Symbiosis National Aptitude Test (SNAP) is a national level examination organised and conducted by Symbiosis International University (SIU) for people who aspire to seek admission to the various management programs offered by its 15 affiliated institutions. Every year more than 50,000 aspirants take the exam.
What differentiates this exam from CAT is the General Awareness Section. This crucial section acts as a game changer and thus undermining its importance can prove to be lethal.
SNAP has a history of having a moderate level of difficulty. The crux of cracking this examination is speed and decision making. There is a random distribution of easy, moderate and difficult questions and a candidate should be smart enough to pick out the lollipops (easy questions) without wasting time on the bombs (difficult ones).
Sufficient knowledge of the basics sprinkled with speed and accuracy is the recipe for success in this exam.
Also as SNAP goes online this year and is being conducted at 102 cities all over India, it has become more convenient than ever for students to have a shot at being a part of some of the prestigious institutions of the country.
The exam is of 2 hrs duration consisting of 150 questions for 150 marks. The entire test structure can be seen at
https://www.snaptest.org/teststructure.html
Here are 10 points I would like to share which helped me in securing admission at SIBM Pune.
1. CRYSTAL CLEAR CONCEPTS:
- Stress should be laid on developing crystal clear concepts rather than just the formulae. Having your basics clear along with applications is advisable to all.
2.
ALGEBRA AND ARITHMETIC:
- There has been a general trend of appearance of many questions based on Arithmetic and Algebra topics like Percentages, Profit & Loss, etc. Thus ensuring that these topics are covered extensively is very important.
3.
BUILD YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH NUMBERS:
- Revise your elementary mathematics so that you are comfortable in dealing with numbers involving calculations. This will go a long way in saving time while dealing with questions from Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning.
4.
FOCUS MORE ON VOCAB AND GRAMMAR:
- This exam lays more stress on your grammar and vocabulary skills over your analytical skills. One can expect a host of vocabulary and grammar based questions (synonyms, antonyms, idioms, odd one out) along with a few RC passages. This section is again very scoring as it involves less time and ensures high return. Thus building your competency in vocabulary especially can pay rich dividends.
5.
APPLY SOME LOGIC:
- The LR is kind of a mélange of sorts having questions from different areas. Practice and solve questions on topics such as Critical Reasoning, Visual Reasoning, Arrangements, Series, Deductive Logic, LR sets, blood relations and puzzles.
6.
CURRENT AFFAIRS = WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION:
- Coming to the current affairs, this section can change the course of the tide in anyone’s favor. It is a make or break section and thus it is extremely essential to be abreast with the current happenings around the world. Last year in 2016, SNAP only focused on last two year’s current affairs. Thus one can simply kill the competition if this section is leveraged to its maximum.
7.
PICK OUT THE EASY ONES:
- Do not while away time on tough questions and also be on a lookout for the easier ones. It may happen that you are unable to crack a question from your domain of strength. It is judicious to let go of your ego and move forward.
8.
MOCKS! MOCKS! MOCKS! :
- I cannot lay enough emphasis on the importance of mock tests. Take as many mocks as possible and ensure that you review each and every one of them. Each mistake comes along with huge learning and this will help you monitor your performance at regular intervals. Gather insights from the mocks and weak on your weaker sections.
- You can also register for free online mock tests from SIU
9.
HISTORY HELPS:
- It is also advisable to solve previous years’ actual SNAP question papers as it might help you in familiarizing with the exam pattern.
10.
SMART TOOLS:
- It has been seen that many questions can be solved by methods of elimination. Also, the backward solving method of verifying with options to get the correct answer is very helpful. Thus do not shy away from using such smart tools as they can come in very handy and help you save time.
CONCLUSION
By and large, you have to comprehend that the test is an impression of certain basic managerial skills. You can taste success by maintaining fundamental management principles like effective time management, efficient decision making, strategic approach to the paper and a wise blend of speed and precision!
On the flip side do remember that you are meant to do great things in life and a 2-hour exam will not decide your fate. Walk into the exam hall with a smile on your face and rest will be taken care of.
All the best (for life)!