Prepare for the IBA Admission Test
The IBA undergraduate test runs English first, then Mathematics, then an essay, and each section is locked once it ends. The Mathematics is applied: short real situations you must turn into an equation, not plain sums.
What is the IBA Admission Test paper pattern?
The IBA Admission Test has 90 MCQs and an essay to finish in 2 hours 45 minutes. English has 45 and Mathematics has 45.
| Section | Questions | Share of marks |
|---|---|---|
| English | 45 | 50% |
| Mathematics | 45 | 50% |
- Time
- 2 hours 45 minutes
- Total marks
- 360 (4 per correct answer)
- Negative marking
- None. A wrong answer scores 0.
- Calculator
- Not allowed
- Format
- Sections timed separately: English 45 minutes, Mathematics 80 minutes, essay 40 minutes
Checked on 12 November 2026 against IBA admissions. Patterns change between test series, so confirm the latest instructions there before test day.
Find out where you stand before you study
The free IBA diagnostic test follows the IBA Admission Test pattern on a smaller scale. Take it first, and you will know which subject to start with.
How to get your best IBA Admission Test score with AceMax
Six steps, in this order. Each uses a different part of AceMax, and each one builds on what the last showed you.
- 1
Find your weakest subject first
Take the free IBA diagnostic test. It follows the IBA Admission Test split on a smaller scale and tells you which subject to start with, so your first week goes where the marks are.
- 2
Put English first
English carries 50% of the IBA Admission Test marks. Build custom tests by subject and chapter, and every test adapts to you: it pulls from mistakes you have not fixed yet, your weak chapters and the ones you have not tried.
- 3
Fix the concept, not just the question
When a chapter keeps costing you marks, read its topic notes and formula sheet, then ask Jojo in Mentor mode to walk you through the idea with a worked example.
See how Jojo answers - 4
Rehearse full-length IBA papers
Sit full IBA Admission Test papers built from past entrance test questions, at the real length and time of 90 MCQs and an essay in 2 hours 45 minutes. A free account includes one paper; Pro and Premium unlock the rest.
- 5
Test yourself against other students
Join Prepathon, free timed papers with a national leaderboard, and Mockathon, full university-style mocks. Seeing your rank shows whether your score would hold on the day.
See Prepathon - 6
Review every miss, then track the trend
From any result, send a wrong answer to Jojo and get it worked through step by step. Your progress page shows which subjects are rising and which still need time.
IBA Admission Test questions students ask
Something else on your mind? Ask Jojo.
The IBA Admission Test covers English, Mathematics and Essay. Check the official instructions for how many questions each section has in your series.
The IBA Admission Test has 90 MCQs and an essay, and you get 2 hours 45 minutes to work through them. Every section sits in the same paper, so keeping your focus to the last question matters as much as knowing the content.
You get 2 hours 45 minutes. That is enough to attempt every question only if you keep moving, so practise full-length papers on the same clock before test day and the pace will feel normal.
English. It carries about 50% of the marks, so a small gain in accuracy there moves your total more than the same gain anywhere else. It is the natural place to start, with the other sections built around it.
The IBA Admission Test is marked out of 360 (4 per correct answer).
No. A wrong answer scores 0, so nothing is lost by guessing. That changes how you should sit the paper: never leave a question blank, and use the last few minutes to fill in anything you skipped.
No. Practise working without one so arithmetic does not slow you down on the day, and learn the shortcuts that keep calculations short.
Yes. The free IBA diagnostic test on this page follows the IBA Admission Test pattern on a smaller scale, and you do not need an account to take it. It shows your score and the subject to start with. A free AceMax account also includes one full-length IBA Admission Test paper built from past entrance test questions, so you can sit the real length before you decide on a plan. Pro and Premium unlock the rest.
Yes. Jojo, the AceMax study partner, works through any question step by step and knows the IBA Admission Test pattern. Send it a question you got wrong straight from your results, or switch to Exam coach mode for help with pacing and when to guess.
On the official IBA admissions website. Dates and registration windows change from series to series, so AceMax does not repeat them here. Check the official page before you plan your preparation around a date.
Start with the diagnostic test to find your weakest subject. Then practise that subject by chapter, with tests that adapt to the mistakes you have not fixed yet. Once your accuracy holds, sit full-length papers at the real length, and send every question you miss to Jojo. A free account is enough to start.
Start your IBA Admission Test preparation today
Take the diagnostic test, then practise the chapters that are costing you marks.