Five Point Someone: What not to do at IIT is a 2004 novel written by Indian author Chetan Bhagat.

The three friends' elation on making it to one of the best engineering colleges in India is quickly deflated by the rigor and monotony of the academic work.

The two main plot lines are: the numerous attempts by the trio to cope with and/or beat the system, and Hari's fling with Neha, the daughter of Prof. Cherian (the domineering head of the Mechanical Engineering department of their college).

The characters, led by the ever-creative Ryan, frequently lament over how the internationally lauded IIT system has stifled their creativity by forcing them to value grades more than anything else.

Uninspiring teaching and numerous assignments add to their woes, though the boys do find a sympathizer in Prof Veera.

[3] The book has been translated into Hindi and was published by Prabhat Prakash Advaniji, who has released two novels: Five Point Someone and One Night at the Call Centre.

Amit Mishra, writer for The Last Critic, thought the book was "bereaved of all the literary juice", but "unlike his other publications like Half Girlfriend and One Indian Girl, this novel is almost flawless.

[5] Five Point Someone was Bhagat's first book, written under very peculiar circumstances; in the year 2004, he was denied a promotion at Goldman Sachs, the Hong-Kong based bank where he was working.

Under a wave of nostalgia, as he remembered his earlier carefree times, he jotted down a few of his experiences at his college.

Moreover, Abhijat is based in the USA, Raju was in the US for quite a while working on the screenplay but it was not practical for me to do that [...] The film retains the soul of the book.

According to the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), during a press conference with reporters producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra "clarified that in the agreement between the producer and Bhagat, it was mentioned that the author’s name would be put in the closing credits."

"[14] Legal documents concerning the relationship between Bhagat and the filmmakers have been added to the Vinod Chopra Productions website as well.