IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test Analysis 2026
Difficulty Level, Cutoff Prediction & Section-Wise Review
The IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test is being conducted today, 13 December 2025, marking a significant milestone in the institute’s academic journey. This is the first time IIM Bangalore is conducting a dedicated undergraduate admission test, aimed at selecting candidates for its newly introduced B.Sc. (Hons) programmes in Data Science and Economics for the 2026 intake. This article on IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test Analysis 2026 will give you a comprehensive analysis of the IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test, including section-wise difficulty levels, question-type distribution, key themes tested, and initial feedback from candidates. This analysis will help aspirants benchmark their performance and gain clarity on what to expect as the admission process progresses, while also serving as a useful reference for future aspirants.
Table of Content
IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test Analysis 2026
In this post, we present a comprehensive IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test 2026 Analysis, including the overall difficulty level and section-wise breakdown. IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test 2026 was divided into 3 major sections: English Comprehension, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation, lasting for a total of 120 minutes.
The English Comprehension section consisted of 15 Questions to be completed in 30 minutes. The Logical Reasoning section consisted of 15 questions which was to be completed in 30 minutes and the Quantitative Ability section which had 30 questions to be completed in 60 minutes.
The question had a marking scheme of +3/–1 for MCQs questions. A candidate could have scored a maximum of 180 marks.
This analysis offers an in-depth evaluation of the entire paper and is based on first-hand exam experience from GradSquare mentor Varun Krishnan.
IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test Pattern 2026
The IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test 2026 was attended by two of the GradSquare faculty member. This analysis is a fist-hand understanding of the test’s design and difficulty level.
Overall difficulty of the IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test 2026 was moderate to difficult.
| Section | Questions | Time | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Comprehension | 15 | 30 mins | 45 |
| Logical Reasoning | 15 | 30 mins | 45 |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | 30 | 60 mins | 90 |
| Overall | 60 | 120 mins | 180 |
IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test Analysis 2026
English Comprehension
This section was pretty easy to navigate as compared to the other two sections. The 30 minutes allocated for this section was sufficient to complete the section if a student had a reasonably good reading speed. There were two reading comprehension sets each of 230-280 words and four questions following it. One of the reading comprehensions was on social awareness and another one on the tradeoff between technology advancement and spiritual advancement. Time management was not an issue, and the students could have completed the reading comprehensions in 12-15 minutes and could have spent the rest of the time on the 7 questions in the verbal ability part.
The break-up of the English Comprehension section is outlined below:
Reading Comprehension (2 passages): 8 questions – Moderate difficulty
Parajumbles: 1 question – Moderate difficulty
Grammar: 2 questions – Easy
Vocabulary: 2 questions – Easy
Odd Sentence: 1 question – Easy
Phrasal Verb: 1 question – Easy
Overall, the English Comprehension section ranged from easy to moderate level. Time management was not a concern, and students who approached the section with good preparation could have attempted all questions with high accuracy. The section rewarded comprehension, basic grammatical understanding, and vocabulary familiarity, rather than advanced linguistic skills.
The English Comprehension section served as a scoring opportunity for well-prepared candidates. Students who efficiently managed their RCs and avoided overthinking the verbal ability questions were well-positioned to maximize their scores in this section.
An attempt of 14-15 questions with an accuracy of 90% would be a very attempt in this section.
| Topics / Areas | Questions | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension (2) | 8 | Moderate |
| Parajumbles | 1 | Moderate |
| Grammar | 2 | Easy |
| Vocabulary | 2 | Easy |
| Odd Sentence | 1 | Easy |
| Phrasal Verb | 1 | Easy |
Logical Reasoning
The Logical Reasoning section of the IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test 2026 was rated easy to moderate in terms of overall difficulty. The section was largely on expected lines, closely aligning with the mock test released by IIM Bangalore on its official website. As a result, well-prepared students were able to approach this section with confidence. With 30 minutes allotted to Logical Reasoning, candidates who had prepared systematically could comfortably attempt 10–12 questions within the given time. All questions in this section were standalone, and there were no multi-question sets, allowing students to pick questions strategically and manage time efficiently.
The Logical Reasoning section featured a wide range of familiar topics, testing both basic reasoning skills and moderate analytical ability. The break-up of questions is outlined below:
Directions: 1 question – Easy
Blood Relations: 1 question – Easy
Numerical Series (Missing Numbers): 2 questions – Moderate
Alpha Numeric Series: 1 question – Moderate
Venn Diagram: 1 question – Easy
Set Theory: 2 questions – Easy–Moderate
Coding–Decoding: 1 question – Moderate
Arrangement: 1 question – Easy
Ranking & Sequence: 1 question – Easy
Odd One Out: 1 question – Easy
Critical Reasoning: 1 question – Moderate
Puzzles: 2 questions – Moderate
A majority of the questions were easy, making this section a scoring opportunity for candidates with strong fundamentals. Moderate-level questions were mostly from numerical series, coding–decoding, puzzles, and critical reasoning, requiring careful thinking but no lengthy calculations. Since all questions were standalone, students could avoid time-consuming questions and maximize accuracy by prioritizing easier topics such as directions, arrangements, ranking, and odd-one-out.
The Logical Reasoning section rewarded conceptual clarity and familiarity with standard question types rather than complex problem-solving. Candidates who had practiced mock tests and focused on accuracy were well-placed to score highly in this section. Overall, Logical Reasoning emerged as a balanced and manageable section, playing a crucial role in boosting overall test performance. A good attempt in this section could be about 10-11 questions with an accuracy of 90%.
| Topics / Areas | Questions | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Directions | 1 | Easy |
| Blood Relations | 1 | Easy |
| Numerical Series (Missing Numbers) | 2 | Moderate |
| Alpha Numeric Series | 1 | Moderate |
| Venn Diagram | 1 | Easy |
| Set Theory | 2 | Easy-Moderate |
| Coding-Decoding | 1 | Moderate |
| Arrangement | 1 | Easy |
| Ranking & Sequence | 1 | Easy |
| Odd one out | 1 | Easy |
| Critical Reasoning | 1 | Moderate |
| Puzzles | 2 | Moderate |
Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation
The Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation (QA–DI) section of the IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test 2026 emerged as the toughest section of the paper. The section was both time-consuming and demanding, making it difficult for candidates to attempt all questions within the 60 minutes allotted.
The section included two sets of Data Interpretation, which were rated easy to moderate in difficulty. Candidates who chose to attempt these DI sets could comfortably solve all 8 questions, provided they managed their time well. These sets offered relatively quick scoring opportunities when compared to some of the arithmetic- and algebra-heavy questions.
The Quantitative Ability portion had a strong emphasis on Arithmetic and Algebra, with 5 questions from Arithmetic and 4 questions from Algebra. While the questions themselves were doable and not conceptually difficult, the time constraint made this section challenging.
The topic-wise distribution is outlined below:
Percentages: 1 question – Easy
Profit & Loss: 1 question – Easy
Averages: 1 question – Moderate
Set Theory: 1 question – Moderate
Functions: 2 questions – Easy
Permutations & Combinations: 1 question – Easy–Moderate
Probability: 1 question – Moderate
Geometry: 1 question – Easy
Statistics: 1 question – Easy
Time, Speed & Distance: 1 question – Easy
Time & Work: 1 question – Moderate
Coordinate Geometry: 1 question – Moderate
Quadratic Equations: 1 question – Easy
Inequalities: 1 question – Moderate
Further Mathematics: 5 questions – Moderate
Sequence & Series (Progressions): 2 questions – Moderate
Data Interpretation: 8 questions – Easy–Moderate
Although most individual questions were not inherently difficult, the length and density of the section made time management critical. Candidates who planned their attempts wisely by prioritizing DI sets and easier arithmetic questions were better positioned to score well.
Given the time pressure, a reasonably good attempt range in this section was around 16–18 questions. Attempting beyond this without compromising accuracy was challenging for most candidates. The QA–DI section tested not just mathematical knowledge, but also speed, selection skills, and composure under pressure. Candidates who focused on accuracy, avoided lengthy calculations, and capitalized on easier DI sets could mitigate the difficulty of this section. Overall, QA–DI was the deciding section of the paper and played a crucial role in differentiating top performers.
| Topics / Areas | Questions | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Percentages | 1 | Easy |
| Profit & Loss | 1 | Easy |
| Averages | 1 | Moderate |
| Set Theory | 1 | Moderate |
| Functions | 2 | Easy |
| Permutations & Combinations | 1 | Easy-Moderate |
| Probability | 1 | Moderate |
| Geometry | 1 | Easy |
| Statistics | 1 | Easy |
| Time Speed & Distance | 1 | Easy |
| Time & Work | 1 | Moderate |
| Coordinate Geometry | 1 | Moderate |
| Quadratic Equation | 1 | Easy |
| Inequalities | 1 | Moderate |
| Data Interpretation | 8 | Easy - Moderate |
| Further Mathematics | 5 | Moderate |
| Sequance & Series (Progressions) | 2 | Moderate |
IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test Expected Cutoff 2026
Estimating the expected cut-off for an interview call in the IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test 2026 is particularly challenging, given that this is the inaugural edition of the examination and the number of available seats is extremely limited. With no historical data to refer to, any cut-off prediction must be viewed as indicative rather than definitive.
Adding to this uncertainty is the fact that the test is likely to have been attempted by a large number of IIT-JEE aspirants, especially those with strong quantitative backgrounds and an interest in Data Science and Economics. This is expected to push the cut-off for the Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation section higher, as such candidates are typically well-equipped to perform strongly in mathematics-intensive sections.
It is also expected that IIM Bangalore will shortlist candidates for the interview stage in a ratio of approximately 1:5, meaning that around 400 candidates may be called for the interview process. Considering the overall difficulty level of the paper, the competitive applicant pool, and the shortlisting ratio, the expected overall cut-off for an interview call is likely to be in the range of 105–110 marks. Candidates should note that this cut-off range is a best-estimate based on exam difficulty, candidate profile, and shortlisting norms, and the final cut-offs may vary once official shortlists are released by IIM Bangalore.
| Section | Good Attempt | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| English Comprehension | 33+ marks | Easy |
| Logical Reasoning | 30+ marks | Easy - Moderate |
| Quantitative Ability | 45+ marks | Moderate |
| Overall | 105-110 marks | Easy-Moderate |
| Category | Cut-off |
|---|---|
| General | 105-110 marks |
| EWS | 90-95 marks |
| NC OBC | 80-85 marks |
| SC | 65-75 marks |
IIM Bangalore UG Admission 2026 - Further Process
After clearing IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test, students are shortlisted and called for the Personal Interview process. The detailed timeline for the upcoming stages is as follows.
For the Academic Year 2026-27:
- Interview Window: 22–31 January 2026 (In person)
- Offer Release: 28 February 2026
- Last Date to Accept Offer: 31 March 2026
- Release of Waitlist: 15 April 2026
FAQ's About IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test 2026
Is the application window for IIM Bangalore UG Admissions 2026–27 still open?
Application status
No. The application window for the Academic Year 2026–27 is closed.
When was the IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test conducted?
Exam date
The IIM Bangalore UG Admission Test was conducted on 13 December 2025.
Which programmes are offered through this admission process?
Programme details
The test is for admission to IIM Bangalore’s B.Sc. (Hons) programmes in Data Science and Economics.
When will the interview process be conducted?
Interview schedule
The interview window is scheduled from 22 January to 31 January 2026 and will be conducted in person.
How many candidates are expected to be shortlisted for interviews?
Shortlisting ratio
IIM Bangalore is expected to shortlist candidates in an approximate 1:5 ratio, leading to around 400 interview calls.
When will the admission offers be released?
Offer timeline
The admission offers will be released on 28 February 2026.
What is the last date to accept the admission offer?
Acceptance deadline
The last date to accept the admission offer is 31 March 2026.
When will the waitlist be released?
Waitlist information
The waitlist is scheduled to be released on 15 April 2026.
Is this the first time IIM Bangalore is conducting an undergraduate admission test?
Exam background
Yes. This is the maiden undergraduate admission test conducted by IIM Bangalore.
Where should candidates check for official updates?
Official communication
Candidates should regularly check the official IIM Bangalore website and their registered email IDs for updates.
