The GATE exam includes a General Aptitude (GA) section, which is common across all papers. The General Aptitude section is designed to test the candidate’s verbal and numerical abilities.
The syllabus for the General Aptitude section of the GATE exam mainly includes the 4 topics: such as Verbal Ability, Numerical Ability, Reasoning, and English Comprehension. Below the Syllabus is elaborated topic-wise and at the end students can also able to download the Syllabus in the PDF format.
The weightage of General Aptitude section is 15% in the GATE exam, which is same for all the papers. The number of questions in this section is 10 and the marks awarded for each question is 1.5 making total of 15 marks. The section is designed to check the candidates general aptitude and analytical ability, GATE exam is designed in such a way that candidates with good aptitude and analytical ability will have an edge in this exam.
1. Verbal Ability Syllabus
The Verbal Ability section of the GATE General Aptitude syllabus is designed to test the candidate’s ability to understand and analyze written text. The syllabus for this section typically includes the following topics:
- Grammar: This section tests the candidate’s understanding of English grammar. Questions may test the candidate’s knowledge of parts of speech, subject-verb agreement, sentence structure, and punctuation.
- Vocabulary: This section tests the candidate’s knowledge of English vocabulary. Questions may test the candidate’s ability to recognize and use common words, phrases, and idioms.
- Comprehension: This section tests the candidate’s ability to understand written text. Questions may ask the candidate to identify the main idea, locate specific information, or infer meaning from the text.
- English Comprehension: This section tests the candidate’s ability to understand English text and includes questions based on English comprehension passages
It is important to note that the Verbal ability section is not just limited to grammar and vocabulary but also includes the comprehension of the passage. So while preparing for this section, it is important to go through the passages and articles related to the topic and read them carefully to comprehend the meaning, idea and the main point.
You can improve your vocabulary by reading newspapers, novels, and magazines, watching English-language movies and TV shows, and practicing with flashcards. And you can improve your comprehension skills by reading articles, stories, and passages and trying to understand their main point and the meaning of the difficult words used in them.
2. Numerical Ability Syllabus
The Numerical Ability section of the GATE General Aptitude syllabus is designed to test the candidate’s ability to understand and analyze numerical data. The syllabus for this section typically includes the following topics:
- Numerical computation: This section tests the candidate’s ability to perform mathematical operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and simple algebraic equations.
- Numerical estimation: This section tests the candidate’s ability to estimate the answer to a mathematical problem without performing the exact calculation.
- Numerical reasoning: This section tests the candidate’s ability to reason mathematically, understand mathematical relationships, and make logical deductions.
- Data interpretation: This section tests the candidate’s ability to understand and interpret data presented in tables, graphs, or diagrams.
This section does not focus on testing your advanced mathematical or computational knowledge but rather on your ability to understand and reason with numerical data. So, you should be comfortable with basic arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry.
It’s also important to practice your estimation skills and to become familiar with interpreting and analyzing data presented in tables, graphs, and charts. Practice and mock tests can also help you to improve your performance and increase your chances of passing.
It’s also important to remember that time management is important in this section, as you have to finish all the question in 3 hours. So, practice and familiarize yourself with different types of questions and try to solve them within the time constraints.
3. Reasoning Syllabus
The Reasoning section of the GATE General Aptitude syllabus is designed to test the candidate’s ability to reason and analyze abstract ideas. The syllabus for this section typically includes the following topics:
- Verbal reasoning: This section tests the candidate’s ability to reason with verbal information, such as word relationships and logic. Questions may involve interpreting verbal analogies, coding-decoding, syllogisms, and logical sequences.
- Logical reasoning: This section tests the candidate’s ability to understand and analyze logical relationships between concepts and ideas. Questions may involve identifying patterns, logical deductions, and inferences.
- Abstract reasoning: This section tests the candidate’s ability to reason with abstract concepts, such as visual patterns and geometric figures. Questions may involve identifying patterns, relationships, and logical deductions in abstract shapes and figures.
The reasoning section is considered to be one of the most challenging in the General Aptitude section. It tests your ability to think critically, to understand and analyze logical relationships, and to make logical deductions.
To prepare for this section, you should practice solving reasoning problems and puzzles. You can find a variety of reasoning problems in books and online resources specifically designed for aptitude tests. Additionally, you should practice solving puzzles like Sudoku and try solving them in a timed environment.
The key to success in this section is to practice regularly and to familiarize yourself with different types of reasoning problems. And try to understand the underlying logic and patterns rather than trying to memorize the solutions.
4. English Comprehension Syllabus
The English Comprehension section of the GATE General Aptitude syllabus is designed to test the candidate’s ability to understand English text. The syllabus for this section typically includes the following topics:
- Reading Comprehension: This section tests the candidate’s ability to understand the meaning of written text by reading the given passages and answering the questions based on it.
- Vocabulary: This section tests the candidate’s ability to understand the meaning of words and phrases in the given passage, and to use them correctly in context.
- Grammar and language usage: This section tests the candidate’s knowledge of grammar and their ability to use the English language correctly and effectively.
- Text Structure: This section includes questions on coherence and cohesion of the given passage, and logical organization of the ideas.
The English comprehension section of GATE general aptitude is designed to test the ability of the candidate to understand the meaning of the text and to use the English language correctly. So to prepare for this section, it is important to read as much as you can and to familiarize yourself with different types of texts, such as news articles, fiction, and non-fiction.
It’s also important to practice reading comprehension questions and to pay attention to the details in the text. Additionally, It’s also important to practice your vocabulary and grammar, so you can understand the text and use the language correctly.
It’s also a good idea to practice by reading the newspapers, magazines and journals, novels and other literature, watch English-language movies and TV shows, and practice with flashcards. This way you can expose yourself to different styles of writing and different levels of vocabulary.
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Last Words
It is important to note that the GATE exam focuses on testing the candidates understanding and application of the subject rather than their memory recall, so it is important to go through the basic concepts and problem-solving techniques related to each topic in the syllabus.