GATE Electrical Syllabus 2027: All 10 Sections, Topic by Topic

Official sections

10

Numbered in the EE syllabus PDF

Listed topics

37

Across all sections

Subject marks

85

Of 100; General Aptitude is the other 15

Syllabus status

Revised for 2027

First revision in five years

This page reproduces the official GATE 2027 Electrical Engineering syllabus exactly as IIT Madras published it — all 10 numbered sections and every topic listed under them — and then does the part the PDF deliberately does not do: explain what the structure implies for the order you study in.

That matters more this cycle than most. The GATE syllabus was revised for 2027 for the first time in five years, so a plan assembled from a 2023 coaching handout or a senior's notes is no longer a safe reference. The list below is the reference.

GATE 2027 EE syllabus: how the paper is organised

The official GATE 2027 Electrical Engineering syllabus is published as 10 numbered sections, listing 37 named topics in total. Those sections are the vocabulary IIT Madras itself uses, so they are the right unit to plan and track against — not the chapter list of whichever textbook you happen to own.

The full GATE 2027 EE syllabus, section by section

Below is the complete syllabus as published, section by section. The wording is the Organizing Institute's own — it has not been paraphrased, because you are going to make study decisions from it.

Section 1: Engineering Mathematics

• Linear Algebra: Matrix Algebra, Systems of linear equations, Eigen values, Eigen vectors.
• Calculus: Mean value theorems, Theorems of integral calculus, Evaluation of definite and improper integrals, Partial Derivatives, Maxima and minima, Multiple integrals, Fourier series, Vector identities, Directional derivatives, Line integral, Surface integral, Volume integral, Stokes's theorem, Gauss's theorem, Divergence theorem, Green's theorem.
• Differential Equations: First order equations (linear and nonlinear), Higher order linear differential equations with constant coefficients, Method of variation of parameters, Cauchy's equation, Euler's equation, Initial and boundary value problems, Partial Differential Equations, Method of separation of variables.
• Complex Variables: Analytic functions, Cauchy's integral theorem, Cauchy's integral formula, Taylor series, Laurent series, Residue theorem, Solution integrals.
• Probability and Statistics: Sampling theorems, Conditional probability, Mean, Median, Mode, Standard Deviation, Random variables, Discrete and Continuous distributions, Poisson distribution, Normal distribution, Binomial distribution, Correlation analysis, Regression analysis.

Section 2: Electric circuits

• Network Elements: Ideal voltage and current sources, dependent sources, R, L, C, M elements.
• Network solution methods: KCL, KVL, Node and Mesh analysis.
• Network Theorems: Thevenin's, Norton's, Superposition and Maximum Power Transfer theorem.
• Transient response of DC and AC networks, sinusoidal steady-state analysis, resonance, two port networks, balanced three phase circuits, star-delta transformation, complex power and power factor in AC circuits.

Section 3: Electromagnetic Fields

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 4: Signals and Systems

Representation of continuous and discrete time signals, shifting and scaling properties, linear time invariant and causal systems, Fourier series representation of continuous and discrete time periodic signals, sampling theorem, Applications of Fourier Transform for continuous and discrete time signals, Laplace Transform and Z transform. R.M.S. value, average value calculation for any general periodic waveform.

Section 5: Electrical Machines

• Single phase transformer: Equivalent circuit, phasor diagram, open circuit and short circuit tests, regulation and efficiency.
• Three-phase transformers: Connections, vector groups, parallel operation.
• Auto-transformer, Electromechanical energy conversion principles.
• DC machines: Separately excited, series and shunt, motoring and generating mode of operation and their characteristics, speed control of dc motors.
• Three-phase induction machines: Principle of operation, types, performance, torque-speed characteristics, no-load and blocked-rotor tests, equivalent circuit, starting and speed control.
• Operating principle of single-phase induction motors.
• Synchronous machines: Cylindrical and salient pole machines, performance and characteristics, regulation and parallel operation of generators, starting of synchronous motors.
• Types of losses and efficiency calculations of electric machines.

Section 6: Power Systems

Basic concepts of electrical power generation, AC and DC transmission concepts, Models and performance of transmission lines and cables, Economic Load Dispatch (with and without considering transmission losses), Series and shunt compensation, Electric field distribution and insulators, Distribution systems, Per-unit quantities, Bus admittance matrix, Gauss-Seidel and Newton-Raphson load flow methods, Voltage and Frequency control, Power factor correction, Symmetrical components, Symmetrical and unsymmetrical fault analysis, Principles of over-current, differential, directional and distance protection; Circuit breakers, System stability concepts, Equal area criterion.

Section 7: Control Systems

Mathematical modelling and representation of systems, Feedback principle, transfer function, Block diagrams and Signal flow graphs, Transient and Steady-state analysis of linear time invariant systems, Stability analysis using Routh-Hurwitz and Nyquist criteria, Bode plots, Root loci, Lag, Lead and Lead-Lag compensators; P, PI and PID controllers; State space model, Solution of state equations of LTI systems.

Section 8: Electrical and Electronic Measurements

Bridges and Potentiometers, Measurement of voltage, current, power, energy and power factor; Instrument transformers, Digital voltmeters and multi-meters, Phase, Time and Frequency measurement; Oscilloscopes, Error analysis.

Section 9: Analog and Digital Electronics

• Simple diode circuits: Clipping, clamping, rectifiers.
• Amplifiers: Biasing, equivalent circuit and frequency response.
• Oscillators and feedback amplifiers.
• Operational amplifiers: Characteristics and applications.
• Single stage active filters.
• Active Filters: Sallen Key, Butterworth, VCOs and timers.
• Combinatorial and sequential logic circuits, multiplexers, demultiplexers, Schmitt triggers, sample and hold circuits, A/D and D/A converters.

Section 10: Power Electronics

• Static V-I characteristics and firing/gating circuits for Thyristor, MOSFET, IGBT.
• DC to DC conversion: Buck, Boost and Buck-Boost Converters.
• Single and three-phase configuration of uncontrolled rectifiers.
• Voltage and Current commutated Thyristor based converters.
• Bidirectional ac to dc voltage source converters.
• Magnitude and Phase of line current harmonics for uncontrolled and thyristor based converters.
• Power factor and Distortion Factor of AC to DC converters.
• Single-phase and three-phase voltage and current source inverters, sinusoidal pulse width modulation.

What to notice in the 2027 EE syllabus

Four things in the 2027 EE document are worth pausing on, because each of them changes how you should read the rest of the syllabus.

Engineering Mathematics has no Numerical Methods topic

Section 1 lists exactly five topics — Linear Algebra, Calculus, Differential Equations, Complex Variables, and Probability and Statistics. There is no Numerical Methods entry, which is a genuine structural difference from the Mechanical and Civil papers, where Numerical Methods is a named topic under Engineering Mathematics. If you are preparing EE from a general-purpose engineering-mathematics book, this is scope you do not need.

Transforms live in Signals and Systems, not in the maths section

Laplace, Fourier and Z transforms appear under Section 4: Signals and Systems, alongside the sampling theorem and RMS/average-value calculation for a general periodic waveform. Treating transforms as a mathematics chapter to be revised in isolation misses the point of where they are examined — they are the working machinery of Sections 4, 7 and much of 6.

Five sections are published as one unbroken list

Electromagnetic Fields, Signals and Systems, Power Systems, Control Systems, and Electrical and Electronic Measurements each appear as a single continuous list with no sub-headings at all. Do not read that as narrow scope. Section 6 alone runs from per-unit quantities and the bus admittance matrix through Gauss-Seidel and Newton-Raphson load flow, symmetrical components, unsymmetrical fault analysis, four families of protection, circuit breakers and the equal area criterion. It is one of the largest bodies of work in the paper and the formatting hides it.

Power Electronics and Analog Electronics name specific topologies

Section 10 does not say "converters" and leave it there: it names Buck, Boost and Buck-Boost conversion, single- and three-phase uncontrolled rectifiers, voltage- and current-commutated thyristor converters, bidirectional AC-to-DC voltage source converters, line-current harmonic magnitude and phase, distortion factor, and sinusoidal pulse width modulation. Section 9 similarly names Sallen Key and Butterworth active filters, VCOs and timers. Named topics are examinable at that level of specificity — this is the closest thing to a hint the document gives you.

How the EE syllabus maps to marks

Electrical Engineering is a three-hour computer-based test of 65 questions and 100 marks. Of those, 15 marks are General Aptitude, 13 marks are Engineering Mathematics drawn from Section 1 of the syllabus above, and the remaining 72 marks come from the core EE sections.

Read that chart again before you plan. General Aptitude and Engineering Mathematics together are 28 marks — more than any single core section of the EE syllabus is likely to be worth, and far more predictable. They are also the two areas candidates most often leave until a month before the exam.

A study order for the EE syllabus

EE has an unusually strong internal dependency structure, and the order you exploit it in is the difference between a syllabus that closes in six months and one that never closes. Two sections carry most of the rest of the paper.

1. 1Section 2 (Electric circuits) and Section 4 (Signals and Systems) — the spine. Circuit analysis reappears inside machines, power systems, power electronics and measurements; transform methods are the language of control systems and a good part of power systems. Nothing else is efficient until these are genuinely solid.
2. 2Section 7 (Control Systems) — sits almost directly on top of transforms, and is among the most reliably scoring sections in the paper once that machinery is in place.
3. 3Section 5 (Electrical Machines) — start it early. It is the section that most often breaks EE plans: broad, resistant to cramming, and dependent on understanding equivalent circuits and phasor diagrams rather than memorising results.
4. 4Section 6 (Power Systems) — leans on both circuits and machines, so it is cheapest after them. Budget for it honestly; see the note above about its true size.
5. 5Section 10 (Power Electronics) — builds on circuits and machines and pairs naturally with them.
6. 6Sections 3, 8 and 9 (Electromagnetic Fields, Measurements, Analog and Digital Electronics) — comparatively self-contained, which makes them well suited to a later phase without penalty.
7. 7Section 1 (Engineering Mathematics) and General Aptitude — daily, throughout. Not as a phase. These are 28 marks of the 100 and the most predictable marks on the paper.

Practising GATE EE questions against this syllabus

A syllabus tells you the scope; past questions tell you the depth. Two topics can occupy one line each in the PDF and differ by an order of magnitude in how hard they are actually examined — the only way to calibrate that is to solve questions tagged to the specific topic and see what comes back.

Success Tracker breaks this syllabus into a trackable subject → topic → subtopic tree, with a topic-tagged PYQ archive and worked solutions. Start from the GATE EE syllabus tree or the GATE EE PYQ archive, and read the companion GATE EE 2027 exam guide for dates, eligibility and the full pattern.

GATE 2027 EE syllabus FAQs

How many sections are there in the GATE 2027 Electrical Engineering syllabus?

The official GATE 2027 EE syllabus published by IIT Madras has 10 numbered sections: Engineering Mathematics, Electric circuits, Electromagnetic Fields, Signals and Systems, Electrical Machines, Power Systems, Control Systems, Electrical and Electronic Measurements, Analog and Digital Electronics, and Power Electronics. General Aptitude is common to every GATE paper and is published separately from the subject syllabus.

Has the GATE Electrical syllabus changed for 2027?

Yes. IIT Madras revised the GATE syllabus for 2027, the first revision in five years, to align it with current academic and industry requirements. Because of that, the official EE syllabus PDF for 2027 is the only version worth planning from — a topic list built for GATE 2022 to 2026 may contain dropped topics and miss added ones.

Where can I download the official GATE 2027 EE syllabus PDF?

IIT Madras hosts it on the official GATE 2027 website, gate2027.iitm.ac.in, under the syllabus section. The direct link for the Electrical Engineering paper is given in the Official GATE 2027 resources block on this page. Always download it from the gate2027.iitm.ac.in domain rather than a mirror, since only the official copy is guaranteed to be current.

Is Engineering Mathematics part of the GATE EE 2027 syllabus?

Yes. Engineering Mathematics is Section 1 of the EE syllabus and accounts for 13 of the 100 marks. It lists five topics: Linear Algebra, Calculus, Differential Equations, Complex Variables, and Probability and Statistics. Note that unlike the Mechanical and Civil papers, EE does not list Numerical Methods as a topic under Engineering Mathematics.

How many marks is General Aptitude in GATE EE 2027?

General Aptitude carries 15 marks across 10 questions in every GATE paper, including EE. The remaining 85 marks come from the subject paper, of which 13 marks are Engineering Mathematics and 72 marks are the core EE sections. General Aptitude has its own syllabus, published separately from the paper-specific one.

Does IIT Madras publish subject-wise weightage for GATE EE?

No. Beyond the split between General Aptitude (15 marks), Engineering Mathematics (13 marks) and the core subject sections (72 marks), the Organizing Institute does not publish a guaranteed per-section marks weightage for EE. Subject-wise weightage tables circulated elsewhere are counted from past papers, so they are a reasonable way to order revision and not a safe basis for dropping a section.

Which section of the GATE EE syllabus should I study first?

Electric circuits (Section 2) and Signals and Systems (Section 4) are the highest-leverage starting point, because control systems, power systems, machines, power electronics and measurements all reuse their methods. Electrical Machines is worth starting early as well, since it is broad and needs the longest runway. This ordering is our editorial judgement — the official syllabus prescribes no sequence.

Exam dates, the registration schedule, fees and eligibility for this paper are covered in full in the GATE EE 2027 exam guide. Dates follow the official GATE 2027 Important Dates page, which IIT Madras marks liable to change — the registration schedule has already been revised once. Always confirm on gate2027.iitm.ac.in before acting on any deadline.