The Indian Aptitude Test (IAT) is the primary gateway for students aspiring to join the prestigious Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs). Candidates can also get admission to BS-MS programmes offered by IACS Kolkata and IIEST Shibpur and BS (Research) programmes offered by IISc Bangalore and IIT Madras through IAT.
To get admission to one of these IAT 2026 participating institutes, candidates must prepare strategically for each section of the exam. This SciAstra article provides detailed tips to prepare for the IAT 2026 Maths section.
IAT Maths Question Paper 2026: Overview
The IAT 2026 is scheduled to be held on June 7, 2026. If you are planning to appear for the exam, you must fill out the IAT 2026 application form and start preparing for it right now. The first step to approaching the preparation is to know the overall structure of the IAT 2026 question paper.
An in-depth understanding of the IAT 2026 exam pattern allows candidates to know the structure of the question paper. As per the pattern, there will be four sections in the IAT 2026 question paper: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Maths. The total number of questions from each section is 15 (a total of 60 questions from all sections). All these sections are mandatory.
Check out the IAT 2026 complete exam pattern below:
Features | Details |
Exam Name | IISER Aptitude Test (IAT), IISER Entrance Exam |
Exam Organising Institute | One of the IISERs |
Exam Level | Undergraduate Level |
Courses Offered |
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Exam Mode | Online |
Exam Frequency | Once a year |
Registration Fee | Gen/OBC/OBC-NCL/EWS - INR 2,000 SC/ST/KM/PwD - INR 1,000 |
Type of Question | Multiple Choice Question (60 questions) |
IAT Marking Scheme |
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Official Website |
Also Read:
How to Prepare for IAT 2026 Mathematics Section
Unlike traditional engineering or medical entrances, the Maths section of the IAT is designed to test conceptual depth rather than rote memorisation. Preparing for the section requires knowing the complete IAT 2026 Maths syllabus, exam pattern, and high-weightage topics. These details are mentioned below in the article.
Understand IAT 2026 Syllabus for Mathematics
The IAT 2026 Maths syllabus is based on the NCERT Class 11 and Class 12 curriculum for Maths. The question paper of IAT 2026 will include questions from the topics covered in the curriculum. Check out the complete IAT 2026 Maths syllabus below:
Sets and Logic:
Set: Representing sets in different ways. Subsets. Different types of sets e.g. universal set, finite or infinite sets, intervals in the real line. Various operations on sets. Properties of various operations on sets. Venn diagram. Ordered pairs. Cartesian products.
Relations & functions: Type of relations. Equivalence relation. Functions. Types of functions. Composition of functions, inverse of a function. Real valued functions: algebraic operations of real valued functions, different types of real valued functions (e.g. polynomial, rational, modules, signum, etc), graphical representation of real valued functions.
Basic counting techniques
Permutations and Combinations: Fundamental principles of counting. Factorial n. Permutations and combinations- derivation of formulae and their connections. Applications.
Binomial Theorem: Binomial theorem for positive integral indices. Pascal’s triangle. General and middle term in binomial expansion. Applications.
Complex numbers, linear and quadratic equations
Complex Numbers: Motivation for complex numbers. Representation of complex numbers in the plane as a pair of real numbers and their representation of the form a+ib. Polar representation and the Argand plane. Algebra of complex numbers. Modulus and conjugate of a complex number. Statement of the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra.
Quadratic Equations: Quadratic equations and their solutions. Relation between roots and the coefficients of quadratic equations.
Linear Inequalities: Inequalities, Algebraic solution of linear inequalities in one variable and their graphical representation.
Trigonometric functions
Measures of angles and their conversions. Trigonometric functions, identities, and their geometric interpretations. Applications of trigonometric equations. Inverse trigonometric functions and properties. Graphs of trigonometric functions.
Vectors
Vectors and scalars. Magnitude and direction of a vector. Direction cosines/ ratios. Types of vectors. Position vector. Negative and components of a vector. Addition of vectors. Multiplication of a vector by a scalar. Position vector of a point dividing a line segment in the given ratio. Dot and cross products of vectors. Projection of a vector on another vector/ line.
Matrices & determinants
Matrices: Concept, notation, order, equality, transpose of a matrix, types of matrices, simple properties of addition, multiplication, scalar multiplication, and multiplication of matrices. Concept of elementary row and column operations. Invertible matrices and proof of the uniqueness of inverse, if it exists. Applications of matrices.
Determinants: Determinant of a square matrix (up to 3 X 3 matrices), properties of determinants, minors, cofactors, and applications of determinants in finding the area of a triangle. Adjoint and inverse of a square matrix. Applications of determinants.
Coordinate geometry
Cartesian system of rectangular coordinates in a plane. Shifting of origin.
Straight Lines: Slope of a line and angle between two lines. Various forms of equations of a line. General equation of a line. Distance of a point from a line.
Conic Sections: Sections of a cone: Circles, ellipse, parabola, hyperbola, a point, a straight line, and a pair of intersecting lines as a degenerated case of a conic section. Standard equations and simple properties of parabola, ellipse, and hyperbola. Standard equation of a circle, the general form of the equation of a circle.
Three-dimensional geometry
Coordinate axes and planes. Distance between points. Section formula. Direction cosines and direction ratios of a line. Various forms of the equation of a line. Angle between two lines and two planes. Shortest distance between two lines in three-dimensional space. Coplanar and skew line. Cartesian and vector equation of a plane. Distance of a point from a plane.
Sequences & series
Arithmetic and Geometric progressions. Sums of finite and infinite geometric series. Sums of finite terms in arithmetic series. Arithmetic mean (A.M.) and geometric mean (G.M.). Relation between A.M and G.M. Sums of first n-terms of the special series, for example, ∑ n, ∑ n^2 and ∑ n^3.
Limit & continuity
Limits. Continuity. Algebraic properties of limits. Algebraic properties of continuous functions. Limits and continuity of real valued functions, polynomials, rational functions, trigonometric functions, exponential functions, and inverse functions.
Differentiation
Differentiation: Definition of derivative and relating it to slope of tangent of the curve. Derivative of sum, difference, product, and quotient of functions. Derivative of some standard functions e.g. polynomial, trigonometric, inverse trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions. Derivative of composite functions via chain rule. Derivative of implicit functions and functions in parametric forms. Logarithmic derivative. Second order derivatives.
Application of Derivatives: Rate of change, increasing/decreasing functions, tangents and normals maxima and minima.
Integration
Integration: Integration as inverse process of differentiation. Integrals involving algebraic, trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions. Integration of a variety of functions by substitution, by partial fractions, by parts and using trigonometric identities. Evaluation of integrals of some standard types. Fundamental theorem of calculus. Basic properties and evaluation of definite integrals.
Applications of Integration: Finding the area of region under simple curves. Finding the area of the region between two simple curves.
Differential equations
Definition, order, degree. Formation of a differential equation. Solution by separation of variables. Homogeneous differential equation of first order and degree. Solution of the equations dy/dx +P y=Q where P and Q are functions of x or constant and similarly for dx/dy +P x=Q where P and Q are functions of y or constant.
Statistics, Probability & Linear Programming
Statistics: Measure of dispersion; mean deviation, variance, and standard deviation of ungrouped/grouped data.
Probability: Random experiments: outcomes, sample spaces (set representation). Events: Occurrence of events, ‘not’, ‘and’ & ‘or’ events, exhaustive events, mutually exclusive events. Axiomatic (set theoretic) probability. Probability of an event, probability of ‘not’, ‘and’, & ‘or’ events. Multiplication theorem on probability. Conditional probability, independent events, total probability, Baye’s theorem.
Also Read:
IAT 2026 Syllabus (Detailed)
How to Prepare for IAT Biology Section
How to Prepare for IAT Physics Section
How to Prepare for IAT Chemistry Section
Focus on IAT Maths Important Topics
The smart strategy to score well in the IAT 2026 is to know the important topics related to the Maths section and focus on them primarily while preparing for the exam.
To help you understand the most important topics for IAT 2026, SciAstra has analysed the IAT previous years’ question papers (PYQs) from 2017 to 2025. This analysis facilitated the identification of the weightage for each topic. The meaning of 'weightage' here is the exact number of times questions from a particular topic occurred in the IISER Aptitude Test from 2017 to 2025.
Based on the analysis of PYQs from 2020 to 2025, check out the important Maths topics for IAT 2026 and their respective weightage below:
Mathematics | |||||||
Section | Chapters | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
Algebra | Set Theory | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
Quadratic Equation | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | |
Complex number | - | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | |
Sequence & Series | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | |
Binomial Theorem | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | |
Matrices & Determinants | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Mathematical induction | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Differential Calculus | Basic Maths | - | - | - | 1 | - | - |
Relations | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | |
Functions | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Application of Derivatives | 1 | - | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
Continuity & Differentiability | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Limits | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | |
Probability and Statistics | Probability | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Statistics | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | |
Permutation & Combination | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | |
Integral Calculus | Differential Equation | - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Indefinite & Definite Integral | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Area under Curve | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | |
Geometry | Straight Lines | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - |
Conic Sections | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | |
Circles | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | |
Vectors | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | |
3D geometry | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | |
Trigonometry | Trigonometric Equation | - | 1 | - | - | - | - |
Unlock Complete Analysis for “IAT Chemistry Section”
The complete chapter-wise trend analysis for IAT 2026 from 2017 to 2025 for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Maths has been provided in the IISER Aptitude Test - IAT Mock Book.
Click on the link below to purchase it:
IAT 2026 Preparation Book for PCMB | |
IISER Aptitude Test - IAT Mock Book | |
IAT Mathematics Chapter Wise Weightage
Mathematics in the IISER Aptitude Test (IAT) 2026 focuses on logical reasoning, problem-solving skills, and conceptual clarity from the Class 11 and 12 syllabus. Check out the chapter wise weightage distribution of Mathematics subject in IAT previous year exams from here:
Solve IAT Previous Year Question Papers
Solving IAT PYQs can help you identify the “IISER style” questions, which refers to the types of questions asked in the IISER Aptitude Test.
The previous years’ question papers for the IISER Aptitude Test are available below:
IAT PYQs | ||
Year | English Question Paper | Hindi Question Paper |
2025 | ||
2024 | ||
2023 | ||
2022 | ||
2021 | ||
2019 | ||
2018 | ||
2017 | ||
Also check the video below to learn IAT 2026 Mathematics Preparation Tips:
Take IAT 2026 Mock Test
For current aspirants, the 2026 Mock Test is the best resource to understand the interface and question style. It is highly recommended to practise these in a timed environment to master the "15 questions in 30 minutes" strategy.
Candidates can check out the IAT 2026 mock test offered by SciAstra below:
SciAstra IAT Test Series
SciAstra has developed an IAT Mock Test that simulates the actual test conditions and replicates the IAT exam pattern. This helps candidates to be prepared for the real IISER Aptitude Test.
The SciaAstra team has recently launched a FOCUS test series, which will emphasise Full Online Controlled Understanding and Simulation, helping candidates experience the real-time environment of the IISER aptitude test 2026.
The IAT 2026 FOCUS mock test is designed based on the official exam pattern, and the difficulty level is determined through an in-depth analysis of previous years’ question papers. Candidates will get Unit-wise, Half-length, and Full-length test series, covering all chapters to assess their domain understanding, cognitive skills, and analytical abilities as per the IISER 2026 syllabus.
Attempt the IISER Exam 2026 Test Series to check your exam preparation level to get admissions to the IISERs and othe IAT participating institutes here:
Conclusion
Scoring well in the IAT Maths section of the IAT question paper 2026 requires a shift from "memorising" to "analysing" the previous years’ question papers. It also includes understanding the exam pattern and the IAT Maths syllabus. It is recommended for candidates to practise the most important Maths topics mentioned in this article first.