The IIFT 2021 Paper followed the same exam pattern as last year’s IIFT Exam. The English and RC section had 1 RC and 3-4 EU questions which were slightly difficult however the sectional cut off for the section is still expected to be 30+. The DILR Section was slightly difficult overall with the DI sub-section having 2.5 difficult sets while the LR sub-section had 1 difficult set. The rest of the sets in LR were easy in terms of the difficulty level. The cut off for the DILR section overall is expected to be 21+. Coming to the QA section, it was slightly easier compared to IIFT 2020 and the sectional cut off in QA is expected to 18+. For the GK section, the sectional cut off is expected to be around 5 marks.
Overall, the IIFT 2021 Cut off is expected to be 125+ for the General Category, 102+ for the EWS & OBC Category and 80+ for the SC/ST Category.
The IIFT 2021 Exam is different from the other MBA Entrance exams. In the IIFT Exam, it is the score which matters more than the percentile while the percentile reigns supreme in other MBA Entrance Exams. While the IIFT Score cut off can vary from year to year, it can be useful to have a look at the IIFT Score cut offs in recent times while preparing for the IIFT 2021 Exam. Another important point to remember is that the IIFT 2021 exam will feature not just the overall cut off but also the sectional cut off which means that maximizing your score needs to be backed up with well-rounded attempts across sections as well.
| IIFT Exam/Sections | RC | VA | GA | QA | LR | DI | Overall (General) | Overall (SC) | Overall (ST) | Overall (OBC) |
| IIFT 2020 | 34 | 5 | 15 | 22 | 138 | 89 | 89 | 115.5 | ||
| IIFT 2019 | 2.34 | 2.75 | 1.14 | 2.34 | 2.35 | 1.01 | 32.25 | 22.25 | 20.26 | 27.25 |
| IIFT 2018 | 2.69 | 3.35 | 0.82 | 3.01 | 5.67 | 0.25 | 35.5 | 20.02 | 22.69 | 30.5 |
| IIFT 2017 | 9.67 |
1.99 | 4.01 | 8 |
48.5 | 38.5 | 27.17 | 43.5 | ||
| IIFT 2016 | 8.75 |
0.82 | 4.34 | 8.68 |
48.5 | 38.5 | 38.5 | 43.5 | ||
| IIFT 2015 | 6.5 |
2.49 | 4.67 | 4.34 |
38.5 | 28.5 | 28.5 | 33.5 | ||
IIFT and NTA have released the IIFT 2020 Admit Card on 11th January 2021 on its official website (https://iift.nta.nic.in/webinfo/public/home.aspx). The details mentioned in the IIFT 2020 Admit Card are:
On the day of the IIFT 2021 Exam, the candidates are required to carry a printout of the Admit card (Black & White/Colored), the candidate's photograph (which will be pasted on the Admit Card at the center) and the candidate's proof of identification to the IIFT 2021 Exam Center venue. The Photo-Identification proofs that will be accepted in the IIFT 2021 Exam are:
Candidates need to carry their own stationary i.e. HB Pencils, Eraser, Sharpener, and Ball-Point Pen for the IIFT 2021 Exam. The reporting time for the exam is given as 8:00 am and the gates will close at 9:30 am. In order to download the IIFT 2021 Admit Card:
IIFT 2021 will be held online similar to IIFT 2020 with NTA being the conducting body. The exam pattern for IIFT 2021 is expected to remain the same as the previous year with 110 questions to be solved in 120 minutes. The sectional cut offs in the IIFT 2021 Selection Criteria means that aspirants need to focus on individual sections as much as maximizing their score.
The IIFT 2020 paper was quite easy, in comparison to the previous IIFT exams. The easiest section was Reading Comprehension & Verbal Ability. Due to the easy nature of the paper and the change in the marking scheme, the cut-off rose dramatically to 138 (for General category).
| Section | Name | No. of Questions | Marks/Q | Max marks | Cut-offs (for General) |
| Section 1 | Reading Comprehension & Verbal Ability | 35 | 3 | 105 | 34 |
| Section 2 | Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation | 30 | 3 | 90 | 22 |
| Section 3 | Quantitative Analysis | 25 | 3 | 75 | 15 |
| Section 4 | General Awareness | 20 | 1.5 | 30 | 5 |
| Total | 110 | 300 | 138 |
* The cut-off mentioned is for general category students. The corresponding cut-offs for SC, ST PH and OBC (NCL) categories are 22.25, 20.26, 22.25 and 27.25 respectively.
The IIFT 2019 Exam was quite difficult which was a slight surprise to some candidates expected a drop in the level of difficulty of the exam due to the difficult IIFT 2018 exam. The Reading Comprehension passages were quite cumbersome and tricky. This trend was followed in other sections as well. The overall pattern and cut off is given in the table below:
| Section | Name | No. of Questions | Marks/Q | Max marks | Cut-offs |
| Section 1 part 1 | Reading Comprehension | 16 | 1 | 16 | 2.34 |
| Section 1 part 2 | Verbal Ability | 20 | 0.75 | 15 | 2.75 |
| Section 2 | General Awareness | 18 | 0.5 | 9 | 1.14 |
| Section 3 | Quantitative Ability | 20 | 1 | 20 | 2.34 |
| Section 4 part 1 | Logical Reasoning | 20 | 1 | 20 | 2.35 |
| Section 4 part 2 | Data Interpretation | 20 | 1 | 20 | 1.01 |
| Total | 114 | 100 | 32.25* |
As mentioned above, the IIFT 2018 Exam was quite difficult and also included a surprise for the students. The number of sections in the IIFT 2018 Exam jumped from 4 to 6 in this IIFT Exam which is the trend that appears to be continuing for the IIFT 2020 Exam as well. The jump in the difficulty level came from the General Awareness section and the English Usage section which used to be a choice for students but became mandatory with the change in the exam pattern.
| Section | Name | No. of Questions | Marks/Q | Max marks | Cut-offs |
| Section 1 part 1 | Reading Comprehension | 16 | 1 | 16 | 2.69 |
| Section 1 part 2 | Verbal Ability | 20 | 1 | 20 | 3.35 |
| Section 2 | General Awareness | 18 | 0.5 | 9 | 0.82 |
| Section 3 | Quantitative Ability | 20 | 1 | 20 | 3.01 |
| Section 4 part 1 | Logical Reasoning | 20 | 1 | 20 | 5.67 |
| Section 4 part 2 | Data Interpretation | 20 | 0.75 | 15 | 0.25 |
| Total | 114 | 100 | 35.50* |
* The cut-off mentioned is for general category students. The corresponding cut-offs for SC, ST PH and OBC (NCL) categories are 20.02, 22.69, 23.36 and 30.50 respectively.
The IIFT 2020 Analysis can help candidates understand the trends in the IIFT Exam. This will allow them to get a fair idea of how much they need to improve and the approximate sectional cut off that can be encountered by candidates in IIFT 2020.
IIFT 2021 Syllabus like CAT is not defined. However, after analyzing the IIFT previous year papers and questions, we have combined a list of topics per section that you need to cover. The number of sections in IIFT changed from 4 to 6 in IIFT 2018 (2018 - 2020) but shifted back to 4 sections in IIFT 2020 (2020-22). The four sections include - General awareness, Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation, and Quantitative Aptitude.
The General Awareness section consists of 20 questions. The marks per question for this section are 1.50. You need to study the following topics for this section:
The Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension section in IIFT 2021 is expected to consist of 35 questions. The mark per question for this section is 3 with a penalty for 1 mark for an incorrect attempt. The following types of questions and topics appear in this section:
All of the above topics are part of the Verbal Ability sub-section. For the Reading Comprehension sub-section, the types of questions which are asked are:
The Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation section consists of 30 questions. The mark per question for this section is 3 while it also carries a penalty of 1 mark for an incorrect attempt. You need to study the following topics for this section:
The Data Interpretation sub-section was reintegrated with the Logical Reasoning section in IIFT 2020. The different types of questions which may appear in the IIFT 2021 Data Interpretation sub-section are:
The Quantitative Aptitude section consists of 25 questions. The mark per question for this section is +3/-1. You need to study the following topics for this section:
The IIFT 2021 Exam is expected to be along the same lines as the IIFT 2020 Exam after the host of changes that IIFT 2020 introduced. The IIFT 2020 Exam is expected to have 4 sections with the number of questions expected to be around 110 questions. While the exact distribution of questions in the IIFT 2021 Exam is unknown, the Exam Pattern given below has been created on the basis of the previous years papers.
| General Awareness | 25-30 |
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension | ~30 |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | 30-35 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 20-25 |
| Total | ~110 |
As far as the marking scheme of the IIFT 2021 Exam goes, it is expected to follow after the previous year paper. The marking scheme is:
In order to appear for the IIFT 2020 Exam, the candidate needs to satisfy the IIFT 2020 Eligibility Criteria. The salient points of the eligibility criteria are:
The IIFT Exam 2020 officially kicks off with the IIFT Exam 2020 Notification. The IIFT Exam 2020 Notification was released on 21st August 2019 and included details on the IIFT Exam 2020 Important Dates. The next step is the IIFT Exam 2020 Application/ Registration which can be done online from 9th September 2019 onwards. There is no provision for offline application in IIFT Exam 2020. The online application process is quite straightforward:
At this point, the application process for IIFT Exam 2020 is completed and the candidate is advised to take a printout of the completed registration form for safe-keeping. Any error made in the application process has to be corrected in the error correction window which usually opens in the first week of November along with the option to opt for a center change.