IIFT Preparation Guidelines

IIFT is one of the toughest exams and only a few students who score well in the examination can get admission to the campuses of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. The IIFT 2022 is to be conducted in the first week of December 2022 to offer admission in MBA (IB) programs on 2 campuses - IIFT Delhi and IIFT Kolkata. So you need to be precise and focus on your target. This article will give you appropriate guidelines as to how you should go about your preparation. When should one start preparing for IIFT, before starting how to prepare let’s know the pattern and Eligibility of the IIFT Exam. Start preparing online with IIFT Courses

Eligibility for IIFT

• Should have completed a bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in any discipline from a university recognized by the Authorities of Indian Universities.
• You can write the IIFT exam even if you are in the final year or you are a passed-out student.
• If you start your training early enough, you can ace all of the sections of the IIFT test, including the GK portion. To pass the IIFT test, 5-6 months of dedicated training should suffice.
• The general awareness section needs attention and a different preparation strategy altogether if you want to ace the IIFT exam on your first attempt.
• IIFT Exam for 2024: There is no separate IIFT exam conducted in 2024. Selection for the MBA program will be based on CAT 2023 scores.
• Questions can be posed anywhere in the general knowledge segment, so it is extremely unpredictable. You'll need to familiarise yourself with these sections. Practicing mocks and sectional tests on a daily basis is the perfect way to get familiar with the timer.

Also Read: IIFT Exam: Important Dates, Application Form, Eligibility, Cut-Off 

IIFT Exam Pattern: Highlights

• Total Questions: Approximately 110
• Maximum Marks: 300
• Time Duration: 120 minutes
• Type of Questions: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
• Negative Marking:
  • -1 mark for VARC, DILR, and QA sections
  • -0.5 marks for the GA section

 Read More: IIFT Exam Pattern

How to start the preparation for IIFT?

"Preparation for IIFT has a significant overlap with CAT, especially in VARC, DILR, and QA. However, IIFT has an additional GK section that requires focused preparation on current affairs, business awareness, and some basic Indian history and civics. While the GK cutoff may be lower, a strong score can significantly improve your overall percentile. Unlike CAT, scoring well in GK requires a balanced approach throughout your preparation, avoiding last-minute cramming but also not starting too early."

Conquering the IIFT GK Section

The General Knowledge (GK) section is a key differentiator in the IIFT exam compared to the CAT. To excel here, consistent information intake is crucial, with a specific focus on business-related news. This includes launches, acquisitions, prominent CEOs, industry controversies, and major events. Starting your GK prep in October might not be ideal as the exam pattern is usually finalized by then, and ongoing news stories might not translate directly into questions.

Building a Strong Foundation

• Business Awareness is Key: Focus on business news, including launches, acquisitions, major players, and significant events. Stay updated on industry trends and controversies.
• Current Affairs Matter: Regularly follow reliable news sources to stay informed about current affairs with a national and international perspective.
• Brush Up on Basics: Don't neglect a basic understanding of Indian history, civics, and geography.

Speed and Accuracy: A Delicate Balance

The IIFT exam tests both speed and accuracy. While mastering Vedic math or other "shortcut" techniques might not be necessary, being comfortable with basic calculations and approximations can be a timesaver. Techniques like reducing fractions, using estimation, understanding percentages, and applying basic ratio and proportion can be helpful.

Practice Makes Perfect

Take IIFT mock tests and sectional tests to develop a feel for the exam format and time constraints. Analyze your performance to identify areas for improvement.

Understanding the Exam Pattern

As of 2024, the IIFT exam is expected to be around 120 minutes with approximately 110 questions.

Remember, a balanced approach to GK preparation throughout your studies is key to building confidence and performing well in this section.

Also Read: Tips to crack IIFT

IIFT Exam: Key Differences

1. Paper-based and so, getting an overview, solving or letting cross of questions is less complicated in comparison to a CBT
2.  Marking answers take time and awareness so, you need to account for around 10 minutes to do this
3. Statistics interpretation is extraordinarily calculation-based totally and has large tables
4.  LR is barely beneath the CAT degree
5. The verbal potential is round/slightly lower than that of CAT
6. Studying comprehension is tedious and the questions are of the multiple truth-finding kinds (questions observed by 3-four statements and the answer alternatives are an aggregate of 2 or extra of these statements one in all which is right; efficaciously three-4 single authentic questions combined in one) 
7. Quant is slightly better than CAT with the focal point on geometry, and modern math, in comparison to simple arithmetic 
8.  GK is a separate phase and its miles focused on enterprise attention with a sprinkling of static and well-known GK questions
9.  The reduce-offs even though the gift is pretty low and is greater of a formality compared to other entrance exams.

Preparation approach for IIFT: Section Wise IIFT Syllabus

The paper may be cut up into three components: concept-pushed, exercise-in-depth, and surroundings-touchy. There should be a systematic approach for each section for preparing for any competitive exam:                           

Quantitative ability

Quantitative potential & decided-on regions of Verbal capability are concept-driven, and because of this that the questions rely closely on center standards. for example, a query providing a period like "cyclic quadrilateral" is, in reality, impossible to try unless the corresponding concept is known. It is therefore recommended that you prepare the important thing standards of mathematics, Algebra, and Geometry & current Math within the Quantitative ability sections in a thorough way.  For arithmetic and other topics of the quantitative ability section, the best study material would be Arun Sharma. Once you are done with the basics you can solve the level of difficulty and 2 of these sections. level 3 can be ignored.

Quantitative Ability Syllabus:

• Arithmetic:
• Percentage
• Ratio Proportion
• Average
• Time Speed Distance
• Time and Work
• Mixture Allegation
• Numbers
• Data Sufficiency
• Mensuration
• Geometry

Also Read: IIFT syllabus and difficulty level

Verbal ability

To address the Verbal ability segment, one has to recognition on enhancing one's analyzing speed due to the fact the paper typically functions three-4 analyzing comprehensions. also, you ought to put together the fundamentals of grammar so that you can remedy sentence correction questions. The practice is required to remedy utilization-primarily based questions like an analogy, fill in the blanks, and so on. a good vocabulary proves to be an asset while fixing special forms of vocabulary questions that function in the exam. You should read 2 RC regularly when you start with your preparation. The IIFT exam consists of 4 to 5 direct vocab questions. Word power made easy is said to be the best study resource for vocabulary. Vocab questions are direct and time savers. If you know most of them they act like instant scorers for you.

Verbal Ability Syllabus:

• Antonyms & Synonyms
• Fill in the blanks
• Reading Comprehension
• Grammar
• Sentence completion
• Sentence arrangement
• Spelling/Inappropriate usage
• Vocabulary
• Para Jumbles
• Error Correction

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning :

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning is practice-extensive, and exercise-extensive, because of this that familiarity with respect to similar questions is a key determinant here. it is really useful to exercise one-of-a-kind statistics Interpretation query types like pie charts, bar graphs, information tables, line charts & mixtures thereof, for the DI segment. For Logical Reasoning, you should practice questions on arrangements, family timber, complicated records situations, etc for the LR section. In the data interpretation section picking the appropriate set is important. As you practice you will develop a back for choosing not only appropriate sets but also the questions. You don't want to get stuck in a difficult and time-consuming question. As IIFT is a time-bound exam and your focus is to attempt the maximum number of questions correctly, the questions that you pick play a very important role. You will end up saving a lot of time if you are good at calculations. Try to emphasize more on mental calculations to save time.

Logical Reasoning Syllabus:

• Linear and Circular Arrangement
• Venn Diagram
• Syllogisms
• Sequential Output
• Blood Relations
• Conditional Coding
• Series Completion
• Coding/Decoding
• Symbol-based Comparison
• Selection Criteria
• Conditional Coding
• Direction Sense

Read more: Speed calculation techniques

Current affairs and general knowledge :

Standard attention is a surroundings-touchy region and requires familiarity with both static and modern-day components of the surroundings. For static GK one ought to focus on subjects like history, geography, economics, political system, and so on. For cutting-edge GK, you can talk to our GK junction phase and use our diverse modern-day affairs associated sections. To prepare for the current affairs section, you should read a newspaper on regular basis. If you hate reading the newspaper, you can put your smartphone to good use. There are many applications available on the play store that you can refer to keep track of regular current affairs. IIFT exam has observed a trend of 40% questions on static Gk and current affairs. You can have an edge over other aspirants when it comes to the GK section.

For G.K refer: How to prepare for IIFT G.K To know more in detail about the latest current affairs and GK click here Also, Read the MBA exams you should not miss