The first IIFT MBA IB 2020 entrance exam by National Testing Agency was held today, December 1, 2019, from 10 am to 12 noon. NTA reported a total of 39,572 candidates who had applied for the MBA entrance exam. The test was held in computer based test mode in 86 centres in 41 cities.
IIFT 2020 was different from its previous editions on several counts. To start with, the exam was held as a CBT for the first time. And then, the exam pattern was also quite different.
This time there were 4 sections, 110 questions, 300 marks.
Verbal ability and reading comprehension section, with 35 questions, was neither too easy nor too difficult. With lengthy passages, candidates found the section moderately tough. Questions were based on analogy, para jumbles, grammar, vocabulary, idioms, fill in the blanks.
General knowledge and current affairs section was the next one. It had 20 easy questions. A mix of static GK and current affairs.
Data interpretation and logical reasoning had 30 questions. They were slightly tougher than an average difficulty level. These questions were bar graph & line graph, table, pie charts, blood relation, data arrangement, linear arrangement, set theory, lift & timing based, machine input-output, missing number based.
Quantitative ability section had 25 questions. This section got mixed reactions, while some claim it was tough, others said it was of medium difficulty level. Questions were on arithmetic, algebra, number system, geometry, modern math.
IIFT MBA IB entrance exam 2020 thus had a total of 110 questions, in 4 sections. While last year there were 114 questions from 6 sections; data interpretation section had 20, analytical and logical reasoning had 20, general awareness section had 18, reading comprehension had 16, verbal ability had 20 questions, and quantitative ability had 20.
The marking scheme this time was like this; QA, VARC, DILR sections had a +3, -1 marking scheme, and in GK section it was +1.5, -0.5. Thus these sections carried 75, 105, 90, and 30 marks respectively and the overall paper was of 300 marks.
Prior to the exam, candidates were provided with the facility of practising the exam online at 4000 test practice centres.
NTA had opened a control room for monitoring the conduct of the exam. 18 state coordinators, 35 city coordinators as well as 104 observers were placed. The agency did live CCTV surveillance in all test centers to ensure absence of malpractices in the exam. Jammers were also installed, around 1400 in numbers, at the test centres to curb use of mobile networks and communication channels.
National Testing Agency will declare the IIFT result 2020 by December 11, 2019, at iift.nta.nic.in. Before that, the official answer key, response sheet, and question papers will be displayed. As the result is within 11 days, answer key display is expected to be done this week itself. Once available, candidates will be able to login to check their recorded responses, answers of all questions asked in exam. NTA will also give a chance to submit objections against the answer key.
