Students’ Speak: Preparing for a GD round? Keep these things in mind

By: Kuljeet Singh

There is an application named Magazter which gives you access to various magazines online. One can use that to enhance their understanding of various topics. Read other such tips from  Kuljeet Singh to help you prepare for GD.

Group Discussion (GD) is preferably considered as the elimination round by many top companies. So, preparation for it plays an important role when a candidate selects their dream company. So, I formed a unique strategy as being able to give crisp points related to the topic in front of the panel at that time is important.

First, read editorials and opinions of at least two newspapers (I chose Business Standard and The Hindu BusinessLine). The rationale behind choosing two newspaper is that it will allow one to look at same topic from two different angles so that one is comfortable to present both for and against arguments related to the topic. One must make sure that this is the daily habit and one has to read this every single day. Then, I maintained a register and divided it based on six topics namely National, Finance, Marketing, Strategy, Sports and Miscellaneous. After reading an editorial from the newspaper, I used to categorise it into these six topics and write four to five crisp points related to that topic. This strategy helped me a lot to prepare for a particular company in a better way. It helped me to think systematically and present points related to the GD topic. After knowing the field in which the visiting company is working in, one can just go through the points one has written in the register related to the topic. It also gets easier to revise and remember all the relevant points at the time of GD. With this strategy, I was able to crack GD round of almost all the top companies that visited our campus.

In addition to the newspaper, one can also read various magazines like Outlook Business, Business Today, etc. There is an application named Magazter which gives you access to various magazines online. One can use that also to enhance their understanding of various topics.

Also, one can engage in Mock GDs. Just form a group of three to four persons and choose any random topic and start discussing it. It will help you to understand how to mould your arguments based on another person’s argument. One can also practice alone by standing in front of the mirror, have any random topic in mind and start speaking on it.

Also, try to learn at least seven to eight influential words, which one can fit anywhere while presenting the argument. It will help to create a lasting impact on the listener.

About the Author:

Kuljeet Singh is an alumnus of IIM Shillong. He completed his MBA with a specialisation in Finance in 2019. At present, he works with JP Morgan and Chase as a Senior Analyst.