IIFT is an important exam which is scheduled to take place on 22nd November ‘15. If you have prepared well for the CAT then IIFT exam requires a slight tweak in your approach and strategy.
Here, I am going to discuss how I would spend 120 minutes inside the examination hall. But before doing that, let me tell you about my strengths and weaknesses (pertaining to the IIFT exam) as a student, so that you can understand the logic behind my course of action.
• I am not strong at any particular section but neither am I weak at any. I prefer going for Verbal, Logical Reasoning, DI, RC, Maths & GK in that order.
• IIFT being a speed oriented test, my order of attempt would differ from my preference order. The usual attempt vs. accuracy trade-off has to be kept in mind. I always pick attempt over accuracy.
• Although it is unclear if IIFT will have sectional cut off (which it had in last year), I will attempt each section with equally intensity so that I clear the sectional cutoffs. Fortunately or unfortunately, lack of super competence in any section permits me to do that.
• I go with the mindset that if I am finding a test/section difficult then at least 99% of the crowd would be finding it difficult.
Now, I would talk about each section in the order I would attempt them in the paper.
1st Section to Attempt – GK: The cut-off for this section is usually low, as low as 1.5-2 marks. The good part is that there are match the following questions in GK, so even if I can find two correct matches just by working through options, even then I can get to the right answers. I aim to attempt 10 -12 questions in 6- 8 minutes with an accuracy of around 60%. To prepare for GK, I suggest going through the happenings of the past 3 months.
2nd Section to Attempt – Verbal: Like it or not, IIFT is a speed test and those who are good in English will always do well in a speed test. The verbal section has good mix of vocab, PJ, grammar & other regulars. I go for a kill in this section attempting all the questions in 15 minutes. The aim is to achieve 75% accuracy.
3rd Section to Attempt – LR: This section is lengthy and has a mix of easy and difficult questions. If there are any questions on Syllogisms and Logical Deductions I attempt them first. My idea in this section would be to attempt 3 caselets. I attempt series completion & coding decoding question only if I am left with sufficient time. I devote 25 minutes to this section and my aim is to achieve 90% accuracy.
4th Section to Attempt- RC: Unlike CAT RCs, IIFT RCs do not require to read each and every word. IIFT RC’s are lengthy and tiring but the questions are direct. There are few questions which are based on the factual data (which can be easily traced in the passage) and few questions with match the following construct. My aim is to attempt all such questions, without reading any RC completely. I consciously read quickly and my aim is to attempt at least 8-10 questions across all the RCs in 20 minutes.
5th Section to Attempt –DI: IIFT DI is usually calculation intensive. Rather than focusing on 1-2 caselets, I scan all the caselets and attempt those questions which are less time consuming. My aim is to attempt 8-10 questions in this section in 25 minutes.
6th Section to Attempt – Quant: IIFT Quant questions are usually 4-5 liners and I avoid such questions. I read those few two liner questions in round 1. In the remaining time, I first pick questions from Arithmetic and then from the other topics. I aim to attempt 7-8 questions in this section in 25 minutes with 100% accuracy.
Few Suggestions:
• In a speed test you need to fix the order of attempts and time allotted to each section. You should follow the time allotment rigidly.
• For attempts, you can only intend to reach a particular number, if you are unable to reach that number of attempts in a particular section in the time you have allotted to that section then do not panic, move to next section. Remember, that the section could be difficult than expected.
Siddharth Mehta
XLRI Alumnus
2.5
3.5
the number of questions to be attempted in every section(as mentioned in this article) – Are they only for clearing the sectional cut off or for scoring a high percentile(99+) in IIFT exam
The number of questions mentioned per section are the attempts by the author and his strategy to solve the paper.
Sir,
I want to know that how much sectional cut off required to get into the iift Delhi, if m belong to sc category
Esmita, sectional cutoffs are the same for all Categories but as a SC candidate you should target a score of 40+ in IIFT test. Please refer to the post GP’s 10 fool-proof fundas to Crack IIFT for details.
SIR,
MY OA SCORE IS 46.76. HAD WRITTEN TO IIFT ABOUT WRONG QUESTION, BUT THEY REPLIED THAT THEY WONT CONSIDER IT. NOW MY FINAL SCORE IS 46.76
WILL I GET A CALL?
PLS REPLY SOON GP SIR..
Ramesh, although 46.7 is borderline but there are strong chances that you’ll clear the cutoff. Don’t worry too much. Focus on SNAP and XAT and strat your PDP right away.
Sir, in iift I am getting
Di/lr 5.5
VA/rc 10.15
Gk. 4.34
Qa. 3.67
OA. 23.66
I belong to sc category,non engineering, female.
Are there any chances of getting shortlisted by IIFT
Snehal, unfortunately SC cutoff is likely to be around 35 marks in IIFT.
Sir, I just had a query. Does IIFT reward marks for the incorrect questions ( I felt that a couple of questions in quant and LR were incorrect)
Do the marks get added to our score?
Ananya, IIFT has taken all questions to be correct and you will need to write to IIFT for the incorrect questions.
Sir,
what are your estimates about:
1. no.of wrong questions in quants, as in were there any in quant?
2. sectional cut offs?
P.S.I am a non cl student.
Raisa, please refer to the post IIFT 2016-18 Analysis: My take
Hi Sir, As per CL’s answer key, I am getting 44.61 or 45.94 ( depending on a maths answer which I am not sure of marking the correct option) but 1.67 in gk… What are the chances sir? I am worried about the gk.
Srv, You have a chance but it is a borderline case, the GK cutoff could be anywhere from 1.5 to 1.8
Hello Sir,
According to CL estimates I should get a total score of 55.68.
But I am a little worried because, my DI-LR scores are very close to the cut off (9.17).
Should I be expecting a call?
What are the next steps I should take for the exams coming ahead?
Thanking you.
Soaham, I think you will make it past the LRDI cutoff and get IIFT interview call.
For CAT please refer to the Webinar uploaded in your SIS and after CAT start PDP immediately for IIFT.
sir my score according to CL is 49.77 with just 2 in GK……is a call from delhi campus possible…
Abhi, the interview shortlist is common for both the campus. My estimate of GK cutoff is 1.5-1.8 so you should get a call.
Sir, I belong to obc and getting 43.5 with marks in gk and lr-di are 3 and 9.25 respectively. Is this score good enough to expect a call
vinay, start with PDP immediatley after CAT, you should be shortlisted for IIFT interview.
sir,
i have got overall 43.25 in iift but my gk marks is 1.84 .. will it be sufficient to clear the cutoff
Priyanka, 1.84 in GK is likely to be sufficient but your overall score is on the edge.
Sir,
foll. are my scores
Quant- 8-8.33
LRDI-15
EU+RC-22.16
GK-4.84
OA-50-50.33
should i completely forget iift due to quant score?
Ayush, 8 in QA should be sufficient to clear the cutoff.
Hi Sir,
My Overall score is 41.53. Made an attempt of 64 questions (51.75 marks) overall. GK sectional I’m scoring 3.675. LR and DI together 13.34. Quant is 6.67.And VRC is 17.845. I had one more doubt. The last DI had a small error in graph C. Was there a printing mistake or it was deliberate?
Appy, it is possible that IIFT will claim that it was delibrate but I am sure that it is printing error.
Sir, I am getting 46.69 in iift 2015 as per CL calculator with 1.67 in gk. Any chances?
Aayushi, 1.67 in GK would be a little short of the cut-off.
Sir
I cleared all the sectional cutoffs and got 52.94 overall (as per the Cl Calculator). Is it any good ?
AL, you should be getting IIFT interview call, focus on CAT for the next 7 days and start preparing for the next stage from 1st December.
Hi sir,
Acc to score calculator my quants score is 8.02. would i able to clear the cutoff for quants setion and how does the sectional cutoff is decided?
Lovepreet, 8 marks in QA should be sufficient to clear the cutoff.
Sir I got 44 marks total in the IIFT exam. Cleared all sectionals as per the answers provided by CL . Any chances?
Twin, with 44 marks you are on the edge but hopefully you will make it to the next stage.
Respected Sir,
Kindly tell me, whether in the IIFT Exam, do they give us rough sheets like CAT or we will have to do it on the Question Paper like XAT.
Yours respectfully,
Saral Agarwal
Saral, we have to do it in the question paper itself. Hope you did well in IIFT.
Have been taking IIFT papers as mocks:
IIFT 2014-41
IIFT 2013-52.66
IIFT 2012-47(without GK)
IIFT 2011- 37(WITHOUT GK)- couldn’t clear the cut off
IIFT 2010-44
IIFT 2008-28.75(WITHOUT GK)
How do you rate this performance?
Practised two ssix section paper, really not comfortable with that. Pls help out in time allocation for a Six section paper.
2. Can we expect change of paper pattern from 4 to 6 section?
Isha, these scores are by and large fine and you should be able to do well in CAT.
All IIFT papers can be considered as 6 section papers, please refer to the post GP’s 10 fool-proof fundas to Crack IIFT for the time allocation for a 6 section paper.
Sir,
What are your expectations from thus year’s IIFT paper in terms of diffculty?
Ayush, similar to that of last 3 years 🙂
Sir , although I’m able to clear the sectional cut offs but I’m not able to clear the overall cut offs. My score is somewhere between 28-38. What should I do in the last few days left?
Manisha, focus on the sections in which you can increase your score. Usually to reach the overall cutoff one needs a high score in at least 2 sections out of GK, EU and LR.
Sir, I gave CL IIFT mock. And I am getting around 78 percentile(40 marks). I am doing fine in English, but my Quant stands at only around 55 percentile (5 marks). With only few days left for the exam, could you say the areas which I should focus the most to maximize my score in this section? Also in your video you mentioned that for vocab we can go through the question papers of the past 5 years of IIFT, could you say where can I get previous year’s questions?
Akilut, old IIFT papers are available in your SIS in the e-Lib section.
The target score for QA should be at least 7 marks and hence revise the QA questions of IIFT a couple of times, especially those from Arithmetic and Algebra.
Hello sir,
Actually I have a few doubts related to QA section in IIFT. My strategy of attempting the paper is as follows:
1. GK – 5 minutes
2. VA – 15 minutes
3. RC – 15-20 minutes
4. LR – 25-30 minutes
5. DI – 15 minutes
6. QA – 30-35 minutes
I have an accuracy of about 80-90% in all sections. Because I attempt QA in last 30 minutes,due to time pressure I lack the speed. So, I end up reading every question and then realizing that I may not be able to do it. On an average I am able to attempt 9-11 questions in this section. Although I attempt one liners in R1 but I am not able to pick the right and doable questions and get stuck in difficult ones. Should I change my strategy?
Can you please guide me how to work on it in these few days?
Mehak, the only change that is required is of not attempting 1 liners that are not from your area of comfort or that will take time for you to solve. You do not attempt a question only because it is a 1-liner, you attempt a 1 liner if it from your area of comfort and can be solved by you in about 3 minutes.
Call me at 9811155160 in the evening in case you need to discuss this further.
Sir i have completed btech this year but i have 1 pending backlog which i will give in may 2016 and result will be out by july so can i get provisional admission in colleges like imi, imt, fore and submit my documents by july if i get a good cat score?
Akshay, as long as you can submit your documents by July it will not be a problem.
Hi Sir,
In the CL IIFT Mocks, you have mentioned scores or Sections 1,2,3 and 4 individually. If I manage to score 15 in Quant and DI section without solving even one DI question, is that Ok? Because my entire exam goes well until I start solving DI. I am asking you the opinion in the instance where the actual exam paper comes in this same format (DI+Qu), (Eu+Rc), Rea and GK.
Thanks
Sridhar, whenever the sections are combined there is only a sectional cutoff so theoretically you can get a call from IIFT without attempting DI if the QA and DI sections are combined, however it will be prudent to not leave DI completely and get at least 2-3 marks. SNAP institutes have in the past rejected students who have a zero or a negative score in any section and IIFT could easily do the same.
sir,
i m from sc category and sir i score 70 percentile in mock of cl. Can i get any iim sir, without any work experience.
lony, calls from some new IIMs are possible at 70%ile however a Mock score of 70%ile is likely to convert to a 75-80%ile in CAT and if you can get over 80%ile then calls are possible from all except the top IIMs.
What is the actual cutoff for previous iift papers.
Aarav, please refer to the table at the bottom of the article GP’s 10 fool-proof fundas to Crack IIFT for the actual cutoffs of previous IIFT papers.
Are multiple choices as answers possible in IIFT …I was looking at some old IIFT papers
Shanky, there can be only one correct answer to a question else you will have to mark multiple answers. However IIFT usually has a couple of incorrect questions and you could be looking at those questions.
Sir,
My query is not related to IIFT,but I hope you answer it.
The mock paper on Cat website has 24 questions on RC, Can we actually expect the same to happen?
I recently gave a mock test with 6 rcs and VA scores plummeted like anything.
Kindly reply. Thanks
Raisa, yes we can expect such a paper. My article on this issue will be uploaded by tomorrow.
Sir m gettng 86 to 91 prcentile in ims simcat.. can i expect a very gud prcentile in cat? Was having huge expectations out of my self which was being overpressurising n getting panicking. Also should i fill mdi college based on the above percentile in mocks? Thank u
Shyne, it is difficult to extrapolate the score of IMS mocks since the number of students taking them is not known. If you have taken any CL Mock CAT then let me know your score. However typically a 86-91%ile in mocks should convert to a 92-95%ile in CAT. If you can relax a bit during the test then hopefully your scores will also improve.
You can apply to MDI especially if you have a good academic record.
sir i am scorin 49-55 in cl mock iift with percentile of 92-94 what could be the score in iift 2015 based on this performance as i think 92-94 percentile wont get a call from iift???
Utkarsh, IIFT cutoffs fluctuate a lot every year. While it was 38.5 last year, in the previous years it has been 44 and 50 as well. You should just look forward to maximize your score in each section.
Sir, usually what is the sectional cut off in IIFT ?
Manisha, last year’s cutoffs were
Verbal and RC: 6.5
LR: 4.34
DI & QA: 4.67
GA: 2.49
Sir, regarding the number of attempts mentioned in the article, are they enough to feel safe about clearing the cut offs?
ABhiraj, IIFT cutoffs fluctuate drastically every year. Just go with the mindset of maximizing the score.
GP sir how much should sc category student score in iift to get into iift delhi….
Arnav, If the general category cutoff is x, then
cutoff for OBC candidates is x – 5 and
cutoff for SC/ST/PH candidates is x – 10
The general category cutoffs in IIFT have been in the range of 36.5-50 marks in the last 5 years and hence as a SC candidate you should target a score of 40+
MY MAT SCORE IS 85 PERCENTILE CAN I GET BIMTECG NOIDA PGDM[INSURANCE] AT THIS SCORE. AND I APPLY FOR XIME Bng. because it take mat. i havenot any hope from CAT.
Mukul, yes you can get calls from these institutes at 85%ile.
Sir,
I gave CL Mock IIFT 01 and scored VA-22.76,LR-14.67,Quant/DI-17.35,GK-5.15,Overall 59.93. I haven’t yet given any other mock/solved past years papers.I intend to do so in the week leading to 22nd.How do you rate my score.Which area(s) do you suggest need(s) improvement.Thank you.
Vikram, overall this is a good performance but LR appears to be a bit on the lower side.
Sir, is taking 1 mock in every two days a right strategy? I have not been scoring well recently after the pattern changed. Last two mocks have not been good. I have done CAT papers of 2000-2008.
Now I am thinking of taking a mock on a day, reviewing it on the same day, and then revising the difficult questions the next day and then repeating this process from the third day…
Milind, this is fine if you can stick to the plan.
Sir
I have appeared for Mock CAT-18(Unproctored) yesterday, but the VRC section is not getting submitted even after 60 minutes and after 60 minutes alloted for the VRC section is over, the VRC section starts fresh with 60 minutes remaining and all the marked answers.
I have mailed the concerned authority at support@careerlauncher.com but still it has not been rectified.
Sir,I urge you to please look into this issue urgently.
Thanks
RM, your message has been forwarded to the Support team again. We will surely get back to you on this.
Sir i found almost all the questions of Prev year IIFT Quant and RC ridiculously lengthy. The concepts are pretty simple but each of the options are calculative. That does not make any sense. What matters more for the test-maker? A students caliber or his/her speed? I found the papers unreasonably lengthy and senseless…
Rohit, I agree with you but unfortunately the only opinion that matters is of the people who are creating the tests and since this is beyond my control I do not bother about it but try to do my best in the paper.
Sir, I have got 50% marks in 10th and 56% marks in 12th from CBSE board(New Delhi). Currently I am doing BBA from distance learning ie. from Sikkim Manipal University. I wants to do regular 2 years MBA after the graduation. Now my question is please suggest me the best and top b-school which is suitable for my profile and which provides higher salary packages and having better infrastructure. Please reply me asap. Thank you
Ankit, for the list of MBA programs please refer to the article Jayein toh jayein kahaan 2015: Which Institute?. Unfortunately due to low marks in X and XII most of the IIMs are not possible but fortunately most of the non IIMs have a low/no weight for past academics and will have to be your target.
Sir,
This is a query regarding CAT.I am not able to do the LRDI questions of CL Mocks.With CAT round the corner,I am not able to understand how to cope with it.While I am able to manage English and Quant,I am finding LRDI really tough,hardly able to solve them.Please advise me for the same….
Ankita, call me tomorrow at 9811155160 to discuss your DILR problem.
sir,
I am facing problems in LR and DI. I’m good at quant and vrc. Whenever I get to the LR section, there is this voice in my head asking whether I’ll be able to solve it or not.
I have probably developed fear regarding LR.
Please help me sir.
Anadi, yes it is possibly an irrational fear that is pulling you down. Call me at 9811155160 any time today or tomorrow to discuss the issue.
Sir,
Isn’t it better if we read 2RCs completely aNd attempt them in 15 mins. I have attempted previous year iift papers (took as mock) just like that. Is it the right strategy?
Ayush, both approaches are fine, go for the one that works best for you.
Hello GP Sir,
The two posts on IIFT have been reallyb helpful.
I have a few doubts.
1. What should be the startegy to prepare for the CAt and IIFT together? and how can i minimize the burden in the last week of prpeparation before CAT, while i prepare for IIFT simultaneously?
2. I am battling with my VA section more than anything else, how can i improve it in the last run to CAT . i believe you would agree this is not the right time to go through the whole grammar books ,so some alternative ideas will be of great help.
3. can you suggest a strategy for CAT 2015 pattern, i intend to try the suggested strategy in my next mock and work towards fine tuning the same.
4. i read your post of how a pathetic student made to iimB , though the scores of my 10th and 12th arent that bad, and ive a okayish score of 69% in garduation, my major issue is with the 2 year i have a gap of 2 years post graduation. Does this hinder my chances of getting into a top bschool?
thanks again for the amazing posts
Vivek,
1. 15th onwards your focus should primarily be on IIFT in terms of test taking but you can still take a couple of CAT sectional tests daily.
2. Attempt all the tests in Test Gym Lite, your focus should be on RC, critical reasoning, parajumbles and summary type questions.
3. Assuming that CAT 2015 is the same as mock provided by CAT, you do not need to change your strategy for QA and DILR. In VRC I would look at 15-20 minutes for Verbal and 40-45 minutes for RC.
4. Gap of 2 years can be explained and hence at present you should just focus on doing well in CAT/IIFT and other MBA entrances. Let us discuss this again once you start your PDP classes.