GATE papers · Updated Oct 2026
GATE BT (Biotechnology) syllabus, weightage and study plan
Every section and topic of the official GATE 2027 Biotechnology (BT) syllabus with its share of the 100 marks and a first-pass study time. No reliable past-paper weightage exists for this paper, so marks are split evenly across the official sections and topics. Treat the numbers as a planning aid.
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Exam pattern at a glance
- Questions
- 65 (10 General Aptitude + 55 subject), 100 marks, 3 hours
- General Aptitude
- 15 marks, common to all papers
- Marking
- MCQ: −1/3 or −2/3 for a wrong answer; MSQ and NAT: no negative marking
- When
- February (2027)
- Second paper allowed
- GATE BM, GATE ES, GATE EY, GATE XL
Check the latest notification before the exam. Official syllabus ↗
Chapter-wise weightage and study hours
Weightage is the topic's share of the 100 marks; hours are a first pass without revision.
General Aptitude 15% of the paper · 84 h
| # | Chapter / topic | Weightage (% of paper) | Study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verbal Aptitude | 3.8% | 21 |
| 2 | Quantitative Aptitude | 3.8% | 21 |
| 3 | Analytical Aptitude | 3.8% | 21 |
| 4 | Spatial Aptitude | 3.8% | 21 |
| Total | 84 |
Engineering Mathematics 13% of the paper · 70 h
| # | Chapter / topic | Weightage (% of paper) | Study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linear Algebra | 2.6% | 14 |
| 2 | Calculus | 2.6% | 14 |
| 3 | Differential Equations | 2.6% | 14 |
| 4 | Probability and Statistics | 2.6% | 14 |
| 5 | Numerical Methods | 2.6% | 14 |
| Total | 70 |
General Biology 14.4% of the paper · 78 h
| # | Chapter / topic | Weightage (% of paper) | Study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biochemistry | 4.8% | 26 |
| 2 | Microbiology | 4.8% | 26 |
| 3 | Immunology | 4.8% | 26 |
| Total | 78 |
Genetics, Cellular and Molecular Biology 14.4% of the paper · 78 h
| # | Chapter / topic | Weightage (% of paper) | Study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genetics and Evolutionary Biology | 4.8% | 26 |
| 2 | Cell Biology | 4.8% | 26 |
| 3 | Molecular Biology | 4.8% | 26 |
| Total | 78 |
Fundamentals of Biological Engineering 14.4% of the paper · 80 h
| # | Chapter / topic | Weightage (% of paper) | Study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bioreaction Engineering | 7.2% | 40 |
| 2 | Upstream and Downstream Processing | 7.2% | 40 |
| Total | 80 |
Plant, Animal and Microbial Biotechnology 14.4% of the paper · 78 h
| # | Chapter / topic | Weightage (% of paper) | Study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plant Biotechnology | 4.8% | 26 |
| 2 | Animal Biotechnology | 4.8% | 26 |
| 3 | Microbial Biotechnology | 4.8% | 26 |
| Total | 78 |
Recombinant DNA Technology and Other Tools in Biotechnology 14.4% of the paper · 80 h
| # | Chapter / topic | Weightage (% of paper) | Study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recombinant DNA Technology | 3.6% | 20 |
| 2 | Molecular Tools | 3.6% | 20 |
| 3 | Analytical Tools | 3.6% | 20 |
| 4 | Computational Tools | 3.6% | 20 |
| Total | 80 |
A sample first week
A first week at 6 hours a day, built from the weightage above: each subject gets sessions in proportion to its marks, starting with its heaviest chapters, mixed so no day is one subject only. Your real plan in the app fits your own hours and exam date.
| Day | Session 1 (2 h) | Session 2 (2 h) | Session 3 (2 h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | General AptitudeVerbal Aptitude | Engineering MathematicsLinear Algebra | General BiologyBiochemistry |
| Tue | Genetics, Cellular and Molecular BiologyGenetics and Evolutionary Biology | Fundamentals of Biological EngineeringBioreaction Engineering | Plant, Animal and Microbial BiotechnologyPlant Biotechnology |
| Wed | Recombinant DNA Technology and Other Tools in BiotechnologyRecombinant DNA Technology | General AptitudeVerbal Aptitude (contd.) | Engineering MathematicsLinear Algebra (contd.) |
| Thu | General BiologyBiochemistry (contd.) | Genetics, Cellular and Molecular BiologyGenetics and Evolutionary Biology (contd.) | Fundamentals of Biological EngineeringBioreaction Engineering (contd.) |
| Fri | Plant, Animal and Microbial BiotechnologyPlant Biotechnology (contd.) | Recombinant DNA Technology and Other Tools in BiotechnologyRecombinant DNA Technology (contd.) | General AptitudeVerbal Aptitude (contd.) |
| Sat | General BiologyBiochemistry (contd.) | Genetics, Cellular and Molecular BiologyGenetics and Evolutionary Biology (contd.) | Fundamentals of Biological EngineeringBioreaction Engineering (contd.) |
| Sun | Revise this week's chapters, take one timed mock or sectional test, and log the score. | ||
How Daily Tayyari plans your day
Pick your exam and date
Choose the exam (and GATE paper or UPSC optional) and your exam date. The full official syllabus loads with every chapter listed above.
Tell it your daily hours
Say how many hours you can study on weekdays and weekends. The plan only ever fills that time.
Get today's tasks
Each morning you see a short list of tasks: new chapters weighted by marks, plus practice and revision, sized to fit your day.
Spaced revision, automatically
Finished chapters come back after 1, 3, 7, 15, 30 and 60 days, and sooner if a chapter felt hard.
Green, yellow, red status
See whether you are on track, slightly behind or behind, and when the syllabus will be finished at your real pace.
Mock test tracking
Log scores from any test series. Chapters that went badly are marked weak and revised sooner.
Frequently asked questions
Which chapters carry the most weight in GATE BT?
Going by our compiled weightage, the heaviest chapters are Biochemistry, Microbiology, Immunology, Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Cell Biology. They are worth starting early, but past papers vary from year to year, so plan to cover the whole syllabus.
Is this GATE BT weightage official?
No. The GATE organising institute publishes the syllabus, not chapter weightage. These numbers come from analyses of previous years' papers, so treat them as a guide to priority, not a promise of what will be asked.
How many hours does the GATE BT syllabus take?
Our first-pass estimate adds up to about 550 hours of study, before revision and mock tests. At 6 hours a day, 6 days a week, that is roughly 3.5 months. Daily Tayyari replaces these defaults with your actual pace after the first week or two.
Can GATE BT be combined with a second paper?
Yes. Under the GATE 2027 rules a BT candidate may also write BM, ES, EY, XL. A second paper adds its own syllabus, so the planner adds its chapters on top.
Is Daily Tayyari free, and does it work in Hindi?
Yes. It is free with no ads and no payment; you sign in with Google only so your plan is saved. You can switch between Hindi and English at any time, and chapter names are shown in both.