Now that CAT is over, your focus is probably solely on IIFT entrance exam which is on 3 December 2017 for admission to MBA IB in IIFT in academic session 2018. Last week preparation tips for IIFT Entrance exam 2017/2018 intends to walk you through this exam so that you come out with flying colors. Preparation and strategy are key to score well. Whether this is your first attempt or not, target should be to score very high.
IIFT Entrance Exam 2017/2018 Preparation
You should know what is in store for you – exam pattern and level.
- IIFT MBA IB 2018 Entrance Exam is a multiple choice objective type written test in English.
- It is of two (2) hours duration.
- There will be questions on English grammar, Vocabulary and comprehension, General knowledge and current affairs, Logical reasoning, Data interpretation and Quantitative analysis.
In order to score high, you need speed and accuracy. Exam pattern is not disclosed by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) before exam. General details of exam and past year paper patterns given below will give you a better idea.
| Number of sections in exam | 4 with sub-sections |
| Duration of exam | 2 hours |
| Mode | Pen and paper based |
| Maximum marks | 100 marks has been the maximum marks since past few years |
| Number of questions | Varies each year; it was 123 in 2016, 124 in 2015, 118 in 2014, 128 in 2013, 135 in 2012, 122 in 2011 |
| Number of questions in each section | Varies each year and in each section. Last year there were 16 qs in RC, 20 qs in DI, 20 qs in Quant, 22 qs in Analytical and Logical Reasoning, 20 qs in Verbal ability, 25 qs in GK |
| Marks per question | Varies each year and in each section. Last year it was 1 mark for RC, 1 mark for DI and Quant, 0.75 for Analytical and Logical Reasoning, 0.75 for Verbal ability, 0.5 for GK |
| Negative marking | 1/3rd of marks allotted to that question |
Difference between IIFT Preparation and CAT Preparation
You may be preparing for IIFT as an extension of CAT exam preparation. That is fine. However, there are a few differences you should be aware of.
- IIFT Entrance Exam 2017 (2018-19) is a pen and paper based test.
- Reserve 10-15 minutes for marking answers in OMR sheet. Be careful while doing this.
- Data interpretation section usually have large tables and take time.
- Logical reasoning could be a little less difficult as compared to CAT exam. Click here for CAT Exam Analysis 2017.
- Reading comprehension is also different in the sense that questions are of multiple fact finding sorts. Three or four statements are given for each question and answer options are combination of two or more statements.
- Whereas QA is easiest in CAT, level of QA in IIFT entrance exam is slightly higher. There is focus on geometry, modern math, as opposed to Arithmetic domination in CAT.
- General awareness is a separate section with few static GK questions
GK Preparation for IIFT
- Go through past news thoroughly.
- News related to business such as launches, acquisitions, CEOs, cases are important.
- Few static GK questions are also there; so brush up on that.
Good Speed Is Necessary To Score High In IIFT
Methods that make calculations easier are a gift for IIFT aspirants. Vedic mathematics is one such example. You can practice some quick math solving methods to help you solve calculation based questions faster and easier; they are also quite accurate.
However, use it (short tricks for math calculations) only if you are comfortable and confident.
Solve Past Year IIFT Papers – This is A Must Do
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It is important to solve past year papers of IIFT.
Correct way to use IIFT papers for preparation
- Print a question paper.
- Get a sample OMR sheets from websites; you can download sample OMR for free online or get them from google images.
- Now sit at a chair-table arrangement where no one will disturb you for 2 hours.
- Start timer countdown (in mobile or other device) and start solving the paper.
- Also mark answers in OMR sheet.
- At the end of two hours, stop solving and check answers against answer keys.
- Now finish rest of the paper and go through mistakes you made and how to overcome them.
IIFT Entrance Exam 2017/2018 Exam Day Strategy
You are advised to follow through these points on exam day.
First of all, you must read instructions on first page of question paper. Each year there is different question distribution and marking scheme. Once you do that you must decide what to attempt first.
General Awareness
They are all knowledge based. So if you know an answer, mark it. If you are facing a lot of difficulty in most questions, remember that cut off can be low-moderate, so try to do as many correct answers as you can.
You will take around 10-12 minutes in this section.
Logical Reasoning
Read the questions. Attempt the easier ones first. This boosts your confidence and ensures that you have bagged some marks in the paper already.
Data Interpretation
Here the questions can be lengthy and may seem intimidating. Don’t let that bring you down. With a clear mind, go through the questions and you will see that they may seem difficult but are doable. Those that require extensive calculations may be left for later.
Logical reasoning and Data interpretation together take around 35-40 minutes.
English Usage
Questions on verbal ability can be tough or easy depending upon your knowledge of the language. You may try various tactics to solve this section quickly. However, it is usually the section where most questions can be answered.
Reading Comprehension
IIFT gave comparatively shorter passages last year. If the trend continues then this section could be the deal breaker. Judicious choice of which RC to do first matters.
English usage and Reading comprehension together take around 30-35 minutes.
Quantitative Ability
A lot will depend on topics from which questions get asked in this section. Like EU, this section is one that can help push your score up.
Quantitative ability usually takes 30-35 minutes.
Keep calm and be confident. You can definitely do really well in IIFT entrance exam 2017 (2018-19 admission). Best of luck!
