SNAP 2013: First Day First Show
Ipsita Sarkar Gupta | Shiksha.com
Paper-based SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test) 2013 was held across the country, today, on December 15 (Sunday), from 2 - 4 pm. The students’ verdict was unanimous – SNAP 2013 proved to be moderately difficult with unexpected questions in General Knowledge (GK) section. Some also found the English section difficult. This Shiksha correspondent caught up with test takers at two centres – Delhi Public School, Sector 30, Noida where as many as 516 students appeared for the test; and Modern Public School at West Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi that hosted over 350 students (approx).
Exam Overview
Most of the students spoke of “moderate to difficult” exam level. Like the previous years, SNAP 2013 had difficult GK questions and tricky English section. This time GK consisted of more static questions related to insurance, banking and finance, which stumped the candidates. Sources said there were questions on Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) and capital management too.
Anurag Upadhyay, software engineer with HCL technologies, said, “I had prepared GK but it was of no use since there were hardly any questions related to current affairs. Questions were related to banking and financial sections, which people do not really prepare much.” He added, “I feel that the paper was not easy. Maths, English and Logical Reasoning were smooth. GK won’t help, but the LR part can help students get a good score. I attempted 35 out of 40 questions in LR section. But overall, the paper was not as easy as I expected it to be.”
Every candidate Shiksha caught up with reiterated the same views. According to Sumit Patnaik, “Maths and reasoning sections were easy. But English and GK was quite tough. I am hoping to get somewhere above 90.” This fresh engineering graduate from Parala Maharaja Engineering College, Patnaik came all the way from Odisha to take the exam.
Anuridha Maurya, a senior software executive at WIPRO, attempted SNAP for the first time. “GK was tough. I attempted 80% of quant and logical reasoning. Paper was easy to moderate. Cut-off could be around 100 – 110.”
“Math and LR was very easy,” says Aman Bansal, BTech (Mechanical) graduate from IP University. “English was tricky and GK tough. It was a moderate paper and I am expecting something around 105.”
Interestingly, the Noida centre was already conducting UP Police exam in the first half, wherein 1000 (approx) candidates appeared. This led to some initial confusion, which was soon resolved as the SNAP exam banner was put up on a different gate of the school. The centre was heavily guarded by at least seven police officers.
Various students started queuing up for the exam from noon. At about 1.20 pm, entry process commenced. This was handled by the school authorities and police officials present at the scene. Students were asked to show their admit cards along with ID proof at the entry point. The school put a notification of seating arrangement at the gate. Students from as far as Odisha, Chandigarh, and Meerut appeared at this centre.
Other management entrance exams
All those who took SNAP 2013, have already appeared for CAT 2013. Some have even appeared for IIFT, NMAT, CMAT, MAT and Odisha JEE while some plan to attempt XAT in January. A majority of these students refer to online websites like Shiksha.com and management forums for preparation, apart from coaching classes.
What Next
Patnaik is banking on CMAT. “There are several B-schools I can get in through CMAT, if my CAT or SNAP scores don't match the cut-offs. If nothing works out, I’ll start working and try to give the exams in near future.”
“I have been working in investment banking and capital funds,” says Maurya. “According to my research, NMIMS, Mumbai, is the only place that offers a course related to capital management. Hence, my first priority is NMAT,” he adds.
For 23-year-old Shagun, a software engineer at HCL, “It is difficult to prepare for entrance exams along with a job. But management is the obvious way to build a momentum in the career. I guess I’ll attempt the exam again if it doesn’t work out this year.”
- Click here to check, SNAP 2013 question paper analysis
