What is IISER Entrance Exam?
- Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) conduct an entrance exam in order to provide admission to applicants in five-year long BS-MS dual degree programme offered by them.
- On the basis of a applicant’s score in IISER entrance exam (also known as IISER aptitude test), he/she can secure admission at IISER located in Berhampur, Bhopal, Kolkata, Mohali, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, or Tirupati.
- Applicants who have cleared their Class XII in Science stream are eligible to apply for IISER entrance exam 2021.
- As per IISER entrance exam pattern there are a total of 60 objective questions that applicants need to complete in three hours duration.
- IISER entrance exam 2021 dates are out.
- Check IISER entrance exam dates here.
Also See: UPSEE 2021 Entrance Exam
IISER Entrance Exam 2021 Eligibility Criteria :
- All applicants who are Indian nationals and belong to Person of Indian Origin (PIO) or Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) category are eligible for IISER admissions 2021. However, admissions at IISER are done through three different channels mentioned below.
- It is mandatory for applicants to meet IISER eligibility criteria under any one of the channels for admissions 2021.
IISER Entrance Exam Eligibility Criteria under State and Central Boards (SCB) Channel
All applicants who have cleared Class XII exams in Science stream in 2018/ 2021 fulfill IISER entrance exam 2021 eligibility criteria. However, applicants should also score marks (in their respective boards) equal or above the cutoff percentage as stipulated by IISER (mentioned in the table below) in order to meet IISER entrance exam eligibility criteria.
| Name of the Board | Cut-off |
| AMU Board | 81.4 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 94.8 |
| Assam | 71.9 |
| Bihar | 70.0 |
| CBSE | 88.3 |
| Chhattisgarh | 74.1 |
| Goa | 82.6 |
| Gujarat | 60.2 |
| Haryana | 85.5 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 79.3 |
| ICSE | 93.3 |
| Jammu & Kashmir | 86.2 |
| Jharkhand | 60.0 |
| Karnataka | 88.0 |
| Kerala | 93.1 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 85.2 |
| Maharashtra | 76.1 |
| Manipur | 79.0 |
| Meghalaya | 67.0 |
| Mizoram | 63.8 |
| Nagaland | 63.0 |
| Odisha | 68.6 |
| Punjab | 80.4 |
| Rajasthan | 76.9 |
| Tamil Nadu | 95.1 |
| Telangana | 94.7 |
| Tripura | 60.0 |
| Uttarakhand | 66.1 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 74.3 |
| Visva-Bharati | 83.1 |
| West Bengal | 75.9 |
Note : For applicants belonging to OBC (non-creamy layer) and PwD categories there is a 5% relaxation in the cutoff percentage. Also, cutoff percentage for applicants belonging to SC/ ST/ Kashmiri Migrants (KM) category is 55% in Class XII for all boards.
“To calculate your percentage of marks obtained use your board’s method,” informs the official website.
IISER Admissions under Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) Channel
- Applicants who have a valid KVPY fellowship commencing from 2021-21 academic session are eligible to apply for IISER admissions 2021. However, such applicants do not need to appear for IISER entrance exam 2021.
IISER Admissions under Joint Entrance Examination of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT–JEE) Channel
General category applicants who have secured a rank within 10,000 in the Common Rank List (CRL) of JEE Advanced 2021 are eligible for IISER admissions 2021. However, similar to the admission process under KVPY channel, such applicants do not need to appear for IISER entrance exam 2021.
Note : For applicants belonging to OBCNC/ SC/ ST/ PwD category their category rank would be used.
Also, an additional cutoff criteria may be applicable for applicants applying under KVPY and IIT-JEE channels, informs the official website.
Also See: CMAT 2021 Notification
IISER Entrance Exam 2021 Admission Process
Applicants need to go through the below-mentioned steps to take part in the IISER admission process.
Step 1: Fill IISER Entrance Exam Application Form
For IISER entrance exam registrations, applicants need to fill the application form in the online mode on the college’s admission portal. Once the form is filled, applicants need to pay IISER entrance exam 2021 application fee in the online mode.
| Category | IISER Entrance Exam Application Fee |
| General/ OBCNC | Rs 2,000 |
| SC/ST/ Kashmiri Migrants (KM)/ PwD | Rs 1,000 |
Check complete details about IISER Entrance Exam application form.
Step 2: Download IISER Entrance Exam Admit Card
Once the form is successfully submitted and fee is paid, applicants can download their IISER entrance exam 2021 admit card from the admission portal.
IISER entrance exam 2021 admit card is a mandatory document to be carried to the test centre.
IISER Entrance Exam Centre: IISER entrance exam 2021 centre details are not out yet. However, the official website informs, “It is conducted in various cities across India. Choices for the city where the applicant wishes to write the aptitude test have to be indicated while completing the online application form. A single city may have multiple centers for the aptitude test. The hall ticket will have the center details printed.”
Check complete details about IISER Entrance Exam admit card.
Step 3: Appear for IISER Entrance Exam
Next, applicants need to appear for the Science entrance exam at the allotted test centre. IISER aptitude test is a three hour duration exam containing objective-type multiple choice questions of 180 marks.
Step 4: Check IISER Entrance Exam Result
Applicants can check their IISER entrance exam 2021 result on the college’s admission portal. The result for IISER entrance exam will contain the roll/ application numbers of applicants who have qualified the written exam and the IISER campus allotted to them.
Applicants whose names appear in IISER entrance exam 2021 result will then be eligible for admissions at different IISER campuses in BS-MS dual degree programme.
Check complete details about IISER Entrance Exam Result.
IISER Entrance Exam 2021 Important Dates
Get all IISER Entrance Exam 2021 important dates such as registration date, application date, admit card date, exam date, result date and counselling date. Sign up so that you don’t miss a single exam date or an update on IISER Entrance Exam 2021 exam.
For SCB (Aptitude Test) Channel:
| Events | Dates (Tentative) |
| Application Form | 3rd week of March 2021 |
| Submission of application form | 4th week of April 2021 |
| Admit card availability | 2nd week of May 2021 |
| Last date to submit 12th marks & category certificate | 3rd week of May 2021 |
| IISER Aptitude Test 2021 | 4th week of May 2021 |
| Answer Key | 1st week of June 2021 |
| Result announcement | 1st week of June 2021 |
| Counselling session | 3rd week of June 2021 |
For KVPY Channel:
| Events | Dates (Tentative) |
| Application form | 3rd week of April 2021 |
| Last date to submit 12th marksheet & certificate | 3rd week of May 2021 |
| First seat allocation process | 1st week of June 2021 |
For JEE Advanced Channel:
| Events | Dates (Tentative) |
| Application form | 1st week of June 2021 |
| Last date to submit the 12th marksheet & certificate | 2nd week of June 2021 |
| The first seat allocation process | 2nd week of June 2021 |
IISER Entrance Exam 2021 Application Form
Applicants can fill IISER entrance exam 2021 application form in online mode as per the steps mentioned below :
Step 1: Register at IISER Admission Portal
Primarily, applicants need to register themselves at IISER admission 2021 portal. For the same, applicants need to sign up using their name (as specified in Class XII mark sheet), a valid email ID, and a password. After the signup, a verification email will be sent to applicants’ registered email IDs. On successful verification, applicants can log in to their accounts and proceed towards next step of application process.
Step 2: Fill IISER Entrance Exam Application Form
Next, applicants can start filling IISER entrance exam 2021 application form in online mode. It may be noted that applicants can apply from more than one channel (SCB, JEE, KVPY). However, application form and fee needs to be different for each channel. Some of the details that applicants need to fill in the form are :
- Personal details such as name, date of birth, religion, category, disability status, guardian’s name, etc.
- Education details such as subject-wise marks secured in Class XII, name of board, etc.
- The choice for IISER exam centre
- Preference for IISER campus
- Upload photo not larger than 2MB in size in png/ jpg/ bmp format
- Select Yes or No under the Float option
Also See: NEET 2021 Notification
Step 3: Pay IISER Entrance Exam Application Fee
Lastly, applicants need to pay IISER entrance exam 2021 application fee in online mode through the secure payment gateway on the application portal.
| Category | IISER Application Fee |
| General/ OBCNC | Rs 2,000 |
| SC/ST/ Kashmiri Migrants/ PwD | Rs 1,000 |
Once the fee is successfully paid, applicants can log in to their accounts and download their application form. After downloading of the form, applicants’ IISER entrance exam 2021 application process will be complete.
IISER Entrance Exam 2021 Admit Card
After applicants successfully apply for the IISER entrance exam, they can download their admit card from the official website of the exam as per the prescribed schedule. Applicants can download their IISER entrance exam 2021 admit card from the official website by logging in to their accounts using their username and password.
IISER entrance exam admit card will contain details such as applicant’s name and roll number; exam date and time; and exam centre name and address.
Once applicants download their IISER admit card they need to take a printout of it and carry it to the allotted test centre. Applicants are advised to also take along a photo ID proof at the exam centre. It may be noted that applicants not carrying their admit card at the time of exam might not be allowed to appear for the exam.
It may also be noted that “any tampering or modification of the hall ticket (admit card) would disqualify the applicant’s candidature,” informs the official website.
IISER Entrance Exam 2021 Pattern
IISER entrance exam 2021 pattern is such that the question paper will contain a total of 60 multiple choice questions that applicants need to complete in a duration of 180 minutes (3 hours). Applicants will be evaluated out of a total of 180 marks.
Questions in the exam will be based on four subjects, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics as mentioned in the table below :
| Subject | Number of Questions | Marks |
| Biology | 15 | 45 |
| Chemistry | 15 | 45 |
| Mathematics | 15 | 45 |
| Physics | 15 | 45 |
| Total | 60 | 180 |
Marking scheme: Applicants will be awarded three marks for each correct answer. There will be negative marking of one mark for each incorrect answer.
IISER Entrance Exam 2021 Syllabus
IISER entrance exam 2021 syllabus is out. Check the IISER entrance exam syllabus as prescribed by the institutes below :
| Subject | Syllabus/ Topics |
| Sets | |
| Relations and functions | |
| Trigonometric Functions | |
| Inverse Trigonometric Functions | |
| Principle of Mathematical Induction | |
| Complex Numbers and Quadratic Equations | |
| Linear Inequalities | |
| Permutations and Combinations | |
| Binomial Theorem | |
| Sequences and Series | |
| Straight Lines | |
| Conic Sections | |
| Introduction to Three Dimensional Geometry | |
| Mathematics | Limits and Derivatives |
| Mathematical Reasoning | |
| Statistics | |
| Probability | |
| Matrices | |
| Determinants | |
| Continuity and Differentiability | |
| Application of Derivatives | |
| Integrals | |
| Applications of integrals | |
| Differential equations | |
| Vectors | |
| Three dimensional geometry | |
| Linear Programming | |
| Physical World and Measurement | |
| Kinematics | |
| Laws of Motion | |
| Work, Energy and Power | |
| Motion of Systems of Particles and Rigid body | |
| Gravitation | |
| Properties of bulk matter | |
| Thermodynamics | |
| Behavior of perfect gas and kinetic energy | |
| Oscillations | |
| Waves | |
| Physics | Electrostatics |
| Current Electricity | |
| Magnetic effect of current and magnetism | |
| Electromagnetic Induction | |
| Alternating Current | |
| Electromagnetic Waves | |
| Optics | |
| Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter | |
| Atoms | |
| Nuclei | |
| Electronic devices | |
| Communication Systems | |
| Some Basic Concept of Chemistry | |
| Structure of Atom | |
| Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties | |
| Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure | |
| States of Matter | |
| Thermodynamics | |
| Equilibrium | |
| Redox Reactions | |
| Hydrogen | |
| The s-block Elements | |
| The p-block Elements | |
| Organic Chemistry – Some Basic Principles and Techniques | |
| Hydrocarbons | |
| Environmental Chemistry | |
| Chemistry | The solid state |
| Solutions | |
| Electrochemistry | |
| Chemical Kinetics | |
| Surface chemistry | |
| General principles and processes of isolation of elements | |
| The d- & f-block elements | |
| Coordination compounds | |
| Haloalkanes and haloarenes | |
| Alcohols, phenols and ethers | |
| Aldehydes, ketones and carboxylic acids | |
| Organic compounds containing nitrogens | |
| Biomolecules | |
| Polymers | |
| Chemistry in everyday life | |
| Diversity in the living world | |
| Structural organization in animals and plants | |
| Cell structure and function | |
| Plant physiology | |
| Human physiology | |
| Biology | Reproduction |
| Genetics and evolution | |
| Biology and human welfare | |
| Biotechnology and its application | |
| Ecology and environment |
Note : The official website informs that IISER entrance exam syllabus “generally follows NCERT syllabus for classes XI and XII”.
IISER Entrance Exam 2021 Result
- Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research declare result for IISER entrance exam (also known as IISER aptitude test) in online mode as per the prescribed schedule.
- Applicants can check their IISER entrance exam result 2021 on the official website of the institute by clicking on the Result tab followed by First Round Allotment link. IISER result contains roll numbers of all the applicants who have been allotted seats in SCB (State and Central Boards) first round.
- Applicants interested for IISER admissions then need to log in to the admission portal and download their offer letter. It may be noted that applicants can accept the offer and participate in float rounds of admissions only after they pay the prescribed Seat Acceptance Fee (SAF) by the stipulated date and time.
- Check complete seat allotment process here.
IISER Entrance Exam 2021 Answer Keys
- Answer keys for IISER entrance exam are released as per the prescribed schedule once the written exam is conducted. IISER entrance exam answer keys contain correct answers for all questions asked in the written test. Applicants can go through the answer keys in order to get an estimation of the score that they can obtain in IISER entrance exam 2021.
- In case of any discrepancy with respect to any question asked in the exam or its answer, applicants can raise objection(s) to the exam authorities in the prescribed format. If the raised objection is successful, a final IISER entrance exam 2021 answer key will be released with all the required modifications. For instance, in 2017 exam, a question (Q 59) was removed from the assessment after some objections were raised.
IISER Entrance Exam 2021 Counselling
IISER seat allotment in BS-MS programme is done as per the process mentioned below :
Step 1 : Check IISER First Round Allotment List
Once IISER result is declared, a seat allotment list is declared containing roll numbers of applicants who are allocated seats in BS-MS programme through different channels (SCB, KVPY, JEE). Applicants can check the first round allotment list on the official website of the exam.
Step 2 : Download IISER Offer Letter
All applicants whose roll numbers appear in the first round allotment list need to log in to their application portal to download the offer letters.
Step 3 : Pay IISER Seat Acceptance Fee
Next, applicants can accept the offer sent to them only after they pay the prescribed seat acceptance fee (SAF) by the stipulated date and time. Payment of SAF also confirms that a applicant is intending to join one of the IISERs.
| Category | IISER SAF |
| General/ OBCNC | Rs 25,000 |
| SC/ ST/ KM/ PwD | Rs 12,500 |
After payment of SAF, a applicant also gets entitled to avail the Float option but only if they had selected “Yes” for Float option in the online application form.
A Float option is an option that “allows a applicant to either retain the seat in the IISER allotted to them or opt for a change as per applicant’s preference in the IISER allocated to them,” informs the official website.
In case a applicant selects “No” as the Float option in the application form, then the applicant’s first allotment to an IISER will be final. However, if a applicant selects “Yes” as the Float option in the application form and if he/ she does not get an IISER of his/ her choice in the first allotment, then his/ her application will be considered in subsequent rounds allotment.
Step 4 : Check IISER Second Round Allotment List
After the first list, the institute also releases a second round allotment list containing roll numbers of applicants who are either allocated a seat in any of the IISERs or floated in the SCB second round.
Thereafter, applicants can repeat the process of downloading the offer letter and paying SAF mentioned above to confirm their admission.
Note : The official website states, “If your application number was there in the first round and not here then it means that you are not floated and your original offer is valid. If your application number appears both in the first and second round, it means that you have been floated to an IISER of your higher preference and your this allocation is only valid.”
After the confirmation of admission, all applicants can report at their allotted IISERs as per the prescribed schedule along with the prescribed documents.
