IITM BS Qualifier Exam Day: Hall Ticket, Centre and Rules

On IITM BS qualifier exam day, you write one in-person, invigilated exam of 4 hours that covers all four qualifier courses. You go to the exam centre printed on your hall ticket and nowhere else. A centre that is not yours will not let you in, under any circumstances. For everything else, such as reporting time, ID and what you may carry, follow the instructions on your hall ticket and the official exam instructions document.

Who gets a hall ticket

Hall tickets are released only to candidates who became eligible. That means reaching the minimum average assignment score in all four courses: 40% for General, 35% for OBC-NCL and EWS, and 30% for SC, ST and PwD. If you did not meet it, no hall ticket is issued. The full rule is in how to become eligible for the qualifier exam.

If you believe you met the cutoff but cannot find your hall ticket close to the exam, check your assignment averages first. Then raise a support ticket straight away. Do not wait until the day before.

How your exam centre is chosen

The DS FAQ explains this part:

• In the application form you pick two exam cities, in order of preference. You cannot pick just one.
• Your centre is allotted in one of those two cities, depending on availability.
• A city can have more than one centre, so check the exact address, not just the city.
• You cannot change your qualifier exam city after you submit your preferences in the application form.

The centre rule

The exam centre policy in both handbooks was last updated on 15 July 2025.

• Inside India: report only to the centre named on your hall ticket. Going to any other centre is not allowed, and you will not be let in to write the exam.
• Outside India, with remote proctoring: you must confirm your location during verification. Not declaring that you are in India, or giving a false location, means you cannot take the exam, and it is treated as malpractice.

Candidates who choose an exam centre outside India also pay an exam facilitation fee on top of the application fee. More on centres in the exam centre policy.

What the handbooks say, and what they leave to the instructions

The DS handbook links an "Important Instructions for Exams" document, added on 18 July 2026. Read it fully a few days before the exam, not on the morning of it.

A simple checklist

Our practical suggestions, in addition to the official instructions:

1. Two or three days before: read the hall ticket and the instructions document. Note the reporting time and the ID you must bring.
2. Find the centre: look up the address and how long it takes to reach at that time of day. If you can, visit it once.
3. The night before: keep the hall ticket, the required ID and anything else the instructions ask for in one bag.
4. On the day: leave early enough to arrive before the reporting time with a buffer for traffic.
5. In the exam: four courses in 4 hours works out to about an hour each. Every course has its own minimum, so do not let one course eat your time.

If something goes wrong

• You miss the exam or fail it: if you had a hall ticket, you can take the second qualifier exam of the same term, at the end of week 8, without redoing assignments. The fee is Rs 2,000 for General and OBC, Rs 1,000 for SC, ST or PwD, and Rs 500 for SC or ST candidates who are also PwD. See the second attempt.
• You reach the wrong centre: the rule does not allow you to write there, so you miss that exam. If it was the first exam of the term, the second exam is then your option.
• The qualifier fee: it is not refunded if you are absent or do not pass.

One more reason to do well, not just pass: if you join in the term right after the qualifier, your exam score counts as your Quiz 1 score in those courses.

Common questions

Can I write the qualifier exam from home?

Not if you are in India. The exam is in person at a designated centre. Remote proctoring is described only for students appearing from outside India. See whether IITM BS exams can be taken from home.

Is there a dress code for the qualifier exam?

The handbooks and admissions pages do not state one. If there is any rule on clothing or items, it will be in your hall ticket or the exam instructions document.

My hall ticket shows a centre far from my first city choice. Can I change it?

The FAQ says your centre can be allotted in either of your two chosen cities, and the qualifier exam city cannot be changed after you submit the form. Plan your travel to the allotted centre.

When do I get my result?

Your marks appear in your portal login with an email alert. The handbooks do not give a fixed number of days after the exam.