How to prepare for GK section of CMAT, IIFT, and XAT

How to prepare for the GK section of CMAT, IIFT, and XAT - All the national level MBA entrance exams in India like CMAT, IIFT, XAT, etc, have questions from General Knowledge. Preparing for the GK section for CMAT, IIFT, and XAT can be difficult as this section is too vast and questions could be asked from anywhere.

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This Story also Contains

1. Weightage of GK in MBA Entrance Exam
2. GK Books for MBA Entrance Exam
3. Prepare with XAT GK Previous Year Question Papers
4. XLRI Admission 2025: How GK Plays Important Role?

Hence, it is very important to have the right kind of strategy as one prepares for the General Knowledge section for CMAT, IIFT, and XAT. Normally, the questions that are asked in the General Knowledge section are from a wide array such as current affairs, social issues, awards, global summits, national and international politics, awards, sports, entertainment, etc. It is equally important to prepare for the GK section as it covers 15-25 percent weightage of the exam. In this article by Careers360, candidates who are preparing for the MBA entrance tests will get to know how to prepare for the GK section of CMAT, IIFT, and XAT.

Top MBA Entrance Exams:

Weightage of GK in MBA Entrance Exam

The entrance exam to the International Institute of Foreign Trade, also CMAT and XAT asks at least 15-25 questions in the test.

Exam and number of questions

Quick Links:

• How to start XAT 2023 Preparation
• One Year Study Plan For XAT 2023

Key Areas for GK Preparation

Since the general knowledge section is very wide as huge as an ocean, candidates can strategise their planning by covering the following topics that are given below:

• Current Affairs & Social Issues

• Business & Economics - Fiscal and Monetary policy changes

• UNO - Wings, HQs, Agencies, Abbreviations

• International Current Affairs & Events

• Global Summits

• Countries - Capital, Prominent development, Currency

• Constitution of India and recent amendments

• Latest Who’s is who

• Awards, National, Honours, International days

• Questions related to Geography, History, General Science

• Company logo identification

• Books, Authors

GK Books for MBA Entrance Exam

For IIFT, CMAT, and XAT toppers suggested the following study material to prepare for the GK section in the MBA entrance exam.

• While preparing for the MBA entrance exam, candidates should read ‘The Economist’, ‘Business Standard’ and ‘Economic Times’.

• Apart from that candidates have to read Manorama Year Book which is recommended by the expert and the MBA entrance exam toppers.

Quick Links -

• IIFT 2023 Time Management Strategy
• Section-wise preparation strategy for IIFT

Here are some tips which would help the candidates to ace the General Knowledge section in the above-mentioned exams:

Division of Areas

Before starting preparation for GK, aspirants should divide the areas from which questions are asked in this section as it will help them a lot to categorize the different types of questions further. GK is broadly divided into two sections, that is, Static Gk and Current Affairs. The current affairs section includes questions based on Business & Economy, International Affairs, Government plans and schemes and their implementation, Awards, and Honours. The Static Gk Section mainly includes questions related to Countries and Capitals, currencies, Books & Authors, United Nations, Sports, and Company records.

In order to cover the section on national and international current affairs, candidates must make sure that they read national daily and listen to the news on Doordarshan as major policy-related decisions are announced on it. Moreover reading the newspaper on a regular basis will help the candidates get an idea about the new appointments that are made in different spheres.

Be well versed with current affairs on a daily basis

Candidates must practice some current affairs questions on a daily basis from different topics to get updated about what is happening all over the world. Making notes from the daily newspaper is one of the best ways to prepare for current affairs questions. Making such notes will not help the candidates memorize what they have learned but during the last-minute preparation, they will also get an opportunity to flip through the pages and revise.

Business & Economy questions for GK section of IIFT, CMAT, and XAT

Business & Economy related questions cover a major part of the GK section in exams like IIFT, CMAT, and XAT. The questions mainly revolve around the economic policies, changes in Corporate and industry, latest business news like, who’s who, Business awards & honors, logos of companies and their performance, etc. Candidates can prepare for this section with the help of business magazines, reading newspapers, etc and scanning through relevant business sites, etc.

International Affairs for IIFT

Some of the questions in the GK section of CMAT, IIFT, and XAT are asked from prominent international events that have taken place. While preparing for international events, candidates could study from prominent international news sites which provide correct and authentic news as well as intensive information. Therefore, it is important for the candidates to regularly go through these websites, see if any new international treaty is signed, who were the signatories to it so on and so forth.

Take Mock Tests and Online Quiz for GK

To prepare the GK section of CMAT, IIFT, and XAT candidates should practice mock tests based on the General Knowledge section of the paper, on a regular basis. This will help them to analyze how well they have prepared for the entrance test and how much more effort they will be required to put in. On a periodical basis, candidates must take quiz as this will also help them to improve their general knowledge.

Create multiple questions from a single questions

While making notes or attempting questions throughout the preparation for the GK section, candidates should not only answer one question if asked from a particular topic, instead should create as many extra questions as they can from that particular question so that more knowledge could be gained on a particular topic. For example - suppose a question is asked related to the topic of international affairs and the answer is in the form of the name of the country. Here, candidates should not only answer which country is the correct option but also should pay attention to other information relevant to that country such as capital, currency, current leader, etc., of the country as well.

Quick revision at the end of the day

We know that to retain a particular thing in memory for a long time, it is essential to revise again and again. Hence, therefore it is needless to say that whatever notes one makes on a daily basis, one must revise their notes before going to bed every day. It will definitely help them to have the answer to all the questions at their fingertips.

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Prepare with XAT GK Previous Year Question Papers

Using XAT General Knowledge (GK) previous year question papers is a smart way to prepare for the exam. These papers give you a clear idea of the types of questions asked and the topics covered. Here’s how you can make the most of them:

1. Understand the Pattern: By reviewing past papers, you get familiar with the exam pattern, the kinds of questions asked, and the distribution of topics.

2. Identify Important Topics: You can identify which topics are frequently covered in the GK section, helping you focus your study efforts on the most important areas.

3. Improve Time Management: Practicing with previous year papers helps you improve your time management skills, allowing you to answer more questions in the actual exam.

4. Evaluate Your Preparation: Solving these papers gives you a benchmark to evaluate your preparation level. You can identify your strengths and areas that need improvement.

5. Boost Confidence: Regular practice with past papers can boost your confidence as you become more comfortable with the exam format and question types.

Let us discuss a few previous year’s XAT questions.

1. Which city hosted the recently concluded Asian Games 2022 (which happened in 2023)? Options :

1. Incheon

2. Hangzhou

3. Jakarta

4. Guangzhou

5. Busan

2. Which of the following countries has NOT been invited to join the BRICS in the BRICS’ expansion plan for 2024? Options :

1. Egypt

2. Ethiopia

3. Saudi Arabia

4. Iran

5. Pakistan

3. Why has Dr. Akshata Krishnamurthy been in the news recently? Options :

1. She is the first Indian citizen to command a rover mission on Mars.

2. She is the first Indian citizen to lead the Big Bang Observatory.

3. She is the first Indian citizen appointed to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory.

4. She is the first Indian citizen to be heading the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

5. She is the first Indian citizen to make a major breakthrough in the genome sequencing of Jamun

The candidates are advised to download and study the previous year’s XAT question paper

XLRI Admission 2025: How GK Plays Important Role?

In the XLRI Admission 2025 process, General Knowledge (GK) plays a crucial role as it helps assess a candidate's awareness of current events and general awareness, which are essential for future business leaders. A strong performance in the GK section demonstrates a well-rounded personality and the ability to stay informed about the world, which is vital in the dynamic business environment. Additionally, good GK knowledge can give candidates an edge in personal interviews and group discussions, where a broad understanding of various topics can enhance their arguments and viewpoints, making them stand out in the competitive selection process.