How I cracked IIFT

Appearing for one MBA entrance exam after the other can be a daunting experience for many students. More than basic knowledge of the subjects, it is how well you handle pressure and how well planned is your exam strategy that decides whether you will be successful or not. Among various MBA entrance exams in India, IIFT has the most challenging and interesting exam format. The unique nature of the exam also means that it gives a lot of jitters to numerous students.

To attain a good score in written exam, we at hitbullseye bring you the actual experiences of the toppers, in which they are sharing their success mantra for cracking IIFT with high percentile. According to them, it is highly important for all the test takers to follow a well structured study plan, appear for mock tests on a regular basis and develop tricks and strategies to focus on cracking IIFT in the first attempt.

Read the following conversation from Toppers Guide on 'How to crack IIFT'

• When did you start preparing?
  Pritika: I started preparing 6 months prior to the exam and focused on every section seriously.
  Yajur: I started preparing for IIFT and other exams 12 months before the exam and tried to make a continuous effort to prepare well for all the exams.
• Did coaching play an important role in your preparation?
  Pritika: Coaching played an important role in the preparation. It gave me a platform where I could compete with other students. Along with that the study material and the faculty guidance also played an important role.
  Yajur: Yes, Of course, it did play a crucial role in preparation and helped me in indentifying my strengths and weaknesses.
• How did you handle your college studies and IIFT preparation?
  Pritika: College studies did not actually interfere with my preparation. Giving 2-3 hours a day to preparation is all that is required.
  Yajur: According to me, giving equal importance to both- college studies and preparation of the competitive exams helped me in preparing well.
• What’s your take on IIFT’s pattern?
  Pritika: IIFT is an offline test and it has a differential marking scheme. At the same time each section has a sectional cutoff. Therefore, to balance the score in every section and to boost score one must try and devote time accordingly to every section.
  Yajur: IIFT has differential marking scheme so that should be considered while taking exam in order to boost the score.
• What’s your take on IIFT’s pattern?
  Pritika: IIFT is an offline test and it has a differential marking scheme. At the same time each section has a sectional cutoff. Therefore, to balance the score in every section and to boost score one must try and devote time accordingly to every section.
  Yajur: IIFT has differential marking scheme so that should be considered while taking exam in order to boost the score.
• How did online material help you prepare?
  Pritika: Online material helped me a lot especially GK Junction on gk.hitbullseye.com. It broadly covers both Static and Current Gk and is a great tool to brush up your GK for MBA entrance tests.
  Yajur: Online material helped me a lot as it is handy and easily accessible. Articles and videos available online are a great resource.
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• When did you start taking mock tests?
  Pritika: I started with tests 2 months before IIFT.
  Yajur: I started with tests 3 months before IIFT.
• How did you analyze those tests?
  Pritika: Analyzing tests was one important aspect that helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses. A detailed analysis of my right and wrong attempts helped me improve my score with every mock I took.
  Yajur: By assessing and identifying weak areas and trying to improve accuracy of questions attempted.
• What timetable did you follow?
  Pritika: I didn’t follow any timetable as such. I tried devoting 2-3 hours on daily basis.
  Yajur: An hour everyday for each section and reading newspaper to keep myself updated with current affairs.
• What was your preparation strategy?
  Pritika: Giving equal importance to all 4 sections.
  Yajur: Equal importance to all 4 sections and efficient time management.
• How was your experience on the exam day?
  Pritika: It was a good experience. Taking many mocks helped me controlling my anxiety on the test day.
  Yajur: It was an overall good experience. Don’t panic if you find one of the sections tougher than another. It would be same for every individual.
• According to you, what are the most important topics for IIFT prep?
  Pritika: Every topic is important. In particular Gk plays an important role in IIFT. 
  Yajur: Reading comprehension and Gk as they are the differentiating factors.
• How many hours did you study on daily basis?
  Pritika: I spent about 2 hours every day on verbal section and one hour each for all other sections. 
  Yajur: An hour everyday for each section.
• Your advice to future IIFT takers?
  Pritika: Give equal importance to each section particularly GK and do regular practice. A proper strategy with time management is all that makes a difference.
  Yajur: Each section is equally important. So practice them on a regular basis. Don’t panic on the final day.
• How did you distress yourself?
  Pritika: By watching movies and distracting myself for some time from studies.
  Yajur: By reading novels.
• What did you do to overcome your weaknesses?
  Pritika: Practicing questions from those topics and giving extra time to those topics.
  Yajur: Practice the weak topics persistently.
• How many mocks did you take per week?
  Pritika: 2 mocks.
  Yajur: 2 mocks.

Key Points:

• Practice makes the man perfect; this is the sure shot mantra to excel in the exam.
• Give equal importance to all the 4 sections as clearing sectional cut- off is the gateway to move ahead.
• Keep a proper tab on the time management as there is differential marking scheme with 124 questions in 120 minutes.
• Last, but not the least, do not panic; relax and do well. Rest assured you will be successful!