type of questions |
|
GATE 2025 Life Sciences Marks Distribution
The three sections of the GATE 2025 Life Sciences exam will feature questions from General Aptitude, Chemistry (mandatory), and two optional subjects out of five choices given to the candidates. Students can check the GATE 2025 Life Sciences marks distribution from the table below:
Subject | Marks Allotted |
General Aptitude | 15 Marks |
Chemistry | 25 Marks |
Optional Subjects | 2x30 = 60 Marks |
Total | 100 Marks |
GATE 2025 Life Sciences Marking Scheme
The GATE 2025 Life Sciences marking scheme allows candidates to learn how the questions are scored in the examination. The Life Sciences question paper will include three main types of questions multiple choice, multiple select, and numerical answer type questions. There will be partial and negative markings for some questions. For a better understanding of the GATE 2025 XL marking scheme, check out the table below:
| Particulars | Details |
Marking Scheme |
|
Negative Marking |
|
Quick Links:
GATE 2025 Life Sciences Question Papers
GATE previous year question papers are some of the key resources in preparing for the Life Sciences exam. These question papers not only provide students with valuable information and instructions that need to be followed on the exam day, but they also give essential insights into the question papers, and let them know what to expect from the GATE 2025 Life Sciences question paper. Candidates can download several previous years’ question papers of GATE from the official website, or click on the links below.
Year | GATE Question Papers |
2024 | |
2023 | |
2022 |
Also Check - GATE 2025 Paper Codes
GATE 2025 Life Sciences Expected Cutoff
GATE cutoffs are released by the organizing institute after the announcement of official results. The cutoff or qualifying marks typically vary each eyar depending on the exam's difficulty level, the total nummber of examinees, candidate's category and so on. Till the official cutoff marks are released, candidates can refer to the expected GATE cutoff 2025 based on the past year's trends here:-
Category | Expected GATE 2025 Life Sciences Cutoff | GATE 2024 Cutoff | GATE 2023 Cutoff |
General | 29-33 | 29.3 | 32.9 |
OBC-NCL/EWS | 26-30 | 26.3 | 29.6 |
SC/ST/PwD | 19-22 | 19.5 | 21.9 |
List of IITs Offering Life Sciences through GATE 2025
Several IITs offer postgraduate courses in Life Sciences based on GATE scores, and some of the best IITs offering Life Sciences through GATE 2025 are IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, and IIT Guwahati. Find more IITs offering Life Sciences course through GATE 2025 exam from the list below:
List of NITs offering Life Sciences through GATE 2025
NIT Rourkela, NIT Durgapur, and NIT Trichy are well-known for their campus and dynamic Life Sciences courses. However, many other NITs offer similar courses, some of these are:
NIT Warangal | |
- |
Related Articles
We hope this article on GATE 2025 Life Sciences will help candidates prepare for the upcoming exam. For the latest updates, stay tuned to CollegeDekho!