Students’ Speak: Last-minute preparation tips for TISSNET

By: Divyang Goswami

TISSNET is considered to be one of the most important exams to get admission into the Tier-I institute for a management course. Doing an MA in Human Resource Management and Labor Relations from Tata Institute of Social Sciences is equivalent to doing an MBA (HR) from any top B-School. Therefore, it is important to take this exam seriously for the aspirants who are writing other B-School entrance exams. 

One of the important aspects of preparation for this exam is writing mocks and not only writing them but also analysing them so that you can learn from your mistakes and not repeat them in the exam. The paper pattern is easy to understand, you will be having three sections -- Mathematics and Logical Reasoning (30 questions for 30 points), English Proficiency (30 questions for 30 points) and General Awareness (40 questions for 40 points). TISSNET mocks are important because the General Awareness section is set in the mocks so that the aspirant can get an updated set of questions that might come into the main exam. So, it is important to give at least 5 mocks and it is not so difficult task to give one mock daily and analyse it on the same day. 

Since there is no negative marking in the exam, I would suggest you attempt all the questions. The questions to be attempted in a particular manner- First attempt the sure-shot questions that you know then, mark and review for others so that you can come for them after attempting all the questions.

“TISSNET will be a cakewalk”- this is the most common mistake that an aspirant might think of. Since there is no negative marking in the exam, aspirants usually think that they will be lucky enough to clear the cutoff. Even if you score 60 on 60 in both Mathematics/LR and English Proficiency sections, you will have to score 20/40 correct answers in the GA section. And trust me, even if you are good in the two sections, it is difficult to score 60/60. So, you have to understand the importance of the GA section to clear the cutoff with a good margin. Aspirants must be a habitual reader of newspapers to score well in GA. It is important to note the distribution of marks to get admission in the institute- TISS exam (100 points), Pre-written test (50 points), Personal Interview (75 points). Thus, the total marks allotted for admission in TISS is 225 points. Therefore, it is good to be on a safer side if you score above 80-85 because 45 percent of the weight is covered by TISSNET only.

General Awareness consists of 40 questions that you can attempt in 15 minutes. So, allocate your time accordingly, these 15 minutes can take you to your dream college. Maximising the score through this section will be considered a smart move because of these 15 minutes, you will have an edge over others. Read articles from the internet, read newspapers, read questions from mocks, read general awareness magazines like Pratiyogita Darpan, etc., to score well in the section, this will not only help you in clearing the exam but also help you in your interview. And reading newspapers will also help you to score in the English Proficiency section.

About the Author:

Divyang Goswami is a student at IFMR GSB, Krea University, pursuing MBA. He has completed his graduation from Hansraj College of Delhi University. He is passionate about Data Science and Finance and terms himself as an animal lover.