General Awareness (GK) for MBA exams: Tips for XAT, CMAT, IIFT and SNAP

When it comes to preparing for MBA Entrance Exams like CAT, XAT, MAT and CMAT; the prime focus always remains on the key and common sections such as Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning and Verbal Ability. However, in addition to this, many MBA entrance exams like XAT, SNAP, IIFT and others, also have General Awareness or GK as a critical component of the testing mechanism. The GA or GK section in MBA entrance exams is aimed at testing the general know-how of the candidates about current affairs and static GK topics.

But, because of their focused prep on the three key sections, MBA aspirants / test-takers often end up ignoring the GA section, costing them marks and eventually an opportunity to get admission to top MBA colleges in India. So, let’s try and decode how to prepare for General Awareness section in MBA entrance exams and also understand expert analysis of exam pattern of GA section in top MBA entrance tests.

Why focus on General Awareness Section?

Many MBA aspirants often ignore the General Awareness section or don’t prepare for it as rigorously as they do for the other conventional sections like Quant, DILR and VARC. This is a big mistake on the part of the test-takers because unlike the conventional topics, questions in General Awareness tend to be direct and have definitive answers. Therefore, as a test-takers, solving / answering them becomes very easy. You either know the answer to a GA question or you don’t; there is no confusion or solving or tricks involved. Therefore, GA section should be given equal weighage as other main-stream sections, because scoring well in this section is relatively easier as compared to the other sections.

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Which MBA exams have General Awareness Section?

The General Awareness section is not a common section in all the major MBA entrance exams directly. For instance, CAT exam, which is the most popular and biggest MBA entrance exam, doesn’t have General Awareness or a GK section. However, many other key MBA exams like XAT, CMAT, IIFT, SNAP, IRMA and TISSNET either have a dedicated section or questions from it as part of the test. Therefore, it is critical for candidates who are appearing for any of these exams to prepare well for the General Awareness section. 

General Awareness Section in MBA Exams

Even for MBA aspirants who are only appearing for MBA entrance exams which do not have a GK section. Preparing for the General Awareness section is a must if they want to crack their GD / PI rounds after the test. Majority of questions asked in personal interviews and topics discussed in Group Discussions are from the General Awareness section.

Exam Pattern for General Awareness

The syllabus of General Awareness or the GK section for MBA exam also includes Current Affairs and latest happenings in the field of Politics, Economy and as well static GK. Therefore, it is important for the aspirants to understand the exam pattern and syllabus for each of the different exams. This will help test-takers prepare a comprehensive preparation strategy which covers both current affairs as well as traditional GK topics.

XAT

The General Awareness section was reintroduced as part of the XAT entrance exam in 2013. The section used to feature in the Paper 2 of the Exam which includes General Knowledge and Essay Writing. However, from this year, XAT exam pattern has been changed and essay writing section hass been discontinued. But, the General Awareness section still continues to be part of the exam with 25 questions which are to be completed in 35 minutes. As far as marking scheme is concerned, 0.25 marks will be deducted for each wrong answer and 0.05 marks will be deducted for more than 8 unattempted questions.

Also Read: CAT 2019: How to answer Reading Comprehension Questions?

XAT Exam Syllabus includes the following topics:

• Awards and winners
• Business
• Economy
• Government and Politics
• Science
• Famous Personalities
• History
• Geography
• Current affairs
• Important happenings around the World
• Static GK

IIFT

IIFT or the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade is a flagship B-school when it comes to management programmes in international business. The entrance exam for IIFT also has a dedicated General Awareness section. Although considered to be relatively easier as compared to XAT, candidates still need to prepare well for it. The GA section in IIFT MBA exam consists of 25 to 28 questions of which around 9 questions are from Current Affairs while rest are from static GK sections. The topics covered for IIFT GA section are generic in nature and cover the following topics:

• Current Affairs
• Business
• Punch line of companies
• Top officials of big companies
• Major corporate events
• Famous award and prizes
• World Records
• Books and authors
• Science
• History
• Geography
• International organizations
• Important quotations
• Social issues
• Sports
• Finance
• Automobiles
• Entertainment
• Politics
• Country-Capital-Currency-Parliaments

SNAP

SNAP or the Symbiosis National Aptitude Test is the national level management entrance test which is the gateway for admissions to over 18 Symbiosis B-schools. The SNAP test also has a General Awareness section which covers General Awareness: General Knowledge, Current Affairs, and Business Scenario. The section consists of 30 questions which are considered to be easy, as compared to the other sections in the SNAP test. This gives test-takers a good opportunity to score well in GA section and improve their SNAP score. In terms of syllabus, the General Awareness section of SNAP includes:

• Politics
• Current Affairs
• Business – Mergers and Acquisitions
• Sports
• Geography
• History
• Auto Industry
• Economics of India and other countries
• Indian Constitution
• Social scenario of India and other countries
• Static GK

CMAT

CMAT is another popular MBA entrance exam which is conducted by the newly founded NTA / the National Testing Agency. CMAT exam also has a General Awareness section in which 25 questions are asked from current affairs and static GK section. Majority of GK questions in the CMAT exam are asked on the following topics:

• Current Affairs of National, International and Economics
• Personalities in news
• Sports
• Trade and Corporate news
• History
• Culture
• Geography
• Economy
• Politics
• Indian Constitution
• Literature
• Science
• Static GK

Also Read: Best Books for CAT 2019 Exam

IRMA

IRMA is another institute that gives prime importance to the General Knowledge and Awareness among the test-takers. The questions asked in the GA section in the IRMA – Issues of Social Concern Test tend to be focused on national and social interest compared to politics, business, sports, arts & culture etc. Contrary to the other MBA entrance exams, these questions are descriptive in nature and have to answered using one’s general awareness and analytical skills.

How to prepare for General Awareness Section?

Now, that you have understood the overall exam pattern and the type, style, format and the difficulty level of the questions asked in the General Awareness section in different MBA entrance exams; it’s time to look at the preparation strategy. By its very nature, the General Awareness section in MBA entrance exams tend to be extensive as it includes static GK which is a very vast topic as well as current affairs, which covers latest happenings in different domains, sectors and industries. Therefore, preparing for the General Awareness section needs a well-planned strategy that is focused on the key topics on which questions are generally asked in the MBA entrance exam. Below, we shall discuss a few tips that will help you design a winning strategy for the General Awareness section of MBA exams.

Preparing for Static GK Topics

• Divide History into time-zones / sections

History is an important topic while preparing for GA section in MBA Entrance exams. However, in order to concentrate your preparation strategy, divide your history syllabus / topics in Indian History and World History. In terms of number of questions expected in the exam follow the 80:20 rule where your 80% preparation should be focused on Indian history. Even in the Indian History, events after the 1857 revolt are of pivotal importance, therefore again follow the 80:20 rule to study Indian History as well.

• Expect Questions on Geographical Features, avoid Theory

When it comes to Geography, the questions tend to be of generic in nature and covers topics that were part of your secondary school syllabus. Focus your prep on Geographical features of the Indian sub-continent. Avoid theoretical aspects, as questions on Geography theory is asked rarely.

• Cover Theoretical & Practical Aspects of Global Economy

Being a course focused on management and business, MBA entrance exams tend to focus more on economic aspects in the General Awareness section. A test-taker should expect questions on both economic theory as well as application of theoretical concepts in the GA section. Keep global economy as your focus with special attention to India and the macroeconomic aspects that are at play here including GDP, inflation, RBI policies and govt policies.

• Indian Polity & Constitution

This is another section from which questions are regularly asked in MBA entrance exams. Topics which you should focus on include Indian Political System, political parties, key political events in the history of India etc. From, Indian Constitution, you can expect questions on different articles, schedules, directive principles and constitutional amendments. You should also focus on the successful government schemes and their impact on the Indian society.

• Companies, Organizations& Brands

Another static GK topic from which test-takers can expect questions is about Companies, Governmental and Global Organizations and major brands. To prepare well for this section, go through Forbes List of Fortune 500 compaines and get detailed information about them. Similarly, also collate and read-up basic information on governmental organizations like RBI, CAG, UPSC, SEBI, NTA etc. At global level, focus on UN and its affiliate organizations as well as regional organizational groups like SAARC, ASEAN and BIMSTEC.

• Science & Tech

Questions in Science and Technology domains tend to focus more on the applications of scientific concepts rather than theoretical aspects. Keep your prep focused on emerging technology trends like Bio-tech, Space Research, Information Technologies and Communication.

• Sports

Sports is another static GK topic in which questions can be asked in the MBA entrance exams. To prepare for this, focus on the sportspersons and awards that have been given to them. Don’t just limit your prep to mainstream sports like Cricket and Hockey, also focus on athletics and other sports.

• Books & Authors

Books and authors is another pet topic on which questions are asked in the General Awareness Section. However, don’t expect questions on recently popular books. The questions would focus on cult books which have earned name and fame nationally and internationally. To prepare for this, you can must coverthe top 50 Indian and top 50 foreign authors and their books.

Preparing for Current Affairs

Current Affairs prep for GA section in MBA section is an on-going process. Preparing well for current affairs questions also becomes important because nearly 40 to 50% of any GA section will only consists of such questions. There is no simple or shortcut technique to preparing for current affairs other than keeping yourself abreast of all the latest happenings. To do so, you can

1. Read Newspapers Daily – Cover National, International, Business News as well as Editorials
2. Read Magazines – Get News and Information + Analysis of on-going events
3. Watch / Listen to News – Preferably on All India Radio or Doordarshan to get the right information
4. Follow Current Affairs Section on Jagranjosh.com.

For more interesting tips and tricks to crack MBA entrance exams, please visit www.jagranjosh.com.

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