How to prepare for the GK section of the IIFT exam?

The IIFT 2022 exam has been scheduled for 5th December 2021. With around one month to go for the IIFT entrance exam, candidates have a lot of questions on how to prepare for it, and also have questions on how to leverage their CAT preparation to score well in the IIFT exam. In this article, let us have a look at how to prepare for the IIFT GK Section, and also the additional topics that one must prepare for apart from the topics that one have prepared for the CAT exam.

Take a few Previous papers of IIFT and check out the GK section. Check how comfortable you are with the type of questions that appear. Also, take Free GK tests to check your preparation level from time to time.

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IIFT Mock Test Series (in the latest pattern)

IIFT Exam Pattern

First, let us quickly take a look at the IIFT exam pattern:

Based on last year, the IIFT exam will have multiple-choice questions. Below is the exam pattern of the IIFT Exam.

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As the General Awareness section is one of the important sections and also as many students face difficulty about how to prepare for it, let us talk about this Section in detail.

How to prepare for IIFT GK section?

• Preparing for the General Awareness section can be an uphill task if you do not know where to begin with. As the questions can be from any topic under the Sun, aspirants must be extremely selective while preparing. Avoid preparing topics that do not promise good returns.
• In one of the previous papers, the sectional cut off of this section was less than a mark. The low cut-offs explain the difficulty level of the section. Just answering 6 or 7 questions right can help one to clear the cut-off. Though the total weightage this section carries is less, one must bear in mind that they must clear the cut off to be considered for further processes. (you can check out the cut-offs for the previous year at the end of this article).
• As we know the duration of the exam is 2 hours, doing well in the GK section can help aspirants balance time in the exam. Also, the scope for error in this section is abysmal. Therefore, a well-prepared aspirant can score as high as 5 or 6 marks within 10 minutes. Also, the time saved can be put to better use by attempting questions from other sections. Take the IIFT past year papers and check out the GK section. Check how comfortable you are with the type of questions that appear.
• There were some questions in which a passage was given and the candidates were asked to find out the statements that were factually incorrect. Such questions require extensive knowledge not just of facts, but also the why’s and how’s of the happenings. Keeping abreast of the latest happenings will help not only in the exam but also in the GD and PI process that follows.
• Spend at least 30 mins to prepare for the GK Section every day.

Take IIFT mock tests here

What to prepare in the GK Section?

• Major topics tested are Current affairs, Business affairs related, and Static GK questions. IIFT has a proclivity for asking questions related to business. Reading a business newspaper daily will easily help the aspirants to keep their heads above water.
• We can broadly classify the GK section into Two Parts: The Static GK and the Dynamic GK. The weightage of both the parts in the section is almost similar. Therefore, aspirants must prepare for both the sections to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
• Let us start by exploring the topics from which questions usually appear. One can expect some questions from Countries, Capitals and Currencies. Headquarters of International organizations is another important topic from which questions appear. Learn the venues that have been selected to host the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, FIFA world cup and ICC world cup.
• Anything relating to India’s recent position in rankings is very important. Try to know the ranking of India in various surveys (like the ease of doing business).
• Read about the heads of various companies, subsidiaries of conglomerates etc. Also, read about the recent mergers and acquisitions in the Industry. A question or two can appear from this topic.
• Read about Oscar winners and Nobel laureates, especially in the past year. Instead of just skimming through the list of winners, try to know about the work for which they were awarded as well. Also, have thorough knowledge about the recent initiatives taken by the Indian Government.
• Revise the recent happenings (in the past one year). Read about the persons in news recently. Also, read about the events that India hosted in the past 6 months.

Static GK

• Let us see how to prepare for IIFT GK (static portion). ‘Superlatives’ are very important (first, largest, etc). Apart from superlatives, read about Countries, Capitals, Currencies and other related stuff.
• Apart from these questions, brush up basic Geography and Chemistry (like common names of chemicals). Historically, a few questions have appeared from these topics as well. Also, revise the basic details about India, various states of India, various dance forms etc.
• While attempting the test, avoid guesswork. As wrong answers carry a negative mark, one must avoid shooting in the dark. Attempt only those questions you are confident of. Also, make sure that you read the questions properly before marking the option. Be fast but do not be in hurry. Allocate enough time for this section.

Download Static GK PDF

The following are the cut-offs based on the previous year:

We hope that this article on how to prepare for IIFT GK would have given some idea about how to prepare for this section.

Take IIFT mock tests (in the latest exam pattern) here.