IISER Exam Dates 2026: Exam Date, Notification, Application, Admit Card and Result

IISER 2026 entrance exam will be conducted online or in computer-based test mode. Candidates will be assigned a centre equipped with the facilities to conduct the test in CBT mode. The IISER Entrance Exam will be conducted in various exam centres across India. The duration of the entrance exam is three hours, from 9 AM to 12 noon. The format of the questions will be Multiple Choice Questions or MCQs.

The IISER entrance exam 2026 application process is likely to begin in the third week of March 2026. The mode of the application process is completely online. Students have to visit the exam portal to fill and submit the form. Along with entering the mandatory information, they also need to upload documents such as photograph, signature or category certificates in the requisite format and dimensions. The last and final step is to pay the category-wise application fee in online mode.

For Candidates seeking admission under the OBC-NCL category:

1. As per the latest guidelines of the Government of India, the OBC-NCL Certificate should have been issued on or after April 01, 2025.
2. If any OBC-NCL candidate fails to submit the OBC-NCL Certificate (issued on or after April 01, 2025) at the time of online application, the candidate has to upload a signed declaration form.
3. The candidate has to upload a fresh Certificate (issued on or after 1 April 2025) on or before July 7, 2025.
4. If the Certificate is not uploaded by the given date and time, the candidate will not be considered for admission under this category. If qualified, the category will be adjusted accordingly in the Common Rank List.

Upon successful submission of the IISER online application form along with the exam fee, an automated email and SMS were sent to the registered email ID and mobile number of candidates. In case the application process was not submitted, but the application fee got debited, candidates were advised to contact IISER Exam conducting body or visit the official website for assistance for the application status. Even after three days if candidates did not receive the application confirmation, then they were advised to try and complete the IISER IAT 2023 application form.

The IISER Entrance Exam Marking Scheme is as follows:

1. Physics 15 questions will be asked in the examination and 60 marks will be the maximum awarded for all the correct answers.
2.  Mathematics- 15 questions will be asked in the examination and 60 marks will be the maximum awarded for all the correct answers.
3. Chemistry 15 questions will be asked in the examination and 60 marks will be the maximum awarded for all the correct answers.
4. Biology 15 questions will be asked in the examination and 60 marks will be the maximum awarded for all the correct answers. Marking scheme: Candidates will be awarded three marks for each correct answer. There will be negative marking of one mark for each incorrect answer.

The question paper will be in English and Hindi languages. The candidates must read all the given instructions provided in the question papers at the time of examination.

Candidates need to enter application number and password/date of birth as login details to check your IAT result. Other than this security question or captcha that is provided on login page. If you have forgotten your application number then you will need your registered mobile number and email to retrieve application number. 

Students can follow the below-mentioned process on how to check the IISER Entrance Exam results which are as follows:

The candidate will have to first visit the official website of IISER Admissions.

The candidate will have to click on IISER Entrance Exam Results SCB.

Click on the results and the candidate will be directed to a new page on the website.

Enter the log in credentials such as Email ID and Password.

The candidates scorecard will be viewed.

The candidate can download and take a print out of the IISER Entrance Exam scorecard. Keep the scorecard as it will be handy for future references.

INR 2,000/- for candidates applying under General, EWS, and OBC-NCL categories.

INR 1,000/- for candidates applying under persons with disabilities, persons registered as Kashmir migrants and SC/ST category.

INR 8,500/- for foreign nationals. Candidates must note that the application fee is non-refundable.

Only the meritorious candidates IAT 2026 Test will get the opportunity to sit in the IISER 2026 counselling process. Based on the past years' trends, it is expected that the IISER Aptitude Test Counselling process 2026 will be conducted between fourth week of June to the fourth week of September 2026. 

IISER is yet to release the IAT 2026 exam notification and dates for online registration. However, as per the previous year trends, it is expected that the IISER 2026 entrance exam application process will start in the second week of March 2026 and the last date for doing the online registration will be the fourth week of April 2026.

While filling out the online application form for the IISER 2026 entrance exam, candidates may fill in incorrect details by mistake or for any other reason. IISER has provided an online application form correction window where all these mistakes can be rectified without losing the candidature.

Earlier there were three channels through which candidates could get admissions to the courses offered at IISER institutions, IISc Bangalore and IIT Madras. From the academic session 2025, admissions were made through the IAT exam channel only, and the other two channels were discontinued. Since the IISER Entrance Exam 2025, admission is conducted only based on the exam scores. 

The portal for document upload and freezing of IISER preferences for IISER 2026 Admissions is expected to begin in the month of July 2026, tentatively. After accepting the offer and paying the seat acceptance fee, the candidate can exercise two options:

1. Candidate can FREEZE the seat (they will not participate in further rounds of counselling),
2. Candidate can FLOAT (they will participate in further rounds of counselling to get their higher preferences). The FLOAT option is activated by default for those who pay the seat acceptance fee. A student who has chosen to FLOAT will again be considered for seat allocation in the next round. If they are eligible to secure a seat in an IISER that is higher in their preference list than the currently accepted one, they will be offered that seat.

The IISER Entrance Exam 2026 answer keys are likely to be released on the same date as the exam. The answer keys of IISER 2026 and response sheets will be sent to candidates' email addresses along with their answer scripts. Candidates can check the correct answer and calculate their estimated score. The objection window will also open on the same date. 

Given below is a list of documents/certificates whose scanned copies are to be uploaded at the time of online application for IAT. The formats of the certificates are given in the Annexure.

1. Class 10 certificate
2.  Class 12 (or equivalent examination). 
3.  If the class 12 (or equivalent) marks sheet is not available now, then you can instead upload a signed declaration form mentioning : DECLARATION BY THE CANDIDATE IN LIEU OF ELIGIBILITY EXAM CERTIFICATE/ MARKSHEET SEE Annexure). Fill up the form, sign it, scan it and then upload. The scanned copies of the actual marks sheet must be uploaded on or before July 7, 2025, failing which you will not be allotted a seat in any of the IISERs.