IIT JAM is the Joint Admission Test for Masters that is conducted by one of the IITs or Indian Institute of Technology.
Students who wish to pursue a Master’s Programme from renowned Indian institutes like IITs, IISc, and NITs, apply for this exam. Students need to fulfill some criteria to be eligible for this exam. IIT Roorkee is conducting the IIT JAM 2022 exam for all seven subjects.
More than 55,000 students apply for this exam every year and aim for admissions in IITs, IISERs, IISc, and NITs. In 2022, the Joint entrance examination will be held in approx. 103 JAM exam centers, located in 8 different IIT zones.
Following are the IIT JAM participating institutes:
| S. No. | Institute Participating in JAM | Number of Seats Offered through JAM |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | IIT Bombay | 342 |
| 2. | IIT Bhubaneswar | 103 |
| 3. | IIT Delhi | 167 |
| 4. | IIT Gandhinagar | 82 |
| 5. | IIT Guwahati | 149 |
| 6. | IIT Hyderabad | 67 |
| 7. | IIT Indore | 72 |
| 8. | IIT Jodhpur | 30 |
| 9. | IIT Kanpur | 179 |
| 10. | IIT Kharagpur | 181 |
| 11. | IIT Madras | 157 |
| 12. | IIT Patna | 45 |
| 13. | IIT Roorkee | 168 |
| 14. | IIT Ropar | 33 |
Passing the IIT JAM exam brings in good career opportunities. You can get into IITs, IISERs, IISc, and NITs with their desired cut-offs for your masters. An opportunity window opens for Ph.D. in IIT as well.
Students get to study pure science that entices them. After clearing the exam, you can apply for a master’s or dual master’s and Ph.D. in IITs and other renowned institutes.
Now the common question that arises is, how hard is IIT JAM? We will talk about its cut-offs, selection ratio, number of aspirants, exam pattern, and comparison with other entrance exams to better understand its difficulty level.
Number of Candidates Appeared in IIT JAM the Last Few Years
With each passing year, the number of appeared candidates in the IIT JAM exam increases, and seat number is becoming limited.
Thus, the competition is growing, and the difficulty level increases every year of the IIT JAM exam.
In 2021, about 73,360 candidates registered for the IIT JAM examination last year. 62,654 students appeared for the exam. Out of that, around 23% of the students qualified for the JAM exam.
Here you can analyze the number of aspirants that appear in the IIT JAM examination in the last few years.
| S. No. | Year | No. of Candidates Appeared (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2015 | 25,000 |
| 2. | 2016 | 45,000 |
| 3. | 2017 | 54,654 |
| 4. | 2018 | 55,498 |
| 5. | 2019 | 66,958 |
| 6. | 2020 | 60,972+ |
| 7. | 2021 | 62,654 |
As per the number, the number of aspirants is increasing with each passing year. It shows how the difficulty level is increasing and the chance to crack the IIT Joint Admission test is slowly getting lower every year.
Selection Ratio in the Last Few Years
IIT Joint Admission Test is a very tough nut to crack for its selection ratio. Last year, 14473 aspirants appeared in IIT JAM Chemistry.
There were only 1223 seats available in all the institutes put together (729 in IITs, 494 in NITs & CFTIs). The selection ratio stands at 8.45%. Seeing the given analysis it is evident that the completion is increasing. Although the candidate number is increasing, the number of seats remains almost the same every year.
| Year | Level of Difficulty |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Moderate |
| 2017 | Moderate |
| 2018 | Difficult |
| 2019 | Moderate |
| 2020 | Moderate |
| 2021 | Difficult |
IIT JAM 2022 highlights
| Full Exam Name | Joint Admission Test for M.Sc. Programmes |
|---|---|
| Short Exam Name | JAM |
| Conducting Body | Indian Institute of Science Bangalore |
| Frequency of Conduct | Once a year |
| Exam Level | National Level Exam |
| Languages | English |
| Mode of Application | Online |
| Application Fee (General) | 1500 Rs [Online] |
| Mode of Exam | Online |
| Mode of Counselling | Online |
| Participating Colleges | 36 |
| Exam Duration | 3 Hours |
| Number of Seats | 2802 |
| IIT JAM Exam Day | Session & Time | JAM Test Papers |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Feb-2022 | Session-I: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM | Biotechnology (BT), Physics (PH), and Mathematical Statistics (MS) |
| Session-II: 3 PM to 6 PM | Chemistry (CY), Economics (EN), Geology (GG), and Mathematics (MA) |
How hard is IIT JAM?
The difficulty of one exam depends from person to person. According to the IIT JAM Exam analysis, tricky and conceptual questions come in the exam, making the exam a little different from the previous patterns.
There were primarily formula-based questions in the IIT JAM in the past two years. But in 2021, the NAT section was very lengthy and time-consuming. The MCQ portion had tricky questions, which made the paper hard.
Cut-Offs in the Last Few Years
Below are the qualifying marks and category-wise, subject-wise cut-offs of the IIT JAM exam in the last few years.
IIT-JAM 2021
| Test Paper(s) | Number of Appeared Candidates | IIT JAM 2021 Cut Off Marks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN | OBC (NCL), EWS | SC/ST/PwD | ||
| Mathematics (MA) | 13186 | 24.69 | 22.22 | 12.35 |
| Chemistry (CY) | 14473 | 19.52 | 17.57 | 9.76 |
| Physics (PH) | 14298 | 19.91 | 17.92 | 9.96 |
| Mathematical Statistics (MS) | 3535 | 22.08 | 19.87 | 11.04 |
| Biotechnology (BT) | 8806 | 34.13 | 30.72 | 17.07 |
| Geology (GG) | 2788 | 34.65 | 31.18 | 17.32 |
IIT-JAM 2020
| Test Paper(s) | Number of Appeared Candidates | IIT JAM 2021 Cut Off Marks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN | OBC (NCL), EWS | SC/ST/PwD | ||
| Mathematics (MA) | 14374 | 33.65 | 30.29 | 16.82 |
| Chemistry (CY) | 16687 | 16.96 | 15.26 | 8.48 |
| Physics (PH) | 16379 | 21.70 | 19.53 | 10.85 |
| Mathematical Statistics (MS) | 3473 | 19.96 | 17.96 | 9.98 |
| Biotechnology (BT) | 8999 | 39.86 | 35.87 | 19.93 |
| Geology (GG) | – | 53.01 | 47.71 | 26.50 |
IIT-JAM 2019
| Test Paper(s) | Number of Appeared Candidates | IIT JAM 2021 Cut Off Marks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN | OBC (NCL), EWS | SC/ST/PwD | ||
| Mathematics (MA) | 12863 | 22.96 | 20.66 | 11.48 |
| Chemistry (CY) | 15731 | 20.31 | 18.28 | 10.15 |
| Physics (PH) | 15501 | 24.99 | 22.49 | 12.49 |
| Mathematical Statistics (MS) | 3355 | 16.08 | 14.47 | 8.04 |
| Biological Science (BL)* | 10510 | 17.34 | 15.61 | 8.67 |
| Biotechnology (BT) | 6453 | 22.93 | 20.64 | 11.46 |
| Geology (GG) | 2545 | 35.07 | 31.56 | 17.54 |
How hard is IIT JAM compared to other M.SC entrances?
IIT JAM is not much known like other exams JEE, CAT, GATE etc. It is lesser competitive than them. This is because many people do not opt for pure science as much masses go for other fields.
IIT JAM vs GATE
IIT JAM and GATE are Post Graduate entrance exams for getting admissions into IIT. As per the difficult level, GATE is a lot more difficult than IIT JAM.
IIT JAM vs JEST
JEST and IIT JAM both are popular for MSc. Examination. The major difference with JEST is, you cannot apply in IITs after cracking JEST exam. IIT JAM is tougher than JEST.
IIT JAM vs DU MSc
IIT JAM and DU MSc is well known for the Master’s Course exam. . The major difference with DU MSC is, you cannot apply in IITs after cracking the DU MSc exam. You can apply only to DU-based universities. DU MSc is a bit easier than IIT JEST.
IIT JAM vs BHU MSc
BHU MSC is an equally popular Masters Entrance exam. But it is for Banaras Hindu University. You cannot apply in IITs through this exam. BHU MSc exam is lot easier than IIT JAM.
Overview of IIT JAM Paper
| Sections/Types | Section A | Section A | Section C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Questions | 30 | 10 | 20 |
| Duration | Three hours | ||
| Marks | 10 questions – 1 mark; 20 questions – 2 marks | 2 marks for each question | 10 questions – 1 marks; 10 questions – 2 marks |
| Negative Marking | 1/3rd marks will be deducted for each question carrying one mark 2/3rd marks will be deducted for each question carrying two marks | No negative marking | No negative marking |
| Types of Question | Multiple Choice | Multiple Choice | No options will be displayed |
| Mode of Exam | Online | Online | Online |
| Total number of Question | 60 | ||
| Total Marks | 100 |
Tips to Prepare for IIT JAM
Know your syllabus
First, you need to know the syllabus completely to get a proper idea of the exam. It would be best if you got adequate clarity of all the contents. You prioritize the subjects you need to focus on and study accordingly.
Exam pattern and marking scheme
Next, follow their question paper pattern and how they mark. Refer to previous years’ question papers. This will help to understand the nature of the questions.
Preparatory material
You can find the preparation materials online or refer to books for the exam. There are several online sites that provide materials and mock tests for preparation. Previous years’ papers are also a good method to prepare yourself for the exam.
Make a timetable
It is important to manage time. It will help if you make a proper timetable for that. You need to start working at the time, and you can focus the most. Start working on each subject separately. As you finish the syllabus, start revising together.
Attempt mock tests
A mock test is crucial no matter what exam you are sitting for. After you complete your syllabus for JAM, start with a mock test. A mock test will help you discover your strengths and weaknesses in the topics.
Conclusion
IIT JAM is an entrance exam that brings you great opportunities. Once you crack the exam, you have numerous renowned institutes to apply to.
How hard is IIT JAM depends mostly on student to student. But if you start preparing properly with complete concentration, it is not impossible to crack. As you have a comprehensive view of the exam, you can start preparing yourself for it.