1. Number of sections: 4 (2 subsections in all sections, except GK)
2. Number of options for each question: 4
3. Increase in no. of questions (From 106 in 2006 to 150 this year)
4. All questions had only one correct answer, out of the given options
5. Each incorrect answer carried 1/3 negative marks
6. Variation in weightage, as compared to the previous year
7. No specific mention of sectional cut-offs
8. Like last year, aspirants were allowed to retain the booklet
9. The expected cut-off for the Delhi campus will be between 24-26

Here is an overview of how you should have attempted this paper.

Verbal Ability Section

Part I: Reading Comprehension
The RC passages were quite simple. One could have just scanned through them and answered the given questions. One innovation this year was the use of questions based on matching items in list 1 with items in list 2. The key to answering these was to read the options carefully, as addition or omission of even a single word to the option could have made a difference.

The composition of the section was as follows:

Part II: English Usage
The questions in this section tested English vocabulary and grammar. The level of difficulty ranged from easy to average. Most of the questions were sitters and the orientation towards vocabulary was quite evident. There was also emphasis on 'homophone-based' questions. Students could have attempted this section with ‘speed’ as the keyword to optimize their score. Most of the vocabulary-based questions have been a part of Career Launcher study material and exercises.

General Awareness Section
Your knowledge of Geography, History, Political Science, Current Affairs, as well as Business Awareness, had to be sound to crack this section of the test. The emphasis this year was more on static and current GK, rather than Business GK. Attempting 10+ questions in this section would be considered ‘good’.

The one solace this year, as against the 2006 paper, was the absence of multiple correct answers. Overall, the difficulty level of this section was moderate to difficult, with a couple of speed-breakers thrown in between.

The composition of the section was as follows:

Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation Section

Part I: Quantitative Ability 

After CAT, which had a reasonably high-level QA section, this paper must have been a relief to the aspirants. The questions ranged from basic Arithmetic to some topics related to Complex Number (2) and Trigonometry (1). The lion's share (22.5%) of the paper, in terms of relative weight, was geared towards this section. At least 6 questions were a direct replica from old CAT papers.

The composition of the section was as follows:

Part II: Data Interpretation
At first glance itself, this part of the test appeared tough and involved tediously lengthy calculations. A lot of data was given in each question and the options were more like statements to be verified.  The DI section was a mix of only tough and difficult questions, no sitters were spotted. None of the sets in this section could be called ‘simple’.

The composition of the section was as follows:

Part I: Logical Reasoning Section

In an otherwise lengthy paper, this section seemed to provide the only relief to students. Compared to the tedious DI section, the Logical Reasoning and Decision Making section was a cakewalk.

The composition of the section was as follows:

Part II: Decision Making Section

This type of questions appeared for the first time in the IIFT paper, perhaps taking cue from the XAT (January 2007) paper. Reading the passages carefully was the key. To crack the application-based questions, students had to logically analyze the answer options and arrive at a conclusion. One could have avoided this part and could have solved the relatively easier LR section.

The composition of the section was as follows:

All the best!

The Career Launcher Team