Students’ Speak: Tips to sail through a GDPI round smoothly

By: Ujjwala Gaur

Every college has a different way of conducting a GD. Some give out the topics and see if the research the candidate has on that topic is pure research or mere figures. Some institutes give an on-spot topic and one minute to think before the GD starts.

Groud Discussion (GD) is usually a part of the selection process as the panellists want to see how aware the candidate is. There are certain skills that a candidate should possess to crack a GD. A candidate needs to remember that it is a group discussion and not a debate. Listening and spoken skills and above all leadership skills will be assessed. Respect the opinions of others even if you disagree with them. What you speak, how well-read you are about the topic and when you enter in the discussion. It is really very important when you should step in the discussion. There are certain terms known as Initiator, Moderator and Concludor. The initiator is the one who takes the lead and begins the discussion. Moderator is the one who guides people if they're getting diverted from the topic and if one is participating or not. And last, the Concludor is the one who sums up the whole discussion in a few lines.

Every college has a different way of conducting a GD. Some give out the topics and see if the research the candidate has on that topic is pure research or mere figures. Some institutes give an on-spot topic and one minute to think before the GD starts.

During the time when I participated in a GD, the overall performance was judged on the points I pulled up, the times I participated in the discussion and the times I became the moderator. There were different panellists in the different colleges I went for the GD & PI. They do guide obviously of what a candidate needs to do and also do observe the body language.

During my practice of GD & PI at T.I.M.E, there used to be different topics and the different ways they used to grill students to make sure we are good to go. The panellists I remember were the head of departments (HODs) and Assistant Professors of different departments. At times, in Tier-I colleges, the Director of the college was also a part of the panellist group.

GD can be easy to crack if one is well-read about the General Awareness topics as well as the previous years’ topics of the same college they're about to sit for. If you're not aware of the topic, listen to what others are saying and then make your point, but step in as early for not losing the chance. Be a leader, take the initiative to start first as most of the colleges/panellists look for this thing in the candidate.

About the Author:

Ujjwala Gaur is an MBA Marketing graduate from Institute of Management Technology, Hyderabad. She likes guiding people and wishes to have her own startup in the future. Her hobbies include basketball, writing and photography.