IIFT; Cracking the test and the Life beyond

The course of International Business at IIFT is very unique in the Indian academic setup. With a deep focus on international governance, the curriculum accustoms the students to global management methodologies, thus transforming them into more diverse and accommodative international business managers. For a batch of close to 200 students, there are 4 sections, thus in a class the faculty is catering to close to 50 students at once, allowing for a very high scope of student-teacher interaction. Additionally, some of the faculties consult government bodies and have been officially associated with the think tanks and ministries of the country. The teaching methodologies revolve around cases and the rich professional experiences of the course coordinators. IIFT follows a trimester academic calendar, and the end terms exams are conducted every 3 months, usually wrapping up in a week. The evaluation is quite competitive and students are required to put in serious effort.

Top companies visit IIFT in different sectors of Finance, Sales and Marketing, Consulting, Product Management, Operations, and Trade. Firms like JPMC and Citi Bank offer very lucrative roles in the finance department, with brands like Godrej, Samsung, Signify, Aditya Birla, and Marico recruiting for their sales and marketing programs. Adani, JSW, and COFCO are the legacy recruiters in the domains of Trade and Operations. Firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Accenture's strategy attract the highest interest for their Consulting and Strategy roles. Microsoft offers the prestigious Program Management Intern role with the highest domestic stipend in the final placements

The college follows the legacy placement processes for both the summer and final placements. The most recent data depicts the average summer internship stipend to be 263000 for the period of 2 months and 25,16,000 for the final placement offers. The highest stipend stood at 3,75,000 for 2 months and 80,00,000 for the final placements from an international firm. The college has seen 100% placements. As for my plans, I intend to secure a placement from the college placement process in my preferred domain of FMCG in sales and marketing.

The fees at IIFT are close but less than 20,00,000 for the entire 2 years. The fees seem to have risen by 25% in the last 5 years. Information on scholarships can be referred from the official notices, where the institute provides need-based and merit-based scholarships. The college has a rigorous summer internship and final placements process where more than 400 students are placed in top roles and firms like Accenture Strategy, McKinsey, Microsoft, Citi Bank, JPMC, Godrej, OLAM, and so on.

The Kolkata Campus houses more than 400 students from the junior and senior years of the MBA program. The campus is situated on the outskirts of the city, with a 10 min cab ride from the city center. The college sees a lot of activities around the year like the business conclave of Vivaan, which is a 3-day event with multiple business leaders visiting as speakers, multiple sports and cultural events celebrating the festivals of Halloween, Diwali, Durga Puja, Ganesh Chaturthi, Christmas and so on. The institute has a 24x7 functional library with a very vast coverage of literature. The classrooms are equipped with modern classroom tools to facilitate the best learning methodologies. With more than 20 clubs, committees and cells, students have a tremendous scope to nurture their skills and discover any hidden talents.

The hostels are awarded to all th students of the MBA programme with the fees at Kolkata Campus ranging from 50000 to 65000. The hostel also provides the facilities of Mess and Laundry which come at additional but very affordable costs.

IIFT admits students through its entrance examination called IIFT too. It typically takes place one or a few weeks after CAT and usually before XAT. The entrance exam is conducted by the National Testing Agency which is also responsible for hosting other entrance exams like the JEE Mains and Advanced. The IIFT exam test students on the sections of Verbal Ability, Quantitative Analysis, Logical Reasoning, and Data Interpretation, and finally an evaluative GK section. The test has no sectional time limits allowing candidates to switch between sections as per their strategies. The maximum score is 300 and there are a total of 110 questions. The shortlist is released based on a composite score, the calculations of the same can be found on the website, which will have the components of 10th, and 12th passing marks, duration of work experience, and academic and gender diversity points. Before the interview, the candidates have to submit a WAT (extempore in the last few years).

I did not face a GD or any WAT due to the covid 19 regulations. The process is typically like this: Release of Interview Calls, GD/WAT/Extempore, and PI. Coming to preparation, I would read news articles daily with a heavy focus on business news and its analyses. Further, because it is a trade college, it will impart brownie points if candidates were also aware of the trade dynamics like the recent trends in imports and exports, FTAs, CECA, and CEPA.