CAT vs IIFT: Is IIFT Tougher than CAT?

Updated On: April 26, 2023 09:18 pm IST | IIFT

CAT vs IIFT- What are the differences and similarities? Let's have a look at the detailed comparison of CAT vs IIFT so that MBA aspirants can have a better understanding of both exams.

Table of Contents

CAT vs IIFT: Key Differences and Similarities
IIFT vs CAT: Exam Pattern
IIFT vs CAT: Syllabus
CAT Vs IIFT: Section-wise Difficulty Level
CAT vs IIFT: Scope After the Management Exam
IIFT vs CAT: Is IIFT Tougher than CAT?
Faqs

CAT vs IIFT: CAT and IIFT both are considered to be the toughest management entrance exams in India. IIMs conduct the CAT, the most well-known MBA entrance exam, for admissions to IIMs and other top B-Schools across the nation. NTA administers the IIFT at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade for enrollment to its flagship MBA in International Business course. IIFT scores are not accepted for admission by any other business school. Both the CAT and IIFT entrance exams are difficult in their own unique ways. Applicants can compare the two to get familiar with their test pattern, syllabus, difficulty level, marking scheme, etc.

Although both CAT and IIFT are the management exams that ultimately help students to get admission into Indian Institutes of Management and other top B-schools, both differ in terms of their level of difficulty, exam pattern, syllabus, and much more. Go through this article to get better clarity on the related aspects through which you can compare CAT vs IIFT based on several parameters and decide which is the best suited for you.

Also Read: CAT vs CMAT, NMAT, XAT, SNAP, IIFT & Other MBA Entrance Exams

CAT vs IIFT: Key Differences and Similarities

The sectional time limit in the CAT exam requires candidates to complete each segment within the allotted time. There is no sectional time limit on the IIFT exam. IIFT has four sections (an extra section of General Knowledge), while CAT has three sections. The total score for the CAT is 198 whereas the total score for the IIFT is 300. The major MBA colleges in India, all 20 IIMs, and more than 1,200 additional B-Schools recognize the CAT score. Only IIFT admission is based on the IIFT entrance exam score. Students can take a look at the CAT vs IIFT comparison provided in the table below.

Particulars	CAT (Common Admission Test)	IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Entrance Test)
Total Questions	100	110
Total Marks	228	300
Test Mode	CBT (Computer- Based Test)	CBT (Computer- Based Test)
Number of Sections	3 sections	4 sections
Total Duration	2 hours	2 hours
Sectional Time Limit	CAT has a sectional limit of 40 minutes for all three sections.	No sectional time limit for IIFT.
Entrance Test Fee	Rs. 2,000	Rs. 2,500
Marking Scheme	Correct Answer: +3 Incorrect Answer: -1	Correct Answer: + 3 (In first three sections) and + 1.5 (In the last fourth section) Incorrect Answer: -1
Test Acceptance	The CAT exam is accepted for admission to IIMs and top B schools.	The IIFT exam is accepted by IIFT Delhi, IIFT Kolkata, and IIFT Kakinada.

IIFT vs CAT: Exam Pattern

First, it's important to understand the distinctions between the CAT and IIFT entrance exams in terms of the structure and pattern of the exams.

Particulars	IIFT	CAT
Duration of exam	2 hours	2 hours with a sectional time limit of 40 minutes
Number of Questions Asked	110	66
Mode of the Exam	Computer-based	Computer-based
Sections	English Comprehension Quantitative Analysis Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation General Awareness	Quantitative Aptitude Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
Total Marks	300	198
Marking Scheme	+3 marks for each correct response in Sections 1, 2, and 3. +1.5 marks for each correct entry in Section 4	+3 marks for every correct response
Negative Marking	-1/3 marks	-1 mark

Also Read: How Much Time is Required to Prepare for CAT 2023?

IIFT vs CAT: Syllabus

The first three sections of the CAT exam and the IIFT exam cover a lot of the same topics, with the main difference being the fourth component of the IIFT exam. IIFT exam has an extra component, namely, General Awareness. The following list of subjects is included in both of these exams:

Component	IIFT	CAT
VARC	Analogies Critical Reasoning Figures of speech Fill in the blanks Grammar Matching word meanings Odd word out Para Jumbles Phrases Prepositions Sentence Correction Spellings Synonyms-Antonyms Verbal Reasoning	Analogies Antonyms Contextual usage Different usage of the same word Fill in the blanks Foreign language words used in English Grammar Idioms Jumbled paragraphs One word substitution Para Completion and inference Para jumbles Reading Comprehension Sentence completion Sentence correction Syllogisms Verbal Logic Verbal Reasoning
LRDI	Bar Graph Caselets Coding-Decoding Comparisons Deductions Directions Family tree problem Input & Output Line Graph Linear word formation Pie Chart Seating Arrangements Selections Series & Analysis Symbol Based problems Tables	Bar Graphs Binary Logic Blood Relations Calendars Caselets Clocks Column Graphs Cubes Games & Tournaments Line Charts Logical Connectives Logical Sequence Number and Letter Series Pie Charts Seating Arrangement Syllogism Tables Venn Diagrams
QA	Allegation & Mixtures Arithmetic progression Geometric Progression Geometry (Lines, angles, Triangles, Spheres, Rectangles, Cubes, Cones, etc.) HCF Height & Distance Indices & Surds LCM Logarithms Mensuration Number System Partnership Percentages Permutations & Combinations Probability Ratios and Proportion SI & CI Time & Distance Time & Work Time-Speed-Distance	Algebra Averages Geometric Progression Geometry HCF & LCM In-equations Quadratic and linear equations Inequalities Logarithms Mensuration Number system Partnership (Accounts) Percentages Profit & Loss Ratios and Proportion Surds and Indices Time-Speed-Distance Trigonometry Work and Time
GK	Awards Banking Business Economics Films Geography History Industry International Affairs Literature Mythology Politics Science Society Sports	-

CAT Vs IIFT: Section-wise Difficulty Level

Here's a tabular distinction among various sections for both CAT and IIFT exams based on the previous year's question papers. Therefore, it will help you analyze which sections are easy to attempt and which of them require more preparation.

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)

Aspirants can check the difficulty level for various topics included in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section for both CAT and IIFT exams here:

Topics	CAT (Common Admission Test)	IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Entrance Test)
Sentence Correction	Moderate	Moderate
Reading Comprehension	Moderate	Difficult
Para jumbles	Moderate	Difficult
Para Completion	Moderate	Moderate
Grammar	Moderate	Difficult
Fill In the blanks	Moderate	Difficult
Critical Reasoning	Moderate	Difficult
Antonyms/ Synonyms	Moderate	Difficult

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)

Aspirants can check the difficulty level for various topics included in the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) section for both CAT and IIFT exams here:

Topics	CAT (Common Admission Test)	IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Entrance Test)
Seating Arrangement	Moderate	Moderate
Family Tree	Moderate	Moderate
Puzzles	Difficult	Moderate

Quantitative Ability (QA)

Aspirants can check the difficulty level for various topics included in the Quantitative Ability (QA) section for both CAT and IIFT exams here:

Topics	CAT (Common Admission Test)	IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Entrance Test)
Trigonometry	Moderate	Moderate
Probability	Moderate	Moderate
Geometry	Difficult	Difficult
Permutation and Combination	Moderate	Moderate
Numbers	Difficult	Moderate
Heights and Distance	Difficult	Moderate
Coordinate Geometry	Difficult	Moderate
Arithmetic	Moderate	Moderate
Algebra	Difficult	Moderate

Note: Applicants must note that the above-mentioned details have been curated based on the last year's question papers. The information is not confirmed for the upcoming session as well.

CAT vs IIFT: Scope After the Management Exam

Candidates before appearing for both the management examinations also compare what is the career scope offered by them after clearing the test successfully. Here is the comparison of the career prospects offered by both CAT and IIFT mentioned in the table below.

Particulars	CAT (Common Admission Test)	IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Entrance Test)
Career Scope	CAT is no doubt the most popular management entrance exam in India. Career prospects after clearing the entrance exam are wide enough. The exam is accepted by the prominent IIMs and top B-Schools in our country.	IIFT exam is apt for candidates who want to make big in IBM(International Business Management). Career prospects after clearing the entrance exam are limited as it is accepted only by institutions driven by IIFT.
Institutes Accepting the Test	IIM Bangalore IIM Ahmedabad IIM Indore IIM Lucknow IIM Kozhikode IIM Rohtak S. P. Jain Institute of Management and ResearchSPJIMR, Mumbai Faculty of Management Studies FMS, Delhi Management Development Institute MDI, Gurgaon	IIFT Kolkata IIFT Delhi IIFT Kakinada

Particulars

CAT (Common Admission Test)

IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Entrance Test)

Career Scope

CAT is no doubt the most popular management entrance exam in India. Career prospects after clearing the entrance exam are wide enough. The exam is accepted by the prominent IIMs and top B-Schools in our country.

IIFT exam is apt for candidates who want to make big in IBM(International Business Management).

Career prospects after clearing the entrance exam are limited as it is accepted only by institutions driven by IIFT.

Institutes Accepting the Test

IIFT Kolkata
IIFT Delhi
IIFT Kakinada

IIFT vs CAT: Is IIFT Tougher than CAT?

Both exams are equally challenging when it comes to difficulty. However, due to the added General Knowledge component, only a small percentage of test takers find IIFT somewhat more difficult than CAT. The IIFT exam is often held 7–10 days following the CAT exam, leaving very little time for general knowledge portion preparation. However, it is rather manageable if you start studying GK early. However, according to expert analysis, there are many reasons why the CAT is tougher than the IIFT, including the exam pattern, the distribution of questions and marks per section, the time allotted for each section, the complexity of each section, etc.

Both the management entrance tests require similar effort and approach for the test preparation. If the applicants prepare well and study formulate and develop exam strategies, they will do well in both exams. Candidates must start practicing more and more available sample papers and mock tests available on various websites online to tackle the exams with ease. Applicants' choices and interests, in the end, are the ultimate deciding factors regarding which exam they wish to appear for.

We hope that this article has helped you in deciding which exam is right for you to appear. For admission-related details, aspirants can fill out the Common Application Form (CAF) and avail of free counselling from our experts. For any queries, students can write to us through the Q&A Zone or call on the toll-free student helpline number 1800-5729877.

Related Articles:

CAT 2023 Preparation Tips for Beginners	Section-wise Time Management Tips for CAT 2023
IIFT Delhi vs IMT Ghaziabad Comparison	IIFT 2023 Exam Day Tips

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FAQs

Are CAT RC passages more difficult than IIFT?

CAT RC passages can be considered more difficult than IIFT. CAT RS passages are inference based where it is not possible for candidates to note down the data. But IIFT RC passages are fact-based so it is easier to solve them as one can note down the data.

Can I qualify for IIFT if I prepare for CAT?

It is difficult to qualify for IIFT if a candidate is preparing for CAT since IIFT has a Genera Awareness section which CAT doesn’t have. Also, the number of questions in IIFT is 110 and the exam duration is 120 minutes. On the other hand, CAT has 66 questions to be solved in 120 minutes. So, a different preparation strategy will be required to prepare for both exams.

Are the eligibility criteria for CAT and IIFT the same?

Yes, the eligibility criteria for CAT and IIFT are the same. Candidates applying for both these exams must have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50 percent aggregate. Final-year candidates are also eligible to apply if the aggregate of their first and second-year scores is 50 percent. For Reserved category candidates, the minimum score required for both CAT and IIFT is a minimum of 45 percent in aggregate.

Which colleges accept IIFT scores?

IIFT scores are accepted by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in Delhi, Kolkata, and Kakinada. These three campuses of IIFT offer its flagship MBA in International Business (IB) programme. Apart from these institutes, the IIFT score is not accepted by any other MBA colleges in India.

Which colleges can I get admission into through CAT scores?

Through CAT scores, candidates can get admission into any of the 20 Indian Institutes of Management in India. Apart from IIMs, more than 1000 B-schools accept CAT scores. Some of the prestigious institutes include IMT Ghaziabad, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, FMS Delhi, GLIM Chennai, DMS IIT Delhi, NITIE Mumbai, XIM Bhubaneswar, etc.

Which is more difficult- CAT or IIFT?

Both CAT and IIFT exams have moderate to high difficulty levels. However, some candidates may find IIFT difficult since it has 110 questions needed to be solved in 120 minutes whereas CAT has 66 questions with the same time duration. Also, the Quantitative Aptitude section of IIFT is usually more difficult than CAT.

What is the difference between CAT and IIFT?

The difference between CAT and IIFT are as follows-

CAT has 66 questions to be solved in 120 minutes while IIFT has 110 questions to be solved in 120 minutes.
The marking scheme of both exams is different.
IIFT exam has a General Awareness section while CAT doesn’t have it.
CAT exam has a sectional time limit but IIFT exam doesn’t have any.
CAT is held in three slots in a day while IIFT is held in a single slot.

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