Tips for IPMAT Aspirants

IPMAT or IPM Aptitude test is the entrance exam for 5- year Integrated Program in Management offered at IIM. This program allows students to enter IIM right after 12th standard. This article covers will guide you on how to successfully clear the exam. Ipmat scores have 65% weightage while rest of the 35% weightage is based on the personal assessment.

Your first step of preparation should start with attempting the previous years papers. By doing so, you get a good understanding on where you stand, and it will also help you in analyzing what are your strong areas and where you need to focus. So, you can allocate time accordingly to each section.

Key to acing quantitative section is to understand the concepts. You should start practicing at least 50 questions in each chapter to help you understand how good you understood the concepts. If you feel that you are struggling with any topics, you can start looking up for video resources online. It’s worth noting that in any competitive exams, questions tend to look complicated, but if your basics are strong, you can easily ace them. So, don’t get overwhelmed by looking at questions, take a minute and recollect your basics. While reviewing chapters, keep a notebook and write all the formulas, tips, and tricks that you come across each chapter. During the exam, if you run out of time, cover high priority topics that hold more weightage in the exam. For instance, topics like algebra, data interpretation, arithmetic hold high weightage. Once you cover majority of topics, focus on improving speed by solving questions on time.

For verbal questions, you need to focus on reading comprehension and grammar knowledge. Vocabulary is endless and the probability of encountering the word you know is minute. So, start reading editorial sections from newspapers and try to focus on identifying the theme of the article and what author is trying to convey rather than focusing on the meaning on each word. Make sure to revise basic grammar rules like punctuation, sentence structure, etc.

Finally, try practicing as many mocks as you could under test circumstances. Ipmat like any other competitive test is a test of strategy, so as you attempt mocks, you will be able to devise a test-taking strategy that focuses on your strengths. However, make sure you go through the formula book you have written and revise the tips and tricks you have written for each session. Doing so will boost your confidence but remember to make sure you take test in an isolated room mimicking test environment. Finally, don’t wait to complete entire syllabus to attempt mocks, try to do them simultaneously.