Anuj is an employee at one of the best IT companies in India. However, he wanted to transition from an engineer’s job to a management job. So, he decided to take up MBA. He spoke to Mahesh, one of his friends, about this. Mahesh’s brother is preparing for MBA entrance exams. Their conversation was as follows:
Anuj: I quit my job a week ago to devote my attention to preparing for entrance exams.
Mahesh: That’s a good decision. It would have been difficult to work and then study.
Anuj: I might have ended in the situation of a jack of all trades, master of none.
Mahesh: So now, for what all exams do you intend to appear?
Anuj: CAT, I guess.
Mahesh: Why just CAT? My brother is appearing for other exams as well.
Anuj: What other exams?
Mahesh: Well, he said, IIFT, SNAP, XAT, CMAT and few others.
Anuj: Oh, I have heard of them. But I don’t know how to prepare for them. Are they any different from CAT?
Most top B-schools in India have their individual testing criterion, while many colleges accept admission based on various standardised tests. But if you are planning to get into one of the top Management Schools then you have to prepare for multiple MBA entrance exams. Though Anuj’s situation may not be the situation for many candidates, but the question remains the same. How to prepare separately yet simultaneously for different MBA entrance exams? We have compiled comprehensive information and tips for various exams in this article. You can use this article as a guide while preparing for exams.
CAT 2016
Common admission test (CAT) is a test conducted by the IIMs each year. Cracking the CAT can get you admission into IIMs and many other top B-schools.
Praqtical Fact file: CAT 2016 exam structure
| Section | Number of Questions |
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 34 |
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DI & LR) | 32 |
| Quantitative Ability | 34 |
This year, CAT exam pattern has included non-MCQ questions. This means that the candidates must work strenuously to understand the basic concepts. Since the section duration is 1 hour, students must maintain speed and accuracy. Preparing per section and taking the mock test for CAT could be the best way to prepare for the exam.
Practical Fact file: CAT 2016 exam pattern
| Aspects | Details |
| Duration of the Test | 3 hours |
| Total Number of Sections | 3 |
| Sectional Duration | 1 hour |
| Total Number of Questions | 100 |
XAT 2016
XAT is Xavier Aptitude test is conducted by Xavier Association of Management Institutes. This test score is accepted by many B-school across India. Here, along with the standard sections of Quant and DI, VA and LR, you have to focus on the preparation for sections such as Decision Making, Essay Writing, and General Awareness.
Praqtical Fact file: XAT exam structure
| Section | No. of question | Duration |
| Decision making | 25 | 140 min |
| Verbal and logic ability | 30 | |
| Quantitative ability and data interpretation | 36 | |
| Essay and general awareness | 35 min |
The Decision Making section tests your interpretation skills and logic. These kinds of questions require a logical approach and a clear understanding of the situation. The Decision Making section is a combination of RC and LR, so, proper practice of these two sections might help as well. Solving previous years’ papers can also help.
In the essay writing section, the topics are usually abstract in nature, and you must relate it to a subject of relevance. Reading skills are the best way to prepare for Essay Writing. The more you read, the more you would know the current issues and relate it to your topic. Exercise writing an essay of 200-300 words each day to be familiar with the habit of writing using a pen and paper.
IIFT 2017
IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade) offer numerous programs, especially in International Trade & Business. The exam is held in an offline format. The duration of exam will be 2 hours, but the number of sections may vary. Last year, three sections were incorporated.
- English comprehension
- General knowledge and awareness
- Logical reasoning and quantitative analysis
IIFT is an examination which allocates differential marks per question to each section. There is a penalty of 1/3rd marks for each wrong answer. This year, the experts are expecting that three sections will be included in IIFT MBA 2017. The English section requires applicants to have good knowledge of the language. The questions may include RC, verbal reasoning, para-jumbles, vocabulary based question, etc. Thus, the thorough practice of the language and different type of questions is necessary.
For the GK and awareness section, an applicant must be abreast with current affairs and static GK. Reading the newspaper regularly along with specialised magazines and blogs can help. The questions can be broadly based on international trade, sports, economy, politics, etc. The QA and logical reasoning section is similar to that of CAT. However, the length and level of difficulty of questions might vary. Conceptual clarity and practice of previous years’ papers might come in handy.
Praqtical fact file: Last year’s IIFT exam pattern
| Section | No. of Questions | Marking Scheme |
| Data Interpretation | 19 | 1 |
| RC | 16 | 0.75 |
| Quantitative Ability | 25 | 1 |
| Logical Reasoning | 20 | 0.75 |
| General awareness | 28 | 0.5 |
| Verbal Ability | 20 | 0.75 |
SNAP 2016
Symbiosis National Aptitude Test is a national-level test organised by Symbiosis International University. It is 2.5-hour paper-pen based exam.
Praqtise fact file: SNAP 2016 exam pattern
| Name of Sections | No. of questions | Total Marks |
| General English: Reading Comprehension, Verbal Reasoning, Verbal Ability | 40 | 40 |
| Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency | 40 | 40 |
| Current Affairs (of last two years) | 30 | 30 |
| Analytical & Logical Reasoning | 40 | 40 |
| Total | 150 | 150 |
In SNAP, the candidate gets +1 and -0.25 of the marks for each correct and incorrect answer respectively. The candidates can refer to the previous years’ papers, model papers, practice papers, etc. for getting comfortable with the exam pattern of SNAP. The English section of the paper is like CAT. However, the level of difficulty might vary. Along with this, the candidates must also practice their verbal reasoning and ability skills.
In the Quant, DI, and data sufficiency section, the candidates’ mathematical and data sufficiency skills are tested. This section covers topics such as Arithmetic, Geometry, and Business Mathematics. Thus, the candidates must polish their formulas and concepts to be quick in mental calculations.
For the current affair section, one must be aware of current issues in India and the world. The candidates must follow newspapers and yearbooks to prepare for this section. In SNAP, the Analytical & Logical Reasoning section is the most important one. This section consists of questions that test the candidates’ analytical and logical skills. Thorough knowledge of basic concepts and the practice is the best way to tackle this section.
NMAT
Narsee Monjee Management Aptitude Test is conducted by GMAC. The NMAT test scores are widely accepted in numerous colleges across India. The duration of this test is 2 hours and the total number of questions to be answered is 120. The sectional details of the exam are as follows:
| Serial Number | Sections | Number of Questions | Time Allotted (in minutes) |
| 1 | Language Skills | 32 | 22 |
| 2 | Quantitative Skills | 48 | 60 |
| 3 | Logical Reasoning | 40 | 38 |
| Total | 120 | 120 |
This test basically aims to assess the basic knowledge of the aspirants and their problem-solving skills. The test has 3 sections. The first section tests the student’s language skills, in other words the fluency, proficiency and reading skills. This section consists of 32 questions to be answered within 22 minutes.
The second section, Quantitative Skills, aims to test the mathematical skills of the candidates. It consists of 48 questions, and the time allotted is 60 minutes. This sections requires the students to mathematically skilled, and to be able to perform calculations without a calculator.
The third section, Logical Reasoning, tests students on their reasoning skills. There are 40 questions in this section, which are to be answered within 38 minutes.
Other MBA Entrance Exams
The other entrance exams, namely CMAT, MAT, ATMA and IBSAT are of a similar pattern. If you are well-prepared for CAT and XAT, you can appear for these tests. Apart from CMAT and MAT, which have sections of General Awareness, the other exams have standard sections of Quant, Verbal Ability and Reasoning. The difficulty level is much lower than CAT or XAT.
Apart from these, most of the states in India conduct state-wise entrance examinations for MBA. These entrance examinations are usually a lot easier than entrance examinations like CAT, XAT, NMAT, etc. For each of these exams, it is a must to have conceptual clarity. You must read a lot as all exams have a dedicated VA section. Take multiple mock tests for getting familiar with the pattern. Taking mock tests help the candidates prepare their strategy for the final examination.
Praqtical look:
As stated above, conceptual clarity, reading and practice are the key to getting a good score in any exam. Apart from these, the candidates’ confidence and dedication can further their chances of securing admission to the best B-school.
Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below.
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