Do you feel MBA entrance exams like CAT, IIFT, XAT, SNAP, etc only examine your expertise under immense pressure? You need an exceptional MBA preparation strategy to crack the IIFT Entrance Exam. You will get a detailed and comprehensive plan to formulate an unbeatable strategy to crack IIFT, in this article.
The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade conducts the IIFT exam every year for admission to its two-year MBA course in International Business, which is provided at its campuses in New Delhi and Kolkata. The selection procedure consists of a written test which is eventually followed by an Essay Writing test, a Group Discussion, and a Personal Interview. Before analysing the area wise strategies for IIFT, let’s analyse how the paper pattern for IIFT has been over the past few years.
IIFT Exam Pattern
The IIFT written test is generally conducted in November or December of the year prior to the initiation of the program. It is a multiple-choice objective type test of two hours and the test areas cover, for the last few years, Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation, Verbal Ability, Logical Reasoning and General Awareness, and Quantitative Ability. Every year, the number of sections and the number of questions changes, as is displayed in the table below: –
| Year | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
| Total Marks | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Time (hour) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Number of Sections | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Number of Questions | 114 | 114 | 123 | 124 | 118 | 128 |
| Marks per Question | Differential | Differential | Differential | Differential | Differential | Differential |
| Negative Marking | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 |
In recent years, the overall IIFT cut off has remained on the lower side.
The aspirants must be cautious and not approach the test with predefined notions.
IIFT 2020 Admit Card
Preparation Strategy for IIFT
The paper can be divided into three areas: practice-intensive, concept-driven, and environment-sensitive.
Quantitative Ability & selected areas of Verbal ability are concept-driven, which means that the questions focus heavily on core concepts. For example, a question including a term like “cyclic quadrilateral” is practically impossible to attempt unless the subsequent concept is known. It is therefore recommended that you learn and memorize the main concepts of Algebra, Arithmetic, and Geometry & Modern Math in the Quantitative Ability sections in a methodical manner.
To attempt the Verbal Ability section, one must be attentive on improving his/ her reading speed because the paper on average involves three or four Reading comprehensions. Also, you should practise the basics of grammar to solve sentence correction questions. Rigorous practice is needed to solve usage-based questions like fill in the blanks, analogy etc. An extensive vocabulary proves to be of advantage while solving various kinds of Verbal Ability questions.
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning is practise intensive. It is suggested to practice different Data Interpretation question types like bar graphs, pie charts, line charts, data tables and combinations thereof, for the Data Interpretation section. For Logical Reasoning, you are recommended to practice questions on family trees, arrangements, complex data situations, etc for the Logical Reasoning section.
General Awareness is an environment-sensitive section and calls for familiarity with both constant and current components of the environment. For static General Knowledge, one should concentrate on topics like geography, history, political system, economics etc.
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Generally, the IIFT test can be best dealt with if you adhere to a three-branched approach – developing application orientation, ensuring concept familiarity, and sharpening test-taking strategies.
One of the most important points to get success in any exam is to prepare from the best study material. Hence, selection of the best study material is the key to success. Pick the right books and prepare a clear strategy for IIFT 2020 which will be organised on December 1st.
Best Study Material for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
| Book Name | Author or Publisher Name |
| The Person Guide to Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning | Nishant Sinha |
| Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis |
| High School English Grammar & Composition | Wren & Martin |
| 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary | Wilfred Funk and Norman Lewis |
| Verbal & Non-verbal Reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal |
IIFT Best Books for Logical Reasoning
| Book Name | Author/ Publisher Name |
| How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT | Arun Sharma |
| Verbal & Non-verbal Reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal |
| Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning for the CAT | Nishit K. Sinha |
Best Books for Quantitative Ability for IIFT 2020 Exam
| Book Name | Author / Publisher Name |
| Quantum CAT | Sarvesh K Verma |
| How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT | Arun Sharma |
| Quantitative Aptitude | R.S. Aggarwal |
| The Person Guide to Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation | Nishit Sinha |
| Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examination | Abhijit Guha |
Best Data Interpretation books for IIFT 2020 Exam
| Book Name | Author or Publisher Name |
| Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT and other MBA Exams | Nishit K Sinha |
| Data Interpretation for the CAT | Arun Sharma |
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT | Pearson |
In the general awareness section, questions will be asked from static General Knowledge, and aspirants can follow Indian Yearbook or Manorama Yearbook for this section. The best study material for current affairs includes reading English newspapers like The Telegraph, Indian Express, Economic Times, The Hindu, Financial Express etc.
Practising from the question papers from previous years is one of the best ways to improve your speed as you prepare yourself for the IIFT entrance exam. You need to evolve as a test taker on that day, approach it with an open mind and go with the flow! All the best!