GATE papers · Updated Oct 2026
GATE XH (Humanities and Social Sciences) syllabus, weightage and study plan
Every section and topic of the official GATE 2027 Humanities and Social Sciences (XH) 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 ST
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.
Choice sections: pick 1 of 6 (chosen when you apply). Compulsory and picked sections add up to 100%. The sample week assumes the first 1 listed.
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 |
XH0: Reasoning and Comprehension (compulsory) 25% of the paper · 136 h
| # | Chapter / topic | Weightage (% of paper) | Study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reading Comprehension | 6.2% | 34 |
| 2 | Expression | 6.2% | 34 |
| 3 | Analytical Reasoning | 6.2% | 34 |
| 4 | Logical Reasoning | 6.2% | 34 |
| Total | 136 |
XH1: Economics 60% of the paper · choice section · 329 h
| # | Chapter / topic | Weightage (% of paper) | Study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microeconomics | 8.6% | 47 |
| 2 | Macroeconomics | 8.6% | 47 |
| 3 | Statistics, Econometrics and Mathematical Economics | 8.6% | 47 |
| 4 | International Economics | 8.6% | 47 |
| 5 | Public Economics | 8.6% | 47 |
| 6 | Development Economics | 8.6% | 47 |
| 7 | Indian Economy | 8.6% | 47 |
| Total | 329 |
XH2: English 60% of the paper · choice section · 330 h
| # | Chapter / topic | Weightage (% of paper) | Study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Literary Forms, Genres, and Modes of Expression | 12% | 66 |
| 2 | History of English Literature and Literary Studies | 12% | 66 |
| 3 | Comparative and World Literatures in English Translation | 12% | 66 |
| 4 | Critical Theories and Intellectual Traditions | 12% | 66 |
| 5 | Contemporary Literary Cultures and Research Methodologies | 12% | 66 |
| Total | 330 |
XH3: Linguistics 60% of the paper · choice section · 329 h
| # | Chapter / topic | Weightage (% of paper) | Study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Language and Linguistics (Fundamental Concepts) | 8.6% | 47 |
| 2 | Levels of Grammatical Analysis | 8.6% | 47 |
| 3 | Historical Linguistics | 8.6% | 47 |
| 4 | Sociolinguistics | 8.6% | 47 |
| 5 | Typology and Universals | 8.6% | 47 |
| 6 | Methods of Analysis | 8.6% | 47 |
| 7 | Applied Linguistics | 8.6% | 47 |
| Total | 329 |
XH4: Philosophy 60% of the paper · choice section · 328 h
| # | Chapter / topic | Weightage (% of paper) | Study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Classical Indian Philosophy | 15% | 82 |
| 2 | Contemporary Indian Philosophy | 15% | 82 |
| 3 | Classical and Modern Western Philosophy | 15% | 82 |
| 4 | Contemporary Western Philosophy | 15% | 82 |
| Total | 328 |
XH5: Psychology 60% of the paper · choice section · 330 h
| # | Chapter / topic | Weightage (% of paper) | Study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Research Methods and Statistics | 5.5% | 30 |
| 2 | Psychometrics | 5.5% | 30 |
| 3 | Biological and Evolutionary Basis of Behaviour | 5.5% | 30 |
| 4 | Perception, Learning, Memory and Forgetting | 5.5% | 30 |
| 5 | Cognition | 5.5% | 30 |
| 6 | Personality | 5.5% | 30 |
| 7 | Motivation, Emotion and Stress and Coping | 5.5% | 30 |
| 8 | Social Psychology | 5.5% | 30 |
| 9 | Development Across the Life Span | 5.5% | 30 |
| 10 | Clinical Psychology and Organizational Behavior | 5.5% | 30 |
| 11 | Applications of Psychology | 5.5% | 30 |
| Total | 330 |
XH6: Sociology 60% of the paper · choice section · 328 h
| # | Chapter / topic | Weightage (% of paper) | Study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sociological Theory | 7.5% | 41 |
| 2 | Research Methodology and Methods | 7.5% | 41 |
| 3 | Sociological Concepts | 7.5% | 41 |
| 4 | Agrarian Sociology and Rural Transformation | 7.5% | 41 |
| 5 | Family, Marriage and Kinship | 7.5% | 41 |
| 6 | Indian Society/Sociology of India | 7.5% | 41 |
| 7 | Social Movements | 7.5% | 41 |
| 8 | Sociology of Development | 7.5% | 41 |
| Total | 328 |
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 | XH0: Reasoning and ComprehensionReading Comprehension | XH1: EconomicsMicroeconomics |
| Tue | General AptitudeVerbal Aptitude (contd.) | XH0: Reasoning and ComprehensionReading Comprehension (contd.) | XH1: EconomicsMicroeconomics (contd.) |
| Wed | General AptitudeVerbal Aptitude (contd.) | XH0: Reasoning and ComprehensionReading Comprehension (contd.) | XH1: EconomicsMicroeconomics (contd.) |
| Thu | XH0: Reasoning and ComprehensionReading Comprehension (contd.) | XH1: EconomicsMicroeconomics (contd.) | XH1: EconomicsMicroeconomics (contd.) |
| Fri | XH1: EconomicsMicroeconomics (contd.) | XH1: EconomicsMicroeconomics (contd.) | XH1: EconomicsMicroeconomics (contd.) |
| Sat | XH1: EconomicsMicroeconomics (contd.) | XH1: EconomicsMicroeconomics (contd.) | XH1: EconomicsMicroeconomics (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 XH?
Going by our compiled weightage, the heaviest chapters are Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Statistics, Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, International Economics, Public Economics. They are worth starting early, but past papers vary from year to year, so plan to cover the whole syllabus.
Is this GATE XH 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 XH 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 XH be combined with a second paper?
Yes. Under the GATE 2027 rules a XH candidate may also write ST. A second paper adds its own syllabus, so the planner adds its chapters on top.
How do the optional sections in GATE XH work?
You answer the compulsory part plus 1 of the 6 optional sections. Only plan the sections you will actually pick; Daily Tayyari asks for your choice when you set up.
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.