GATE Life Sciences Syllabus 2025 (XL): Download PDF, Subject Wise Topics, Weightage

Updated By Prateek Lakhera on 16 Oct, 2024 12:08

IIT Roorkee has released the GATE 2025 syllabus PDF for all 30 papers. There have been no changes in the GATE syllabus 2025. Access the GATE syllabus 2025 PDF from this page.

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GATE Life Sciences Syllabus 2025

GATE Life Sciences syllabus 2025: Candidates preparing for the GATE Life Sciences 2025 exam should prepare by referring to the GATE syllabus 2025, available on the official exam website, gate2025.iitr.ac.in. The GATE XL syllabus includes six subjects, including Chemistry (XL-P), which is compulsory for all candidates. Additionally, candidates will have to choose two out of the remaining subjects. The detailed GATE Life Sciences 2025 syllabus helps students plan their studies and prepare for the GATE 2025 exam

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GATE Life Sciences (XL) Syllabus 2025 Topics

The GATE Life Sciences (XL) syllabus is divided into six different subjects. The syllabus details all the important topics and subtopics for candidates. In the following section, we have listed down subject-wise GATE Life Sciences (XL) syllabus topics. 

GATE Chemistry (XL-P) Syllabus 2025

Section

Topic 

Sub-topics

Section 1

Atomic Structure and Periodicity

Planck’s quantum theory, wave particle duality, uncertainty principle, comparison between Bohr’s model and quantum mechanical model of hydrogen atom, electronic configuration of atoms and ions. Hund’s rule and Pauli’s exclusion principle. Periodic table and periodic properties: ionization energy, electron affinity, electronegativity and atomic size.

Section 2

Structure and Bonding

Ionic and covalent bonding, MO and VB approaches for diatomic molecules, VSEPR theory and shape of molecules, hybridization, resonance, dipole moment, structure parameters such as bond length, bond angle and bond energy, hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions. Ionic solids, ionic radii and lattice energy (Born‐Haber cycle). HSAB principle.

Section 3

s, p and d Block Elements

Oxides, halides and hydrides of alkali, alkaline earth metals, B, Al, Si, N, P, and S. General characteristics of 3d elements. Coordination complexes: valence bond and crystal field theory, colour, geometry, magnetic properties and isomerism.

Section 4

Chemical Equilibria

Osmotic pressure, elevation of boiling point and depression of freezing point, ionic equilibria in solution, solubility product, common ion effect, hydrolysis of salts, pH, buffer and their applications. Equilibrium constants (Kc, Kp, and KX) for homogeneous reactions.

Section 5

Electrochemistry

Conductance, Kohlrausch law, cell potentials, EMF, Nernst equation, thermodynamic aspects and their applications.

Section 6

Reaction Kinetics

Rate constant, order of reaction, molecularity, activation energy, zero, first and second order kinetics, catalysis and elementary enzyme reactions. Reversible and irreversible inhibition of enzymes.

Section 7

Thermodynamics

Qualitative treatment of state and path functions, First law, reversible and irreversible processes, internal energy, enthalpy, Kirchoff equation, heat of reaction, Hess’s law, heat of formation. Second law, entropy and free energy. Gibbs‐Helmholtz equation, free energy change and spontaneity, Free energy changes from equilibrium constant.

Section 8

Structure-Reactivity Correlations and Organic Reaction Mechanisms

Acids and bases, electronic and steric effects, Stereochemistry, optical and geometrical isomerism, tautomerism, conformers and concept of aromaticity. Elementary treatment of SN1, SN2, E1, E2 and radical reactions, Hofmann/Saytzeff rules, addition reactions, Markownikoff rule and Kharasch effect. Elementary hydroboration reactions. Grignard’s reagents and their uses. Aromatic electrophilic substitutions, orientation effect as exemplified by various functional groups. Identification of common functional groups by chemical tests.

Section 9

Chemistry of Biomolecules

Amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids and nucleotides. Peptide sequencing by chemical and enzymatic proteolytic methods. DNA sequencing by chemical and enzymatic methods. Carbohydrates (upto hexoses only). Lipids (triglycerides only). Principles of biomolecule purification-Ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. Identification of these biomolecules and Beer-Lambert’s law.

GATE Biochemistry (XL-Q) Syllabus 2025

Section 

Topics

Section 1 

Organization of life; Importance of water; Structure and function of biomolecules: Amino acids, Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins and Nucleic acids; Protein structure, folding/misfolding and function; Myoglobin, Hemoglobin, Lysozyme, Ribonuclease A, Carboxypeptidase and Chymotrypsin.

Section 2

Enzyme kinetics, regulation and inhibition; Vitamins and Coenzymes; Bioenergetics and metabolism; Generation and utilization of ATP; Metabolic pathways and their regulation: glycolysis, TCA cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, oxidative phosphorylation, gluconeogenesis, glycogen and fatty acid metabolism; Metabolism of Nitrogen containing compounds: nitrogen fixation, amino acids and nucleotides. Photosynthesis, Calvin cycle.

Section 3

Biochemical separation techniques: Ion exchange, size exclusion and affinity chromatography, centrifugation; Characterization of biomolecules by electrophoresis; DNA- protein and protein–protein interactions; UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy; Mass spectrometry.

Section 4

Cell structure and organelles; Biological membranes; Action potential; Transport across membranes; Membrane assembly and Protein targeting; Signal transduction; Receptor-ligand interaction; Hormones and neurotransmitters

Section 5

DNA replication, transcription and translation; DNA damage and repair; Biochemical regulation of gene expression; Recombinant DNA technology and applications: PCR, site directed mutagenesis, DNA-microarray; Next generation sequencing; Gene silencing and editing.

Section 6

Immune System: Innate and adaptive; Cell of the immune system; Active and passive immunity; Complement system; Antibody structure, function and diversity; B cell and T Cell receptors; B cell and T cell activation; Major histocompatibility complex; Immunological techniques: Immunodiffusion, immune-electrophoresis, RIA and ELISA, flow cytometry; monoclonal antibodies and their applications.

GATE Botany (XL-R) Syllabus 2025

Section 

Topic 

Subtopics

Section 1

Plant Systematics

Botanical nomenclature, history of plant taxonomy, diversity and classification of plants, APG system of plant classification; phylogenetics and cladistics, molecular taxonomy and DNA barcoding; Centers for plant taxonomy and herbaria in India.

Section 2

Plant Anatomy

Anatomy of root, stem and leaves, floral organs, embryo and young seedlings, Primary and secondary meristems, stellar organization, vascular system and their ontogeny, xylem and phloem structure, secondary growth in plants and wood anatomy, plant cell structure and differences from animal cells.

Section 3

Plant Development; Cell and Tissue Morphogenesis

Life cycle of an angiosperm, development of male and female gametophyte; cell fate determination and tissue patterning; spacing mechanisms in trichomes and stomata. Embryogenesis, organization and function of shoot and root apical meristems. Transition to flowering: photoperiodism and vernalization, ABC model of floral organ patterning, pollen germination, double fertilization, seed development; Xylem and phloem cell differentiation, photomorphogenesis; phytochrome, cryptochrome, phototropin. Role of auxin, cytokinin, gibberellins, and brassinosteroids on plant development.

Section 4

Plant Physiology and Biochemistry

Plant water relations, mechanisms of uptake and transport of water, ions, solutes from soil to plants, apoplastic and symplastic transport mechanisms. Mechanism of stomatal movements, nitrogen metabolism, photosynthesis; C3, C4 and CAM cycles, photorespiration, respiration: glycolysis, TCA cycle and electron transport chain. Plant responses and mechanisms of abiotic stresses including drought, salinity, freezing and heat stress, metal toxicity; role of abscisic acid in abiotic stresses. Structure and function of biomolecules (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acid), enzyme kinetics. Structure and biosynthesis of major plant secondary metabolites (alkaloids, terpenes, phenylpropanoids, flavonoids). Biosynthesis, mechanism of action and physiological effects of auxin, cytokinin, gibberellic acids, brassinosteroid, ethylene, strigolactone, abscisic acid, salicylic and jasmonic acid. Senescence and programmed cell death.

Section 5

Genetics and Genomics

Cell cycle and cell division. Principles of Mendelian inheritance, linkage, recombination, genetic mapping; extra chromosomal inheritance; Introduction to epigenetics; gene silencing- transgene silencing, post transcriptional gene silencing, miRNA and siRNA; evolution and organization of eukaryotic genome structure, gene expression, gene mutation and repair, chromosomal aberrations (numerical: euploidy and aneuploidy and structural: deletion, duplication, inversion, translocation), transposons. Model organisms for functional genetics and genomics; Introduction to transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics.

Section 6

Plant Breeding, Genetic Modification, Genome Editing

Principles, methods – selection, hybridization, heterosis; male sterility, genetic maps and molecular markers, embryo rescue, haploid and doubled haploids, plant tissue culture: micropropagation, embryo culture and in vitro regeneration, somatic embryogenesis, artificial seed, cryopreservation, somaclonal variation, somatic cell hybridization, marker- assisted selection, gene transfer methods viz. direct and vector-mediated, generation of transgenic plants; Introduction to genome editing: CRISPR/Cas9, Cre-Lox system to generate chimeras; plastid transformation; chemical mutagenesis.

Section 7

Economic and Applied Botany

A general account of economically and medicinally important plants- cereals, pulses, plants yielding fibers, timber, sugar, beverages, oils, rubber, pigments, dyes, gums, drugs and narcotics. Economic importance of algae, fungi, lichen and bacteria. Major Indian cash crops. Effect of industrialization on agricultural botany such as plastic on fiber economy. Genetically modified crops and its regulation, e.g. Bt cotton, Bt brinjal, golden rice etc.

Section 8 

Plant Pathology

Nature and classification of plant diseases, diseases of important crops caused by fungi, bacteria, nematodes and viruses, and their control measures (chemical and biological) mechanism(s) of pathogenesis, resistance: basal, systemic, induced systemic resistance, gene for gene concept. Molecular detection of pathogens; plant-microbe interactions: symbionts and mycorrhiza, pathogens and pests. Signaling pathways in plant defense response; salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) in plant-pathogen and plant-herbivore interaction, necrosis; host-parasitic plant interaction (such as Cuscuta).

Section 9

Ecology and Environment

Ecosystems – types, dynamics, degradation, biogeochemical cycles, ecological succession; food webs and energy flow through ecosystem; vegetation types of the world, Indian vegetation types and biogeographical zones, climate and flora endemism; pollution and global climate change, speciation and extinction, biodiversity and conservation strategies, ecological hotspots, afforestation, habitat restoration; plant interactions with other organisms; epiphytes, parasites and endophytes.

GATE Microbiology (XL-S) Syllabus 2025

Section 

Topic 

Sub-topics

Section 1

Historical Perspective

Discovery of microbial world; Landmark discoveries relevant to the field of microbiology; Controversy over spontaneous generation; Role of microorganisms in transformation of organic matter and in the causation of diseases.

Section 2

Methods in Microbiology

Pure culture techniques; Principles of microbial nutrition; Enrichment culture techniques for isolation of microorganisms; antigen and antibody detection methods for microbial diagnosis; Light-, phase contrast-, fluorescence- and electron-microscopy; PCR, real-time PCR for quantitation of microbes; Next generation sequencing technologies in microbiology.

Section 3

Microbial Taxonomy and Diversity

Bacteria, Archaea and their broad classification; Eukaryotic microbes: Yeasts, molds and protozoa; Viruses and their classification; Molecular approaches to microbial taxonomy and phylogeny.

Section 4

Prokaryotic Cells: Structure and Function

Prokaryotic Cells: Cell walls, cell membranes and their biosynthesis, mechanisms of solute transport across membranes, Flagella and Pili, Capsules, Cell inclusions like endospores and gas vesicles; Bacterial locomotion, including positive and negative chemotaxis.

Section 5 

Microbial Growth

Definition of growth; Growth curve; Mathematical expression of exponential growth phase; Measurement of growth and growth yields; Synchronous growth; Continuous culture; Effect of environmental factors on growth; Bacterial biofilm and biofouling.

Section 6 

Control of Microorganisms

Disinfection and Sterilization: Principles, methods and assessment of efficacy.

Section 7

Microbial Metabolism

Energetics: redox reactions and electron carriers; Electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation; An overview of metabolism; Glycolysis; Pentose-phosphate pathway; Entner-Doudoroff pathway; Glyoxylate pathway; The citric acid cycle; Fermentation; Aerobic and anaerobic respiration; Chemolithotrophy; Photosynthesis; Calvin cycle; Biosynthetic pathway for fatty acids synthesis; Common regulatory mechanisms in synthesis of amino acids; Regulation of major metabolic pathways.

Section 8

Microbial Diseases and Host Pathogen Interaction

Normal microbiota; Classification of infectious diseases; Reservoirs of infection; Nosocomial infection; Opportunistic infections; Emerging infectious diseases; Mechanism of microbial pathogenicity; Nonspecific defense of host; Antigens and antibodies; Humoral and cell mediated immunity; Vaccines; passive immunization; Immune deficiency; Human diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, and pathogenic fungi.

Section 9

Chemotherapy/Antibiotics

General characteristics of antimicrobial drugs; Antibiotics: Classification molecular mechanism of mode of action and resistance; Antifungal and antiviral drugs.

Section 10

Microbial Genetics

Types of mutation; UV and chemical mutagens; Selection of mutants; Ames test for mutagenesis; Bacterial genetic system: transformation, conjugation, transduction, recombination, plasmids, transposons; DNA repair; Regulation of gene expression: repression and induction; Operon model; Bacterial genome with special reference to E.coli; Phage λ and its life cycle; RNA ; mutation in virus genomes, virus recombination and reassortment; Basic concept of microbial genomics.

Section 11

Microbial Ecology

Microbial interactions; Carbon, sulphur and nitrogen cycles; Soil microorganisms associated with vascular plants; Bioremediation; Uncultivable microorganisms; basic concept of metagenomics and metatranscriptomics.

GATE Zoology (XL-T) Syllabus 2025

Section 

Topic 

Sub-topics

Section 1

Animal Diversity

Distribution, systematics and classification of animals, phylogenetic relationships (based on classical and molecular phylogenetic tools).

Section 2

Evolution

Origin and history of life on earth, theories of evolution, natural selection, adaptation, speciation.

Section 3

Genetics

Basic Principles of inheritance, molecular basis of heredity, sex determination and sex-linked characteristics, cytoplasmic inheritance, linkage, recombination and mapping of genes in eukaryotes, population genetics, genetic disorders, roles of model organisms in understanding genetic principles.

Section 4

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Nucleic acids, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates; replication, transcription and translation, Krebs cycle, glycolysis, enzyme catalysis, hormones and their actions, roles of vitamins and minerals.

Section 5 

Cell Biology

Basic principles of cellular microscopy, structure of cell, cytoskeletal organization, cellular organelles and their structure and function, cell cycle, cell division, chromosomes and chromatin structure.

Section 6 

Gene expression in Eukaryotes

Eukaryotic genome organization and regulation of gene expression, transposable elements.

Section 7

Animal Anatomy and Physiology

Comparative physiology, the respiratory system, Muscular system, circulatory system, digestive system, the nervous system, the excretory system, the endocrine system, the reproductive system, the skeletal system.

Section 8

Parasitology and Immunology

Nature of parasite, host-parasite relation, protozoan and helminthic parasites, the immune response, cellular and humoral immune response.

Section 9

Development Biology

Gametogenesis, Embryonic development, cellular differentiation, organogenesis, metamorphosis, Model organisms used in developmental biology, genetic and molecular basis of development, stem cells.

Section 10

Ecology

The ecosystem, Animal distribution, ecological niche and its contribution to ecological diversity, the food chain, population dynamics, species diversity, zoogeography, biogeochemical cycles, conservation biology, ecotoxicology.

Section 11

Animal Behaviour

Type of behaviors, courtship, mating and territoriality, instinct, learning, and memory, social behavior across the animal taxa, communication, pheromones, evolution of behavior in animals

GATE Food Technology (XL-U) Syllabus 2025

Section

Topic 

Sub-topics

Section 1

Food Chemistry and Nutrition

Carbohydrates: Structure and functional properties of mono-, oligo-, & poly- saccharides including starch, cellulose, pectic substances and dietary fibre, gelatinization and retrogradation of starch. 

Proteins: classification and structure of proteins in food, biochemical changes in post mortem and tenderization of muscles. 

Lipids: classification and structure of lipids, rancidity, polymerization and polymorphism. 

Pigments: carotenoids, chlorophylls, anthocyanins, tannins and myoglobin. Food flavours: terpenes, esters, aldehydes, ketones and quinones. 

Enzymes: specificity, simple and inhibition kinetics, coenzymes, enzymatic and non- enzymatic browning. 

Nutrition: balanced diet, essential amino acids and essential fatty acids, protein efficiency ratio, water soluble and fat soluble vitamins, role of minerals in nutrition, co-factors, anti-nutrients, nutraceuticals, nutrient deficiency diseases. 

Chemical and biochemical changes: changes occur in foods during different processing.

Section 2

Food Microbiology

Characteristics of Microorganisms: Morphology of bacteria, yeast, mold and actinomycetes, spores and vegetative cells, gram-staining. Microbial growth: growth and death kinetics, serial dilution technique. Food spoilage: spoilage microorganisms in different food products including milk, fish, meat, egg, cereals and their products. Toxins from microbes: pathogens and non-pathogens including Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Shebelle, Escherichia, Bacillus, Clostridium, and Aspergillus genera. Fermented foods and beverages: curd, yogurt, cheese, pickles, soya-sauce, sauerkraut, idly, dose, vinegar, alcoholic beverages and sausage.

Section 3

Food Products Technology

Processing Principles: Thermal processing, chilling, freezing, dehydration, addition of preservatives and food additives, irradiation, fermentation, hurdle technology, intermediate moisture foods. Food packaging and storage: packaging materials, aseptic packaging, controlled and modified atmosphere storage. Cereal processing and products: milling of rice, wheat, and maize, parboiling of paddy, bread, biscuits, extruded products and ready to eat breakfast cereals. Oil processing: expelling, solvent extraction, refining and hydrogenation. Fruits and vegetables processing: extraction, clarification, concentration and packaging of fruit juice, jam, jelly, marmalade, squash, candies, tomato sauce, ketchup, and puree, potato chips, pickles. Plantation crops processing and products: tea, coffee, cocoa, spice, extraction of essential oils and oleoresins from spices. Milk and milk products processing: pasteurization and sterilization, cream, butter, ghee, ice- cream, cheese and milk powder. Processing of animal products: drying, canning, and freezing of fish and meat; production of egg powder. Waste utilization: pectin from fruit wastes, uses of by-products from rice milling. Food standards and quality maintenance: FPO, PFA, A-Mark, ISI, HACCP, food plant sanitation and cleaning in place (CIP).

Section 4

Food Engineering

Mass and energy balance: Momentum transfer: Flow rate and pressure drop relationships for Newtonian fluids flowing through pipe, Reynolds number. Heat transfer: heat transfer by conduction, convection, radiation, heat exchangers. Mass transfer: molecular diffusion and Flick's law, conduction and convective mass transfer, permeability through single and multilayer films. Mechanical operations: size reduction of solids, high pressure homogenization, filtration, centrifugation, settling, sieving, mixing & agitation of liquid. Thermal operations: thermal sterilization, evaporation of liquid foods, hot air drying of solids, spray and freeze-drying, freezing and crystallization. Mass transfer operations: psychometric, humidification and dehumidification operations.

GATE Life Sciences Syllabus Related Questions

Q1. When should I start preparing for the GATE Life Sciences exam?

Ans. Considering the difficulty level of the GATE exam students are required to have a solid preparation plan, usually, B.tech students start preparing for the exam in the second year. However, from the time of the announcement of the exam schedule candidates should start their preparations.

Q2. Who will conduct the GATE Life Sciences exam?

Ans. The GATE Life Sciences exam 2025 will be conducted by IIT Roorkee.  

Q3. What is the exam code for the GATE Life Sciences exam?

Ans. The GATE Life Sciences exam code is XL, however, different Life Sciences subjects have different exam codes, XL- P (Chemistry), XL- Q (Biochemistry), XL - R (Botany), XL- S (Microbiology), XL - T (Zoology), and XL - U (Food Technology). 

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GATE Life Sciences (XL) Syllabus 2025 PDF Download

While preparing for the exam, candidates should keep a GATE Life Sciences syllabus 2025 PDF file with them to easily identify the important topics from all the subjects. Candidates can also download the GATE Life Sciences syllabus 2025 PDF download:

GATE Life Sciences (XL) Syllabus 2025 Important Topics

Candidates preparing for the exam should know all the important topics from the GATE Life Sciences syllabus 2025. In the following table, we have listed down some of the most important GATE Life Sciences topics: 

Subject

Important Topics

Chemistry

Physical Chemistry: Chemical Kinetics, Thermodynamics, Chemical Equilibrium, Quantum Mechanics, Statistical Mechanics, Spectroscopy

Inorganic Chemistry: Coordination chemistry, Organometallic chemistry, Bioinorganic chemistry, Main Group Elements, Transition Elements, Solid State Chemistry

Organic Chemistry: Reaction Mechanisms, Stereochemistry, Organic Synthesis, Organometallics, Heterocyclic Chemistry

Biochemistry

Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Engineering Principles Applied to Biological Systems, Classical Thermodynamics and Bioenergetics, Transport Processes, Bioreaction Engineering, Upstream and Downstream Processing, Instrumentation and Process Control, Recombinant DNA technology

Botany

Plant Systematics, Plant physiology and biochemistry, Plant development, cell, and tissue morphogenesis, Plant breeding, genome editing, and genetic modification, Economic and Applied Botany, Ecology and Environment, Plant Pathology

Microbiology

Methods in microbiology, Historical perspective, Microbial taxonomy and diversity, Prokaryotic Cells: Function and Structure, Control of Microorganisms, Microbial growth, Microbial metabolism, Microbial diseases and host-pathogen Interaction, Antibiotics / Chemistry, Microbial Ecology, Microbial Genetics

Zoology

Evolution, Animal Diversity, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Gene expression in Eukaryotes, Cell Biology, Parasitology and Immunology, Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Ecology, Development Biology, Animal Behaviour

Food Technology

Food Chemistry and Nutrition, Food Microbiology, Food Products Technology, Food Engineering

GATE Life Sciences Important Topics Related Questions

Q1. What are important Food Technology topics in the GATE Life Sciences syllabus?

Ans. Food chemistry and nutrition, Food Microbiology, and Food Engineering are some of the most important topics in the Food Technology section of the Life Sciences exam.

Q2. What are good marks in the GATE XL exam?

Ans. Candidates can check the cutoff scores from the previous years to determine an ideal score for the GATE Life Sciences 2025 exam. Generally, a score of around 27-28 marks is considered good. 

Q3. How to prepare for the GATE XL exam?

Ans. Candidates can start preparing for the GATE XL exam by covering all the important topics from the syllabus. 

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GATE Life Sciences (XL) Syllabus 2025 Section-Wise Weightage

The GATE exam pattern 2025 provides 65 questions for a total of 100 marks in the Life Sciences exam. Each section of the syllabus features a particular number of questions and marks are fixed for each. Candidates should understand the section-wise weightage of the GATE Life Sciences syllabus to know which section features the most marks. In the following table, we have mentioned mark weightage for the complete GATE Life Sciences syllabus 2025:

Section

Marks

Marks Weightage

General Aptitude

15 Marks

15%

Chemistry (XL-P)

25 Marks

25%

Life Science Section 

60 Marks

60%

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Helpful Tips for GATE Life Sciences Preparations

Several GATE preparation tips can help students follow a dedicated study plan and enhance their chances of success in the GATE Life Sciences 2025 exam. Let’s have a look at some of the most helpful tips for the GATE Life Sciences aspirants:
1. Carefully evaluate the GATE Life Sciences syllabus 2025 and select your additional subjects wisely.
2. Solve previous years’ question papers to better understand the exam pattern.
3. Participate in mock tests to enhance your skills.
4. Give adequate time for revisions.
5. Keep the most focused on important topics such as Chemical Kinetics, Methods in microbiology, Microbial Diseases, Host-Pathogen Interaction, etc.
6. Only refer to credible books and study material.

List of GATE Life Sciences Best Books

Several books are available in the market for GATE Life Sciences preparations, however, it is important to know the GATE best books out of the lot. In the following table, we have listed down some of the best GATE Life Sciences books: 

Subject

Name of the Book

Author/Publication

Chemistry

Physical Chemistry

Ira N. Levine

Organic Chemistry

Jonathan Clayden, Nick Greeves, Stuart Warren

Principles of Inorganic Chemistry

Late B.R.Puri, L.R. Sharma, K.C.Kalia

Biochemistry

Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry

Nelson and Cox

Principles of Biochemistry

Voet, Pratt and Voet

Enzymes: Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Clinical Chemistry

Trevor Palmer and Philip Bonner

Molecular Biology of the Cells

Bruce Alberts

The Cell: A Molecular Approach 

Geoffrey M. Cooper, and Robert E. Hausman

Immunology

Kuby

Essential Immunology 

Ivan M. Roitt

Principles of Gene Manipulation and Genomics

S.B. Primrose and R.M. Twyman

Principles of Genetics

Snustad

Botany

Plant Physiology

Taiz and Zeiger

Introductory Plant Biology

Stern

Basic Ecology: Fundamentals of Ecology

Eugene P. Odum

Microbiology

Microbiology

Prescott

Microbiology

Pelczar

Zoology

Animal Biology (Instant Notes)

Jurd

Vertebrates Comparative Anatomy - Function and Evolution

Kardong

Developmental Biology

Scott F. Gilbert

Food Technology

Advanced textbook on Food and Nutrition Vol. 1

Dr M. Swaminathan

Processing and Food Engineering

M K Garg and Pritam Chandra

Fundamentals of Food Engineering

D G Rao

Food Chemistry

Meyer, Fenema

Outline of Dairy Technology

Sukumar Dey

Post-harvest technology of Cereals and Pulses

Chakravarty

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