From Pune University ...But does that matter furing admission ?

What preparation should be done for clearing wat-pI round !?

One piece of advice. Start preparing for GD, PI and WAT as soon as you start preparing for CAT. Dont wait till the exam gets over. Cause after that, you only have two months to prepare for these stages which is not sufficient to crack the interviews. Especially for the WAT, you need to have the practice of writing. The last time most of us have written an essay or an article was when we were in twelfth standard maybe!! So even if its once a month, start writing essays as soon as possible.

In order to crack the GD and PI, you must be aware of what is happening around you. Make a habit of reading newspapers like The Hindu, ET etc. daily. Make yourself acquainted with sports, politics and economics. Apart from reading newspapers, read editorials, blogs, posts, novels, basically anything you lay your hands on. This will not only widen your horizon, but will also give you the ability to analyze every situation under a different lens. This will help you in both GD and PI. Now lets analyze the three topics one at a time:

Group Discussion:

GD or group discussion is a situation where 5-6 of the participants will be made to sit around a table and will be given a topic. The participants need to put forward their views and criticism about the topic at hand. Remember, GD is not a debate. You do not need to get aggressive over a point of view. Its a discussion where everyone puts forward their take on the topic. So dont turn it into a fish market. You guys are not Trump and Kim Jong-un trying to settle nuclear supremacy!! You are just a bunch of students discussing a random issue thrown at you. So act accordingly.

To get selected in a GD, you should try to put new perspectives on the table. For example, if a topic such as The Indian cricket team is not as good as they seem to be. The opponents are just weak is thrown at you, you are expected not only to analyze from the prospective of the male Indian cricket team, but you are also expected to put across the table the point of view from the Indian womens cricket team and under 19 cricket teams perspective. Without extensive reading, you wouldnt be able to diversify your way of thinking.

GD topics can basically be of the following types:

Social

Political

Economics

Legal

Technical

Social Topics  Social topics are those which are a burning issue of the society in the recent past. Example- Triple talaq, Should capital punishment be banned in India?

Political Topics  These topics are related to the politics going on in the country, as well as the political relation of our country with its neighbors. It also includes the global political situation. For example: Middle East crisis, Flight of Rohingyas, Immigration and refugees, Doklam issue.

Economic Topics- These topics deals with the economic scenario of our country and the global business economy as well. Example: Ease of doing business in India, Free trade in developing countries, GST, etc.

Thanks,
Azim

Legal Topics- These are the topics that legal consequences. For example: Corruption and pubic life, Supreme court row, First track judgement etc.

Technical topics  Now in this case, topics from your graduation course is very unlikely. In this case, technical topics means business technical topics like: How effective is digital marketing in the present world?, What is important- brand or quality?

Abstract topics- You need to think out of the box to decipher the abstract topics. Dont take the literal meaning of the topic. Read between the lines and use your imagination to get the actual meaning of the topic. The beauty of these topics are, they are deciphered differently by different person. Few examples of abstract topics are  No man is an island, Pink pajamas flew over the red fort, Borderless world etc.

Listen what the others have to say and then put your point. Listening is also a skill. Maintain eye contact and make subtle hand gestures. If somebody counters your point, dont get aggressive and attack him.

WAT:

Just like GD, you have to be aware of the current situation if you want to crack WAT. Usually you are given a statement and you have to write an essay supporting the statement or against the statement. WAT tests your clarity of thought more than anything. So give proper justification for why you are supporting/ not supporting the statement. Make proper bullet points. Mention the point and elaborate it in a paragraph. After writing two or three paragraphs on your viewpoint (with proper justification) write a small paragraph on the opposite view points as well. This shows that you are open minded and flexible to changes. Make a proper introduction and a proper conclusion. Site facts and figure in support of your answer.

Personal Interview:

Keep in mind the following points to prepare for a PI:

Stay aware of all the current affairs happening across the world. Be it national or international. Accustom yourself with basics of economics, sports and politics. You can face questions from any topic under the sun. Be accustomed to guesstimates as well.

Be prepared with your CV. Know yourself better than anyone. Have an answer ready for all the major decisions of your life, like your choice of undergraduate stream or even your choice of subjects in your eleventh standard.

Always, always, always be ready with the answer to Tell me something about yourself. In the answer to this question dont reiterate your CV. Its already in front of them. Tell them something that they do not know. For example, dont just tell the name of your school. Talk about the values and Morales that your school have imbibed in you. Tell them about what you have actually learned from your school apart from education. Tell them about situations that has helped you grow as a person. About tough situations and how you have handled those stormy days. You might not remember all of these days at one go. Take time, introspect and find out the real you.

Thanks,
Azim

If you talk about your hobby, make sure you know every details of that thing. Not only at your country level, but at international level as well. For example, if you say you like a certain band, you are supposed to know the name of their lead singer.

However funny it might sound, know the meaning of your name. If you are named after a famous personality, know about him/her as well.

Be prepared with HR questions like Why MBA?, Which specialization?, Why this college?, strength/weaknesses.

Always remain calm, composed and relax. Dont let your anxiety show on your face. Be confident and keep a smile on your face. Try to sit for as many mock GD/PIs as possible. That will help you a lot.


Thanks,
Azim Musa Shaikh

What preparation should be done for clearing wat-pI round

As per my experience, most important factor is knowing yourself. There are 2 questions to begin with first, Introduce yourself & second is Why MBA?
Whatever answer you give be sure you know in & out of that topic. So if you say that you are interested in technology & want to be a tech entrepreneur then prepare well to answer any question on tech startups & tech ecosystem  right from current scenario in tech stocks, VC , AI and other technologies. Be specific and clear of what you want to do and have knowledge about it.
And build an interesting story considering all the facts and experiences about your life. This will surely help!

Thank you so much...