GATE Sociology Exam 2026 Exam Pattern, Latest Syllabus, Books, Cut-off, Score,Seats in IIT’s, PSU Jobs,Question Paper,Eligibility criteria & More

The GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering), originally known for engineering disciplines, now opens the door for Sociology graduates as well through the GATE XH (Humanities and Social Sciences) paper. With GATE Sociology gaining traction for postgraduate admissions, fellowships, and even PSU recruitments, it is essential for aspirants to understand all aspects of the exam. Here’s your ultimate guide for GATE Sociology 2026.

📊 GATE Sociology 2026 Paper Highlights

GATE Reasoning and Comprehension Syllabus

(Compulsory for all XH Candidates)

This part is to test the candidate’s ability to comprehend and interpret written information – skills that are critical to research in the Humanities and Social Sciences. The section will not directly test language competence in terms of grammar, vocabulary etc. The focus is instead on critical reasoning (similar to what is often found in exams like LSAT, GRE, GMAT etc.) and analysis of the text and its stylistic and rhetorical structure.
Questions of this section XH-B1 will test the following skills:
• Reading Comprehension – ability to understand complex language material in short paragraphs and answer questions regarding them.
• Expression – questions on stylistic and rhetorical aspects of a short passage including corrections or modifications of particular sentences.
• Analytical reasoning – ability to understand relationships in statements or short passages and beingable to draw reasonable conclusions/inferences from them.
• Logical reasoning – Thinking critically to evaluate or to predict an argument, identify the main and supporting arguments, predict outcomes etc.

📊 GATE Sociology (XH–C6) Paper Analysis (2021–2025) – Chapter-wise Distribution

GATE XH‑C6 Qualifying Cut-offs (Minimum Marks to qualify)

ALL INDIA RANK – 1 CANDIDATE [2025]

Seats Available [Tentatively]

Books for GATE Sociology Chapter Wise

Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) currently short-lists or recruits on the basis of the GATE Humanities & Social Sciences paper XH-C6 (Sociology):

• As per the official GATE brochure, PSUs that recruit via GATE use only the engineering and technical papers; there is no provision for Humanities & Social Sciences (including XH-C6 Sociology)

Eligibility Criteria for GATE English XH-C2 :

Educational Qualification

A candidate who is currently studying in the 3rd or higher years of any undergraduate degree program, OR has already completed any government-approved degree program in the English Subject to appear in the GATE 2026 exam.

GATE Exam Mimnimum / Maximum Age Limit Criteria 2026

Candidates have to meet the GATE eligibility 2026 in order to appear for the GATE exam. There is No Age Limit to apply for GATE exam 2026.

GATE Exam Attempts Limit Criteria 2026

There is No Restriction on the number of GATE attempts. One can enroll and appear for the exam as many times as they want.

GATE Sociology (Code -XH-C6) Exam Pattern-

Total Number of Questions in GATE 2026

• GATE 2026 will have a total of 55 + 10 (General Aptitude) questions.
• General Aptitude will have 10 questions + Reading Comprehension 15 Questions, and English Literature will have 40 questions.
• There is No Restriction to move to and from among the Papers.
• All the questions are compulsory to attempt.

The table below shows the exam pattern of GATE General Aptitude and the GATE Sociology:

GATE Sociology[XH-C6] Previous year Question Paper

Here is a table of the GATE Sociology (XH-C6) previous year question papers with links:

GATE Sociology[XH-C6] [Humanities & Social Science] Study Tips: How to Crack in First Attempt –

You Just Have to Fellow These Simple Steps to Crack GATE English [C2] Exam –

• Allot 120 day for preparation of GATE English Subjects.
• According to this timetable, divide each topic week wise.
• Look at the syllabus for English – GATE
• Check out the Best Study Notes available at Diwakar Education Hub
• During preparation time, make summary notes for each and every topic
• don՚t waste time to deciding which topic is most important and which is not, give equal attention to each topic
• If possible Make List of week with topic you allotted and one extra column which is about you successfully completed this topic or not, Because it will helps you later when you revise syllabus (it՚s silly but try it)
• Do not depends on just one material try to get more and more information from different books, Wikipedia, various blogs and websites and video tutorials.

Step 2: Solve Previous Year Paper

• After the completion of preparation it՚s not over here, it՚s is just first step. Next step is evaluation of your preparation which is done by solving previous year papers.
• Spend at list one week time for this paper-solving section, because you will get better idea about your preparation week area and paper pattern.

Step 3: Revision

• After gathering your weakness next step is revision.
• Same as above allot at list 1 to 2 weeks for revision and in this days go through all the notes which you prepare and week topics gathered in paper solving.
• Also check reviews for each topic you have made and study according to that.

GATE Sociology[XH-C6] Four-Month Preparation Plan 2025

GATE 2025 will be conducted in February. This gives you 4 months to prepare for the examination. Now we are fully aware of the fact that a single time-table cannot suit everyone’s preference. So, being mindful of that, we have prepared you a standard plan which you can modify as per your Schedule and daily schedule. 

Career Scope After Qualified [Passed] GATE Sociology[XH-C6] Exam-

1.   Postgraduate (MA) Entrance

The GATE score is considered a mandatory requirement for admission to post-graduate programmes in different IITs Like IIT Madras Offered MA in English under the The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. The process for recruitment for MA programs involves qualifying for the GATE exam and clearing the cut-off for the respective college and then interview stage for final admission.

Different benefits of the MA program are:

• Better job opportunities
• Higher pay packages
• Subject specialisation
• Handsome stipend

GATE scorecard is valid for MA admission for three years.

2. Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) Entrance

GATE exam gained much popularity after various public-sector units (PSUs) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with IITs for recruitment through GATE. So, clearing GATE can also help you get direct government sector jobs. The most lucrative aspects of PSU jobs are:

• High pay packages (above Rs 50,000 per month)
• Work-life balance
• Extra benefits such as oil or electricity at a subsidised rate
• Support for higher education such as MBA

The recruitment procedure for PSU is a valid GATE score of the current year and then a round of Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). The weightage given to GATE score is between 75 per cent to 85 per cent. Different PSUs that recruit through GATE include PGCIL, NTPC, NHPC, IOCL, BHEL, etc.found that PSU recruitment is one of the most important reasons why students appear in GATE. As stated by the students, the majority of the students aim to get shortlisted for the recruitment done by different PSU

Why there is so much stress on getting selected for the PSUs? The major reasons behind doing a job in PSU contain a very good salary, job stability, benefits other than salary, and good social stature. In addition to that, candidates also focus on various exams conducted by different PSUs other than GATE. These exam includes the other PSU recruitment exams also like ISRO, DRDO, BARC, etc.

3. PhD Entrance

After Qualified GATE You Do Not need to Appeared in Any University P.hd Entrance Exam {Written Test} Almost in All Central ,State Universities Exempted for Written Exam. Even give you Huge weightage to been selected.

• Research opportunities abroad
• Stipend during the course
• Eligibility requirement for Assistant professor job at IITs and IIITs.

The recruitment process for the PhD programme involves a valid GATE score and then facing an interview panel based on the respective interest area.

4. Fellowship Program in Management (FPM)

It is a five-year program run at IIMs. This program has the following features:

• A monthly stipend of Rs 29,000-30,000 is offered
• No tuition fees for four years and nine months
• For students who live off-campus will get a house-rent allowance (HRA) of Rs 8,000 for a single student and Rs 13,000 for married students

For more details, you can visit different IIMs website.

5. Post Graduate Diploma in Management

National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) offers various courses in PGDM such as:

• Post Graduate Diploma in Industrial Engineering (PGDIE)
• Post Graduate Diploma in Manufacturing Management (PGDMM)
• Post Graduate Diploma in Project Management (PGDPM)

For all the above Programs, the applicant should have valid GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) score as on June 15, with 60 percent aggregate marks (relaxable by five per cent in case of SC/ST/PwD (Physically Disabled) candidates) .

6. MS Program

If you wish to go for higher studies abroad then you need not worry about exams such as GRE and TOEFL. There are some universities which consider GATE score for admission of Indian Students such as National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

GATE score must be within three years or less from the date of application and the GATE percentile must be above 90.

7. State Electricity Boards

Earlier different state electricity boards used to conduct independent exams but nowadays many of them are collaborating with IITs to recruit through GATE. Some of the state boards that recruit through GATE are West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDC), Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and Odisha Power Generation Corporation Limited (OPGEN).

For recruitment, you have to apply with your GATE registration number on their respective websites.

8. Research Opportunities

There are certain research positions available through GATE in Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC). However, BARC conducts its examination for recruitment. Also, industries like ISRO conduct their exams on a similar pattern as GATE.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for the GATE Sociology (XH–C6) paper:

1. What is GATE Sociology (XH–C6)?
   GATE Sociology is the Section C6 of the Humanities & Social Sciences (XH) paper. Candidates opting for Sociology answer Section C6 questions alongside general aptitude (Sections A and B).
2. Who is eligible to appear?
   Anyone meeting the general GATE eligibility—e.g., in the 3rd year or higher of a Bachelor’s degree (B.A./B.Sc./Engineering/etc.) or having completed a Master’s—can register for XH–C6. There is no age limit or percentage requirement.
3. What is the exam pattern?
   • Total duration: 3 hours
   • Total marks: 100
   • Sections:
     • A: General Aptitude (15 marks)
     • B: Humanities & Social Sciences—common to all XH papers (25 marks)
     • C6: Sociology-specific questions (60 marks)
4. What types of questions are asked?
   • Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with four options
   • Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions, where you enter a numeric value
5. How is the marking scheme?
   • MCQs: +1 or +2 marks for correct answers; –1/3 or –2/3 marks for incorrect answers (depending on question weight)
   • NAT: +1 or +2 marks for correct; no negative marking
6. What is the syllabus coverage?
   • Classical & Modern Sociological Theory
   • Research Methods & Statistics
   • Social Stratification & Change
   • Indian Society & its Institutions
   • Family, Kinship, Religion, Economy, and Polity
   • Rural, Urban, Industrial Sociology
   • Population Studies, Social Movements, Development
7. How do I apply?
   • Register and fill the application on the GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS)
   • Upload required documents, choose XH paper, pay fee, and select exam city
8. What is the use of the GATE Sociology score?
   • Entry to M.A. / M.A. by Research programmes in IITs and IISc
   • Shortlisting for Ph.D. in Social Sciences at various institutes
   • Scholarship/stipend eligibility for postgraduate studies
9. How long is the score valid?
   The GATE score is valid for three years from the date of announcement of results.
10. What cut-off marks can I expect?
    Cut-offs vary institute to institute; for IIT M.A. programmes in Sociology, you typically need a normalized score above 45–50 out of 100.
11. Which books should I refer to?
    • Sociology: Themes and Perspectives — Harlambos & Holborn
    • Classical Sociological Theory — Ritzer
    • Research Methodology — Ranjit Kumar
    • Indian Society — Jayaram
    • Social Stratification — Grusky
12. Any preparation tips?
    • Build strong conceptual clarity in theory and methods.
    • Practice previous years’ XH–C6 papers to understand question style.
    • Time yourself in mock tests, especially switching between MCQs and NAT.
    • Revise key thinkers, concepts, and sociological statistics formulas regularly.