WAT and PI tips from IIM Udaipur student
Group Discussion (GD) rounds in the IIMs' admission process has been replaced with Written Ability Test (WAT). Thus, anyone wishing to take admission to any of the IIMs has to clear WAT followed by the Personal Interview (PI) round.
GD/PI/WAT rounds are stressful for lots of aspirants. But if you keep a few simple tips in your mind, you could easily crack these. The most important thing you have to do is stay cool and confident. Real life student experiences help in mapping out the real situations that you might face during WAT/PI.
Shiksha.com asked IIM Udaipur student Subhraprakash Mondal to share few tips that he followed in his WAT and PI rounds. Ask anything about IIM Udaipur here.
Written Ability Test Round:
1. You should read the newspaper on a daily basis to stay updated. If you are very good in written English then you should exhibit your potential in WAT.
2. Those who are a little nervous about writing in English, should try writing paragraphs with short sentences and in a lucid structure.
3. If you try a short write up containing up to 300 words at least thrice a week, then you will be more confident and familiar with this process.
4. You can start your essay with a quotation. Then you must analyze the matter or situation. If the topic is related to some issue or problem, then try to write the exact problem with some possible solution. Explain all the options in brief.
5. Finally, you must draw a conclusion and give some recommendations.
Personal Interview round:
1. Most of the time there are a few common questions like: tell us about yourself, why MBA, your short term and long-term goals etc. Do not panic while answering.
2. Always remember, the jury is not mapping your answers but they are mapping your personality, attitude and approach of giving an answer. Stay cool during an interview. You know the answers. The one thing you need to do is answer the questions patiently and honestly. Do not lie while answering.
4. If you don’t know the answers then do not be afraid because the panel members know that no one in the world knows all the answers. So, be confident, focused and try to give crisp answers.
5. You can talk for a long time but you should take care about your content then, as it should not be boring.
6. You must be aware of your strong and weak points with reasoning. Also, figure out your highest three or four achievements in life and why these are the highest for you.
8. Fresher candidates should have very clear knowledge with their projects and trainings. While experienced aspirants should be aware about their company's performance and their roles and responsibilities.
10. Basic knowledge on current economic, political and social happenings may be required for PI. So, collect data on recent GDP, growth rate and some other macroeconomic factors, new public policy if any etc.
Subhraprakash Mondal is currently a first year MBA student at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Udaipur. Subhraprakash is a Campus Representative at Shiksha.com Campus Connect. You can connect to Subhraprakash here and ask him about the institute.
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