IIFT Exam Pattern 2025: Check Marking Scheme & Section-Wise Pattern of IIFT Exam

Both exams are of same difficulty level. While, CAT has higher difficulty level VARC, IIFT's Quantitative Aptitude is tougher. In CAT VARC, the weightage of RC based question is higher than in IIFT. Also, the RC passages of CAT are a mix of both inference-based and fact-based types. However, the RC passages in IIFT are fact-based. IIFT focuses more on vocabulary and verbal ability than reading comprehension. Sharing key highlights of both exams here:

The candidate must start preparing for IIFT exam at least six months in advance. They should complete the IIFT syllabus in first three months and then practise a good number of mock tests and sample papers in the remaining time along with regular revision. The IIFT exam is a high difficulty level test, thus it is important for candidates to plan way ahead and start preparations at the early stage. Since the exam is held in December, candidates need to take the decision of preparing for it the latest my May-June so that they have at least 6 months for preparation. 

IIFT exam syllabus is prescribed by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi. It includes all the topics from Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Ability, Verbal Ability and General Awareness. Candidates can check the important topics of IIFT syllabus above on this page.

The VARC section of IIFT exam includes Reading Comprehension passages, Identify the Synonym, Identify Grammatically Correct/Incorrect Sentence, One Word Substitution, Jumbled Paragraphs, etc. 

The LRDI section of IIFT exam includes Line Graph & Bar, Bar Graph & Line, Table, Pie Chart & Table, Circular Arrangement, Tournaments, Scheduling, Linear Arrangement, Coding and Puzzle

The important topics of Quantitative Aptitude section of IIFT exam include Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra, Modern Mathematics, Numbers

The General Awareness questions are asked from Current Affairs and Static GK

IIFT 2024 exam was not conducted. Admission to the IIFT MBA programmes for 2024-26 batch was done through CAT 2023 score. The announcement was made by IIFT in August that it will accept CAT score for admission and that aspirants should register for it. CAT 2023 exam was held on November 26, 2023.

IIFT admission forms were released in October 2023, which the aspirants had to fill to be eligible for selection and shortlisting for WAT-PT round of the MBA admission process.

Until 2022, the IIFT entrance exam was held nationwide in the month of December. It was conducted by the NTA.

IIFT exam has four sections - Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Ability and General Awareness. Among all the four sections, Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension has the maximum weightage as it has 35 questions. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning section has 30 questions, Quantitative Ability has 25 questions and General Awareness has 20 questions. Check the table below for IIFT sectional weightage which includes total number of questions and total marks.

The total time duration of IIFT entrance exam is 120 minutes or 2 hours. The exam is usually held from 10 am to 12 pm. Candidates have to solve 110 questions in the given time limit. Unlike CAT or XAT, there is no sectional time limit in IIFT exam so candidates have the freedom to utilize the 2 hours as per their exam strategy. They should focus on their strong areas first and then move to questions which are tough. At the same time, they need to be mindful of the fact that they cannot spend too much time on one section at the cost of another as sectional score and cut offs are critical to IIFT exam. Thus, they should devise a plan in which good amount of time is dedicated to all four sections. The General Awareness section is memory based and has 20 questions so it can be attempted at the end.  8-10 correct attempts will be enough in this section.

For 2024 admission, IIFT did not conduct the entrance exam,. Earlier, the National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the IIFT entrance exam on behalf of the institute. In the IIFT exam, about 110 questions were asked from Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Ability and General Awareness. The exam was held in computer based test mode and the exam duration is 2 hours. There was no sectional time limit. The questions were in MCQ and non-MCQ format carrying 3 marks each. The wrong answers had negative marking of -1.5. In General Awareness section, each question carried 1.5 marks for correct attempt and -0.5 for incorrect attempts. The IIFT exam was an annual test and there was no option of retest.

Yes, the IIFT syllabus is similar to CAT syllabus. The topics included in English, Logical Reasoning, Data Interpretation and Quantitative Aptitude section of IIFT exam are same as CAT. The topics included in these sections of IIFT are same as that of CAT. In VARC section, one has to study reading comprehension, verbal ability, vocabulary and grammar. In Quantitative Aptitude section of both exams, there are questions from Arithmetic, Mensuration, Geometry, Trigonometry, Algebra, Modern Math, etc. In Data Interpretation, one has to study Tables, Charts, Graphs and Venn Diagrams. The Logical Reasoning section of both exams has questions from Sequence, Number System, Coding-Decoding, Family Tree, Blood Relations, Series, etc.

However, IIFT aspirants have to study General Awareness too as it is one of the four sections of IIFT question paper. The General Awareness section is memory based and can be prepared in the last month before the IIFT exam. Candidates can prepare for both CAT and IIFT simultaneously.  Read more: Is IIFT tougher than CAT exam?

IIFT marking scheme is similar to other MBA entrance exams but has unique features. There is differential marking in IIFT which means not all the sections of the question paper carry same marks. The Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Ability are carry 3 marks per correct attempt and -1 per each incorrect attempt.

General Awareness section carries less marks than other sections. In this section 1.5 marks is allotted to every correct attempt and -0.5 marks are allotted for every incorrect attempt.

The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section of IIFT exam includes Vocabulary, Synonyms/Antonyms, Analogies, Spelling Mistakes, Idioms and Phrases, English Proficiency, Sentence Formation, One Word Substitution, Sentence Reconstruction, Sentence Improvement, Sentence Completion, Fill in the Blanks, Rearrangement of Words, Paragraph Formation, Paragraph Completion, Jumbled Paragraph, Reading Comprehension, English Grammar, Word Meaning, Preposition, Odd Word Out, Sentence Correction and Phrases.

Candidates preparing for the IIFT entrance exam, must focus on these topics during preparation. The total number of questions in VARC section of IIFT is 35 and there is negative marking of -1. So, when you are preparing for it, keep your focus on RC passages, Antonym, Word Root, Match the Following, Idioms, Vocabulary and Noun/Adjective as these are the topics from which maximum questions are asked.

IIFT entrance exam is a computer based test. It is conducted in a single session at designated test centres. At the exam centre, every candidate will be allotted a computer system on which they will have to enter their answers with the help of computer mouse.

Candidates are allotted the IIFT test centre in the city of their preference. They have to appear for the IIFT entrance exam at that test centre on the exam day at a particular time as mentioned in the IIFT admit card. The option to choose cities for test centre allotment is given to candidates in the IIFT application form. Candidates can choose their home city or where they are likely to be in on the date for allotment of a test centre at the closest and convenient location.

The Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension section of IIFT entrance exam has the maximum weightage. There are 35 questions in this section and total marks is 105. Each question carries 3 marks for correct attempt and -1 for incorrect attempt. This section is usually of moderate difficulty level. The questions are asked from Reading Comprehension passages, Identify the Synonym, Identify Grammatically Correct/Incorrect Sentence, One Word Substitution, Jumbled Paragraphs, etc. The Reading Comprehension passages are simple and fact based so there's not much pressure on candidates to get the gist right. Verbal Ability and Grammar questions are usually easy and can be completed within minutes.

Every candidate must decide on the number of mock tests according to their own ability, strengths and weaknesses viz. the IIFT syllabus. However, it is recommended that candidates must practice at least 25-30 IIFT mock tests during exam preparation to reach 99 percentile level.

The best time to start mock test practice is after completing the IIFT syllabus because if you solve mock tests without gaining control over the topics you might face difficulties in many. So, first complete the syllabus and then start mock test practice. Keep at least 2 months for IIFT mock test practice so that you can solve 25-30 mock tests in total in a gap of one day. An important aspect of mock test practice is analyzing their result. After solving every IIFT mock test, analyse your performance to see control on the topics. You will know which topics are your strong point and which require some more hard work.

IIFT entrance exam is a computer based test. It is conducted in a single session at designated test centres. At the exam centre, every candidate will be allotted a computer system on which they will have to enter their answers with the help of computer mouse.

Candidates are allotted the IIFT test centre in the city of their preference. They have to appear for the IIFT entrance exam at that test centre on the exam day at a particular time as mentioned in the IIFT admit card. The option to choose cities for test centre allotment is given to candidates in the IIFT application form. Candidates can choose their home city or where they are likely to be in on the date for allotment of a test centre at the closest and convenient location.

Ideally, a candidate must prepare for the IIFT exam for at least six to nine months. They must study for the exam diligently for six to eight hours every day and the daily plan should include studying a chapter, solving related sample questions and memorising formulae. The first few months should be spent in covering the IIFT syllabus. An important aspect of IIFT preparation is practicing sample questions that are based on the important topics of IIFT syllabus. After that candidates must spend about two months in solving practice questions and mock tests. In the last month before the exam, candidates must make time for revision of all the important chapters and have problem solving sessions to tie up the loose ends. In the last month, keep the focus on important topics from which maximum questions are asked.

Yes, there could be some e non-MCQs in IIFT exam, most likely in the Quantitative Aptitude section. However, the number of non-MCQs will be lesser than MCQs. The candidates will have to type in the answer with the help of computer keyboard. For doing calculation and rough work, candidates will be given rough sheet that will have to be submitted at the end of the test. The non-MCQs are usually of low difficulty level and have simple calculations. So, candidates will not face a lot of difficulty in solving the non-MCQs. Solving all the questions is not mandatory so one can skip the non-MCQ questions too if they find it difficult.

Yes, it is not mandatory to answer all the questions in the IIFT exam and no marks will be deducted for skipping questions. If you are not sure of the right answer to a particular question, skip it to avoid negative marking. Candidates should solve only those questions in the IIFT exam which they can solve accurately and minimum time. However, candidates must keep in mind that they need to meet a minimum cut off in every section so they should not skip too many questions. Meeting the sectional cut off will ensure that their overall IIFT score is high enough for selection in the personal interview and group discussion round of MBA admission.

Ideally, six to eight hours daily is what experts recommend for IIFT exam preparation, but since working professionals can’t devote that many hours, they should at least strive to devote four hours every day. They can study for longer hours on Saturday and Sunday. By striking a balance between weekdays and weekends, working professionals can crack the IIFT exam. It is just that they will have to study after work.

They should start preparation much earlier as they will have less time to devote on daily basis. Ideally a working professional should start preparing for IIFT exam from March so that they have ample time to complete the syllabus and practice enough mock tests.