What is IIFT?
The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade is India's premier
institute for a course in Foreign Trade based in Delhi.
When will IIFT be conducted?
IIFT is usually conducted on fourth Sunday of November every year. IIFT 2010 will be held on 28th November 2010.
What is the process of admission to IIFT?
For
General / SC / ST / PH Candidates
On the basis of Written Test, Group Discussion, Interview
Based on marks obtained in the Written Test, candidates are called for second phase of selection process comprising Group Discussion and Interview and Essay Writing to be held at Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai.
For
Foreign / NRI candidates/ Children of NRI
On the basis of General Management Aptitude Test (GMAT).
Overview of IIFT.
Developments in the international marketing on the one hand and the consequential impact of the same on India's domestic market on the other, call for a professional approach and sensitivity to international business environment. The MBA (International Business) is a foundational course for developing a competent cadre of business executives to meet the country's growing requirements for training personnel in the field of international business management.
The MBA (IB) is a six trimester general management programme with a focus on international business. The Programme aims at providing a comprehensive coverage incorporating all the important areas and disciplines relevant to international business activities.
This year’s statistics show that a total of 42,000 students have applied for this exam conducted by the Delhi and Kolkata based Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. A total of 180 seats have been set aside for this MBA program.
The MBA season started on an optimistic note with the IRMA and the CAT not showing any unusual trends. The IIFT followed raising hopes of all the students as the paper was similar to that of last year’s paper. The IIFT paper is an industry specific paper as it is exclusive to foreign trade. With an MBA in international business, the student undergoes a foundational course for developing a competent cadre of business executives to meet the country’s growing requirements for training personnel. The paper shows a leaning towards English usage, and Grammar. Many international business organizations have shown a keen interest in selecting students with an IIFT degree.
What was the structure
of November 2009 IIFT paper?
Salient features of IIFT 2009:
Number of sections: 4
Number of options per question: 4
Number of questions: 122
Marking System: differential marking, negative 1/3rd mark for each wrong answer.
Total marks in the paper: 100.
What were the sectional cut-offs?
Unpredicted Sectional Cut-offs
Any unusual trends in the paper?
 There was no specific section devoted to Reasoning Ability. There was a combined section of Data
Interpretation coupled with Reasoning.
 Problems on Quantitative Ability were tough with tricky options. “none of the above” was the right answer
for many questions
 Problems on Data Interpretation were calculation intensive
 A score builder for this IIFT paper was through the English Usage Section. It was divided into two parts.
 The first part was Reading Comprehension and the other was Verbal Ability. This section was an absolute
delight as questions were of average difficulty and easy to attempt.
 This year too the IIFT test takers were allowed to retain the question paper.
| SECTIONS |
NO. OF QUESTIONS |
MARKS PER QUESTION |
TOTAL MARKS |
(a) |
(b) |
(c) |
(d) = (b) X (c) |
Section - 1 32 |
(Questions 01 – 32) |
0.8 |
25.60 |
Section - 2 27 |
(Questions 33 – 59) |
0.7 |
18.90 |
Section – 3 26 |
(Questions 60 – 85) |
0.8 |
9.60 |
Section – 5 23 |
(Questions 98 – 120) |
0.7 |
16.10 |
Section - 6 30 |
(Questions 121 – 150) |
0.3 |
9.00 |
Total |
150 |
|
100.00 |
What was the optimal time allotment?
The optimal time allotment strategy, number of attempts in each section and the projected scores are as follows:
Section |
|
No.
of Qns |
Relative
Weight-age |
Tot-al mar-ks |
Difficu-lty
level |
Time
allot-ment |
Prob-able
Attemp-ts |
Expec-ted
Scores |
Reading
Comprehension &
Verbal Ability |
RC |
15 |
1 |
15 |
Easy to Average |
15 min |
6 |
4+ |
VA |
25 |
0.6 |
15 |
Easy |
15 min |
16 |
8+ |
General Knowledge |
GK |
20 |
0.4 |
8 |
Easy |
10-12 min |
11 |
4+ |
Reasoning
Ability &
Data Interpretation |
AR |
8 |
1 |
34
|
Above Average |
30-35 min |
15 |
11+ |
MR |
3 |
1 |
Bar Graph |
6 |
1 |
Table |
13 |
1 |
Reasoning based DI |
4 |
1 |
Quantitative Ability |
Algebra |
12 |
1 |
28 |
Tough |
35-40 min |
10 |
9+ |
|
Geometry |
6 |
1 |
|
Arithmetic |
10 |
1 |
Total |
|
122 |
|
100 |
|
120 minutes |
68 |
36+ |
How was the Verbal Ability section in IIFT 2009?
Keeping up with last years’ tradition, the English section was divided into two different parts, Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability. But leaning away from introducing a new question type in this section, this year saw a simple and easy to approach English section.
How was the Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation section in IIFT 2009?
Section III : Quantitative Ability
| Topic |
Number of questions |
Weightage |
Remarks |
Permutation and Combination |
1 |
1 |
Average |
Maxima Minima |
2 |
2 |
Average |
Equation |
1 |
1 |
Average |
Height & Distance |
2 |
2 |
Average |
Circle & Quadrilateral |
2 |
2 |
Average |
Mensuration |
1 |
1 |
Average |
Progression |
2 |
2 |
Average |
Series |
1 |
1 |
Average |
Polygon |
2 |
2 |
Tough |
Shares & Dividends |
1 |
1 |
Average |
Percentages |
2 |
2 |
Tough |
Probability |
3 |
3 |
Tough |
Speed Time & Distance |
2 |
2 |
Average |
Binomial Expansion |
1 |
1 |
Average |
Logarithm |
1 |
1 |
Average |
Earnings and Expenditure |
1 |
1 |
Average |
Time and Work |
1 |
1 |
Average |
Pipes and Cisterns |
1 |
1 |
Tough |
Mixtures ad Alligations |
1 |
1 |
Average |
Total questions |
28 |
28 |
Above Average |
Overall this section was above average.
Section IV : Reasoning Ability & Data Interpretation
| |
Number of questions |
Weightage |
Remarks |
| Tabular Form |
13 |
13 |
Tough |
| Reasoning Based DI |
4 |
4 |
Average |
Bar Graph
(Production) |
6 |
6 |
Average |
| Analytical Reasoning |
5 |
5 |
Easy |
| Direction Based |
1 |
1 |
Easy |
| Family Tree |
1 |
1 |
Average |
| Mathematical Reasoning |
1 |
1 |
Average |
| Input/Output |
3 |
3 |
Average |
Total questions |
34 |
34 |
Average |
Overall this section was above average
How was the General Knowledge section in IIFT 2009?
Section VI: (General Knowledge)
This time the questions on general knowledge required the IIFT test taker to be abreast of the happenings and events which occurred over the past six months. There were no questions on static GK as has been the usual trend for the last three years.
Eligibility
Criteria and Marks related:
What
is the eligibility for IIFT?
 No
age limit

Recognized Bachelor's Degree of minimum 3 years duration
in any discipline
 Candidates appearing for a qualifying examination can also apply subject to submission of proof of requisite qualification by pre-specified date.
Do I have to be a graduate from a premier college?
No. It is not necessary that students need to be from premier colleges. You get into a B-school on the basis of your performance in the entrance exams conducted by the B-schools themselves.
I have done my diploma. Can I apply for an MBA?
MBA, being a master's degree, requires the aspirant to be a graduate. That means, you must have a Bachelor's Degree from any university incorporated by an act of the Central or State government of India, any other educational institution established by an act of Parliament or any institution deemed as such under section 3 of the UGC Act 1956. This also includes any equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India. Your Bachelor's Degree or equivalent qualification must have covered a minimum of three years of education after completing higher secondary schooling, which is a total of 10+2+3 years.
Preparation Related:
How does one develop aptitude for Math and English?
In simple terms, IIFT tests managerial abilities in a candidate through Mathematics, English and Reasoning. This means that you will be required to interlink concepts in order to solve a particular problem. Your ability to apply concepts to practical situations is what will be tested.
Once you start taking section tests and comprehensive
tests, it becomes important to analyze each of the
tests that you take. This will help identify the areas/topics
that you are weak at and still need brushing up before
you take the next test.
How does one analyze performance?
1.
Analyze your area-wise/topic-wise performance to identify
potential areas for improvement.
2. Work on the identified areas, through determined practice using

Concept Books

Section Tests and Comprehensive Tests
After you take each test, do analyze it well. Analysis
would take a lot of time, do not take this as a waste
of time, and instead convert this into a learning
process. For all correct answers, compare your method
with the Explanatory Answers, check if you can attempt
it faster and practice the new method, if any. For
all incorrect answers, reattempt the questions with
no time limits. You need to understand as to why did
you make the mistake was it conceptual/silly mistake/incorrect
interpretation. Learn from your mistakes and ensure
that you do not commit them in future.
How does one increase reading speed and verbal ability?
The areas that are tested in English are verbal ability, reading comprehension and composition skills. This means that you need to build an overall aptitude in English. Good command over English language is a must in order to succeed in IIFT. In fact, you will observe that you need good English even to attempt the quantitative and data interpretation sections.
Reading a newspaper like The Times of India / The Hindu, a business daily like The Economic Times/Business Standard and political and business magazines should become a daily habit for all IIFT applicants. Further,

Read any section in the newspaper, especially the
editorial one.

Timing yourself while reading is important. You should
be able to read 200 to 250 words a minute.

Write a summary (about 100 to 150 words) every day
on the topic you have read. It will help in building
your thought process which is crucial
in IIFT.

Make a note of the difficult words and look up their
meanings from the Oxford English dictionary. Try and
maintain a notebook/prepare flash cards
that you can go through in your free time.
Reading would also help you keep updated on the events
going around thus building on your general awareness
that would be helpful during the group discussion
and personal interview rounds.
B-School
Admissions Related:
How important are my application forms?
It is very important to be honest in your application
forms. Do not fill any information that is untrue.
Certain questions in the forms ask you about Career
Goals, Strengths, Weaknesses, etc. They are deliberately
there to help the B-school know a little bit more
about you and are often referred to during the interview.
It is highly recommended to keep a photocopy of every
form that you fill so that you can revise what you
have written before the interview.
What do you mean by percentile and percentage?
Percentile: Percentile indicates
student's relative performance position among the
total students who took the exam.
Percentage: The % score represents
normalized percentage of scores secured by the candidate.
It is a relative method of representing the score.
This is not the actual % score.
For example - A 99 percentile means that the student is among the top 1 percent of the population who took the exam.
Does a candidate get calls only on the basis of cutoffs?
No. One needs to keep in mind that cut-offs are only
one of the many evaluation tools that the B-Schools
use to shortlist candidates. The other prominent factors
are past academic performance, work experience if
any, extra curricular activities and achievements
etc.
Does work experience increase chances of making it to a reputed school?
Work experience is not mandatory criteria for making
it to any B-School. However, having work experience
does add to your profile. None the less, you need
to prove your worth at the time of the GD/PI rounds.
This implies that the panel needs to be convinced
about what you have learnt at the job and contributed
positively to the organization. The way you present
yourself and your approach towards the questions plays
a vital role in the outcome of your interview. Remember,
you will be pitched against the best minds during
the GD/PI rounds. So you need to be at your best to
make sure you get the final call.
What is the
duration of the test?
The allotted time for the test is usually 120 minutes.
Which were the
cut-offs for IIFT 2009?
| IIFT 2009 : Expected Cut-offs |
Section |
IIFT 2009 |
| Reading Comprehension & Verbal Ability |
9+ |
| General Knowledge |
2+ |
| Quantitative Ability |
4+ |
| Reasoning Ability & Date Interpretation |
7+ |
Over all |
32+ |
|