GATE EC Syllabus and Marks Distribution

There is no optional subject block in this paper. The syllabus defines what can be tested; it does not offer a choice to replace one subject with another. Leaving a question unanswered earns zero, but it does not reduce the set of topics that may appear.

Electronics and Communication Engineering Unit-wise Syllabus

Engineering Mathematics

• Linear Algebra: Vector space, basis, linear dependence and independence, matrix algebra, eigen values and eigen vectors, rank, solution of linear equations - existence and uniqueness.
• Calculus: Mean value theorems, theorems of integral calculus, evaluation of definite and improper integrals, partial derivatives, maxima and minima, multiple integrals, line, surface and volume integrals, Taylor series.
• Differential Equations: Linear differential equations, Euler -Cauchy equation, Nonhomogeneous equations, methods of solution using variation of parameters, complementary function and particular integral, partial differential equations, variable separable method, initial and boundary value problems.
• Vector Analysis: Vectors in plane and space, vector operations, gradient, divergence and curl, Gauss's, Green's and Stokes’ theorems.
• Complex Analysis: Analytic functions, Cauchy’s integral theorem, Cauchy’s integral formula, sequences, series, convergence tests, Taylor and Laurent series, residue theorem.
• Probability and Statistics: Mean, median, mode, standard deviation, combinatorial probability, probability distributions, binomial distribution, Poisson distribution, exponential distribution, normal distribution, joint and conditional probability, correlation and regression analysis.

Networks, Signals and Systems

• Circuit Analysis: Node and mesh analysis, superposition, Thevenin's theorem, Norton’s theorem, reciprocity. Sinusoidal steady state analysis: phasors, complex power, maximum power transfer.
• Time and frequency domain analysis of linear circuits: RL, RC and RLC circuits, solution of network equations using Laplace transform. Linear 2-port network parameters, wye-delta transformation.
• LTI systems: definition and properties, causality, stability, impulse response, convolution, poles and zeroes, frequency response, group delay, phase delay.
• Continuous-time Signals: Fourier series and Fourier transform, Nyquist sampling theorem, sampling and reconstruction. Discrete-time Signals: DTFT, DFT, z-transform, FIR and IIR filter design.

Electronic Devices

• Formation of energy bands in solids, energy bands in intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, equilibrium carrier concentration, direct and indirect band-gap semiconductors.
• Carrier Transport: Diffusion current, drift current, mobility and resistivity, generation and recombination of carriers, Poisson and continuity equations.
• P-N junction, Zener diode, BJT, MOS capacitor, MOSFET, scaling in MOSFETs, LED, photo diode and solar cell.

Analog Circuits

• Diode Circuits: Clipping, clamping and rectifiers.
• BJT and MOSFET Amplifiers: Biasing, AC coupling, small signal analysis, frequency response. Current mirrors and differential amplifiers.
• Op-amp Circuits: Amplifiers, summers, differentiators, integrators, active filters, Schmitt trigger and oscillators, dominant-pole (Miller) compensation, phase margin.

Digital Circuits

• Number Representations: Binary, integer and floating-point- numbers. Combinatorial circuits: Boolean algebra, minimization of functions using Boolean identities and Karnaugh map, logic gates and their static CMOS implementations, arithmetic circuits, code converters, multiplexers, decoders.
• Sequential Circuits: Latches and flip -flops, counters, shift -registers, finite state machines, propagation delay, setup and hold time, critical path delay. Data Converters: Sample and hold circuits, ADCs and DACs. Semiconductor Memories: ROM, SRAM, DRAM. Computer Organization: Machine instructions and addressing modes, ALU, data-path and control unit, instruction pipelining.

Control Systems

• Basic control system components; Feedback principle; Transfer function; Block diagram representation; Signal flow graph; Transient and steady-state analysis of LTI systems; Frequency response; Routh-Hurwitz and Nyquist stability criteria; Bode and root-locus plots; compensators, PID controller; State variable model and solution of state equation of LTI systems.

Communications

• Random Processes: Autocorrelation and power spectral density, properties of white noise, filtering of random signals through LTI systems.
• Analog Communications: Amplitude modulation and demodulation, angle modulation and demodulation, spectra of AM and FM, super heterodyne receivers.
• Information Theory: Entropy, source coding, mutual information and channel capacity theorem.
• Digital Communications: PCM, DPCM, digital modulation schemes (ASK, PSK, FSK, QAM), bandwidth, inter- symbol interference, MAP, ML detection, matched filter receiver, SNR and BER. Fundamentals of error correction, Hamming codes, CRC.

Electromagnetics

• Maxwell's Equations: Differential and integral forms and their interpretation, boundary conditions, wave equation, Poynting vector.
• Plane Waves and Properties: Reflection and refraction, polarization, phase and group velocity, propagation through various media, skin depth.
• Transmission Lines: Equations, characteristic impedance, impedance matching, impedance transformation, Sparameters, Smith chart. Rectangular and circular waveguides, light propagation in optical fibers, dipole and monopole antennas, linear antenna arrays.

General Aptitude Syllabus

General Aptitude contributes 15 marks within the 100-mark paper. It is not an additional paper that can be left out when choosing the technical sections.

Chapter-wise Weightage and Important Topics

The marks split above is fixed at section level. IIT Madras has not assigned a guaranteed number of marks to each chapter of Electronics and Communication Engineering. A topic may appear in one year and receive fewer questions in another; a past-paper count is not an official 2027 weightage.

For a chapter-weightage comparison, record the year, paper code, session, question number and marks of each matching question. Keep a combined question under one main topic or label the overlap explicitly; counting it twice inflates the total. GATE previous-year question papers can be used for this topic-by-topic practice.

Question Types and Negative Marking

The paper uses one-mark and two-mark questions. The number of MCQ, MSQ and NAT questions is not a fixed chapter-wise quota. In an MSQ, selecting one correct option is not enough when the correct answer contains two options.

Using the 2027 Syllabus for Preparation

Work through signals and systems before communication systems. For transistor circuits, identify the operating region and small-signal model before calculating gain or input resistance.

Match each exercise to the current unit list. A previous-year paper may use an older scope or section code. When a current topic has no matching older question, practise that concept separately rather than deleting it from the plan. The GATE preparation plan covers full-paper practice and revision alongside topic study.

1. Unit and Topic Reference
2. Sections and Marks

1. Mathematics and General Aptitude
2. Practice and Marking Reference