The syllabus for GATE in 2014 will comprise of the similar pattern of questions although there are some basic alteration has been applied to the conduct of GATE 2014. The applicants have to appear for the general section of the examination and have to select any one of the 22 defined papers for examination. These 22 papers are catering to special branches of Engineering and will test the comprehension skills of the candidate applying from his/ her core branch of Engineering.
Common Section:
This section will comprise of two major sections to test the Verbal Ability and the Numerical Ability:
Verbal Ability: English Language Comprehension, Grammar, Sentence Formation, Critical Reasoning, Verbal Analysis, Grouping of Words and Structural Analysis.
Numerical Ability: Numerical Analysis, Data Computation, Estimation, and Numerical Interpretation Skills.
Subjective Section:
City planning: Evolution of cities; principles of city planning; types of cities & new towns; planning regulations and building byelaws; eco-city concept; sustainable development.
Housing:Concept of housing; neighbourhood concept; site planning principles; housing typology; housing standards; housing infrastructure; housing policies, finance and management; housing programs in India; self help housing.
Landscape Design: Principles of landscape design and site planning; history of landscape styles; landscape elements and materials; plant characteristics & planting design; environmental considerations in landscape planning.
Computer Aided Design:Application of computers in architecture and planning; understanding elements of hardware and software; computer graphics; programming languages – C and Visual Basic and usage of packages such as AutoCAD, 3D-Studio, 3D Max.
Environmental Studies in Building Science:Components of Ecosystem; ecological principles concerning environment; climate responsive design; energy efficient building design; thermal comfort; solar architecture; principles of lighting and styles for illumination; basic principles of architectural acoustics; environment pollution, their control & abatement.
Visual and Urban Design: Principles of visual composition; proportion, scale, rhythm, symmetry, harmony, datum, balance, form, colour, texture; sense of place and space, division of space; barrier free design; focal point, vista, image ability, visual survey, figure-background relationship.
History of Architecture:Indian – Indus valley, Vedic, Buddhist, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian and Mughal periods; European – Egyptian, Greek, Roman, medieval and renaissance periods- construction and architectural styles; vernacular and traditional architecture.
Development of Contemporary Architecture:Architectural developments and impacts on society since industrial revolution; influence of modern art on architecture; works of national and international architects; art novuea, eclecticism, international styles, post modernism, deconstruction in architecture.
Building Services:Water supply, sewerage and drainage systems; sanitary fittings and fixtures; plumbing systems, principles of internal & external drainage systems, principles of electrification of buildings, intelligent buildings; elevators & escalators, their standards and uses; air-conditioning systems; fire fighting systems, building safety and security systems.
Building Construction and Management:Building construction techniques, methods and details; building systems and prefabrication of building elements; principles of modular coordination; estimation, specification, valuation, professional practice; project management techniques e.g., PERT, CPM etc;
Materials and Structural Systems:Behavioural characteristics of all types of building materials e.g. mud, timber, bamboo, brick, concrete, steel, glass, FRP, different polymers, composites; principles of strength of materials; design of structural elements in wood, steel and RCC; elastic and limit state design; complex structural systems; principles of pre-stressing; tall buildings; principles of disaster resistant structures.
Planning Theory: Regional planning; settlement system planning; history of human settlements; growth of cities & metropolises; principles of Ekistics; rural-urban migration; urban conservation; urban renewal; Five-year plan; structural and sectoral plan.
Techniques of Planning: Planning survey techniques; preparation of urban and regional structure plans, development plans, action plans; site planning principles and design; statistical methods of data analysis; application of G.I.S and remote sensing techniques in urban and regional planning; decision making models.
Traffic and Transportation Planning: Principles of traffic engineering and transportation planning; traffic survey methods; design of roads, intersections, grade separators and parking areas; hierarchy of roads and levels of services; traffic and transport management in urban areas, intelligent transportation system; mass transportation planning; para-transits and other modes of transportation, pedestrian & slow moving traffic planning.
Infrastructure, Services and Amenities: Principles of water supply and sanitation systems; water treatment; solid waste disposal systems; waste treatment, recycle & reuse; urban rainwater harvesting; power supply and communication systems — network, design & guidelines; demography related standards at various levels of the settlements for health, education, recreation, religious & public-semi public facilities.
Development Administration and Management: Planning laws; development control and zoning regulations; laws relating to land acquisition; development enforcements, urban land ceiling; land management techniques; planning and municipal administration; disaster mitigation management; 73rd& 74th Constitutional amendments; valuation & taxation; revenue resources and fiscal management; public participation and role of NGO & CBO; Institutional networking & capacity building.