Overview: The strategy for cracking IPMAT 2025 varies significantly for students currently in 12th grade and those who have already completed it. The time investment required for preparation differs for each group. In this article, you will clearly understand how the two strategies are different from each other.

Being an IIM aspirant is challenging, requiring rigorous hard work and dedication to achieve your goal. IIMs are for individuals who devote every second to thinking about and preparing for the exams.

In this article, we will explore how freshers need to prepare for the IPMAT, and on the other hand, how droppers need to approach their preparation for the same exam.

So without further ado, let's dive into a detailed understanding of the differences in strategies for freshers and droppers preparing for IPMAT 2025.

Boost Your Scores with IPMAT Sample Papers by SuperGrads

Factors Affecting the Strategies

While you are in different stages, the overall IPMAT preparation strategy would be slightly different for both freshers and droppers. 

Students currently in 12th grade often have the advantage of being familiar with the core subjects. However, droppers benefit from having extra time, allowing them to thoroughly cover the core subjects at a more comfortable pace.

Check: IPMAT Previous Year Question Papers

Time in Hand

Time is the biggest factor initiating the major difference between the freshers and the droppers.

Freshers VS Droppers - Freshers

Freshers VS Droppers - Droppers

Students who are going to appear for the 12th board exam and simultaneously prepare for the IPMAT exam will have less time to prepare for the IPMAT exam. Due to classes, tuition, and assignments at home, they can hardly pull out 2-3 hours for the preparations. It is advised for 12th students not to look at the small number daily; instead, look at the bigger picture that they have 20-25 hours per week to prepare for the IPMAT exams. This will also help them regain their confidence.

Students who have passed out of 12th and are preparing for the IPMAT examination have enough time to dedicate to IPMAT preparations. Mostly, they attend coaching classes; rather than that, they do not have any other tasks for the day, so they can easily dedicate 8-10 hours to the day. Looking at the bigger picture, they will have almost 50-60 hours a week to prepare for IPMAT exams.

Attend FREE Demo Class by SuperGrads

Syllabus Completion

Without your IPMAT syllabus being complete, you won't be able to fully utilize the time you have.

Freshers VS Droppers - Freshers	Freshers VS Droppers - Droppers
Look at the time available per week to determine priorities. Given the toughness of the exam, consider the weightage of the topics. Create a plan prioritizing high-weightage topics. Aim to be conceptually clear, practice a lot, and clear all doubts before the end of January 2024. At this point, aim for a 40% syllabus that consists of 70% weightage.	With ample time per week, prepare a plan that will cover the entire syllabus and covering all the topics. The aim should be to complete at least all of the syllabus for Maths and English by the end of January 2024. If this goal is achieved, the preparation is on the right track

Attempt IPM All India Scholarship

Study Material and Resources

IPMAT Study materials and external resources play an important role in the preparation process.

Freshers VS Droppers - Freshers	Freshers VS Droppers - Droppers
Even if you are attending classes for 12th, you are somehow boosting your preparations for IPMAT. Rely on the class notes, worksheets, and whatever books you refer to. Do not refer to many resources for your studies, as one reference book is enough to help you. Going through lots of reference books will eventually confuse you without any help.	For droppers, you need to follow the same pattern as the freshers. Apart from that, you have an extra amount of time compared to the 12th students, so you should take up the responsibility to aid your preparation with least referring to two reference books simultaneously. Especially for maths, you should do a lot of practice referring to Arun Sharma’s book.

Mocks and Test

IPMAT Mocks plays a vital role in analysing your overall preparation and performance.

Freshers VS Droppers - Freshers

Freshers VS Droppers - Droppers

To analyze your preparations and determine the weak points and your progress, you need to constantly attempt the previous year’s papers, mocks, and test series. For 12th-grade students, you need to focus more on the part test (topic test) and sectional test (like Maths, LR, English, etc.). Due to the time limitation, students cannot attempt mocks frequently. However, you should try attempting mocks once a month.

For the droppers, the mocks are even more important, and as they have probably attempted the exam once, they are also aware of the pattern and question types. The constant practice of part and sectional tests is compulsory for droppers but at a higher frequency than the freshers. Apart from that, you must attempt full-length mocks more often, mostly once a week, as you have more time in hand than the freshers.

Click to Attempt IPMAT Mock Test Series

Feb-May Strategy

During this crucial month, the 12th fresher and droppers can create a major gap between their preparations.

Freshers VS Droppers - Freshers

Freshers VS Droppers - Droppers

During this month, the freshers are mostly occupied by the board’s preparation and series of exams. They will probably be unable to dedicate even the 2-hour time for IPMAT preparations, which is normal. During that time, at least dedicate one hour for practice and revisions or pick up easy topics left out earlier. Also, try to stick to your strategy of attempting mocks monthly. After the 12th board, you will suddenly have enough time, expectedly 40-50 days, and you can dedicate all the time to IPMAT preparation.

Droppers during this month should accelerate their preparation pace with revisions, clearing any doubt regarding any concept and attempting lots of mocks. Go through a thorough revision process to clear out each and every topic. While 12th students are busy with their boards, take advantage to get a step ahead and boost your preparations. In the last months, stop revising, attempt only mock tests, and keep analyzing your scores after each and every mock test.

Now, you must be clear on how a 12th student should approach the IPMAT exams Vs how a dropper student should approach the IPMAT exams. This difference is mainly focused on the time difference both the category of students have and helping them understand the respective set of preparation strategies they must utilize.

Regarding preparation, SuperGrads is the pioneer in management entrance coaching and has helped hundreds of students get into their dream college, IIM.

Explore Resources from Best Coaching Online for IPMAT 2025

Key Takeaways

• Time is the biggest factor initiating the major difference between the freshers and the droppers.
• Regularly taking mock tests helps in understanding the exam pattern and improving time management for both freshers and droppers.
• Efficiently managing time during preparation and in the actual exam is essential for success.

These key takeaways provide a comprehensive guide to effectively preparing for IPMAT, whether you are a fresher or a dropper, ensuring you can achieve the best possible outcome in the exam.

Check: One Year Preparation Strategy For IPMAT