Chemical Engineering is one of the popular engineering streams among students. The branch uses the basic principles of Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Maths, etc to transform energy and material into useful products. Through GATE candidates can appear for Chemical Engineering paper and take admission in M.Tech courses offered at prestigious institutes of India.

The syllabus of Chemical Engineering is based on topics studied at graduation level and divided into 9 sections which further includes various subtopics. In this paper, 85% weightage is given to chemical & mathematical engineering syllabus and the remaining 15% to General Aptitude syllabus which is common for every branch.  Check GATE Exam Pattern

Read the article to know more about the major topics of chemical engineering, exam pattern, important books, preparation tips and much more. 

Must Read:  Preparation Tips from GATE Topper

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GATE CH Syllabus

GATE Chemical Engineering Syllabus

Chemical Engineering uses Physics and Chemistry with applied Mathematics to convert chemicals and raw materials into useful substances. Chemical Engineers essentially design large-scale processes for such transformations.

GATE CH Syllabus – Engineering Mathematics

Engineering Mathematics is a branch of applied mathematics concerning mathematical methods and techniques that are typically used in engineering and industry. This section carries 15% weightage of questions. It is one of the important sections of GATE syllabus. 

• Linear Algebra
• Calculus
• Differential equations
• Complex variables
• Probability and Statistics
• Numerical Methods

GATE Syllabus – Chemical Engineering

• Process Calculations and Thermodynamics
• Fluid Mechanics and Mechanical Operations
• Heat Transfer 
• Mass Transfer
• Chemical Reaction Engineering
• Instrumentation and Process Control
• Plant Design and Economics
• Chemical Technology

Direct link to download GATE Chemical Engineering (CH) syllabus PDF 

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Important Questions from Engineering Mathematics and General Aptitude

• Sample Question 1: “When she fell down the _______, she received many _______ but little help.” The words that best fill the blanks in the above sentence are?
• Sample Question 2: For 0 ≤ x ≤ 2π, sin x and cos x are both decreasing functions in the interval___________?
• Sample Question 3: A set of 4 parallel lines intersect with another set of 5 parallel lines. How many parallelograms are formed?

Weightage of Sections

 Important Questions from Chemical Engineering

• Sample Question 1: For a chemical reaction, the ratio of rate constant at 500 K to that at 400 K is 2.5. Given R= 8.314 J mol-1 K-1, the value of activation energy (in kJ/mol) is_________?
• Sample Question 2: In the year 2005, the cost of a shell and tube heat exchanger with 68 m2 heat transfer area was Rs. 12.6 Lakh. Chemical Engineering Index for cost in 2005 was 509.4 and now the index is 575.4. Based on index of 0.6 for capacity scaling, the present cost (in Lakhs of rupees) of a similar heat exchanger having 100 m2 heat transfer area is estimated to be_______________?

Weightage of Sections

Read GATE Paper Analysis 

GATE CH Marking Scheme

GATE Chemical Engineering Marking Scheme

Before starting with Chemical Engineering preparation, candidates must go through the exam pattern and marking scheme. The exam pattern will give you a fair idea about the type of questions asked, total marks of the exam, the duration of the exam, etc. Candidates can check the exam pattern and the marking scheme below:

• Mode of Examination – Online
• Duration – 3 hours. 
• Type of Questions – MCQs and NATs.
• Total Questions – 65
• Total marks – 100

Marking Scheme

Read More GATE Exam Pattern

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Important Books for CH

Important Books for Chemical Engineering

Candidtaes are advised to choose their study material wisely and pick up the books from popular authors or publications only. Some of the books for major topics are mentioned below:  

How to Prepare for GATE CH?

How to Prepare for GATE Chemical Engineering?

While preparing for GATE Chemical Engineering candidates have to keep few things in mind that first of all they should check Exam Pattern and Syllabus. This way you will come to know about the major topics, marking scheme, etc. For your convenience, we have already discussed these topics above.

Now your next step should be focused on building a good preparation plan. Candidates are required to follow a proper study strategy, expert guidance and good study material for effective results. Here are some effective preparation tips to crack GATE Chemical Engineering:

1. Section Wise Preparation

There are 3 major sections in the exam and candidates are advised to prepare section wise. 

• For General Aptitude section, focus more on reasoning questions, verbal aptitude, numerical aptitude but do not spend much time preparing for this section.
• For Engineering Mathematics section, candidates require a lot of practice and to do the same you have to give special attention to this section. With daily practice try to make it your strongest section.
• For Chemical Engineering section, you have to prepare for all the major topics. First, go for the topics you are good at and then move to the difficult topics. This section has a weightage of 70% so practice as much as you can. 

2. Practice Mock Test

Mock tests are one of the best methods to prepare for the exam. They give you the feel of the real exam as they are time-bound and also introduce you with the concepts that you might miss during the preparation. Every year exam conducting body releases mock tests series for candidates. You can take these mock test or you can also buy the mock test series from some coaching institutes. But remember one thing do not take any mock tests before completing your syllabus. 

3. Time Management

Time management is one of the key elements in the success of a candidate. For some candidates, 2 months are enough for preparation whereas for other candidates even 6 months are very less. Here are some tips that will help candidates in managing their time for studies:

• Candidate must give a minimum of 5-6 hours for the study every day.
• Further divide your 5-6 hours time in moring, afternoon, evening or night shifts. This way you can have breaks in between. 
• You can give 1 hour everyday day in the morning to prepare some key points. Also, make all your notes in good handwriting.
• Devote 1 hour especially for revision as timely revisions are quite necessary.
• Do not spend more than 2 hours on one topic. If a topic is taking a long time then you must leave it for tomorrow and move on with a new topic for today. This way you can cover maximum topics. 

4. Previous Years Question Papers 

The question papers will help you in getting an idea about the type of questions asked, their difficulty level and weightage given to the topics in the previous years' papers. Observer the trend of questions that were asked in previous years. This way you can skip some topics or focus more on other important topics. This will help you to prepare in an organized manner.

Download GATE Previous Years Papers of CH

5. Refer Best Study Material

Do not compromise on study material. Prepare from the best books. Candidates can also watch online tutorial videos by popular coaching institutes. 

Syllabus of Other Subjects

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Points to Remember during Preparation

• Don’t stress or overburden yourself.
• Avoid over-confidence and practice daily.
• Do not focus on your weaker areas.
• Strictly follow the time table.
• Revise the important formulas daily.