SET Exam Pattern 2026: Check Latest Pattern, Marking Scheme & Exam Duration

SET exam has four sections having multiple-choice questions. The sectional weightage of each section of the SET question paper is different. The General English, Quantitative Aptitude and General Knowledge sections have 16 questions. Each question carries one mark. The Analytical and Logical Reasoning section of the SET question paper has12 multiple-choice questions and each question carries one mark. For incorrect answers, there is no negative marking. The detailed SET sectional weightage is given below:

Subject	Questions	Marks
General English	16	16
Quantitative	16	16
General Awareness	16	16
Analytical and Logical Reasoning	12	12
Total	60	60

SET has a total of 60 questions. The General English Quantitative Aptitude and General Awareness sections carry 16 questions and the Analytical and Logical Reasoning section carries 12 questions. For each correct attempt, one mark is awarded and one mark is deducted for an incorrect attempt. There is no deduction of marks for unanswered questions. Therefore, the total marks of SET is 60. The sectional marking scheme for SET is given below: 1. General English 16 2. Analytical and Logical Reasoning: 12 3. Quantitative Ability: 16 4. General Knowledge: 16 Candidates must choose the questions to solve very carefully and smartly as they will not be awarded marks for incorrect answers. If they are not sure of the correct answer, they should leave the question instead of taking a chance.

General English section of SET exam important books are:

Name of the Book	Author/ Publication
Word Power Made Easy	Norman Lewis
High School English Grammar and Composition	Wren and Martin
Pearson Guide to IIM Indore-IPM Entrance Examination	Pearson
Objective General English	SP Bakshi

No, the SET exam will be conducted in a single shift. SET exam is usually conducted in a single shift for one hour, i. e. from 9 AM to 10 AM. The exam was, however, is conducted on two days. 

However, in 2020, the SET exam was conducted in the remote-proctored mode in order to follow the social distancing guidelines for COVID-19, and the students had the option to choose the exam slot according to their preference and convenience. SET exam pattern was also changed after 2020. 

The SET exam is held for only one hour or 60 minutes. There is only one slot for the SET exam. SET exam does not have any sectional time limit as well. However, the candidates need to solve the question paper in 60 minutes and this means that the candidates will have approximately one minute to solve each question. Candidates must take care of saving their answers at every step as the moment 60 minutes will get over, the screen will automatically end the test. The SET exam is conducted in the afternoon shift, I. e. from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Also, there is no provision for changing the exam slot. Candidates must make sure that they reach the SET exam centre by 10:30 AM in order to complete the frisking formalities at the entry GATE. Candidates will not be allowed to enter the exam centre beyond 11:15 AM.

No, SET exam does not have negative marking. Each question in SET exam carries one mark and if answer is incorrect, no marks will be awarded for that question. 

SET question paper is divided into 4 sections, I. e, Analytical and Logical Reasoning, General English Quantitative Aptitude and General Awareness. All the sections carry MCQ questions and each question carries one mark. There is no negative marking. Given below is the number of questions in each section:

• General English- 16
• Quantitative Aptitude- 16
• General Knowledge- 16
• Analytical and Logical Reasoning- 12 

Important topics are:

1. Syllogisms
2. Critical Reasoning
3. Cause and Effect
4. Statement and Conclusion
5. Strong and Weak Arguments
6. Coding and Decoding
7. Statement and Inference
8. Data Sufficiency
9. Data Interpretation
10. Arrangements

SET is a national-level entrance exam conducted for admission to various undergraduate courses. SET 2026 will be conducted in the computer-based test mode. The difficulty level of the SET exam is usually easy to moderate. But, a few questions might trick your mind and can be time-consuming.

General Knowledge and Analytical and Logical Reasoning are easier than the Quantitative Aptitude section. In 2025, according to the students who appeared for the SET session 1 exam, the SET exam was moderate. The General English section was the easiest of all four sections. The Quantitative Aptitude section was the toughest, and the other two sections were moderate to easy. The overall difficulty level of the SET question paper was moderate. Students who appeared for the SET 2025 session 2 exam said that the overall difficulty level was easy. Again, the General English section was the easiest. In this session, the Analytical and Logical Reasoning section was also easy to moderate. The Quant section was easy to moderate, and the General Knowledge section was difficult.

Three out of the four sections of the SET exam namely, General English, Quantitative Aptitude and General Knowledge, have equal weightage. Each question carries one mark for correct attempt. There is neither a negative marking for incorrectly marked answers nor there is marks deduction for unanswered question. The last section of the SET exam, i.e. Analytical and Logical Reasoning carries the least weightage. There are only 12 questions in this section which carry one mark each. The marking scheme of all the four sections is the same. Given below is the sectional weightage of SET exam.

1. General English: 16 questions, 16 marks
2. General Knowledge: 16 questions, 16 marks
3. Quantitative Aptitude: 16 questions, 16 marks
4. Analytical and Logical Reasoning: 12 questions, 12 marks

One should prepare well for all the sections of the SET exam. If you will score equally well in every section, only then will your overall score will be good. Also, many colleges consider sectional scores as well for admission shortlist so it is important to perform equally well in all sections of SET.