Admission to ISTC courses is granted on the basis of merit in the ISTC Entrance Exam 2026, conducted by CSIR-CSIO. The exam is tentatively scheduled for 05 July 2026 (Sunday).
Exam centres
The entrance exam will be conducted at Chandigarh.
Syllabus
The entrance exam will comprise questions in Mathematics, Science, Aptitude, English, and General Knowledge. The syllabus is at the level of Class 10.
Exam pattern
- Objective multiple choice questions
- Total 100 questions
- Duration 100 minutes
- Each question carries one mark
- One fourth mark is deducted for each wrong answer
Cut-off marks (to be called for admission)
The competent authority of the institute may increase or decrease the cut-off marks of the entrance exam without assigning any reason.
| Category | Cut-off | PWD cut-off |
|---|---|---|
| General and EWS | 25 percent | 15 percent |
| OBC | 22.5 percent | 13.5 percent |
| SC and ST | 20 percent | 12 percent |
Instructions for the exam
- e-Admit Card is mandatory for entry to the examination hall
- Use only ball point pen, blue or black, on the OMR answer sheet
- Darken only one oval per question. Multiple marked answers are treated as wrong
- The mark should be dark and completely fill the oval such that the number inside is not visible
- Do not detach or tear any page from the question booklet. Non-compliance leads to disqualification
- Use of log tables, slide rules, calculators, mobile phones, and any electronic device is not allowed
- Rough work must be done on the question booklet only, not on the answer sheet
Result
The result of the entrance exam will be declared and displayed at ISTC tentatively by 10 July 2026. It will also be available on istc.ac.in and csio.res.in.
Source: Sections 6, 7, and 8 of the ISTC Information Brochure.