IITM BS Qualifier Sept 2026: Most Important Topics, Week-wise Lectures, PYQs & Free Notes
IITM BS Qualifier Sept 2026: most-asked topics ranked from 16 past papers, week-wise lectures, PYQs, important questions and free notes for all 4 subjects.
If you are writing the IITM BS Qualifier in September 2026, this is the only page you need. We went through every Qualifier and Quiz 1 paper since 2023 (16 papers) and ranked each topic by how often it was asked. Below you get the most important topics for Maths 1, Statistics 1, Computational Thinking and English 1, week-wise video lectures, practice videos, PYQs, important questions and free notes, all linked.
Get every lecture, note and PYQ in one place, FREE: Enrol in the free Qualifier Sept 2026 batch
What is on this page
- IITM BS Qualifier exam pattern and passing marks
- Maths 1: most important topics and week-wise lectures
- Statistics 1: most important topics and week-wise lectures
- Computational Thinking: most important topics and week-wise lectures
- English 1: most important topics and revision
- Qualifier and Quiz 1 crash course batches
- Free notes, PYQs and important questions
- How to prepare for the Qualifier in the last few weeks
- FAQs on the IITM BS Qualifier Sept 2026
IITM BS Qualifier exam pattern and passing marks
The Qualifier is one in-person exam that tests only Weeks 1 to 4 of the four foundation courses. Questions are objective: single correct MCQ, multiple select (MSQ) and numerical answer type (NAT).
| Subject | Approx. number of questions |
|---|---|
| Mathematics for Data Science I | 15 to 16 |
| Statistics for Data Science I | 15 to 16 |
| Computational Thinking | 22 to 25 |
| English I | 55 to 60 |
| Total | 107 to 117 |
Each question carries 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 marks. Because the marks are uneven, one or two wrong high-mark questions can pull your percentage down a lot. To qualify you need at least 40% in every subject and at least 50% overall. Both conditions must be met.
So the plan is simple: secure the topics that come in almost every paper first. The tables below show exactly which ones those are.
Maths 1: most important topics and week-wise lectures
Weeks 1 to 4 cover Sets and Functions, Straight Lines, Quadratic Functions and Polynomials. Here is how often each topic was asked across 16 Qualifier and Quiz 1 papers.
| Rank | Topic | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quadratics: roots, vertex, discriminant, maximum and minimum | 16 of 16 papers |
| 2 | Polynomials: degree, roots, turning points, end behaviour, graphs | 15 of 16 papers |
| 3 | Relations: reflexive, symmetric, transitive, function | 15 of 16 papers |
| 4 | SSE and best-fit lines | 14 of 16 papers |
| 5 | Straight lines: slope, distance, intersection, parallel and perpendicular | 13 of 16 papers |
| 6 | Sets, set operations and Cartesian products | 9 of 16 papers |
| 7 | Three-set Venn diagrams and survey counting | 6 of 16 papers |
| 8 | Functions: domain, range, one-one, onto | 4 of 16 papers |
| 9 | Number systems | 1 of 16 papers |
Quadratics is asked in every single paper. Learn the discriminant, the quadratic formula, the vertex and the axis of symmetry until you can do them without thinking. Many numerical (NAT) questions come from here. For polynomials, focus on the remainder and factor theorems, x-intercepts, multiplicity, end behaviour and turning points.
Maths 1 week-wise video lectures
| Week | Topics | Detailed lecture | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sets, relations, functions, number systems | Watch Week 1 | Practice P1 and Practice P2 |
| Week 2 | Coordinate geometry, straight lines, SSE and line fit | Watch Week 2 | Practice Week 2 |
| Week 3 | Quadratic functions | Watch Week 3 | Practice Week 3 |
| Week 4 | Polynomials: algebra, division and graphs | Watch Week 4 | Coming soon |
Maths 1 one-shot revision: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Practise Maths 1 questions: Maths 1 Qualifier important questions and Maths 1 PYQs on Quiz Space
Maths 1 notes (Weeks 1 to 4): Free Maths 1 Qualifier notes
Statistics 1: most important topics and week-wise lectures
Weeks 1 to 4 cover Types of Data, Describing Categorical Data, Describing Numerical Data, and Association between two variables.
| Rank | Topic | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Types of data, scales of measurement and variables | 15 of 16 papers |
| 2 | Mean, median and mode | 13 of 16 papers |
| 3 | Percentiles, quartiles and IQR | 12 of 16 papers |
| 4 | Correlation and covariance | 11 of 16 papers |
| 5 | Standard deviation and variance | 11 of 16 papers |
| 6 | Descriptive vs inferential statistics, population and sample | 9 of 16 papers |
| 7 | Contingency tables, row and column proportions | 6 of 16 papers |
| 8 | Effect of adding or scaling data on mean, SD and IQR | 5 of 16 papers |
| 9 | Frequency and relative frequency tables | 5 of 16 papers |
| 10 | Stem-and-leaf plots and histograms | 5 of 16 papers |
| 11 | Bar charts, pie charts and Pareto charts | 4 of 16 papers |
| 12 | Point bi-serial correlation | 3 of 16 papers |
Scales of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio) come almost every time, and they are quick marks. Quartiles and percentiles are where most students lose marks because of position-based calculation errors, so practise them until your method is fixed.
Statistics 1 week-wise video lectures
| Week | Topics | Detailed lecture | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Types of data, scales of measurement, descriptive and inferential statistics | Watch Week 1 | Practice Week 1 |
| Week 2 | Describing categorical data: frequency tables, charts, mode and median | Watch Week 2 | Practice Week 2 |
| Week 3 | Describing numerical data: mean, median, variance, SD, quartiles, IQR | Watch Week 3 | Practice Week 3 |
| Week 4 | Association: contingency tables, scatterplots, covariance, correlation | Watch Week 4 | Practice playlist |
Statistics 1 one-shot revision: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Practise Statistics 1 questions: Stats 1 Qualifier important questions and Stats 1 PYQs on Quiz Space
Statistics 1 notes (Weeks 1 to 4): Free Stats 1 Qualifier notes
Computational Thinking: most important topics and week-wise lectures
CT has the second-highest number of questions, 22 to 25. Weeks 1 to 4 cover Flowcharts and Pseudocode, Iteration, Procedures, and Nested Iteration.
| Rank | Question type | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What a variable represents after the code runs | 16 of 16 papers |
| 2 | Fill in the missing code (procedures and conditions) | 15 of 16 papers |
| 3 | Datasets built from a paragraph or sentence | 13 of 16 papers |
| 4 | Find the mistakes in the pseudocode | 12 of 16 papers |
| 5 | Pairs of rows (nested loops, pair procedures) | 12 of 16 papers |
| 6 | Expressions, data types and procedure values | 10 of 16 papers |
| 7 | Sanity of data (which rows have mistakes) | 8 of 16 papers |
| 8 | Flowcharts and hypotheses | 1 of 16 papers |
"What does this variable represent at the end?" comes in every paper. The only way to get fast at it is to dry-run pseudocode by hand on the cards dataset, the words dataset and the scores dataset. Nested iteration (pairs of rows, birthday paradox, binning) carries high marks and is where students make the most mistakes.
Computational Thinking week-wise video lectures
| Week | Topics | Detailed lecture | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Variables, datasets, flowcharts, sanity of data | Watch Week 1 | Practice Week 1 |
| Week 2 | Iteration, filtering, datatypes, finding max and min | Watch Week 2 | Practice Week 2 |
| Week 3 | Multiple iterations, procedures, parameters, side-effects, AND and OR | Watch Week 3 | Practice Week 3 |
| Week 4 | Nested iteration, pairs of rows, pseudocode | Watch Week 4 | Coming soon |
CT one-shot revision: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Practise CT questions: CT Qualifier important questions and CT PYQs on Quiz Space
Computational Thinking notes (Weeks 1 to 4): Free CT Qualifier notes
English 1: most important topics and revision
English has the most questions in the paper, 55 to 60, and it gives marks fastest. Weeks 1 to 4 cover Sounds and Words, Parts of Speech, Sentences, and Speaking Skills.
| Rank | Topic | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reading comprehension (passage) | 16 of 16 papers |
| 2 | Telephone conversation | 16 of 16 papers |
| 3 | Vowel sounds (long, short, diphthong) | 15 of 16 papers |
| 4 | Word collocation and match the columns | 15 of 16 papers |
| 5 | Articles | 14 of 16 papers |
| 6 | Idioms | 14 of 16 papers |
| 7 | Phrasal verbs | 14 of 16 papers |
| 8 | Consonant sounds and clusters | 13 of 16 papers |
| 9 | Prepositions | 13 of 16 papers |
| 10 | Pronouns | 13 of 16 papers |
| 11 | Adjectives (degrees of comparison) | 12 of 16 papers |
| 12 | Nouns (types) | 12 of 16 papers |
| 13 | Verbs, tenses and subject-verb agreement | 12 of 16 papers |
| 14 | Adverbs | 11 of 16 papers |
| 15 | Semi-vowels between words | 11 of 16 papers |
| 16 | Conjunctions and interjections | 10 of 16 papers |
| 17 | Modal verbs | 10 of 16 papers |
| 18 | Synonyms and antonyms | 5 of 16 papers |
| 19 | Syllables, stress and pauses | 4 of 16 papers |
Phonetics (vowel sounds, consonant clusters, semi-vowels) is special to this course and it is asked dependably, so do not skip Week 1. Revise idioms, phrasal verbs and parts of speech the day before the exam so that no easy mark is lost.
English 1 week-wise topics
| Week | Topics |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sounds and words: vowel and consonant sounds, homophones, vocabulary |
| Week 2 | Parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions |
| Week 3 | Sentences: types and structure, phrases, idioms, phrasal verbs |
| Week 4 | Speaking skills: intonation, stress, delivery, telephone conversation |
English 1 one-shot revision: Watch the full English 1 one-shot
Practise English 1 questions: English 1 PYQs on Quiz Space
English 1 notes (Weeks 1 to 4): Free English 1 Qualifier notes
Qualifier and Quiz 1 crash course batches
Short on time? The crash course classes started on 2 November 2026. Enrol now to join the live classes and cover the high-weightage topics fast.
- Qualifier crash course: enrol now
- Quiz 1 crash course: enrol now
- Free Qualifier Sept 2026 batch: every lecture, note and PYQ in one place
When you enrol in the free batch, you are taken to the Student Service Portal, where you get all four subjects in one dashboard, a subject-wise recorded video library, premium notes and question sets, the weekly class schedule, batch announcements and support.
Free notes, PYQs and important questions
| Resource | Link |
|---|---|
| Practise Qualifier questions | quizspacee.com |
| Qualifier PYQs with solutions | Qualifier PYQs on Quiz Space |
| Quiz 1 PYQs with solutions | Quiz 1 PYQs on Quiz Space |
| Important questions, all subjects | Important questions on Quiz Space |
| Foundation previous year papers | IITM BS Foundation PYQs |
| Qualifier notes, all subjects | IITM BS Qualifier notes |
| Data Science Foundation notes | Foundation notes |
| Qualifier syllabus | IITM BS Qualifier syllabus |
| Free IITM BS lectures | Free lectures |
| Qualifier revision playlist | YouTube playlist |
| YouTube channel | Unknown IITians on YouTube |
How to prepare for the Qualifier in the last few weeks
- Finish the top-ranked topics first. In all four subjects, complete every topic asked in 12 or more of 16 papers before anything else. These make up most of the paper.
- Learn each topic from the lecture, then fix it with notes. Watch the week's lecture for understanding, then read the notes for retention.
- Solve every Graded, Practice and Activity question yourself. The Qualifier reuses these patterns. Solving them once honestly is worth more than reading them five times.
- Write previous year papers under a timer. PYQs are the closest thing to the real paper. Treat each one as a mock exam on Quiz Space.
- Take the easy marks in English. English has the most questions and gives marks fastest. Revise definitions, idioms and phonetics the day before.
- Watch the one-shots in the final week. Use the one-shot revision videos for each subject in the last 5 to 7 days instead of starting new material.
FAQs on the IITM BS Qualifier Sept 2026
What are the most important topics for the IITM BS Qualifier Sept 2026?
From 16 past Qualifier and Quiz 1 papers: in Maths 1, quadratics, polynomials and relations; in Statistics 1, types of data and scales, mean median mode, and quartiles and IQR; in Computational Thinking, what a variable represents after the code runs and fill in the missing code; in English 1, reading comprehension, telephone conversation and vowel sounds.
Which weeks are in the IITM BS Qualifier syllabus?
Only Weeks 1 to 4 of Maths 1, Statistics 1, Computational Thinking and English 1 are tested in the Qualifier.
What are the passing marks for the IITM BS Qualifier?
You need at least 40% in each subject and at least 50% overall. Both conditions must be met to qualify.
How many questions come in the IITM BS Qualifier exam?
About 107 to 117 questions in total: 15 to 16 in Maths 1, 15 to 16 in Statistics 1, 22 to 25 in Computational Thinking and 55 to 60 in English 1. Each question carries 2 to 6 marks.
Where can I get free IITM BS Qualifier notes, PYQs and video lectures?
Enrol in the free Unknown IITians Qualifier Sept 2026 batch to get week-wise lectures, notes, PYQs and important questions in one place. You can practise PYQs and important questions on quizspacee.com.
Is there a crash course for the IITM BS Qualifier and Quiz 1?
Yes. Unknown IITians runs a Qualifier crash course and a Quiz 1 crash course, with classes that started on 2 November 2026.
Start now, for free
Every lecture, note, PYQ and important question listed above is in one free batch. Enrol in the free IITM BS Qualifier Sept 2026 batch and start with the topics ranked 1 to 3 in each subject today.