Congratulations to those who have received a call from a B-school
In the second round, top B-school evaluates any candidate on basis of GD and/or WAT and PI.
The first thing that a candidate should focus on is building the content on areas such as politics, economics, any specialisation they want to pursue and the major events that took place over last two years. This will act as catalyst for Group Discussion (GD) and Written Ability Test (WAT).
WAT tests not only the quality of your content, but also the writing style. To build on these two, one must read newspapers and magazines, and cover a wide variety of topics ranging across the domestic and the international circuit.
It is important to get into the habit of building opinions rather than merely collecting facts.
Practice and evaluation is the only key to cracking WAT. The following points need to be kept in mind while writing WAT.
- Understand and analyze the topic
- Never take a rigid stand – Give analysis on both side of the topic and then at the end show your inclination toward one side
- Follow a proper structure
- Make it Short and Simple without any flowery language
A student when prepared for WAT is automatically prepared for GD. The only thing that one needs to keep in mind is the way you put across your point and the way you communicate.
Before starting to prepare for PI, one should write a biographic sketch. This will help students to analyze themselves and will help them to answer personal questions in a much better way. One should prepare for basic questions like “Introduce yourself”, “Why do you want to do MBA?”, “Why a particular specialisation?”, “Short-term and Long-term goal” and other personal questions. The confidence shown and the content covered while answering such questions will drive the course of the interview.
Shortlist the B-Schools before they shortlist you!
Study the placements records, ROI, alumni network and specialisation that the B-school provides.
For example, FMS is considered as best B-school when it comes to ROI. If one wants to specialise in HR then XLRI and TISS are considered to be India’s best B-school. Similarly, branding and communication goes with MICA. In today’s world where B-schools are charging sky-rocketing fees it essential to understand ROI. If the fees is Rs. 12,00,000 excluding boarding and lodging charges and average placement is Rs. 6,00,000 then ROI will be worst as compared to if the fees Rs. 6,00,000 and average placement is Rs. 4,50,000. Don’t run after better average salary. Look for better ROI and for better placements in terms of profile. Also the most important thing would be to do an MBA from the college where your interest lies and not from the college which gives you a good average salary.
What if your CAT score is not enough to get in your dream B-school?
Don’t be disheartened. It’s part and parcel of life. Many students wait for a year before get in their dream B-school. Usually, students do their MBA from whichever college they get in. Some of them never do their MBA. It’s always better to have an MBA degree on your resume instead of not having one. So, even if your CAT scores are not good this year wait for a year to get in a good B-school, provided you have time to wait for a year!! If not then there are many exams which are yet to come such as CMAT, CET, ATMA and MAT. Appear for these exams and do your MBA this year itself.
If you are planning to wait for a year then make sure that you have a relevant work experience to go in with a bang next year. Also try to make your resume versatile, may be by working with an NGO, doing some diploma course relevant to the specialisation that you want to pursue.
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