A topper's preparation Strategy for MICAT

What is the MICAT exam?

MICAT exam is the entrance exam conducted by Mudra Institute of Communication, Ahmedabad. MICA is considered to be very popular for its post-graduate courses such as Strategic Marketing and Communications), Crafting Creative Communication, etc. MICA has emerged famous for its professors who are highly qualified individuals and have significant experience in the media industry. This exam is easy to crack if one has a good preparation strategy for MICAT. This is why this college is targeted by many MBA aspirants. If you are preparing for other MBA entrance exams you are by default prepared to ace the MICAT exam. As you read further ahead you will gain more insights about preparation strategy for MICAT, its syllabus, sections, exam dates, fees, and details about the admission procedure. Prepare for MICAT  with our curated course for MICAT2020 by IIM, SP Jain Alumni

Eligibility for MICA

In order to be eligible for the post-graduate programs in MICA (all - Post Graduate Diploma in Management - Communications, (PGDM-C), Fellow Programme In Management - Communications (FPM-C), Post Graduate Certificate Programme in Crafting Creative Communication (CCC), you should have completed bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification in any discipline from a university recognized by Authorities of Indian Universities. You can write the MICAT exam even if you are in the final year or you are a passed out student. You need to have a proper preparation strategy in place if you want to ace all the sections in the MICAT exam, including the psychometric test, descriptive test, convergent and divergent test. These are the sections that need attention and a different preparation strategy altogether if you want to ace the MICAT exam in your first attempt as these sections are normally not present in the rest of the competitive exams. You will have to get well acquainted with these sections. Read: Know more about MICA

MICAT exam pattern

The MICAT exam is a computer-based exam. It is an exam for 165 minutes. It is conducted 2 times and the best score of the two is taken into consideration for calling the students for further admission rounds. MICAT 1 is conducted  You can appear for MICAT 1 or MICAT 2 or both. There are a total of 144 questions. MICAT exam includes both objective and subjective type questions. MICAT 1 is tentatively held in December mid and MICAT 2 is held in the first or second week of January. There are a total of 3 parts in the MICAT exam. 35 minutes are given to section 1 while 130  minutes are given to section 2. There is no negative marking for Part 1 and part 3. Part 2 has negative marking. The negative marking is 0.25. The language of the exam is English. Following are the sections in MICAT exam: 1. Psychometric Test 2. Descriptive Test 3.1 Verbal Ability, 3.2 Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation, 3.3 General Awareness, 3.4 Divergent and Convergent Thinking

Parts	Sections	Number of Questions (Expected)	Duration (In Minutes)	Negative Marking
Section A	Psychometric Test	150	30	No
Section B	Descriptive Test	4	25	No
Section C	- Verbal Ability - Quantitative Ability - General Awareness - Divergent-Convergent Reasoning	20 20 20 20	80	Yes - 0.25 marks for each wrong answer

Also read: Tips for creative writing

MICAT exam syllabus:

 The three main sections - quantitative ability and verbal reasoning are similar to most of the other competitive exams. The divergent and convergent reasoning section needs a different preparation strategy altogether.

Quantitative Ability:

If you are preparing for CAT/XAT, the Quant portion becomes easy, especially relevant is the fact, the Quant paper in MICAT is easier than CAT. The Quantitative Ability section has a total of 20 questions, with a 0.25 negative marking for wrong answers. The section mostly includes Arithmetic related topics including Time and Speed, Time and Work, Average, Allegations, and Mixtures. Other topics include Profit and Loss, Numbers, Venn Diagrams, Functions, Probability, Mensuration, and Equations. Try to go through the basics thoroughly, as most questions would be very basic in nature and to maximize your attempts for this section, as it is very scoring. Your basics should be strong. You can focus on Arithmetic, followed by other topics like Probability, Mensuration, Numbers, Equations, Venn Diagrams, and Functions. Don't forget to checkout: Speed calculation tricks for quants

The verbal section:

This section of the paper has 20 questions on topics like para jumbles, reading comprehension, statement-assumption, statement- conclusion, etc., there is a negative marking of 0.25 marks on every wrong attempt. Again, if you prepare for CAT and other exams, you should be able to solve these. These are usually of moderate level difficulty, so try to increase your accuracy in this section. Focus on studying fill in the blanks, para jumbles, and para-completion. In addition to this, one important hack for verbal is to prepare well for ‘statement assumption and conclusion’. Most of the students lack preparation for it. There are games available online that can help you test your word power and make it enjoyable too.

Divergent and convergent test section:

This section checks the analytical ability of students. It consists of lots of tricky questions. One hack for this section is that you should be thorough with proverbs and phrases. 

Psychometric test:

Section checks your personality and behavioral traits. There is no negative marking for this section. You are allotted 30 minutes to complete this section. Watch: Tips for the psychometric test

General Awareness:

The GK section consists of 20 questions with a 0.25 negative marking for wrong answers. Questions in the general awareness section cover aspects from the latest current affairs to business news, advertising agency trivia, global brand awareness, etc. You can have an edge over other aspirants in this section if you prepare thoroughly for it.  This section tests your knowledge on Business, Marketing, Brands (both is a thing that does not come all of a sudden, and even if you know something, it does not mean that you will remember it. national & international), Advertising Agencies, Companies and taglines, Celebrity Endorsers, Start-ups, critically acclaimed/social films, and others.  

Here's an interview with a MICAT topper with top-notch preparation strategy for MICAT:

Why is MICA your dream college?

This is my dream college because I have always been inclined towards marketing. I have a lot of experience in the field of marketing. The job profile that I am looking for, from the Future point of view I think this college is the best place to be in. Also, placements and campus life were something that always attracted me. The faculty at MICA are well-known industry experts. Who would not want to be a part of such a wonderful learning experience?

How did you prepare for the MICAT exam?

>MICAT preparation happened along with my CAT prep. Except for the writing part which I practiced every day. I wanted to crack this exam so I made sure that my preparation strategy was in place. My mentors at Catking always there for me whenever I had any queries or doubts.  Also, I was preparing for other competitive exams as well as quantitative ability on the verbal ability part automatically covered.  For the creative writing section, I made sure that I practiced writing on a daily basis. It was just to get used to writing pretty neatly in just 30 mins. The English LR was tricky so needed practice. My basics for the quantitative ability and verbal ability were clear when I attended lectures at the classes.

What was your preparation strategy?

First I got thorough with my basics. I attended the lectures and practiced questions from the study materials. After I finished the study material I moved on to solving the topic wise tests. The topic-wise tests and sectional helped me get used to solving the questions within the time limit. Initially, my mock scores were low. But after thorough analysis and after knowing my weak and strong areas my scores in the mocks started to improve. I was consistent throughout.

 What was your daily schedule like?

Umm, I could say I made it a point to do at least one topic from all the sections every day. Well, For my MICAT Preparation I used to start with English in the morning and by evening end up doing quant and LR. I imbibed a habit of giving mocks on a regular basis. I gave around 20 mocks and I made sure that after every mock I analyze my mistakes in a detailed manner.  For the Writing section, I practiced once every day for a month before the exam day.

What was your D day strategy?

I had a strategy in mind as to how I am going to approach the paper. I played on my strengths and weaknesses.  It is important that you know your strengths and weaknesses so that you don't mess up on the exam day. Verbal was my strongest section as reading is my hobby. I made sure that I solved the easier questions first and leave the tough ones for later. This strategy helped me optimize my time in a perfect manner and I was able to solve the maximum number of questions on the exam day.

What advice would you give for this year's aspirants?

One should make a proper preparation strategy. I would say MICAT is getting tougher every day. But again it is a walk-in the test. In addition to it, The most important advice that I would give is that be consistent in your preparation. The more you practice the better. Get your basics crystal clear and you should be ready to solve any question, no matter the difficulty. Do not let your mocks scores affect you in any way. Attempt sectional and topic wise tests on a daily basis. Solving topic wise tests is an excellent way to revise your topics. Psychometric is something you cannot learn. So just enjoy MICAT and you'll sail.

Why Would you recommend this college to current MBA Aspirants?

The curriculum is very powerful and develops you as an individual and makes you a very powerful communicator which is the only important thing today to set you apart. MICA is the only college that focuses more on the creative aspects of a human being. If you get into MICA, you ought to sharpen your creative aspects to the next level.

The secret to your success?

To be very honest it was just hard work and the right guidance and moral support and I got both from Rahul sir and CATking. The mocks offered by Catking for MICAT were up to the mark and helped me a lot acing the actual exam on the D day. I find myself lucky to have had his support throughout my endeavor. Rahul sir is a known expert for MICA in the country and I'm glad I could be mentored by him.

Related links:

MICAT Syllabus, eligibility, and paper patterns.

What is MICAT?

The pattern of MICAT along with the MICAT syllabus is different from other MBA Entrance Exams. Most of the MBA Entrance exams are made up entirely of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). However, MICAT has a paper pattern that asks objective, as well as subjective questions. The marking scheme for each section isn’t usually disclosed. Although negative marking applies only to the objective questions (except Psychometric) and will not be applicable to any of the subjective questions.

Check out courses curated by Top B-school mentors  

MICAT Eligibility Criteria

• The candidates who appeared/appearing in CAT/XAT/GMAT
• The candidates having Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification in any discipline recognized by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
• Candidates appearing for final year Bachelor's degree examinations are also eligible to apply

Despite the pattern changing regularly, the preparation strategy for all the common sections is given below.

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All you need to know about MICAT: Exam, GE & PI

What is MICA?

The most noteworthy thing while preparing for MICAT is that one never knows what really works for MICA. Their scoring patterns, group discussions, and personal interviews have incredible secrets stored within them. Furthermore, the unpredictability of the test is the benchmark for its formulation and hence it leaves very little room for preparation, but what remains in our hands is to practice and make it perfect. Let's get on with all you need to know about MICA! Check out courses curated by Top B-school mentors  

About MICAT:

Also read: Why is MICAT different and how to prepare for it MICAT is an MBA entrance exam conducted by MICA, Ahmedabad for admissions into their two year Post Graduate Diploma (PGDM) or Post Graduate Diploma in Management Communications (PGDM-C) program. The exam is conducted every year in two slots, one in December and one in February, through an online mode. The Phase I registration will usually start in September. There are around 140-150 questions in MICAT with a duration of 165 minutes.

Eligibility Criteria:

The primary eligibility criteria for MICAT is:

1. A valid CAT/XAT/GMAT score (You need at least 80 percentile or above in CAT/XAT to be eligible.)
2. Bachelor's degree in any discipline or equivalent qualification from a recognized university.
3. Final year students can also apply.

  

What are the sections in MICAT?

There are 3 main sections in MICAT namely:

• SECTION-A: Psychometric test
• SECTION-B: This includes 4 parts namely Verbal ability, Quantitative ability & Data Interpretation, General Awareness, and Convergent thinking.
• SECTION-C: Descriptive Test

Section Wise MICAT Exam Pattern

This year (2020) MICA has made a change in MICAT Paper Pattern. The duration of MICAT has been reduced from 2 hours 45 Minutes to 2 Hours 15 Minutes for the current year. Refer Table below for the Section Wise Breakup

Parts	Sections	Number of Questions (Expected)	Duration (In Minutes)	Negative Marking
Section A	Psychometric Test	150	30	No
Section B	Descriptive Test	4	25	No
Section C	- Verbal Ability - Quantitative Ability - General Awareness - Divergent-Convergent Reasoning	20 20 20 20	80	Yes - 0.25 marks for each wrong answer

Free mentor-ship by experts 

SECTION-A: How does one go about the Psychometric Test?

• The Psychometric section is a compelling feature of the MICAT. Students are given 30 questions (MCQs) to comprehend their Aspirations, Motivations, and Behavior.
• The purpose of this section is basically to understand your thought process and views, and especially the stability in your thoughts.
• You will be given small instances and asked how you would react to them, or what do you think of such instances to check how consistent you are in your thoughts and reasoning.

How to crack this section?

• The best way to crack this section is through honesty and early introspection. Students should practice writing 20 good and bad things about themselves and take a firm stand while attempting this section in the exam.
• Try avoiding neutral as the choice. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers and this test in only to understand how you think.
• Try not to manipulate your answers or be diplomatic for every answer. They don't want you to tick the 'right' option for everything, but how much you know yourself and accept it.

*Just be careful while attempting your psychometric test; if you do not clear this, you are automatically rejected. They wouldn't even consider your other scores/credentials. A lot of free psychometric tests are available online, so you can give it a try before the final exam day.

SECTION-B: How to prepare for the four sections?

Quantitative ability:

Also check: How to save time in quants and DI

• If you are preparing for CAT/XAT, the Quant portion becomes easy, especially relevant is the fact, the Quant paper in MICAT is easier than CAT.
• The Quantitative Ability section has a total of 25 questions, with a 0.25 negative marking for wrong answers.
• The section mostly includes Arithmetic related topics including Time and Speed, Time and Work, Average, Allegations, and Mixtures.
• Other topics include Profit and Loss, Numbers, Venn Diagrams, Functions, Probability, Mensuration, and Equations.
• Try to go through the basics thoroughly, as most questions would be very basic in nature and to maximize your attempts for this section, as it is very scoring.

 

Verbal Ability:

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MICA, Ahmedabad, management school for strategic marketing and communications, has reduced its entrance exam duration —MICAT — by 30 minutes. The duration of MICAT has been reduced from 2 hours 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes for the current year. Like every year, MICAT-1 will be held on the first Saturday of December — December 5. MICAT online course-Join now Confirming the same, Prof Ruchi Tewari, Admissions Chair, MICA, said, “While the number of sections in MICAT remains the same — psychometric, descriptive, and aptitude section — the total number of questions will be reduced. This decision has been in deliberation for a while, and the stressful externalities propelled us into action to make a scientific analysis of data and take this decision.” The institute has opened applications for its 2021-23 batch of the flagship two-year PGP Program (Post Graduate Diploma in Management – Communication/Post Graduate Diploma in Management). Interested can participate in the PGDM and PGDMC admission process and appear for the MICAT entrance exam, a computer-based test conducted twice a year, and the better of the two scores in MICAT I and II is considered. The application process opened on October 6, and the last date for online application for PGDM-C/PGDM MICAT-1 exam is November 25. As a practice, MICA hosts admission-related webinars to sort queries and interact with the prospective students,”Prof Ruchi added. The institute has opened applications for its 2021-23 batch of the flagship 2-year PGP Program (Post Graduate Diploma in Management – Communication/Post Graduate Diploma in Management). Applicants who wish to participate in the PGDM and PGDM-C admission process will have to appear for an entrance exam conducted by the institute, known as MICAT. MICAT, a computer-based test, is conducted twice a year, and the better of the two scores is considered as a student may choose to write both MICAT I and II. The application process opened on October 6, and the last date for online application for PGDM-C/PGDM MICAT-1 exam is November 25, 2020.