GATE Biotechnology (BT) Subject Wise Weightage 2025: Important Topics, Best Books

Diksha Sharma

Updated On: January 13, 2025 11:03 AM | GATE

As per the GATE Biotechnology subject-wise weightage 2025, the important chapters are General Biology, Genetics, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Fundamentals of Biological Engineering, etc. While studying the GATE Biotechnology syllabus, you must focus on Important chapters and PYQs.

GATE Biotechnology (BT) Subject Wise Weightage

GATE Biotechnology Subject Wise Weightage 2025: IIT Roorkee will conduct the GATE Biotechnology exam 2025 on February 16, 2025. GATE Biotechnology syllabus 2025 has been released at gate2025.iitr.ac.in. The GATE syllabus 2025 for Biotechnology consists of 7 sections namely Engineering Mathematics, General Biology, Genetics, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Fundamentals of Biological Engineering, Bioprocess Engineering and Process Biotechnology, Plant, Animal, and Microbial Biotechnology and Recombinant DNA technology and Other Tools in Biotechnology. In addition, one section of General Aptitude is also a part of the GATE BT exam 2025. There are various topics and subjects in the GATE 2025 Biotechnology syllabus PDF , therefore, you must be aware of the subject-wise weightage. Through the GATE Biotechnoogy subject wise weightage 2025, you will be able to identify important chapters that should be studied thoroughly. As per the GATE subject wise weightage 2025, the General Aptitude section will have 15% weightage, and Engineering Mathematics and Core Biotechnology subjects carry 85% weightage. In the GATE Biotechnology exam 2025, the General Aptitude section will have 10 questions for 15 marks, and Engineering Mathematics and Core Biotechnology subjects will have 55 questions for 85 marks. IIT Roorkee will conduct the GATE 2025 exam for a total of 100 marks in CBT mode.

The following article will overview the GATE Biotechnology subject-wise weightage 2025, GATE Biotechnology 2025 important topics, and best books for preparation.

Also Check - GATE 2025: Date, Syllabus, Pattern, Question Papers, Preparation Tips

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Expected GATE Biotechnology Subject Wise Weightage 2025

As per the expected GATE 2025 Biotechnologt subject wise weightage, General Biology will have around 23 marks questions, Genetics, Cellular and Molecular Biology will have around 21 marks questions, Recombinant DNA Technology and Other Tools in Biotechnology will have 5 marks questions, and so on. The important topics in GATE Biotechnology are biomolecules, enzymes, antibody classification, microbial diseases, etc.

You can check out the expected GATE Biotechnology subject wise weightage 2025 below:

Important Topics Expected GATE Biotechnology Marks/ Weightage
General Biology 23
General Aptitude 15
Engineering Mathematics 13
Genetics, Cellular and Molecular Biology 21
Plant, Animal and Microbial Biotechnology 6
Fundamentals of Biological Engineering 10
Bioprocess Engineering and Process Biotechnology 7
Recombinant DNA Technology and Other Tools in Biotechnology 5
Total Marks 100

GATE Biotechnology Section Wise Weightage 2025 & Important Topics.

The GATE Biotechnology (BT) subject-wise weightage 2025 will help you understand the important chapters of the GATE BT syllabus 2025. Per the GATE previous year's question paper analysis, we have also mentioned the GATE Biotechnology important topics 2025. While studying for the GATE 2025 Biotechnology exam, you must go through these topics thoroughly.

Section

GATE BT 2025 Important Topics

Expected Marks Weightage

Engineering Mathematics

  • Linear Algebra

  • Calculus

  • Probability & Statistics

15%

Biochemistry

  • Biomolecules- Structure & Functions

  • Enzymes- Classification, Kinetics & Mechanism of Action

  • Respiration & Electron Transport Chain

70%

Microbiology

  • Nitrogen Fixation

  • Microbial Classification

  • Virus Classifications

  • Microbial Diseases

Cell Biology

  • Prokaryotic Cell Structures

  • Cell Cycle

  • Cell Growth Control (Cancer)

Molecular Biology & Genetics

  • Molecular Structure of Genes & Chromosomes

  • Mutation & Mutagenesis

  • Nucleic Acid Replication, Transcription, Translation

  • DNA Damage & Repair

Analytical Techniques

  • Chromatography & its Principles

  • Principles of Spectroscopy

  • Microarray

Immunology

  • Antibody Classification

  • Antigen-Antibody Reaction

  • Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)

  • Complement Pathway

Bioinformatics

  • Analytics Tools

  • Major Bioinformatic Tools

  • Sequence & Structure Database

  • Phylogeny

Recombinant DNA Technology (Genetic Engineering)

  • Restriction & Modification Enzymes

  • Vectors & Plasmid

  • DNA Sequencing

  • Polymerase Chain Reaction

  • In-situ Hybridisation

Plant & Animal Biotechnology

  • Media Compositions & Growth Conditions

  • Kinetics of Cell Growth

  • Anchorage & Non-Anchorage Dependent Cell Structure

  • Transgenic Animals

  • Totipotency

  • Regeneration of Plants

  • Production of Secondary Metabolites

Bioprocess Engineering & Process Biotechnology

  • Rheology of Fermentation Fluids

  • Mass & Heat Transfer

  • Kinetics of Microbial Growth

  • Aeration & Agitation

  • Bioprocess Design & Development

  • Biofuels, Bioplastics, Industrial Enzymes, Antibiotics

  • Biomass Production

General Aptitude

-

15%

Also Read:

GATE Biotechnology Subject Wise Weightage 2020

You can check out the GATE BT subject wise weightage for the academic year 2020 below.

Subject

Marks Weightage 2020

Engineering Mathematics

10

Plant and Animal Biotechnology

15

Biotechnology

15

Bioprocess Engineering

15

General Aptitude

10

GATE Biotechnology Subject Wise Weightage 2018

Check out the GATE Biotechnology (BT) subject wise weightage 2018 below.

Subject

Marks Weightage 2019

Engineering Mathematics

15

Plant and Animal Biotechnology

15

Biotechnology

20

Bioprocess Engineering

10

General Aptitude

10

Also Read: GATE 2025 Syllabus: CE, ME, CSE, ECE, EE, Download Subject Wise Syllabus PDF

GATE Exam Pattern 2025 for Biotechnology

The GATE 2025 exam pattern for Biotechnology has been released. The exam pattern of GATE 2025 will you to know about the section-wise weightage, exam duration, marking scheme, etc. Check out the GATE exam pattern 2025 for Biotechnology below.

Particular

Details

Paper Code

BT

GATE exam mode

Online Mode as a Computer-Based Test

GATE Exam Duration

3 hours (180 mins)

GATE Questions Type

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)

Multiple Select Questions (MSQ)

Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions

Number of Questions

10 (General Aptitude) + 55 ( Engineering Mathematics/Biotechnology subject) = 65 Questions

Negative Marking

  • There will be no negative marking for MSQ & NAT questions.
  • For a wrong answer selected in an MCQ, a negative mark will be given.
  • For 1 mark MCQ: 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer.
  • For 2 mark MCQ: 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer.

GATE Biotechnology Subject Marks

85 marks

General Aptitude (GA) Marks

15 marks

Total marks

100 Marks

Also Read: GATE 2025 Exam Dates

What is a Good Score in GATE Biotechnology (BT)?

To pass the GATE 2025 exam you need to score a good score and a good rank. You must be aware of what a good score in the GATE Biotechnology is to plan your exam preparations as per the expected marks in the GATE BT 2025 exam. Therefore, we have mentioned the expected GATE good scores for the Biotechnology sections below.

Section

Good Score (Expected)

Mathematics

25-28

Biochemistry

15-20

Microbiology

10-12

Cell Biology

5-10

Molecular Biology & Genetics

13-18

Analytical Techniques

8-10

Immunology

15-18

Bioinformatics

11-13

Recombinant DNA Technology (Genetic Engineering)

14-16

Plant & Animal Biotechnology

20-25

Bioprocess Engineering & Process Biotechnology

10-12

GATE Biotechnology Sample Questions 2025

While preparing for the GATE BT exam 2025, you can practice with these sample questions. The following GATE sample questions have been picked from the official GATE previous year papers. Check out the GATE Biotechnology sample questions 2025 below:

Q1: A cultured skin fibroblast cell of a goat 'P' was fused with an enucleated ovum of a goat 'Q'. The resultant activated early embryo was then transplanted into a pseudopregnant (surrogate) female goat 'R' of the same strain as 'Q'. On completion of gestation, a female goat 'S' was born. With the exception of mitochondrial DNA, 'S' is a clone of

(A) Only P
(B) Only Q
(C) Only R
(D) Both P and R
.
Q2: Which one of the following is an insect cell line?

(A) HEK 293
(B) Sf9
(C) Dh5a
(D) CHO

Q3: Which one of the following method? is the basic principle of Sanger's DNA sequencing

(A) Chain termination
(B) Chain elongation by
(C) Release of inorganic pyrophosphate
(D) Chain cleavage by modification of dideoxynucleotides

Q4: An element that is present in a nucleotide but not in a nucleoside is

(A) Carbon
(B) Nitrogen
(G) Oxygen
(D) Phosphorous

Q5: Which one of the following drugs is NOT an immune checkpoint inhibitor?

(A) Ipilimumab
(B) Pembrolizumab
(C) Nivolumab
(D) Trastuzumab

Q6: Which one of the following is required for the development of B-cells in the bone marrow?

(A) Stromal cells
(B) Dendritic cells
(C) Kupffer cells
(D) NK cells

Q7: Which one of the following statements is TRUE about leghemoglobin?

(A) It binds oxygen to protect nitrogenase
(B) It binds hemoglobin to protect oxygenase
(C) It binds oxygen to protect hydrogenase
(D) It binds oxygen to protect oxygenase

Q8: The maximum parsimony method is used to construct a phylogenetic tree for a set of sequences. Which one of the following statements about the method is CORRECT?

(A) It predicts the tree that minimizes the steps required to generate the observed variations

(B) It predicts the tree that maximizes the steps required to generate the observed variations

(C) It predicts the tree with the least number of branch points

(D) It employs probability calculations to identify the tree

GATE Best Books for Biotechnology 2025

You must study from the best expert-recommended GATE books 2025 only to achieve the best possible scores in the GATE 2025 result. Choose those books for the GATE exam 2025 which are as per the latest GATE Biotechnology syllabus. Since a Biotechnology paper requires a lot of conceptual understanding, you must pick books with proper explanations. We have listed some of the GATE Best Books 2025 for Biotechnology papers below that you can refer to:

Name of the book

Author / Publication

Life Science Part 1 and 2.

Pathfinder publications

Biotechnology

Pranav Kumar

GATE General Aptitude and Mathematics

GK Publishers

Principle of Bioprocess Engineering

P. Doran

Bioprocess Engineering

Schuler & Kargi

Fundamentals of Biochemistry

Lehninger

Immunology

Kuby

GATE Biotechnology

GK Publishers

Molecular Cell Biology

lodish and Baltimore

Molecular biology of the gene

James Watson

Bioprocess Engineering principles

Pauline Doran

Principles of Gene Manipulation

Primrose & Twyman

Immunology

Kuby

Advanced Engineering Mathematics

Erwin Kreyszig

Plant Biotech

Slater

Gene cloning and DNA analysis

T.A Brown

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We hope that this article on GATE Biotechnology subject-wise weightage 2025 was helpful and informative. For more such updates related to the GATE exam, stay tuned to CollegeDekho.

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FAQs

What is the format of GATE Biotechnology?

The GATE 2025 BT exam will be conducted in online mode (CBT), the exam will be conducted for 3 hours and will feature a total of 65 questions worth 100 marks. There will be negative markings awarded for incorrect answers.

What is the cutoff for GATE Biotechnology?

IIT Roorkee will be releasing the official GATE 2025 Biotechnology cutoff scores after the announcement of the results. The category-wise GATE BT 2025 cutoff marks are expected to be 35-38, 30-32, and 23.5-25 for the General, OBC/EWS, and SC/ST categories respectively.

What is a good GATE score for GATE 2025 Biotechnology?

Generally, a score of 70-75 marks is expected to be a decent score in the GATE Biotechnology exam.

What is the syllabus of GATE BT 2025?

The syllabus of GATE BT 2025 consists of some of the following subjects that include Recombinant DNA Technology and other tools in Biotechnology, Fundamentals of Biological Engineering, Plant, Animal Microbial Biotechnology, Bioprocess Engineering Process Biotechnology.
 

What is the weightage for GATE biotechnology 2025?

As per the GATE subject wise weightage 2025, the General Aptitude section will have 15% weightage, and Engineering Mathematics and Core Biotechnology subjects carry 85% weightage.

Will there be negative marking on the biotechnology GATE 2025 paper?

Yes, GATE 2025 BT exam will consist of negative markings. For 1-mark multiple-choice questions, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. Similarly, for 2 mark MCQs, 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. Moreover, there is no provision for any negative marking for incorrect answers in numerical answer type (NAT) questions.
 

Which subject has highest weightage in GATE Biotechnology (BT) 2025?

General Biology is considered as the high-weightage chapter in the GATE Biotechnology exam with around 23 questions expected. 

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