Summary: IMGSAT is a free, 60-minute, 40-question paper with no negative marking, held on weekends at our Nashik campus. Revise Class 9 Science and Maths and the Class 10 chapters in the syllabus, practise mental ability questions for 15 minutes a day, and attempt every question on the day.What the paper looks like
IMGSAT (the IIT Medico Guide Scholarship & Admission Test) is open to any Class 10 student from a CBSE, ICSE or State Board school. Registration is free. You choose a Saturday or Sunday and a two-hour slot between 9 am and 5 pm when you register, and the test is written on paper at Ashoka Universal School, Ashoka Marg, Nashik.
There are two papers. Choose Engineering if your child is leaning towards JEE and Medical if leaning towards NEET.
| Section | Engineering paper | Medical paper |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 10 questions, 20 marks | 10 questions, 20 marks |
| Chemistry | 10 questions, 20 marks | 10 questions, 20 marks |
| Maths / Biology | 12 Maths questions, 24 marks | 12 Biology questions, 24 marks |
| Mental Ability | 8 questions, 16 marks | 8 questions, 16 marks |
| Total | 40 questions, 80 marks | 40 questions, 80 marks |
Every question is multiple choice, carries 2 marks, and there is no negative marking. The rank decides the scholarship for our Class 11 programme, and the slabs are announced before the exam. Every student also gets a subject-wise score report and one counselling session. Taking admission afterwards is entirely your decision. The full details are on the IMGSAT page.
What to study
The questions come from Class 9 and the first part of Class 10. For Physics that means light (reflection and refraction), the human eye and the colourful world, and electricity. Chemistry covers chemical reactions and equations, acids, bases and salts, and metals and non-metals. The Maths section draws on real numbers, polynomials, linear equations in two variables, quadratic equations, arithmetic progressions, coordinate geometry, triangles and trigonometry with its applications. Biology covers life processes, control and coordination, and how organisms reproduce.
Students tend to skip the Class 9 part, which is a mistake. Motion, force, atoms and molecules, cells and tissues and number systems are the base for the Class 10 chapters, and a scholarship paper likes to test whether the base is solid. If your child cannot explain why the unit of force is kg m/s², or how a mole relates to mass, go back to those chapters first.
A three-week plan
This fits around school and tuition. It assumes about an hour and a half on weekdays and three hours on weekends.
| Week | Weekdays (about 90 minutes) | Weekend (about 3 hours) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Class 9 Physics and Chemistry: motion, force, atoms and molecules. Re-read the NCERT chapter, then 15 to 20 questions each. 15 minutes of mental ability daily. | Class 9 Maths or Biology basics. One mixed set of 20 questions, untimed, with every mistake written down. |
| 2 | Class 10 syllabus chapters, one per day. Solve the in-text and back exercise questions in NCERT, then a few harder MCQs. Mental ability daily. | A timed 40-question practice paper in 60 minutes. Spend as long checking it as you spent writing it. |
| 3 | Go back to the chapters where the mistakes were. Redo the wrong questions without looking at the solution. | A second timed paper. Then rest the day before the test. |
If your child is already preparing for the board exam with our Class 10 board plan, most of this revision overlaps and nothing extra is needed apart from the timed papers and mental ability practice.
Mental ability: 16 easy marks for those who practise
Series, analogies, coding and decoding and similar reasoning questions need no special knowledge. They need familiarity. A student who has seen fifty number series questions spots the pattern in seconds; one who has never practised can stare at the same question for three minutes. Fifteen minutes a day for two or three weeks is enough to make these eight questions fast and accurate. Your child's school library or any general reasoning book for Class 9 and 10 will have enough practice sets.
Pacing 40 questions in 60 minutes
Sixty minutes for 40 questions is an average of 90 seconds each. Some questions take 20 seconds and a few take three minutes, so a plan helps.
- First pass, about 35 minutes. Go through the paper in order and answer everything you can do with confidence. If a question will take more than two minutes, mark it and move on.
- Second pass, about 20 minutes. Return to the marked questions. Work them out properly now that the easy marks are safe.
- Last five minutes. Fill in an answer for every question still blank, and check that each answer is marked against the right question number.
With no negative marking, a blank answer can only score zero, while a guess might score 2. If you can rule out even one wrong option, your chance of guessing correctly goes up. Never leave a question blank in IMGSAT.
This is different from JEE Main and NEET, where a wrong answer costs a mark. Students sometimes carry the habit of leaving questions blank from other tests, so remind your child the night before.
The day before and the day of the test
- No new chapters the day before. Read through your list of mistakes and sleep on time.
- Keep the confirmation from our office handy, with the day and slot.
- Carry two pens that write smoothly, a pencil, an eraser and a water bottle.
- Eat a proper breakfast or lunch before your slot. A two-hour slot on an empty stomach is a bad idea.
- Reach the campus 20 minutes early, especially if you are travelling from outside Nashik.
- Read each question fully before looking at the options. Many wrong answers come from reading half the question.
For parents: how to read the result
The score report shows marks in each section, which is more useful than the total. A student who scores well in Maths and poorly in Chemistry has a clear job for the rest of Class 10. Look at the pattern with your child during the counselling session and ask the teacher which chapters to revise first before the boards. Every registered student can also join our free Foundation classes for Class 10.
Common questions
Does IMGSAT need JEE or NEET level preparation?
No. The syllabus is Class 9 and the early Class 10 chapters listed on the IMGSAT page. Good understanding of NCERT and some timed practice is enough.
Which paper should my child pick if undecided?
Pick the one with the subject your child is more comfortable in, Maths or Biology. The Physics, Chemistry and Mental Ability sections are the same in both papers.
Should my child attempt every question?
Yes. There is no negative marking in IMGSAT, so an unanswered question is a lost chance with no benefit.
Is there a fee?
No. Registration and the test are free, and there is no obligation to take admission.