IIFT Question Paper: Previous Year Papers PDFs - Download Here!

Q: What is the total time duration of IIFT exam?

The total time duration of IIFT entrance exam is 120 minutes or 2 hours. The exam is usually held from 10 am to 12 pm. Candidates have to solve 110 questions in the given time limit. Unlike CAT or XAT, there is no sectional time limit in IIFT exam so candidates have the freedom to utilize the 2 hours as per their exam strategy. They should focus on their strong areas first and then move to questions which are tough. At the same time, they need to be mindful of the fact that they cannot spend too much time on one section at the cost of another as sectional score and cut offs are critical to IIFT exam. Thus, they should devise a plan in which good amount of time is dedicated to all four sections. The General Awareness section is memory based and has 20 questions so it can be attempted at the end. 8-10 correct attempts will be enough in this section.

Q: I am a working professional. How many hours should I devote daily for IIFT 2024 preparation?

Ideally, six to eight hours daily is what experts recommend for IIFT exam preparation, but since working professionals can’t devote that many hours, they should at least strive to devote four hours every day. They can study for longer hours on Saturday and Sunday. By striking a balance between weekdays and weekends, working professionals can crack the IIFT exam. It is just that they will have to study after work. They should start preparation much earlier as they will have less time to devote on daily basis. Ideally a working professional should start preparing for IIFT exam from March so that they have ample time to complete the syllabus and practice enough mock tests.

Q: Will there be non-MCQs too in IIFT 2024 exam?

Yes, there could be some e non-MCQs in IIFT exam, most likely in the Quantitative Aptitude section. However, the number of non-MCQs will be lesser than MCQs. The candidates will have to type in the answer with the help of computer keyboard. For doing calculation and rough work, candidates will be given rough sheet that will have to be submitted at the end of the test. The non-MCQs are usually of low difficulty level and have simple calculations. So, candidates will not face a lot of difficulty in solving the non-MCQs. Solving all the questions is not mandatory so one can skip the non-MCQ questions too if they find it difficult.

Q: Is IIFT tougher than CAT?

Both exams are of same difficulty level. While, CAT has higher difficulty level VARC, IIFT's Quantitative Aptitude is tougher. In CAT VARC, the weightage of RC based question is higher than in IIFT. Also, the RC passages of CAT are a mix of both inference-based and fact-based types. However, the RC passages in IIFT are fact-based. IIFT focuses more on vocabulary and verbal ability than reading comprehension. Sharing key highlights of both exams here: Parameter IIFT exam CAT exam Duration of exam 2 hours 2 hours (Sectional time limit of 40 minutes) Number of Questions 110 66 Marking scheme 3 marks for each correct entry in Sections 1, 2 and 3. 1.5 marks for each correct entry in Section 4 3 marks for every correct entry Negative marking 1 mark in section 1,2,3 and 0.5 in Section 4 1 mark Maximum marks 300 198 Mode of exam Computer-based Computer-based Sections English Comprehension Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation Quantitative Analysis General Awareness Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning Quantitative Apt

Q: What is the IIFT marking scheme?

IIFT marking scheme is similar to other MBA entrance exams but has unique features. There is differential marking in IIFT which means not all the sections of the question paper carry same marks. The Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Ability are carry 3 marks per correct attempt and -1 per each incorrect attempt. General Awareness section carries less marks than other sections. In this section 1.5 marks is allotted to every correct attempt and -0.5 marks are allotted for every incorrect attempt. IIFT sections No. of questions Marks per questions Negative marks Total marks Quantitative Ability 25 3 -1 75 VARC 35 3 -1 105 DILR 30 3 -1 90 General Awareness 20 1.5 -0.5 30 Total 110 - 300

Q: What is the mode of IIFT exam?

IIFT entrance exam is a computer based test. It is conducted in a single session at designated test centres. At the exam centre, every candidate will be allotted a computer system on which they will have to enter their answers with the help of computer mouse. Candidates are allotted the IIFT test centre in the city of their preference. They have to appear for the IIFT entrance exam at that test centre on the exam day at a particular time as mentioned in the IIFT admit card. The option to choose cities for test centre allotment is given to candidates in the IIFT application form. Candidates can choose their home city or where they are likely to be in on the date for allotment of a test centre at the closest and convenient location.

Q: When should I start studying for IIFT exam?

The candidate must start preparing for IIFT exam at least six months in advance. They should complete the IIFT syllabus in first three months and then practise a good number of mock tests and sample papers in the remaining time along with regular revision. The IIFT exam is a high difficulty level test, thus it is important for candidates to plan way ahead and start preparations at the early stage. Since the exam is held in December, candidates need to take the decision of preparing for it the latest my May-June so that they have at least 6 months for preparation.

Q: How many mock tests should I practice to crack IIFT with high score?

Every candidate must decide on the number of mock tests according to their own ability, strengths and weaknesses viz. the IIFT syllabus. However, it is recommended that candidates must practice at least 25-30 IIFT mock tests during exam preparation to reach 99 percentile level. The best time to start mock test practice is after completing the IIFT syllabus because if you solve mock tests without gaining control over the topics you might face difficulties in many. So, first complete the syllabus and then start mock test practice. Keep at least 2 months for IIFT mock test practice so that you can solve 25-30 mock tests in total in a gap of one day. An important aspect of mock test practice is analyzing their result. After solving every IIFT mock test, analyse your performance to see control on the topics. You will know which topics are your strong point and which require some more hard work.

Q: Which section of IIFT exam has maximum weightage?

The Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension section of IIFT entrance exam has the maximum weightage. There are 35 questions in this section and total marks is 105. Each question carries 3 marks for correct attempt and -1 for incorrect attempt. This section is usually of moderate difficulty level. The questions are asked from Reading Comprehension passages, Identify the Synonym, Identify Grammatically Correct/Incorrect Sentence, One Word Substitution, Jumbled Paragraphs, etc. The Reading Comprehension passages are simple and fact based so there's not much pressure on candidates to get the gist right. Verbal Ability and Grammar questions are usually easy and can be completed within minutes.

Q: What is IIFT entrance exam all about?

The IIFT entrance exam is a common aptitude test conducted for admission to MBA in International Business course offered by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) Delhi, Kolkata and Kakinada. National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the IIFT exam on behalf of the institute. The following table provides all the details regarding IIFT entrance exam: Particulars Statistics IIFT exam conducting body National Testing Agency (NTA) IIFT exam mode CBT/ online IIFT application fee INR 2,500 MBA - IB cutoff percentile for shortlisting - 40 per cent (sectional) - 40.5 percentile (overall) No. of questions in the exam 110 questions in MCQ format Sectional division of exam 4 sections - Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension - General Knowledge - Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation - Quantitative Analysis Exam duration 2 hours (3 pm to 5 pm) Negative marking - 3 marks for each right question in Sections 1, 2 and 3 | 1.5 marks for each right answer in Section 4 - Negative marking is applicable

Updated on Jul 2, 2024 18:00 IST

By Vipra Shrivastava, Senior Manager - Content

IIFT previous year question papers are the best source of study material for exam preparation. Solving IIFT previous year question papers helps a candidate in knowing the types of questions and the difficulty level of the exam. This exercise also improves the candidate's time management skills so that they can solve the IIFT question paper in the limited time period.

Aspirants can download previous year question papers below. For 2024 admission, the institute did not conduct the entrance exam. The institute will select candidates on the basis of CAT 2023 score. If the institute doesn't conduct the IIFT entrance test for 2025 admission too, aspirants will not need to go through IIFT entrance exam papers. THEY may focus on CAT previous year question papers for preparation.

Q: Is IIFT tougher than CAT?

Q: What is the IIFT marking scheme?

Q: What is the mode of IIFT exam?

Table of content

Why Solving IIFT Question Papers is Important?
Download IIFT Previous Year Question Papers
IIFT Preparation Guides
IIFT Question Paper 2023
IIFT Question Papers 2022, 2021, 2020
FAQs Related to IIFT Question Paper

Why Solving IIFT Question Papers is Important?

IIFT exam is considered one of the most challenging MBA entrance exams as its difficulty level is generally high. Also, the nature of this exam is different from the rest. Thus, it is important to practice IIFT question papers of previous years. The previous years' IIFT question papers and sample papers play a very important role in IIFT preparation as the candidate not only learns the pattern of questions but also learns how to solve 110 questions in two hours. Practicing previous years' IIFT question papers, mock test series and sample paper help the candidate in the following manner:

The official question paper is the best source to get familiar with the IIFT paper pattern and the experience of actual exam.
It helps in self-analysis of performance in every subject and topic - candidates can judge which are their strong areas and which are their weak areas.
Practice of IIFT question paper helps in improving speed and accuracy i.e. solving questions with 100 per cent accuracy in the least time taken.
It helps in finding out tricks and shortcuts to solve questions accurately without calculation.
Practicing the IIFT question paper helps in judging the types of questions to be solved first in order to ensure maximum score.
Also, the more IIFT question papers and sample papers a candidate will solve, the better he/she will be prepared for surprise questions in the actual exam.

Commonly asked questions

Q: When should I start studying for IIFT exam?

Q: How many mock tests should I practice to crack IIFT with high score?

Q: Which section of IIFT exam has maximum weightage?

Download previous year IIFT question papers and sample papers. Use them for practice and improve your speed and accuracy. You can download IIFT previous year question papers and the preparation guides for free.

Download IIFT Previous Year Question Papers

IIFT Question Paper 2020

IIFT 2020 question paper

IIFT Question Paper 2019

XAT 2019 question paper

IIFT Question Paper 2017

IIFT 2017 question paper

IIFT Question Paper 2016

IIFT 2016 question paper

IIFT Question Paper 2014

IIFT 2014 question paper

IIFT Question Paper 2013

IIFT 2013 question paper

IIFT Question Paper 2012

IIFT 2012 question paper

IIFT Question Paper 2010

IIFT 2010 question paper

IIFT Preparation Guides

MBA Entrance Exams- All about Time Management

Important books and topics for all MBA Entrance Exams

Important MBA Entrance Exams You Should Not Miss

How To Prepare for MBA Entrance Exams

Preparation Guide for MBA Entrance Exam - Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning

Preparation Guide for MBA Entrance Exams- Quantitative Aptitude

Preparation Guide for MBA Entrance Exams- Verbal Ability

IIFT Question Paper 2023

The IIFT 2023 question paper was of moderate difficulty level. The VARC section was tough due to Reading Comprehension passages having inferential questions and the Verbal Ability sub-section having tough grammar questions. The DILR section was moderately difficult whereas Quantitative Aptitude was tough and dominated by Arithmetic and Algebra. Check the table below for section wise difficulty level and expected good score.

IIFT section	Difficulty Level	Good Score
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)	Tough	20-22
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)	Tough	38-42
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)	Moderate to Tough	40-42
General Knowledge (GK)	Moderate	6-8
Overall	Tough	97+

IIFT 2023 Question Paper: Reading Comprehension Topics

Subconscious mind- behaviour-will power-goals
Foreign currency manipulation-economy
Power balance shifting in world
Globalization of product cycle-deployment- support

Commonly asked questions

Q: What is the total time duration of IIFT exam?

Q: I am a working professional. How many hours should I devote daily for IIFT 2024 preparation?

Q: Will there be non-MCQs too in IIFT 2024 exam?

IIFT Question Papers 2022, 2021, 2020

The question paper of IIFT 2022 exam can be termed as moderately difficult. The paper had four sections VARC, DILR, GK and Quantitative Aptitude. GK section had 20 questions from static GK and current affairs. None of the questions were tough or tricky. Check below the details of other sections of IIFT question paper 2022.

IIFT 2022 Question Paper: VARC

The VARC section of IIFT 2022 question paper had 35 questions out of which 16 were based on RC passages. The total number of passages was four – two passages had three questions each and two other had five questions each. Rest of the section comprised VA and grammar questions. Check the break up of VARC section of IIFT question paper 2022 below:

IIFT VARC Topic	Number of Questions
RC passages (4)	16
Vocabulary	6
Etymology	5
Grammar	3
Match The Following	2
Spelling	1
Correct Usage	1
Total	35

IIFT 2022 Question Paper: RC Passages

Management Theory
Consumptions of Resources
God & Morality
Styles of Communication

IIFT 2022 Question Paper: DILR

The DILR section of IIFT 2022 question paper had seven sets - four on DI and three on LR. The DI sets had four questions each and in LR, one set had four questions while two sets had three questions each. Rest of the questions were divided among three more LR questions. Check the break up of DILR section of IIFT question paper 2022 below:

Area	IIFT DILR Topics	Number of Questions
Data Interpretation	2 Pie charts on crops	4
	4 Line graphs on Basmati	4
	Stacked bar graph & table in crime	4
	2 Bar graphs	4
Logical Reasoning	Games & Tournaments	3
	Blood Relations	2
	Matrix & Arrangements	4
	5 People	3
	Coding & Decoding	1
	Assumptions	1

IIFT 2022 Question Paper: Quantitative Aptitude

The Quantitative Aptitude section of IIFT 2022 had 25 questions of moderate difficulty. Maximum questions were from Arithmetic. Take a look at the break up of the QA section of IIFT question paper 2022 below.

IIFT QA Topics	Number of Questions
Geometry	4
Probability	4
Log	2
Profit-Loss-Discount	2
Ratio	2
Time & Work	1
Time & Distance	1
Quadratic	1
Height & Distance	1
Series	1
Average	1
P&C	1
Set Theory	1
Co-ordinate	1
Number System	1
Total	25

IIFT Question Paper 2021

IIFT Question Paper 2021 had four sections - English, DILR, VARC and General Awareness. Take a look at the structure of the paper below:

IIFT Sections	Number of Questions	Total Marks	Good Attempts
Quantitative Aptitude	25	75	10 - 12
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	35	105	25+
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	30	90	12 - 14
General Awareness	20	30	8 - 10
Overall	110	300	50 - 55

IIFT 2021 Question Paper: VARC

The VARC section of IIFT 2021 had two parts – Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension.

In the Reading Comprehension section, there were four passages carrying four questions each. The difficulty level was easy to moderate. Out of 35 questions RC had 16. Check the RC topics below:

Jonestown: Effects of social influences on human (800 words)
Obama and the Liberals Vs Conservative Divide (800 words)
Influence of culture on the economy (500 words)
Plastic Packaging: Pollution and Economic Costs of Replacing Plastic Packaging (500 words)

Verbal Ability part of IIFT 2021 question paper had the usual grammar and sentence-based questions. Check the table below for details:

IIFT Verbal Ability Topics	Number of Questions	Difficulty Level
Identify the Synonym - Root Word	4	4 Easy
Identify Grammatically Correct Sentence(s)	3	3 Moderate
One-Word Substitution	3	3 Easy
Jumbled Paragraphs	3	2 Moderate, 1 Easy
Table of Words (Crossword and Synonyms)	2	2 Moderate
Identify Grammatically Incorrect Sentence (Question Tag)	2	2 Easy
Match the Synonyms	2	2 Easy

IIFT 2021 Question Paper: Data Interpretation-Logical Reasoning

This section of IIFT 2021 question paper had 30 problems. Division of questions is as follows:

16 questions on Data Interpretation
14 questions on Logical Reasoning

Check the table below for detailed break-up of DILR section of IIFT exam 2021:

Type of Sets	Number of Questions	Difficulty Level
IIFT Data Interpretation
Line graph + Bar (on Average sales)	4	Moderate to Difficult
Bar graph + Line	4	Difficult
Table	4	Moderate
Pie chart + Table	4	Easy to Moderate
IIFT Logical Reasoning
Circular Arrangement	4	Moderate to Difficult
Tournaments	4	Moderate
Scheduling	2	Moderate
Linear arrangement	1	Easy
Coding	1	Easy
Puzzle	2	Easy to Moderate

IIFT 2021 Question Paper: Quantitative Aptitude

This section of IIFT 2021 question paper was dominated by Arithmetic problems. Overall, the Quantitative Aptitude questions of the paper were of moderate difficulty level. Check below detailed break up of the section:

IIFT QA Topics	Number of Questions	Difficulty Level
Arithmetic	11	7 Easy 2 Moderate 2 Difficult
Geometry	5	1 Easy 4 Moderate
Algebra	4	2 Easy 1 Moderate 1 Difficult
Modern Mathematics	4	2 Easy 2 Easy
Numbers	1	1 Moderate
Total	25	Moderate to Difficult

IIFT 2021 Question Paper: General Awareness

The General Awareness section of IIFT 2021 question paper was on the same lines as previous years i.e. a mix of Static GK and Current Affairs. Check the below table for topic-wise break-up:

GK Topics	Number of Questions	Difficulty Level
Static GK	9	Moderate to Difficult
Current Affairs	11	Easy to Moderate

IIFT Question Paper 2020

IIFT 2020 was conducted by the NTA for the first time. The exam witnessed a few changes in the test structure.

The exam was held in online mode for the first time
The number of sections were reduced from six in 2019 exam to four in 2020 exam
The number of questions was also reduced from 114 in 2019 exam to 110 in 2020 exam

IIFT 2020 Question Paper: VARC

In VARC section of IIFT 2020 question paper, there were four Reading Comprehension passages carrying four questions each. A total of 16 questions were from RC and 19 questions were from various topics of Verbal Ability. Check the table below for topic-wise break-up:

IIFT VARC Topics	Number of Questions	Difficulty Level
Reading Comprehension	16	Easy
Analogy	4	Moderate
Vocabulary	4	Moderate to Difficult
Para-Jumbles	3	Easy to Moderate
Grammar	3	Easy
Idioms	3	Moderate to Difficult
Fill in the Blanks	2	Easy

IIFT 2020 Question Paper: DILR

This section of IIFT 2020 question paper was divided into two sections – Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. 15 questions were based on Data Interpretation and 15 questions are based on Logical Reasoning. The questions were easy to moderately difficult. Check the table below for topic-wise break-up:

IIFT DI-LR Topics	Number of Questions	Difficulty Level
Bar Graph & Line Graph	7	Easy
2 Pie Charts and 1 Table	4	Moderate
Table (shirt & colour)	4	Easy
Blood Relation and Data Arrangement	4	Moderate to Difficult
Linear Arrangement	3	Easy
Set Theory	2	Easy
Lift and Timing Based Question	2	Easy
Table (products and customers)	2	Easy
Machine Input and Output	2	Difficult
Missing Number	1	Easy

IIFT 2020 Question Paper: Quantitative Aptitude

In the Quantitative Aptitude section of IIFT 2020 question paper, there is dominance of Arithmetic topics. Overall, the section was moderately difficult with easy Algebra and Number System questions and moderately difficult, Arithmetic, Geometry and Modern Math questions. Check the below table for topic-wise break-up:

IIFT QA Topics	Number of Questions	Difficulty Level
Arithmetic	13	Moderate
Geometry	6	Moderate to Difficult
Modern Math	3	Moderate to Difficult
Algebra	2	Easy
Number System	1	Easy

IIFT 2020 Question Paper: General Knowledge

The General Awareness section of IIFT 2020 question paper was on the same lines as previous years i.e. a mix of static GK and current affairs. Check the below table for break-up: