Can You Take IITM BS Exams From Home? Proctoring Rules

No, not if you are in India. IITM BS quizzes and end term exams are in-person, invigilated exams at exam centres. The Data Science and Electronic Systems FAQ pages both answer "Can I take my exams from home?" with a plain no. Remote proctoring is only for learners based outside India, in countries without an IITM exam centre, and they must declare their location honestly.

What is online and what is in person

Some courses also have programming exams (OPPE). The DS handbook lists what you need for online proctored exams, such as Chrome, a phone with a front camera, a mic and speaker, and it makes a system compatibility test compulsory. But the exam sections of the handbook do not say where OPPEs are held. Follow the OPPE instructions for your course. See what OPPE is.

If you live in India

The DS academics page says that anyone living in India, or physically present in India on the day of an in-centre exam, must write at an exam centre in India.

• At course registration you pick 2 exam cities. You can pick different cities for each quiz and for the end term.
• You must report only to the centre printed on your hall ticket. Any other centre will turn you away (policy updated 15 July 2025).
• To change your exam city within India, the DS FAQ says each exam has its own deadline. Until then, you can change it in the "Exam Cities and Hall Tickets" page of your dashboard.

More on centres in the IITM BS exam centre policy.

If you live outside India

• Countries with centres. The DS admissions page lists centres in the UAE (Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi), Sri Lanka (Colombo, Jaffna), Bahrain (Manama), Kuwait (Salmiya) and Oman (Muscat). If you live in one of these countries, you must write at those centres.
• Other countries. You take remote proctored exams. On exam day you are asked to pin the location you are writing from.
• Extra fee. The DS handbook lists a facilitation fee for exams outside India: Rs 2,000 for Quiz 1, Rs 2,000 for Quiz 2, and Rs 2,000 for the end term with one course or Rs 4,000 with more than one. So 4 courses cost Rs 8,000 a term in facilitation fees. The fee can vary by country, and the handbook gives Rs 3,000 for Kuwait and Bahrain. More in applying from outside India.

Travelling to India during exams

The DS academics page says an overseas student who will be in India on exam day must tell the programme team in advance, so they can be placed at a centre in India with a new hall ticket. If these norms are broken, it counts as malpractice, and results may be withheld while the exam committee investigates.

The handbook adds that in remote proctoring you must verify your location. If you fail to declare that you are in India, or misstate where you are, you cannot take the exam and it is treated as malpractice.

A simple example: you live in Singapore, where there is no centre, so you normally write remotely. You fly home to Pune in the week of the end term. You must tell the team ahead of time and write at a centre in India. Writing remotely from Pune would break the rules. Read IITM BS malpractice rules.

Common questions

Is the qualifier exam online?

No. The qualifier exam is written in person at an exam centre, just like the quizzes and end term exams.

My city has no exam centre. What can I do?

Pick the nearest cities from the list at registration. The DS FAQ says you can e-mail support to request a new city, but it does not promise to add it.

Can I write from home if I am unwell on exam day?

The rules give no home option for learners in India. A missed quiz counts as 0. If you were eligible and miss the end term, you get an I grade and can take a make-up next term. See missed an end term exam.