WAT gains ground, GD loses luster in IIMs, top B schools' selection criteria

(prHWY.com) January 23, 2013 - Noida, India -- Many believe that the charm of qualifying a written MBA entrance exam gets subsidized by the success of clearing the final selection rounds comprising written ability test (WAT), group discussion (GD), personal interview (PI), extempore, etc.

Earlier, the only parameter to judge a student used to be his/her written examination scores. Now, B schools tend to have a proper understanding of various facets of aspirants' personality and behavior. So come WAT, GD and PI.
Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur, was the first major institute to have included WAT as an added criterion to examine its students apart from XAT scores. Since then, the field of management education has experienced many changes. The crucial one being the inclusion of WAT, GD, PI and other unique methods of testing a student during the short listing and final selection process.

WAT gaining popularity

WAT was first applied by XLRI and has been one of the important features of XAT. Following XLRI's footsteps, IIMs and other leading B schools have adopted this method for selecting students. So, it becomes imperative for every MBA aspirant to know more about essay writing.

An essay is used as a tool to judge the social and ethical values of an aspirant as the written piece provides a valuable insight into the mind of the test taker. B schools use the essay as a pre-interview yardstick. An essay can test you out on clarity, logic, focus, structure, argument and other factors.

"In the essay, the best thing is to structure it first with a few headings and then elaborate on them. Since the time given is around 20 minutes, it is best to be brief and clear," says Malobi Banerjee, an IIFT Delhi student, one of the toppers interviewed by MBAUniverse.com.

The best way to prepare for essay writing is to read a lot and practise according to time. Be aware of current affairs topics as much as possible. Develop your own opinion around it and express your views in the form of writing.
For the help of candidates, MBAUniverse.com has already published some model essays. The essays have been written by verbal ability experts. These articles will equip you with essay writing skills.

While writing an essay, you should be able to showcase your subject knowledge and clarity of thoughts. You should be able to balance your flow of ideas properly. If you start discussing a point, finish the discussion and then move on to the next point. Always give examples and facts. Make sure you write in correct grammar and spellings along with a neat handwriting.

GD losing its sheen

GD is very popular as a selection method in B schools. It has its own merits too. The panel of judges has the advantage to gauge a bunch of 7-8 students at a time.

GDs are conducted to test managerial attributes like interpersonal skills, leadership, analytical & rational thinking, knowledge and personality traits. It tests how you work in a team, your ability to put across your ideas and understanding the other person's point of views.

But the way GD is conducted and its overall result is the reason for its slow demise from the selection methods of IIMs and other leading B schools. Some of reasons of GD becoming less popular are:

1) GD rounds, if not conducted properly, often become like a fish market where students are just keen to prove their points rather than maintaining the decorum which is the main attribute of any GD round. Students who are shy or are unaware of the topic tend to lose everything. Students with high-pitched voice tend to rule the turf.

2) Incidences of personal biases and irregularity in awarding points to students in GD round are other reasons for its gradual decline.

3) In GD, you need to talk either for or against a given topic. To speak methodically, you must have through understanding of the subject. Sometimes, lack of quality students in the group results in a mayhem, as the discussion takes several turns and does not reach to a conclusion or at the worst ends on a wrong point.

However, GD still remains to be one of the key selection procedures for B schools who are ranked beyond 30. Normally, GD topics are selected from contemporary issues. So, reading national daily newspapers and news magazines and viewing news channels on TV help a lot.

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