Hey Rupa

Group Discussion (GD) is one of the important phases of selection for admission to business schools. Since it is an interactive form of assessment, you must pay a lot of attention for the preparation of this round. Here you will be judged majorly on the basis of your vision, and your potential for making decisions.

Aspects basis which GD performances are analyzed:

• Personal Introduction
• Verbal Communication
• Body Language
• Eye Contact (while listening as well as speaking)Interruptions
• Opening Statement
• Content of speech

How to ace the GD Round:

GD is an interactive selection which makes it even more important. The analysts will judge you on the basis of what you will speak. It is very important to not only choose your words wisely but also express yourself properly in that limited amount of time. Following are some of the points that you should remember:

Be Precise:

GD is not about the duration of your speech, it is about the quality of your speech. Be precise while making your point. Speaking for 5 to 6 times in a 15 to 20 minute long GD is well enough. Make sure that you portray your vision clearly.

Support your views with examples:

Giving your opinion on the subject is not enough. You will have to support your statements with examples in order to express yourself clearly. Real life examples are essential as they state that you are thorough with the subject you are talking about.

Avoid Statistics:

It is advisable that you avoid figures and stats in your GD round as stats are variable and keep changing with time. Hence you could fall in a trap if the stats stated by you are incorrect.

How to Prepare for GD:

If you have been preparing for B-school entrance exams and provided you have been reading the newspaper for the past eight to ten months, you can prepare for GD in less than a month. However, there is no fixed time required to prepare for GD. Following are the three tips that you must follow to prepare for GD:

Rigorous Reading:

Reading the newspaper every day and being updated with the current affairs is essential as most of the GD topics are picked up from news and updates from the business sector. The more you need the broader your vision and understanding of issues will become.

Conversation Skills:

Make it a point to speak in English and enhance your vocal skills so that you don’t feel hesitant while speaking on the final day. It will also enhance your ability to express.

Practice Groups:

You can practice GD with your seniors, fellow applicants or friends who had appeared or will be appearing for GD. there are various coaching institutes that take GD sessions where you can hone your skills for group discussion.

We think cracking the MBA exam and scoring a high percentile is the most difficult part. But surprisingly, that is not so. At the time of GD or PI or even WAT, your individual peformance comes to play. This is where you need to shine, no, overshine others. So the trick is, not to be opulent, but be direct and honest. Good Luck!