13 must do things to crack GD-PI-WAT round of Top MBA Colleges
Common Admission Test 2025 ( CAT )
Group discussion (GD), Personal Interview (PI) and Written Ability Test (WAT) are an integral part of the MBA/PGDM admission process. It is crucial to how to communicate and express yourself in front of a group or a panel of experts in a GD or an interview.
Over the last few years, most of the top B-schools have started to conduct Essay Writing instead of Group Discussion. In the Writing Ability Test or Essay Writing too one has to be communicate their thoughts and opinions in a clear and concise manner. Many other top MBA colleges still conduct the GD round, which is an effective method of assessing a candidate's ability to hold a conversation and convince a group of people. So, to pursue MBA from a Tier 1 or Tier 2 college, one should not only focus on the entrance exam preparation but all WAT-GD/PI preparation.
Admission process of IIMs and top MBA colleges begin from January onwards. So candidates must start preparing for WAT/GD and PI as soon as CAT exam is conducted. Shiksha brings to you 13 must-do things to crack GD-PI-WAT rounds of top MBA colleges in India.
- 13 Must-Do Things to Crack GD-PI-WAT
- MBA Group Discussion
- Written Ability Test
13 Must-Do Things to Crack GD-PI-WAT
MBA Personal Interview (PI)
1. It is okay to say ‘I don't know' in an MBA interview, instead of answering a question without any knowledge about the topic (read bluffing). Be humble and state that you don't have much knowledge of the topic.
2. Here’s the classic opening question in a PI – ‘Tell me something about yourself’. Answer to this question usually leads to the next question. Typically, one should talk very briefly about family, education, career goals, hobbies, and interests. Do not talk a lot about the past. Briefly refer to education, life journey, and future plans.
3. Another common question is, ‘Why do you want to do an MBA?’ Answer such questions keeping in mind the holistic development you’ll get during MBA and acquisition of skills for life long success in personal and domestic space. Remember, post an MBA, one lands a job in corporate organisation where there are opportunities of rapid career growth along with high monetary returns. But at the same time, management as a career, is also a challenging profession.
4. One more common interview question is – ‘Where do you see yourself five years from now?’ While answering this, focus on skills development, increased responsibility while highlighting your goals as achievements. But do not say I want to become VP or General Manager or something similar.
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MBA Group Discussion
5. For preparation of GD topics read extensively so that you don't fall short of knowledge on current affairs. You must have complete information on political, economic, social and Science & Tech issues of the recent times. Read current affairs and business magazines. Watch documentaries on important events and occurrences in India and abroad.
6. Enter the group discussion at the right point i.e. when others are taking a small pause or have completed their point which you can counter or elaborate upon. Be loud and assertive but be polite in explaining your points.
7. It is not necessary to arrive at a consensus during a GD. Candidates can have different opinions but what is important is concluding the discussion with convincing points put forth in a civil manner.
8. Do not try to prove others wrong in a GD. Just remember it is not a debate but a group discussion and everyone has the right to their opinion.
9. While participating in a GD, focus on the following:
- Content
- Team approach
- Leadership skills
- Communication skills
- Analytical & logical reasoning
10. Ensure participation by showing maturity and putting up relevant points. Build your arguments with facts, figures and situations. Keep a logical approach throughout the GD. It becomes easy to build on other's arguments and conclude.
Also Read: 200+ Trending GD Topics for MBA
Written Ability Test
11. WAT topics can be as abstract as ‘describe the colour blue and pink’ or more substantiative like 'hard work or smart work' to something more focused on current trends. So keep reading the news, latest social trends and articles on India’s growth stories. Read philosophical books and articles. Do not forget to read editorial sections of newspapers daily.
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12. This essay writing round tests the candidate’s written ability, knowledge of the topic, understanding of the topic and clarity of thoughts. So, practice writing short essays with a proper- beginning, middle and end. Practice how to put your thoughts in a words in logical and lucid manner.
13. While preparing for the WAT or the essay round, refer to available textbooks and guides. But the daily practice is the key here.
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It is difficult but not impossible. If you give yourself a good enough time to improve English comprehension, grammar and vocabulary, you will be able to do it. Yes, a non- English medium student will require longer time for CAT preparation as they will have to start reading and improving English comprehension. So, may be they need to start English preparation for CAT in the second year of graduation, instead of final year (much earlier than English medium students). They may also need two attempts to crack CAT with high percentile. But that's not true for all. If you work hard and study smartly, you will be able to crack it.
CAT syllabus is vast. It has numerous topics from Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation. Covering the CAT syllabus also includes practicing a variety of sample questions on the topics included. Thus, it requires a lot of time. Candidates must given themselves atleast 3-4 months to cover CAT syllabus and keep in mind the following:
· Check the previous years' CAT papers to know topics which carry more weightage so that you can focus on those topics more.
· List down topicsin order of easy, moderate and tough and allot time to them accordingly.
· Make sure to study about 6-8 hours per day to complete the syllabus 2-3 months before the exam.
· After studying every topic, practice sample questions. Balance theory with practical.
To prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, stick to the traditional path of concepts first and practice later. Study English grammar and Verbal Ability first to understand the concept. Then practice a number of sample questions of different kinds to gain confidence, speed and accuracy. For RC passages, develop the habit of reading from early stages. Read books from all walks of life.
Practicing sample Reading Comprehension passages and questions in a crucial part of VARC preparation. This will help you understand the types of questions and RC passages asked in various entrance exams.
As an aspirant, you will be appearing for more than one entrance exam, thus you need to have the practice of different types of RC passages.
CAT Quantitative Aptitude has the potential of 100 percentile if you prepare well. The Quantitative Aptitude topics of CAT are advance level Mathematic topics from Class 9 and 10. So, for any candidate, the foundation is already there, they only need to work on it further.
The important topics of CAT Quantitative Aptitude include Geometry, Ratios and Proportion, Inequalities, Trigonometry, In-equations, Quadratic and Linear Equations, Work and Time, Algebra, Surds and Indices, Percentages, Mensuration, Time-Speed-Distance, Logarithms, Partnership (Accounts), Number System, Square Root and Cube Root, Profit & Loss, Geometric Progression, Probability, Mean-Mode-Median, Binomial theorem, Simple interest and compound interest.
Maximum questions are asked from Arithmetic and Geometry so keep the main focus on these two topic. Understand and memorise the formulas and theorems well, and practice enough questions to be thorough with their application.
The best way to prepare for DILR section is through practice. Before starting the preparation, aspirants should check previous years’ question papers. Since there is not much conceptual understanding required in this section, practice is important.
Some of the most popular books on DILR section that you can refer are How to Prepare for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit Sinha, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Pearson, to name a few.
Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
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