XAT General Knowledge – Way ahead

The General knowledge Section will comprise 25
questions that need to be solved in around 10 minutes. As per the latest notification on the XAT portal, the questions in this section are likely to be more “General” in nature than “Specific”.
Further, this section will have no negative marking – so 100% attempt will be the order of the day. You should take not more than 30 seconds per question in this section. Further, the marks of this section will not determine your first stage success, they will only be considered by institutes during the Interview stage of the selection process – which probably means you will have one more chance (during the interview) to prove your GK-worthiness just in case you do not do too well in the XAT GK section. Note: I am not suggesting that you should therefore ignore this section while preparing for XAT.

More “General” than “Specific” – As per the XAT authorities, what this means is that the GK section will only have questions on Current Affairs and not on Static GK. Questions in Current Affairs are expected to be based on the current political, business and economic environment in India as well as the world. Additionally, you could also expect questions from topics like Books & Authors, Awards, Sports & Sportspersons and Personalities in the News.  Find below a few sample questions that have appeared in past papers.

1. India – Politics, Economy, Business, Events & Issues

2.   International – Politics, Business, Events and Issues

3.   Authors and Awards

4.   Sports and Sports-persons

5.   Personalities in the “News’

How to prepare for XAT GK?

Taking note of the above examples, and with one month to go for the exam, I would suggest the following preparation strategy for the GK section of XAT (note – this preparation will also aid your preparation for other tests containing GK)

1. Go through the archives of any National Newspapers/Magazines for relevant articles –start with the latest and go backwards as much as you can (maybe covering events that have occurred in the last 1 year or so).
2. Alternatively, you could access monthly compilation of current affair topics provided by various GK resources like IMS GQuest or Manorama Yearbook. ibef.org is also a good resource for facts and figures pertinent to the Indian economy.
3. Make notes as you read – this should help you retain facts and figures. Organise what you read into the various heads as mentioned above for quick reference later on as this could also serve as a source for quick revision, closer to your exam date.
4. Engage in group study – Creating questions and challenging each other in a group is a fun way of learning GK (which can sometimes get drab and boring).

General Knowledge does not have a fixed syllabus – so you will never have a sense of completion to your preparation. But go ahead, and do as much as you can – and who knows you might just about crack this section.

XAT Essay Writing Section

The Essay writing section is another reason why the XAT is unique by itself.  While the Essay is not used to shortlist the students for the second stage of the selection process – the quality of essay written could make or break your chance of converting your interview call to a Final Admit.  A bad essay will only make things harder when you appear for your interview. So, it’s imperative that you sharpen your essay writing skills before the D-Day. Rest assured that this will also go a long way in aiding your performance in the WAT/GD round of IIMs and other top B-Schools as well.  Find below the list of topics that have been asked in the last few years:

How to prepare for Essay Writing?

A good essay is characterized by a structured display of a coherent thought process wherein the arguments put forth are backed by relevant examples/evidence. The language used can be simple but must be effective to communicate your ideas.  While it is needless to say that the essay should look organized with an Intro-Body-Conclusion structure, being well-read and informed can go a long way in improving the quality of your essay. Do not make too many grammatical or spelling mistakes – as it will only take away from an otherwise well-written essay. The topics assessed, if you notice above, are abstract or general in nature. So, write as many essays as you can on a collection of topics and get them assessed by experts whenever possible. Watch out the blog of Mr Tony Xavier for  posts on not only how to write good essays but also how to do well in the WAT-GD-PI stage of the selection process. (imschennai.in/blog/)

With this, I end my post on XAT – test analysis and preparation strategy. Hope, all of you do well in the XAT. All the Best!!

VK