GATE 2025 Syllabus for Psychology (XH - C4) - Important Chapters, Best Books, Sample Questions

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 Humanities Science Syllabus PDF

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 -

GATE 2025 Psychology Sample Question Papers - Download Here!

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 -

1. MCQs in Psychology - Objectives for JRF/UGC NET and Other Competetive Examinations

2. Question Bank Psychology - SLET/UGC NET/SPSC/UPSC/Other Higher Grade Examinations

3. NTA UGC NET Psychology Paper-II (recent edition)

4. 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	1 marks x 05 questions = 5 2 marks x 10 questions = 20
Psychology Paper Section	40	60	1 mark x 20 questions = 20 2 marks x 20 questions = 40

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 Exam Pattern
GATE 2025 Exam Preparation Tips	GATE 2025 Syllabus (PDF)
GATE 2025 Cutoff	List of documents required to fill GATE application form 2025

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