IIT JAM 2026 Biotechnology Syllabus: Subject Wise Syllabus, Exam Pattern & Important Books
Indian Institute of Technology Joint Admission Test for MSc 2026 ( IIT JAM )
Admit Card - 5 Jan '26
Interested in pursuing MSc Biotechnology? IIT JAM exam is one of the best options to make career in biotechnology. Check out the detailed IIT JAM 2026 Biotechnology syllabus for preparation. JAM 2026 exam dates have been already announced. Aspirants can also check the eligibility criteria and exam pattern for the same here.
IIT JAM 2026 MSc Biotechnology Syllabus
Candidates preparing for the MSc Biotechnology course should advance their JAM 2026 preparation to enrol in the prestigious IITs & NIT and other result-sharing institutes. Before starting the preparation, the ideal strategy for a candidate should be to analyze the MSc Biotechnology Syllabus and exam pattern for the 2026 session. Candidates must also check the IIT JAM eligibility criteria 2026 for the MSc Biotechnology course, important topics of Biotechnology, top colleges in the IIT JAM exam offering the MSc Biotechnology course and other details.
Explore colleges based on IIT JAM
Want better recommendations?
There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
- Chat with our counselor
- Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
One of the IIT will be conducting the IIT JAM 2026 in the month of February 2025 at 116+ exam centres across the nation. The exam will be held for admission to postgraduate programmes in JAM 2026 participating institutes.
Students preparing for the IIT JAM 2026 exam must start their preparation soon to ace the examination and get into their desired college or university. IIT JAM MSc Biotechnology exam syllabus includes the topics studied in UG of Biotechnology course. The UG Biotechnology course is very vast and contains topics like animal diversity, Chemistry, Physics, Biotechnology & its application, biotechnology tools, physiology, biochemistry etc. JAM 2026 registration process started on September 5, 2025, and the last date to apply for the application form was October 12, 2025.
Explore more Science exams with upcoming dates
14 Nov '25
15 Nov '25
15 Feb '26
- IIT JAM 2026 Biotechnology Exam Pattern
- CUET PG 2026 Biotechnology: Eligibility Criteria
- Topics to Study for IIT JAM Biotechnology Exam
- IIT JAM Biotechnology Books to Read for IIT JAM 2026 Examination
- Preparation Tips For IIT JAM 2026 MSc Biotechnology Exam
- IITs Offering MSc in Biotechnology and Seats
IIT JAM 2026 Biotechnology Exam Pattern
IIT JAM 2026 Biotechnology exam pattern states that each test paper is of three hours duration. In the exam, candidates need to attempt 60 questions which were of 100 marks weightage. These 60 questions are divided into three sections – A, B, and C. All these sections are compulsory and candidates need to attempt questions from all the sections. The medium of instruction for JAM test papers is English.
The detailed IIT JAM exam pattern 2026 is mentioned in the table below:
| Section | Type of Questions | No of Question |
|---|---|---|
| A | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) Each question has four choices with one correct answer. |
30 |
| B | Multiple Select Questions (MSQs) Each question has four choices with one or more correct answers. |
10 |
| C | Numerical Answer Type (NAT) The answer for each question is a signed real number that needs to be entered using the virtual numeric keypad on the monitor. No choices will be shown for these questions. |
20 |
| Total | 60 | |
CUET PG 2026 Biotechnology: Eligibility Criteria
Candidates can check the minimal eligibility criteria for enrolling in MSc Biotechnology course from below:
| Test Paper Code | Academic Programmes | Institutes | Minimal Educational Qulaifucation for Admissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biotechnology (BT) | MSc Biotechnology | IIT Bombay, IIT Indore | Any Branch/Subject. |
| MSc/ PhD Dual Degree- Environmental Science and Engineering |
IIT Bombay | Any one of Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics for two years/four semesters, and any one of the other four subjects for at least one year/two semesters and Mathematics for at least one semester. |
|
| MSc in Biosciences and Bio |
IIT Roorkee | Will be released shortly |
Candidates can check out the detailed IIT JAM eligibility criteria here: IIT JAM Eligibility Criteria 2026: Know Educational Qualification and Age limit
Topics to Study for IIT JAM Biotechnology Exam
The weightage of questions asked in the IIT JAM Biotechnology paper is as mentioned below:
| Subject |
Weightage (In percent) |
|---|---|
| Biology |
44 |
| Chemistry |
20 |
| Mathematics |
18 |
| Physics |
18 |
Candidates can go through important topics that they should study to score well in the IIT JAM Biotechnology exam in the table mentioned below:
IIT JAM Biotechnology Books to Read for IIT JAM 2026 Examination
Books that aspirants should consider reading for Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and its subtopics are as mentioned below:
| IIT JAM Exam Topic |
Books to Read for IIT JAM Biotechnology Paper |
Author |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Biology |
|
| Biochemistry |
Biochemistry |
Donald Voet & Judith G Voet |
| Biochemistry |
AL Lehninger |
|
| Cell Biology |
Cell and Molecular Biology -Concepts and Experiments |
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., USA |
| Molecular Biology |
Molecular Biology of the Gene |
James D Watson, Tania A Baker, Stephen P Bell, Alexander Gann, Michael Levine & Richard Losick |
| Microbiology |
Lansing M Prescott, John P Harley & Donald A Klein |
|
| Biotechnology |
Biotechnology |
U Satyanarayana |
| Physiology |
Principles of anatomy physiology |
Gerard J Tortora & Bryan Derrickson |
| A Text Book of Botany |
Annie Ragland, V Kumaresan & N Arumugam |
|
| Principles of Genetics |
Gardner, Simmons & Snustad |
|
| Immunology |
Richard A Golds, Thomas J Kindt, Barbara A Osborne & Janis Kuby |
|
| General Biology, Ecology and Evolution |
Campbell Biology |
Lisa A Urry, Michael L Cain, Steven A Wasserman, Peter V Minorsky & Jane B Reece |
| Developmental Biology |
Scott F Gilbert |
To get the details about the books to read for other subjects like Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, candidates can go through the article which is mentioned below:
Also Read: Important Topics and Best Books for IIT JAM Biotechnology Preparation 2026
Preparation Tips For IIT JAM 2026 MSc Biotechnology Exam
Students first should understand the whole syllabus and exam pattern, then make a study plan, use excellent study material, practice the previous question papers, and some sample papers also revise regularly.
IITs Offering MSc in Biotechnology and Seats
Aspirants can secure admission in the MSc Biotechnology course offered at the following colleges:
| Institute Name | Course Name | Number of Seats Available | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN | EWS | SC | ST | OBC | Total | ||
| IIT Bombay | MSc Biotechnology | 13 + 1* | 3+1* | 9 | 5 | 3 | 35 |
| MSc in Environmental Science and Engineering |
1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| IIT Indore | MSc Biotechnology | 6 + 1* | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 15 |
| IIT Roorkee | MSc in Biosciences and Bio Engineering |
||||||
Read More: IIT JAM 2026: List of colleges accepting scores/ranks for admission
News & Updates
Explore Other Exams
Nov '25 | TIFR GS 2026 Admit Card |
14 Dec '25 | TIFR GS 2026 Exam |
1 Oct '23 | JUET 2023 results |
20 Sep '23 | JUET 2023 answer key objection... |
Mar '26 | CUET 2026 Application Process |
May '26 | CUET 2026 Exam |
Aug '25 | NEST NISER commencement of cla... |
18 Aug '25 | NEST CEBS 2025 Counselling: Cl... |
20 Jun '25 | MGU CAT 2025 result |
8 Jun '25 - 9 Jun '25 | MGU CAT 2025 Exam |
Mar '26 | PU CET (UG) 2026 Application F... |
Apr '26 | PU CET (UG) 2026 Registration ... |
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?
The key texts for the IIT JAM Mathematics exam are: Principles of Real Analysis by S. C. Malik for Real Analysis; Linear Algebra by H. Anton or by Seymour Lipschitz from the Schaum's outline series for Linear Algebra; Integral Calculus - F. Ayres, or GorakhPrasad's Textbooks for Integral Calculus; For Differential Equations, either M.D. Raisinghania will work, or for excellent, Modern Algebra by A. R. Vasishtha or by Joseph A. Gallian will work fine.