MICAT Preparation -
This paper is one of a kind with a unique structure and unfamiliar sections which you will not encounter in any B-School entrance exam in India. There isn’t any repository of past year MICAT papers online, so basic logic and general knowledge is the key to crack it.
It’s divided into 3 sections -
Section 1 - psychometric test
Section 2 - descriptive test
Section 3 - aptitude test
But, we have to first unlock the first door to reach the other sections. Psychometric test is the qualifier. If a student fails to qualify this section then other sections will not be evaluated.
To qualify this bridge, it’s imperative to be true to your self, basically you have to be self aware. This section requires us to answer with our gut feeling and without contemplating (No second thoughts). This test is designed to determine the personality of a candidate. The institute believes in admitting those students who have a consistent personality (just my opinion, I don't know the algorithm to crack it). This is the make or break part of MICAT and you have to be super prompt since there are 150 questions which have to be answered in 35 minutes and all the questions in this section have to be attempted to ensure that the paper is considered for evaluation.
The second section is a descriptive test. This section demands you to be extremely quirky and present some out of the box content. There are 4 parts in it - the first part is wherein, a statement is given, it can be related to anything, there isn’t any predetermined topic. Students have to write 5 arguments supporting the statement. In the second part, for the same statement students have to write 5 arguments against it. In the third part, for the same statement, students have to present a concluding idea taking either of the viewpoints in 250 words. The fourth part is the most interesting part, wherein 4 pictures are given and a story is to be drafted connecting the 4 pictures in any order in 350 words. This entire exercise seems pretty long but you have only 25 minutes. To ace this section, I think it’s best to read a lot from diverse genres and also work upon your grammar and spellings.
The third section is a regular aptitude test divided into 4 sections again which has to be attempted in 105 minutes - verbal ability, quantitative ability & data interpretation, general awareness and divergent & convergent thinking. Preparing for verbal and quant will not take much time since it’s almost the same as CAT. To prepare for general awareness, I will advise students to read about brands & logos and update themselves about the latest acquisitions/current affairs. Some extra efforts have to be poured into to prepare for divergent and convergent thinking since this is relatively different. This section has questions of the following types - word associations, statement & conclusion type, proverbs & idiom related. A sample paper has been uploaded on MICA’s website which gives you a decent idea about the pattern and to practise some tests you can get Non-CAT mock test series of career launcher.
My inclination behind joining MICA.
After studying CA I have mastered finance but on the flip side, I wanted to understand how brands work, the concept of storytelling, marketing analytics, digital marketing, etc and MICA fits the bill. I consider myself in the overlapping part of a 2 circle Venn diagram. MICA has a unique pedagogy and brilliant professors. So it’s going to be new learning for me.
There are humongous opportunities post pursuing MBA from MICA and it ultimately boils down to the fact which type of role you would like to pursue. I believe the knowledge which I gained from the Chartered Accountancy course helped me hone my financial skills and with a marketing wand, we can do wonders. I believe marketing is not limited to ad campaigns. It encompasses a gamut of activities. At the core of any marketing plan, we have numbers, budgets and a PnL to manage. There are a variety of roles which are available like product management, digital marketeer, brand manager etc. Me being a financial expert have to combine my analytical mind and mix the magic of marketing and serve the unique potion to the Corporate world.
The end
I would like to wrap up by saying, we may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated as quoted by Maya Angelou. So we should stay positive and calm because nobody is late. We are all on time in our journeys !
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