Indian Institute of Foreign Trade MBA (International Business) Admission Test

Admission to the postgraduate management programmes of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade now runs through the Common Admission Test (CAT). IIFT is a deemed-to-be university established in 1963 under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and its best-known course is the MBA in International Business. For years the institute set its own national-level entrance test, conducted in its final cycles by the National Testing Agency; from the 2024-25 admission cycle it retired that paper and moved to CAT scores for shortlisting, in place of a separate IIFT sitting.

A CAT score is only the first filter. Candidates who clear the shortlist are called for a Group Discussion and a Personal Interview, and the final offer weighs the CAT score, the interview rounds, academic record and work experience together. The MBA in International Business runs across IIFT's campuses at Delhi, Kolkata, Kakinada and GIFT City, while the MBA in Business Analytics is offered at the Delhi campus only.

To apply you need a bachelor's degree of at least three years with a minimum of 50% marks, relaxed to 45% for SC, ST and PwD candidates. Final-year students may also apply, and there is no upper age limit. Applicants now qualify on a valid CAT score rather than the separate written paper IIFT once set, which had tested Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and General Awareness.

Sources: Indian Institute of Foreign Trade – MBA (International Business) · Indian Institute of Foreign Trade – MBA (Business Analytics) · IIFT MBA admission through CAT – Careers360