Which MBA exams have GK and how to prepare for them:

• Significance of Business School: The effectiveness of an MBA is largely determined by the business school the aspirant is admitted to.
• Competition in India: In countries like India, where competition is intense, many top-notch institutes conduct their own entrance exams to filter and select the best candidates.
• Major Sections in Entrance Exams: While most MBA entrance exams focus on Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability, and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, candidates typically concentrate on these areas.
• Additional Section - General Knowledge (GK): Some entrance exams include an additional section to test candidates' awareness of general knowledge.
• Importance of GK: GK should not be taken lightly as it can be a deciding factor for selection into the desired institute.
• Preparation for GK in MBA Exams: Strategies for preparing for the GK section in MBA exams are essential for success.

Let us talk about some of the MBA entrance exams that include GK section:

MICAT:

Mudra Institute of Communication conducts the MICAT entrance exam, which has a section on General Knowledge. The exam consists of two papers, out of which Paper 2 consists of the GK section. Around 25 questions are asked in the General Knowledge section. There is no negative marking for these questions.

A list of important topics that are usually covered in MICAT GK are as follows:

1. Current Affairs over the past year (National, world, business etc.)
2. Brand ambassadors
3. National and International affairs (Social icons, CEOs, MDs, new appointees etc.)
4. Taglines of Companies
5. Logos of Companies
6. Recent Advertising campaigns
7. Recent major Books, awards and their authors
8. Marketing related major news
9. Economy related questions (major events)

MICA, as we know, specializes in marketing, hence, you will find that a lot of questions are based on advertising and marketing domain. Questions such as tagline, logo, current CEO, brand ambassador etc. are based of the last one year (current) so you can pay more attention to these. Also, try to read a lot of GK from Marketing sources, as it has been found that questions are usually taken from these sources. Also, pay forces to current National events (any major event, calamity, economy-related affairs) as these questions also form an important part of MICAT GK. You can read more on how to focus on the right sections in our article mentioned below.

Also read: All you need to know about MICAT GK

TISSNET:

TISSNET exam is the entrance test for admission into the Tata Institue of Social Sciences (TISS). It one of the most prestigious B-school for specialization in HR. The TISSNET also consists of 4 sections out of which one is dedicated to GK. The weightage for GK is higher in this than any other exams, as you can see in the table below:

With 40 questions in hand, it becomes crucial for TISSNET aspirants to be very well prepared with GK, especially Static GK. As compared to the other exams, you will find that TISSNET has majority of its questions based on static GK, with focus on topics like:

• Constitution of India
• Geography
• History of India
• Polity
• Indian Economics
• Awards and Recognition
• Science and Technology
• Sports events/ awards
• International organizations and their details

In current affairs, the focus is on issues that are related to social life that have happened within the last year. A student is expected to perform very well in the GK sections to crack TISSNET. An accuracy of 70% is desirable. Start preparing for Static from the start, you need to memorize a lot of GK to score well in the static questions.

XAT:

XAT is one of the most important exams that a lot of MBA aspirants attempt every year for admissions into some of the top institutes in India. It also has a GK section, and focus on this section is important to covert colleges. It consists of 25 questions with no negative marking.  Focus on Static questions is higher than Current affairs.

So candidates have to focus a lot on Static GK to score better in the GK section. The topics included in XAT GK are majorly from:

• Economy
• Politics
• International organizations
• Sports
• Personalities
• Books and Authors
• Science and Technology
• Geography
• History
• Miscellaneous
• Current Affairs

One peculiar thing about the GK section is XAT is that the score of this section is not counted in the final score. So, this score does not count in calculating your percentile. However, your GK score will play a role once you are shortlisted. It will be analyzed during your interview round and final selection. So don’t take the GK section lightly, as it can make or break your chances of admission into top B-schools like XLRI!

CMAT:

• Acceptance of CMAT Scores: Many colleges across the country accept CMAT scores for admission.
• General Knowledge Section: CMAT typically includes around 25 questions on General Knowledge.
• Difficulty Level: The difficulty level of these questions is generally expected to be Easy to Moderate.
• Question Content: GK questions in CMAT are typically based on current affairs, important events across the country, and other relevant topics.

MAT:

MAT has a section on General Knowledge. Around 35-40 questions could be expected on the GK section In this exam. Questions are generally based on topics such as Economics, Prizes & Awards, Constitution of India, Sports, business, etc.

How to prepare for GK in the MBA?

The best method to prepare for GK not just for MBA exams, but for any exam is to just READ, READ, and READ!!

• Regular Reading: Candidates should make it a habit to thoroughly read newspapers, political and business articles, books, magazines, etc., on a daily basis.
• Continuous Learning: Building a strong grip on General Knowledge is not a quick process; it requires continuous learning over time.
• Stay Updated: Keep a close watch on major events in various fields such as Politics, Corporates, Economy, Global Events, and Sports over the past year.
• Importance of Current Affairs: Many questions in entrance exams are based on current affairs, advertisements, and other relevant topics.
• Disciplinary Schedule: It's crucial to maintain a disciplined schedule to regularly read and update oneself with the latest information and events.

Reading is the best method, however, one should also watch several informative TV channels like History Channel, Discovery, National Geography, etc, and a lot of news channels in this regard. IIFT 2017, had a new type of question in its GK section. In this type, the questions consisted of a paragraph that could be related to a certain news item, and the candidate had to identify the incorrect information in the paragraph.

Some of the other methods to improve the preparation of this section could be :

• Several Video Tutorials that cover all Current Affairs and important events could be accessed through several sources across the internet.
• A set of documents, known as Business Awareness Documents, consists of all the important questions, relating to several companies, which may be a good data point covering the business area asked in the exam.
• Static General Knowledge must be properly focused on and memorized.
• Past year papers must be looked upon and analyzed to get an understanding of the type of question asked, and accordingly preparation is to be done
• Keeping a track of monthly current affairs could be a good method to be aware of the happenings around the country as well as on a global level
• And finally, Practice is the key to success, one should practice as much as possible, which could the determining factor for these exams

Conclusion:

We can see that GK section has a good weightage across several entrance exams held, and this section cannot be ignored. One should focus on this section. But the most important question is how one should prepare for this section. Considering the variety of areas and fields covered, the best way is to keep yourself updated on the current happenings, not only in India but also across the world. Reading and Practicing is the key to cracking the General Knowledge section, across all the entrance exams. Be disciplined, focused and one shall achieve its target!