GATE Thermodynamics Syllabus 2026 (Out) - Check Topic Wise Syllabus Weightage

GATE Thermodynamics Syllabus 2026 (Out) - Check Topic Wise Syllabus Weightage

Upcoming Event

GATE Exam Date:07 Feb' 26 - 08 Feb' 26

Team Careers360Updated on 10 Oct 2025, 05:00 PM IST

GATE Thermodynamics syllabus 2026 - IIT Guwahati has released the GATE 2026 thermodynamics syllabus online on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. The detailed GATE Thermodynamics syllabus pdf in this article. Students appearing for the GATE exam must prepare all the topics mentioned in the syllabus. The GATE thermodynamics syllabus includes seven chapters. These include basic concepts of thermodynamics, the First Law of Thermodynamics, the Second Law of Thermodynamics, Properties of Pure Substances, Thermodynamic Relations, Thermodynamic Cycles and Ideal Gas Mixtures. The Thermodynamics subject is one of the optional subjects in the Engineering Sciences(XE) paper of the GATE 2026 exam.
Direct link to check the GATE 2026 Thermodynamics syllabus

This Story also Contains

  1. GATE 2026 Thermodynamics Syllabus
  2. GATE Thermodynamics Exam Pattern 2026
  3. GATE Preparation Tips 2026
GATE Thermodynamics Syllabus 2026 (Out) - Check Topic Wise Syllabus Weightage
GATE Thermodynamics syllabus

The paper code for Thermodynamics is XE-E. The authorities will prepare the GATE question paper as per the thermodynamics syllabus. Candidates must be thorough with all the topics mentioned in the GATE syllabus will ensure high scores in the exam. Along with the syllabus, candidates must check the GATE2026 exam pattern. Candidates can check the detailed topics-wise GATE thermodynamics syllabus 2026 in this article.

GATE 2026 Thermodynamics Syllabus

IIT Guwahati has published the GATE thermodynamics syllabus 2026 pdf on the official website. The Engineering Mathematics section is compulsory and holds 15% weightage. The topic-wise GATE thermodynamics syllabus as per this year's notification is provided in the table below.

GATE Thermodynamics Syllabus

ChaptersTopics

Basics Concepts

Continuum and macroscopic approach; thermodynamic systems (closed and open); thermodynamic properties and equilibrium; state of a system, state postulate for simple compressible substances, state diagrams, paths and processes on state diagrams; concepts of heat and work, different modes of work; zeroth law of thermodynamics; concept of temperature

First Law of Thermodynamics

Concept of energy and various forms of energy; internal energy, enthalpy; specific heats; first law applied to elementary processes, closed systems and control volumes, steady and unsteady flow analysis

Second Law of Thermodynamics

Limitations of the first law of thermodynamics, concepts of heat engines and heat pumps/refrigerators, Kelvin-Planck and Clausius statements and their equivalence; reversible and irreversible processes; Carnot cycle and Carnot principles/theorems; thermodynamic temperature scale; Clausius inequality and concept of entropy; microscopic interpretation of entropy, the principle of increase of entropy, T-s diagrams; second law analysis of control volume; availability and irreversibility; third law of thermodynamics

Properties of Pure Substances

Thermodynamic properties of pure substances in solid, liquid and vapor phases; PvT behaviour of simple compressible substances, phase rule, thermodynamic property tables and charts, ideal and real gases, ideal gas equation of state and van der Waals equation of state; law of corresponding states, compressibility factor and generalized compressibility chart

Thermodynamic Relations

TdS relations, Helmholtz and Gibbs functions, Gibbs relations, Maxwell relations, Joule-Thomson coefficient, coefficient of volume expansion, adiabatic and isothermal compressibilities, Clapeyron and Clapeyron-Clausius equations

Thermodynamic Cycles

Carnot vapor cycle, ideal Rankine cycle, Rankine reheat cycle, air-standard Otto cycle, airstandard Diesel cycle, air-standard Brayton cycle, vapor-compression refrigeration cycle

Ideal Gas Mixtures

Dalton’s and Amagat’s laws, properties of ideal gas mixtures, air-water vapor mixtures and simple thermodynamic processes involving them; specific and relative humidities, dew point and wet bulb temperature, adiabatic saturation temperature, psychrometric chart.

Related links:

GATE Thermodynamics Exam Pattern 2026

Candidates aspiring for the GATE thermodynamics (XE-E) paper must check the exam pattern to familiarise themselves with the question paper format. The authority has released the GATE 2026 thermodynamics exam pattern on the official website. It is important to note that candidates who opt for XE paper have to choose any two subjects.

GATE Engineering Sciences Exam Pattern 2026

Particulars

Details

Examination Mode

Computer Based Test (Online)

Duration

3 Hours

Section

  • General Aptitude (GA)

  • Engineering Mathematics (XE-A)

  • Thermodynamics (XE-E)

  • Additional section opted for by the student

Type of Questions

  • Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

  • Multiple Select Questions (MSQs)

  • Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions

Total Marks

100 Marks

Marking Scheme

All of the questions will be worth 1 or 2 marks

GATE Negative Marking

  • MCQs - 1 mark for each correct answer; 1/3 mark will be deducted for every wrong answer.

  • MCQs - 2 marks for each correct answer; 2/3 marks will be deducted for every incorrect response.

  • No negative marking for MSQ & NAT.

  • No partial marking for MSQ type questions.

GATE Thermodynamics - Other Optional Papers

As per this year's GATE thermodynamics paper pattern, candidates have to select an additional GATE exam paper along with thermodynamics. Candidates can check the list of subjects available alongside thermodynamics to appear for the GATE 2026 exam below. The following table will be updated soon after the official announcement.

List of optional subjects under Engineering Sciences

Subjects

GATE Syllabus

Polymer Science and Technology

GATE Polymer Science and Technology syllabus

Solid Mechanics

GATE Solid Mechanics syllabus

Fluid Mechanics

GATE Fluid Mechanics syllabus

Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

GATE Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences syllabus

Material Science

GATE syllabus for Material science

Food Technology

GATE Food Technology syllabus

Energy Science_

GATE Preparation Tips 2026

Candidates preparing for the upcoming GATE 2026 exam can check the GATE preparation tips. The preparation tips will help candidates prepare for the exam strategically.

  • Understand the GATE 2026 exam pattern and syllabus before starting the preparation.

  • Create a study pattern and follow it rigorously.

  • Know the high-weightage topics of the GATE 2026 syllabus and pay special attention to them.

  • Pick the Correct Reference Materials

  • Know your strengths and work on weaker areas.

  • Attempt mock tests to know the paper pattern.

UPES M.Tech Admissions 2026

Ranked #45 Among Universities in India by NIRF | 1950+ Students Placed 91% Placement, 800+ Recruiters

Pursue M.E/M.Tech in Australia

Want to study abroad? Plan your Journey

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is the GATE 2026 thermodynamics syllabus released?
A:

Yes, the GATE thermodynamics syllabus 2026 has been released on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in.

Q: Who will conduct GATE 2026?
A:

IIT Guwahati will conduct the GATE 2026 exam in online mode.

Q: What is the syllabus of thermodynamics for GATE?
A:

The GATE thermodynamics syllabus comprises 7 chapters including basic concepts, laws of thermodynamics, properties of pure substances, thermodynamic relations, thermodynamic cycles, and ideal gas mixtures.

Articles
|
Upcoming Engineering Exams
Certifications By Top Providers
Basic Programming using Python
Via Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Introduction to Aerospace Engineering
Via Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Fundamental Concepts of Electricity
Via Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Artificial Intelligence
Via Columbia University, New York
Computer Fundamentals
Via Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore
B.Sc in Programming and Data Science
Via Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Udemy
 1525 courses
Swayam
 817 courses
NPTEL
 773 courses
Coursera
 697 courses
Edx
 608 courses
Explore Top Universities Across Globe

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 !