GATE CS & IT Engineering General Aptitude Syllabus

General Aptitude syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for General Aptitude in GATE CS & IT Engineering, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Verbal Aptitude

   3 topics

   • Basic English grammar
     • Tenses
     • Articles
     • Adjectives
     • Prepositions
     • Conjunctions
     • Verb-noun agreement
     • Other parts of speech
   • Basic vocabulary
     • Words
     • Idioms
     • Phrases in context
   • Reading and comprehension
     • Narrative sequencing
2. 2

   Quantitative Aptitude

   3 topics

   • Data interpretation
     • Data graphs (bar graphs, pie charts, and other graphs representing the data)
     • 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
3. 3

   Analytical Aptitude

   1 topic

   • Logic
     • Deduction and induction
     • Analogy
     • Numerical relations and reasoning
4. 4

   Spatial Aptitude

   2 topics

   • Transformation of shapes
     • Translation
     • Rotation
     • Scaling
     • Mirroring
     • Assembling and grouping
   • Paper folding, cutting, and patterns in 2 and 3 dimensions

General Aptitude flashcards for GATE CS & IT Engineering

22 of 50 cards from the General Aptitude deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the three primary tenses in English, and what does each express?

   Present (action happening now or habitual), Past (action completed earlier), and Future (action yet to happen). Each is further divided into simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous aspects.

2. What is the structure of the present perfect tense, and when is it used?

   Structure: subject + has/have + past participle (e.g., 'She has finished'). Used for actions completed at an unspecified time before now, or that started in the past and continue to the present.

3. How does the present continuous tense differ from the simple present tense?

   Simple present (e.g., 'I work') expresses habits, general truths, and permanent situations. Present continuous (e.g., 'I am working') expresses actions happening right now or temporary ongoing actions.

4. What is the rule for using the past perfect tense?

   Past perfect (had + past participle) describes an action completed before another past action. Example: 'She had left before he arrived' — leaving happened before arriving.

5. What are the three articles in English, and how are they classified?

   'A' and 'an' are indefinite articles (used for non-specific singular nouns); 'the' is the definite article (used for specific nouns). 'A'/'an' choice depends on the initial sound: 'a' before consonant sounds, 'an' before vowel sounds.

6. Why do we say 'an hour' but 'a university'?

   Article choice depends on sound, not spelling. 'Hour' begins with a vowel sound (the 'h' is silent), so it takes 'an'. 'University' begins with a consonant 'y' sound (/juː/), so it takes 'a'.

7. What is an adjective, and what are its degrees of comparison?

   An adjective modifies (describes) a noun or pronoun. Its three degrees are positive (tall), comparative (taller), and superlative (tallest), used to compare one, two, or more than two things respectively.

8. How are comparative and superlative forms made for short versus long adjectives?

   Short adjectives add -er/-est (fast, faster, fastest). Longer adjectives (usually two+ syllables) use 'more'/'most' (beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful). Some are irregular (good, better, best).

9. What is a preposition, and what does it show?

   A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relationship to another word, indicating direction, place, time, manner, or agent. Examples: in, on, at, under, between, during.

10. What is the difference between the prepositions 'in', 'on', and 'at' for time?

    'At' is used for precise times (at 5 PM), 'on' for days and dates (on Monday), and 'in' for longer periods such as months, years, and parts of the day (in July, in 2024, in the morning).

11. What is a conjunction, and what are its main types?

    A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses. Types: coordinating (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), subordinating (because, although, while, since), and correlative (either...or, neither...nor, both...and).

12. What is the rule of subject-verb (verb-noun) agreement?

    A verb must agree with its subject in number and person. A singular subject takes a singular verb ('He runs'); a plural subject takes a plural verb ('They run').

13. In subject-verb agreement, what verb form do two subjects joined by 'and' versus 'or' take?

    Subjects joined by 'and' take a plural verb ('Tom and Jerry are here'). With 'or'/'nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject ('Neither the boys nor the girl is here').

14. What is an adverb, and what does it modify?

    An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb, typically expressing how, when, where, or to what degree something happens. Many end in -ly (quickly, softly), but not all (very, often, here).

15. What is the difference between a pronoun and a noun?

    A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea. A pronoun replaces a noun to avoid repetition (he, she, it, they, this, who). The noun a pronoun refers to is called its antecedent.

16. What is an interjection? Give examples.

    An interjection is a word or short phrase expressing sudden emotion or feeling, usually standing apart from the grammar of a sentence and often followed by an exclamation mark. Examples: Wow!, Oh!, Alas!, Ouch!

17. What are the eight traditional parts of speech in English?

    Noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. (Articles are sometimes counted as a ninth, or grouped under determiners/adjectives.)

18. What is the difference between a synonym and an antonym?

    A synonym is a word with the same or similar meaning to another word (happy/joyful). An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning (happy/sad).

19. What is a homophone, and how does it differ from a homograph?

    Homophones sound the same but differ in meaning and often spelling (their/there/they're). Homographs are spelled the same but may differ in meaning and pronunciation (lead the metal vs. lead the way).

20. What is the meaning of the idiom 'a piece of cake'?

    It means something very easy to do. Example: 'The exam was a piece of cake.'

21. What does the idiom 'to bite the bullet' mean?

    To force oneself to endure a painful or unpleasant situation that is unavoidable, accepting it bravely. Example: 'She bit the bullet and finished the difficult project.'

22. What does the idiom 'once in a blue moon' mean?

    It means something that happens very rarely or hardly ever. Example: 'He visits his hometown once in a blue moon.'

See more General Aptitude flashcards →

Planning General Aptitude for GATE CS & IT Engineering

General Aptitude (GATE CS & IT Engineering) FAQ