What happens if two candidates get the same IOE entrance score?
A three-level tie-break: total marks to three decimal places, then Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and English in that order, then +2 marks followed by SEE marks.
Ties are broken by a published ladder, applied in a fixed order. Almost nobody knows it exists, and it decides real seats every year.
Total marks are calculated to three decimal places. Whoever is higher is placed first.
If still equal, subject marks are compared in a fixed order: Mathematics, then Physics, then Chemistry, then English. Whoever is higher in the first subject that differs is placed first.
If still equal, the 10+2 or equivalent marks are compared, and after that the SLC/SEE marks. Whoever is higher goes ahead.
What this tells you about where to spend revision time
Mathematics is both the largest block at 50 marks and the first tie-breaker. Physics is second on both counts. If two candidates are level, the one who was stronger in Mathematics wins the seat, so the subject weighting and the tie-break point the same way.
And where your +2 finally counts
The entrance carries 100% of the merit weight, so +2 marks do not contribute to your score. But they are the third tie-breaker. On a list of over seven thousand candidates, exact ties do happen.
Section 4 of the booklet, page 12. The merit list includes only candidates at or above the minimum percentage set by IOE.
Sources
- IOE B.E./B.Arch Booklet 2083 · published 7 August 2026 · read 18 August 2026
Last reviewed by Ram Raj Thapa, Admissions Officer, Imperial College of Engineering. Every figure on this page is cited to the document it came from.