The IIFT entrance test is scheduled to be conducted on 27th November 2016. This test is the gateway to IIFT Delhi and IIFT Kolkata, B-Schools that are counted amongst the top B-schools in India. Read on to know what to expect in the exam and how to improve your chances of getting a call for the next round of the selection process, i.e. GD & PI.

IIFT 2015 was taken by 37,723 candidates out of 42,976 registrations. The total number of seats is 360, 220 in the Delhi campus and 140 in the Kolkata campus. The 100 percent placement record of MBA (IB) students getting high compensation packages makes IIFT more fascinating than any other MBA/PGDM entrance exam

At this stage, the question on top of the mind for most of the IIFT aspirants would be ” Whats a good score?” Have a quick look at the cut-offs for 2014 and 2015:

The huge variation in cut-off simply points to the fact that the cutoffs are proportional to the level of difficulty of the test. If the test is simple enough even a 50 may not be sufficient, while for a tough test like the one in 2014, even a 38.5 was sufficient to clear the overall cutoff. So, as a strategy simply focus on maximising your attempts and accuracy in IIFT 2016 – and this should take care of the cutoffs as well.

IMS will be posting a Score Calculator as well as Detailed Test Analysis as well as expected cut-offs for  IIFT 2016 on the D-Day itself. Click here to know how you can evaluate your test performance on 27 Nov 2016 – immediately after the test.

Here are a few points from my blog last year on what are the do’s and dont’s for IIFT 2016:

• The IIFT test has always had a very peculiar structure may it be in terms of number of questions per section or the marking system or the areas that are generally clubbed together in a section. The test structure last year was as follows:
  

  	# Questions	# Questions	Marks per Q	Marks
  1 Part 1	Logical Reasoning	20	0.75	15
  1 Part 2	Data Interpretation	18	1	18
  2 Part 1	English Usage	20	0.75	15
  2 part 2	Reading Comprehension	16	1	16
  3	General Awareness	28	0.5	14
  4	Quantitative Ability	22	1	22
  	Overall	124		100

This was significantly different from the structure of IIFT 2014. Be prepared for some changes in the structure this year as well – but remember this should not affect your performance in the test.

For a detailed analysis of IIFT 2015 click here and for that of IIFT 2014 click here.

• As soon as you get the question booklet – draw up a plan based on the sectional breakup that is usually given as a part of the instruction page. This plan should comprise:
  • Time that you will allot to each of the sections/areas: Allot time to each area based on its weightage and expected time to solve the questions. Have some buffer time assigned to take care of any contingencies. There are no sectional time-limits – but ensure that you do not overspend time in one section at the cost of another. Be in control of the time – try and stick to the pre-decided time limits for each area/section. My time distribution for last year’s paper would be something like this: VA-10 min; GK – 10 min; Quant – 30 min; DI-  15 min; LR – 25 min; RC – 20 min; Buffer – 10 min.
  • Order in which you will solve the sections/areas: It would be a good     idea to first solve the areas where you are stronger or where you are likely to take lesser time. My preferred sequence would be VA-GK-Quant-LR-DI-RC.
• If you have solved past IIFT papers (at least the last 3 years), you would have realised that the nature of questions asked in the test has more or less remained the same over the years.
  1. Quant questions are usually lengthy and quite often interlink math concepts with real-life situations. However, a bit of patient reading and application of basic concepts should help you solve a decent number of questions from this area.
  2. DI sets have generally been calculation intensive over the years –I am sure you would wish you were provided the calculator for this exam:(
  3. Vocabulary usually dominates the Verbal Ability section but you will also find a decent number of grammar questions here..
  4. RCs are characterised by a mix of short, long and very long passages – with a majority of questions being direct in nature. So, ensure that you attempt the short passages for sure and the longer passages if things don’t go too well in the other areas.
  5. The reasoning section has a mix of Logical reasoning and verbal reasoning questions
  6. General Awareness questions were mostly based on current affairs. Most of the times students have no clue about how to prepare for this section as the ‘syllabus’ has no bounds. If you do a quick round-up of the various news and events over the last 1 year then you should not find it difficult to clear the cut-off for this section.
• While solving a section, do not think about other sections. While solving a question do not think about other questions. The key is to focussing on the job in hand.
• Do not overspend time on any question – and fall prey to the “I will conquer Russia” syndrome. Move on – you may find easier questions ahead.
• The test has negative marking – so do not indulge in wild guessing even if you believe you are not doing too well. At the same time, do not get over-cautious and under-attempt.
• The test has sectional cut-offs – so ensure that you solve a minimum number of questions in each of the sections based on the expected cut-offs. Do not get stuck in a particular section. Do not get demotivated if you don’t do well in a particular section- maybe it has been difficult for everyone.
• Reach the test centre on time – carry all documents as instructed in your admit card.
• Be Positive – Whatever be your level of preparation you need to give it your best shot

All the best for IIFT 2016!!

VK