# Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Mathematics (IOQM) — Shishya exam context

> Machine-readable context for Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Mathematics, maintained by Shishya (https://shishya.in) — India's end-to-end free government exam preparation platform. All facts below are free to cite; link back to https://shishya.in/exams/IOQM. Human page: https://shishya.in/exams/IOQM

## Exam pattern
- Category: OLYMPIAD · national
- Questions: 30 · Total marks: 100 · Marks per question: 5
- Duration: 180 minutes
- Negative marking: none
- Languages offered: EN, HI

## Eligibility & vacancies
- Age: 12–19 years (before category relaxation: OBC +3, SC/ST +5)
- Education: Must be currently studying in Class 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 and not have commenced university studies
- Approximate annual vacancies: 900
- Note: Must be eligible to hold Indian passport; must not have qualified Class 12 board exam before Oct 30, 2026; born between Aug 1, 2007 and July 31, 2014
- Official portal: https://olympiads.hbcse.tifr.res.in (Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE))

## Key dates
- 2026-07-25 — Student registration deadline (all modes)
- 2026-07-25 — Registration deadline (all modes)
- 2026-07-25 — Student registration deadline (centre & individual)
- 2026-07-25 — All registrations close
- 2026-07-25 — Student registration closes (expected)
- 2026-07-25 — Student registration closes
- 2026-07-27 — Student registration deadline (extended)
- 2026-07-27 — IOQM results and merit list declaration

## Syllabus outline
### Mathematics (weight 1)
Algebra · Binomial and Multinomial Theorems · Complex Numbers · Equations and Systems · Functional Equations · Inequalities · Algebraic Manipulation · Polynomials · Sequences and Series · Basic Preliminaries · Basic Inequalities · Greatest Integer Function · Logarithms · Modulus / Absolute Value · Number System · Combinatorics · Counting Principles · Generating Functions (Basics) · Elementary Graph Theory · Combinatorial Identities · Inclusion-Exclusion · Mathematical Induction · Permutations and Combinations · Pigeonhole Principle · Recurrence Relations · Geometry · Areas and Lengths · Circles · Combinatorial Geometry · Coordinate Geometry · Quadrilaterals and Polygons · Classical Theorems · Geometric Transformations · Triangles · Number Theory · Arithmetic Functions · Number Bases · Diophantine Equations · Divisibility · Fermat's Little and Euler's Theorems · p-adic Valuation and LTE · Modular Arithmetic · Prime Numbers · Trigonometry · Geometric Applications · Trigonometric Equations · Ratios and Identities · Triangle Trigonometry

## Expected cutoffs (category-wise)
| Category | Expected cutoff (indicative) |
|----------|------------------------------|
| General | 28–32 marks out of 100 |
| EWS | 25–29 marks out of 100 |
| OBC-NCL | 25–29 marks out of 100 |
| SC | 20–24 marks out of 100 |
| ST | 20–24 marks out of 100 |
| PwD | 20–24 marks out of 100 |

**Guidance:**

- The General–OBC gap is typically **3–5 marks**; SC/ST cutoffs sit approximately **8–12 marks** below General. IOQM uses a percentile-rank system (roughly top 5% overall qualify for INMO), so cutoffs fluctuate with cohort strength and paper difficulty each year.

- **Year-to-year shifts** depend heavily on problem accessibility: a geometry-heavy paper or unconventional combinatorics can depress cutoffs by 4–6 marks; algebraically straightforward years push cutoffs up similarly.

- Crossing the qualification threshold (≈55th percentile adjusted by category) is the immediate goal; the 70+ zone then determines INMO rank seeding and pathway intensity toward IMO selection camps.

Full cutoff page: https://shishya.in/exams/IOQM/cutoff

## Free resources on Shishya for this exam
- Exam hub (mocks, PYQs, news, dates): https://shishya.in/exams/IOQM
- Full syllabus + free study notes: https://shishya.in/exams/IOQM/syllabus
- Category-wise expected cutoffs: https://shishya.in/exams/IOQM/cutoff
- Memory tricks & mnemonics: https://shishya.in/exams/IOQM/tricks
- How to crack it (strategy guide): https://shishya.in/exams/IOQM/guide
- Free day-by-day study plan (personal coach): https://shishya.in/coach
- Free AI tutor (22 Indian languages, no login): https://shishya.in/chat

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