GATE Syllabus for Instrumentation Engineering 2025 consists of 10 major topics including Engineering Mathematics that are based on the principle and operation of measuring instruments used in fields of design, configuration of automated systems, etc. GATE question paper for Instrumentation Engineering is divided into three sections- General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics and Core Discipline. The core subjects for Instrumentation Engineering carry the highest weightage with 72%. Check GATE Instrumentation Engineering Exam Pattern 2025.
Digital and MicroProcessor carries the highest weightage in the GATE Syllabus for Instrumentation Engineering 2025. The candidates who are appearing for GATE Instrumentation Engineering paper can also appear for any one of the following papers i.e., GATE Electronics and Communication Engineering, GATE Electrical Engineering or GATE Physics.
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GATE Syllabus for Instrumentation Engineering (IN) 2025
GATE syllabus for Instrumentation Engineering divided into 10 important topics including engineering mathematics. Candidate can check the detailed GATE Syllabus for Instrumentation Engineering (IN) with all the important topics and sub-topics:
| Important Topics for GATE Instrumentation Engineering Syllabus | |
|---|---|
| Engineering Mathematics | Electricity and Magnetism |
| Electrical Circuits and Machines | Signals and Systems |
| Control Systems | Analog Electronics |
| Digital Electronics | Measurements |
| Sensors and Industrial Instrumentation | Communication and Optical Instrumentation |
Section 1: Engineering Mathematics
- Linear Algebra: Matrix algebra, systems of linear equations, consistency and rank, Eigen values and Eigen vectors.
- Calculus: Mean value theorems, theorems of integral calculus, partial derivatives, maxima and minima, multiple integrals, Fourier series, vector identities, line, surface and volume integrals, Stokes, Gauss and Green’s theorems.
- Differential equations: First order equation (linear and nonlinear), second order linear differential equations with constant coefficients, method of variation of parameters, Cauchy’s and Euler’s equations, initial and boundary value problems, solution of partial differential equations: variable separable method.
- Analysis of complex variables: Analytic functions, Cauchy’s integral theorem and integral formula, Taylor’s and Laurent’s series, residue theorem, solution of integrals.
- Probability and Statistics: Sampling theorems, conditional probability, mean, median, mode, standard deviation and variance; random variables: discrete and continuous distributions: normal, Poisson and binomial distributions.
- Numerical Methods: Matrix inversion, solutions of non-linear algebraic equations, iterative methods for solving differential equations, numerical integration, regression and correlation analysis.
Section 2: Electricity and Magnetism
- Coulomb's Law, Electric Field Intensity, Electric Flux Density, Gauss's Law, Divergence, Electric field and potential due to point, line, plane and spherical charge distributions, Effect of dielectric medium, Capacitance of simple configurations, Biot‐Savart’s law, Ampere’s law, Curl, Faraday’s law, Lorentz force, Inductance,
- Magnetomotive force, Reluctance, Magnetic circuits, Self and Mutual inductance of simple configurations.
Section 3: Electrical Circuits and Machines
- Voltage and current sources: independent, dependent, ideal and practical; v-i relationships of resistor, inductor, mutual inductance and capacitor; transient analysis of RLC circuits with dc excitation.
- Kirchoff’s laws, mesh and nodal analysis, superposition, Thevenin, Norton, maximum power transfer and reciprocity theorems.
- Peak-, average- and rms values of ac quantities; apparent-, active- and reactive powers; phasor analysis, impedance and admittance; series and parallel resonance, locus diagrams, realization of basic filters with R, L and C elements. transient analysis of RLC circuits with ac excitation.
- One-port and two-port networks, driving point impedance and admittance, open-, and short circuit parameters.
- Single phase transformer: equivalent circuit, phasor diagram, open circuit and short circuit tests, regulation and efficiency; Three phase induction motors: principle of operation, types, performance, torque-speed characteristics, no-load and blocked rotor tests, equivalent circuit, starting and speed control; Types of losses and efficiency calculations of electric machines.
Section 4: Signals and Systems
- Periodic, aperiodic and impulse signals; Laplace, Fourier and z-transforms; transfer function, frequency response of first and second order linear time invariant systems, impulse response of systems; convolution, correlation. Discrete time system: impulse response, frequency response, pulse transfer function; DFT and FFT; basics of IIR and FIR filters.
Section 5: Control Systems
- Feedback principles, signal flow graphs, transient response, steady-state-errors, Bode plot, phase and gain margins, Routh and Nyquist criteria, root loci, design of lead, lag and lead-lag compensators, state-space representation of systems; time-delay systems; mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic system components, synchro pair, servo and stepper motors, servo valves; on-off, P, P-I, P-I-D, cascade, feedforward, and ratio controllers.
Section 6: Analog Electronics
- Characteristics and applications of diode, Zener diode, BJT and MOSFET; small signal analysis of transistor circuits, feedback amplifiers. Characteristics of operational amplifiers; applications of op amps: difference amplifier, adder, subtractor, integrator, differentiator, instrumentation amplifier, precision rectifier, active filters and other circuits. Oscillators, signal generators, voltage controlled oscillators and phase locked loop.
Section 7: Digital Electronics
- Combinational logic circuits, minimization of Boolean functions. IC families: TTL and CMOS. Arithmetic circuits, comparators, Schmitt trigger, multi-vibrators, sequential circuits, flip flops, shift registers, timers and counters; sample-and-hold circuit, multiplexer, analog-to digital (successive approximation, integrating, flash and sigma-delta) and digital-to analog converters (weighted R, R-2R ladder and current steering logic). Characteristics of ADC and DAC
Section 8: Measurements
- SI units, systematic and random errors in measurement, expression of uncertainty - accuracy and precision index, propagation of errors. PMMC, MI and dynamometer type instruments; dc potentiometer; bridges for measurement of R, L and C, Q-meter. Measurement of voltage, current and power in single and three phase circuits; ac and dc current probes; true rms meters, voltage and current scaling, instrument transformers, timer/counter, time, phase and frequency measurements, digital voltmeter, digital multimeter; oscilloscope, shielding and grounding.
Section 9: Sensors and Industrial Instrumentation
- Resistive-, capacitive-, inductive-, piezoelectric-, Hall effect sensors and associated signal conditioning circuits; transducers for industrial instrumentation: displacement (linear and angular), velocity, acceleration, force, torque, vibration, shock, pressure (including low pressure), flow (differential pressure, variable area, electromagnetic, ultrasonic, turbine and open channel flow meters) temperature (thermocouple, bolometer, RTD (3/4 wire), thermistor, pyrometer and semiconductor); liquid level, pH, conductivity and viscosity measurement.
Section 10: Communication and Optical Instrumentation
- Amplitude- and frequency modulation and demodulation; Shannon's sampling theorem, pulse code modulation; frequency and time division multiplexing, amplitude-, phase-, frequency-, pulse shift keying for digital modulation; optical sources and detectors: LED, laser, photo-diode, light dependent resistor and their characteristics; interferometer: applications in metrology; basics of fiber optic sensing.
General Aptitude Syllabus for GATE 2025 Instrumentation Engineering
| Verbal Ability | Numerical Ability |
|---|---|
| English grammar; Sentence completion, Instructions; Verbal analogies, Word groups; Critical reasoning, Verbal deduction. | Numerical computation; Numerical reasoning; Numerical estimation; Data interpretation. |
GATE Exam Pattern for Instrumentation Engineering 2025
- Mode of Examination: Online
- Duration of Exam: 3 hours
- Types of Questions: MCQs and NAT
- Sections: 12 sections in GATE Instrumentation Engineering
- Total Questions: 65 questions
- Total Marks: 100 marks
| Section | Total Marks |
|---|---|
| General Aptitude | 15% of the total marks |
| Engineering Mathematics | 13% of the total marks |
| Core Discipline- IN
| 72% of the total marks |
GATE Instrumentation Engineering Marking Scheme 2025
- Correct Answer: 1 or 2 Marks
- Negative Marking: For MCQs only
| Type of question | Negative marking for wrong answer |
| MCQs | 1/3 for 1 mark questions 2/3 for 2 marks questions |
| NATs, MSQs | No negative marking |
Check Detailed GATE 2025 Exam Pattern
GATE Instrumentation Engineering: Topic-wise Weightage
| GATE IN Topics | Weightage | Number of Questions | Sub-Topics Covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Aptitude | 15% | 10 | -- |
| Engineering Mathematics | 11% | 7 | Complex variable Probability density, limit, Determinant function |
| Network Theory | 4% | 3 | -- |
| Digital Circuits | 8% | 5 | ATOD or D/A converter, flash type ADC, multiplexer |
| Signals and Systems | 8% | 5 | Laplace transformer, Basic properties of signal |
| Control Systems | 6% | 4 | Time response Analysis |
| Measurements | 12% | 8 | AC, bridge |
| Analog Circuits | 8% | 5 | Application of op-amp amplifier |
| Communication | 3% | 2 | -- |
| Transducers | 8% | 5 | Pressure measurement, temperature measurement, resistive, capacitive and inductive transducer |
| Optical Instrumentation | 5% | 3 | Laser, optical fiber, interferometer |
| Process Control | 1% | 1 | PID controller |
Check Previous Years’ GATE Question Papers for more questions
Best Books for GATE 2025 Instrumentation Engineering
| Title of the book | Name of the Author/ Publication |
|---|---|
| GATE: Instrumentation Engineering Previous Solved Papers | GKP |
| Instrumentation Engineering GATE | Arihant Experts |
| GATE – Guide – Instrumentation Engineering | GKP |
GATE Syllabus for Instrumentation Engineering 2025 FAQs
Ques:How tough is GATE Instrumentation Engineering paper?
Ans: As per students who had appeared in previous years the difficulty level of GATE Instrumentation Engineering paper is moderate. Topic-wise difficulty based on the experience of candidates is mentioned below:
- Network, Control System, Signal and System, General Awareness – Rated Easy
- Digital and MicroProcessor, Transducer, Measurements, Optical Instrumentation, Engineering Mathematics – Rated Moderate
- Analog Circuits, Communication Systems – Rated Tough
Ques: What will be the sectional weightage of GATE 2025 Instrumentation Engineering syllabus?
Ans: The sectional weightage of GATE 2025 Instrumentation Engineering syllabus is as follows:
| Section | Total Marks |
|---|---|
| General Aptitude | 15% of the total marks |
| Engineering Mathematics | 13% of the total marks |
| Subject-Based (IN) | 72% of the total marks |
Ques: Will there be any negative marking in GATE 2025 Instrumentation Engineering paper?
Ans: Yes. There will be negative marking for incorrect MCQs whereas for incorrect NAT questions no negative marking will be there.
| Type of question | Negative marking for wrong answer |
| MCQs | 1/3 for 1 mark questions, 2/3 for 2 marks questions |
| NATs/MSQs | No Negative Marking |
Ques: Do I need to prepare some other topics also to score well in GATE Instrumentation Engineering paper 2025?
Ans: No. There is no need to study other than the topics mentioned in the official syllabus. The syllabus of GATE Instrumentation Engineering paper is based on the graduation level. If you follow the syllabus prescribed by authorities then you can score very good marks. There is no need to study any extra topic. However, to clear your basic concepts you can go through those topics that are mentioned in the syllabus.
Ques: What is the best way to complete GATE 2025 Instrumentation Engineering syllabus?
Ans: You can complete your syllabus by using your graduation level books or notes. You can also refer to some other books also like Instrumentation Engineering GATE 2020 – by Arihant.
Ques. What is the GATE instrumentation paper pattern?
Ans. The GATE Instrumentation paper will consist of 65 questions, out of which 8 questions will be from Engineering Mathematics and 10 questions will be from General Aptitude.
Ques. How can I prepare for the GATE instrumentation engineering paper?
Ans. Candidates can follow some of these tips for preparation of GATE Instrumentation paper:
- Solve GATE Instrumentation Engineering Mock Tests
- Start with the basic concepts or topics.
- Candidates must practice on virtual calculators so that you can develop a habit of using the same.
- For more tips, check GATE Preparation Guidelines
Ques. Who will conduct the GATE 2025 Instrumentation engineering exam?
Ans. The GATE 2025 Instrumentation engineering exam will be conducted by IIT Kanpur
Ques. Is it possible to give GATE for two subjects, with GATE Instrumentation paper?
Ans. Yes, the candidates who are appearing for GATE Instrumentation Engineering paper can also appear for any one of the following papers i.e., GATE Electronics and Communication Engineering, GATE Electrical Engineering or GATE Physics.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.
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