Last updated: October 2026
This guide lists the standard books for Electronics and Communication Engineering for the ISRO Scientist/Engineer exam and GATE ECE, subject by subject. It also shows which subjects the ISRO ECE paper has asked from in recent years, including satellite communication and microwave topics that are special to ISRO.
Please note: These are suggestions based on widely used standard texts. Syllabus and editions change, so confirm the syllabus in the current notification on isro.gov.in and use the latest edition where one exists.
In this guide
1. How to use a standard book
- Treat reference books like dictionaries. Do not read them cover to cover. Use them for the topics your lectures left unclear and for the unsolved problems at the end of each chapter.
- Prefer workbooks and previous year questions to long textbook reading. For EE and ECE, time spent solving problems pays more than time spent reading theory.
- One main book per subject. Do not buy three books for the same subject.
- Finish every chapter by solving its ISRO questions on the ISRO ECE PYQ page.
2. What the ISRO ECE paper asks
In the 2023 and 2025 papers together, the 160 technical questions were spread over many subjects (counted from the subject tags on CMB Space; related tags are combined, so treat the numbers as approximate).
| Subject | Approximate questions (2023 + 2025) |
|---|---|
| Analog Circuits and Electronic Devices | about 33 |
| Control Systems | about 17 |
| Digital Circuits | about 16 |
| Signals and Systems, Networks | about 28 |
| Electromagnetics and Antennas | about 15 |
| Communications (analog and digital) | about 15 |
| Network Theory and Circuit Analysis | about 10 |
| Power Electronics, Machines, Measurements, Microprocessors, Mathematics and others | about 26 |
The 2025 paper also had 15 aptitude questions. Across all years on CMB Space, ISRO ECE papers also include questions on satellite communication, microwave engineering and antennas, which general GATE preparation covers only partly. See the full papers on the ISRO ECE PYQ page.
3. Subject-wise standard books
| Subject | Main books | Also useful |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Mathematics and Aptitude | No textbook; solve all-branch PYQs | B.S. Grewal for gaps |
| Network Theory | Sadiku (500+ unsolved numericals); D. Roy Choudhury; Kanodia workbooks | Van Valkenburg, Network Analysis; Hayt and Kemmerly |
| Electronic Devices and Circuits | Donald A. Neamen (theory); Kanodia or PYQs for practice | Millman and Halkias; Streetman and Banerjee |
| Analog Electronics | Millman and Halkias (numericals); Sedra and Smith (theory) | Razavi, Fundamentals of Microelectronics |
| Digital Circuits | M. Morris Mano; coaching or Kanodia workbooks for practice | R.P. Jain; for HDL such as VHDL, your lecture notes |
| Signals and Systems | Oppenheim, Willsky and Nawab; or A. Anand Kumar (very readable) | Lathi, Linear Systems and Signals |
| Control Systems | Nagrath and Gopal (best for beginners); Norman S. Nise | Ogata, Modern Control Engineering; Kuo |
| Communications | Coaching workbooks or Kanodia; Simon Haykin | Lathi and Ding; Proakis and Salehi for digital communication |
| Electromagnetics | Matthew N.O. Sadiku; practise from Kanodia | Hayt, Engineering Electromagnetics; Pozar (microwaves); Balanis (antennas) |
| Satellite communication (ISRO) | Pratt and Bostian, Satellite Communications | Link budget and path loss chapters of your communications text |
| Microprocessors | Ramesh Gaonkar, 8085 microprocessor text | Your lecture notes and PYQs |
| Digital Signal Processing | Proakis and Manolakis | Oppenheim and Schafer |
For EE and ECE, the original recommendation is to rely heavily on workbooks and previous year questions rather than to read complete textbooks, so that you have more time for practice.
4. Estimated time per subject
As a planning aid, these are approximate study times that candidates commonly allow for the first reading of each subject. They vary with your background.
| Subject | Approximate time |
|---|---|
| Network Theory | about 40 hours |
| Electrical Machines (EE) | about 120 hours |
| Power Systems (EE) | about 100 hours |
| Measurements | about 40 hours (EE), about 60 hours (ECE) |
| Digital Electronics | 25 to 30 hours |
| Signals and Systems | about 30 hours (EE); longer for ECE |
5. Real ISRO questions and the chapter to read
| Question (open it on CMB Space) | Subject | Where to read |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 Q9: free space path loss at 6 GHz over 40000 km | Satellite Communication | Pratt and Bostian, link budget; free space loss formula |
| 2023 Q28: which statement is not true in VHDL | Digital Circuits | Digital design text with VHDL, signal versus variable |
| 2023 Q40: cut-off frequency of a TEM wave | Electromagnetics | Sadiku or Hayt, transmission lines and waveguides |
| 2023 Q51: average probability of error for unequal source probabilities | Communications | Haykin or Proakis, binary channels |
| 2025 Q40: Mealy machine output on consecutive inputs | Digital Circuits | Morris Mano, sequential circuits |
| 2025 Q44: gain and phase table of a system | Control Systems | Nise or Nagrath and Gopal, frequency response |
6. Free resources
- NPTEL (nptel.ac.in) has full IIT lecture courses on almost every subject in the table.
- Previous year questions: ISRO ECE papers, free, with a timed test mode.
- Related guides: Standard Books for ISRO and GATE (all branches), How to Prepare for ISRO ICRB 2026 and How to Make GATE Short Notes.
- Discussion and doubts: the Electronics and Electrical community channel.
Frequently asked questions
Which books are enough for ISRO ECE?
One main book per subject from the table, together with workbooks and the previous year questions. Add a satellite communication text if you have time, because ISRO asks about it.
Is Sadiku or Roy Choudhury better for Network Theory?
Sadiku has a large number of unsolved numericals, which helps practice. Roy Choudhury is compact. Choose one and add a workbook for practice.
Should I solve EE questions for ECE?
Yes. The inter-branch PYQs for related branches, such as Electrical and Electronics, are useful because the circuits, control and machines topics overlap. See the ISRO Electrical papers.