GATE 2025 Syllabus for Psychology (XH - C4) - Important Chapters, Best Books, Sample Questions
Students applying for GATE Psychology 2025 must know the syllabus at first. Students can check the list of best books, syllabus, exam patterns, sample questions, and marking schemes for GATE 2025 Psychology here.
GATE 2025 Syllabus for Psychology (XH - C4) - The official GATE 2025 Syllabus for Psychology PDF is available on the official website. Earlier GATE exam was used to be conducted for admission into only postgraduate level programmes like M.Tech, MS, M.E, Direct Ph.D., etc offered at various institutions of national repute like the IITs, NITs, IISc Bangalore, etc. The exam is being conducted for subjects from two new streams - Humanities & Social Sciences and Environmental Science & Engineering. students who desire to study subjects such as Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, Philosophy, Economics, Linguistics, English, and Environmental Science and Engineering from one of the reputed GATE 2025 participating colleges must apply for the GATE 2025 exam.
This article comprises all the details regarding the GATE 2025 exam, like the GATE 2025 syllabus PDF, important topics, sample question papers, best books, exam pattern, etc. Check out all the details concerning GATE 2025 exam of Psychology from the sections below.
GATE 2025 Psychology Syllabus
All the important topics on which the questions in the Psychology paper of the GATE 2025 exam will be based have been provided below. Basically the Psychology subject is asked in GATE 2025 Humanities Science paper. Students can simply access the GATE 2025 Psychology exam syllabus by clicking on the link provided below.
GATE 2025 Psychology Chapter-Wise Syllabus
Here is the list of all those important chapters from where the GATE 2025 Psychology paper questions will be formed -
Section | Topic | Subtopics |
|---|---|---|
C5.1 Research Methods and Statistics | C5.1.1 Approaches to Research | Philosophical worldviews & criteria involved in approach, Quantitative & qualitative research, Mixed methods |
C5.1.2 Designing Research | Research problems, purpose statement, variables and operational definitions, hypothesis, sampling | |
C5.1.3 Nature of Quantitative & Qualitative Research | Structured, semi-structured interviewing, self-completion questionnaires, observation, experimental designs, quasi-experimental, field studies, focus groups, narratives, case studies, ethnography | |
C5.1.4 Ethics in Conducting and Reporting Research | Ethical considerations in research methodology | |
C5.1.5 Statistics in Psychology | Measures of central tendency, dispersion, normal probability curve, parametric and non-parametric tests, effect size, power analysis | |
C5.1.6 Correlational Analysis | Correlation (product moment, rank order), partial correlation, multiple correlation, regression, factor analysis | |
C5.1.7 Experimental Designs | ANOVA, randomized block designs, repeated measures, cohort studies, MANOVA, ANCOVA, single-subject designs | |
C5.2 Psychometrics | Foundations of Psychological Measurement | Scales and items construction, analysis of test items, test standardization, reliability, validity, norms |
Applications of Psychological Testing | Applications in education, counseling, clinical, organizational, and developmental settings | |
C5.3 Biological and Evolutionary Basis of Behaviour | Heredity and Behaviour | Evolution, natural selection, nervous system, structure of the brain, neurotransmitters, endocrine system, biological basis of motivation |
Physiological Psychology Methods | Invasive and non-invasive methods (EEG, microelectrode studies, scanning methods) | |
Genetics and Behaviour | Chromosomal anomalies, nature-nurture controversy, twin and adoption studies | |
C5.4 Perception, Learning, Memory and Forgetting | Sensation and Perception | Sensory thresholds, sensory adaptations, gestalt principles, depth perception, illusions |
Theories of Learning | Classical conditioning, operant conditioning, social learning, cognitive learning | |
Memory and Forgetting | Encoding, storage, retrieval, interference theory, decay theory, physical aspects of memory | |
C5.5 Cognition: Thinking, Intelligence and Language | Basic Elements of Thought | Concepts, propositions, imagery, problem solving methods, metacognitive processing |
Theories of Intelligence | Spearman, Thurstone, Jensen, Cattell, Gardner, Sternberg, emotional intelligence | |
Language and Cognition | Measuring intelligence, differences between intelligence, aptitude, and creativity | |
C5.6 Personality | Theories of Personality | Psychoanalytic, behaviorist, social cognitive, humanism, trait and type theories |
Biology of Personality | Assessment methods, biological influences | |
C5.7 Motivation, Emotion and Stress and Coping | Motivation Theories | Instinct, drive-reduction, arousal, incentive, humanistic theories, intrinsic motivation |
Emotions and Stress | Theories of emotion (James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, Schachter-Singer, Lazarus), stressors, general adaptation syndrome, coping strategies | |
C5.8 Social Psychology | Social Perception and Influence | Attribution, impression formation, conformity, compliance, obedience, attitude formation |
Prejudice and Discrimination | Cognitive dissonance, aggression, power, prosocial behavior, group dynamics, leadership theories | |
C5.9 Development Across the Life Span | Human Development | Nature vs nurture, prenatal development, cognitive and psychosocial development in infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood |
Moral and Aging Development | Theories of aging, moral development | |
C5.10 Applications of Psychology | Psychological Disorders | Assessment and diagnosis, PTSD, psychotherapies (psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, biological) |
Applications in School and Organization | Motivation and learning theories in education, counseling, leadership in organizations, territoriality issues |
GATE 2025 Psychology Syllabus Important Chapters
In GATE 2025 Psychology, certain chapters consistently carry more weight due to their relevance in the field and frequency in past exams. Topics such as Research Methods and Statistics (focusing on quantitative and qualitative research designs, and statistical methods), Biological and Evolutionary Basis of Behavior (including brain structures, neurotransmitters, and genetic influences), Perception, Learning, Memory, and Forgetting (covering theories of learning, memory processes, and perception) etc. are quite important as questions have been asked before from these sections. Provided below is the important chapters for GATE 2025 Psychology exam:
Sections | Topics | Important Topics |
|---|---|---|
Research Methods and Statistics | Quantitative and Qualitative Research Design, Hypothesis Testing | Research methodologies, statistics in psychology, and experimental designs |
Biological and Evolutionary Basis of Behavior | Nervous System, Neurotransmitters, Brain Functions | Genetic and neurophysiological basis of behavior |
Perception, Learning, Memory, and Forgetting | Sensation, Theories of Learning, Memory Processes | Sensory processes, classical and operant conditioning, memory retrieval |
Cognition: Thinking, Intelligence, and Language | Intelligence Theories, Problem Solving | Cognitive processes, intelligence testing, decision-making |
Personality and Social Psychology | Personality Theories, Social Influence, Group Dynamics | Personality assessment, attitudes, and influence of social environments on behavior |
Sample Question Papers for GATE 2025 Psychology Paper
The best way to assess the preparation levels before a major entrance exam is to solve the previous year's question papers, mock test papers, and sample test papers. The best way to measure the preparations is to attempt the GATE 2025 Psychology sample test papers available on the official website of the IISC Bangalore. To start downloading the GATE 2025 sample question paper for the Psychology exam, the students must click on the direct link provided below -
The students will also find the answer key to the sample question paper at the end of the PDF.GATE 2025 Psychology Sample Questions
1. The theory of psychoanalysis is founded on which of the following?
(A) Psychoanalysis is based on experimental research and laboratory studies.
(B) Psychoanalysis is based on detailed case studies of people.
(C) Psychoanalysis is based on the analysis of dreams and unconscious thoughts.
(D) Psychoanalysis is based on statistical surveys and population studies.
2. If "RAMAN" is encoded as 52 and "MAP" as 33, what is the encoding for "CLICK"?
(A) "CLICK" encodes as 47, applying principles of letter substitution and addition.
(B) "CLICK" encodes as 43, applying principles of letter substitution and addition.
(C) "CLICK" encodes as 39, based on the sum of the positions of the letters in the alphabet.
(D) "CLICK" encodes as 55, following a pattern of assigning numbers to letters and adding them.
3. The theory of psychoanalysis is founded on which of the following?
(A) Psychoanalysis is based on experimental research with animals.
(B) Psychoanalysis is based on statistical analysis of large groups of people.
(C) Psychoanalysis is based on detailed case studies of people.
(D) Psychoanalysis is based on surveys and questionnaires.
4. In the Darwinian sense, what term refers to the ability to survive and produce fertile offspring?
(A) Adaptation refers to the process by which organisms evolve traits that improve survival.
(B) Evolution refers to the gradual change of species over generations.
(C) Fitness refers to survival and reproductive success of organisms.
(D) Natural selection refers to the mechanism by which individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce.
5. When Monkey-A sees Monkey-B, what is this called?" with the correct answer included:
(A) Cognitive imitation involves learning by observing others' actions and objectives.
(B) Social learning is the process by which individuals learn from the behavior and actions of others in a social group.
(C) Observational learning is the acquisition of skills or knowledge by watching others perform tasks.
(D) Behavioral conditioning occurs when an individual learns through reinforcement and punishment from others' actions.
Best Books for GATE 2025 Psychology Exam
students desiring to succeed in the GATE 2025 psychology exam with exemplary marks must make sure they have their hand on the GATE 2025 best books to prepare from and study materials to refer to. After doing a bit of research on what supposedly could be the best books for PG-level Psychology entrance exams, we have come up with a list of the following books which should help the students achieve their goals -
MCQs in Psychology - Objectives for JRF/UGC NET and Other Competetive Examinations
Question Bank Psychology - SLET/UGC NET/SPSC/UPSC/Other Higher Grade Examinations
NTA UGC NET Psychology Paper-II (recent edition)
Objective Psychology (Popular Master Guide) Paperback
GATE 2025 Psychology Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
As the exam pattern and marking scheme of the GATE 2025 Psychology exam will be different from the usual papers for which GATE 2025 has been usually conducted to date, we decided to provide the students with a dentailed explanation of the GATE 2025 Psychology exam pattern and marking scheme -
Name of the Section | Number of Questions | Marks Carried | Question Distribution |
General Aptitude | - | 15 | - |
Reasoning and Comprehension | 15 | 25 |
|
Psychology Paper Section | 40 | 60 |
|
Marking Scheme
The marking scheme is given in the table below -
Marks Carried by Each Question | Negative Marking |
1 mark questions | 1/3rd of maximum marks carried by each question |
2 marks questions | 2/3rd of maximum marks carried by each question |
MSQ type questions | No negative marking |
Related topics
GATE Previous Year Question Paper With Solution and Answer Key PDF | |
| GATE 2025 Cutoff | List of documents required to fill GATE application form 2025 |
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FAQs
Is there GATE exam for psychology?
Yes, there is GATE 2024 Exam for Psychology which is also denoted as XH - C4.
Who will take GATE in 2024?
IISC Bangalore will be responsible for conducting GATE 2024 Exam.
Who is eligible for GATE exam psychology?
Candidates who wish to appear for GATE 2024 Psychology exam are required to have a Master's degree in Psychology or Applied Psychology.
What is the fee for GATE psychology?
The GATE 2024 Psychology fee is INR 1700 for all candidates whereas the fees for female and SC/ST/OBC candidates are INR 850.
What is a good rank in GATE psychology?
For GATE psychology, candidates with a rank below 200 will get a call from PSUs while a rank under 1,000 will have a satisfactory chance of getting a psychology branch in any IIT or NITs.