IIFT 2027: Exam Date, Syllabus, Pattern & Free Mock Tests
The complete IIFT MBA (International Business) 2027 guide — the four-section paper with differential marking across sections, the heavy General Awareness component, and free pattern-accurate mock tests.
Full-Length Mock Tests
Practice 2027 pattern full-length IIFT mocks. Track speed, accuracy and section-wise cut-offs.
- Real exam-like simulation
- Detailed performance scorecard
- All-India percentile rank
IIFT 2027 Overview
Key recruitment figures for the 2027 cycle.
Registration Date
Aug – Oct 2026 (expected)
Exam Date
December 2026 (expected)
Duration
120 minutes · ~110 questions
Marking
Differs by section
Eligibility
Bachelor's with 50%
Programme
MBA (International Business)
IIFT latest update
The IIFT 2027 notification has not yet been released. IIFT is now conducted by the National Testing Agency, and its defining feature remains differential marking — General Awareness questions carry different marks and a different penalty from the other three sections, which changes attempt strategy materially.
IIFT 2027 Exam Highlights
| Exam Name | IIFT MBA (International Business) Entrance Examination, conducted by the National Testing Agency |
|---|---|
| Conducting Body | National Testing Agency for IIFT |
| Exam Level | National |
| Mode | Computer Based Test |
| Sections | QA · VARC · DILR · General Awareness |
| Marking | Differential across sections |
| Campuses | Delhi, Kolkata and Kakinada |
| Age Limit | None |
| Official Website | iift.nta.nic.in |
On This Page
What is IIFT?
The IIFT entrance examination is the admission route to the flagship MBA in International Business offered by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, an institution set up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and now a deemed university with campuses in Delhi, Kolkata and Kakinada.
The examination is conducted by the National Testing Agency on IIFT’s behalf. It spans four sections and applies differential marking — General Awareness questions carry a different mark value and penalty from the other three sections, which makes attempt strategy meaningfully different from CAT or XAT.
Full Form of IIFT
IIFT stands for the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. The entrance examination shares the institute’s name and leads to its MBA in International Business, which is the programme the institute is best known for.
Why IIFT is Popular Among Aspirants
IIFT is sought after because its MBA in International Business is the leading specialist programme of its kind in India, with an established recruiter base in trade, export-import, consulting and international operations.
The specialisation is genuine rather than nominal. The curriculum covers international trade policy, foreign exchange, export-import documentation and global supply chains in depth, and the institute’s origins in the Ministry of Commerce give it a distinctive position in trade-related recruitment.
Placement outcomes at the Delhi campus in particular compare favourably with the newer IIMs, and the alumni network is concentrated in international business functions that are hard to enter through a general MBA.
- India’s leading specialist MBA in International Business
- Origins in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- Distinctive recruiter base in trade and international operations
- Campuses in Delhi, Kolkata and Kakinada
Free IIFT Mock Tests
Attempt full-length IIFT mocks built to the current 2027 pattern, with instant scorecards and an all-India percentile rank.
Take a Free Mock TestIIFT 2027 Notification and Important Dates
| Event | Expected Date |
|---|---|
| IIFT 2027 Registration Opens | August 2026 |
| Registration Last Date | October 2026 |
| Application Correction Window | October – November 2026 |
| Admit Card Release | November – December 2026 |
| IIFT 2027 Examination | December 2026 |
| Answer Key and Challenge Window | December 2026 |
| IIFT Result Declaration | January 2027 |
| GD, Essay and Personal Interview | February – April 2027 |
| Final Merit List | April – May 2027 |
Expected schedule for the 2027 cycle, based on the usual IIFT calendar.iift.nta.nic.in — Official IIFT Portal
IIFT 2027 Eligibility Criteria
To appear for IIFT 2027 a candidate must hold a bachelor’s degree of at least three years’ duration with a minimum of 50 per cent marks — 45 per cent for SC, ST and PwD candidates — with no age limit.
Educational Qualification
A bachelor’s degree of at least three years’ duration in any discipline from a recognised university, with a minimum of 50 per cent marks, relaxed to 45 per cent for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Persons with Disability candidates.
- Candidates in the final year of a bachelor’s degree may apply and are admitted provisionally.
- Candidates with professional qualifications such as CA, CS or ICWA are eligible.
- There is no work experience requirement for the flagship MBA (IB) programme.
Age Limit
There is no age limit for IIFT. IIFT has no age limit and no restriction on the number of attempts. Candidates may appear in as many cycles as they wish.
| Category | Age Relaxation |
|---|---|
| All categories | Not applicable — IIFT has no age limit |
| Number of attempts | Unlimited |
| Minimum marks — General / EWS / OBC-NCL | 50% in graduation |
| Minimum marks — SC / ST / PwD | 45% in graduation |
| Final-year students | Eligible, admitted provisionally |
Nationality
- Indian nationals are eligible.
- NRI and foreign national candidates may apply through a separate process specified by IIFT.
IIFT 2027 Exam Pattern
IIFT is a two-hour computer-based test of roughly 110 questions across four sections, with the distinguishing feature that General Awareness questions carry a lower mark value and a lower penalty than the other three sections.
Computer Based Test
The paper has around 110 questions in 120 minutes across four sections with composite timing, where the three aptitude sections award 3 marks with a 1-mark penalty while General Awareness awards 1.5 marks with a 0.5 penalty.
- Mode
- Online (Objective, Multiple Choice)
- Duration
- 120 minutes
- Negative marking
- Aptitude sections: +3 correct, −1 wrong. General Awareness: +1.5 correct, −0.5 wrong.
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Analysis | ~25 | 3 marks each, −1 penalty |
| Reading Comprehension & Verbal Ability | ~35 | 3 marks each, −1 penalty |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | ~30 | 3 marks each, −1 penalty |
| General Awareness | ~20 | 1.5 marks each, −0.5 penalty |
| Total | ~110 | ~300 |
- Composite timing — candidates may move freely between all four sections.
- Differential marking means a General Awareness question is worth half an aptitude question but also costs half as much when wrong.
- Sectional cut-offs apply in addition to the overall cut-off.
- Question counts and the exact marking scheme have varied between cycles — confirm in the current bulletin.
GD, Essay and Personal Interview
Shortlisted candidates attend a Group Discussion, an Essay Writing exercise and a Personal Interview conducted by the institute, which together carry substantial weight in the final merit.
- Mode
- Conducted by IIFT
- Duration
- Varies
- Negative marking
- Not applicable
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Group Discussion | N/A | As per IIFT weighting |
| Essay Writing | N/A | As per IIFT weighting |
| Personal Interview | N/A | As per IIFT weighting |
| Total | — | As published by IIFT |
- IIFT publishes its selection weighting each cycle.
- Academic record and work experience are typically factored into the final merit.
IIFT Selection Process
- 1Online registration on the NTA IIFT portal within the notified window.
- 2Computer Based Test of two hours across four sections.
- 3Result declaration with sectional and overall scores.
- 4Shortlisting against sectional and overall cut-offs published by IIFT.
- 5Group Discussion, Essay Writing and Personal Interview.
- 6Final merit combining the written score, GD, essay, interview, academics and work experience.
IIFT 2027 Syllabus
The IIFT syllabus covers Quantitative Analysis, Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability, and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning at a level comparable to CAT, plus a substantial General Awareness section weighted towards international trade and business.
General Awareness
- International trade and commerce
- World organisations — WTO, IMF, World Bank, UNCTAD
- Indian economy and foreign trade policy
- Business and corporate awareness
- Current affairs — national and international
- Company logos, brands and taglines
Quantitative Analysis
- Arithmetic — percentage, ratio, averages, mixtures
- Profit and Loss, Simple and Compound Interest
- Time, Speed and Distance; Time and Work
- Algebra and Number System
- Geometry, Mensuration and Coordinate Geometry
- Progressions and Series
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
- Tables, bar charts, line graphs and pie charts
- Caselet-based data interpretation
- Arrangements — linear, circular and matrix
- Blood Relations and Direction Sense
- Syllogism and Statement Conclusions
- Coding-Decoding and Series
Reading Comprehension & Verbal Ability
- Reading Comprehension
- Para Jumbles and Para Completion
- Error Spotting and Sentence Correction
- Vocabulary — synonyms, antonyms, usage
- Idioms and Phrases
- Fill in the Blanks
IIFT Posts and Salary Structure
IIFT confers no salary — it is an admission test. The outcome is a place on the MBA in International Business, where the Delhi campus in particular delivers placement outcomes comparable to the newer IIMs, with a distinctive recruiter base in trade and international operations.
| Post | Pay Level | Pay Scale | In-Hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| MBA (International Business) — Delhi campusIndian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi | Post-MBA placement | International business, consulting, banking and analytics roles | Comparable to the newer IIMs |
| MBA (International Business) — Kolkata campusIndian Institute of Foreign Trade, Kolkata | Post-MBA placement | Trade, operations, marketing and finance roles | Strong, somewhat below the Delhi campus |
| MBA — Kakinada campusIndian Institute of Foreign Trade, Kakinada | Post-MBA placement | Varies by cohort | Below the established campuses |
Allowances and Benefits
- Placement outcomes vary by campus, cohort and market conditions
- The trade and international business recruiter base is distinctive to IIFT
- Summer internship stipends are substantial at the Delhi campus
- Alumni network concentrated in international business functions
- Always check the institute’s official audited placement report
How to Prepare for IIFT 2027
The decisive IIFT strategy is to prepare General Awareness seriously and to understand the differential marking, because GA is a full section that CAT does not test and its lower penalty makes it the safest place to attempt aggressively.
Prepare General Awareness deliberately
GA is a full section worth roughly 30 marks and skews towards international trade, world organisations and foreign trade policy. CAT preparation covers none of it, and candidates routinely arrive unprepared.
Exploit the lower GA penalty
A wrong GA answer costs 0.5 against 1 in the aptitude sections. Relative to its reward, GA is the safest section to attempt aggressively — the asymmetry is deliberate and worth using.
Watch the sectional cut-offs
IIFT applies sectional cut-offs alongside the overall cut-off, so a very strong performance in three sections cannot rescue a failure in the fourth. Every section needs a minimum threshold.
Focus GA reading on trade and commerce
Given the institute’s origins, GA leans towards WTO, IMF, trade agreements, foreign trade policy and export-import matters. General current affairs preparation misses much of this emphasis.
Use the composite timing
There are no sectional locks, so plan an order of attempt. Securing GA early banks marks quickly, leaving the remaining time for the more time-consuming aptitude sections.
Prepare essay writing alongside the interview
IIFT’s selection stage includes an essay in addition to group discussion and interview. Practise writing structured arguments on trade and economic topics under time pressure.
IIFT 2027 — Frequently Asked Questions
IIFT 2027 is expected in December 2026, with registration opening around August 2026. The National Testing Agency announces exact dates in the information bulletin on the official IIFT portal.
Official Sources
All exam details on this page should be verified against the Commission's official notification before you apply.