IBA entry test — how did you prepare for the English section specifically?
I'm applying to IBA Karachi for the BBA program and the entry test English section has me worried. My FSc math score was 87% so quantitative prep feels manageable, but I've been studying 5 weeks at about 2 hours a day and I'm at 72% on math practice and only 61% on English. Vocabulary and critical reasoning are where I'm losing the most points.
The math practice questions are solvable with enough time — algebra, geometry, and basic statistics make up most of it. But the English reading comprehension passages feel very academic and the vocabulary goes well beyond what I encountered in school. I've started reading Dawn and The News every day to build exposure to formal written English.
Three weeks left before my test date. I've heard the BBA cutoff is around 60-65% overall, but the program is competitive enough that you really want 75%+ to feel safe. My goal is to get English up to 70% minimum by exam day. For anyone who recently took the test — how closely did actual questions match the prep material available online?
I scored 69% overall and ended up on the waitlist but didn't get in. Students who made direct admission in my session were mostly above 78-80%. Don't aim for 75 — aim for 80 if you actually want the program.
Reading Dawn every day genuinely helped me. After about 4 weeks my reading speed improved noticeably and formal academic vocabulary started feeling more familiar. The Economist is worth adding too if you can handle the difficulty level.
Math was more straightforward than I expected going in. If you're at 72% on practice the actual test should be manageable. Shift your remaining 3 weeks heavily toward English — that's where the most points are being left on the table.
The actual test ran harder than the official sample papers on the English side. The vocabulary felt less common than standard GRE word lists and the reading passages were longer than I expected. Budget at least 2 minutes per passage rather than the 90 seconds I'd planned for.