Two distinctions matter when planning preparation: Mathematical Statistics has about 25% Mathematics and 75% Statistics, and Biotechnology includes Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics alongside biology.
IIT JAM 2027 Syllabus and Paper Codes
| Code | Paper | Main areas |
| BT | Biotechnology | Biology, biotechnology, techniques, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics |
| CY | Chemistry | Basic Mathematics, Physical, Organic and Inorganic Chemistry |
| EN | Economics | Mathematics, Statistics, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Indian Economy |
| GG | Geology | Earth science, landforms, structures, fossils, stratigraphy, minerals, rocks, deposits and applications |
| MA | Mathematics | Real Analysis, Multivariable Calculus, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra and Algebra |
| MS | Mathematical Statistics | Mathematics and Statistics, including inference and stochastic processes |
| PH | Physics | Mathematical Methods, Mechanics, Waves, Electromagnetism, Thermal, Modern and Solid State Physics |
Study the syllabus for your selected paper, not every subject in the table. Biotechnology includes several sciences within BT, while Physics and Chemistry also have their own separate PH and CY papers. Mathematics (MA) and Mathematical Statistics (MS) are different tests.
IIT Kharagpur has published the 2027 subject syllabi. For the official PDF, open the Syllabus & Test Pattern section at jam.iitkgp.ac.in and select the paper code. The same syllabi appear in Annexure I of the JAM 2027 information brochure.
The exam is on 14 February 2027. The JAM 2027 schedule also lists the morning and afternoon paper combinations for candidates taking two tests.
Biotechnology Syllabus: BT
BT is not a biology-only paper. It includes three biology/biotechnology sections, Chemistry at 10+2+3 level, and Mathematics and Physics at 10+2 level.
Biology and biotechnology
- General Biology: cell organisation and signalling, cell cycle, enzymes and metabolism, Mendelian and population genetics, DNA replication and repair, gene expression, evolution and ecology. Enzyme kinetics includes Michaelis-Menten behaviour and inhibition.
- Microbial, Plant and Animal Biotechnology: microbial genetics and growth, fermentation and downstream processing, plant tissues and growth regulators, tissue culture, transgenic organisms, animal systems, immunology, development and mammalian cell culture.
- Biotechniques: chromatography, centrifugation, electrophoresis, ELISA, blotting, microscopy, cloning, PCR, sequencing, bioinformatics and sequence/structure analysis. Instrumental methods include spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, calorimetry, crystallography and flow cytometry.
Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics
- Chemistry: atomic properties, bonding, equilibrium, thermodynamics, zero- and first-order kinetics, pH and buffers, electrochemistry, stereochemistry and major organic functional groups. This is specified at undergraduate, not only Class 12, level.
- Mathematics: sets and functions, complex numbers, sequences, trigonometry, coordinate geometry, vectors, matrices, calculus and differential equations. Probability and Statistics includes common distributions, dispersion, correlation and regression.
- Physics: mechanics, rotation, fluids, heat, electricity, magnetism, induction, optics, atomic/nuclear physics and semiconductors.
Alongside genetics and molecular biology, BT preparation includes chemistry calculations, mathematics and physics. Practise these separately so that weaker numerical topics receive enough attention.
Chemistry Syllabus: CY
Basic Mathematics and Physical Chemistry
The mathematical base includes functions, extrema, integration, ordinary differential equations, vectors, matrices, determinants and elementary Statistics. Physical Chemistry covers atomic and molecular structure; gases, liquids and solids; thermodynamics; chemical and phase equilibria; electrochemistry; kinetics; adsorption; and spectroscopy.
The scope goes beyond formula substitution. Examples include the particle-in-a-box model, partial derivatives in thermodynamics, phase diagrams, the Nernst equation, reaction mechanisms and rate laws, adsorption isotherms, and rotational, vibrational and magnetic-resonance spectroscopy.
Organic Chemistry
- Electronic effects and stereochemistry, including conformations, optical isomerism and aromaticity.
- Reactive intermediates, substitution and elimination, rearrangements, oxidation/reduction and organometallic reagents.
- Pericyclic reactions and functional-group conversions, with structure problems based on reactions.
- Functional-group identification and elementary UV, IR and proton-NMR structure analysis.
- Natural products, including carbohydrates, amino acids, peptides and nucleic acids, plus aromatic and heterocyclic chemistry.
Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry
Cover periodicity, metal extraction and Ellingham diagrams, ionic/covalent bonding, s- and p-block chemistry, transition metals and coordination compounds. The syllabus includes metal-complex structure, spectra and magnetism, organometallic chemistry and bioinorganic systems.
Instrumental and analytical work also belongs here: conductometry, potentiometry, UV-visible analysis, qualitative/quantitative analysis, acid-base/redox/EDTA titrations, indicators, radioactivity and error analysis. These topics form part of the Chemistry syllabus alongside physical, organic and inorganic chemistry.
Economics Syllabus: EN
- Mathematics for Economics: functions and sets; sequences; single- and multivariable calculus; differential and difference equations; matrices, eigenvalues and quadratic forms; constrained optimisation and linear programming. Lagrange multipliers, KKT conditions, the envelope theorem and duality are explicitly included.
- Statistics for Economics: descriptive measures, probability, distributions, sampling, estimation, confidence intervals and hypothesis testing. Correlation and regression includes OLS, classical regression assumptions, the Gauss-Markov theorem and goodness of fit.
- Microeconomics: consumer choice and demand, production and costs, competitive equilibrium, welfare, game theory, monopoly and oligopoly, externalities, public goods and asymmetric information.
- Macroeconomics: national accounts, consumption and saving, labour and investment, inflation and unemployment, money and banking, asset pricing, fiscal policy, IS-LM and AD-AS, growth models and open-economy macroeconomics.
- Indian Economy: development strategies and reforms, poverty and inequality, employment and inflation, demographics and human capital, agriculture/industry/services, trade and public finance.
For the quantitative parts, connect the mathematical method to the economic problem. A constrained consumer-choice problem can combine derivatives and optimisation; a regression question can combine probability, estimation and testing. Treating these as isolated definition lists leaves those connections unpractised.
Geology Syllabus: GG
- The Planet Earth: origin and internal structure, radiometric dating, volcanism, earthquakes, gravity, magnetism, isostasy and plate tectonics.
- Geomorphology: weathering, erosion, soil, drainage and fluvial, aeolian, marine, glacial and karst landforms.
- Structural Geology: dip, strike, rake and plunge; maps and cross-sections; folds, faults, joints and unconformities; stereographic projections and quantitative structural interpretation.
- Palaeontology: fossil preservation and use, invertebrate groups, Gondwana plants and Indian vertebrate fossils.
- Stratigraphy: classification and correlation, Indian cratons and mobile belts, Cuddapah/Vindhyan basins, Spiti/Kashmir sequences, Gondwana, Kutch, Trichinopoly, Assam, Bengal and Siwaliks.
- Mineralogy: crystal symmetry, Miller indices, twinning, optical properties and common rock-forming minerals.
- Petrology: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks; magma evolution, phase diagrams, sedimentary environments, metamorphic zones and facies.
- Economic Geology: ore-forming processes, mineral deposits in India, grade/reserve estimation, coal and hydrocarbons.
- Applied Geology: groundwater, aquifers and flow, engineering geology for dams/tunnels, and remote sensing.
Map interpretation, cross-sections, radiometric dating and reserve estimation require working with information, not only recalling rock or fossil names. Include those question types when choosing previous-year practice.
Mathematics Syllabus: MA
Real Analysis
Sequences and series cover convergence, bounded and monotone sequences, Cauchy sequences, Bolzano-Weierstrass, absolute convergence, standard convergence tests and power series. Single-variable functions include limits, continuity, differentiation, Rolle and mean-value theorems, Taylor expansions, extrema and Riemann integration.
Multivariable Calculus and Differential Equations
Study limits and derivatives for functions of two or three variables, partial and total derivatives, extrema, double/triple integrals, change of integration order, areas and volumes. Differential equations include Bernoulli and exact forms, integrating factors, orthogonal trajectories, separable and homogeneous equations, second-order constant-coefficient equations, variation of parameters and Cauchy-Euler equations.
Linear Algebra and Algebra
Matrices and linear systems include rank, nullity, determinants, inverses, eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Vector spaces include bases, dimension, linear transformations, range/null spaces and rank-nullity. Basic algebra covers permutations, combinations and the binomial theorem.
Group theory includes cyclic, abelian, non-abelian and permutation groups; normal and quotient groups; Lagrange's theorem and homomorphisms. Group theory is a separate part of MA preparation alongside matrices and calculus.
Mathematical Statistics Syllabus: MS
Mathematics carries about 25% weight and Statistics about 75% in MS. Mathematics comprises Sections 1-3; Statistics comprises Sections 4-12. This is the broad split stated for 2027, not a fixed marks promise for each chapter.
| MS section | Topics |
| 1. Sequences and series | Convergence, Cauchy sequences, limit superior/inferior, positive and alternating series, power-series radius |
| 2. Calculus | One- and two-variable differentiation, constrained extrema, improper integrals, Beta/Gamma integrals and transformations |
| 3. Matrices and determinants | Vector spaces, standard matrix types, linear systems, eigenvalues, Cayley-Hamilton theorem and quadratic forms |
| 4. Descriptive Statistics and Probability | Moments, correlation, sample/population, event probabilities, independence and Bayes theorem |
| 5. Univariate distributions | Random variables, transformations, moments, generating functions and discrete/continuous distributions |
| 6. Multivariate distributions | Joint, marginal and conditional laws; covariance, conditional moments, multinomial and bivariate normal distributions |
| 7. Limit theorems | Modes of convergence, weak/strong laws of large numbers and the iid finite-variance central limit theorem |
| 8. Sampling distributions | Order statistics and the chi-square, t and F distributions and their relationships |
| 9. Estimation | Sufficiency, completeness, UMVUE, Rao-Blackwell, Lehmann-Scheffe, Cramer-Rao, maximum likelihood and confidence intervals |
| 10. Hypothesis testing | Errors, significance, power, p-values, most powerful tests, Neyman-Pearson lemma and likelihood-ratio tests |
| 11. Nonparametric methods | Runs, empirical distribution, one-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov, sign and Mann-Whitney tests |
| 12. Stochastic processes | Discrete-time Markov chains, transition matrices, state classes, stationary/limiting distributions and Poisson processes |
MA and MS share analysis, calculus and matrices, but their preparation is not interchangeable. MS extends into distribution theory, sampling, estimation, testing, nonparametric methods and stochastic processes. Completing MA does not complete those Statistics sections.
Build distribution and conditional-probability work before tackling inference. For example, confidence intervals and test statistics depend on understanding sampling distributions. Stochastic processes and nonparametric methods remain in the syllabus even if an older notes collection omits them.
Physics Syllabus: PH
- Mathematical Methods: multivariable calculus, Jacobians, Fourier series, vector calculus and integral theorems, differential equations, matrices, complex numbers and experimental error analysis.
- Mechanics and Matter: Newtonian motion, rotating frames, central forces, conservation laws, variable-mass systems, collisions, rigid-body rotation and fluid motion.
- Oscillations, Waves and Optics: damped/forced motion, resonance, travelling/standing waves, phase/group velocity, Doppler effect, imaging, interference, diffraction, resolving power and polarisation.
- Electricity and Magnetism: electrostatics and boundary conditions, dielectrics, magnetic fields and induction, DC/AC circuits, Maxwell equations, electromagnetic energy and charged-particle motion.
- Kinetic Theory and Thermodynamics: gases, heat capacities, thermodynamic laws and potentials, entropy, Maxwell relations, phase transitions and basic classical/quantum distribution functions.
- Modern Physics: special relativity, photons and matter waves, quantum principles and model potentials, atomic/nuclear structure, binding energy and radioactivity.
- Solid State, Devices and Electronics: crystal structures and diffraction, semiconductors and Fermi level, diodes, transistors, amplifiers, oscillators, op-amps, binary arithmetic and logic gates.
PH also covers experimental errors, significant digits and electronic circuits. Include error calculations and circuit problems alongside mechanics, electromagnetism and quantum physics.
Weightage and Question Types
The 2027 syllabus gives the approximate 25:75 Mathematics-to-Statistics split for MS. It does not provide a fixed chapter-wise marks table for all seven papers. Claims such as "this chapter will carry exactly 15 marks" need paper-specific evidence, not just a chapter appearing in the syllabus.
| Question section | Questions | Marks |
| A: MCQ | 30 | 50 |
| B: MSQ | 10 | 20 |
| C: NAT | 20 | 30 |
| Total | 60 | 100 |
This is question-type weightage, not subject-unit weightage. A topic can appear as an MCQ, MSQ or numerical-answer question. The JAM marking scheme gives the one- and two-mark groups: wrong MCQs attract a penalty; MSQs and NATs do not, and MSQs have no partial credit.
Previous-year topic counts describe those particular papers. Use them to identify practice gaps, but do not label them as guaranteed 2027 chapter allocations.
How to Prepare With the Syllabus
Start by matching your notes against the units for the selected paper. Mark omissions before choosing more material. For example, an MS book without nonparametric tests and Markov chains leaves two listed sections uncovered; a BT plan without Chemistry excludes a full science section.
| Paper / area | Useful sequence for practice |
| MA / MS analysis | Sequence limits and continuity before theorem-based convergence and differentiation questions |
| MS inference | Probability and distributions, then sampling laws, estimation and hypothesis tests |
| EN quantitative work | Derivatives and matrices alongside optimisation, then statistics and regression problems |
| CY numericals | Basic calculus and logarithms alongside kinetics, equilibrium and thermodynamics |
| GG structures | Dip/strike and map conventions before cross-sections and structural interpretation |
| PH methods | Vector calculus and differential equations alongside field and oscillator problems |
Use IIT JAM previous-year question papers to test a completed unit. Record whether an error came from the concept, a calculation, an incomplete MSQ selection or a numerical-entry mistake. Those require different corrections: rereading a chapter will not fix a repeated sign or option-selection error by itself.
After unit practice, combine topics in full papers. Keep the 2027 syllabus beside older questions so that historical coverage does not become an assumed list of current chapter weights.
