Aiming for IIM Indore - do it the right way!

Being a stream neutral option, Management as a career is very much trending luring and rewarding and over the years it has gained huge popularity. DU-JAT, Symbiosis, NPAT, Narsee Monjee, Mumbai, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Christ University and the prestigious IPMAT at IIM Indore and IPMAT at IIM Rohtak are the most sought after Management Entrance exams.

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore and Rohtak conduct its national aptitude test once every year and over 20,000 students appear annually. The aptitude test facilitates admission to their 5-year integrated program in management. The admission process consists of the IPM Aptitude test, on clearing the cut-off for which, students proceed for the next round, Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI).

How to ace IPM – IIM Indore?

It is always important and advisable to plan in advance about what you are aiming for. The first step is to know the structure of the exam for which you want to prepare.

Track the exam trend - IIM-IPM 2017 had two sections Quantitative Aptitude and Verbal Ability. The cut-offs for that year was around 215-220. Whereas, the exam pattern in 2018 saw a remarkable change with further division of the Quantitative aptitude section into subjective (20 questions) and MCQ (40 Questions).

The exam in 2019 was no different with expected difficulty level ranging from moderate to difficult. With regular practice one was able to perform and clear the cut-offs and emerge victoriously. The key to success this year was time management and speed. Another change of 2019 was that IIM Rohtak also started a 5-year integrated program in management.

Preparing the right way

The preparation for any exam demands a lot of perseverance and dedication. It requires that a student should understand the pattern of the paper. Following the below mentioned tips would highly benefit all the students aiming for IPMAT 2020

Do the basics and calculations - It is very important to cover the basic concepts of Math and Verbal Ability. This will help you understand the questions well. Also, one should pay attention to higher mathematics, as questions based on it are also asked in the exam. A student should work on his/her calculations. It is important to work on learning to do calculations mentally as it will help you save time.

Time Management - Regularity is the key to success for IPMAT, 2020. The most important thing you need to keep in mind when it comes to time management is that, unless you are exceptionally gifted and intelligent, you will most probably not be able to attempt all the questions in the test. This is perfectly fine. In fact, sometimes this desire can land students in trouble because your accuracy level can fall down drastically under timing pressure. The test has negative marking, and this can adversely affect your overall score.

SWOT analysis - It is advisable not to spend too much time on any question. There are many questions that are there which can be easier compared to the one you are solving. Selection of which questions to attempt and which to skip is very important, and it makes sure that you are in control of the test at all times. It's absolutely fine if you are not able to solve one question. Move ahead and try to solve other questions in the paper. This can only happen if you are regular and identify your strengths and weaknesses. You should be regular in your preparation, and should not wait for the last moment. It is of utmost importance to be regular with Math, Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning.

Practice as many problems - As an aspirant for IPM-IIM Indore entrance exam your target should be to attempt around 45-48 questions in Maths and around 30- 32 questions in English, both with a 90% accuracy. If you can attempt more, by all means, do so, but this should be the target for an average student. The only way to achieve accuracy is to PRACTICE. When you practice, one thing you must try to do is identify the question types within each section that you are good at, and those that you are not so good at. This will help you save time on the actual exam.

Mock tests - The more you practice and the more you work on strengthening the basic concepts it will help you enhance your score.

Although, you can and you should always modify strategies based on your performance in the Mock Tests. It is of utmost importance to be regular in taking these mocks tests and to analyze them thoroughly. If one is completing this process diligently then it becomes easier for you to clear the paper with ease.