Explore: All GATE ME topics · GATE ME Fluid and Thermal Sciences PYQs · GATE ME hub · Syllabus & pattern · GATE ME 2026
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Thermodynamics PYQs (previous year questions) for GATE ME: Thermodynamics (Fluid and Thermal Sciences) had 38 questions across the 11 official GATE ME papers we tagged (2016–2026), and appeared in 11 of them. Asked in 11 of 11 years. The concepts asked in the most papers: Entropy, Ideal Gas Properties, Work Transfer.
Year-wise question count
Asked in 11 of 11 years.
| Year | Questions |
|---|---|
| GATE ME 2026 | 4 |
| GATE ME 2025 | 3 |
| GATE ME 2024 | 3 |
| GATE ME 2023 | 4 |
| GATE ME 2022 | 3 |
| GATE ME 2021 | 5 |
| GATE ME 2020 | 3 |
| GATE ME 2019 | 4 |
| GATE ME 2018 | 4 |
| GATE ME 2017 | 2 |
| GATE ME 2016 | 3 |
Most-asked concepts
Sorted by the number of papers a concept appeared in.
| Concept | Questions | Papers | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entropy | 5 | 5 | 2025, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 |
| Ideal Gas Properties | 4 | 4 | 2026, 2021, 2019, 2017 |
| Work Transfer | 4 | 4 | 2024, 2023, 2020, 2016 |
| First Law | 3 | 2 | 2019, 2018 |
| Heat Engines and Heat Pumps | 2 | 2 | 2025, 2024 |
| Phase Equilibrium | 2 | 2 | 2021, 2020 |
| Polytropic Process | 2 | 2 | 2025, 2022 |
| Second Law | 2 | 2 | 2024, 2023 |
| Properties of Steam | 2 | 1 | 2018 |
| Clausius Inequality | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Clausius-Clapeyron | 1 | 1 | 2016 |
| Entropy Generation | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Exergy | 1 | 1 | 2026 |
| First and Second Law | 1 | 1 | 2026 |
| Gas Mixtures | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Heat and Work | 1 | 1 | 2016 |
| Ideal and Real Gases | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Pure Substance Properties | 1 | 1 | 2026 |
| Thermodynamic Cycles | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Thermodynamic Relations | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Unsteady Flow Processes | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
How to practise Thermodynamics PYQs
- Start with the concepts at the top of the table. They have come back the most.
- Solve one year’s Thermodynamics questions from the official PDF against the clock, then check the answer listed below.
- Log every miss as a concept gap, a calculation slip or a misread. Each needs a different fix.
- Once a concept is clean in two papers, move to the next. Then sit a full paper from the year pages.
Questions by year
Each line gives the question number, type, concept, our one-line summary and the official answer, with a link to the official PDF.
GATE ME2026
- Q.23 · MCQ · Ideal Gas Properties: Enthalpy comparison of two states on one isotherm (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.28 · MCQ · First and Second Law: Validity of isothermal expansion with heat equal to work (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.56 · NAT · Exergy: Exergy rate of a hot liquid stream (official answer: 396.00–406.00) PDF
- Q.57 · NAT · Pure Substance Properties: Drop in liquid level of heated wet steam in a rigid tank (official answer: 11.00–11.90) PDF
GATE ME2025
- Q.18 · MCQ · Entropy: Enthalpy and entropy change of stirred air in an insulated tank (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.54 · NAT · Polytropic Process: Heat transfer in a polytropic process of hydrogen (official answer: 99–101) PDF
- Q.55 · NAT · Heat Engines and Heat Pumps: Power for a Carnot heat pump heating an auditorium (official answer: 0.95–1.10) PDF
GATE ME2024
- Q.20 · MCQ · Second Law: Maximum power obtainable from a furnace's heat supply (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.46 · NAT · Work Transfer: Work done when air in a piston-cylinder with stops is cooled (official answer: 58.0–61.0) PDF
- Q.47 · NAT · Heat Engines and Heat Pumps: Heat delivered to a room by an engine-driven heat pump (official answer: 1620) PDF
GATE ME2023
- Q.22 · MCQ · Second Law: Allowed heat and work combination for an engine between two reservoirs (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.41 · MCQ · Ideal and Real Gases: False statement about ideal gas and process relations (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.42 · MCQ · Work Transfer: Work done on atmosphere by a freely expanding piston (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.61 · NAT · Gas Mixtures: Mass of second gas in an ideal gas mixture (official answer: 3.9–4.1) PDF
GATE ME2022
- Q.23 · MCQ · Clausius Inequality: Processes or cycles for which Clausius inequality applies (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.34 · NAT · Polytropic Process: Work done in a polytropic compression (official answer: 404.00–414.00) PDF
- Q.60 · NAT · Entropy Generation: Entropy generation rate in steady conduction through a slab (official answer: 1.12–1.24) PDF
GATE ME2021
- Q.11 · MCQ · Thermodynamic Cycles: Pair of cycles both having an isothermal process (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.12 · MCQ · Ideal Gas Properties: Steam temperature using compressibility factor (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.23 · NAT · Unsteady Flow Processes: Final temperature when filling an evacuated tank (official answer: 555–565) PDF
- Q.29 · MCQ · Thermodynamic Relations: Valid Maxwell-type relation for a rubber band (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.46 · NAT · Phase Equilibrium: Triple point temperature from two phase boundaries (official answer: 195.1–195.3) PDF
GATE ME2020
- Q.16 · MCQ · Phase Equilibrium: Effect of opening a valve on a heated water vessel (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.34 · MCQ · Entropy: Entropy change of air in an irreversible process (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.52 · NAT · Work Transfer: Work done by air in a spring-loaded piston cylinder (official answer: 543–545) PDF
GATE ME2019
- Q.8 · MCQ · First Law: Process for which heat equals work for a perfect gas (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.24 · NAT · Entropy: Entropy change of air in isothermal expansion (official answer: 0.64–0.68) PDF
- Q.33 · MCQ · First Law: Exit temperature of gas heated in a duct with heat loss (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.48 · NAT · Ideal Gas Properties: Pressure change of a gas in a rigid container (official answer: 82.14–84.14) PDF
GATE ME2018
- Q.10 · MCQ · Properties of Steam: Correct statement about superheated vapour (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.23 · NAT · Entropy: Entropy change of an ideal gas between two states (official answer: 0.20–0.22) PDF
- Q.44 · NAT · Properties of Steam: Entropy of a wet steam mixture in a tank (official answer: 2.45–2.55) PDF
- Q.45 · NAT · First Law: Nozzle exit velocity with heat loss (official answer: 445.00–450.00) PDF
GATE ME2017
GATE ME2016
- Q.16 · MCQ · Heat and Work: True statements about heat and work as path functions (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.45 · NAT · Clausius-Clapeyron: Enthalpy of evaporation of water at 25 C (official answer: 2400–2500) PDF
- Q.46 · NAT · Work Transfer: Work in a process with linear pressure-volume variation (official answer: 14.75–15.25) PDF
Thermodynamics in other exams
The same topic in other official papers we tagged: JEE Advanced (36 questions), JEE Main (11 questions), NEET (1 question).
Other Fluid and Thermal Sciences topics
FAQ
How many Thermodynamics questions come in GATE ME?
In the official papers we tagged: 4 in 2026, 3 in 2025, 3 in 2024, 4 in 2023, 3 in 2022, 5 in 2021, 3 in 2020, 4 in 2019, 4 in 2018, 2 in 2017 and 3 in 2016. That is 38 questions in all, about 23% of Fluid and Thermal Sciences.
Which Thermodynamics topics repeat in GATE ME?
Asked in the most papers: Entropy, Ideal Gas Properties, Work Transfer. The concept table lists every one with its count.
Are these official GATE ME questions?
Yes. Every question is from an official GATE ME paper hosted on our year pages. The one-line summaries are ours; open the PDF linked beside each question for the full text.