IITM BS Pass Criteria: Minimum Marks to Pass a Course

You pass an IITM BS course when your Total Course Score (T) is 40 or more out of 100. But first you must be allowed to write the end term. For that, your weekly assignment average must be at least 40, and you must attend at least one of the two quizzes. The same rules apply in Data Science (DS) and Electronic Systems (ES).

The pass mark for every course

T is the sum of all the assessment parts in a course. The weights of those parts are set in the grading document for each term. Whatever the weights, the pass line is the same: T of 40 or more.

The handbook says this rule is the same for all learners in a course. The lowest passing grade is E, which covers a T from 40 up to just below 50 and gives 4 grade points. For the full grade table, see how the IITM BS grading system works.

Two conditions before you can write the end term

The end term is worth 50% of T, and missing it leaves the course incomplete. To get a hall ticket for it, you need both of these:

A skipped assignment or quiz counts as 0. There is no make-up quiz.

The handbook adds that these conditions may change for a course. It asks you to check the grading document for the exact end term eligibility rules. So read that document for every course at the start of the term.

Is there a minimum score in the end term itself?

The grading sections of the handbook do not set a separate minimum mark for the end term. The rule they give is about the total: T must reach 40. Any extra condition for a course would be in that term's grading document.

Courses with a programming exam (OPPE) do have one more condition. Your OPPE score has to be above a cut-off that the handbook writes as x out of 100. The value of x is set per course. Our OPPE guide covers this in detail.

Examples: pass or fail?

These examples use the rules above. They are not official cases, just the rules applied to common situations.

The last row is a special case. When you miss the OPPE but write the end term, the handbook's OPPE table uses 35, not 40, as the line between an I grade and a U grade.

What happens if you do not pass

What you do next depends on your grade.

• WA, WQ or U: you repeat the whole course. That means all assignments, both quizzes and the end term again. The fee is the same as the normal course fee.
• I (missed the end term only): you can take a make-up end term in the next term. It costs Rs 1,000 per foundation course and Rs 2,000 per diploma or degree course. Or you can repeat the full course.
• I_OP or I_BOTH: you complete the missing OPPE (and the end term, for I_BOTH) in the next term, or repeat the course.

Full details are in our posts on repeating a course and make-up exams. Fees are a little different for courses with OPPE, and the ES handbook has one conflicting fee, which the make-up post explains.

Common questions

Can I pass if I skipped both quizzes?

No. Attending at least one quiz is a condition for the end term. If you attend neither, you get WQ and fail the course, even if your assignments were perfect.

If my T is 39.5, do I pass?

The handbook does not mention rounding. As written, the rule is T of 40 or more, and 39.5 is below that. If you are this close, ask the support team how your score is shown.

Is the pass mark different for foundation and diploma courses?

The handbook gives one pass rule for courses: T of 40 or more. It does not list a different pass mark by level. What changes between courses is the weight of each part, which is in the grading document.

Do high assignment scores help me pass?

Yes, in two ways. They make you eligible for the end term, and they also count toward your final T. How much they count depends on the weights in your course's grading document.