Last Minute Preparation Tips for IBSAT

Assistant Manager- Editorial

Updated on Dec 22, 2023 12:39 IST

IBSAT exams will be held on December 23 and December 24, 2023 in remote proctored mode., wherein candidates are not required to report at the alloted exam centre. With just a few days left for the exam, we bring last-minute preparation tips for the IBSAT-takers.

IBSAT exam will be held on December 23 and December 24, 2023, in remote proctored mode, wherein, candidates can take the test from their home by following the exam-taking guidelines which will be stated by the exam officials of ICFAI Business School. With 20 days left for the test, IBS aspirants must take the preparation level to the last gear and focus on the specific areas to ensure a high score in this competitive MBA entrance exam. The idea is to be smart and strategic about exam preparation. For candidates who have appeared for the other national/state-level MBA entrance exams, IBSAT preparation will be similar. Here are some last-minute tips for IBSAT 2023 preparation.

Know IBSAT Pattern and Test Structure

You will have to be mindful of each and every detail of IBSAT pattern before the exam. Take a look at the important facts mentioned below-

Exam Structure	Details
Exam mode	Remote proctored home-based test
Exam hours	120 mins.
Number of questions	140 MCQs
Total marks	140 marks
Language of the paper	English
Number of sections in the question paper	4
Marking scheme	1 mark for each correct answer (no negative marking scheme)

IBSAT syllabus is divided into four sections, namely-

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a) Verbal Ability (VA)

b) Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

c) Data Adequacy & Data Interpretation (DA/DI)

d) Reading Comprehension (RC)

The maximum weightage of marks is based on questions in the Verbal Ability section (50 questions of 1 mark), followed by Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Aptitude, Data Adequacy & Data Interpretation all of which will contain 30 questions in each of the sections.

Commonly asked questions

Q: Which is the easiest of MBA entrance exams in India out of these: NMAT, MAT, CAT, IIFT, SNAP, CMAT, IBSAT, XAT?

Syllabus of all MBA entrance examinations such as CAT, XAT, MAT, NMAT, SNAP, CMAT, IIFT etc is similar with only minor differences. Toughness of examination is based on ratio of seats virus number of candidates appearing in MBA Entrance examination. CAT is the toughest because its score is used by legacy IIMs which are the best B-Schools in India. In India, based on MBA aspirants feedback, CMAT is the easiest MBA entrance examination. Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) is a national level entrance examination conducted by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) every year as per the directions of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India. The CMAT is a three hour computer based online test which is conducted in a single session to evaluate the candidates’ ability across various segments like Quantitative Technique, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension and General Awareness. There is no fixed syllabus of CMAT examination. CMAT syllabus revolves around Basic Mathematics (mostly arithmetic from standard 1 to 10), Reasoning and Reading Comprehension.

Q: How is IBSAT final merit list prepared?

IBSAT final merit list is prepared on considering the following parameters- Micro Presentation, Personal Interview and past academic records and weightage. Check below to know the criterias:

Micro presentation: 25%
Personal Interview: 25%
Past academic record: 50%

Only candidates who will qualify the above criterias, will be offered final admission to MBA/PGDM programme of applied IBS campuses. IBSAT 2026 selection process result will be announced tentatively in April 2027.

Q: How can I crack IBSAT in 1 year?

IBSAT exam is comparatively easy as compared to other MBA entrance tests. You must work on efficiency and time management. Reasoning section, the candidates can practice through mock tests to be precise and accurate. Since for this section, there is no precise formula, the candidates can solve as many mock tests as possible. Simple preparation for this section can be done by solving puzzles and riddles. Quantitative section, the candidates can prepare from the NCERT books or secondary and Higher secondary level mathematics books. Candidates can also opt for solving mock tests, previous years ATMA question papers and CAT question papers. Lastly, for the verbal section, the candidates can brush up their grammar, vocabulary and increase their reading speed. Reading from various topics can give an advantage while dealing with long passages. It is essential that students refer to previous years question papers and rely on mock tests, as this will make them familiar with the paper pattern and will give them an idea about the type of questions asked. Thus, students are better prepared for the examination.

Q: How to avoid common mistakes in IBSAT?

Here are some of the common mistakes which can be avoided by aspirants while preparing for IBSAT exam. Check the tips to avoid the common mistakes below: 1. Not solving enough mock papers To get a proper understanding of the format, time management and to be able to solve questions accurately one must take as many mocks. Solving and practicing individual questions is a lot different to attempting a full mock test. While taking mocks aspirants can realize mismanagement of time, silly errors which do not get highlighted otherwise. 2. Ignoring past years' sample papers Even if there are major changes in exam pattern, candidates should not ignore past year sample papers. They are a great source to practice section-wise questions. Moreover, there are chances of questions getting repeated after 3 to 4 years. 3. Not focusing on error analysis Analyzing mistakes is crucial for an all round preparation. One should revisit all the tests and questions solved and find out the repetitive mistakes. After identifying the mistakes one should just focus on getting the basics clear and be cautious while attempting those kinds of questions on the exam day. 4. Not iterating the preparation strategy Having one preparation strategy is good, but sticking to it despite no results in terms of scoring in mocks is stupidity. Changing the study plan if not working well is recommended. Here advices from industry experts and academicians can be followed. 5. Not listing down important formulas and concepts To have a quick access to all the important formulas, concepts and tricks, aspirants can prepare a list of the same. The list can be put on pin board, it proves good for revision. 6. Ignoring the SWOT Analysis Identifying strengths and weaknesses is very important for performing well in the exam. If strengths are known one can be confident and start solving the test from questions based on strong concepts. On the other hand the weak areas can be practiced and focus can be on minimizing errors.

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Revise Broad Topics

If you have appeared for any of the entrance exams- CAT, MAT, IIFT, or SNAP, by now, you must have covered a good portion of IBSAT syllabus, and it is important that you do not keep those portions untouched. Revise them, and do not just be in a rush to cover every part of the syllabus. Neglecting topics that you may be strong in can turn out to be disadvantageous. Do not start new topics and try to understand new concepts at this stage. Neither will you be able to learn those nor will you have time to improve the concepts or practice.

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Time Your Revision Method in the Learning process

A large part of the last-minute preparation process is dependent on how you time the entire learning process. This will eventually help you in attempting questions in better ways in 120 minutes in IBSAT 2023. Devote much time to practising IBSAT sample papers during the time selected for revision of covered portions of the syllabus. Also, analyse your own rhythm and pace while you are attempting questions from previous years' IBSAT question paper. At the same time, you need to keep in mind that this year questions may come in a twisted format than they came in the previous years. In such situations, how will you solve those questions? You may even build your own set of questions and solve them by adopting various approaches.

Review Your Own Notes

You must surely prepare your own notes and keep doing that but take out time to cross-check. Therefore, in case you miss out on something more important while you were jotting simultaneously when covering a particular section, you may, later on, be able to cover that area. This helps at the quantum level. Similarly, check the data in the quantitative techniques and important data interpretation and questions to remember them for a long time. Check if you are still struggling to remember any formula or Data Interpretation and create fresh notes on it. Mark them bold so that you lay more emphasis on them in the last 15 days of preparation before the exam day.

Commonly asked questions

Q: How can I crack IBSAT in 6 months?

IBSAT is an online management aptitude test which is conducted by The ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education. The test scores are used for the intake of MBA and PhD programs of ICFAI Business School, The campuses that consider these scores are Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Dehradun, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. Each section except Verbal Ability has 30 questions. The Verbal Ability section has 50 questions Verbal ability section in IBSAT exam basically tests students written language abilities. To clear this section, you must follow strategies like making a habit of reading more newspapers, quality magazines, novels etc. Spending qualitative time in reading also helps to overcome your weakness in your language skills. The verbal ability section of IBSAT exam is classified into following parts - Vocabulary Usage - Para Jumble - English Grammar - Replace the missing words - English Usage Few tips and tricks for IBSAT Preparation are - The first step to follow is IBSAT previous years question papers in order to understand the structure of the exam. You may also try solving them within the 120 minutes and examine the answers after completing the paper. - Make sure to check the speed while solving the questions. Time management plays a very critical role as the candidates will get more than a minute for each question. To improve this part, solve sample papers and try mock tests. - Since IBS is a Computer Based test, the candidates are recommended to appear for as many mock tests as possible. The online mock test will offer a similar atmosphere as that of the exam. - Do not lose confidence and do not get anxious in the exam or solving the sample papers. Go through the questions cautiously and try to comprehend them and then solve them. - Try reading newspapers, magazines, novels, books, journals, etc. for a better hold over vocabulary.

Q: Which are the most important topics to focus for IBSAT preparation?

There is nothing like an important topic for the preparation. You have to go with complete preparation for the exam. There are a number of exams conducted in India for the MBA type courses. Exams like CAT, XAT, GMAT, MAT, IBSAT, NMAT, SNAP, etc. have some minor tweaking and variations apart from the main sections. Each of these exams has quantitative aptitude, verbal reasoning, logical reasoning and data interpretation, apart from GK or essay writing section in some of the exams. So, you have to prepare accordingly for these exams either by taking coaching classes or correspondence course or by self-preparation or by following recommended books. After you have prepared for the most difficult level questions, you may try to get some question banks for the specific exam you are targeting either offline mode i.e. books on exams or online mode i.e. free question banks websites or paid question banks for practice.

Q: How to prepare for GDPI? Which are the best MBA colleges of IBSAT?

Top colleges in IBSAT are: 1. IBS Business School – Hyderabad. 2. IBS Business School – Dehradun. 3. IBS Business School – Pune. 4. IBS Business School – Gurgaon. 5. IBS Business School – Bangalore. Group Discussion: You should be updated about current affairs, international events, issues affecting India and the world, etc. so that you can put forward your opinion and views when asked. You need to have patience and effective listening skills to respond effectively in a group discussion. Remember the interview panel consists of people from college management who are sitting down only to reject candidates and sort the final admission list quickly. So, even a slight mistake can cost you heavily. Personal Interview (PI): 1. Introduce yourself in a very brief and formal way. 2. Limit introduction to entirely yourself. DO NOT speak about parents, siblings and family, unless asked by the interviewer. 3. Give straight and simple answers to the questions asked by the interviewer. 4. Answer in small sentences. 5. To the point and precise answers are far better than beating around the bush. 6. Don’t try be aggressive, overconfident. And definitely, DO NOT try to impress the panel by using some cheesy mugged up lines. It won't work. 7. Dress formally.

Q: How should I prepare for IBSAT?

To prepare for the IBSAT

Students must check IBSAT exam pattern and syllabus.
Get IBSAT preparation books and resources.
Understand important concepts of each section.
Solve IBSAT previous year question papers to improve speed

Approach Last-Minute Preparation on a Positive Note

Much of your last-minute preparation tips for IBSAT exam are dependent on how positive you feel inside about attempting questions than mastering everything. Do not panic rather, keep your nerves cool and revise every topic enthusiastically. Think you still have time in your hands to answer all the questions right with your focused and smart IBSAT preparation strategy. Importantly, follow your own preparation strategy and you are there to top the exams. Good luck!

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About the Author

Shruti Garg

Assistant Manager- Editorial

Shruti Garg is a graduate in English and Education with over 7 years of experience in content writing/editing and education journalism. At Shiksha.com, Shruti covers UG and PG entrance exams like MBA entrance exams,

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