Qualifier Exam Pattern, Cut-offs and Re-attempts
By Editorial TeamLast reviewed
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Format
- One exam, four courses. A single in-person, invigilated exam covers all four qualifier courses of your programme.
- Four hours long.
- Where: at exam centres in the cities you chose while applying. There are also centres in the UAE, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman; candidates elsewhere abroad take a remote-proctored exam.
- Question types: IIT Madras does not publish a breakdown. The weekly graded assignments use multiple-choice, multiple-select and numerical-answer questions, so practise in those formats.
Cut-offs to pass
You need both a minimum score in every course and a minimum average across the four courses:
| Category | Minimum in each course | Minimum average |
|---|---|---|
| General | 40% | 50% |
| OBC-NCL / EWS | 35% | 45% |
| SC / ST / PwD | 30% | 40% |
These relaxations apply to the qualifier only, not to courses after you join. The cut-offs are the same for Data Science and Electronic Systems.
If you don't clear it
If you had a hall ticket but failed or missed the exam, you can re-attempt in the same term without redoing the assignments. The re-attempt fee is ₹2,000 (General/OBC), ₹1,000 (SC/ST/PwD) or ₹500 (SC/ST who are also PwD). If you never got a hall ticket, you apply again in a later term and redo the four weeks.
What your score unlocks
Clearing the qualifier admits you to the Foundation level. Your average qualifier score also sets how many courses you may take in your first term:
| Average qualifier score | Courses in the first term |
|---|---|
| From the cut-off up to 50% | up to 2 |
| 50% to 70% | up to 3 |
| 70% and above | up to 4 |
If you register in the same term as your qualifier, your qualifier exam score counts as Quiz 1 for those courses.
Related
- Qualifier Eligibility: Who Can Apply and Who Gets a Hall TicketWho can apply for the IIT Madras BS qualifier, what it costs, and the graded-assignment rule that decides who sits the exam.
- September 2026 Qualifier TimelineKey dates for the September 2026 IIT Madras BS qualifier — applications, the four weeks and every qualifier exam.