GATE 2025 Psychology Syllabus: Important Chapters & Best Books

GATE Psychology Syllabus 2025 has been released on the official website of GATE Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. GATE refers to the Graduate Test of Aptitude in Engineering which provides opportunities for students to get employment in several Multinational Companies (MNCs).

GATE Psychology Syllabus contains 16 chapters among which there are several sub-topics and concepts. GATE Psychology Syllabus Patterns 2025 has been provided by GATE IITR which states that the mode of exam will be online and the duration of exam will be 3 hours.

Students will experience negative markings for every wrong answer of ⅓ for 1 mark question and ⅔ for 2 mark question. The GATE syllabus books of Psychology will help the students with better preparation and aid in scoring higher marks.

GATE Psychology Syllabus 2025

There are several chapters in the GATE Psychology Syllabus and students must prepare all topics for better scores. Each chapter contains several sub-topics. GATE Psychology Syllabus will test the reading comprehension, logical reasoning, analytical reasoning, and expression criteria of students.

The detailed GATE Psychology Syllabus 2025 has been shared below for students reference.

Approaches to Research

Applicants must check the GATE 2025 psychology syllabus of Approaches to Research chapter has been shared below.

• Research design: quantitative & qualitative, mixed methods
• Philosophical worldviews & criteria involved in approach

Designing Researc

The syllabus topics for the GATE 2025 Designing Research paper is shared below.

• Research problems
• Purpose statement
• Variables and Operational Definitions
• Hypothesis
• Sampling

Name of Quantitative and Qualitative Research

The detailed syllabus topics of the GATE Name of Quantitative and Qualitative Research paper for the academic year 2025 has been shared below.

• Structured and semi-structured interviewing
• Self-completion questionnaires (Survey)
• Observation
• Experimental
• Quasi-experimental
• Field studies
• Focus group discussions, Narratives, and Case studies
• Ethnography

Ethics

Applicants must check the syllabus topics of the GATE 2025 exam for Ethics paper is given below.

• Ethics in conducting and reporting research

Statistics in Psychology

The detailed syllabus topics of the GATE 2025 Statistics in Psychology paper has been shared below.

• Structured, semi-structured interviewing
• Self-completion questionnaires (Survey)
• Observation
• Experimental
• Quasi-experimental
• Field studies
• Focus group discussions, Narratives, and Case studies
• Ethnography

Correlational Analysis

Stduents can check the syllabus topics of the GATE 2025 exam fir the Correlational Analysis paper is given below.

• Correlation [Product Moment, Rank Order]
• Partial correlation, multiple correlation
• Special Correlation Methods: Biserial, Point biserial, tetrachoric, phi coefficient
• Regression: Simple linear regression, Multiple regression
• Factor analysis: Assumptions, Methods, Rotation and Interpretation

Experimental Designs

The detailed syllabus of the Experimental Designs paper of the GATE 2025 exam is mentioned below.

• ANOVA [One-way, Factorial]
• Randomized Block Designs
• Repeated Measures Design
• Latin Square
• Cohort studies
• Time series
• MANOVA
• ANCONA
• Single-subject designs

Psychometrics

Applicants must check the GATE 2025 Psychometrics paper detailed syllabus topics provided below.

• Foundations of Psychological Measurement
• Basic components: scales and items’
• Construction and analysis of items: Intelligence test items, performance tests, Ability & Aptitude tests, Personality questionnaires
• Method of test construction
• Standardization of measures: Reliability, Validity, Norms
• Application of assessment and measurements in Tests— Applications of psychological testing in various settings-educations
• Counseling and guidance
• clinical, organizational, and developmental

Biological and Evolutionary Basis of Behavior

The Biological and Evolutionary Basis of Behavior paper syllabus topics for the GATE 2025 paper is provided below.

• Heredity and behaviour Evolution and natural selection
• The nervous system, structures of the brain, and their functions
• Neurons: Structure, functions, types, neural impulse, synaptic transmission
• Neurotransmitters
• Hemispheric lateralization
• The endocrine system types and functions
• Biological basis of Motivation: Hunger, Thirst, Sleep, and Sex
• Biological basis of emotion: The Limbic system, Hormonal regulation of behavior
• Methods of Physiological Psychology: Invasive methods – Anatomical methods, degeneration techniques, lesion techniques, chemical methods, microelectrode studies
• Non-invasive methods – EEG, Scanning methods, Muscular and Glandular system: Genetics and behavior: Chromosomal anomalies
• Nature Nurture controversy [Twin studies and adoption studies]

Perception, Learning, Memory, and Forgetting

The GATE 2025 detailed syllabus topics of Psychology for the Perception, Learning, Memory, and Forgetting paper is provided here.

• What are sensations, sensory thresholds, and sensory adaptations
• Vision, hearing, touch and pain, smell and taste, kinesthesis and vestibular sense
• Perception: role of attention; organizing principles of perception, gestalt perception, depth perception, and illusion
• Theories of learning: classical conditioning, operant conditioning, social learning theory, cognitive learning
• Memory: encoding, storage, retrieval, Information processing theories of memory
• Retrieval in Long-term memory, reconstructive nature of long-term memory
• Forgetting: encoding failure, interference theory, memory trace decay theory, the physical aspects of memory

Cognition: thinking, intelligence, and Language

Applicants can check the GATE 2025 psychology syllabus topics for the Cognition: thinking, intelligence, and Language paper has been shared below.

• Basic elements of thought: Concepts, Propositions, Imagery
• Current paradigms of cognitive psychology – Information processing approach, ecological approach
• Problem-solving: Methods of problem-solving, Strategies, and obstacles, Role of Metacognitive processing
• Decision-making: choosing among alternatives
• Intelligence: Theories of intelligence (Spearman; Thurstone; Jensen; Cattell; Gardner; Stenberg) and Emotional Intelligence
• Measuring intelligence, Individual differences in intelligence
• Role of heredity and environment, Difference between Intelligence, Aptitude and Creativity

Personality: Theories of Personality

Candidates must check the Personality: Theories of Personality paper syllabus detailed topics mentioned below.

• Psychoanalytic, behaviorist, social cognitive view, humanism, and trait and type theories
• Biology of personality and Assessment of personality

Motivation, Emotion and Stress and Coping

The GATE psychology 2025 syllabus topics for the Motivation, Emotion and Stress and Coping chapter is mentioned below.

• Approaches to understanding motivation: instinct, drive-reduction, arousal, incentive, humanistic, Achievement motivation, Intrinsic motivation, aggression, curiosity, and exploration
• Emotions: nature of emotions; biological basis of emotions
• Theories of emotions: James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, Schachter and Singer, Lazarus
• Definition of stress
• what are stressors; cognitive factors in stress
• Factors in stress reaction: General adaptation syndrome; effect of stress
• Coping with stress: problem-focused coping
• Emotion-focused coping, REBT, and meditation

Social Psychology

The Social Psychology syllabus topics for the GATE 2025 exam is provided here.

• Social perception: Attribution, impression formation; social categorization, implicit personality theory
• Social influence: conformity, compliance, and obedience
• Attitudes, beliefs, and values: Evaluating the social world, attitude formation, attitude change, and persuasion, cognitive dissonance
• Prejudice, discrimination, Aggression, power and prosocial behavior, Belief systems and value patterns
• Group dynamics, leadership style, and effectiveness, Theories of intergroup relations and conflicts

Development Across the Lifespan

Candidates must refer the Development across the lifespan syllabus topics shared beelow.

• Nature versus nurture in human development
• Prenatal development: Chromosomes, Genes and DNA
• Physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development in infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood
• Theories of aging, Moral development

Applications of Psychology

Students must check and refer the GATE 2025 Applications of psychology syllabus topics shared here.

• Psychological disorders: Conceptions of mental disorders; Assessment and diagnosis, DSM and Other tools
• PTSD and Trauma; Psychotherapies: Psychodynamic, Phenomenological/Experiential therapy; Behaviour therapy; cognitive therapy; biological therapy
• Applications of theories of motivation and learning in School: Factors in educational achievement; counseling & guidance in schools
• Application of theories of motivation, learning, emotions, perceptions, group dynamics & leadership to organizational setup
• Issues of Personal space, crowding, and territoriality

Also Read: GATE Eligibility Criteria 2025

GATE Psychology Syllabus Pattern 2025

GATE Psychology Syllabus Pattern has been released on the official website of GATE IITR and is important for students before attempting the exam. 

GATE Psychology Syllabus Pattern includes the mode of examination, marking scheme, type of questions, and many more. The following table provides the GATE Psychology Syllabus Pattern:

Particulars	Details
Name of Exam	GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test of Engineering)
Mode of Examination	Online (Computer Based Test)
Duration	3 Hours
Marking criteria	Students will be assessed on the following: Reading Comprehensions Expression Logical Reasoning Analytical Reasoning
Types of Questions	Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) Multiple Select Questions (MSQ) Numerical Answer Type Questions (NAT)
Sections	General Aptitude (GA) + Selected Subject
Marks Distribution	General Aptitude: 15 Marks Selected Subject: 85 Marks Total: 100 Marks
Marking Scheme	There are questions of 1 mark and 2 Marks
Negative Markings	There is no negative marking for MSQ and NAT Question Type No partial marking for MSQ For 1 Mark question negative marking is ⅓  For 2 Marks question negative marking is ⅔

Must Read: GATE 2025 Exam Day Guidelines

How To Download GATE Psychology Syllabus 2025?

Students can easily download the GATE Psychology 2025 syllabus from the official website of GATE IITR. 

Students must follow below given steps and instructions for download the GATE Psychology Syllabus 2025: 

• Step 1: Go to the official website of GATE Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee which is gate2025.iitr.ac.in. 
• Step 2: Now click on the GATE Papers tab present on the top toolbar beside the Home tab. 
• Step 3: Now select GATE 2025 Test paper and syllabus from the drop-down menu. 
• Step 4: A new window will open with all different subjects. Click on Humanities and Social Sciences. 
• Step 5: A pdf opens which can be downloaded and it contains all subjects of humanities upon scrolling down a little students can find the GATE Psychology syllabus for 2025.

Also Refer: GATE Exam Pattern 2025 

GATE Psychology Syllabus 2025: Important Dates 

Students selecting Psychology as a selected subject in GATE 2025 must note down the important dates of application and other updates. 

The table given below provides the GATE Psychology Syllabus 2025 important dates:

Particulars	Dates
Online starting of Application	August 28, 2024
Closing Date of Registration Online	September 26, 2024
Closing of Registration with Late Fee	October 7, 2024
Examinations	February 2025

Must Check: GATE Chapter-Wise Weightage 2025

GATE Psychology Syllabus 2025: Important Chapters

There are several important chapters and topics out of which most of the questions are asked in GATE Psychology 2025. 

Students must prepare all the topics and focus on the important topics to score higher marks. GATE Psychology is conducted once a year and the important topics are listed below:

Chapter Name	Topics Included
Research Methods and Statistics	Research design, qualitative and quantitative research, and ethics in research.
Biological and evolutionary basis of behavior	The nervous system, brain structures, neurons, neurotransmitters, and evolution and natural selection.
Perception, Learning, Memory, and Forgetting	Sensation, sensory threshold, memory encoding, storage and retrieval, vision, hearing, touch, pain, smell and taste
Personality	Biology of personality, theories of personality and assessment of personality.
Development across the lifespan	Parental development, psychosocial, cognitive and physical development, nature-nurture involvement.
Applications of Psychology	Psychological disorders, assessments, and diagnosis, psychotherapies, application of theories of motivation and learning.

Must Read: GATE Exam Centres 2025

GATE Psychology Syllabus Books 2025

GATE Psychology Syllabus Books provide detailed syllabus overview, practice questions, explanations of chapter-wise concepts, sample papers, and many more. 

These preparation books help students for better preparation and to score higher marks in the GATE Psychology Syllabus 2025. Following are a few best GATE syllabus books 2025 for Psychology:

• UPS Education Psychology Entrance Examinations 2025
• GATE Psychology 2025
• Arihant GATE Tutor 2025 
• Oswaal GATE Psychology 2025
• UGC Psychology 2025 

GATE Psychology Syllabus 2025: Preparation Tips 

Students must prepare for the GATE Psychology Syllabus from the date of registration for better scores and greater job opportunities in both the public and private sectors. 

There are several GATE Preparation Tips 2025 for students mentioned below:

• Start with getting acknowledged about the paper pattern and syllabus. 
• Go through all the chapters and avoid eliminating psychological terms with normal words. 
• Try to solve numerical problems of statistical and research chapters of psychology. 
• When reading chapters try to imagine different MCQ possible questions for each concept. 
• Take help from GATE Psychology Syllabus Books. 
• Focus on the GATE 2025 Psychology syllabus's important chapters. 
• Prepare mind maps and charts for better memorization. 
• Try to visualize each concept and theory in real-life application. 
• For psychological disorders and diagnosis check DSM and ICD along with relevant case studies. 
• Avoid panicking and learn all about Computer Based Test systems.