IPMAT Marking Scheme & Negative Marking — Indore vs Rohtak
Direct answer: IPMAT uses different marking across its sections. At IIM Indore, the Quant Short-Answer section has no negative marking, while QA-MCQ and Verbal deduct −1 per wrong answer, under a 40-minute sectional lock. IIM Rohtak applies −1 across all sections with no lock and adds Logical Reasoning. Verify against iimidr.ac.in / iimrohtak.ac.in for the current cycle.
The three IPMAT exams at a glance
| Exam | Questions / Marks / Time | Sectional lock | Negative marking |
|---|---|---|---|
| IIM Indore | 90 Q · 360 marks · 120 min | 40 min / section | QA-SA: none · QA-MCQ & VA: −1 |
| IIM Rohtak | 120 Q · 480 marks · 120 min | None | −1 in all sections |
| JIPMAT (Jammu, Bodh Gaya) | 100 Q · 150 min | None | per official bulletin |
Indore marking — where ranks are made
QA-SA (type-in) has no negative marking — leaving any blank is a guaranteed loss versus a reasoned attempt, so attempt all of them. QA-MCQ and Verbal deduct −1, so guess only after eliminating at least one option. The 40-minute sectional lock means you cannot bank time between sections — pace per section, not overall.
Rohtak marking
Rohtak deducts −1 everywhere and has no sectional lock, so you control your own time across QA, VA and LR — which means the real risk is over-investing in one section. Sequence strength-first to bank a cushion before harder sections.
The marking math (strategy core)
A blind 4-option guess under −1 has an expected value of (0.25×4) + (0.75×−1) = +0.25 — barely positive and high-variance. Eliminating even one option shifts the odds decisively in your favour; that is the entire guessing strategy.
On no-negative sections (Indore QA-SA), the math is simpler: a blank scores zero, a reasoned attempt has only upside — so never leave one blank. Build this instinct with IPMAT coaching and check your target via cutoffs & composite.