How many questions are in the IOE entrance exam, and is there negative marking?

The paper is computer-based, runs 2 hours, and has 100 questions worth 140 marks in total. 10% of the marks is deducted for a wrong answer.

Two hours, computer-based, 100 questions, 140 total marks, and you lose 10% of the marks for a wrong answer. The negative marking is the part most candidates discover too late.

Mode

Computer-based, answered by mouse

Duration

2 hours

Questions

100 in total: 60 worth 1 mark, 40 worth 2 marks

Full marks

140

Wrong answer

10% of marks deducted

Options

4 per question

What the deduction means in practice

Blind guessing has a negative expected value. But the penalty is 10% of the marks rather than the whole mark, so a narrowed guess between two plausible options is still worth taking. The candidates who lose most to this rule are the ones who fill every remaining blank in the last two minutes out of habit.

Read from page 3 of the booklet. Verify the current year’s pattern in that year’s booklet before relying on it, because the paper structure is set annually.

Last reviewed 18 August 2026 by Ram Raj Thapa, Admissions Officer, Imperial College of Engineering. Every figure on this page is cited to the document it came from.

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Related answers

• How are the 140 IOE entrance marks split between subjects?

  Mathematics 50, Physics 40, Chemistry 30 and English 20. Mathematics and Physics together are 90 of the 140 marks.

• Does IOE publish model questions for the entrance exam?

  Yes. The official booklet contains model questions, and their section headers confirm the paper structure: Section A is 1 mark × 60, Section B is 2 marks × 40.

• What must I bring to the IOE entrance exam, and where is it held?

  Your admit card and the original of the ID you uploaded with your application. Without it you are not permitted to sit. Centres run in assigned shifts across four days.