Hello, future TISSIAN! Last year, it was my first attempt at TISSNET. Even I was sitting at that side of the screen trying to figure out how to prepare for this exam going through many articles, Quora answers, and YouTube videos. Fast forward a few months and now it's a privileged feeling to be finally part of the legacy HRM & LR course at TISS Mumbai, the only course I applied to. Here is my attempt to pen down some insights that I think worked for me and can surely add some value to your preparation!
Who is this article intended for?
Whether you are a Fresher, have Work Experience, or have a UPSC & competitive exams background, you will find some takeaways here. Therefore, please read on till the end.
Have you ever wondered when most people already know the syllabus and the sources, why is it that only a few qualify? To try to answer this, I have divided this article into 3 parts: The mindset, the preparation, and the approach. Unfortunately, most of the aspirants focus ONLY on the preparation part, ignoring the remaining two. Therefore, please don't skip any part like you skip your YouTube ad.
Now let's see them one by one.
1. The Mindset
"Everything is created twice, first in mind and then in reality." (Robin Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari). It all starts with a "why?"
As much as cliché it sounds, you must be clear about why HRM? Or any other course you are aiming for. This sense of purpose will decide your level of conviction and act as a motivating fuel in your journey. External motivation from success stories and YouTube videos fades soon, but the internal one stays much longer from a strong sense of purpose. Remember, a strong 'why' can bear almost any 'how.'
Always remember that there is no "perfect strategy." When you are selected, any strategy you followed, which worked for you, will be considered good. We all have different variable factors in our life-shaping our journey.
Before others, your competition is primarily with yourself! It involves avoiding unnecessary time spent on social media conversations, delaying temptations of "just one more episode," making notes & revisions even when you are not feeling like it, and so on. To me, asking myself "whether this activity will help me add my name to the final merit_list.pdf or not" used to show me the way.
Also, one of the significant concerns aspirants have, which even I had earlier, is how much the past academics, college, profile, etc., will matter? Unlike other B schools, TISS is VERY accepting, giving you a fair chance for what you are at present. So don't worry about the past things you cannot change, but focus on what you can do RIGHT NOW.
2. The Preparation
For TISSNET, the most credible sources we have are:
1. TISSNET Syllabus given on the TISS website,
2. Previous year question papers. (Memory based, readily available online)
In competitive exams, what NOT to prepare is equally important as what to prepare. Therefore, you MUST have your own printed copy of the TISSNET syllabus to refer to for gauging your level of preparation. Also, something that helped me a lot was analysing previous year's question papers (PYQs).
During my PYQs analysis, I had written down the topic from which the question has been asked, for all the 100 questions, for the last 4 years TISSNET papers. It's a one-time investment in giving you a clear direction to your preparation, whose emphasis I can't highlight enough. It helped in identifying some recurrent themes & prioritize those.
Please note: If you have seen the previous cut-offs, you know that you don't have to know all the answers. You just have to
prepare what is optimal. Being thorough with the syllabus and PYQ analysis helps you understand what this “optimal” is.
Mathematics and Logical reasoning (30 marks):
A section where one can aim for full marks. Any standard book will work. Try to be clear with the basic concepts. Practice and time management is the key here. Relatively easier than other management exams.
English proficiency (30 marks):
Any standard book. Daily reading a newspaper, working on vocabulary, idioms, phrases, and so on. Again, relatively easier than other management exams.
General Awareness (GA) (40 marks):
Note that it's
General Awareness, not
General Knowledge.
All the professional courses at TISS require you to be aware of your surroundings as part of your professional life. If you are aiming for HRM & LR, you can't be a good manager unless you know what's happening in the world.
Therefore, it's the deciding section. It has both static and current parts. Again PYQ analysis will help significantly here.
For
Static, go with any standard GK books. I will recommend reading NCERTs VERY selectively for some topics in Geography, Polity, and History, for conceptual clarity and as a standard source.
Current affairs have sufficient breadth. Following any good GK capsule for the last year is generally recommended. Reading a well-acclaimed national newspaper (Indian express/The Hindu) will give you a broader perspective of what's happening around you, including the events of national importance. A good business newspaper will provide you with an understanding of the business world, helping develop your management reading comprehension as well. I used to and still read Indian Express and Business Standard. You may go with any choice you are comfortable with.
As all the three parts of the exam, TISSNET, TISSMAT/Extempore, and Interview, are interrelated, reading newspapers regularly will help make the preparation much more holistic, helping you in all the three stages.
Notes:
Remember the stress before the exam day is directly proportional to the number of pages on your desk. So having YOUR own notes is always a good idea as they help tremendously in the revisions.
Emphasis is on the revisions here. So any medium that you will find convenient for revisions, offline or online, works.
Coaching:
I didn't join any and many of my classmates did not join any either. As more emphasis is on self-study, it is not at all a necessity. Mocks are more beneficial than coaching.
3. The Approach
The next step in the preparation is to give mocks. Don't worry too much about WHICH mocks to take. Just pick up any reputed one and attempt the questions.
A mock test checks you on three areas:
1. Time management
2. Temperament management
3. Feel of handling diverse question sets and mental switching to gauge your weak and comfort areas.
More important than just giving tests is analyzing them in the context of the above 3 areas. The practice of solving MCQs actually helps you in real-time course correction.
Both the sectional tests and full-length ones help. I had given a few sectional mocks and 3 full-length ones. Please don't wait "until you are finished with the whole syllabus." That time never comes, my friend!
'Anything that can be measured can be improved.' (Peter Drucker)
Something most people forget is the real analysis begins AFTER the mock test. Segregating the scores section-wise and identifying the incorrect and un-attempted questions helps. In this way, it gives you a targeted area to focus on and revise. Tests also help in developing the correct psychological frame of mind from an exam point of view. Therefore, always give the test seriously as if it's the final exam. Check out the 'round system' approach for attempting MCQs.
For a change, you can read some good HR-related books, magazines, and articles in your free time. You can also follow some good HR thought leaders, attend webinars to develop and widen your perspective.
If you are a fresher, your most significant strength is your rigor and freshness. Ensure to not treat the competitive exams the same as your graduation exams. Competition is intense out there. Keep reminding yourself of this, and don't go into complacency.
If you have work experience, you bring accumulated maturity and certain wisdom. Your limited time availability is both a potential strength and a weakness. Strength because you tend to utilize it to the fullest. Potential Weakness because you need to ensure using weekends & limited available time efficiently for the preparation and revisions.
If you come from a competitive exam background, you have already tested the waters. You need to be sure about your 'why' for TISSNET. Do not take this exam very casually because the competition is very high. You need to align your preparation strategy in alignment with the requirement of the exam.
In the end, remember it's just an exam. Depending on the phase you are in, despite giving your best, if it doesn't work out, there are other avenues as well. Don't be too attached to the exam, as there will always be some element of uncertainty involved. Also, being a competitive exam, it's not always about your performance but also that of the others. Be clear about your life and career goals, and you are good to go!
Remember: "The more you sweat in peace, the lesser you bleed in war!
Hoping to see you on the campus next year!
All the very best!
TISSNET Mock Tests - Take The Tests Here!
- TISSNET Mock Test-1 - Presented By TISS Mumbai HRM&LR ARC And InsideIIM.
- TISSNET Mock Test-2 - Presented By TISS Mumbai HRM&LR ARC And InsideIIM.
- TISSNET Mock Test-3 - Presented By TISS Mumbai HRM&LR ARC And InsideIIM.
About the Author
Aniruddha Patil is currently pursuing the course HRM & LR at TISS, Mumbai. He is an avid reader, a food aficionado, and an enthusiastic social creature. He has received a Pre-Placement Offer from Flipkart.