IBSAT Exam Analysis 2024

Below is shared previous years’ IBSAT exam analysis with exam pattern, difficulty level, cut offs and more

IBSAT Exam Pattern: Analysis

Exam Wise Section wise Topics & Types of Questions Table

Year: IBSAT 2023

Section: Verbal Ability

Exam Wise Section wise Topics & Types of Questions Table

Year: IBSAT 2023

Section: Reading Comprehension

Exam Wise Section wise Topics & Types of Questions Table

Year: IBSAT 2023

Section: Quantitative Aptitude

Exam Wise Section wise Topics & Types of Questions Table

Year: IBSAT 2023

Section: Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency

IBSAT Cut offs: Top ICFAI Colleges 

IBSAT Cut offs: ICFAI Colleges 

IBSAT 2022 was held on two consecutive dates on December 24 & 25, 2022. The exam was of two hours duration and tested the skills on quant, data interpretation, and verbal ability.

IBSAT Exam 2022 Analysis: Overall Pattern 

IBSAT exam pattern 2022 remained an Online Computer Based Test of 2 hours duration and was scheduled in a testing window of 2 days. The IBSAT question Paper was divided into four sections - Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Ability and Data Adequacy & Data Interpretation.  Total number of questions in the exam are 140. All the questions are of MCQ type.

IBSAT 2022 Exam Pattern: Sectional Composition

Section-wise split of IBSAT 2022 question paper is as under:  

IBSAT 2022 Sectional Analysis & Cut offs

IBSAT 2022 was more or less the same in difficulty level as was last year. DI and Quant questions were moderate in difficulty. RC and verbal sections were easy to attempt.

IBSAT 2022 Analysis: Verbal Ability

Verbal Ability is the highest weightage section in the exam and is the easiest section. Except for a few vocabulary questions of with a bit higher difficulty level, the section was mostly composed of easy-to-understand and direct questions. These questions were based on idiom/phrase, synonyms/ antonyms, para jumbles, error correction, one-word substitution, analogy, fill-in-the-blanks, etc.

• An attempt of 30-33 questions in 22-26 minutes would fetch a good score.

Reading Comprehension

IBSAT 2022 exam had 4 RC passages of 500-800 words each. RC questions were factual in nature but some were inferential and a little time-consuming. With good reading speed and a hold over vocabulary, this section could be mastered well.

• An attempt of 22-24 questions in 25-28 minutes could be a good attempt in this section.

Quantitative Aptitude

Quant in IBSAT 2022 was of moderate difficulty level but consisted of tricky questions from algebra, arithmetic, and geometry. The questions were from topics like ratio & proportion, time & work, progressions, percentages, probability, speed, distance & time, interest.. With the right shortcuts and good calculation speed, the section could be nailed with a high score.

• An attempt of 20+ questions in about 30 minutes could fetch a good score.

Data Adequacy & Data Interpretation

DA & DI is the lengthiest section in IBSAT. The questions were based on caselets, line graphs, bar graphs, charts. With logical skills arriving at the right data interpretation, candidates could maximise their scores.

• An Attempt of 18-20 questions with 80% accuracy could get you a good score

IBSAT 2021 final day exam got over on December 26, 2021. ICFAI Foundation conducted IBSAT Exam 2021 in separate sessions on December 25 and 26, 2021. IBSAT 2021 was conducted as a Centre Based test although earlier it was expected that IBSAT 2021 would be conducted as Proctored Online Test for which the candidates did not need to go to test centres to appear in the exam and could take the IBSAT 2021 exam from the convenience of their home. But, making a substantial change in testing mode, ICFAI conducted IBSAT 2021 at 95 test centers all over India. It was a 2hr computer based test held on December 25 and 26, 2021.

IBSAT is the MBA entrance exam for MBA admission in 9 ICFAI Business Schools spread across the country.  IBSAT Exam 2021 Analysis by MBAUniverse.com is the first indepth SNAP analysis released on December 26, 2021 immediately after the SNAP exam has got over.

MBAUniverse.com IBSAT Exam 2021 Analysis and percentile predictions on IBSAT cut offs will help the test takers to gauge their performance in IBSAT 2021 and their admission chances in top ICFAI institutes.

MBAUniverse.com IBSAT Exam Analysis 2021: Key Highlights

MBAUniverse IBSAT Analysis covers the following:

1. IBSAT Exam Pattern & key changes
2. Variation as compared to last year in Topics, Type of Questions for each section
3. Any Surprise elements in IBSAT 2021 Exam paper
4. Exam Difficulty Level: Overall & Section wise Analysis by Experts
5. Required Good Attempts: Overall and Section wise
6. IBSAT 2021 Cut Offs for ICFAI Hyderabad and other top ICFAI colleges accepting IBSAT
7. IBSAT Percentile Predictions

IBSAT 2021 Analysis: Overall Exam Pattern

IBSAT remained a moderate difficulty level MBA entrance exam. Key highlights of IBSAT 2021 exam pattern are:

IBSAT Exam 2021 Analysis: Sectional Composition

IBSAT 2021 question paper was divided into four sections  - Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Ability and Data Adequacy & Data Interpretation. Section-wise split of questions was as under:  

IBSAT 2021 Quick Analysis

The online computer based IBSAT 2021 exam with 2 hours of test duration on both exam days had following important points

• Exam Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate
• Type of Questions: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
• Number of Answer Options: 4
• Section Split: Only Exam with Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension with separate sections
• Maximum Weightage Section: Verbal Ability with 50 MCQs, all others had 30 MCQs each
• Negative Marking: No
• Sectional Time Limit: No Sectional Time Limit. You could switch from one section to other within overall time limit of 2 hours
• Scoring Pattern: +1 Mark for each correct answer and no marks for un attempted question or wrong answer
• Likely IBSAT Cut off for IBS Hyderabad: 73-75 Out of 140 Max. Marks

IBSAT Exam Pattern & Difficulty Level 2021: Similar as last Year

IBSAT Exam Pattern and Exam difficulty level 2021 was not much changed from last year IBSAT exam. ICFAI Foundation, a Deemed University, has been conducting IBSAT exam for last many years for MBA admission in 9 ICFAI colleges. Scores of IBSAT 2021 exam are used as admission criteria in all the ICFAI B-schools across the country for the MBA/PGDM 2022-24 batch.

IBSAT 2021 Sectional Analysis

Section-1: Verbal Ability: 50 Questions

• VA section had easy questions.

• Vocabulary questions were slightly on the higher difficulty side
• Grammar part was of moderate difficulty

Major topics in VA section:

• Synonyms/Antonyms
• Picking out the Errors in usage
• Word relation
• One word substitution
• Phrases
• Fill in the blanks
• Sentence correction
• Jumbled Paragraphs

Around 30-32 marks could be scored by a well-prepared candidate in 25-27 minutes.

Section-2: Reading Comprehension: 30 Questions

• Many questions in Reading Comprehension were direct and factual. Others were inferential and took time to answer.

Sectional Question Composition

• 4 RC passages with 30 questions 
• The passages were of about 500 words
• Moderate Difficulty level section
• Around 21-23 questions could be attempted with 90% accuracy in 24-25 minutes in the section

Section-3: Quantitative Ability: 30 Questions

• The QA section had a mix of questions on Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry
• The questions were framed on ratio proportion, work problems, heights, progressions, probability, percentages, speed, distance and time
• Difficulty Level: Moderate, few questions were slightly more difficult

Major Topics of Questions in QA Section

• Number system
• Speed, Time & Distance
• Profit & loss
• Discount
• Work & Time
• Percentage
• Ratio
• Interest calculation
• Simplication
• Algebra
• Geometry
• Mensuration
• Permutation & Combination
• Probability

Ideal number of questions to be attempted would be 21 to 23.

Section-4: Data Adequacy and Data Interpretation: 30 Questions

• Data Interpretation section had more questions on data adequacy and logical thinking.

• The question paper had questions on pi graphs, line graphs etc. Few other questions were on percentage change, ratio between two values, etc. 
• Other questions were based on percentage change, ratio between two values among other topics.
• Level of difficulty for the section was moderate with some of the questions more difficult
• 18-20 Questions with 90% accuracy could clear the IBS Hyderabad cut off

IBSAT 2021 Cut Offs for ICFAI Hyderabad & Other IBS Colleges

• ICFAI Hyderabad is expected to have IBSAT cut off 2021around 85 to 86 percentile.
• Expected cut off in all other top ICFAI MBA colleges may go in the range of 65 to 80 IBSAT percentile.

9 ICFAI Business Schools will accept IBSAT Exam
All the 9 campuses of ICFAI business schools will accept IBSAT 2021 score for MBA admission 2022. Following are the ICFAI B-Schools with their respective program offered by them:

• 2-year MBA program at IBS Hyderabad, IBS Dehradun and IBS Jaipur campuses
• 2-year PGPM (Postgraduate Program in Management) is offered at 6 IBS campuses - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune
• 4-year Ph. D program (Full Time/Part Time) at IBS Hyderabad

Below is shared previous years’ IBSAT exam analysis with exam pattern, difficulty level, cut offs and more IBSAT 2020 Analysis: Highlights & Changes

• IBSAT 2020 was conducted on December 26 & 27, 2020
• IBSAT Exam 2020 was a Proctored Online Test which could be taken from the convenience of their home instead of going to test centres.
• IBSAT 2020 was a moderate difficulty level exam as was last year
• Expected cut off for IBS Hyderabad is 85+ percentile

IBSAT Exam 2020: Overall Analysis

IBSAT Analysis 2020: Question Paper Break-UP

• IBSAT 2020 question paper had 140 questions to be attempted in 2 hours, distributed across 4 sections.
• There was no sectional cut-off and no sectional time limit in this exam.
• Each question carried 1 mark
• All questions were of MCQ type

The Sectional breakup of IBSAT test paper is

IBSAT 2020 Sectional Analysis

Section-1: Verbal Ability: 50 Questions

• VA section had easy questions.
• Vocabulary questions were slightly on the higher difficulty side
• Grammar part was of moderate difficulty

Major topics in VA section:

• Synonyms/Antonyms
• Picking out the Errors in usage
• Word relation
• One word substitution
• Phrases
• Fill in the blanks
• Sentence correction
• Jumbled Paragraphs

Around 31-33 marks could be scored by a well-prepared candidate in 25 minutes.

Section-2: Reading Comprehension: 30 Questions

• While Few questions on Reading Comprehension were direct and factual, others were inferential and took time to answer.

Sectional Question Composition

• 4 RC passages with 30 questions 
• The passages were of 450- 550 words
• Difficulty level was moderate
• Around 20-22 questions could be attempted with 90% accuracy in 25 minutes in the section

Section-3: Quantitative Ability: 30 Questions

• The QA section had a mix of questions on arithmetic, algebra, geometry and analytical geometry
• The questions were framed on ratio proportion, work problems, heights, progressions, probability, percentages, speed, distance and time
• Difficulty Level: Moderate to Difficult

Major Question topics in QA Section

• Number system
• Speed, Time & Distance
• Profit & loss
• Discount
• Work & Time
• Percentage
• Ratio
• Interest calculation
• Simplication
• Algebra
• Geometry
• Mensuration
• Permutation & Combination
• Probability

Ideal number of questions to be attempted would be 20 to 22.

Section-4: Data Adequacy and Data Interpretation: 30 Questions

• Data Interpretation section had more questions on data adequacy and logical thinking.
• The question paper had questions on pi graphs, line graphs etc. Few other questions were on percentage change, ratio between two values, etc. 
• Other questions were based on percentage change, ratio between two values among other topics.
• Level of difficulty for the section moderate with few difficult questions also.
• A student who had prepared well could answer 16-19 questions

IBSAT 2020 Cut Offs

• ICFAI Hyderabad is expected to have IBSAT 2020 cut off around 85+ percentile.
• Expected cut off in all other top ICFAI MBA colleges may go in the range of 65 to 80 IBSAT percentile.

ICFAI Business Schools Accepting IBSAT Exam
All the 9 campuses of ICFAI business schools accept IBSAT 2020 score for MBA admission 2021. Following are the ICFAI B-Schools with their respective program offered by them:

• 2-year MBA program at IBS Hyderabad, IBS Dehradun and IBS Jaipur campuses
• 2-year PGPM (Postgraduate Program in Management) is offered at 6 IBS campuses - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune
• 4-year Ph. D program (Full Time/Part Time) at IBS Hyderabad

IBSAT Exam Analysis: Highlights 

• IBSAT 2019 paper remains easy on expected pattern
• There is no Surprise Element in the IBSAT 2019
• Expected Cut off for ICFAI Hyderabad to remain 80-85 percentile
• Expected cut offs for other ICFAI B-schools not to change much
• Section wise IBSAT 2019 exam analysis reflects the moderate exam with IBSAT 2019 exam questions not going beyond the IBSAT Syllabus as outlined by ICFAI Foundation

IBSAT 2019 Test Paper: Duration & Marking Scheme
IBSAT 2019 Exam Pattern on December 21, 2019 was on following lines:

IBSAT 2019 Sectional Analysis: Break Up of Test paper

• IBSAT had 140 questions to be completed in 2 hours, distributed across 4 sections.
• There was no sectional cut-off and no sectional time limit in this exam.
• Each question carried 1 mark
• All questions were of MCQ type

The Sectional breakup of IBSAT test paper is

Section-1: Verbal Ability
Verbal ability section had easy questions. Vocabulary questions were slightly on the higher difficulty side but the grammar part was moderate.

Major topics covered in VA section were:

• Synonyms/Antonyms
• Picking out the Errors in usage
• Word relation
• One word substitution
• Phrases
• Fill in the blanks
• Sentence correction
• Jumbled Paragraphs

Overall the verbal ability section was on easier side. A few of the vocabulary questions were difficult but the grammar part was easier.

Around 32-34 marks could be scored by a well-prepared candidate in 25 minutes.

Section-2: Reading Comprehension
Some questions on Reading Comprehension were direct and factual, some were inferential and took time to answer.

Key highlights of the section were

• 4 RC passages with 30 questions 
• The passages were of 500- 600 words
• Difficulty level was moderate to Difficult
• Around 20-22 questions could be attempted with 100% accuracy in 25 minutes in the section

Section-3: Quantitative Ability
The Quantitative Ability section had good mixture of problems including arithmetic, geometry and analytical geometry. The questions were framed on ratio proportion, work problems, heights, progressions, probability, percentages, speed, distance and time

Major topics of the questions in the IBSAT were

• Number system
• Speed, Time & Distance
• Profit & loss
• Discount
• Work & Time
• Percentage
• Ratio
• Interest calculation
• Simplication
• Algebra
• Geometry
• Mensuration
• Permutation & Combination
• Probability

The questions in quantitative ability section were of moderate difficulty level. Ideal number of questions to be attempted would be 21 to 23.

  Section-4: Data Adequacy and Data Interpretation
The Data Interpretation section was focused strongly on data adequacy and logical thinking. The paper had questions on pi graphs, line graphs etc. Few other questions were on percentage change, ratio between two values, etc. 

Few other questions were based on percentage change, ratio between two values among other topics.

Level of difficulty for the section moderate with few difficult questions also. A student who had prepared well could answer 17-20 questions with accuracy.

 IBSAT 2019: Overall Difficulty Level
The overall difficulty level of the paper was moderate. A candidate could attempt 32-34 questions in 30 minutes.  There were all types of questions in the paper and the difficulty level was evenly distributed.

IBSAT 2019 Cut Offs
Students’ favourite ICFAI Hyderabad is expected to have a cut off around 80-85 percentile. All the 9 ICFAI institutes will offer MBA admission 2020 on the basis of IBSAT 2019 score cut offs.   The IBSAT 2019 expected cut off in all the top ICFAI MBA colleges may go in the range of 65 to 85 IBSAT percentile.

ICFAI Business Schools Accepting IBSAT Exam
All the 9 campuses of ICFAI business schools accept IBSAT score for MBA admission. Following are the ICFAI B-Schools with their respective program offered by them:

• 2-year MBA program at IBS Hyderabad, IBS Dehradun and IBS Jaipur campuses
• 2-year PGPM (Postgraduate Program in Management) is offered at 6 IBS campuses - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune
• 4-year Ph. D program (Full Time/Part Time) at IBS Hyderabad