IIFT Question Paper: Previous Year Papers PDFs - Download Here!

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

The IIFT entrance exam is a common aptitude test conducted for admission to MBA in International Business course offered by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) Delhi, Kolkata and Kakinada. National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the IIFT exam on behalf of the institute. The following table provides all the details regarding IIFT entrance exam:

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.

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