XL Life Science

Section 1: Historical Perspective

Discovery of microbial world; Landmark discoveries relevant to the field of microbiology; Controversy over spontaneous generation; Role of microorganisms in transformation of organic matter and in the causation of diseases.

Section 2: Methods in Microbiology

Pure culture techniques; Principles of microbial nutrition; Enrichment culture techniques for isolation of microorganisms; antigen and antibody detection methods for microbial diagnosis; Light-, phase contrast-, fluorescence- and electron-microscopy; PCR, real-time PCR for quantitation of microbes; Next generation sequencing technologies in microbiology.

Section 3: Microbial Taxonomy and Diversity

Bacteria, Archea and their broad classification; Eukaryotic microbes: Yeasts, molds and protozoa; Viruses and their classification; Molecular approaches to microbial taxonomy and phylogeny.

Section 4: Prokaryotic Cells: Structure and Function

Prokaryotic Cells: Cell walls, cell membranes and their biosynthesis, mechanisms of solute transport across membranes, Flagella and Pili, Capsules, Cell inclusions like endospores and gas vesicles; Bacterial locomotion, including positive and negative chemotaxis.

Section 5: Microbial Growth

Definition of growth; Growth curve; Mathematical expression of exponential growth phase; Measurement of growth and growth yields; Synchronous growth; Continuous culture; Effect of environmental factors on growth; Bacterial biofilm and biofouling.

Section 6: Control of Micro-organisms

Disinfection and Sterilization: Principles, methods and assessment of efficacy.

Section 7: Microbial Metabolism

Energetics: redox reactions and electron carriers; Electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation; An overview of metabolism; Glycolysis; Pentose-phosphate pathway; Entner-Doudoroff pathway; Glyoxalate pathway; The citric acid cycle; Fermentation; Aerobic and anaerobic respiration; Chemolithotrophy; Photosynthesis; Calvin cycle; Biosynthetic pathway for fatty acids synthesis; Common regulatory mechanisms in synthesis of amino acids; Regulation of major metabolic pathways.

Section 8: Microbial Diseases and Host Pathogen Interaction

Normal microbiota; Classification of infectious diseases; Reservoirs of infection; Nosocomial infection; Opportunistic infections; Emerging infectious diseases; Mechanism of microbial pathogenicity; Nonspecific defense of host; Antigens and antibodies; Humoral and cell mediated immunity; Vaccines; passive immunization; Immune deficiency; Human diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, and pathogenic fungi.

Section 9: Chemotherapy/Antibiotics

General characteristics of antimicrobial drugs; Antibiotics: Classification molecular mechanism of mode of action and resistance; Antifungal and antiviral drugs.

Section 10: Microbial Genetics

Types of mutation; UV and chemical mutagens; Selection of mutants; Ames test for mutagenesis; Bacterial genetic system: transformation, conjugation, transduction, recombination, plasmids, transposons; DNA repair; Regulation of gene expression: repression and induction; Operon model; Bacterial genome with special reference to E.coli; Phage λ and its life cycle; RNA ; mutation in virus genomes, virus recombination and reassortment; Basic concept of microbial genomics.

Section 11: Microbial Ecology

Microbial interactions; Carbon, sulphur and nitrogen cycles; Soil microorganisms associated with vascular plants; Bioremediation; Uncultivable microorganisms; basic concept of metagenomics and metatranscriptomics.

The previous year questions with their solutions are a part of our course material. So when you subscribe for the course material, you will get solutions for GATE XL Microbiology questions from GATE 2011 onwards.

Preparation for GATE XL Microbiology is a 5-step process.

1. Understand the GATE XL Microbiology syllabus and make a study plan based on time left for exam. Plan in a way that gives you atleast 2 months just to answer tests and Mocks.
2. GATE requires you to have strong concepts. So get the best books for each subject along with GATE specific study material from Career Avenues.
3. For better clarity, you can also refer to Career Avenues videos for GATE XL Microbiology, which have been made by one of the best GATE XL Microbiology faculty.
4. As you study, keep making notes. Also solve previous year questions and master the concepts behind each of the question.
5. Answer a lot of GATE XL Microbiology Mocks and Section tests. Career Avenues provides a complete series, which includes Chemistry and Aptitude.

Career Avenues can help you in 3 ways.

1. Best study material for GATE XL Microbiology made specifically for the GATE XL Microbiology syllabus. The study material can be purchased both in online (read access) or offline (printed) mode)
2. Excellent video lectures for GATE XL Microbiology that helps in understanding the concepts better and faster.
3. Exhaustive test series with a combination of easy, moderate and difficult questions.

Yes, you can. A trial course is available for Rs. 100 for each of the three courses (study material, video lectures and test series). The trial course will unlock all features and content of the course for a period of 2 days.

Once you are satisfied with the quality of the course, you can then purchase for a duration appropriate to your GATE preparation.

For someone who is serious about his or her GATE preparation, the course is good and sufficient. Since 2011, when we started GATE XL Microbiology courses, hundreds of our students have made it into top colleges like IISc, IITs and NITs.