IMAT 2024 Exam Recap: Structure, Scores, and Rankings

This article addresses how the IMAT 2024 was organized, what question types were included, how many marks were awarded for correct answers, the minimum scores needed to be ranked, and how ties were resolved. It also covers the time limit, negative marking, and the separate rankings for EU and non-EU applicants.

Overview of the 2024 Question Format

Last year, the exam featured sixty (60) questions in total. The allocation was divided into:

• 4 questions in Reading Skills and Knowledge Acquired During Studies
• 5 questions in Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving
• 23 questions in Biology
• 15 questions in Chemistry
• 13 questions in Math and Physics

Time Allowed

Candidates received 100 minutes to complete all sections, effectively allowing around 1 minute and 40 seconds per question. Efficient time management was crucial, especially for students who preferred to start with logical or critical sections before moving on to content-heavy areas.

IMAT 2024 Sections in Detail

Although there were 5 official categories, students effectively found 8 sub-sections:

1. Critical Thinking
2. Problem Solving
3. Reading Skills
4. General Knowledge
5. Biology
6. Chemistry
7. Math
8. Physics

This layout mirrored the structure from 2023, providing a sense of continuity for repeat test-takers.

Minimum Score to Be Ranked

• EU Students needed a score of 20 or above to be entered into the ranking.
• Non-EU Students needed only to score above 0.

In practice, these thresholds did not guarantee admission. The actual cut-off depended on how many seats were available and how all candidates performed.

Marking and Scoring Method

Students could achieve a maximum of 90 marks. The grading policy included negative marking:

• +1.5 marks for each correct answer
• -0.4 marks for each incorrect answer
• 0 marks for any unanswered question

Managing risk on unfamiliar questions was essential, as random guessing could reduce the total score due to the penalty for wrong responses.

Separate Rankings for EU and Non-EU

Candidates competed within their specific EU or non-EU bracket. Offers were extended to those who scored the highest in each category.

In the event of a tie for the final seat, a strict tie-breaking procedure followed:

1. Compare overall performance on biology, chemistry, physics and math, logical reasoning and problem solving, reading skills and knowledge (in that order).
2. If still tied, the candidate who uploaded an English language diploma took precedence.
3. If both did the above, the person who provided a disability certificate was given priority.
4. If there was still no difference, the younger candidate was offered the seat.

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