GPAT Syllabus 2027: Subject-wise Topics and Weightage
The GPAT syllabus covers the full four-year B.Pharm curriculum. The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), which conducts GPAT for the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), states in its information bulletin that the exam is based on the B.Pharm Course Regulations, 2024. It also gives an indicative blueprint showing how many questions come from each subject group.
NBEMS does not publish a topic-wise GPAT syllabus. The topic lists on this page are built from the PCI B.Pharm curriculum and from the areas tested in previous years. Use them as a working checklist, not as an official list, and check the GPAT 2027 bulletin for any change when it is released.
Table of Contents
GPAT Syllabus at a Glance
The table below is the subject-wise distribution from the GPAT 2026 information bulletin. The paper has 125 questions for 500 marks, with 4 marks for a correct answer and 1 mark deducted for a wrong one.
Subject group | Questions | Marks | Share of paper |
|---|---|---|---|
Pharmaceutical Chemistry and allied subjects | 38 | 152 | About 30% |
Pharmaceutics and allied subjects | 38 | 152 | About 30% |
Pharmacology and allied subjects | 28 | 112 | About 22% |
Pharmacognosy and allied subjects | 10 | 40 | 8% |
Other B.Pharm subjects | 11 | 44 | About 9% |
Total | 125 | 500 | 100% |
NBEMS calls this an indicative blueprint, so the actual paper can vary slightly. Section timing and marking are explained on the GPAT exam pattern page.
Key Points to Know About the GPAT Syllabus
The base is the B.Pharm curriculum: The bulletin links the exam to the PCI B.Pharm Course Regulations, 2024. If you studied under the older 2014 regulations, most subjects are the same, but check any newer units in your college syllabus.
"Allied" subjects widen each group: Pharmaceutical Chemistry includes analysis and organic chemistry; Pharmaceutics includes physical pharmacy, biopharmaceutics and industrial pharmacy; Pharmacology includes clinical pharmacy and therapeutics.
The two biggest groups carry 76 questions: Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmaceutics together make up about 61 percent of the paper.
Small subjects still matter: The 11 "other" questions are worth 44 marks, which can be the gap between qualifying and missing the cut-off.
No separate Hindi paper: The 2026 exam was in English only, so learn drug names and technical terms in English.
Some older pages still describe a GPAT pattern or subject list from the NTA years. Follow the current NBEMS bulletin.
Pharmaceutical Chemistry Syllabus
This group has the highest weight along with Pharmaceutics. Questions test structures, synthesis, structure-activity relationships (SAR), reactions and analytical methods.
Area | Topics to cover | Start with |
|---|---|---|
Medicinal Chemistry | Drug classes acting on ANS and CNS, cardiovascular drugs, diuretics, antihistamines, NSAIDs, antibiotics, antivirals, anticancer drugs, antimalarials, hormones; SAR, mechanism and synthesis of key drugs; drug metabolism; prodrugs | SAR and synthesis of commonly asked drugs |
Organic Chemistry | Reaction mechanisms, named reactions, stereochemistry, aromaticity, heterocyclic compounds, carbonyl chemistry, rearrangements | Named reactions and stereochemistry |
Pharmaceutical Analysis | Titrations (acid-base, redox, complexometric, non-aqueous), errors, limit tests, gravimetry, electrochemical methods | Titration types and indicators |
Instrumental Methods | UV-visible, IR, NMR and mass spectroscopy, fluorimetry, flame photometry, chromatography (TLC, HPLC, GC), X-ray methods | Principles and applications of each instrument |
Inorganic and Physical Chemistry | Impurities, inorganic pharmaceuticals, radiopharmaceuticals, chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, solutions and colligative properties | Impurity sources and limit tests |
Where Marks Usually Come From
Medicinal chemistry is the heaviest part of this group. Make a single table per drug class with structure, mechanism, key SAR points and side effects. Spectroscopy and chromatography questions are mostly concept-based, so focus on principles rather than long derivations.
Pharmaceutics Syllabus
Pharmaceutics questions mix concepts with calculations, such as rate constants, half-life, dose and bioavailability. This group carries the same weight as Pharmaceutical Chemistry.
Area | Topics to cover | Start with |
|---|---|---|
Physical Pharmaceutics | Solubility, dissolution, micromeritics, surface and interfacial phenomena, rheology, complexation, buffers, colloids, kinetics and drug stability | Kinetics, order of reaction and stability |
Dosage Forms | Tablets, capsules, liquids, suspensions, emulsions, semisolids, suppositories, parenterals, ophthalmic products, aerosols; excipients and evaluation tests | Tablet manufacture, defects and evaluation |
Industrial Pharmacy | Pre-formulation, scale-up, GMP, validation, quality assurance, packaging materials, pilot plant | Pre-formulation parameters |
Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics | Absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion; compartment models; bioavailability and bioequivalence; clearance, volume of distribution and half-life | One-compartment model and basic PK parameters |
Novel Drug Delivery | Controlled release systems, transdermal systems, microspheres, liposomes, nanoparticles, targeted delivery | Types of controlled release and their mechanisms |
Pharmaceutical Engineering | Size reduction, size separation, mixing, filtration, drying, evaporation, distillation, heat transfer, crystallisation | Equipment and their working principles |
Dispensing and Cosmetic Science | Prescription handling, incompatibilities, pharmaceutical calculations, cosmetics basics | Pharmaceutical calculations |
Calculation Practice
Pharmacokinetics and physical pharmacy produce most numerical questions. Keep a one-page formula sheet for half-life, elimination rate constant, clearance, loading dose and shelf life, and practise a few problems each week so the steps become quick.
Pharmacology Syllabus
Pharmacology carries 28 questions. Questions usually ask about mechanism of action, drug of choice, adverse effects, interactions and therapeutic use.
Area | Topics to cover | Start with |
|---|---|---|
General Pharmacology | Pharmacodynamics, receptors, dose-response, drug interactions, adverse drug reactions, routes of administration | Receptor types and signalling |
Systemic Pharmacology | Drugs acting on ANS, CNS, cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, gastrointestinal and endocrine systems; autacoids | ANS and CNS drugs |
Chemotherapy | Antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antitubercular, antimalarial and anticancer drugs; drug resistance | Antibiotic classes and mechanisms |
Toxicology and Bioassay | Poisoning and antidotes, principles of bioassay, preclinical screening methods | Common antidotes |
Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics | Pharmacovigilance, drug use in special populations, therapeutic drug monitoring, clinical trials | Phases of clinical trials |
Pathophysiology | Cell injury, inflammation, and the basic disease processes behind common disorders | Inflammation and its mediators |
Linking Pharmacology with Medicinal Chemistry
Study a drug class in Pharmacology and the same class in Medicinal Chemistry in the same week. You learn the mechanism and the structure together, and you revise one topic for two subject groups.
Pharmacognosy Syllabus
Pharmacognosy has 10 questions. Most are direct recall of sources, chemical constituents, uses and tests.
Area | Topics to cover | Start with |
|---|---|---|
Crude Drugs | Biological source, family, chemical constituents and uses of important drugs; classification of crude drugs | Drugs containing alkaloids and glycosides |
Phytochemistry | Alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, volatile oils, resins, carbohydrates, lipids; extraction and isolation methods | Chemical tests for each class |
Quality Control of Herbal Drugs | Adulteration, evaluation methods, standardisation, WHO guidelines | Methods of evaluation |
Herbal Drug Technology | Herbal formulations, nutraceuticals, traditional systems of medicine, plant tissue culture | Herbal formulation basics |
Revising Pharmacognosy Quickly
Make one table with columns for drug, biological source, family, main constituent and use. Group drugs by constituent class, such as alkaloid or glycoside drugs, and revise the table every week. Chemical identification tests are easy marks once memorised.
Other B.Pharm Subjects in GPAT
These subjects share 11 questions. Cover them with short notes rather than full textbooks.
Subject | Topics to cover |
|---|---|
Human Anatomy and Physiology | Cell, tissues, blood, cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, digestive, renal, endocrine and reproductive systems |
Biochemistry | Enzymes, metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids, vitamins, biological oxidation |
Pharmaceutical Microbiology | Microbial classification, staining, sterilisation methods, disinfectants, microbial assays, aseptic techniques |
Pharmaceutical Biotechnology | Fermentation, recombinant DNA technology, enzymes, monoclonal antibodies, vaccines and immunology basics |
Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence | Pharmacy Act, Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules, NDPS Act, Drugs and Magic Remedies Act, schedules and regulatory bodies |
Social and Community Pharmacy | Public health, community pharmacy practice, hospital pharmacy, drug store management |
Biostatistics and Research Methodology | Measures of central tendency, tests of significance, study designs |
The Drugs and Cosmetics Act schedules and the Pharmacy Act sections are frequently asked and easy to memorise, so give jurisprudence a couple of focused revision sessions.
Where Subjects Overlap
Several GPAT topics sit across two subject groups. Plan them once and revise them together.
Area | Subject group 1 | Subject group 2 | How to plan |
|---|---|---|---|
Drug classes | Medicinal Chemistry (structure, SAR) | Pharmacology (mechanism, use) | Study each class once with both angles in one table |
Drug metabolism | Medicinal Chemistry | Biopharmaceutics | Link metabolic pathways with clearance and half-life |
Natural products | Pharmacognosy | Pharmacology | Note the active constituent and its action together |
Sterilisation | Microbiology | Pharmaceutics (parenterals) | Cover methods and their use in sterile products together |
How to Prioritise GPAT Topics
With the whole B.Pharm curriculum in scope, you cannot give every topic equal time. Use the blueprint and the type of question each area produces to set your order.
Priority | Areas | Why |
|---|---|---|
First | Medicinal chemistry, physical pharmaceutics, dosage forms, systemic pharmacology | They sit inside the three largest subject groups and appear across many questions |
Second | Biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics, pharmaceutical analysis, instrumental methods, chemotherapy | Steady weight, and calculation or concept questions reward practice |
Third | Pharmacognosy, industrial pharmacy, novel drug delivery, clinical pharmacy | Mostly recall-based, so short notes and repeated revision work well |
Quick wins | Jurisprudence, microbiology, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology | Fewer questions, but short and factual, so a few focused sessions can secure them |
This order is a study suggestion based on the official blueprint, not an official weightage of individual topics. Adjust it to your own strengths: if you are already strong in Pharmacology, move it later and spend that time on your weakest heavy subject.
Common Mistakes While Covering the Syllabus
Reading textbooks cover to cover: GPAT tests recall and application across many subjects. Short notes and repeated revision cover more ground than one slow reading.
Ignoring the small subjects: Jurisprudence and microbiology are often left for the last week. Their questions are among the quickest to answer, so do not give them away.
Skipping calculations: Pharmacokinetics and stability questions need practice, not just reading. A formula you understand but have not practised is slow under a section timer.
Studying chemistry and pharmacology separately: The same drug classes appear in both. Studying them apart doubles the work and weakens recall.
Starting mock tests too late: Topic tests should start within the first month so that weak areas show up early, while there is still time to fix them.
Not revising the error log: Most marks in the final weeks come from fixing repeated mistakes. Read your error log at least once a week.
How to Cover the GPAT Syllabus
A blueprint-led plan works better than revising subjects in semester order. Here is a five-month outline you can stretch or compress.
Weeks 1 to 6, the two heavy groups: Medicinal chemistry with organic chemistry, and physical pharmaceutics with dosage forms. Build short notes and a formula sheet as you go.
Weeks 7 to 10, Pharmacology: Go system by system and pair each class with its medicinal chemistry notes.
Weeks 11 to 13, the rest: Biopharmaceutics, analysis and instrumentation, pharmacognosy, and the smaller subjects such as jurisprudence and microbiology.
From week 4 onwards, topic tests: After each unit, take a short subject-wise test and add every wrong or slow question to an error log.
Weeks 14 to 20, full-length practice: Take timed 125-question mocks, analyse them the same day and revise weak topics from your notes and error log.
For subject-wise and full-length practice in the current pattern, you can attempt GPAT online tests on Testkart and use the topic-level analysis to find weak units. Testkart also offers GPAT study notes that you can use for quick revision alongside previous year questions.
Before the exam, also try the free demo test that NBEMS provides on its website so the interface feels familiar. Check the official GPAT page on natboard.edu.in for the latest bulletin, and read the GPAT exam overview for dates, eligibility and cut-offs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to practice? Explore GPAT mock tests from top educators.
Browse GPAT Mock Tests