BIMTECH PGDM Admissions 2025
AACSB Accredited | Highest CTC: 24.43 LPA | Application Deadline: 31st December 2024
How to prepare for GD-PI & WAT rounds of top B-Schools? - Getting admission in B-Schools is quite a task these days due to the complexity of the admission process. Gone are those days when getting admission to top B-Schools was just a cakewalk one reason for this is the increased competition. Major top B-Schools be it IIMs, XLRI, IIFT or other B-Schools take admission through an entrance exam, post which the further selection rounds are held for shortlisted candidates. The admission process of top B-Schools includes GD-PI & WAT rounds. Clearing the B-Schools entrance exams can be achieved with hard work and dedication. But the challenge that candidates face is when they have to take part in the GD-PI & WAT rounds on qualifying the written entrance exam.
The very first question that comes to a candidates mind when he/ she is wanting to take admission to top B-School is - How to prepare for GD-PI & WAT rounds of top B-Schools? Overall selection of candidates is based on the composite score of entrance exams, GD-PI & WAT rounds, candidate’s profile, work experience, and much more. In this article of How to prepare for GD-PI & WAT rounds of Top B-Schools? Careers360 will help you know what WAT, GD-PI is? Common yet major preparation tips for selection rounds of IIMs and other top B-School.
Communication Skills
Writing Ability
Attitude & Aptitude Level
Interaction skills
Decisiveness
Also Check;
Before moving straight onto the preparation tips, let us first look at what exactly the GD-PI & WAT rounds are and why they are conducted by top B-Schools to provide admissions to candidates.
WAT round is very much like the essay writing part, in which candidates are given a topic to write.
The round is conducted in offline mode i.e. pen paper-based and candidates are allotted a time duration of 15-30 minutes depending upon the institute they are applying for.
Out of the 20 IIMs, most of them have replaced GD round with WAT round as it is a great assessment process to judge candidates.
The word limit of 200 to 400 words is given to candidates.
Within this word and time limit, candidates are required to formulate ideas, jot down the points and provide a structure to reach a conclusion.
Quick links -
In the GD round a group of 8-10 candidates is formed and given a topic to discuss.
The round can be conducted in both online and offline modes and the time duration is usually 20-30 minutes.
Group members are called group participants while the person conducting the GD round is called GTO (group testing officer) or if more than one person is conducting then GTO panel/panelists.
Candidates are given time to think in advance after the topic is disclosed and then participants discuss the same to reach an effective conclusion.
Personal or face to face interaction of selected candidate with the judges/interviewers is called the personal interview.
Candidates are judged on the basis of their interpersonal communication skills, responsiveness, confidence.
It is better to be well prepared as your overall impression will be impact full in a face to face round.
Top MBA Entrance Exams
Gain Subject Knowledge
Make Notes on Ongoing Trends
Time Management
Gain Subject Knowledge - Do not go unprepared for a WAT round. Gaining knowledge on major managerial subjects is one of the major preparation tips for written ability tests. Update yourself with current trends. Read national as well as international magazines/journals.
Make Notes on Ongoing Trends - One of the preparation tips for a written ability test is to make a bullet board and paste ongoing events on it. If it is not possible to have a bullet board, then buy some colourful sticky notes or flashcards and stick them in a visible place. Note all important information on them and get to read it every time your eyes attract the colour.
Time Management - As time is precious in all domains of life. Hence, while appearing for the WAT round, candidates must keep the value of time and try to submit their complete work within the stipulated time as per specifications of the B-Schools.
Note - Expert Ramnath Kanakadandi advises candidates to go for a CODER approach i.e.
Hence, collect the knowledge about the subject, organize and develop the important sticky/flash notes, express the same within the specified time limit and review them before submission.
Quick Links -
Read More
Avoid Jargon/Slangs
Practice in Front of Mirror
Don’t Deviate From Your Point
Read More - To prepare for group discussion rounds it is advisable to candidates to read as much as possible about the latest topics. A group discussion topics can be divided into Abstract Topics, Current Affairs Topics, Business & Economy Topics as well as Social Issues Topics. Go through some of the topics and try to add something extraordinary.
Avoid Jargon/Slangs - Do not try to showcase your vocabulary skills in a group discussion round as it may leave a reverse impact on your results. Be clear and specific to what you have to say. Avoid technical jargon and common slangs while in a formal group discussion round. It may happen that Jargon/Slangs may not be known to other group participants or group testing officers
Practice in Front of the Mirror - If you feel you are low in confidence at the time of speaking openly, then practice speaking in front of the mirror. Think about what you have to say, and then be clear with your words. See your facial expressions, body gestures while you speak this way you will learn how to speak and express yourself in front of others
Don’t Deviate From Your Point - Be specific with your points. For example, if you are with the pros of any topic stick to the same and do not deviate from your wordings on hearing others as per the preparation tips for group discussion. Do not be diplomatic until you are concluding the group discussion topic
Quick Links -
Showcase Confidence
Improve Listening
Have a Presence of Mind
Have a Formal Dress Code
Showcase Confidence - Being confident enhances your personality. Looking confident and feeling confident should be one of the preparation tips for the personal interview. Remember that being nervous is easy and natural, thinking the same will make you look pathetic and may reduce your chances of success in a personal interview
Improve Listening - Understand the difference between hearing and listening. Do not hear the interviewer, try to listen to what he says or asks you. By listening carefully you will be able to answer accurately and up to his/her/their expectations
Have a Presence of Mind - One of the Preparation Tips for Personal Interview apart from listening is to be present. Do not make the interviewers wait for your answer else it may leave them guessing and doubting your preparation
Have Formal Dress Code - Remember you are going to appear for a personal interview for admission in one of the top B-Schools. Hence, select a proper and formal dress code. Male candidates can go for a formal light shade full-sleeve shirt with pants. Footwear could be Oxford, Derby, Brogue, etc., While female candidates can wear a half sleeve shirt along with trousers/knee-length skirt with heels/Ballerinas. Be formal and remember that appearance also matters in a personal interview.
Top Colleges in India offering MBA
Hi,
Based on the previous year analysis, According to your CAT 2024 percentile some of the best colleges offering MBA and PGDM course in Telangana in which you have chances to get a seat are the following
For more information about the colleges in which you have chances to get a seat you can predict using MBA college predictor tool provided below
https://bschool.careers360.com/cat-college-predictor
Hope this information will help you
Hi,
Based on the previous year analysis, According to your CAT 2024 percentile. The IIM from which you can get a call are:
Some of the other colleges in which you have good chances to get a seat are given the following
You can predict more colleges in which you have chance to get a seat with your CAT percentile using the CAT college predictor tool mentioned below
https://bschool.careers360.com/cat-college-predictor
Hope this information will help you
Hello
With a 91.6 percentile in CAT , you can aim for some of the top B-Schools apart from the older IIMs .
Here's a list of colleges where you might stand a chance:
Tier 1 Colleges
1. New IIMs:
IIM Trichy , IIM Udaipur , IIM Raipur , IIM Ranchi , IIM Kashipur , IIM Shillong etc.
2. IMT Ghaziabad
3. IMI Delhi
4. XIM Bhubaneswar (XIMB)
Tier 2 Colleges
1. TAPMI, Manipal
2. K J Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai
3. FORE School of Management, Delhi
4. GIM Goa
5. Great Lakes Institute of Management , Chennai/Gurgaon
link for more information
https://bschool.careers360.com/cat-college-predictor
ALL THE BEST
A score of 64 marks in CAT would likely fall around the 85th percentile depending on the difficulty of the exam and the overall performance of candidates in this year.
So,it is highly unlikely that you will receive a call from any of the IIMs as the required percentile for an IIM call is typically much higher, usually ranging from 90% and above, especially for top IIMs like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta.
If you are looking for MBA programs, consider exploring other B-schools that may have lower cut-offs for admission.
Here are some B-schools that may have lower cutoffs for admission:
SOIL Institute of Management: Has a CAT cut-off of 75 percentile
T. A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), Manipal: Has an expected CAT cut-off of 85+
Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM): Has an expected CAT cut-off of 85+
MICA: Has an expected CAT cut-off of 85+
S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai: Has a CAT cut-off of 85 percentile
Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management (SJMSOM), Mumbai: Has a CAT cut-off of 97.5 percentile
Others are IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee, JBIMS, XIMB, and GIM.
Now coming to your academic background which often calculated as a weighted average based on the importance of each component different b school has different criteria for it.
You can use predictor tool for prediction of most accurate information of col
leges
To get admission into the NAARM MBA program , which is officially called a PGDM-ABM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management - Agri Business Management), candidates need to apply online, take the CAT or CMAT entrance exam, followed by a shortlisting based on their scores, and then appear for a Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI) on campus; the final selection is based on a combination of their entrance exam score, performance in GD/PI, and academic record, with a strong emphasis on agricultural business related skills and experience.
Reservation criteria is same here as other MBA colleges set by government of india i.e
Scheduled Caste (SC): 15% of seats
Scheduled Tribe (ST): 7.5% of seats
Economically Weaker Section (EWS): 10% of seats
Other Backward Classes (NC-OBC): 27% of seats for candidates belonging to the “non-creamy” layer
The CAT cutoff percentiles for the 2024-26 PGDM-ABM batch at the ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research and Management (NAARM) are as follows:
General: 75.14
EWS: 38.00
NC-OBC: 44.16
SC: 72.980
for a NAARM MBA PREPARATION interview (specifically their PGDM Agri-Business Management program), focus on thoroughly researching NAARM's curriculum, emphasizing your agricultural background and business acumen, practicing answers to common MBA interview questions, and showcasing your passion for the agri-business sector, while also being ready to discuss your career goals aligned with NAARM's focus on rural development and sustainable agriculture practices.be genuine with your answers.
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