GATE 2025 Life Sciences: Exam Date (Feb 16), Syllabus, Question Papers, Pattern, Cutoff

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 the GATE Life Science (XL) paper as several candidates sit for the exam and there are limited seats. Therefore, the 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 to their GATE exam preparation can pass the exam with flying colors. The GATE syllabus and GATE exam pattern for Life Sciences have been released. The Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, will be conducting the GATE 2025 exam on February 1, 2, 15 & 16, 2025. 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  paper-wise GATE exam date 2025.

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  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 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. 

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: 

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: 

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: 

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. 

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:-

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: