IBSAT has 140 questions to be completed in 2 hours, distributed across 4 sections. There is no sectional cut-off and no sectional time limit in this exam. Each question carries 1 mark
| Section | Number of Questions |
|---|---|
| Verbal Ability | 50 |
| Reading Comprehension | 30 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 |
| Data Adequacy & Data Interpretation | 30 |
The overall difficulty level of the paper would be medium. There are all types of questions in the paper and the degree of difficulty of the question paper would be in the following ratios: 25 % all can answer, 50% average and moderate candidates can answer, 75% can be answered by above average candidates and 100% only those students who are excellent.
| Question type | Number of questions |
|---|---|
| Synonyms / Antonyms | 10 |
| Word relation | 5 |
| Error Spotting | 10 |
| Phrase Replacement/one word substitute | 10 |
| Fill in the blanks | 10 |
| Jumbled Sentences | 5 |
Verbal ability section would consist of easy questions. Vocabulary questions are slightly on the higher pedestal but the grammar part was supposedly easier. Overall, around 33-34 marks could be easily scored by well-prepared candidates under 25 minutes.
There are 2 passages with 8 questions each and two passage with 9 &5 questions. The passages are on an average contain between 500- 600 words. While some questions are direct and factual, some are inferential and will take time to answer.
If I will have to breakup the level of difficulty I would say
12 - easy
9 – Medium
10 – Difficult
Around 20-23 question can be comfortably solved in 25 minutes time.
| Question type | Number of questions |
|---|---|
| Number System | 4 |
| Simplification & algebra | 4 |
| Speed, Time and Distance | 2 |
| Profit, loss & Discount | 2 |
| Permutation & Probability | 3 |
| Work and Time | 1 |
| Percentage | 1 |
| Geometry and Mensuration | 7 |
| Simple interest & partnership | 3 |
| Time and Work | 1 |
| Ratio | 2 |
The questions from quantitative ability are of moderate difficulty level. The QA section has good mixture of problems including arithmetic, geometry and analytical geometry. The questions are framed on speed, distance and time, ratio proportion, work problems, heights, progressions, probability, percentages, etc.
If I will have to breakup the level of difficulty I would say
Easy – 7
Medium – 17
Difficult – 6
Ideal number of questions to be attempted would be 20 to 23.
| Question type | Number of questions |
|---|---|
| Data Sufficiency | 15 |
| DI (Pie ) | 5 |
| DI (Line+Table) | 5 |
| DI (Line) | 5 |
The DI section focused strongly on data adequacy and logical thinking. The paper will have questions on pi graphs, line graphs etc. Few other questions were on percentage change, ratio between two values, etc.
If I will have to break up the level of difficulty for this section I would say
8-Easy
17-Medium
5 - Tough
Overall, out of 30 questions in this part, a student who has prepared well should be able to answer 18-20 of the questions correctly.