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The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade is India's premier institute for a course in Foreign Trade based in Delhi.

IIFT is usually conducted on fourth Sunday of November every year. IIFT 2010 was hold on 28^th November 2010.

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).

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.

Salient features of IIFT 2010:

Number of sections: 4
Number of options per question: 4
Number of questions: 135
Marking System: differential marking, negative 1/3^rd mark for each wrong answer.
Total marks in the paper: 100.

Unpredicted Sectional Cut-offs

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

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
Reading Comprehension& Verbal Ability	RC	15	0.7	10.5	Above Average	20 min	5+
	VA	25	0.5	12.5	Above Average	20 min	15+
General Knowledge	GK	30	0.4	12	Tough	20 min	11+
Reasoning Ability & Data Interpretation	AR	13	1	35	Average	30-35 min	15+
	MR	1	1
	Bar Graph	11	1
	Table	9	1
	Pie-Chart	1	1
Quantitative Ability	Algebra	14	1	30	Average	30 min	10+
	Geometry	7	1
	Arithmetic	5	1
	Numbers	1	1
	Miscellaneous	3	1
Total		135		100		120 minutes	56+

Topic	Number of questions	Weightage	Remarks
Para Jumbles	6	0.5	Easy
Analogies	2 + 4	0.5	Above Average
Spelling Correction	2	0.5	Above Average
Fill in The Blanks (double)	6	0.5	Above Average
Sentence Correction (Grammar)	3	0.5	Average
Grammatical Errors	2	0.5	Easy
Total	25		Average

Keeping up with last years’ tradition, the English section was divided into two different parts, Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability. There was a new question type in this section, which was on spelling correction. This year the difficulty level of this section was Average to Above Average.

Reading Comprehension comprised of four passages. The length of the passages was about 800 to 900 words. To be able to answer all the four RC’s was a tall order but attempting two out of the four was not too much to ask for.

The RC passages were based on different temperaments ranging from economics to philosophy. The first passage was lengthy and tough hence leaving it and going forward would have been the best choice.

The other English section comprised of questions to test Vocabulary and Grammar.

Vocabulary comprised of ‘fill in the blanks’ which were difficult as the words were not familiar. New type of question was introduce in this section, which was on spelling correction.

One should attempt verbal section before attempting the RC section.

An average number of accurate attempts would be 20+.

Section III : Quantitative Ability

Topic	Number of questions	Weightage	Remarks
Permutations and Combinations	2	1	Average
Quadratic Equations	1	1	Average
Partnership	1	1	Average
Triangles	3	1	Average
Mensuration	1	1	Average
Geometrical Figures	1	1	Average
Series	4	1	Average
Numbers	1	1	Average
Set Theory	2	1	Average
Ages	1	1	Average
Probability	1	1	Average
Speed Time & Distance	1	1	Average
Functions	1	1	Average
Logarithm	2	1	Average
Trigonometry	2	1	Average
Time and Work	2	1	Average
Profit & Loss	1	1	Average
Miscellaneous	3	1	Average
Total questions	30	30	Average

Overall this section was an average in difficulty. This year there were more questions on algebra compare to other sections. There were very few questions on Numbers.

Just knowledge of mathematical fundamentals was not enough to combat this section.

An average number of accurate attempts would be 10+.

Section IV : Reasoning Ability & Data Interpretation

Topic	Number of questions	Weightage	Remarks
Tabular Form	4 + 5	1	Average
Bar Graph (Production)	4 + 4 + 3	1	Average
Pie-Charts	1	1	Average
Analytical Reasoning	5 + 5 + 3	1	Average
Mathematical Reasoning	1	1	Average
Total questions	35	35	Average

There were 8 caselets in all. 2 caselets were in tabular form, 3 was in bar graph and 1 was in pie chart and 3 were in Analytical reasoning.

Questions based on tabular form were comparatively lengthy and time-consuming. The reasoning based caselets were average. I question on Mathematical Reasoning was simple.

An average number of accurate attempts would be 15+

Section VI: (General Knowledge)

Similarly the PreIIFT paper which students answered helped them to get a feel of the real IIFT.

An average number of accurate attempts would be 11+

Overall this exam was an average with a slight veering towards an above average difficulty in the GK and DI sections respectively. Sectional cut-offs being the order of the day your performance will be an indicator of whether you are truly cut out to an MBA in Foreign Trade.

Hence “If you do not know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere.” So be very sure of what you are calling is and pursue it. All the best !

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The allotted time for the test is usually 120 minutes.