SNAP test is going to be held on 20
th December 2015. SNAP test is taken as the written test for entrance to 14 Symbiosis institutes including SIBM Pune, SCMHRD, SIIB and SIMS among others.
The SNAP paper pattern has been very consistent over the years and hence one can go into the exam with a clear-cut strategy without worrying about any surprises.
SNAP Pattern highlights
Total no of questions: 150
Total Duration of the exam: 2 hours (120 minutes)
Negative Marking: ¼ of the value of the question
| Sno |
Section |
No of Qns. |
Marks per Qn. |
Total Marks |
| 1 |
General English |
40 |
1 |
40 |
| 2 |
General Knowledge |
40 |
1 |
40 |
| 3 |
Quantitative Aptitude |
40 |
1 |
40 |
| 4 |
Logical Ability |
30 |
2 |
60 |
| |
|
150 |
|
180 |
Except for SIBM Pune, no other institute is expected to take the sectional cutoffs while shortlisting for the GDPI round.
Exam Strategy for SNAP
The table below gives the ideal time allotment for each of the sections in the SNAP exam.
| Sno |
Section |
No of Qns |
Time Allotted (in Min) |
Expected Attempts |
| 1 |
General English |
40 |
20 - 25 |
34 - 40 |
| 2 |
General Knowledge |
40 |
7 - 10 |
15 - 20 |
| 3 |
Quantitative Aptitude |
40 |
40 - 35 |
19 - 23 |
| 4 |
Logical Ability |
30 |
45 |
22 - 25 |
| 5 |
Buffer time |
|
8 - 5 |
2 - 3 |
|
|
|
120 |
92 - 112 |
General English (40 Qns, 20/25 minutes)
This section mostly consists of:
- Vocab – Synonyms, Antonyms, Idioms, FIBs
- Grammar including Active-Passive sentences
- RC – one or two passages
There may be a few questions on Para Jumbles too. As can be seen, the time taken to solve this section should be as less as possible. By giving about 20 to 25 minutes, one can attempt almost all the questions (including the RCs). Unlike CAT where there is ample time to spend on each question, here in SNAP, the key would be to keep moving after attempting (or skipping) the questions
General Knowledge (40 Qns, 7-10 minutes)
This is probably the section where one can save time by quickly going through the questions and answering those that one knows. There is no point guessing unless one is sure to eliminate TWO of the FOUR choices given.
In this section, one should give as little time as possible, say 10 minutes at the extreme end. The cutoffs, if they exist, would also be very low for this section.
Quantitative Ability (QA)& Data Interpretation (DI)(40 Qns, 35 – 40 minutes)
The QA section in SNAP is expected to be full of Arithmetic and Geometry & Mensuration. There are questions on Logs, Indices, Probability, P&C, Quadratics, Progressions and Functions too. However, the number of questions in the Algebra area may be less than in Arithmetic.
DI also makes an appearance in this section and one can expect about TWO to THREE sets and about 6 to 10 questions.
It is important to divide the 35 minutes of the time allotted. It is advised that one gives about 10 minutes to the DI area and the remaining time to QA.
Logical Ability (LA) (30 Qns, 45 minutes)
Though the number of questions in LA are less than the other three areas, the total marks allotted to LA is 60! This section also happens to be the scoring section and hence sufficient time (45 minutes) should be given so as to try attempting almost all the 30 questions.
Overall Strategy
SNAP is a 120 minute paper with 150 questions. There is almost no way anyone can complete the entire paper (read – attempt all questions). Hence, one has to maximize the scores and give the time available as per the marks in each of the sections. Saving time in areas such as GK would really help!
Simple rules of the SNAP game!
Read all questions
Skip questions which take more than a minute to solve (esp in QA)
Maximise the attempts
Don’t guess randomly, however, if you can eliminate two choices, go ahead and mark!
Keep track of time and stick to the time limits as per the strategy
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