Nowadays, there are so many management entrance exams for admission to MBA/PGDM courses in colleges and universities in India. Every year lakhs of students prepare for them and hope to get an admission in a reputed business school of their choice. After intense preparation of entrance from good coaching institutes and experts, you can definitely get a good percentile.

But, the real test is when you have to face the interview panel for Group Discussion and Personal Interview. Here, your talent is judged.

If you have been an outgoing person in school and college taking part in extracurricular activities, debate, extempore, theater, dramatics, dance etc. then your verbal communication skills would be good.

But, that alone, is not enough to crack GD/PI.

Group Discussion (GD)

First understand the objective of a group discussion, which is to appraise a candidate’s ability to critically analyse a given piece of information and collectively work in a group to arrive at a solution or develop a perspective. In this process, the students will reveal some of their personality characteristics, which is what the panel wants to check.

How to Prepare for a GD?

Your preparation should start the day you start preparing for your entrance exams.
READ NEWSPAPERS daily, especially the business sector. Keep reading Economics Times, Mint or Business Standards on daily basis. Do not forget the editorial sections of newspapers. This will be helpful for ALL THE ROUNDS!!
Improve your conversational skills by speaking in English.
Mock GDs are the best way to prepare.

Evaluation is done on the following criteria; so make sure you exhibit most of these:

• Group Dynamics
• Ability to analyse situations
• Thought process
• Presentation style
• Personality: Decision making and leadership skills

Topics

Institutes usually give a general topic to the students but a few institutes prefer to check the current affairs knowledge of the candidates in the GD round itself by assigning a topic based on recent news.
Be up-to-date with recent events around the globe. Reading good books/articles always come handy as they provide ideas/content to speak/write in a GD.
Every B-school follows a pattern when it comes to their selection process, hence it is advisable to follow online forums to gauge the institutes specific pattern for the selection process and prepare accordingly.

Topics can be Actual or Factual:

Abstract: In case you are given an abstract topic, think in a creative way, and come up with as many interpretations as possible. Many examiners like to hear different perspectives and innovative ways of thinking.

Factual: Knowledge is the Key. Provide a structure to the GD, be sensible, think of pros and cons, apply PESTLE framework, be crisp and smart.

Personal Interview (PI)

The objective of the personal interview with a candidate is to evaluate if s/he has the capability and skills required to successfully pursue and develop a career in management.

Everyone will have grades to show-off and certificates in extra-curricular would be dime a dozen. It will eventually come down to these below-mentioned aspects in you that will separate you from others. A candidate will be tested on the following

• Personal Introduction
• Verbal communication
• Eye contact
• Body language
• Interruptions
• Content

There are no shortcuts. Only through relentless practice can one get better at all these aspects. Personal Interviews are a highly subjective assessment and so there is no concrete way to ace them. There a few hygiene questions that one MUST prepare for:

a) Tell me about yourself: Briefly refer to past education, life journey and future plans. It is all about a STORY.

b)Why MBA? : Answer such questions keeping in mind the holistic development you’ll get during MBA

c) Where do you see yourself five years from now: focus on skills development, increased responsibility while highlighting on your goals as achievement.

d) Apart from the above prepare for the following:

• Personal Information: yourself, family, city, etc
• Education: scores, favourite subjects, selection of specialization
• Extracurricular, Academic Achievements, Co-Curricular Activities
• Work Experience and Internships: learnings, job role, challenges faced,
• Hobbies, Interest
• Future Plans (Why MBA, Specialization)
• Current affairs and your opinion about them
• Introduce yourself in a very brief and formal way.
• Limit introduction to entirely yourself. DO NOT speak about parents, siblings and family, unless asked by the interviewer.
• Give straight and simple answers to the questions asked by the interviewer.
• Answer in small sentences.
• To the point and precise answers are far better than beating around the bush.
• Don’t try be aggressive, overconfident. And definitely, DO NOT try to impress the panel by using some cheesy mugged up lines. It won’t work.
• Dress formally