Why was IISER Aptitude Test 2019 so tough?

Hello Pallavi

In short, not really. Kind-off like JEE Mains level, or maybe NEET-level for the Physics and Chemistry questions upto a certain extent - but certainly not more.

The most frequent query is regarding the biology section.  a reasonable understanding of the 11th and 12th grade NCERT textbooks would be sufficient. Since the number of applicants has sky-rocketed in the past few years, it’s a lot more tougher now - so being as prepared as possible, is probably a smarter approach. Make sure you take home as many points as possible in the Math section though, as non-bio students usually have the edge here.

For the bio-background people, the Math section is not usually unscalable. With a decent understanding of regular 11th and 12th grade concepts, you should be able to crack a few questions without much trouble. Of course, the caveat being that you rock it in the bio section and makeup for it. So ensure that you don’t falter at this juncture.

Since Physics and Chemistry are common, plus not really that tough barring a few questions, the marks you obtain here could be the make-or-break. Try to score as much as you can herein. Many questions deal with the key fundamentals, so a rigorous understanding of the essential concepts will be key to getting the answers herein.

The advantage with people strong in bio, is that the bio section takes considerably lesser time, thereby giving you more time to do PC well, and then take your shot at Math. The drawback is that the Math section will be usually a downer.

For Math background people, the slight upshot is that it is easier to do score a few points in bio for you with some last-month prep, than it is for the bio people to score in math. Plus, if your analytical and quantitative skills are bang on, you might be looking at pretty smooth sailing.