GATE Humanities and Social Sciences Syllabus 2026 (Out) - Download XH Topic Wise Syllabus

GATE Humanities and Social Sciences Syllabus 2026 (Out) - Download XH Topic Wise Syllabus

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Gandubilli UnnatiUpdated on 19 Sep 2025, 06:15 PM IST

GATE 2026 Humanities and Social Sciences Syllabus - IIT Guwahati has published the GATE Humanities and Social Sciences 2026 syllabus on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in.The GATE 2026 Humanities and Social Sciences syllabus has also been updated on this page. The syllabus includes topics related to Economics, English, Linguistics, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, and Reasoning & Comprehension. The GATE 2026 syllabus provides a detailed list of all the topics that must be prepared for the exam. The GATE exam will be held on February 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2026. The direct link to check the GATE 2026 XH-B1 syllabus is updated below.
Direct link to download the GATE 2026 Humanities and Social Sciences Syllabus

GATE Humanities and Social Sciences Syllabus 2026 (Out) - Download XH Topic Wise Syllabus
GATE Syllabus for Humanities and Social Sciences 2026

Candidates should be aware of the GATE 2026 syllabus for Humanities and Social Sciences to prepare well for the entrance test. The GATE 2026 syllabus for Humanities and Social Sciences has a mandatory section on Reasoning and Comprehension and other sections include Economics, Psychology, Sociology, etc. Moreover, candidates should solve the GATE previous year question paper to boost their preparation. Candidates may refer to the content provided below for the complete GATE syllabus 2026 for Humanities and Social Sciences.

GATE Humanities and Social Sciences Syllabus 2026

Reasoning and Comprehension are mandatory for all candidates who are appearing for GATE Humanities and Social Sciences 2026. The difficulty level will be similar to the LSAT, GRE, GMAT etc. Questions of this section XH-B1 will test the following skills:

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  • Reading Comprehension – the ability to understand complex language material in short paragraphs and answer questions regarding them.

  • Expression – questions on stylistic and rhetorical aspects of a short passage including corrections or modifications of particular sentences.

  • Analytical reasoning – Ability to understand relationships in statements or short passages and being able to draw reasonable conclusions/inferences from them.

  • Logical reasoning – Thinking critically to evaluate or to predict an argument, identify the main and supporting arguments, predict outcomes etc.

GATE Previous Year Question Paper's
Download GATE previous year question papers to understand exam pattern and difficulty level. Practice with these papers to boost your preparation and improve your score.
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GATE Economics Syllabus 2026 (XH - C1)

Chapters

Topics

GATE Economics syllabus for Microeconomics

Theory of Consumer Behaviour: Cardinal Approach and Ordinal Approach; Consumer Preferences; Nature of the utility function; Marshallian and Hicksian demand functions; Duality Theorem. Slutsky equation and Comparative Statics. Homogeneous and Homothetic Utility Functions; Euler’s Theorem. The Theory of Revealed Preference: Weak Axiom of Revealed Preference and Strong Axiom of Revealed Preference, Theory of Production and Costs: Short-run and Long-run Analysis, Existence, Uniqueness and Stability of Market Equilibrium: Walrasian and Marshallian Stability Analysis. The Cobweb Model, Decision making under uncertainty and risk. Asymmetric Information: Adverse Selection and Moral Hazard. Theory of Agency costs. The Theory of Search, Non-Cooperative games: Constant sum game, Mixed Strategy & Pure Strategy, Bayesian Nash Equilibrium, SPNE, Perfect Bayesian Equilibria., Theory of Firm: Market Structures — Competitive and Non-competitive equilibria and their efficiency properties. Structure-Conduct-Performance Paradigm, Factor Pricing: Marginal productivity Theory of Distribution in Perfectly Competitive markets; Theory of Employment in Imperfectly Competitive Markets — Monopolistic Exploitation, General Equilibrium Analysis. Welfare Economics: Fundamental Theorems, Social Welfare Function. Efficiency Criteria: ParetoOptimality.

GATE Economics syllabus for Macroeconomics

National Income Accounting: Closed Economy Concepts and Measurement and Open Economy Issues, Determination of output and employment: Classical & Keynesian Framework, Theories of Consumption: Absolute Income Hypothesis, Relative Income Hypothesis, Life Cycle Hypothesis, Permanent Income Hypothesis and Robert Hall’s Random Walk Model; Investment Function Specifications - Dale Jorgenson’s Neoclassical Theory of Capital Accumulation and Tobin’s, Keynesian Stabilization Policies, (Autonomous) Multipliers and Investment Accelerator, Demand and Supply of Money, Components of Money Supply, Liquidity Preference and Liquidity Trap, Money Multiplier, Interest Rate determination, Central Banking, Objectives, Instruments (Direct and Indirect) of Monetary Policy, Prudential Regulation, Quantitative Easing (Unconventional Monetary Policy), Commercial Banking, Non-Banking Financial Institutions, Capital Market and its Regulation, Theories of Inflation and Expectations Augmented Phillips Curve, Real Business Cycles, Adaptive Expectations Hypothesis, Rational Expectation Hypothesis and its critique. Closed Economy IS – LM Model and Mundell Fleming Model: Monetary and Fiscal Policy Efficacy. The Impossible Trinity

GATE Economics syllabus for Statistics, Econometrics and Mathematical Economics

Probability Theory: Concepts of probability, Probability Distributions [Discrete and Continuous], Central Limit Theorem, Index Numbers and Construction of Price Indices, Sampling Methods & Sampling Distribution, Statistical Inferences, Hypothesis Testing, Linear Regression Models and the Gauss Markov Theorem, Heteroscedasticity, Multicollinearity and Autocorrelation, Spurious regressions and Unit roots, Simultaneous Equation Models – recursive and non-recursive. Identification Problems, Differential Calculus and its Applications, Linear Algebra – Matrices, Applications of Cramer’s Rule, Static Optimization Problems and Applications, Input-Output Model, Linear Programming, Difference equations and Differential equations with applications

GATE Economics syllabus for International Economics

Theories of International Trade, International Trade under Imperfect Competition, Gains from Trade, Terms of Trade, Trade Multiplier, Tariff and NonTariff barriers to trade; Dumping and Anti-Dumping Policies, GATT, WTO and Regional Trade Blocks; Trade Policy Issues, Balance of Payments: Composition, Equilibrium and Disequilibrium and Adjustment Mechanisms, Foreign Exchange Market and Arbitrage, Exchange rate determination, IMF & World Bank.

GATE Economics syllabus for Public Economics

Market Failure and Remedial Measures: Asymmetric Information, Public Goods, Externality, Regulation of Market – Collusion and Consumers’ Welfare, Public Revenue: Tax & Non-Tax Revenue, Direct & Indirect Taxes, Progressive and non-Progressive Taxation, Incidence and Effects of Taxation, Public expenditure, Public Debt and its management, Public Budget and Budget Multiplier, Tax Incidence, Fiscal Policy and its implications, Environment as a Public Good, Market Failure and Coase Theorem, Cost-Benefit Analysis

GATE Economics syllabus for Development Economics

Theories of Economic Development: Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Karl Marx, J. Schumpeter, W. Rostow, Balanced & Unbalanced Growth, Big Push Approach, Indicators of Economic Development: HDI, SDGs, MDGs, Poverty and Inequalities – Concepts and Measurement Issues, Social Sector Development: Health, Education, Gender, Fertility, Morbidity, Mortality, Migration, Child Labor, Age Structure, Demographic Dividend, Models of Economic Growth: Harrod-Domar, Solow, Ramsey, Technical progress – Disembodied & Embodied, Endogenous Growth Models

GATE Economics syllabus for Indian Economy

Economic Growth in India: Pattern and Structure, Agriculture, Industry & Services Sector: Pattern & Structure of Growth, Major Challenges, Policy Responses, Rural & Urban Development – Issues, Challenges & Policy Responses, Flow of Foreign Capital, Trade Policies, Infrastructure Development: Physical and Social; Public-Private Partnerships, Reforms in Land, Labour and Capital Markets, Poverty, Inequality & Unemployment, Functioning of Monetary Policy in India, Fiscal Policy in the Indian context: Structure of Receipts and Expenditure, Tax reforms-Goods and Services Tax, Issues of Growth and Equity, Fiscal Federalism, Centre-State Financial Relations and Finance Commissions of India; Sustainability of Deficits and Debt, The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act 2003, Demonetization and aftermath. India’s balance of payments, Composition of India’s Trade, Competitiveness of India’s exports, India’s exchange rate policy

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GATE English Syllabus 2026 ( XH – C2)

  • Multi-genre literature in English—poetry, the novel and other forms of fiction including the short story, drama, creative non-fiction, 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 classical Indian Philosophers, devices, concepts, and genres

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GATE Linguistics Syllabus 2026 (XH - C3)

Units

Topics

Language and Linguistics

  • Language spoken

  • Written and signed

  • Description and prescription

  • Language and cultural heritage

  • Language and social identity

  • Language as an object of inquiry – its structure, units and components

  • Design features

  • Writing systems

  • Biological Foundations and language faculty

  • Linguistic competence and performance

  • Levels of grammar

  • Contrast and complementation

  • Rules - context-dependent and context-free

  • Levels of adequacy for analysis

  • Interdisciplinary approaches

  • Schools of linguistic thought (European, American) and the Indian Grammatical Tradition

Levels of Grammar and Grammatical Analysis


  • Phonetics and Phonology

  • Morphology

  • Syntax

  • Semantics and Pragmatics

  • Historical Linguistics

  • Sociolinguistics

  • Areal Typology, Universals, Cross-linguistic Features

  • Methods of analysis

  • Applied Linguistics

GATE Philosophy Syllabus 2026 (XH – C4)

Units

Topics

Classical Indian Philosophy


  • Orthodox Systems: Sānkhya

  • Heterodox Systems: Cārvāka

  • Upaniṣads, Bhagavadgītā, and Dharmaśāstras

  • KāṣmiraŚaivism, Śaivasiddhānta, VīraŚaivism, Śāktism and Vaiṣṇavism

Contemporary Indian Philosophy

Vivekananda

Classical and Modern Western Philosophy


  • Metaphysics

  • Epistemology:

  • Ethics

  • Social and Political Philosophy

  • Logic

Contemporary Western Philosophy


GATE Psychology Syllabus 2026 (XH – C5)

Units

Topics

GATE Psychology syllabus for Research Methods and Statistics

  • Approaches to Research

  • Designing Research

  • Nature of Quantitative & Qualitative Research

  • Ethics in conducting and reporting research

  • Statistics in Psychology

  • Correlational Analysis

  • Experimental Designs

  • Psychometrics

  • Biological and Evolutionary Basis of Behaviour

  • Perception, Learning, Memory and Forgetting

  • Cognition: Thinking, Intelligence and Language

  • Personality: Theories of PersonalitySocial Psychology

  • Motivation, Emotion and Stress and Coping

  • Social Psychology

  • Development Across the Life Span

  • Applications of Psychology


GATE Sociology Syllabus 2026 (XH – C6)

Units

Topics

GATE Sociology syllabus for Sociological Theory


  • Classical Sociological Traditions

  • Structural-Functionalism and Structuralism

  • Hermeneutic and Interpretative Traditions

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

  • Conflict theory

  • Indian Thinkers

GATE Sociology syllabus for Research Methodology and Methods


  • Conceptualizing Social Reality

  • Research Design

  • Quantitative and Qualitative Methods

  • Research Technique

GATE Sociology syllabus for 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

GATE Sociology syllabus for 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

GATE Sociology syllabus for Sociology of Development


  • Perspectives on the Study of Development

  • State and Market

  • The Micro-Politics of Development: Transforming Communities

  • Sustainable development


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: When will authority release official GATE syllabus for Humanities and Social Sciences?
A:

The authority (IIT Guwahati) has released the official GATE 2026 syllabus for Humanities and Social Sciences on the official website.

Q: How can I access the GATE 2026 syllabus?
A:

Candidates can check the GATE syllabus at the official website.

Q: How many questions are there in GATE 2026 paper?
A:

There will be total 65 questions in the GATE question paper.

Q: What is the code for GATE Humanities and Social Sciences paper?
A:

The code for Humanities and Social Sciences  is XH. 

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Yes, you as a Bachelor of Science graduate in home science can appear for the GATE 2026 exam, as the eligibility criteria include graduates from "Science" and other fields, as well as those in the 3rd year or higher of an undergraduate program.

I hope it will clear your query!!

Hey! The GATE exam (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) is very important for long-term career growth. It opens opportunities for postgraduate studies (M.Tech, MS, PhD) in top institutes like IITs and NITs and is also used by many public sector companies (PSUs) for recruitment, often with higher salary packages. In the long run, qualifying GATE can enhance your technical knowledge, career prospects, and credibility in the engineering field.

If your GATE application shows failed status even after a successful payment, don’t worry, this usually happens due to server or transaction update delays. First, wait for 24–48 hours as sometimes the status gets updated automatically. If it still shows failed, you should raise a query through the GATE application portal by providing your enrollment ID and payment receipt or transaction details. You can also contact the GATE zonal office via email or helpline with proof of payment. Keeping a screenshot of the payment success message will also help in resolving the issue quickly.

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You can refer to the online E Books for GATE examination available on our official website that you can download anytime.

Kindly refer to the link attached below to access them for practice.

Link: GATE E-books and Sample Papers

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Hey! The qualifying cutoff for GATE CSE in 2025 was around 29.2 marks for General, 26.2 for OBC/EWS, and 19.4 for SC/ST/PwD. For GATE 2026, the official cutoff is not declared yet, but if we look at the past trends, it usually stays around 30–32 marks for General category. So, if you are preparing, it’s better to target a score well above this range to be on the safer side.