GATE

GATE Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering (ME) 2024

20 January, 2024
Artika Shan
GATE ME Syllabus

IISc Bangalore will be releasing the GATE Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering on its official portal and it contains a list of all main topics for the GATE 2024 Mechanical Engineering exam. It is important for candidates planning to take the GATE Mechanical exam to be familiar with the syllabus and important topics.

Read more: How To Prepare For GATE Exam – Common Challenges And How To Overcome Them

Key topics of GATE 2024 Mechanical Syllabus 

The GATE syllabus for Mechanical Engineering for the GATE exam has important topics including, the theory of machines and vibration isolation. Moreover, the topics are divided into five main sections, including engineering mathematics and general aptitude. Students must score well in every section to get recruited by PSUs.

Sections of syllabus

Below are the sections of the GATE 2024 Mechanical Syllabus:
Section 1:
General Aptitude
Section 2:
Engineering Mathematics
Section 3:
Applied Mechanics and Design
Section 4:
Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences
Section 5:
Materials, Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering 

Section 1: General Aptitude Syllabus
General aptitude includes four major parts: 
1. Verbal Aptitude
2. Analytical Aptitude
3. Quantitative Aptitude
4. Spatial Aptitude 

The topics covered in the General Aptitude section of Mechanical Engineering syllabus are: 

Subject:
Verbal Aptitude:
Topics:
The topics covered in the verbal aptitude section include sections such as basic English grammar such as articles, tenses, prepositions, adjectives, verb-noun agreement, conjunctions, and other parts of speech. It also includes basic vocabulary such as idioms, words and phrases in context, reading and comprehension, and narrative sequencing. 

Analytical Aptitude:
Topics:
This section includes topics like:
Logic: Deduction and induction analogy numerical relations and reasoning. 

Quantitative Aptitude
Topic:
The topic in this section of quantitative aptitude includes 2 and 3-dimensional maps, plots, and tables. The data Interpretation section includes data graphs consisting of bar graphs, other graphs representing data, and pie charts.  The numerical computation and estimation include percentages, ratios,  exponents and logarithms, powers, series and permutations, and combinations. Other sections are mensuration and geometry elementary statistics and probability. 

Spatial Aptitude
Topics:
The topics of this section are the transformation of shapes like mirroring, scaling, translation, rotation, and assembling. It also includes topics like grouping paper folding, cutting, and pattern in 2 and 3 dimensions. 

Engineering Mathematics Syllabus
This section of the GATE 2024 Mechanical Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering includes five major sections calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, statistics and probability, and numerical methods. 

Below are the topics covered in the Engineering Mathematics section of the ME syllabus in depth.

Linear Algebra: This section comprises systems of linear equations, matrix algebra, and Eigenvectors and Eigenvalues. 

Calculus: This section of engineering mathematics covers topics like limit, functions of a single variable, differentiability, continuity, indeterminate forms, mean value theorem, evaluation of definite and improper integrals, total derivatives, double and triple integrals, and partial derivatives.
Differential Equations: This section of engineering mathematics includes the following topics given below:

  • First-order equations (Linear and Nonlinear)
  • Higher-order linear differential equations with constant coefficients 
  • Euler-Cauchy equation 
  • Initial and boundary value problems 
  • Laplace transforms 
  • Solutions of heat, wave, and Laplace’s equations. 

Probability and Statistics: This section of the GATE 2024 Mechanical Syllabus includes a few definitions and theorems that are definitions of sampling theorems, probability, the mean, median, mode and standard deviation, conditional probability, binomial, random variables, Poisson and normal distributions. 

Numerical Methods: Topics covered in this part of GATE Syllabus 2024 Mechanical Engineering include numerical solutions of linear and non-linear algebraic equations, single and multi-step methods for differential equations, and integration by trapezoidal and Simpson’s rules. 

Applied Mechanics and Design Syllabus The Applied Mechanics and Design section of the GATE syllabus for Mechanical Engineering comprise five key topics like machine design, engineering mechanics, mechanics of materials, and theory of machines. 

Engineering mechanics include a few topics that are important for the GATE mechanical exam, like

  • Trusses and Frames
  • Free-body diagrams and Equilibrium
  • Impulse and momentum (linear and angular) and energy formulations, and collisions. \
  • Virtual work
  • Kinematics and dynamics of particles and rigid bodies in plane motion.

Mechanics of Materials 

This section discusses the deformation of solid materials and the quantitative description of the motion. It covers some topics like : 

  • Elastic constants, stress and strain, deflection of beams, bending and shear stresses
  • Poisson’s ratio, torsion of circular shafts
  • Mohr’s circle for plane stress and plane strain
  • Shear force and bending moment diagram
  • Thin cylinders and Euler’s theory of columns
  • Energy methods, thermal stresses, strain gauges and rosettes
  • Testing of materials with the universal testing machine 
  • Testing of hardness and impact strength.

Vibration
This section of the GATE Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering focuses on the oscillating motion of elastic bodies and their relative forces. It comprises free and forced vibration of single-degree-of-freedom systems, vibration isolation, the effect of damping, resonance, critical speeds of shafts, and machine design. 

Theory of Machines 

This section discusses the study of relative motion between elements of a machine and the forces acting on them. The subtopics included in this topic of the GATE Mechanical syllabus are:

  • Dynamic analysis of linkages 
  • Displacement, velocity, and acceleration analysis of plane mechanisms 
  • Gears and gear trains 
  • Cams 
  • Governers and flywheels 
  • Balancing of reciprocating and rotating masses 
  • Gyroscope 

Machine Design 

This section involves applying engineering mechanics and strength of materials to various machine elements such as clutches, bearings, springs, gears, and brakes. The subtopics covered include

  • Failure theories 
  • Design for static and dynamic loading 
  • The SN Diagram and fatigue strength 
  • Principles of the design of machine elements such as riveted, bolted, and welded joints. 

Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences 

This section of Mechanical Engineering studies the mechanics of fluids, such as gases, plasmas, and liquids, and their relative forces. Thermal Science studies the healing effects of heat under different conditions. The GATE ME Syllabus covered fluid mechanics and thermal sciences as follows:

Fluid Mechanics:
This section covers topics like:

  • Differential equations of continuity and momentum
  • Bernoulli’s equation
  • Dimensional analysis
  • Fluid properties
  • Fluid statics, manometry, and buoyancy, forces on submerged bodies, the stability of floating bodies
  • Control-volume analysis of mass, momentum, and energy
  • Fluid acceleration
  • The viscous flow of incompressible fluids, boundary layer, elementary turbulent flow, flow through pipes, head losses in pipes, bends, and fittings.

Heat Transfer:
This section includes following topics: 

  • One-dimensional heat conduction, resistance concept and electrical analogy, heat transfer through fins
  • Modes of heat transfer
  • Thermal boundary layer, dimensionless parameters in free and forced convective heat transfer, heat transfer correlations for flow over flat plates and through pipes, the effect of turbulence
  • Unsteady heat conduction, lumped parameter system, Heisler’s charts
    Radiative heat transfer, Stefan-Boltzmann law, Wien’s displacement law, 
  • Heat exchanger performance, LMTD and NTU methods
  • Black and grey surfaces, view factors, radiation network analysis.

Thermodynamics:
This section covers topics like:

  • The second law of thermodynamics
  • Thermodynamic property charts and tables, availability, and irreversibility
  • Thermodynamic relations
  • Thermodynamic systems and processes
  • Properties of pure substances, the behavior of ideal and real gases
  • Zeroth and first laws of thermodynamics, calculation of work and heat in various processes

Applications:
The Applications sections include the following topics: 

  • Air and gas compressors
    Power Engineering
    Refrigeration and air-conditioning: Vapour and gas refrigeration and heat pump cycles 
  • Vapour and gas power cycles, concept of regeneration and reheat I.C. Engines: Air-standard Otto, diesel and dual cycles. 
  • Properties of moist air, basic psychrometric processes, and psychrometric chart
  • Turbo machinery: Velocity diagrams, impulse and reaction principles, Pelton-wheel and Francis and Kaplan turbines.

Materials, Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering 

This is one of the major sections of GATE Syllabus 2024 Mechanical Engineering.
The topics covered in this section are:

Engineering Materials: 

  1. Phase diagrams 
  2. Structure and properties of engineering materials 
  3. Heat treatment 
  4. Stress-strain diagrams for engineering materials

Casting, Forming, and Joining Processes:

The topics included in this section are:

  • The design of patterns, molds, and cores\
  • Different types of castings
  • Solidification and cooling
  • Plastic deformation, and yield criteria
  • Riser and gating design
  • Load estimation for bulk (forging, rolling, extrusion, drawing)
  • Fundamentals of hot and cold working processes and sheets (shearing, deep drawing, bending) 
  • Principles of powder metallurgy
  • Metal forming processes, 
  • Principles of welding, brazing, soldering, and adhesive bonding.

This section covers topics of the GATE Syllabus like:

  • Mechanical Engineering carries the Mechanics of Machining 
  • Basic Machine tools 
  • Tool geometry and materials 
  • Single and multi-point cutting tools
    Tool life and wear
    Economics of Machining
  • Principles of non-traditional Machining processes
  • Design of Jigs and Fixtures 
  • Principles of work holding. 

Read more: GATE Syllabus 2024, IISC Bangalore GATE Subject Wise Syllabus

Among the topics covered in this section of the GATE Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering are:

Production Planning and Control 

  • Forecasting models 
  • Scheduling 
  • Aggregate production planning 
  • Materials requirement planning

Metrology and Inspection 

  • Linear and angular measurements 
  • Limits, fits, and tolerances 
  • Comparators 
  • Interferometry 
  • Gauge Design 
  • Alignment and testing methods 
  • Form and finish measurement 
  • Metrology and Inspection 
  • Tolerance analysis in manufacturing and assembly 

Computer Integrated Manufacturing
Basic concepts of CAD/CAM and their integration tools
Inventory Control 

  • Deterministic models 
  • Safety stock inventory control systems

Operations Research 

  • Simplex Method 
  • Linear Programming 
  • Assignment 
  • Transportation 
  • Simple queuing models 
  • Network flow models 
  • PERT and CPM 

Top books for GATE Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering 

Below are the recommended books for the GATE 2024 Mechanical Syllabus that will help candidates prepare for the GATE Mechanical Engineering exam: 

Topics CoveredName of the Book and Author
ManufacturingProduction Technology: Manufacturing Processes, Technology and Automation by R K Jain
Engineering MechanicsEngineering Mechanics- New Age International by S S Bhavikatti
Industrial EngineeringIndustrial Engineering and Management by O P Khanna
ThermodynamicsEngineering Thermodynamics by P K Na
VibrationsMechanical Vibrations by G K Grover
Material ScienceMaterial Science and Metallurgy by U C Jindal
Heat TransferFundamentals of Engineering Heat and Mass Transfer by R C Sachdeva
Machine TheoryThe Theory of Machines by S S Ratan
Material StrengthStrength of Materials by James M Gere, Stephen P Timoshenko
AptitudeA Modern Approach to Verbal Non-Verbal Reasoning by R S Aggarwal

FAQs on GATE 2024 Mechanical Syllabus

1. What different sections are there in the GATE Syllabus 2024 Mechanical Engineering? 

There are three major sections in the GATE Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering: 

  1. Engineering Mathematics 
  2. General Aptitude
  3. Mechanical Engineering-based topics

2. What is the GATE 2024 Mechanical Syllabus?

The GATE 2024 Mechanical Syllabus is a group of topics important for the exam. It includes three major sections besides general aptitude and engineering mathematics.  The important sections under the GATE Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering are manufacturing and industrial engineering, fluid mechanics, thermal science and materials, and applied mechanics design. 

3. Describe the marking scheme for GATE Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering?

The marking scheme for GATE Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering are: 

  • For NATs and MSQs, there is no negative marking for incorrect attempts
  • For MCQs of 1 mark: ⅓ negative marking if attempted incorrectly
  • For MCQs of 2 Marks: 2/3 negative marking for incorrect answers

4. Which section of the GATE Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering is common to all the disciplines in the exam? 

General Aptitude is the subject that remains same for all the disciplines in the GATE exam. The Engineering Mathematics section is common for various disciplines except for  AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, XH, and XL. Apart from these, no other subject is common with any discipline.

5. Where can I find the official GATE Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering?

The GATE Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering can be found on the official portal. Students can download the pdf version of the entire syllabus from any of the platforms mentioned above. 

6. What are the topics covered in the GATE Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering? 

As per the GATE Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering, the key topics covered by the official authority in the Mechanical Engineering discipline are: 

  1. Engineering Mathematics
  2. General Aptitude
  3. Fluid Mechanics, Thermal Sciences, and Materials 
  4. Applied Mechanics Design 
  5. Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering. 

7. What are the subjects in GATE 2024 Mechanical Syllabus?

The subjects in the GATE Syllabus for Mechanical Engineering are fluid mechanics, applied mechanics and design, engineering mathematics, thermal sciences and materials, and manufacturing and industrial engineering. The GATE exam carries 72 marks in these subjects.

Read more: GATE Exam Pattern 2024 – Subject-Wise Question Paper Pattern, Marking Scheme