IIFT 2018 Exam: GK Game Changer - Last Minute Exam Day Tips; 55000 to vie for 420 MBA (IB) Seats

55000 test takers will try their luck tomorrow to compete for admission to one of the 420 seats in MBA (International Business) 2019-21 programme at the coveted Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) across the country. IIFT the deemed university will conduct its own entrance exam IIFT 2018 on December 2, 2018 from 10AM to 12Noon in paper pen mode. Candidates should report at the test venues at least one hour before the exam commences.
The exam going by the past trend is expected to offer surprises and may contain different sectional format also. While some of the sections in IIFT 2018 exam may be clubbed or de-clubbed, the General Knowledge section with 18-20 questions in IIFT entrance test remains a standalone game changer section which despite the lowest scoring weightage plays major role in shortlisting process.

GK: Game Changer
Past IIFT entrance exam toppers and experts have suggested not to undermine the importance of GK in IIFT. This small section with lowest marks can get you through the shortlisting or may keep you out of the admission race depending upon your preparation. Out of 100 marks, GK section carries not more than 10-12 marks and the cut offs in GK section also go as low as 1 or less mark. Still the candidates find it difficult to clear the cut offs in this section due to its high difficulty level. The high score in other sections is nullified with the below cut off score in GK section.

GK Section: Question Pattern

Total questions
Marks for Each Correct Answer
Expected Cut off

18-20
+0.5
1 Mark

What to Prepare in GK
IIFT specializes in International Trade, so while preparing GK for IIFT exam, special emphasis lies on the International Trade Deals which have happened or are the topics of discussion. However, you need to prepare both static GK for IIFT and Current Affairs

Get IIFT GK sample questions from IIFT Mocks and IIFT previous test papers
IIFT GK topics to prepare broadly are International current affairs and details about international organizations like ASEAN, TPP, BRICS and also know basic details about them, the headquarters, the year of establishment
Topics and GK sample questions for IIFT preparation should also include National current developments, Government schemes like UDAN Scheme, Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, JAM among others
Read regularly the news papers and create your own IIFT GK question bank. A good source of preparation for updated GK questions for IIFT is Manorama Year Book
Your IIFT GK Material should be as per IIFT GK syllabus..Read More

IIFT Sectional division of questions & Weightage
IIFT exam is divided in 4 major sections and since last year these 4 sections have been split into 6 sections. While Quantitative Techniques and General Awareness sections are still stand along sections, the Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension section has been further divided into Verbal section and RC section separately. Similarly, the Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation section has been divided into two separate sections.
Each section has its individual cut off and as such would be counted separately for percentile calculation leading to preparation of shortlist for final selection round. So make sure, to remain balanced while attempting each of the six sections in IIFT exam tomorrow and try to maximize score in each section.

It is possible that DI part which was separated from LR last year is clubbed to Quant in IIFT 2018 exam and Logical Reasoning (LR) section may remain separated as individual section or some other surprises may come up. However, the exam will consist of questions on all these sections whether clubbed or separate sections.

The 2 hours IIFT 2016 exam would contain 114 or more questions but the total maximum marks would remain as 100 throwing more challenges to manage time. This is due to the variable marking pattern in the exam..Read More

Dont Panic! Low Score Leads to High Percentile
IIFT is considered a difficult exam and this is the reason a low cut off of less than 50% marks can award you with the admission opportunity in IIFT Delhi, Kolkata or Kakinada campus. In IIFT 2018 exam, although you may find questions a bit difficult and may be tricky also, but if you score anywhere between 40 to 50 out of 100, you may expect to be shortlisted by IIFT..Read More

Time Management: Key Factor in Testing Room
Time management in IIFT 2018 entrance exam will be the important issue as you have to attempt 114 to 120 questions in 2 hours only. With no sectional time limit for any section, candidates not keeping watch on time usually miss even the sectional cut-offs and despite scoring good percentile dont get shortlisted due to sectional dip in scores.

Expect Surprises in Test Paper
The exam sections in IIFT exam also go on getting changed. It is very much possible that you may find that the sub-part of one section is clubbed to other section or it remains the stand alone section as happened in 2017 exam.

Expect Tricky Questions
IIFT 2018 entrance test will be held in a single session of 2 hours across the country in the conventional paper pen mode from 10 AM to 12 Noon. The test can greet the candidates with trickier and lengthier questions on almost all the sections. Candidates may find it difficult to cross the hurdle of even 50 questions out of 114.

Keep Sectional Balance & Maximise Attempts
Questions in different sections and sub sections in IIFT 2018 entrance exam carry different marking pattern. While overall maximum marks are 100, the maximum marks allotted to different questions vary from 0.5 to 1. Sectional cut offs also play an important role and a candidate has to clear them as well.

Penalty of one third marks is awarded for every wrong answer. The candidates therefore have to be careful to avoid this negative marking by choosing the answer options with well calculated thought process
IIFT has the reputation of beginning the entrance exam on right time at 10 AM without any technical glitches. The 120 minutes test is found to be a little more difficult than other exams. Most of the candidates are not able to solve more than 50% of the questions.

Over the years Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) has been ranked as the top institute offering MBA in international business. The career prospects and high campus placements at IIFT also add to the glory of its entrance exam.

The ratio per candidate in IIFT 2018 exam is higher than any other MBA entrance test. It imples a greater competition with neck to neck cut offs at decimal points. IIFT doesnt accept any other score than the score of its own entrance test for domestic candidates. For NRIs and foreign nationals GMAT scores are accepted.