IIFT 2023 Preparation Tips: Section-wise Strategy, Tips & Tricks, Study Plan, Books

IIFT 2023 Preparation Plan: 5 Month Study Plan

On average, it takes about 4-5 months to prepare well for IIFT exam. Following a judicious and meticulous plan is essential to prepare within the stipulated timeframe. Given below is a sample 5-month preparation schedule for your reference:

IIFT Preparation Plan for the First 2 months

• Firstly, solve a mock test or previous year's paper to check your level of preparedness.
• Collect all the relevant study materials including books, magazines, and online materials.
• Go through the entire syllabus and identify your strong and weak areas in each section.
• Start with one section and clear all the basic concepts in 12-15 days before moving on to the next section.
  • VARC – 12 days
  • QA – 15 days
  • DILR – 12 days
  • GA – 15 days
• Solve at least 150 questions from each section during the stipulated period.
• After clearing your concepts, try to attempt a mock test and assess your performance and mark the topics that need extra effort.

IIFT Preparation Plan for the Next 2 months

• The main focus during these months should be on solving as many questions as possible from different sources. Apart from this, working on topics that require more preparation is essential.
• Solve 20 questions each from 4 topics every day. One topic should be chosen from each section.
• Attempt 1-2 Mock Tests every week and assess your performance. Work on your mistakes and reattempt the given exam to improve your time management skills.

IIFT Preparation Plan for the Last Month

• Stay focused on solving only IIFT mock tests and sample papers.
• Solve 2-3 full-fledged mock tests every week and analyze your performance in the mock test and make note of your progress.
• Attempt IIFT sectional mock tests every day as per the schedule mentioned below:
  • ​VARC Mock Test – Monday and Wednesday
  • QA Mock Test – Tuesday and Thursday
  • DILR Mock Test – Friday and Saturday
  • GK Mock Test –  Sunday

IIFT 2023 General Preparation Tips

Candidates are advised to follow the preparation tips given below for IIFT 2023.

• It is always recommended to solve questions with a timer and avoid using calculators.
• Refer to limited books and materials for preparation. Don’t overburden yourself with unnecessary data.
• Make a list of strong and weak areas. In the initial phase of preparations, it is essential to put emphasis on strengthening the weak areas.
• Attempt maximum Mock Tests and sample papers to get an understanding of the exam pattern and difficulty level.
• There will be 4-5 RC Passages followed by 14-16 questions in the exam. Passages will be of moderate difficulty level. Candidates must focus on preparing VARC section well.
• Try to solve questions from each section every day and clear your concepts.

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IIFT 2023 Section-wise Preparation Strategy

IIFT 2023 consists of 4 different sections and candidates have to take a different approach for each section. Here are some tips, tricks and ways to prepare for the exam: 

IIFT Preparation Tips for Quantitative Ability 

Here are some of the tips to prepare for IIFT Quantitative Ability: 

• Cover all basics: Candidates will only be able to score well in IIFT Quant if their basics are absolutely clear. Important topics such as Arithmetic, Algebra, and Geometry require a lot of foundational knowledge which all candidates must have absolutely clear otherwise they will make a lot of mistakes in the actual paper which will result in negative marks. 
• Break Down Topics: The quant syllabus of IIFT can be divided into easy, moderate and hard. After breaking it down, start with the topics which you find the hardest, and then move to the moderate and easier topics. This way, you won't be stressed out when the exam is closer.
• Practice What You Learned: After learning a new topic of quant, practise from the problems from that topic and if you are unable to solve anything, look into a similar worked out example and try to implement the same.
• Online Classes: Online groups such as those from telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook are quite helpful when it comes to sharing knowledge and being up to date with the latest news. Youtube videos are also a great asset. 
• Memorize all the important formulas: There are a lot of important formulas such as the ones in Trigonometry, Algebra, area, perimeter, etc. It is important to be thorough with all the important formulas as well as the signs in order to avoid confusion and mistakes. One good way to memorize quickly is to write down all the important formulas and stick it on a wall you glance at or look at daily.
• Learn Proofs for all the different Theorems: While learning the proof for the formulas and theorems is not necessary, it will help in gaining a more in-depth understanding of the formula. Candidates can then be assured that they will not forget the formulas or theorems when they need them in the exam.
• Avoid Silly Mistakes: Avoiding silly mistakes is only possible if the candidate properly practices daily and attempts several IIFT Practise Papers. It is important to practice them in exam-like conditions. Perfecting the skill of mental calculation is very important in this regard.
• Learn Vedic Maths: Learning Vedic maths is one of the fastest ways to reach a solution and can easily reduce your overall time significantly. It can also reduce the number of mistakes you make. It is available in books such as Nishit K Sinha’s Quantitative Ability. 

Also Check: Download IIFT Practice Papers

IIFT Preparation Tips for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension 

Here are some tips to prepare for the Verbal Ability Questions in IIFT- 

• Improve your vocabulary - This can be done by listening to interviews, podcasts, speeches by important personalities, reading, etc. Reading is a really good way to improve vocabulary, but it is not everyone's cup of tea. In such a case, candidates can substitute reading with listening to podcasts and interviews on topics that interest them. It is important to find podcasts with a good level and quality of language and stay away from casual ones. 
• Include a large number of topics while reading: When reading for leisure, read about a wide array of topics and do not just stick to the topics that you find interesting. Expand your horizons and choose topics that go beyond your regular reading. For eg., if you only read fiction, try to read some non-fiction. 
• Sentence Correction: First of all, candidates need to be absolutely clear about the basics of the language before solving this question. Candidates have to pay attention to the grammar, word choice and construction of the sentence and choose the correct alternative. 

Here are some ways to prepare for IIFT Reading Comprehension Questions - 

• Improve Reading Speed: This can be done primarily through practice. There is no other way to improve speed. When candidates have a good enough vocabulary and experience, the mind automatically fills the gaps between the words, and speed in reading improves. 
• Practise Deep Reading: Paying complete attention while reading is extremely important while solving reading comprehension questions. If you have a song stuck in your head while solving questions it can become difficult to concentrate. Practice focusing completely on the passage while reading. Candidates can use a pencil to trace what they are reading to focus better. 
• Read the Questions before the passage: Reading the questions before attempting to read the passage is extremely important while reading. This is because having an idea of the questions before reading the passage can help you mark the answers as you go along and improve speeds in the test. 
• Remember to read the conclusion of the passage: Usually, the conclusion of the passage consists of the central idea that the passage is trying to convey. Understanding the crux of the passage will help you to understand the questions better. The first paragraph, the introductions, consists of the basic information or initiation of the topic that forms the basis of the information that is given. These two are some of the most central aspects of any essay/passage, and therefore form the bedrock of any form of communication. ‘

IIFT Preparation Tips for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

• Solve the Easy questions first followed by the hard ones: This is where practicing the IIFT Mock Tests and Previous years questions come into play. If candidates are aware of their strengths and the topics that they are good at, they can solve such questions quickly and then move on to the harder questions which are usually much more time-consuming. This will also improve confidence.
• Use Shortcuts for the reasoning questions: There are several ways to solve each type of question, and generally, most questions have an efficient and quick way to solve. These can include making a mind map, diagrams, etc. This is especially helpful for questions like blood relations, syllogisms, etc. You can find very good tutorials on these online, on YouTube, and other such platforms.
• Understand which questions to drop: Prioritization is a key strategy to scoring well in IIFT. Some questions are incredibly long and time-consuming, so it is best if you place your best of questions that you can solve quickly without losing too much time. 
• Puzzle Type Questions: There are no shortcuts to solve such questions. Usually, such questions are almost always different in nature so candidates have to improvise the solution on their own. 
• Seating Arrangement Questions: Seating Arrangement questions consists of three main types of questions, Linear Arrangement, Circular Arrangement, and Rectangular Arrangement. In such questions, candidates have to make sure they understand all the information presented in the statement and search for the crucial piece of information that gives the most concrete information.
• Blood Relationships: Some of the common types of questions in this topic includes: 
  • Mother’s/Father’s father – Grandfather (Maternal grandfather/Paternal grandfather).
  • Mother’s/Father’s mother – Grandmother (Maternal grandmother/Paternal grandmother)
  • Mother’s/Father’s brother – Uncle
  • Mother’s/Father’s Sister – Aunt
  • Wife’s father/husband’s father – father-in-law
  • Wife’s mother/husband’s mother – mother-in-law
  • Son’s wife – daughter-in-law
  • Daughter’s husband – son-in-law
  • Husband’s/wife’s brother – brother-in-law
  • Husband’s/wife’s sister – sister-in-law
  • Brother’s/sister’s son – nephew
  • Brother’s/sister’s daughter – niece
  • Uncle’s/Aunt’s son or daughter – cousin
  • Grand father’s (daughter-in-law) - Mother
  • Father’s son - Brother
  • Father’s daughter - Sister
  • Grand father’s son - Father / Uncle
  • Grand father’s only son(Same in the Case of Grandmother) - Father

Learning to draw family relations diagrams and identifying which are males and which are females the most important step in solving such questions. 

• Easy topics in Reasoning Section: Generally, candidates find the following topics easier to solve - 
  • Odd Pair, 
  • Analogy, 
  • Directions, 
  • Alphabet Series And 
  • Number Series.
• Time-Consuming Topics: Given below are some of the more difficult and time-consuming topics for The Analytical and Logical Reasoning Section: 
  • Seating arrangement, 
  • complex puzzles, 
  • input-output machine

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IIFT Preparation Tips for General Awareness 

Here are some ways to prepare for IIFT General Awareness: 

• Read newspapers and yearbooks thoroughly. 
• Use flashcards for memorizing easily. 
• Take an interest in major world events, political events, and keep yourself updated regularly. 
• Understand the basic mechanisms of Finance, Economics, and Politics
• Make notes for major events and other such factors.
• Review notes regularly.

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Best Books for IIFT 2023

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