GATE Sociology Syllabus 2026: Topics & Weightage Wise Syllabus PDF

GATE Sociology Syllabus 2026: Topics & Weightage Wise Syllabus PDF

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K Guna SahitiUpdated on 10 Oct 2025, 05:24 PM IST

GATE Sociology Syllabus 2026- IIT Guwahati has published the GATE 2026 Sociology syllabus on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. This article is updated with the GATE syllabus of 2026. The GATE syllabus consists of topics based on Social Movements, Sociology of Development, Research Methodology and Methods, Sociological Theory and Sociological Concepts. Aspirants must follow the GATE 2026 exam pattern along with the exam syllabus for effective preparation for the test. The authority will conduct the GATE 2026 exam in online mode. As per the latest update, the GATE 2026 exam will be conducted on February 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2026.

This Story also Contains

  1. GATE 2026 Sociology Syllabus
  2. GATE 2026 Sociology- Exam Pattern
  3. GATE Sociology 2026 - Other Optional Subjects
GATE Sociology Syllabus 2026: Topics & Weightage Wise Syllabus PDF
GATE Sociology Syllabus 2026

GATE 2026 Sociology Syllabus

IIT Guwahati has released the GATE syllabus for Sociology online. Candidates will find all the important topics for GATE 2026 XH in this table. Find below the syllabus of GATE Sociology for 2026.

Syllabus of GATE Sociology Paper 2026 (XH – C6)

UnitsTopics

Sociological Theory

  • Classical Sociological Traditions

  • Structural-Functionalism and Structuralism

  • Hermeneutic and Interpretative Traditions

  • Post-Modernism, Post-Structuralism and Post-Colonialism

  • Conflict theory

  • Indian Thinkers

Research Methodology and Methods

  • Conceptualizing Social Reality

  • Research Design

  • Quantitative and Qualitative Methods

  • Research Technique

Sociological Concepts

  • Sociological Concepts

  • Social Institutions

  • Social Stratification

  • Social Change

  • Agrarian Sociology and Rural Transformation

  • Family, Marriage and Kinship; Theoretical Approaches

  • Indian Society / Sociology of India

Social Movements

  • Introduction to Social Movements

  • Theories of Social Movements

  • Social Movement in India with specific reference to social basis, leadership, ideology and actions:

  • Social Movements, civil society and globalization

Sociology of Development

  • Perspectives on the Study of Development

  • State and Market

  • The Micro-Politics of Development: Transforming Communities

  • Sustainable development

Also Check:

GATE 2026 Sociology- Exam Pattern

Candidates preparing for the test must check the exam pattern given below along with the GATE Sociology syllabus pdf. It will consist of details like the mode of the exam, duration of the test and negative marking. It is important to note that the GATE Sociology paper will be a part of the GATE XH 2026 exam.

Exam Pattern for GATE Sociology

ParticularsDetails

Examination Mode

Computer-Based Test (Online)

Total duration of the test

3 Hours

Sections of GATE XH 2026 paper

  • General Aptitude (GA)

  • Reasoning and Comprehension

  • Sociology

Total Marks

100 Marks

Weightage of Sociology Section

60 Marks

Type of Questions

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Multiple Select Questions (MSQs)

Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions

Number of Questions10 (General Aptitude) + 55 (Subject) = 65 Questions

Marking Scheme

1 or 2 marks depending on the type of question

GATE 2026 Negative Marking

  • 1/3 mark will be deducted for every wrong answer of one marker

  • 2/3 marks will be deducted for every incorrect response of a 2-marker

  • No negative marking for MSQ & NAT.

  • No partial marking for MSQ-type questions.

Related Articles:

GATE Sociology 2026 - Other Optional Subjects

There are will be a total of six optional subjects available for selection under the GATE XH 2026 test. Candidates can go though the complete list along with their paper codes below.

Optional Subjects Other Than GATE Sociology

GATE 2026 XH Optional Papers

Subject Code

Economics

C1

English

C2

Linguistics

C3

Philosophy

C4

Psychology

C5

Sociology

C6

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: When is the right time to prepare for GATE 2026?
A:

Students are advised to prepare for the GATE 2026 exam at least six to eight months before. One year of preparatory time is ideal.

Q: Is there a separate exam for GATE 2026 Sociology?
A:

No. GATE Sociology 2026 is a part of the Humanities and Social Sciences paper.

Q: How many optional subjects are there in GATE 2026 XH paper?
A:

There will be six optional subjects available for the GATE XH 2026 test.

Q: What is the weightage of the Sociology section in GATE 2026?
A:

The weightage of GATE sociology part is of 60 marks.

Q: Is GATE Sociology 2026 a compulsory paper?
A:

No. Applicants can choose to take any of the five optional subjects other than GATE 2026 Sociology. They are- Economics, English, Linguistics, Philosophy, Psychology.

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Questions related to GATE

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to GATE ?

Hello

https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-da-data-science-and-artificial-intelligence-question-papers

Just visit the link I am attaching below, so that it will help you to download and practice the papers, so that you can practice well and score well.

Hope it will help you!!!

Hello dear candidate,

You will not receive another rectification mail unless and until there is still an error in your reuploaded signature. if everything is okay your status will change to accepted on the GATE portal.

My advice is that you should keep checking your application status on the official website of GATE 2026.

Thank you.

Hello,

Visit the below website to download the previous 15 years question paper of GATE exam.

https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/last-15-years-gate-papers-solutions

You'll also get the solutions from it. These question papers will help you a lot in your preparation.

All the best.

This is likely a temporary portal or validation issue, not something you did wrong. When candidates try to change category from GEN to OBC-NCL during the GATE correction window, the system checks required fields and sometimes a supporting certificate or fee is needed. If any required data or document is missing, or the server is busy, the portal can show Something went wrong, please try again. Explain to them that first they should log into the GATE portal, open the Correction tab and confirm which fields are editable and whether a payment or document upload is required for category change. Tell them to clear browser cache or try a different browser/device and retry. If the error persists, advise contacting GATE support or the zonal office with a screenshot and timing of the error so officials can check server logs.

Hello,

The GATE 2026 Agricultural Engineering (AG) paper will have a total of 100 marks. Out of this, 15 marks are for General Aptitude and 85 marks are for core Agricultural Engineering subjects.

The marks are generally distributed among major topics like Engineering Mathematics (12–13 marks), Farm Machinery (10–11), Farm Power (14–15), Soil & Water Conservation (12–13), Irrigation & Drainage (10–12), Agricultural Process Engineering (10–12), and Dairy & Food Engineering (9–10 marks).

The official qualifying marks for GATE 2026 are not yet released. However, based on previous years, the cutoff for the Agricultural Engineering paper is expected to be around 25 marks for General, 22.5 for OBC/EWS, and 16.6 for SC/ST/PwD candidates.

Hope it helps !