Hey Amigos! Done with CAT and IIFT? I know multiple emotions are floating around but now is not the time to think about all that. It is time to buckle up and start preparing for GD-PI. I know IIM's have scrapped the GD Process but still, many Top B-SCHOOLS conduct GD/CD PI. The following are a few points that helped me to prepare for GD-PI:
1.
Informal groups- I am sure you already must have enrolled with different coaching institutes for preparations but the best learning happens through your peers. Make an informal GDPI group, conduct knowledge sharing sessions and have mock GD and PI sessions. You will not only learn from your mistakes but these sessions will also boost your public speaking skills.
2. Read newspapers-I know this might get boring (at least for me it did initially) but trust me once you start following a piece of news daily it gets really interesting. Newspapers especially THE HINDU has certain columns like Editorials and OPED section which give you in-depth insights about any topics which help you to form your own opinions on the same.
3.
Practice voice modulations-Remember they will not only judge you on your content knowledge but also how you behave in the GD/PI. Soft skills play a major part in driving any GD or PI towards a successful one. Tone, volume, gestures, body posture, etc. speaks a lot about your personality as a whole. It shows how confident you are and who knows it might be the only parameter for your selection as well!
4.
Prepare for a few questions well- Well you never know what kind of questions or topics you will be dealing with but every time there will be a few questions which will repeat during your PI process such as introduce yourself, strengths and weaknesses, extra and co-Curriculars, why MBA? why a switch from engineering to MBA, which stream you want to pursue your MBA from, etc. You must be ready with answers to such questions and must answer them with full confidence and with proper justification.
5.
Read good books- Improve your vocabulary and work on your fluency in English- These skills will help you express yourself in a better and effective way. Remember being verbose is the last thing they are looking for.
6. Learn to effectively manage a GD-Trust me there's going to be no point in you knowing so much if you can't speak in a GD. There can be 2 types of participants- leader and follower. There is no harm in being either of them and mostly it depends on the GD group dynamics. If you want to emerge as a leader learn how to effectively control the GD without showing your dominance. If you want to be a follower try to be an early entrant into the GD. Come up with 2-3 strong points in the GD and your work should be done.
As Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam rightly said, "
If you want to shine like a sun, you have to burn like a sun". Now is the time to test your real knowledge among your friends, discuss facts and figures, read quality content as much as you can so that you have relevant points to speak for every topic. But do remember nobody is perfect in this. We can never be! We just need to get better from whatever we are right now and rest is luck. So, get ready for some amazing experiences ahead.
All the best and I hope you do well!