SNAP Syllabus 2025: Important Topics, Section Wise Weightage; Download Free PDF

SNAP is one of the few MBA entrance exams which is easy in terms of difficulty level. It is much easier The number of questions, as well as the exam duration are less that than other MBA entrance exams. The type of questions asked in SNAP as also pretty straightforward.

Moreover, SNAP exam is held thrice for candidates to repeat attempts, which allows candidates to improve their score if they want to. The SNAP syllabus is same as other MBA entrance exam and there are no questions on Reading Comprehension or Data Sufficiency. This makes the SNAP exam much easier to crack than other exams.

Since 2020, the exam is conducted for only 60 minutes and the total number of questions asked is also 60. The first section of SNAP question paper is General English, the second section is Analytical & Logical Reasoning and the third section is Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency.

Every candidate can make three attempts in SNAP exam. The SNAP exam is conducted in three sessions in a gap of one or two weeks. Candidates can mention their number of attempts in the SNAP application form. However, they will have to pay application fee per session. Thus, candidates who are sure of making multiple attempts only then they should apply for multiple sessions as the fee amount is non-refundable.  The scores of best attempt will be taken into consideration for shortlisting of candidates for Group Exercise, Personal Interview and Writing Ability Test.

Ideally candidates must take all three attempts as the difficulty level of the sessions could be different and it may so happen that one session is easy and candidates can score high in that.

No, SNAP exam is conducted in only one slot but on three days. In 2025, the exam will be conducted on three days and the candidates can attempt the exam in all three sessions. Separate admit card will be released for every SNAP session. Multiple sessions are conducted for SNAP to provide an opportunity to candidates to improve their scores. If the first session turns out to be difficult for a candidate, they can study more and take the second exam to improve the score. The best scores of all the sessions taken by the candidate is taken into consideration for SIU MBA admission, thus candidates need not worry about whether their second/third attempt will better than first or not.

The official SNAP question paper is not released by the exam authority anymore. It used to be released along with the answer key after the exam until 2019. Since 2020, when the exam format changed from single session to three sessions, the SNAP question paper, response sheet and answer key release was stopped. Now, after the SNAP exam, the authorities directly release the scorecards.

However, unofficial SNAP answer keys are released by coaching institutes and mentors for candidates to analyse their performance. The unofficial answer keys are released on the same day as exam session contain SNAP questions and their solved answers. These-memory based question paper and answer key help candidates in assessing their performance by seeing which of their attempts were correct and which were incorrect.

Freshers should start Quantitative Aptitude preparation with NCERT Mathematics books of Class 9 and 10 for getting fundamental understanding of the topics and concepts. Once they have grasped the concepts of Algebra, Trigonometry, Mensuration, Geometry and other topics of Arithmetic, then move on to books with advanced level of Quantitative Aptitude topics. Arun Sharma’s books on preparation for Quantitative Aptitude (also VARC and DILR books) are highly recommended as they are exhaustive and contain test papers of various difficulty levels. With the help of Arun Sharma books, you can understand the concepts and learn application to different type of Mathematical problems. In addition to that, you should refer to other Quant books and sample papers.

A good attempt of around 80 per cent of questions with 85-90 per cent accuracy is considered good score in SNAP. The SNAP exam has 60 questions only, so the number of attempts considered good are 40-45. Candidates must aim to solve a good number of questions in every section of SNAP, so that their overall score is good and they have a better chance of getting selected for admission. If you do not clear the SNAP cut off may not be eligible for admission to MBA programmers offered by SIU institutes. Meeting the minimum cut off is a mandatory requirement to be eligible for the Group Exercise (GE), Personal Interview (PI) and Writing Ability Test (WAT). Thus, when preparing for SNAP, keep in mind a target score. The SNAP cut offs are lower for Reserved category candidates.

Yes, SNAP is conducted in online mode. Candidates have appear for the exam in computer based test mode at a designated test centre which is allotted to them on the basis of city preferences mentioned by them in the SNAP application form.

To take the SNAP test, they have to log into the computer system using their application details or login credentials. They have to answer the questions using the computer mouse. They have to use the mouse to click on the option they think is correct. All the rough work is to be done on the paper provided in the test lab.

Three SNAP attempts are allowed to every candidate. They can attempt the exam once, twice or thrice. The best score of the three attempts will be taken into consideration for admission shortlist by SIU institutes.

One month is too less a time to prepare for not only SNAP but also any other exam. You need at least three months to prepare for the SNAP exam, but even for that you need to be familiar with the SNAP syllabus. If you’ve studied Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning and Verbal Ability for MBA entrance exams, then you can prepare decently for SNAP in such a short span of time. All you would need to do is, practice sample questions and mock tests. Practice of sample questions and SNAP mock tests will improve your skills to handle Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning and Verbal Ability questions with speed and accuracy. You will also need some time to revise all the chapters which you will do a few days before the exam. So, instead of starting to prepare for SNAP just a month before the exam, get on to it at least three months before.

For preparation of General English section of SNAP exam, candidates must study the following books:

• Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
• High School English Grammar & Composition by Wren & Martin
• Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT by Nishit K Sinha
• How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT by Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay

Apart from these books, candidates need to develop reading habit to improve comprehension, writing and vocabulary, which will be immensely helpful at the time of selection for Group Exercise, Writing Ability Test and Personal Interview. To improve English language, you should read books, novels, magazines, business research papers, newspapers. You should also watch English series, movies and TV programmes to learn new words and expressions.

As per the official SNAP exam pattern, there is no negative marking for skipping questions in SNAP. However, there is negative marking for wrong answers. So, candidates must not select wrong options. If they are not sure of the correct answer, they must rather leave the questions unanswered as for that they will be marked 0 and not in negative.

Until 2019, Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency section of SNAP exam used to have the maximum number of questions (40), but from SNAP 2020, the Analytical and Logical Reasoning section has maximum number of questions (25). Now, Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency section has only 20 questions. The main topics from which questions are asked in this section are, Family Tree/Blood Relations, Seating Arrangement, Clocks & Calendars, Critical Reasoning, Coding/Decoding, Direction Sense, Syllogisms, Visual Reasoning, Analogy & Series, Mathematical Reasoning, Meaningful Word/Matrix and Verbal & Miscellaneous Reasoning. To prepare for this section of SNAP, candidates must practice a lot of sample questions of all difficulty levels –easy, medium and tough. There are no formulae or concepts on Logical Reasoning so the preparation is majorly dependent on practice.

The official SNAP mock test is conducted online by SIU on its portal snaptest.org. Candidates who fill the SNAP application form are eligible to take the official mock test by booking a slot at the exam website. They need to submit the SNAP application form before a certain deadline to appear in the official SNAP mock test.  The official SNAP mock test is of one hour and remote proctored. Candidates can choose a slot to appear for it and take the test from home or any location of convenience. SNAP mock test is conducted twice. Once in October and once in November, so that candidates are familiar with the SNAP exam pattern and test navigation before they appear for the actual exam which is conducted in the month of December.

There is no definite number of mock test that the candidate should practice. It totally depends on the candidate’s ability and strength viz a viz the SNAP syllabus. Some candidates need less number of SNAP mock tests to reach the optimum level of preparation whereas some candidates need more number of SNAP mock tests to reach the optimum level.

At the same time, it is recommended that on an average, candidates should practice at least 25-30 SNAP mock tests to perform well in the exam. Candidates should also analyse each and every mock test performance to know their progress. With every consecutive mock test, they should be able to score higher than previous mock test. Every candidate must decide upon the number and quality of mock tests based on their preparation level. They neither should solve less mock tests nor over-do it.

SNAP mock test is an important part of exam preparation but they should know when to start practicing it. The candidates should start solving mock tests only after completing the SNAP syllabus. October-November is the ideal month to start solving mock tests for SNAP exam preparation as the exam is conducted in December. Those preparing for other entrance exams simultaneously, can practice SNAP mock test without completing the syllabus also as they would be already familiar with the topics, concepts, theorems, etc. Those who have attempted SNAP before, can start their preparation by attempting a SNAP mock test to see how much do they remember. Candidates should start solving the full length SNAP mock tests only when they are confident about every chapter and topic included in the SNAP syllabus.

You can prepare basic concepts of Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning and Verbal Ability topics included in the SNAP syllabus by studying from CAT books. The syllabus of both exams is same for these topics so you can refer to CAT books for studying the concepts, fomulae and theorems. CAT is also a tougher exam, so if you practice CAT questions for conceptual clarity, you will be automatically preparing for SNAP as well.  

However, for SNAP specific preparation, you must refer to books published exclusively for SNAP preparation as the type of questions in SNAP are different from CAT. Some of them are:

• Map the SNAP Symbiosis National Aptitude Test: 5 mock tests and sample papers by Arihant
• SNAP Guide by Ramesh Publication House
• Map the SNAP Test by Arihant

It is advised that candidates must not rely only on SNAP books but also practice previous years SNAP question papers and mock tests. For English, they must read various fiction and non-fiction books. SNAP authorities provide official mock tests a month before the exam and candidates must practice the SNAP mock tests at least once. Yes, SNAP preparation books recommended by the experts have sample questions with solved answers. All the books mentioned above have sample questions and their process to solve and answers so that candidates can understand and practice well. The questions range from easy to tough and are of various types which help candidates in preparation. However, you should nor rely on the sample questions of course books only. You should practice official as well as unofficial SNAP mock tests of different difficulty levels and types.

SNAP syllabus for Quantitative Aptitude includes topics of Data Interpretation as well. Candidates have to study Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Mensuration, Number System, Logarithm, Linear Equations & Quadratic Equations, Set Theory, Arithmetic, Progressions, Binomial Theorem, Surds and Indices, Inequalities, Permutation & Combination, Probability Functions, Mixtures & Alligations, Co-ordinate Geometry, Series, Graphs-Pie Chart, Bar Graphs and Tables as part of SNAP Quantitative Aptitude syllabus.

The SNAP Quantitative Aptitude section includes Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency. The total number of questions in this section is 20 and the section is dominated by Arithmetic. Since the past two years, no Data Sufficiency questions have been asked. So, candidates must focus more on Quantitative Aptitude while preparing for the SNAP exam. This section is all about accuracy so have complete clarity of concepts and theorems.

SNAP syllabus is similar to other MBA entrance exams, so candidates can prepare for it by referring to books for CAT and XAT, etc. But they must solve SNAP specific sample paper and mock tests to develop the skill to solve SNAP questions which are slightly different from other MBA entrance exams. Some of the books that are recommended for SNAP preparation have been listed below:

• Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Varun Gupta
• Quantitative Aptitude for All Competitive Examinations by Abhijit Guha
• Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R S Aggarwal
• SNAP Symbiosis MBA Admission Test by Priyanka Prakashan
• A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by R S Aggarwal
• Objective General English by R.S. Aggarwal, Vikas Aggarwal
• Competitive General English by Kiran Prakashan
• General English for Competitive Exams by Disha Experts
• High School English Grammar by Wren & Martin
• Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis     

The syllabus for Analytical and Logical Reasoning section of SNAP exam includes topics such as Family Tree/Blood Relations, Coding/Decoding, Analogy & Series, Seating Arrangement, Direction Sense, Mathematical Reasoning, Clocks & Calendars, Syllogisms, Meaningful Word/Matrix, Critical Reasoning, Visual Reasoning, Verbal & Miscellaneous Reasoning. The Analytical and Logical Reasoning section of SNAP carries maximum number of questions i.e. 25. Candidates have to choose the questions they can answer correctly, otherwise they will be given negative marks. So, SNAP aspirants must practice ample number of sample questions from these topics. The more they will practice, the better they will get at solving reasoning questions as it is all about knowing the patterns and unravelling the puzzles. Since, this section carries maximum marks, you cannot be ill prepared for it.

The SNAP General English syllabus is similar to that of other MBA entrance exams. It includes passages, Syllogisms, Analogies, Grammar, Antonym-Synonym, One Word Substitution, Similar Sounding Words, Parajumbles and Fill in the Blanks. This is the shortest section of SNAP having only 15 questions. Most of the questions are usually based on English grammar. For the past 2 years, no Reading Comprehension passage is seen in the exam. However, candidates still need to practice Reading Comprehension passages as it has not been completely scrapped. Preparation for the exam as per the SNAP syllabus requires not much time to prepare if your English is strong. But if it is not, then you must start studying English much earlier as developing hold on a language requires time.