Are you preparing for the IAT 2025? Are you wondering how difficult the IAT is? With IISc accepting IAT, will the difficulty level of questions increase? With exams approaching, it is common to have such confusion. If you are an IISc or IISER aspirant and want to know the standard of questions asked in IAT, this blog will help you clear up your doubts.
What is the Level of the IAT exam as compared to JEE and NEET?
IAT is an entrance exam to top Indian institutes like IISc, IIT Madras (for a 4-year BS program in medical sciences and engineering), and IISERs. Hence, you can expect the level to be decent enough with good conceptual questions. Unlike JEE-Mains or NEET, the main focus of the exam is to test conceptual understanding and analytical abilities. You can expect the exam to be more difficult than JEE Mains and NEET but very easy than NEST or JEE Advanced. You won’t get any intense numerical questions, unlike JEE.
However, with IISc entering the scene, the level of the test is expected to increase somewhat. The increasing complexity was not immediately apparent in IAT 2024. However, we anticipate the level to rise somewhat but remain below the NEST examination.
How Difficult are the Questions in IAT as compared to JEE and NEET?
It is important to discuss the exam pattern before discussing the exam’s difficulty. The exam consists of 4 sections: physics, chemistry, maths, and biology. The presence of the extra section makes the exam easier for students, as the 4th section is optional but gives good results if one attempts it. If you are preparing for some other exam like JEE Advanced, IAT becomes much easier for you. Students from PCMB usually get advantage over students from PCM or PCB background.
Mathematics is generally straightforward, unlike JEE Advanced. The level of questions is generally of JEE Mains, and only a few questions require highly comprehensive and analytical skills. Some questions, usually from calculus, require specific tricks to solve. You can attempt maths sections even if you are a PCB student. There are some topics like statistics and trigonometry where you can get the answer only through the formula. You can join the SciAstra courses for better and smoother preparation, along with such useful tricks and tips to ace the IAT 2024.
Physics has theory-based questions and doesn’t require you to do lengthy calculations. Some questions are formula-based, while some involve a little thinking. Some trick-specific questions may also come, but they are quite rare. The level of physics questions in IAT is usually the same as in JEE Mains. Graph based questions are also naturally asked.
Chemistry questions are generally the highest scoring because they are straightforward and concept-based. Inorganic and organic chemistry questions are slightly more difficult than physical chemistry. If you are also preparing for JEE or NEET, you can do well enough in this section. At SciAstra, we teach our students various methodologies to solve questions efficiently and in less time. You can join our courses to enhance your preparation and ace the IAT 2024.
Biology is usually the easiest and least time-consuming. If you have read the topics carefully, you can finish the bio section within 15 to 30 minutes. Lecture notes and the study materials provided by SciAstra are more than enough to get good marks in IAT and NEET. A lot of sources claim NCERT to be sufficient for IAT. However, this is a complete fallacy. You can read NCERT once for theory but must have extra study material for more practice and understanding of difficult questions.
When NCERT Alone Might Fall Short
While NCERT is a crucial resource, relying solely on it might not be sufficient to secure a top rank. Here’s why:
- Application-Oriented Questions: The IAT often includes questions that test the application of concepts in novel scenarios. NCERT provides the basics, but additional practice with application-based problems is necessary.
- Advanced Problem Solving: Some IAT questions go beyond NCERT’s scope, requiring higher-order thinking and a deeper understanding of concepts.
- Time Management Skills: NCERT doesn’t offer extensive practice in solving questions under timed conditions, which is essential for a competitive exam like IISER IAT.
How to Supplement NCERT for IISER IAT
To achieve a top rank, it’s important to complement your NCERT studies with additional resources and strategies:
- Reference Books: Books like HC Verma for Physics, OP Tandon for Chemistry, and RD Sharma for Mathematics can provide advanced-level practice.
- Mock Tests and Past Papers: Practice with IISER IAT mock tests and previous years’ question papers to familiarize yourself with the exam pattern and difficulty level.
- Online Resources and Tutorials: Platforms offering video lectures, interactive quizzes, and topic-wise practice can help reinforce concepts.
- Focus on Weak Areas: Identify topics where you’re struggling and dedicate extra time to mastering them.
- Biology Preparation: If you’re from a non-biology background, pay special attention to NCERT Biology, as questions are often direct but require thorough reading.
How can you clear the IAT with a good rank?
- If you can do PYQs properly, you can easily attempt most of the paper, as the questions usually follow the same pattern.
- SciAstra’s mock tests are also of great use. Students who have attempted our mock tests regularly report that most questions in their IAT exam were similar to those in the mock tests.
- Don’t forget to complete the whole syllabus. If you are from a PCM background, focus on completing PCM first and then read biology notes and some study materials. Sometimes, questions are straightforward, and you can easily attempt them if you have read the topic once.
- Give proper time to revision and problem practice.
- Attempt mock tests regularly and analyse them sincerely. SciAstra provides the best materials for IAT and other similar exams. Learn more about PhDs and Internships here
About us:
SciAstra is a team of scientists and research scholars from the top research institutes around the world like Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge, and so on. Our vision is to promote critical thinking and scientific temperament by helping students in their careers in science.
We offer many free and paid courses where our mentors from the top research institutes like IISER, NISER, IACS, CMI,ISI IISC Bangalore, etc teach students in live classes, with study materials, mock tests, books, and everything needed. We have taught more than 10,000 students already since 2021 and achieved over 1000 selections with AIR 1, 7,10, 12, and 13 in IISc Bengaluru, IISERs, NISER, IACS, and so on. If you are looking to prepare for IAT / NEST 2024, you can check out our courses and get access to live classes, recorded lectures, study material, mock tests, doubt-clearing classes, and much more!
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