GD-PI and WAT Preparation for Top B-School Admission
GD-PI & WAT Preparation: Management aspirants need to cross a few hurdles in order to take admission in their dream B-school to pursue the management programmes. This is the high time for MBA aspirants after clearing Common Admission Test (CAT) and other MBA Entrance exams to prepare for the Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds for admission into top Business Schools.
Group Discussion (GD), Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) are the next and essential rounds after the entrance exam for Master of Business Administration (MBA) admission.
Before appearing for WAT and PI rounds it is crucial to understand how to tackle these rounds. What to say, what not to say and how to say during GD and PI round? Apart from GD and PI One should know how & what to write 250-300 words within few minutes for the Written Ability Test (WAT) round.
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Some of the B-Schools have replaced the Group Discussion (GD) with WAT and PI rounds as a screening method to test the written and spoken communication abilities of the candidates. But, still, some B-School prefers GD-PI rounds for Management programmes admission. Most of the Indian Business schools will conduct their next selection rounds in March-April, so here AfterGraduation brings to you must-do things to crack WAT, GD and PI rounds of top B-Schools.
GD-PI and WAT Preparation Tips
How to Prepare for Group Discussion (GD)
- Enough content in your mind – For this read the newspaper on a regular basis before the commencement of Group Discussion (GD) round. Try to develop a balanced view on topics by frequent interactions with friends, family, and teachers.
- Indulge yourself at the right point of time in Group Discussion. You should be loud and assertive on points.
- Understand the Difference between Debate and Group Discussion – Do not try to prove others wrong in a GD. Everybody has their own and different opinion.
- Be Logical – Ensure participation by showing maturity and putting up relevant logical points throughout the Group Discussion (GD). While arguing, your statement should have facts, situations, and figures.
- While participating in a Group Discussion (GD), focus on – Team approach, Content, Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Analytical & logical reasoning.
How to Prepare for Written Ability Test (WAT)
WAT essentially checks the candidate’s articulation, language, clarity of thought, quality of expression and awareness of current affairs. Candidates are usually given a topic and asked to write an essay of 250-400 words. The time limit varies from institute to institute, IIM Bangalore gives 30 minutes while IIM Ahmedabad provides only 10 minutes for the writing.
The best way for the Written Ability Test preparation is by being updated with the current affairs. Make notes and develop critical analysis.
- Topics asked in WAT round can be abstract. While preparing for it one should focus on current trends.
- Through Written Ability Test (WAT) the selection committee will check the candidate’s content skills. So, while writing, be careful what and how you write.
- Read magazines such as Outlook, Frontline, and The week regularly.
- Apart from that, read the editorial sections of Economics Times or Business Standards on a daily basis.
- Your written essay should be in the proper format, with an introduction, main argument, and a conclusion. Here again, writing flow, clarity of thought, ability to illustrate points with examples are much valued.
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How to Prepare for Personal Interview (PI)
In the Personal Interview (PI) round, basically examiner tests the Management aspirant’s maturity level, the ability to think and express. Most of the questions raised for the candidates are related to personal background, academic topics, aim, and aspirations.
The questions may also relate to work (job) profile for candidates who have work experience. Since the PI round come towards the last of the admission process and maybe the decider, applicant should be well prepared for it.
- The first question of any Personal Interview (PI) round is “Tell me something about yourself”. This crucial question can make or break the interview. While answering this question, one should talk briefly about past education, family, career goals (future plans), hobbies, and interests. Briefly describe your life journey.
- If candidates get stuck on a question, instead of answering a question wrongly just say “I don’t know”, be humble and state that you are unaware of the facts.
- “Why do you want to do an MBA” another common question, one should answer it to keep a few things in mind such as for the acquisition of skills for lifelong success in domestic and personal space. Apart from that, they can include career growth factors as well or they can say management as a career is one of the most challenging professions and everybody likes challenges when it comes to growth.
- While answering for “Where do you see yourself five years down the line”, one should highlight their career goals as achievements, talk about increased responsibility and skill development. Don’t say I want to become a General Manager or VP etc.
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All the Best for the MBA Admission Process. Please post your queries or inputs regarding ‘Guidance for GD-PI & WAT Preparation, Admission Procedure for B-School’, on our Aftergraduation Forum or in the below comment box.
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