GATE 2025 Physics Preparation Strategy: Best Books, Important Chapters

Diksha Sharma

Updated On: January 14, 2025 01:43 PM

To prepare well for GATE 2025 Physics section, you are advised to analyse the topics based on knowledge and difficulty level, study consistently, solve previous year question papers, get your concepts clear, etc.

GATE 2025 Physics Preparation Strategy

GATE 2025 Physics Preparation Strategy: IIT Roorkee has announced the date of GATE Physics as February 16, 2025, and as we are approaching the date, we are sure that you as the upcoming exam takers must have a need for a concise GATE Physics preparation strategy. Well, do not worry, as in this article, we have mentioned not only everything about the topic-wise preparation tips but also various other things that you might need. Getting a good rank in the GATE 2025 exam is not much of a daunting task if your preparation is up to the mark. Talking about the GATE 2025 Physics preparation strategy, there are some subjects that you need to give more attention to, such as Quantum Mechanics, and Electromagnetic Theory as compared to the other topics. For, it is expected that there will be an average of 9-10 questions from these topics in the exam. Moreover, as there are merely 3 months left for the exam, you are advised to stick to a rigid schedule such as dedicating a minimum of 6-7 hours a day to studying which will involve solving the previous year question papers, preparing only from the recommended books, etc.

Talking further, you are also required to get complete knowledge of the GATE 2025 exam pattern and the marking scheme, as they will help you prepare better for the test. You must know that the GATE 2025 physics exam will contain 3 types of questions, ie, MCQs, MSQs, and NAT. There will be no negative markings in the MSQs and NAT questions. However, the MCQ questions will be negatively marked in case of the wrong answer. More details related to the GATE 2025 Physics preparation strategy are provided in the article below.

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GATE 2025 Physics Preparation Strategy for 3 Months

As discussed above, we just have 3 months to prepare for the GATE exam, and we are expecting that till now, you must have prepared well for the exam. However, in case you have not prepared that well and want a preparation strategy for GATE 2025 Physics exam for 3 months, then you can refer to the points mentioned below:-

Analyse the Physics Syllabus

When you sit to study, you are required to go through the syllabus and make sure to start filtering topics based on your knowledge and difficulty level. For example, the topics that you find hard, you should mark them as ‘Difficulty Level-Hard’ so that you can put more effort into those. Same with the easier and much easier topics.

Study based on the Expected Number of Questions

There are some topics in the exam that are expected to be asked more as compared to the other topics. You are recommended to focus more on those topics so that you are bound to score more in the exam. Further, if we talk question-wise, then the topics of Mathematical Physics and Classical Mechanics are expected to hold an average of 7-8 questions, whereas the topics of Quantum Mechanics and Electromagnetic Theory are expected to have 9-10 questions.

Don’t Ignore General Aptitude

We understand that General Aptitude does not hold much weightage as compared to the Physics section, but let us tell you that it has as much value as any other subject as the marks expected in the GA section can determine your overall marks in the Physics exam.

Practice Mock Tests & PYQs

Solving the mock tests and the previous year question papers can help you in getting ready for the exam as through them, you will be able to understand the questions that are repeated, exam pattern, marking scheme, etc.

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GATE Physics 30 Days (1 Month) Study Plan

The final step for the GATE Physics exam is to prepare a study plan and stick to it. We have prepared a 30-day plan for the GATE Physics exam which is explained below. Note that the following study plan is just referential and you can make modifications to the plan as per their preference. When it comes to preparing for the GATE Physics exam, it is advisable for you to revise only the topics you have already studied during this period and not study any new topics. The GATE Physics 30 days study plan is explained below:

Total Days

30 Days (1 Month)

Hours to revise each day

5 Hours

Total Numbers of Chapters to Revise in a Day

1 Chapter

Days Required to Revise the Complete Syllabus

22 Days

Practising Mock Tests and Sample Papers

9 Days

Last Minute Revision

1 Day

GATE Physics Most Important Chapters

Having an idea of the important chapters for GATE Physics is important as it will help them prepare accordingly. The most important chapters for the GATE Physics exam are listed below:

  • D'Alembert's principle
  • Kepler problem and Rutherford scattering
  • Lorentz transformations
  • Coulomb and Lorentz gauges
  • Solutions to electrostatic and magnetostatic problems including boundary value problems
  • Poynting vector, Poynting theorem, energy and momentum of electromagnetic waves
  • Postulates of quantum mechanics
  • Laws of thermodynamics
  • Zeeman and Stark effects
  • Elements of crystallography
  • Semiconductors in equilibrium
  • Nuclear radii and charge distributions, nuclear binding energy, electric and magnetic moments

List of Best Books for GATE 2025 Physics

Given below are some of the best books that you can use for the preparation of the exam:

Classical Mechanics by Herbert Goldstein

Digital Logic and Computer Design by M. Morris Mano

Introduction to Atomic Spectra by Harvey Elliott White

Quantum Mechanics: Concepts and Applications by Nouredine Zettili

Fundamentals of Molecular Spectroscopy by C. N. Banwell

Introductory Nuclear Physics by Kenneth S. Krane

Fundamentals of Statistical and Thermal Physics by Frederick Reif

Electromagnetic Waves and Radiating Systems by Edward Conrad Jordan and Keith G. Balmain

GATE 2025 Physics Marks Distribution

For good preparation, it is important that you are well aware of the marks distribution in the Physics exam. You can check the GATE PH Marks Distribution in the table below:-

Section

Weightage

Distribution of Marks

Physics

85%

  • 25 questions carrying 1 mark each
  • 30 questions carrying 2 marks each

General Aptitude

15%

  • 5 MCQs carrying 1 mark each
  • 5 MCQs carrying 2 marks each

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We hope that the above preparation plan & strategy will help you crack the GATE Physics exam and score well in the exam. For more updates related to the GATE exam, stay tuned to College Dekho.

FAQs

How long does it take to prepare for GATE physics?

You need to give at least 8 months for GATE Physics preparation.

When should I start preparing for GATE 2025 Physics?

Begin your preparation for GATE 2025 Physics by analyzing the GATE syllabus and preparing a proper timetable. In your study plan add all the syllabus topics, days for revision, and solving previous year papers and mock tests.

What is the pattern of physics in GATE 2025?

The GATE Physics exam will have 15 questions from General Aptitude and 85 questions from the core Physics syllabus. Engineering Mathematics is not a part of the GATE Physics exam pattern. There will be negative markings in the GATE Physics exam 2025.

Which physics textbooks for GATE are the finest to study from?

The finest books for GATE Physics Exam Preparation are Classical Mechanics by Goldstein, Concepts of Physics by HC Verma, Introduction to Quantum Physics by David J. Griffiths, etc.

How helpful is the GATE Physics Previous Year Question Paper?

Yes, using the GATE Physics Previous Year Papers can help you understand the level of test difficulty, the sorts of questions that will be asked, and the general layout of the question paper.

What is the most effective study guide for GATE Physics?

The GATE Physics Textbooks, Previous Year Papers, and Mock Tests are the greatest study resources for the GATE Physics Exam.

How many topics are there in GATE Physics Exam?

The GATE Physics Syllabus contains 9 topics namely- Mathematical Physics, Classical Mechanic, Electromagnetic Theory, Quantum Mechanic, Thermodynamic & Statistical, Atomic &Molecular Physics, Solid State Physics, Electronics, and Nuclear & Particle Physics.

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