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

SET syllabus includes all the important topics of subjects that are relevant for business and general aptitude. For the SET exam, candidates have to study, English Quantitative Aptitude General Knowledge and Analytical Reasoning. Given below are the key topics included in the SET syllabus: - The General English section of the SET exam syllabus includes various topics of Grammar, Word Meaning, Vocabulary, Para jumbles, Fill in the Blanks, Sentence Completion, Synonyms and Antonyms, Reading Comprehension, etc. - The Quantitative Aptitude section of the SET syllabus includes all the topics of Mathematics from Class 9 to 10 such as Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra Trigonometry Modern Math, Number Systems and Mensuration. - The General Knowledge section of the SET exam syllabus includes topics on Current Affairs politics, sports Science, people and personalities, global news, awards and accolades, etc. - The Analytical and Logical Reasoning syllabus of SET exam includes topics that require analytical interpretation of data presented in the form of Puzzles, Pie Charts, Venn Diagrams, Tables and Bar Graphs.

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.

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.

The General English section of the SET exam is usually easier than the other two sections. This section of the SET question paper is based on English usage and Grammar. The General English section aims to assess the candidate’s hold on language comprehension, grammar and vocabulary. The section examines the candidates on how well they comprehend the given data, analyse the question, vocabulary, grammar, etc.

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

The Analytical and Logical Reasoning section of the SET question paper is considered the toughest of all the sections of the SET exam. This section of the exam mainly consists of topics from Analytical Reasoning and Critical Reasoning. Some of the important topics of the Analytical and Logical Reasoning that the students should not miss include: 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

No, there are no subjective-type or long form answer questions in the SET exam. The SET question paper only has 60 multiple-choice questions that are to be solved in one hour or 60 minutes. Candidates must attempt all the sections keeping in mind that the exam has negative marking. Candidates must note that each question in the SET question paper will have four options. They will be required to choose the correct answer and select the radio button against the answer. If the candidate marks two options for a particular answer, then that answer will be considered incorrect. Each question in the SET carries one mark and one mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer. No marks are awarded or deducted for unattempted questions.

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, the SET exam does not have negative markings. Each question in the SET exam carries one mark and if the answer is incorrect no marks will be awarded for that particular question. This means that if the candidate has four incorrect answers, then four marks will be deducted from the SET overall score. If the candidate marks more than one answer for a particular question, the answer will be considered incorrect. To avoid maximum marks deduction, students must attempt the easier question first and then move on to the more difficult ones in that particular section. If the candidate is unsure about a particular question, they can also skip the question. No marks will be deducted or awarded for unanswered questions. 

The SET question paper is divided into four sections, I. e, Analytical and Logical Reasoning, General English Quantitative Aptitude and General Awareness. All the sections carry multiple-choice questions and each question carries one mark. There is no negative marking in the SET exam but the students have to complete the exam within one hour. Given below is the number of questions in each section: General English- 16 Quantitative Aptitude- 16 General Knowledge- 16 Analytical and Logical Reasoning- 12 There is a total of 60 questions in the SET question paper which are divided across these four sections.

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.