IIFT MBA (IB) 2024: To Accept CAT 2023 Score; Cancels IIFT Entrance Test; Admission Application begins; Last date – December 6, 2023
IIFT has opened application for MBA (IB) Admission 2024. IIFT has cancelled its own Entrance exam for MBA (IB) Admission 2024. From this year, IIFT will accept only CAT exam score for admission 2024 and in future also. NTA will no more conduct any IIFT entrance exam for MBA (IB) admission. This information is officially shared by Indian Institute of Foreign Trade as well as by CAT 2023 Exam Centre at IIM Lucknow.
IIFT Admission Criteria 2024: Latest Updates
- CAT 2023 is the Mandatory Exam for IIFT MBA (IB) Admission 2024
- IIFT Exam is Cancelled and will No More be Conducted by NTA or by IIFT
- IIFT Aspirants Must Apply and Appear in CAT 2023 on Nov 26, 2023
- IIFT Aspirants to Apply Separately for IIFT Admission 2024 latest by Dec 6, 2023
IIFT Admission 2024: Timeline
Below are the important dates for IIFT Admission 2024:
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IIFT Admission 2024 Time Line
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Key Dates
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IIFT Application Dates
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October 27 to December 6, 2023
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IIFT Application Fees
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Rs.3000
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IIFT Shortlist release
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January 2024 last week
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IIFT PI Round Dates
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March-April 2024
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Final Admission Offer
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1st week of July 2024
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Check Below in Detail IIFT Admission 2024 Timelines
IIFT Confirms to Accept CAT Exam Score
Announcing the significant change in its MBA (IB) admission criteria 2024, IIFT has clarified, “From Academic Year 2024-25, for admission to IIFT’s two years MBA (International Business) and MBA (Business Analytics) programmes, the Institute will consider the score of CAT 2023. Candidates will be shortlisted for the second round of the admission process i.e. WAT/Group Discussion/Extempore/Personal Interview etc. of MBA (International Business) and MBA (Business Analytics) programmes on the basis of their CAT Score and other parameters. Therefore, to take the admission to IIFT’s MBA(IB) and MBA(BA) 2024-26 programmes, it is mandatory for all the aspirants to have valid CAT 2023 score.”
CAT Exam Center 2023 Confirms also..
Confirming the acceptance of CAT 2023 score by IIFT for MBA (IB) Admission 2024 instead of any other exam, CAT Exam Centre 2023 at IIM Lucknow has displayed this information on its official CAT website which includes IIFT as CAT Participating Institute in Non-IIM Category:
It is a big step in the IIFT admission process 2024 and is a good news for CAT aspirants as they do not need to appear in any separate IIFT entrance exam. Around 35,000 candidates are expected to apply for IIFT Admission 2024 through CAT 2023. Last year 30,622 candidates applied for IIFT. The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade has an intake of more than 700 students at its Delhi & Kolkata campuses. IIFT has launched its third campus at Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh). The new campus presently offers 5 year IPM program.
Every year students from all disciplines including Engineering, Commerce, Humanities, Law and others apply for IIFT admission. In this article, you will read all key points to plan your IIFT MBA Admission journey, including important dates. So, read through till the end.
Table of Contents
- IIFT Exam: What is the IIFT MBA Admission Test? Why it is changed to CAT?
- CAT Vs IIFT Exam Highlights
- IIFT 2024 Admission and CAT 2023 Exam: Important Dates
- IIFT Notification Release
- IIFT MBA (IB) 2024 Admission Eligibility
- IIFT Programme Intake
- IIFT 2024 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Let us know about IIFT– What is IIFT exam, what are its key highlights, how the IIFT has switched to CAT from its own entrance exam and more
1. What is the IIFT MBA Admission Test 2024?
The IIFT full form is Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Admission Test. IIFT entrance was the mandatory MBA entrance test till admission 2023 to MBA IB in both the campuses of IIFT. IIFT MBA (IB) entrance exam was held in a single session as a computer based test. The exam was of 2 hours duration with a maximum marks of 300 and was conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) for the 5th consecutive year and not by IIFT as was conducted earlier.
However, from the Admission year 2024, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade has switched to CAT exam score and will no longer conduct its own entrance exam wither by itself or by NTA. Unlike CAT, IIFT entrance exam was conducted as high difficulty level exam. GK section in it used to play an important role in scoring high percentile in IIFT entrance test.
1.1 Why IIFT Switched to CAT Exam from its Own Exam
IIFT Admission Tests conducted by NTA has been delaying the IIFT admission process and during the last 5 years IIFT exam, which used to be conducted immediately after CAT exam date, did not have any fix date. This could be the reson for IIFT to switch to CAT conducted by IIMs from IIFT Entrance exam conducted by NTA. This delay led to delay in the Selection Process, check below:
- Prior to 2019, IIFT used to conduct its own entrance exam comprising 5-6 sections and varying scoring pattern immediately after CAT exam latest by December first week
- From 2019 to 2022, National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted IIFT entrance exam with 4 sections and 110 questions which was conducted as late as in December and the result was sometimes declared in January third/last week
- IIFT Admission 2024 will be based on CAT 2023 score. CAT exam date is November 26, 2023 and the result is declared in the first week of January or last week of December. Last year CAT 2022 result was declared as early as on Dec 21, 2022. The early declaration of CAT result will help IIFT to timely release its shortlist and complete the final selection process much early as against the present trend of lingering on till May/June
2. CAT 2023 Vs IIFT Entrance Exam conducted by NTA
If we compare CAT Vs IIFT exam, following 10 key differences are there
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Exam Components
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CAT 2023
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IIFT Entrance conducted by NTA
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Exam Date
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Fixed, Last Sunday of November
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Keeps on Changing from December first week to last week
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Duration
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2 hours
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2 hours
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Total Questions
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66
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110
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No. of Sections
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3
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4
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Name of Sections
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VARC, DILR, QA
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VARC, QA, DILR, GK
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Scoring Pattern
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Uniform, 3 Marks for right answer
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Varying, from 1.5 Mark to 3 Marks for right answer
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Negative Marking
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-1 (33%) for wrong answer
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- 0.75 to -1 (33%) for wrong answer
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Type of Questions
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MCQs & Non-MCQs
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MCQs
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No Penalty Questions
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25-28 Percent
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None
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Maximum Score
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198
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300
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2.1 NTA IIFT Exam Pattern
The IIFT admission test key highlights are:
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Exam Conducting Body
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National Testing Agency (NTA)
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Number of MBA colleges/campuses under the exam
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Delhi & Kolkata. (The 3rd Kakinada campus offers 5 year IPM and accepts IPMAT score)
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Mode of Exam
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Computer Based Test
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Application Process
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Online
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Exam Application Fee
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Rs.2500
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IIFT Full Form
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Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Entrance Exam
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Cut off Percentile for Shortlisting
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95 Percentile
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Raw Score cut off out of 300
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115 to 120 marks (Based on last year cut off)
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Total Questions in the Exam
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110 (based on Last Year number)
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Sectional Division of Exam
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4 Sections with different number of Questions in Each Section
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Test Duration
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2 Hours (10 AM to 12 Noon)
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IIFT Exam Details: Test sections
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4 Sections as under:
Quantitative Analysis; Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability; Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning; General Awareness
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Exam Difficulty Level
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Moderate to Difficult
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Maximum Marks
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300
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Scoring Pattern
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Varying Scoring pattern of 1.5 Mark to 3 Marks for each correct answer
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Negative Marking
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1/3 of the Marks allotted for correct answer
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Importance of Sectional Score
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Candidates to qualify in each section and achieve the minimum cut offs
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3. IIFT 2024 Admission and CAT 2023 Exam: Important Dates
The IIFT 2024 Admission Important Dates and CAT 2023 exam timelines are as under:
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IIFT Admission 2024 Time Line
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Key Dates
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IIFT Switches & Announces to accept CAT 2023 Score
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August 10, 2023
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CAT 2023 Application Dates
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August 2 to September 21, 2023
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IIFT Application Dates
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October 27 to December 6, 2023
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CAT 2023 Application Fee
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Rs.2400/- for General/OBC category
Rs.1200/- for SC/ST/PwD/Transgender
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IIFT Application Fees
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Rs.3000
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CAT 2023 Exam date
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Sunday, November 26, 2023
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IIFT Shortlist release
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Expected in January 2024 last week
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IIFT Extempore-GD-PI-WAT Round Dates
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March-April 2024
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Final Admission Offer
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1st week of July 2024
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3.2 Application dates and Selection Process for Foreign Nationals & NRIs
Foreign nationals and NRIs need to submit IIFT admission 2024 application direct to the institute and do not need to register and apply for CAT entrance exam. They need to apply with the GMAT exam scores. Key dates and selection process is given below:
- Application Dates: January 15 to March 15, 2024
- IIFT Application fees: US$ 200 (Rs.15000)
- Entrance Exam Score Accepted for Shortlisting: GMAT
- Selection Process: Personal Interview at IIFT Campus
4. IIFT Notification Release
IIFT Notification release 2024 date is October 27, 2023. Before that candidates had to apply for CAT 2023 as it is now the mandatory exam for IIFT MBA (IB) Admission. Read all about the CAT exam
4.1 The IIFT Notification Dates
Following has been the trend of notification release:
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Year
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Notification date
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2023
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October 27, 2023 |
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2022
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September 30, 2022
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2021
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August 16, 2021
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2020
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November 6, 2020
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2019
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August 21, 2019
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2018
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August 6, 2018
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2017
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July 25, 2017
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2016
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July 15, 2016
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2015
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July 15, 2015
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2014
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July 15, 2014
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5. IIFT MBA (IB) Admission Eligibility
The candidates with following qualifications are eligible to apply for the IIFT MBA (IB) admission
- Recognized Bachelor’s degree of minimum 3 years’ duration in any discipline with 50% marks.
- Candidates appearing for a qualifying examination can also apply subject to submission of proof of requisite qualification by October, 2024
- No age limit
- Work experience not necessary
The admission of a candidate who joins the programme on provisional basis but fails to qualify in the Bachelor’s degree examination with requisite percentage of marks is liable to be cancelled. Read More
6. IIFT Programme Intake
During the past few years, IIFT has gradually increased its batch size at its Delhi and Kolkata campuses taken together. For the MBA (IB) 2022-24 batch, IIFT selected a total of 725 candidates in the main list for admission at Delhi and Kolkata campuses with following details
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IIFT Campus
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No. of Selected Candidates
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IIFT Delhi Campus
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258
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IIFT Kolkata Campus
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253
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Total
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511
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More than 35000 candidates are expected to register and apply for the IIFT MBA admission. MBA (IB) is considered as one of the best 2 years MBA programmes in International Business. The institute offers great learning experience with high placement to its students.
7. IIFT 2024 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. When will IIFT Exam 2024 registration start?
A. IIFT online registration process has started from October 27, 2023 at IIFT website
Q. What is the IIFT Exam 2024 date?
A. The IIFT exam 2024 is cancelled. IIFT will now accept CAT 2023 score for admission 2024.
Q. What is the last date for IIFT Registration for MBA Admission 2024?
A. IIFT Registration last date is December 6, 2023
IIFT Opens MBA (IB) Admission 2024 at iift.ac.in; Revamps Selection Criteria; To Accept CAT 2023 Score, Present IIFT Exam Cancelled; Check Eligibility, Fee, Placements, Admission Process
