Looking for IIT Madras BS Data Science PYQ papers? BTechi has 214 previous-year papers for 46 courses of the IITM BS programme, from the qualifier to the Degree level. Every paper comes with the official answer key. You can sit each one in a timed exam portal, or download it as a free PDF with the answer key. Start at the IITM BS PYQ library, pick your level, then your course.
This page is the map. It explains how IITM BS papers are organised (qualifier, Quiz 1, Quiz 2, end term), lists every course PYQ page by level, and shows the best way to use past papers so they turn into marks.
If you are new to the programme itself, read our complete guide to the IIT Madras BS degree first.
IIT Madras BS Data Science PYQ library at a glance#
All numbers are counts of what is on BTechi today, not what IIT Madras has ever set. We add papers as they become available.
How to download IIT Madras BS Data Science PYQ PDF#
Many students search for an IIT Madras BS Data Science PYQ PDF so they can solve on paper. On BTechi every paper has a printable question sheet, and you can save any sheet as a PDF in three steps:
- Open the question sheet of the paper you want (links below).
- Click the Save PDF button at the top of the sheet. You can also press P on your keyboard.
- In the print window, choose Save as PDF as the destination, then save.
The PDF has every question and figure, and the official answer key at the end. It is free. Print it, or keep it on your phone or tablet.
Here are the PDF sheet pages for the most searched courses. Each page lists every paper of that course, by year and by topic:
For every other course, open its PYQ page below and click Question sheets. The full list of sheets is on the PYQ sheets page.
How IITM BS exams are organised#
The IIT Madras BS programme runs in three terms a year: January, May and September. The official programme pages at study.iitm.ac.in describe the structure. Each course has weekly online assignments, plus in-person exams. The exam papers you will find as PYQs are of four kinds.
The three question formats are the same across the programme:
- MCQ: exactly one option is correct.
- MSQ: one or more options are correct. Judge each option on its own.
- NAT: no options. You type a number.
How papers are named on BTechi#
Each paper URL tells you three things: the exam, the month it was held, and the session. For example:
qualifier-may-2024is the May 2024 qualifier paper.quiz-1-oct-2025-afternoonis the Quiz 1 paper held in October 2025, afternoon session.end-term-dec-2024-forenoonis the end-term paper held in December 2024, forenoon session.
Many end-term exams have two sessions (forenoon and afternoon) with different papers. That is good news for you: two papers for the same syllabus, written in the same week, show you exactly what the examiners think is important.
How papers are grouped by term#
The exam month is not the term name. A September term ends in December, so its end-term paper is called "Dec". On BTechi, every term has its own page:
Use the term pages when you want to see "everything from one exam week" across courses. Use the course pages (below) when you prepare for one course.
Qualifier PYQs: the entry exam#
The qualifier is the first exam most people take. It covers weeks 1-4 of four courses and is held in person, for four hours. For the General category you need at least 40% in every course and at least 50% on average (OBC-NCL/EWS 35/45, SC/ST/PwD 30/40), as stated on the official admissions page. Your qualifier score also counts as Quiz 1 for the Foundation courses you take in the next term.
BTechi has the qualifier papers for each course, plus the full four-course exams:
- Full qualifier exams (all four courses, 4 hours): May 2024, January 2024, September 2023, May 2023.
- Original mocks in the same style: Qualifier Mock 1 and Qualifier Mock 2.
- Course papers: Maths I qualifier May 2024 with answer key, Stats I qualifier May 2024 with answer key, CT qualifier May 2024 with answer key and English I qualifier May 2024 with answer key.
For a full table of every qualifier paper by course and term, read our IITM qualifier previous year question paper guide. For the syllabus and the cut-off rules in depth, read the IITM BS qualifier exam guide.
Foundation level PYQs#
The Foundation level has the eight courses most students take first. On BTechi, each course page lists all its papers, its printable sheets, and its topic sheets.
What repeats at Foundation level#
We tagged every past-paper question on BTechi by topic. Here are the question types that came back most often, across all past papers on BTechi for each course:
These are cheap marks. If a question type has come back five or more times, assume it will come back again, and practise it until you never drop it.
Each course also has topic sheets. Two examples from Maths I: the sets and Venn diagrams topic sheet and the quadratic functions topic sheet. From Stats I: the types of data and scales topic sheet. From English I: the telephone conversation topic sheet.
For a deeper look at Foundation end terms, read our guide to IITM BS Foundation end-term PYQs.
Diploma level PYQs#
The Diploma level has two diplomas in the Data Science programme: the Diploma in Programming and the Diploma in Data Science. On BTechi you will find these course PYQ pages:
Programming courses
- Programming, Data Structures and Algorithms (PDSA) PYQs: 7 papers. Most repeated: build a Huffman tree and find code lengths (6 times).
- Database Management Systems (DBMS) PYQs: 7 papers. Most repeated: count backup sets for full recovery (5 times).
- Modern Application Development I PYQs: 6 papers.
- Modern Application Development II PYQs: 6 papers.
- Programming Concepts using Java PYQs: 6 papers.
- System Commands PYQs: 6 papers.
Data Science courses
- Machine Learning Foundations (MLF) PYQs: 7 papers. Most repeated: decide which functions are convex (5 times).
- Machine Learning Techniques (MLT) PYQs: 8 papers.
- Machine Learning Practice (MLP) PYQs: 3 papers.
- Business Data Management (BDM) PYQs: 5 papers.
- Business Analytics (BA) PYQs: 6 papers. Most repeated: precision and recall from a confusion matrix (8 times each).
- Tools in Data Science (TDS) PYQs: 4 papers.
- Introduction to Deep Learning and Generative AI PYQs: 1 paper.
Other Diploma-level courses on BTechi
- Managerial Economics PYQs: 3 papers.
- Corporate Finance PYQs: 1 paper.
Each course page links to its own most-repeated sheet and topic sheets. For example, the MLT most repeated questions sheet or the PDSA most repeated questions sheet. For the most repeated topics in every Diploma course, read our IITM BS Diploma PYQ guide.
Degree level PYQs#
Degree-level courses are electives and core courses taken after the Diplomas. Many have only a few papers so far, mostly from the May 2025 and September 2025 terms. All of them are listed on the Degree PYQs page.
Deep Learning and Deep Learning Practice have the most papers at this level on BTechi (5 each). Deep Learning for Computer Vision has the most tagged questions (187), so its most repeated questions sheet is a strong place to start.
What you get on every course page#
Every course PYQ page on BTechi works the same way, so you only learn it once.
- Papers. Each paper opens in a timed exam portal. You answer, submit, and see your score against the official answer key.
- Paper sheets. Each paper also has a printable sheet, for example the Maths I May 2024 qualifier sheet.
- Year sheets. All questions from one year in one sheet, for example the Stats I 2024 sheet.
- Topic sheets. All questions on one topic, from every paper. Best for weeks 1-3 of a term.
- Most repeated sheet. The question types that came back again and again.
All printable sheets for all courses are collected on the PYQ sheets page. If you prefer mixed drills to full papers, the practice page builds quick sessions from the same questions, for example Maths I questions grouped by topic.
The best way to use IITM BS PYQs#
Most students waste past papers. They read questions and answers, feel good, and remember nothing. Here is a better plan, in three phases.
Phase 1: during the term (weeks 1-8), go by topic#
Do not start with full papers. After each week of lectures, open the topic sheet for what you just studied. Solve the questions on paper, then check the key.
- After Maths I week 1, do the sets and Venn diagram questions.
- After Stats I week 2, do the describing categorical data questions.
- After English I grammar weeks, do the articles and prepositions questions.
This tells you if you learned the week while there is still time to fix it.
Phase 2: one week before a quiz, use the exam papers#
Before Quiz 1, sit the Quiz 1 paper for your course in the timed portal, for example the Maths I Quiz 1 October 2025 paper. Before Quiz 2, sit the Maths I Quiz 2 August 2025 paper. Score it, then spend the next two days only on the questions you got wrong.
Phase 3: two weeks before the end term, go full length#
Sit every end-term paper for your course under real time, one per day, with a gap day to review. For Maths I that is four papers, from December 2024, April 2025 (forenoon), April 2025 (afternoon) and August 2025. On the last two days, read only the most-repeated sheet and your mistakes log.
A real example: why topic practice works#
Here is a question from the Maths I September 2023 qualifier.
Question. In a survey of 140 people, 75% like cricket and 50% like football. What is the minimum number of people who like both games?
- Cricket = 0.75 × 140 = 105. Football = 0.50 × 140 = 70.
- The overlap is smallest when nobody is outside both groups. Then both = 105 + 70 − 140 = 35 (official key: 35).
Now look at the Maths I May 2024 qualifier: 500 job applicants, three programming languages, "how many know exactly one?" Same idea, three sets instead of two. The answer is 325 by inclusion-exclusion. Once you have solved a few of these on the topic sheet, the next one takes two minutes.
A real example from Stats I#
From the Stats I January 2024 qualifier: ten students rate education as Fair, Fair, Excellent, Poor, Fair, Excellent, Poor, Poor, Excellent, Poor. What is the mode, and what is the median?
- Counts: Poor 4, Fair 3, Excellent 3. Mode = Poor.
- The data is ordinal, so order it: Poor ×4, Fair ×3, Excellent ×3. The 5th and 6th values are both Fair. Median = Fair.
The official key agrees on both. "Mode and median of ordinal data" is one of the most repeated Stats I question types on BTechi (4 times across all past papers).
Common mistakes with PYQs#
- Only reading solutions. You must attempt first. Reading a solution feels like learning, but it is not.
- Using only the newest paper. Old papers repeat. A 2023 qualifier question can teach you a 2025 quiz question.
- Skipping the second session. If an end term had forenoon and afternoon papers, do both.
- Scoring overall, not by topic. "62%" tells you nothing. "Quadratics 3/8" tells you what to study tomorrow.
- Ignoring formats. In MSQ, every option is its own true/false question. In NAT, check the rounding.
Frequently asked questions#
Where can I download IIT Madras BS Data Science PYQ PDF for free?#
BTechi gives you each paper in two forms: an online paper you can sit in a timed exam portal with the official answer key, and a printable question sheet. To download the PDF, open the sheet, click Save PDF (or press P) and choose Save as PDF. The PDF is free and includes the official answer key. All sheets are listed on the PYQ sheets page.
Do the IITM BS PYQs on BTechi have answer keys?#
Yes. Every paper is checked against the official answer key. In the exam portal you see your score and the correct answer for each question after you submit.
How many IITM BS previous year papers are on BTechi?#
214 papers across 46 courses today: 72 at Foundation level (including 18 qualifier course papers), 76 at Diploma level and 66 at Degree level. There are also 4 full four-course qualifier exams and 2 original mocks.
Are qualifier questions repeated in Quiz 1 and end terms?#
The qualifier covers weeks 1-4 of four Foundation courses, so the same topics come back in those courses' Quiz 1 and end-term papers. That is why BTechi's topic sheets mix questions from all exams for a topic.
Which IITM BS PYQs should I start with in 2026?#
If you are applying for the January 2027 batch, start with the four qualifier PYQ papers with answer keys. If you are already in Foundation, start with the most-repeated sheet for each course you are taking this term.
Are these the official IIT Madras papers?#
The questions and answer keys are reproduced from past IITM BS papers. BTechi is not part of IIT Madras. For rules, dates and grading, always check study.iitm.ac.in.
Can I practise PYQs on my phone?#
Yes. The papers, the practice sessions and the sheets all work on a phone. For long papers, a laptop is easier, because the real exam is on a computer.