Photographs: Rediff Archives
In an online chat hosted by Get Ahead on September 13, expert Aziz Manva of Testfunda.com addressed reader queries related to IIFT 2011 and offered tips and suggestions to crack the exam.
auro:hello sir, i am in my second year of Bcom. can you tell me what is the admission procedure for IIFT?
Aziz Manva:You need to appear for the IIFT entrance exam post which you get a call for the GDPI round. If you clear that round, you get admission to IIFT. You atleast need to be in your final year of graduation to be eligible to get into IIFT
nissh:hello sir, i have filled for iift 2011 and most interested in foriegn trade or internation business.. can u please suggest whats difference between iift and mdi IB?? how much chances are there to go abroad after this?
Aziz Manva:MDI IB is a specialised course in International Business. On the other hand, IIFT allows you to takes any specialisation but its focus is on international trade and business. If you are seriously interested in international business, IIFT is always a better option
nissh:sir do u mean to say IIFT is spead driven test?? and i get almost 85 to 90 %ile in mock cats but wen i attempt previous cat papers and time of 40 minutes per section i am getting a score of less than 5.. how do u rate my chances for iift? what more shall i emphasise on? to get a call for iift? i mean obviously main prep going is for cat
Aziz Manva:IIFT is not exactly a speed driven test..it is accuracy driven but the difficulty level is less than CAT and XAT. It has some very easy questions and some very time consuming ones. It is more of a question selection test. Also, please do not use your performance in CAT mocks to judge your preparedness for IIFT. I would suggest that you attempt the last 2 years IIFT papers which will give you a clear idea of what the actual questions styles and difficulty levels will be
nissh:i also want to ask how to improve in verbal part now? i can do RCs but take lil more time than ideal but vocab is very bad.. how to go about it with limited time at hand for cat and specially for IIFT ..any advice if u can provide please?
Aziz Manva:The IIFT RCs will be longer than CAT RCs but will be simpler as well. They will contain a mix of factual questions (where you get data directly from the passage) and deductive questions (where you read the passage and infer). Don't think too much about vocabulary. Rather focus on understanding long passages, getting their gist right etc
Here's the unedited transcript:
mukul:I wanted to know how different is the preparation for IIFT from CAT
Aziz Manva:The nature of the RCs, the Data Interpretation questions and the quant questions are different. CAT has more focus on Algebra and Geometry while IIFT has more focus on Arithmetic. Also the DI in IIFT is much more calculation intensive
auro:hello sir, i am in my second year of Bcom. can you tell me what is the admission procedure for IIFT?
Aziz Manva:You need to appear for the IIFT entrance exam post which you get a call for the GDPI round. If you clear that round, you get admission to IIFT. You atleast need to be in your final year of graduation to be eligible to get into IIFT
nissh:hello sir, i have filled for iift 2011 and most interested in foriegn trade or internation business.. can u please suggest whats difference between iift and mdi IB?? how much chances are there to go abroad after this?
Aziz Manva:MDI IB is a specialised course in International Business. On the other hand, IIFT allows you to takes any specialisation but its focus is on international trade and business. If you are seriously interested in international business, IIFT is always a better option
nissh:sir do u mean to say IIFT is spead driven test?? and i get almost 85 to 90 %ile in mock cats but wen i attempt previous cat papers and time of 40 minutes per section i am getting a score of less than 5.. how do u rate my chances for iift? what more shall i emphasise on? to get a call for iift? i mean obviously main prep going is for cat
Aziz Manva:IIFT is not exactly a speed driven test..it is accuracy driven but the difficulty level is less than CAT and XAT. It has some very easy questions and some very time consuming ones. It is more of a question selection test. Also, please do not use your performance in CAT mocks to judge your preparedness for IIFT. I would suggest that you attempt the last 2 years IIFT papers which will give you a clear idea of what the actual questions styles and difficulty levels will be
nissh:i also want to ask how to improve in verbal part now? i can do RCs but take lil more time than ideal but vocab is very bad.. how to go about it with limited time at hand for cat and specially for IIFT ..any advice if u can provide please?
Aziz Manva:The IIFT RCs will be longer than CAT RCs but will be simpler as well. They will contain a mix of factual questions (where you get data directly from the passage) and deductive questions (where you read the passage and infer). Don't think too much about vocabulary. Rather focus on understanding long passages, getting their gist right etc
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'You will have to be updated about current affairs'
Photographs: Illustration by Uttam Ghosh
nissh:but iift also has a section of general awareness ?? and as preparing for cat we dont usually prepare for this.. but now as the picture is more clear and i am inclined to go for internation business ,..how to prepare for that section?? although i am well read by general news of toi but what all oder aspects it can have oder dan general awareness in dat section?
Aziz Manva:Yes, it does. Apart from current affairs and trivia that you would obtain from newspapers, focus on business, financial and economic news. Also, go through the website of EXIM bank (Export-Import) for new scheme and products. Finally keep visiting the ministry of trade website for recent developments. Go to any website for international trade related terms such as letter of credit etc
auro:ok. can you also tell me what is the scope of foreign trade as a career? can i do it from any other institute?
Aziz Manva:This is a very big upcoming area as more and more companies are setting up international operations. An important area of growth is international business laws, taxation, cultural specifics etc
nissh:sir by vocab i meant ...the antonyms and synonyms for many oder types of questions oder dan RCs.... and i would accept that i haven gone through any iift paper as yet..
Aziz Manva:The antonyms and synonyms in IIFT are not as difficult as they were in FMS. So, look at whatever new words you see and look them on any good online dictionary. Also, in the paper, look at the answer option and see if you can eliminate a couple of options. That way even if you don't know the exact answer, you will be able to answer a few vocabulary questions
auro:will it require to learn a foreign language as well? besides clearing the entrance exam what skills are required for this field?
Aziz Manva:No, you do not need to learn any foreign language. Of course, if you do know some foreign language, it always helps during the interview
Sankalp:How good should one be with general affairs?
Aziz Manva:You need to be fairly good as a lot of questions in GK will be related to current affairs -- especially business news, economic and international news
nissh:i have cat on 6th and iift on 27th.. would tat time be enough for d websites u suggested?? after cat... and also oder prep for iift required of cat?? which could be d oder good options of colleges for foriegn trade?? how do u rate chances of getting abroad after a friegn trade?
Aziz Manva:Yes it would be sufficient as 80-85% of IIFT is covered in CAT preparation. I would suggest that immediately after CAT, appear for 1-2 past IIFT papers to get an exact feel. You will automatically come to know which areas to cover in those 20 days. Also, try and appear for 3-4 mock IIFt papers
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IIFT is good for MBA
Photographs: Illustration by Dominic Xavier
auro:which other institutes are good for doing this course besides IIFT?
Aziz Manva:For international business, IIFT is the best. Otherwise private institutes like NMIMS have specialisation in IB which is also quite good. SIIB Pune is also quite good.
jumbo:Sir, Can you tell me how many seats are there and what is the scope of career in IIFT?
Aziz Manva:The actual number of seats can be best confirmed by IIFT. However, the career prospects are quite good as IIFT is among the top 10-12 institutes in India and international business is an upcoming field
thedude:Do you need to give IIFT if you have done IIT?
Aziz Manva:If you want to get admission to IIFT, then yes, you have to appear for this exam
nissh:which could be the other good options of colleges for foriegn trade?? how do u rate chances of getting abroad after a foriegn trade?
Aziz Manva:SIIB Pune and NMIMS are quite good. Also, the chances of going abroad are quite good.
Sudin: I want to pursue phd in management from IIFT, Pls advice about the process and eligibility criteria. I have completeed PGDM from IISWBM,Kolkata
Aziz Manva:Sorry. i do not have complete information on this. It would be best if you were to contact IIFT directly for this.
thedude:Is IIFT as prestigious as IIT?
Aziz Manva:For an MBA programme, IIFT is better than the IITs. The only IIT that is at the same level as IIFT is Shailesh Mehta School of Management (IIT Mumbai)
nissh:sir , so do u mean that.. mdi ib comes after nmims and siib???
Aziz Manva:no, what I mean is that apart from IIFT, all of these are more or less at the same level. I missed pointing out MDI in the previous reply
ASHIT:Sir, please tale me how to devolping my english knowledge ?
Aziz Manva:Read on as many diverse topics as you can. Identify the unfamiliar words and see an online dictionary for their meanings, usage, antonyms, synonyms, etc. Understand how a word used in a certain context changes the meaning of the sentence
Katrina:Sir, should we keep the preparation mode same as that of cracking CAT?
Aziz Manva:Currently, just focus on cracking CAT. Once you are done with CAT, look at IIFT as you will need to prepare for DI, RC and quant in a slightly different manner compared to CAT
nissh:any special areas in verbal shall be given more focus for iift??
Aziz Manva:Nothing specific that comes to mind. However, remember that IIFT RCs will be more scoring compared to CAT RCs.
Aziz Manva:For international business, IIFT is the best. Otherwise private institutes like NMIMS have specialisation in IB which is also quite good. SIIB Pune is also quite good.
jumbo:Sir, Can you tell me how many seats are there and what is the scope of career in IIFT?
Aziz Manva:The actual number of seats can be best confirmed by IIFT. However, the career prospects are quite good as IIFT is among the top 10-12 institutes in India and international business is an upcoming field
thedude:Do you need to give IIFT if you have done IIT?
Aziz Manva:If you want to get admission to IIFT, then yes, you have to appear for this exam
nissh:which could be the other good options of colleges for foriegn trade?? how do u rate chances of getting abroad after a foriegn trade?
Aziz Manva:SIIB Pune and NMIMS are quite good. Also, the chances of going abroad are quite good.
Sudin: I want to pursue phd in management from IIFT, Pls advice about the process and eligibility criteria. I have completeed PGDM from IISWBM,Kolkata
Aziz Manva:Sorry. i do not have complete information on this. It would be best if you were to contact IIFT directly for this.
thedude:Is IIFT as prestigious as IIT?
Aziz Manva:For an MBA programme, IIFT is better than the IITs. The only IIT that is at the same level as IIFT is Shailesh Mehta School of Management (IIT Mumbai)
nissh:sir , so do u mean that.. mdi ib comes after nmims and siib???
Aziz Manva:no, what I mean is that apart from IIFT, all of these are more or less at the same level. I missed pointing out MDI in the previous reply
ASHIT:Sir, please tale me how to devolping my english knowledge ?
Aziz Manva:Read on as many diverse topics as you can. Identify the unfamiliar words and see an online dictionary for their meanings, usage, antonyms, synonyms, etc. Understand how a word used in a certain context changes the meaning of the sentence
Katrina:Sir, should we keep the preparation mode same as that of cracking CAT?
Aziz Manva:Currently, just focus on cracking CAT. Once you are done with CAT, look at IIFT as you will need to prepare for DI, RC and quant in a slightly different manner compared to CAT
nissh:any special areas in verbal shall be given more focus for iift??
Aziz Manva:Nothing specific that comes to mind. However, remember that IIFT RCs will be more scoring compared to CAT RCs.
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Focus on clearing the written test first
devang:hi sir, could you pls explain how is preparing for IIFT different from CAT?
Aziz Manva:In CAT, you need to work hard on Algebra and Geometry in Quant. In IIFt, Arithmetic is more important. Also, the RCs in IIFT are simpler than CAT but much longer. Similarly, the DI sets in IIFT are very calculation intensive. So, you need to practise questions accordingly
IIFA:Hi could u please explain how to prepare for IIFA
Aziz Manva:Practise data intensive and calculation intensive DI questions. Work on Arithmetic in Quant. Work on longer passages, and vocabulary for Verbal. For GK, look at current affairs and foreign trade related from the EXIM bank and Ministry of trade websites
devang:Sir can you also tell me where i can find mock tests for IIFT?
Aziz Manva:We have mock tests on our website www.testfunda.com that you can use to prepare for IIFT
devang:ok thank you for answering my questions. is there a particular site where i can get updates and tips on preparing for IIFT on a daily basis? smart verbal tips, quant tips on my mobile?
Aziz Manva:You can get such and wordlist of the day, SMS question of the day etc on our website www.testfunda.com, but that is not restricted only to cover IIFT. It covers all MBA exams. Also, you can follow our Facebook page where we post question of the day, wordlist of the day, RC passage, tips and tricks of the day etc on a daily basis. That should prove helpful
chk:how can I prepare for GD & PI
Aziz Manva:Currently do not focus on GD and PI but on the written tests itself. However, keep updating yourself on current affairs for the next 4 months as that will help you in the GDs
Aziz Manva:In CAT, you need to work hard on Algebra and Geometry in Quant. In IIFt, Arithmetic is more important. Also, the RCs in IIFT are simpler than CAT but much longer. Similarly, the DI sets in IIFT are very calculation intensive. So, you need to practise questions accordingly
IIFA:Hi could u please explain how to prepare for IIFA
Aziz Manva:Practise data intensive and calculation intensive DI questions. Work on Arithmetic in Quant. Work on longer passages, and vocabulary for Verbal. For GK, look at current affairs and foreign trade related from the EXIM bank and Ministry of trade websites
devang:Sir can you also tell me where i can find mock tests for IIFT?
Aziz Manva:We have mock tests on our website www.testfunda.com that you can use to prepare for IIFT
devang:ok thank you for answering my questions. is there a particular site where i can get updates and tips on preparing for IIFT on a daily basis? smart verbal tips, quant tips on my mobile?
Aziz Manva:You can get such and wordlist of the day, SMS question of the day etc on our website www.testfunda.com, but that is not restricted only to cover IIFT. It covers all MBA exams. Also, you can follow our Facebook page where we post question of the day, wordlist of the day, RC passage, tips and tricks of the day etc on a daily basis. That should prove helpful
chk:how can I prepare for GD & PI
Aziz Manva:Currently do not focus on GD and PI but on the written tests itself. However, keep updating yourself on current affairs for the next 4 months as that will help you in the GDs
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