GATE Humanities & Social Sciences (XH) Syllabus 2024: PDF Download, List of Chapters and Topics

GATE Humanities & Social Sciences (XH) Syllabus 2024: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore released the GATE 2024 syllabus of humanities & social sciences on its official website. IISc will conduct the GATE 2024 exam on February 3, 4, 10 and 11, 2024. Therefore with just a few months left for the exam, candidates willing to appear for the GATE exam must have a clear idea of the GATE 2024 humanities & social sciences syllabus. The foremost importance of having a detailed idea about the syllabus assists candidates to take important decisions concerning their preparation strategy. Moreover, when a candidate is well versed with the humanities & social sciences syllabus of GATE 2024 he / she can also know the topics that will have high weightage in the exam. Experts recommend that knowing what not to do is more important than knowing what needs to be done while preparing for highly competitive exams like GATE. Candidates must check this article to know about the GATE humanities & social sciences syllabus 2024 along with the important topics for the exam in this article. 

LATEST: 

• GATE Admit Card 2024 released at gate2024.iisc.ac.in
• GATE 2024 Paper-Wise Exam Schedule Released

GATE 2024 Syllabus of Humanities & Social Sciences - Download PDF

GATE Syllabus of Compulsory Section for Humanities & Social Sciences

Candidates who are appearing for the GATE humanities and social sciences exam have to mandatorily sit for the reading and comprehension section. The syllabus of reading and comprehension section is mentioned below for the assistance of the candidates. 

• Reading comprehension
• Expression
• Analytical Reasoning
• Logical Reasoning

Related Article | GATE 2024 Syllabus for Reasoning and Comprehension

The humanities and social sciences section of GATE comprises the following subjects that candidates can take for the exam. The subjects are as follows. 

• Economics
• English
• Linguistics
• Philosophy
• Psychology
• Sociology

We will discuss the syllabus of each subject in detail along with the important topics in the upcoming sections. 

Also Read | GATE 2024 Highest Scoring & Important Topics

Economics Syllabus of GATE

Candidates appearing for economics course in GATE can check the detailed economics syllabus here. The following topics mentioned below consist of the syllabus of economics.

• Microeconomics
• Macroeconomics
• Statistics, Econometrics and Mathematical Economics
• International Economics
• Public Economics
• Development Economics
• Indian Economy

Important Topics from Economics

Aspirants can check the most crucial economics topics for the GATE 2024 exam.

Also Read | GATE 2024 Economics Syllabus, Best Books, Sample Papers

English Syllabus of GATE

Complete GATE English syllabus has been mentioned below for the candidates.

• Multi-genre literatures in English—poetry, the novel and other forms of fiction including the short story, drama, creative nonfiction, and non-fiction prose with emphasis on the long 19th and 20th centuries. 
• Especially in a comparative context, anglophone and in English translation, literature from India and, extending to some degree, the larger Indian subcontinent. 
• Literary criticism and theory; critical and cultural intellectual-traditions and approaches widely referred to and used in the discipline of English. 
• History of English literature and English literary studies. 
• Research approaches and methodologies, including interpretive techniques responsive to literary forms, devices, concepts, and genres.

Linguistics Syllabus of GATE 2024 Exam

GATE linguistics syllabus consists of the following sections.

• Language and Linguistics
• Levels of Grammar and Grammatical Analysis 

1. Phonetics and Phonology
2. Morphology
3. Syntax
4. Semantics and Pragmatics
5. Historical Linguistics
6. Sociolinguistics
7. Areal Typology, Universals, Cross-linguistic Features
8. Methods of Analysis
9. Applied Linguistics

Important Topics for Linguistics Course

The vital topics for linguistics are mentioned separately in the below table.

Philosophy Syllabus of GATE 2024

GATE philosophy section comprises the following sections.

• Classical Indian Philosophy

1. Orthodox Systems: Sānkhya
2. Heterodox Systems: Cārvāka
3. Upaniṣads, Bhagavadgītā, and Dharmaśāstras
4. KāṣmiraŚaivism, Śaivasiddhānta, VīraŚaivism, Śāktism and Vaiṣṇavism

• Contemporary Indian Philosophy

1. Vivekananda

• Classical and Modern Western Philosophy

1. Metaphysics
2. Epistemology
3. Ethics
4. Social and Political Philosophy
5. Logic

• Contemporary Western Philosophy

Important Topics from Philosophy

Candidates can take a note of the following important topics for philosophy.

GATE 2024 Exam Psychology Syllabus

The entire psychology syllabus of GATE 2024 is mentioned below.

• Research Methods & Statistics

1. Approaches to Research
2. Designing Research
3. Nature of Quantitative and Qualitative Research
4. Ethics in Conducting and Reporting Research
5. Statistics in Psychology
6. Correlational Analysis
7. Experimental Designs

• Psychometrics
• Biological and Evolutionary Basis of Behaviour
• Perception, Learning, Memory and Forgetting
• Cognition: Thinking, Intelligence and Language
• Personality: Theories of Personality
• Motivation, Emotion and Stress and Coping
• Social Psychology
• Development Across the Life Span
• Applications of Psychology

Important Topics from Psychology for GATE 2024 Exam

GATE psychology vital topics are given for the assistance of the candidates.

Related Article | GATE 2024 Syllabus for Psychology, Best Books, Important Chapters

GATE Sociology Syllabus 2024

Candidates can check the sociology syllabus of GATE 2024 here. 

• Sociological Theory

1. Classical Sociological Traditions
2. Structural-Functionalism and Structuralism
3. Hermeneutic and Interpretive Traditions
4. Postmodernism, Post-Structuralism and Post-Colonialism
5. Conflict Theory
6. Indian Thinkers

• Research Methodology and Methods

1. Conceptualising Social Reality
2. Research Design
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
4. Research Technique

• Sociological Concepts

1. Sociological Concepts
2. Social Institutions
3. Social Stratification
4. Social Change
5. Agrarian Sociology and Rural Transformation
6. Family, Marriage and Kinship; Theoretical Approaches
7. Indian Society / Sociology of India

• Social Movements

1. Introduction to Social Movements
2. Theories of Social Movements
3. Social Movement in India with Specific Reference to Social Basis, Leadership, Ideology and Actions:
4. Social Movements, Civil Society and Globalization

• Sociology of Development

1. Perspectives on the Study of Development
2. State and Market
3. The Micro-Politics of Development: Transforming Communities
4. Sustainable Development

Important Topics of GATE Sociology

The list of important topics for Sociology are as follows.

GATE 2024 Exam Pattern for Humanities and Social Science (XH)

IISc Bangalore has released the GATE exam pattern 2024 for Humanities and Social Science. Applicants should analyze the latest GATE exam pattern 2024 to get an idea about the marking scheme, exam mode, section-wise weightage, etc. Check the GATE exam pattern 2024 given below. 

• The GATE 2024 exam will be held in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode.
• The exam duration will be 3 hours.
• The paper will include MCQs, MSQs, & NATs questions.
• There will be a total of 65 questions asked.
• The GATE exam will be held for a total of 100 marks. 
• The GATE paper will include 3 sections General Aptitude, Reasoning and Comprehension, and Subject-based questions. 
• There will be negative markings in the MCQ-type questions only. 

Check the GATE-section-wise weightage given below. 

GATE 1 Month Preparation Plan for Humanities and Social Sciences

IISc Bangalore will be conducting the GATE exam in just 1 month. When the exam is just around the corner, it's important that candidates follow the right preparation approach. In this regard, candidates can check the GATE preparation tips 2024 for the last month given below. 

• Revise the complete GATE syllabus. Go through the topics of the Humanities and Social Science section. Don’t forget to revise the General Aptitude section 
• Improve your time management, accuracy, and speed. Practice with the GATE mock test 2024 to improve your time management skills. Take a seat, get a stopwatch, and record the time to analyze your time accuracy. 
• Attempt GATE previous year's papers and sample papers to work on your shortcomings. Exam toppers recommend solving the GATE previous year's question papers during the final days before the exam. 
• A virtual calculator, or online calculator, has been a part of GATE since 2016. It is no longer permitted for candidates to bring an actual calculator into the test room. The applicants will need to utilize the virtual calculator for all computations. Applicants must be proficient in using the GATE virtual calculator. 
• Those who are taking the GATE should be careful not to overburden themselves with exam pressure and negative thoughts. Try to keep your mind at ease and stay healthy

Quick Link:

Important Books to Cover GATE Humanities & Social Sciences Syllabus 2024

Candidates preparing for GATE 2024 for humanities and social sciences course must check the list of important books given below. 

Quick Link:

• GATE 2024: Mistakes to Avoid with Last Minute Revision
• GATE 2024 Last Minute Tips

Preparing for GATE is not an easy task especially keeping in mind the competitiveness of the exam and its vast syllabus. However, clearing GATE 2024 increases the opportunities one can get to build a secure future and lead the global world. With this article, we have tried to minimize the efforts that candidates have to put in by chalking each section of the humanities & social sciences syllabus of GATE 2024 and putting forward the important topics that will carry the highest weightage. 

Also Read |