GATE CS Syllabus 2028 — Subject-Wise Topics, Marks & Weightage
A printable GATE Computer Science & Information Technology syllabus reference — all 10 subject sections plus General Aptitude, the official marks split, subject weightage and preparation order. Based on the latest official GATE CS 2027 syllabus; save it as a PDF for offline revision.
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Topics from the official GATE 2027 CS syllabus.View sources
Per-subject marks are The ML Hub's own count of 23 official GATE CS papers (2014–2026), not an official split.
In short
The GATE CS (CSE) syllabus has 10 subject sections — Engineering Mathematics, Digital Logic, Computer Organization & Architecture, Programming & Data Structures, Algorithms, Theory of Computation, Compiler Design, Operating Systems, Databases and Computer Networks — plus General Aptitude. Officially, General Aptitude carries 15 marks and Engineering Mathematics 13 marks; the other nine sections share 72 marks. Programming is tested in C. GATE CS 2028 aspirants should follow the official 2027 syllabus — revised in Digital Logic, COA and Computer Networks — until a 2028 revision is announced.
GATE CS Syllabus at a Glance
All 10 subject sections plus General Aptitude, with marks, preparation priority and what changed for 2027.
| Subject | Marks official where fixed; otherwise ML Hub count of 23 papers | Priority | 2027 Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Mathematics | 13 marks (official) · PYQ count: Discrete 8.3 + other maths 8.1 | High | Unchanged from 2026 |
| Digital Logic | 6.5 marks avg (range 3–9; ML Hub PYQ count) | Medium | Revised for 2027 |
| Computer Organization & Architecture | 7.8 marks avg (range 4–13; ML Hub PYQ count) | Medium | Revised for 2027 |
| Programming & Data Structures | 10.2 marks avg (range 5–17; ML Hub PYQ count) | High | Unchanged from 2026 |
| Algorithms | 7.9 marks avg (range 3–12; ML Hub PYQ count) | High | Unchanged from 2026 |
| Theory of Computation | 7.1 marks avg (range 3–10; ML Hub PYQ count) | Medium | Unchanged from 2026 |
| Compiler Design | 5.8 marks avg (range 3–8; ML Hub PYQ count) | Lower | Unchanged from 2026 |
| Operating Systems | 7.6 marks avg (range 5–10; ML Hub PYQ count) | Medium | Unchanged from 2026 |
| Databases | 7.1 marks avg (range 5–9; ML Hub PYQ count) | Medium | Unchanged from 2026 |
| Computer Networks | 8.2 marks avg (range 6–10; ML Hub PYQ count) | Medium | Considerably reduced for 2027 |
| General Aptitude | 15 marks (officially fixed, 10 questions) | Fixed | Common to all GATE papers |
| Total | 100 marks · 65 questions · 3 hours |
General Aptitude (15) and Engineering Mathematics (13) are official fixed allocations. Every other figure is The ML Hub's count of all 23 official GATE CS papers 2014–2026 (1,495 questions, as reproduced on Success Tracker; unofficial): the average marks per paper and, in brackets, the range across papers. GA = Q1–10 (Q56–65 in 2017); hashing is counted under Algorithms and disk scheduling under Operating Systems; Discrete Mathematics is counted separately from the rest of Engineering Mathematics; 6 duplicate 2015 questions and 9 old software-engineering questions are excluded. See the official GATE CS papers and our GATE CSE previous year papers. The official pattern does not fix marks for the nine other CS sections.
GATE CS Subject-Wise Weightage
Officially, the 100 marks split into General Aptitude (15), Engineering Mathematics (13) and the remaining CS subject questions (72). The official pattern does not split those 72 marks by subject. The blue bars are The ML Hub's count of all 23 official GATE CS papers 2014–2026 (1,495 questions; unofficial): the darker segment is the average marks per paper and the lighter segment reaches the highest mark seen in any paper; the label shows the average with the range across papers. Programming & Data Structures is clearly the largest CS section (10.2 on average); Computer Networks, Algorithms and COA sit around 8; Digital Logic (6.5) and Compiler Design (5.8) are the smallest.
Green bars are official fixed allocations (official GATE 2027 question paper pattern). Blue bars are The ML Hub's unofficial count of past papers, not figures published by IIT Madras. Use them to guide preparation, not to predict the paper. For the effort-to-marks analysis, read our GATE CSE subject-wise weightage guide.
Engineering Mathematics. The official pattern allots 13 marks to Engineering Mathematics; classified by topic, maths content averaged 16.4 marks per paper (12–25) in 2014–2026 — exactly 13 in only 3 of 23 papers — because many CS questions are built on discrete maths. That topic-based count (unofficial) splits into Discrete Mathematics 8.3 (3–15) and Linear Algebra, Calculus and Probability 8.1 (4–11). The official syllabus places Discrete Mathematics inside Engineering Mathematics (GATE 2027 Information Brochure, §7.3, Table 8).
Trend (2014–20 average → 2021–26 average, ML Hub count): COA has risen (7.2 → 8.6) and Compiler Design too (5.1 → 6.8), along with TOC (6.9 → 7.4) and Digital Logic (6.2 → 6.9), while Algorithms has fallen (8.5 → 7.0) and Programming & Data Structures eased (10.6 → 9.6). Computer Networks (8.2 → 8.1), OS (7.5 → 7.8) and Databases (6.9 → 7.3) are steady. Discrete Mathematics went 8.8 → 7.7 and Linear Algebra, Calculus and Probability 8.3 → 7.8.
Subject-Wise Syllabus & Topics
The official topic list for each section, as published in the GATE CS 2027 syllabus. For the topics that appear most often in past papers, see GATE CSE important topics.
Engineering Mathematics
13 marks (official) · PYQ count: Discrete 8.3 + other maths 8.1 · Priority: High · Unchanged from 2026
Discrete Mathematics: Propositional and first-order logic; sets, relations, functions, partial orders and lattices; monoids, groups; graphs — connectivity, matching, colouring; combinatorics — counting, recurrence relations, generating functions.
Linear Algebra: Matrices, determinants, system of linear equations; eigenvalues and eigenvectors; LU decomposition.
Calculus: Limits, continuity and differentiability; maxima and minima; mean value theorem; integration.
Probability & Statistics: Random variables; uniform, normal, exponential, Poisson and binomial distributions; mean, median, mode and standard deviation; conditional probability and Bayes' theorem.
Digital Logic
6.5 marks avg (range 3–9; ML Hub PYQ count) · Priority: Medium · Revised for 2027
Boolean algebra and minimisation — algebraic technique, Karnaugh map, tabular method; design of combinational and sequential circuits; number representation and arithmetic (fixed and floating point).
Computer Organization & Architecture
7.8 marks avg (range 4–13; ML Hub PYQ count) · Priority: Medium · Revised for 2027
Instruction set and addressing modes; design of the arithmetic and logic unit (ALU); design of the control unit — hardwired and microprogrammed; memory interfacing and hierarchy — performance, cache memory mapping; I/O interface (interrupt and DMA); instruction pipelining, pipeline hazards.
Programming & Data Structures
10.2 marks avg (range 5–17; ML Hub PYQ count) · Priority: High · Unchanged from 2026
Programming in C; recursion; arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists; trees, binary search trees, binary heaps; graphs.
Algorithms
7.9 marks avg (range 3–12; ML Hub PYQ count) · Priority: High · Unchanged from 2026
Searching, sorting, hashing; asymptotic worst-case time and space complexity; algorithm design techniques — greedy, dynamic programming, divide-and-conquer; graph traversals, minimum spanning trees, shortest paths.
Theory of Computation
7.1 marks avg (range 3–10; ML Hub PYQ count) · Priority: Medium · Unchanged from 2026
Regular expressions and finite automata; context-free grammars and push-down automata; regular and context-free languages, pumping lemma; Turing machines and undecidability.
Compiler Design
5.8 marks avg (range 3–8; ML Hub PYQ count) · Priority: Lower · Unchanged from 2026
Lexical analysis, parsing, syntax-directed translation; runtime environments; intermediate code generation; local optimisation; data flow analyses — constant propagation, liveness analysis, common sub-expression elimination.
Operating Systems
7.6 marks avg (range 5–10; ML Hub PYQ count) · Priority: Medium · Unchanged from 2026
System calls, processes, threads; inter-process communication; concurrency and synchronisation; deadlock; CPU and I/O scheduling; memory management and virtual memory; file systems.
Databases
7.1 marks avg (range 5–9; ML Hub PYQ count) · Priority: Medium · Unchanged from 2026
ER model; relational model — relational algebra, tuple calculus, SQL; integrity constraints, normal forms; file organisation, indexing (e.g. B and B+ trees); transactions and concurrency control.
Computer Networks
8.2 marks avg (range 6–10; ML Hub PYQ count) · Priority: Medium · Considerably reduced for 2027
Principles of layering; basics of switching (circuit, packet and virtual circuit) and performance metrics; data link layer — error detection, Medium Access Control, Ethernet; distance-vector and link-state routing; IPv4 — fragmentation, CIDR notation, Network Address Translation; TCP — flow control and congestion control, socket API; DNS and HTTP.
General Aptitude
15 marks (officially fixed, 10 questions) · Priority: Fixed · Common to all GATE papers
Verbal Aptitude: Basic English grammar (tenses, articles, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, verb-noun agreement and other parts of speech); basic vocabulary — words, idioms and phrases in context; reading and comprehension; narrative sequencing.
Quantitative Aptitude: Data interpretation — data graphs (bar graphs, pie charts and other graphs), 2- and 3-dimensional plots, maps and tables; numerical computation and estimation — ratios, percentages, powers, exponents and logarithms, permutations and combinations, series; mensuration and geometry; elementary statistics and probability.
Analytical Aptitude: Logic — deduction and induction; analogy; numerical relations and reasoning.
Spatial Aptitude: Transformation of shapes — translation, rotation, scaling, mirroring, assembling and grouping; paper folding, cutting and patterns in 2 and 3 dimensions.
What Changed in the Latest Syllabus (2027)
Comparing the official GATE CS 2027 syllabus (IIT Madras) with the GATE CS 2026 syllabus (IIT Guwahati), three sections changed. Engineering Mathematics, Programming & Data Structures, Algorithms, Theory of Computation, Compiler Design, Operating Systems and Databases have the same topic lists in both years, so most existing preparation material remains valid.
Digital Logic — more explicit
- Minimisation now names the algebraic technique, Karnaugh map and tabular method
- “Combinational and sequential circuits” is now “Design of combinational and sequential circuits”
COA — restructured
- Design of ALU and of the control unit (hardwired and microprogrammed)
- Memory interfacing; hierarchy performance; cache memory mapping
- Data-path, main memory and secondary storage no longer listed
Computer Networks — reduced
- OSI and TCP/IP stacks, framing, Ethernet bridging no longer listed
- Shortest-path and flooding routing, ARP, DHCP, ICMP, UDP, SMTP, FTP, email no longer listed
- Switching performance metrics added; “sockets” now “socket API”
See all paper-wise changes and official PDF links in our GATE 2027 revised syllabus guide. When the GATE 2028 syllabus is released, compare it against this list before updating your notes.
Recommended Preparation Order
A prerequisite-driven sequence where each subject supports the next. See the live class timeline on our GATE CS course schedule.
Engineering Mathematics
A fixed 13 marks and the source of the mathematical maturity Algorithms needs. Discrete maths (graph theory, logic, combinatorics) and probability are reliable scoring areas.
Digital Logic
Studied alongside maths because it gives the logic foundation for COA and Compiler Design. Cover algebraic, K-map and tabular minimisation and circuit design, as the 2027 syllabus now names them explicitly.
Programming & Data Structures
Programming in C, recursion, linked structures, trees, heaps and graphs. Practise C output prediction and pointer tracing — not just reading code.
Algorithms
The core problem-solving engine of the paper. On our count of past papers it is a mid-sized section (7.9 marks on average), but together with Programming & Data Structures it averages about 18 marks. Master greedy, dynamic programming, divide-and-conquer and graph algorithms.
Theory of Computation
Conceptually demanding but compact. Regular languages, CFLs, Turing machines and undecidability provide the formal-language theory Compiler Design relies on.
Compiler Design
Best studied right after TOC: parsing builds directly on grammars and automata. Focus on parsing, syntax-directed translation and data flow analysis.
Operating Systems
Reuses data-structure concepts (scheduling uses queues and heaps) and is frequently tested with numerical problems on scheduling, paging and synchronisation.
Databases
Relational algebra, SQL, normal forms, B/B+ tree indexing and transactions. Many students find this section approachable once DS concepts are in place.
Computer Organization & Architecture
Builds on Digital Logic. Pipelining numericals and cache-mapping problems are common question types — practise them close to the mock-test phase.
Computer Networks
Uses graph algorithms for routing. Study only the reduced 2027 syllabus: TCP congestion control, distance-vector/link-state routing, IPv4/CIDR/NAT, MAC, DNS and HTTP.
General Aptitude (throughout)
Don't leave it for the end. Practise verbal, quantitative, analytical and spatial aptitude every week; the section carries a fixed 15 marks.
Want this turned into a week-by-week plan? Read our GATE CSE study plan, the best books for each subject, or follow the structured GATE CS course.
Common Mistakes When Reading the Syllabus
Preparing Computer Networks from old notes — compared with GATE 2026, the 2027 syllabus no longer lists the OSI and TCP/IP protocol stacks, framing, Ethernet bridging, shortest-path and flooding routing, ARP, DHCP, ICMP, UDP, SMTP, FTP or email. Of the application-layer protocols, only DNS and HTTP remain.
Missing the newly explicit topics — algebraic, Karnaugh-map and tabular minimisation in Digital Logic, and hardwired/microprogrammed control-unit design, memory interfacing and cache memory mapping in COA.
Treating subject-wise weightage as guaranteed — only General Aptitude (15) and Engineering Mathematics (13) are officially fixed. The official pattern does not split the remaining 72 marks by subject, so cover every section.
Practising programming in Python or C++ — GATE CS tests programming in C. Python is the language for GATE DA, not CS.
Using the GATE DA syllabus as a substitute — DA drops TOC, Compiler Design, OS, Networks, Digital Logic and COA, and adds Machine Learning and AI. The papers are not interchangeable.
Skipping General Aptitude because it 'looks easy' — it is 15 fixed marks, the same in every GATE paper, and rewards regular practice.
Ready to start preparing?
Cover this entire syllabus with live classes, DPPs and mock tests taught by Jay Bansal (AIR 2 GATE CS 2019) and Sriniwas Paliwal (AIR 90 GATE CS 2019), both M.Tech IIT Bombay.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the GATE CS syllabus for 2028?+
The GATE 2028 CS syllabus has not been released yet, so the latest official syllabus is GATE CS 2027 from IIT Madras. It has 10 sections — Engineering Mathematics, Digital Logic, Computer Organization & Architecture, Programming & Data Structures, Algorithms, Theory of Computation, Compiler Design, Operating Systems, Databases and Computer Networks — plus General Aptitude.
How are marks distributed in the GATE CS syllabus?+
Per the official GATE 2027 question paper pattern, the CS paper has 65 questions for 100 marks: General Aptitude is 10 questions for 15 marks, and the 55 subject questions carry 85 marks, of which 13 are Engineering Mathematics. The remaining 72 marks are shared by the nine other CS sections, and the official pattern does not split them by subject.
Which subjects have the highest weightage in GATE CS?+
Apart from the fixed General Aptitude (15) and Engineering Mathematics (13), the official pattern does not split the remaining 72 marks by subject. The ML Hub's count of all 23 official GATE CS papers 2014–2026 (1,495 questions; unofficial) puts Programming & Data Structures clearly largest at 10.2 marks per paper on average (range 5–17). Computer Networks (8.2), Algorithms (7.9), COA (7.8) and Operating Systems (7.6) follow, then Databases (7.1), Theory of Computation (7.1) and Digital Logic (6.5), with Compiler Design smallest at 5.8. Engineering Mathematics is officially 13 marks; classified by topic, maths content averaged 16.4 marks per paper (12–25) in 2014–2026 — exactly 13 in only 3 of 23 papers — because many CS questions are built on discrete maths. These counts describe past papers, not official allocations.
What changed in the GATE CS 2027 syllabus?+
Compared with the official GATE CS 2026 syllabus, three sections changed. Digital Logic now names algebraic, K-map and tabular minimisation and the design of combinational and sequential circuits. COA now lists ALU and control-unit design (hardwired and microprogrammed), memory interfacing and cache memory mapping, and no longer lists data-path, main memory or secondary storage. Computer Networks was cut back: the OSI/TCP-IP stacks, framing, Ethernet bridging, shortest-path and flooding routing, ARP, DHCP, ICMP, UDP, SMTP, FTP and email are no longer listed, and only DNS and HTTP remain at the application layer. The other seven sections are unchanged from 2026.
Which programming language is tested in GATE CS?+
C. The Programming & Data Structures section lists programming in C, so practise C syntax, pointers, recursion and implementing data structures in C. GATE DA, by contrast, uses Python.
In what order should I study the GATE CS syllabus?+
A prerequisite-based order works best: Engineering Mathematics and Digital Logic first, then Data Structures and Algorithms, then TOC and Compiler Design together, then OS and Databases, and finally COA and Computer Networks — with General Aptitude practised throughout.
Is the GATE CS syllabus the same as GATE DA?+
No. GATE CS includes Theory of Computation, Compiler Design, Operating Systems, Computer Networks, Digital Logic and COA, and tests programming in C. GATE DA instead includes Machine Learning, AI and data warehousing, and uses Python. Data structures, databases, linear algebra and probability overlap.
Can I download the GATE CS syllabus as a PDF?+
Yes — click 'Save as PDF / Print Syllabus' and choose 'Save as PDF' in your browser's print dialog. The official GATE CS 2027 syllabus PDF is also available on the IIT Madras GATE 2027 website.