Raksha and Tarun first met at a coaching class while preparing for CAT exam. They shared notes and study plans and became good friends over time. While Raksha is the talkative one, Tarun is the shy type. He prefers to keep his conversations short and to the point. They meet up after Tarun’s Group Discussion round with an important B school of the country. The written assessment test involved writing a summary of the discussion in 200 words.
Raksha: So, how was your GD?
Tarun: Uhmm..fine I guess. Our group got the topic, “The world is full of cactus. But you don’t have to sit on it.”
Raksha: What?? What does that even mean?
Tarun: Well, it’s an abstract topic. At first, even I was dumbfounded. But as the discussion got interesting, taking cues from other participants, I got better understanding of the topic…and even got a few breaks to present my views on the topic. I interpreted it as- ‘there is a lot of bitterness in the world, but it is not worth beating oneself up over it. You can still find your happy place.’ I hope I made relevant points.
Raksha: Oh!!! Now I get it. Isn’t it something that the movie “Dear Zindagi” talks about?
Tarun: Well, I haven’t seen the movie. But that maybe the case, since a girl in our group also mentioned it during the discussion.
Raksha: I am sure you made valid points. You always enter the discussion late, but offer some of the most interesting insights.
Tarun: Haha, thanks, I hope it worked this time too. I think my WAT summary was much better. We were asked to write summary of the discussion we had earlier.
What do we know about Written Assessment Test?
The number of MBA colleges that use WAT in the selection process is increasing every year. It is either a substitute to the Group Discussion round, or as a follow on to it.
Facts about Written AssessmentTest (WAT)-
- Some of the top MBA colleges in India that issue a WAT are: JBIMS, SP Jain, IMT, MICA, IIFT, TAPMI, IIM-Ahmedabad, IIM-Bangalore, IIM-Calcutta, IIM-Lucknow, IIM-Indore, and IIM- Kozikode.
- The weightage of WAT in the process of selection depends on the colleges
- The time provided to students may be 10 minutes of précis writing followed by a Group Discussion or even a 50 minute exclusive Essay Writing task.
- Students may get a general topic like ‘Management Education- for too many and too cheap’; or a specific topic like ‘Support the statement- Make in India is a great initiative to drive innovation in the country.’
- WAT can be used as a Pre-task or Follow-on activity to the Group discussion or Group Exercise.
What to do in the Preparation stage for Written Assessment Test?
1. Read a lot of articles
Since reading provides you with the necessary ingredients for both discussion and essay on any area, you should get into the practice of reading current affairs and few all time favourite issues like Politics, Education, Corruption, Economic Growth, Social Causes etc. Reading is receptive and writing is productive -the more you read, the better will you be able to write.
2. Practice writing drafts in ten to fifteen minutes
a. Analyse the topic
First, read the topic carefully and spend couple of minutes thinking on the topic. Make use of all the space provided to you to take the ideas down. Depending on memory is a bad idea and so list whatever comes to your mind. You may filter the ideas later.
b. How to structure the essay?
Go through all the points/examples/analogy/anecdotes/cases that you have listed and discard any repetitive or unrelated ideas. Of the remaining ideas, structure them to bring out the best flow in your content. You may want to start the response with an analogy or example. This offers a hook to the readers and involves them in your writing immediately.
c. Use of styles and supports in your essay
While your structure should bring out the best of your ideas, make sure you use the style that you are comfortable with, and which serves the objective in the best possible manner. For example, you may want to begin with a story or anecdote and then come to the main idea.
d. Word limit
Well, do not worry about the word limit. It is mostly an approximate limit set for the students (if mentioned). If there is no limit mentioned, stay close to 250 words.
e. Be crisp and interesting; not long and boring
You should ensure that you do not sound repetitive. You tend to repeat when you are out of ideas. And so it is important, that you use the time of ‘Analysis’ well. Set a thumb rule: ‘I shall not start writing the essay unless I have 4-5 distinct points on the given topic. Remember ‘distinct’.
f. Learn to edit your work
You must always spare some time to edit your work, and to improvise your draft so that it looks complete and comprehensive. You may want to read about the common structure related errors online.
3. Get your drafts reviewed
Writing the first draft for Written Assessment Test feels like an achievement, doesn’t it? Next, you should get a critical feedback from your peers/friends or anyone you think can critique your draft objectively and sincerely.
You may be surprised to learn some common errors, if you request for an honest feedback.
It can be as silly yet enlightening as- “you use the word ‘like’ too many times in your essay”
What to do on the WAT Day?
After reading the topic and the instruction carefully, go through the stages of analysis-structuring-drafting, managing your time smartly.
For a twenty minutes task, the break-up must look like this:
- Spend the first 2-3 minutes of the time on the Analysis of the Task in hand
- In the next twelve minutes, structure and draft the essay to include all the points that you have listed
- Finally, go through the essay in the time remaining to ensure that there is a good flow between paragraphs and there are no glaring errors in your essay.
A Written Assessment Test is likely to be a challenging task for any candidate. It is important to remember this and not feel overwhelmed. A write up which shows a clear, logical thought process, and has a good flow is what the interviewers are looking for.
Are there any specific techniques that you use for tackling the WAT section? Let us know in the comments.
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