The IBA admission test has no strict syllabus to maintain. Anything that tests your aptitude in mathematics, English, and analytical reasoning can appear in the exam. This cruel flexibility can make you struggle to decide where to start your preparation. Then again, the plethora of resources for each subject is already there to overwhelm you.

And trust me, if you are confused about where or how to start your preparation, almost 90% of the aspirants are facing the same struggle. However, no matter how common this confusion is, it is always important to find your own way out of it. In this blog, I will try to break down how I think you can kickstart your IBA preparation in two segments:

- for HSC 1st year students
- for HSC 2nd year/post-HSC students. 

For HSC 1st Year Students:

If you have just freshly gotten into college and are trying to keep your head above water, but at the same time, are already thinking about where you will end up after college and considering giving IBA a shot, don’t worry; I got you.

First of all, I would say, hold your horses. Trust me, you have enough time. Try to navigate your way through your college life first. Understand how things work and how to maintain a balance between your life and academics. Then, if you manage to get enough breathing space after that, you can think about losing your sleep over your admission phase.

However, if you have already figured out how to maintain that balance and want to stay ahead in the competition by starting early, then there are a few things you can do.

You can start by learning vocabulary. Vocabulary is a very crucial and truly game-changing for the IBA admission test. Having a good grasp of the ocean of words will definitely help you get a strong kickstart in the admission race. But you don’t have to have your heart in your mouth while learning vocabulary in your first year.

Don’t set large goals at once. Take smaller steps at a time. It will make the journey more interesting, make the learning process less hectic, and keep the retention rate satisfactory. Just grab a vocabulary resource like Word Smart I & II, SAT and GRE Hit Parades, and start building a routine to learn new words regularly.

But don’t let this routine task make you lose your sanity. Fit it into your free time. For example, I used to get around 30 to 45 minutes before college, and I used that time to learn 5 to 10 words regularly.

Then you can do things that will enhance your aptitude in the background. Things like playing chess, solving puzzles, or even solving Rubik’s cubes. To improve your English comprehension, you can read English newspapers, newsletters, literature, or blogs. You can try journaling as well. Watching English movies and series can also help.

I don’t know whether there is any statistical evidence behind this, but from observation, people who engage in these activities tend to have better aptitude and comprehension ability.

Since the academic syllabus of HSC English is a bit boring and most people do not even study English in the dedicated time for it, you can go through books like Cliff’s TOEFL and Common Mistakes in English by T.J. Fitikides. You don’t need to remember every rule from these books. Just going through them will give you a solid head start in your admission phase.

If you still manage to get enough free time while covering your HSC syllabus, then you can grab a dedicated IBA admission book. My recommendation will be The IBA Book. You can randomly start solving questions from it on your own just to get an idea of what you are going to face.

Speaking about getting familiarised with the pattern, last but not least, try to sit for at least one diagnostic test if possible. This is very important, no matter when you start your preparation. You don’t need any preparation before sitting for it. 

This will give you a somewhat clear, if not perfectly accurate, picture of your strengths and weaknesses. Don’t expect an epiphany, but it might send some signals about which direction you should move. Try to listen if your gut has something to say.

For HSC 2nd Year / Post-HSC Students:

If you are in your second year, then the first thing I would suggest is that you get determined about which path you want to follow as soon as possible. Don’t remain confused when you are approaching your admission journey.

You will hear about people who got into IBA, BUET, Medical, and almost every other university in Bangladesh at the same time. This might motivate you to become a “master of all trades” as well. But just to help you realise how rare that is, the acceptance rate of IBA is less than or nearly 1%.

Now I hope you can connect the dots and understand how eccentric this goal is and how much effort it requires to achieve something like that. I am not trying to demotivate you. If you are confident enough that you can make this once-in-a-blue-moon thing happen, then go for it. But make sure your plan is sorted in your head and that you execute it properly.

Now, keeping these aside, if you are serious about preparing for IBA, whether before or after your HSC, then again, the first thing you should start with is vocabulary.

Make learning vocabulary a habit.

Set a primary goal for yourself. Decide how many words you want to learn in your first week, first month, or first three months. Set a number that will push you. Try to be gritty enough to go beyond your own targets. Having a strong command of vocabulary will take you very far in this race. Trust that.

Then, for grammar, before you start practising exercises like error detection or sentence correction, go through Cliff’s TOEFL properly at the beginning. Don’t worry if you struggle to retain all the rules. That is normal. Practising those exercises will help you revisit what you have learned. Just make sure you practise enough.

For mathematics, start by clearing your concepts properly. When you begin a chapter, try to understand all the underlying ideas, patterns, and types of questions. Make your concepts so strong that even a new type of question starts to make sense when you read it carefully in the exam hall.

But again, only understanding concepts is not enough. If you don’t practise, you won’t be able to solve questions efficiently or manage your time properly in the exam. So practice is equally important, if not more.

Usually, aspirants start their analytical preparation a bit late. You can leave it for later as well. Start it after a month or two once you have made some progress in math and English.

Now, a few final suggestions.

From the very beginning, understand that you will have bad days. Not every day will go your way. Life will throw unexpected curveballs at you. But at the same time, you are capable enough to deal with them. Even if you don’t manage to handle all of them perfectly, you will still keep moving forward.

If you have decided to seriously prepare for IBA, that itself shows courage. Now be determined enough to turn that courage into something meaningful.

Be determined enough to start fresh every day with new energy. Be determined enough to give it what it takes to turn your vision into reality.

I wish you all end up living a life even better than the one you have imagined.

Godspeed.


Abdullah Zakir Mahir
IBA BBA 33rd Batch


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