November 18 has gone by and the year's most awaited exam is over, but the battle is not over yet for most MBA aspirants across the nation.

The CAT is not the only test for admission into a top B-school, in fact it is just the first of the lot. Come November 25 and test takers will sit for another difficult test -- the IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade) Entrance examination.

A look at IIFT 2006 confirms that it was the most difficult and surprising of the entrance tests last year, as test takers experienced more surprises than sections in the test. IIFT 2006 was characrterised by:

• About 75 per cent questions with no negative marking but the possibility of more than one correct answer option. (The most unexpected bouncer)
• Declaration of sectional cut-offs by the test makers for the first time. (A welcome surprise)
• Reduction in the number of sections and answer options from 5 to 4. (Thankfully accepted).
• Permission to the test takers to retain the test booklet. (A welcome move)
• A tough exam, factually (literally, no one could manage to clear the initial declared cut-offs)

Now, let's talk about what it takes to prepare for the IIFT entrance exam. Most of the concepts are more or less the same and praparation for CAT will be handy here. IIFT has Quant and DI integrated in one section itself, much like the FMA and XAT tests. In addition, if the IIFT 2006 pattern is retained, 25 per cent of the questions will be about 'General Awareness'.

At a stage when test takers need vital inputs for their IIFT entrance test preparation, TCY has gone that extra mile to provide the detailed solutions to IIFT 2006, not to mention the already offered free online tests, free business GK package and short notes for each topic on http://www.tcyonline.com/. Additionally, you may download and attempt the mock IIFT with solutions and explanations by clicking on the following links:

• Free Mock test
• Solutions and explanations