Exam Pattern

General Awareness

Analytical Ability and Logical Reasoning

English Proficiency

TISSNET Analysis 2018

The TISSNET entrance exam is very crucial for taking admission into the courses offered by Tata Institute of Social Sciences. TISSNET 2018 was held on Saturday, 6^th January 2018. As compared to the previous year, TISSNET was a bit different this year. It was an online test, with three sections. As all exams threw in a bunch of surprises in the paper pattern, and marking scheme but TISSNET was true to its nature of being easy, with no negative marking and standard 3 sections:

Total Duration: 100 mins

Negative Marking: No

Sectional Time Limit: None

General Awareness: This section was the toughest out of the three sections. It had 28 questions on Static GK and 12 questions on Current Affairs. In total, 12 questions were based on International topics and 28 were on national topics. Static GK had questions pertaining to Indian History, Science, etc. Questions on Current Affairs were moderately difficult, with Static GK being tougher. Overall, around 16 questions would be considered easy. Questions were non-specific and weren’t exclusively chosen from any particular topic like Social Sciences, as used to happen before. 20 mins would be the ideal time to spend on this section. Getting a minimum score of 24-26 would contribute to a good score.

Mathematical & Logical Reasoning :This section was fairly easy more than 22 were easy and 8 Data Interpretation Questions. In this section, different students faced a different break-up of questions. Some students faced more questions on LR while others faced more questions on QA.  A lot of questions were based on Modern Maths and Arithmetic. Arithmetic-based questions were easy and should have been attempted by all. Difficulty level of LR was similar to the previous year. A score of 26 would be essential for a good score as this was definitely easier than last year.

English Proficiency :Verbal Ability was easier than last year. Accuracy could be achieved in many questions. Out of 30, 20 questions were vocabulary-based and 10 was Reading Comprehension. The vocabulary questions were mainly consisted of idioms, antonyms, fill in the blanks, analogies and one word substitutions. The reading comprehension passages were shorter compared the usual lenghty ones in paper based. Parajumbles were absent in this year’s paper. A well-prepared student could have attempted all 30 questions. Getting at least 27-28 questions right would guarantee a good score. Completing it in 30-35 mins would be possible for a good student.

Overall, TISSNET 2018 was slightly easier than TISSNET 2017 barring General awareness which is always the students most fretting area.

TISSNET Analysis 2017

The structure of the TISS-NET was the same as that of last year. The test was online and was divided into 3 sections – General Awareness (40 questions), Mathematical and Logical Reasoning (30 questions) and English (30 questions). There were 100 questions for 100 marks. There was no negative marking. The overall difficulty level of the exam was slightly easier to that of last year.

Total Duration: 100 mins

Negative Marking: No

Sectional Time Limit: None

General Awareness : This section comprised 40 questions, each carrying 1 mark. Out of the 40 questions, there were 25 static ones and 15 were on current affairs. There were around 9 questions on international affairs, 26 related to national events and 5 generic ones based on biology/geography. About 20 questions were easy, 12 were medium and 8 difficult.A score of 25-26 would be a good benchmark. Attempting all GA questions would not have taken more than 15 minutes.

Mathematical and Logical Reasoning :The questions on arithmetic were easy and all of them should have been attempted. There were 15 LR questions and at least 11 should have been attempted. Some of the questions were tricky. The 8 DI questions were of easy to moderate level.By allotting 30-34 minutes to this area, one should have ideally solved at least 23-25 questions correctly and marked the answers to the remaining, as there was no negative marking.

English :This section comprised 30 questions, out of which there were on 5 reading comprehension. There were 4 analogies, 5 single fill in the blanks, 4 idiom based fill in the blanks, 2 questions on Antonyms, 6 on finding error in the sentence, 3 questions on odd man out and 1 question on Phrase Substitution. Out of the 5 reading comprehension questions, all the five were of easy to moderate level. The RC passage was about 400-450 words long and dealt with ‘Nutrition, proteins and mutation of injuries’. Most of the questions in this section were of an easy to moderate level.A good score for this section would be 26. A serious aspirant would be able to tackle all questions within 30-35 minutes.

The Overall TISSNET 2017 cut-offs for M.A. (HRM)- Mumbai campus, for General Category will be around 82

TISSNET Analysis 2016

The TISSNET entrance exam is very crucial for taking admission into the courses offered by Tata Institute of Social Sciences. TISSNET 2016 was held at 39 centres in India, on Saturday, 9^th January, 2016.  As compared to the previous year, TISSNET was a bit different this year. It was an online test, with three sections.

Total Duration: 100 mins

Negative Marking: No

Sectional Time Limit: None

General Awareness :This section was the toughest out of the three sections. It had 22 questions on Static GK and 18 questions on Current Affairs. In total, 13 questions were based on International topics and 27 were on national topics. Static GK had questions pertaining to Indian History, Science, etc.Questions on Current Affairs were moderately difficult, with Static GK being tougher. Overall, around 16 questions would be considered easy. Questions were non-specific and weren’t exclusively chosen from any particular topic like Social Sciences, as used to happen before. 20 mins would be the ideal time to spend on this section. Getting a minimum score of 16 would contribute to a good score.

Mathematical & Logical Reasoning :This section was fairly easy. In this section, different students faced a different break-up of questions. Some students faced more questions in LR while others faced more questions in QA. A lot of questions were based on Modern Maths and Arithmetic. Arithmetic-based questions were easy and should have been attempted by all. Difficulty level of LR was similar to the previous year. A score of 26 would have been essential in getting a good score.

English Proficiency:Verbal Ability was easier than last year. Accuracy could be achieved in a lot of questions. Out of 30, 21 questions were vocabulary-based. They consisted mainly of idioms, antonyms, fill in the blanks, analogies and one word substitutions. The 4 questions on sentence correction were pretty easy. 5 questions were based on Reading Comprehension with an 800-word passage. Out of these 5 questions, 3 were easy and 2 were moderate. Para-jumbles were absent in this year’s paper. A well-prepared student could have attempted all 30 questions. Getting at least 25 questions right would guarantee a good score. Completing it in 30-35 mins would have been possible for a good student.

Overall, TISSNET 2016 was slightly easier than TISSNET 2015.Cut-offs:Based on the overall scores, the cut-offs were as follows,M.A in HRM Cutoffs Categories Wise:General :74, OBC /NC: 65, SC: 62,PWD: 57

TISSNET Analysis 2014

The TISSNET entrance exam is very crucial for taking admission into the courses offered by Tata Institute of Social Sciences.  In 2014 TISSNET was taken by around 1200 students. Candidates were provided with 2 options either offline or online for appearing the exam. The test comprised of 95 questions to be solved in 100 minutes and the time provided was quite sufficient as the paper was quite easy.There was no sectional time limit and the candidates could move freely across the sections within the time limit.

Total Duration: 100 mins

Negative Marking: No

Sectional Time Limit: None

General Awareness:General Awareness included 30 questions which were from moderate to tough level and the questions were from various topics like :History of India which included (dynasties of India, Indian culture, Famous Indian personalities),World,Science,Current Affairs,Social Awareness,Literature,Fine Arts,Music (from all over the world),Geography,General Geology etc. time allotted to this section should have been around 30 minutes.

Mathematical & Logical Reasoning: Maths and Logical reasoning section was quite easy and even an average student could have solved it. Average attempt could have been at least 25 of the given 35 questions.And had questions from following topics:Venn Diagrams,Numerical/word series,Permutation and Combination,Time and Work,Time and Distance,Geometry and Mensuration,Ratios and Proportions,Percentages,Deduction

English Proficiency: RC questions were of 2 marks each. The difficulty level was easy to moderate. Average attempt could have been around 25-28 questions out of the 30.And had questions from following topics:Similar pair of words,Fill in the blank (one blank or two blanks)Reading comprehension.Paragraph Formation,Inappropriate usage of words

Overall the test was of easy – moderate difficulty level although the General Awareness part was quite tough. Each question carried 1 mark and there was no negative marking in TISSNET 2014.  The overall cutoff for the HRM program was around 70-75 marks.

TISSNET Analysis 2013

The TISSNET entrance exam is very crucial for taking admission into the courses offered by Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The TISSNET 2013 consisted of 95 questions in 100 min. It does not had any negative markings. Overall the paper was quite easy except general awareness section.

Total Duration: 100 mins

Negative Marking: No

Sectional Time Limit: None

English Proficiency
RC consisted of 5 questions of 2 marks each & 25 questions of vocabulary. There were also questions based on sentence correction. Overall the paper was easy to moderate difficulty level. Overall 25+ was an achievable score Topics that were asked covered the following topics:
Vocabulary, Grammar correction, Analogy, Fill in the blanks, Reading comprehension, Sentence Arrangement.

Quantitative ability & Data Interpretation
The QA consisted of arithmetic, ratio & proportion, geometry, profit & loss, time & work, syllogisms etc. Overall 27 + was an achievable score. Surprisingly there were no questions on Data interpretation or data sufficiency. The Difficulty level was easy & time was quite manageable.

General Awareness.
This section was tougher compared to other sections as it consisted questions on Indian Dynasty, Nazim of Hyderabad, American history, Medieval history ,Rulers of Delhi. It also consisted questions of social awareness & current affairs of 2013. Overall 14+ was an achievable score.

There was no sectional time limit. Overall the test was of easy – moderate difficulty level but the General Awareness part was quite tough. There was no negative marking.  The overall cut-off for the HRM program could be between 60 -70 marks.

TISSNET Analysis 2012

The TISSNET entrance exam is very crucial for taking admission into the courses offered by Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The TISS test 2012 had 50 objective type questions and each right answer carried one mark. Duration allotted for the test was one hour. There was no negative marking. The test was in written form and had two sections which assess the candidate’s logical and analytical abilities and social awareness about current issues.
TISS test was of 50 marks.

CAT Exam 2017 – Morning Slot – Reading Comprehension Sources

Total Duration: 60 mins

Negative Marking: No

Sectional Time Limit: None

Logical and Analytical Ability :This section contained questions on quantitative reasoning as well. Overall difficulty level was easy to moderate. Average attempt would have been 16 +,Following are the topics with the number of question which came into the exam:
Venn Diagrams – 2 Questions,Numerical/word series – 1 Question,Permutation and Combination – 1 Question,Time and Work – 3 Questions,Time and Distance – 3 Questions,Geometry and Mensuration – 3 Questions, Ratios and Proportions – 3 Questions ,Percentages – 3 Questions ,Deduction – 1 Question

Social & General Awareness:Duration allotted was 30 minutes. The difficulty level was easy to moderate. Average attempt could have been around 25-28 questions out of the 30.Average attempt would have been 16 +,Following are the topics with the number of question which came into the exam:History of India and World – 8 Questions ,General Geology – 5 Questions ,Fine Arts &Music – 5 Questions ,Reading Comprehension – 6 Questions ,Paragraph Formation – 6 Questions

There was no sectional time limit. Overall the test was of easy – moderate difficulty level but the General Awareness part was quite tough. There was no negative marking.  The overall cut-off for the HRM program was around 35 -40 marks.

TISSNET Analysis 2012

The TISSNET entrance exam is very crucial for taking admission into the courses offered by Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The TISS test 2012 had 50 objective type questions and each right answer carried one mark. Duration allotted for the test was one hour. There was no negative marking. The test was in written form and had two sections which assess the candidate’s logical and analytical abilities and social awareness about current issues.
TISS test was of 50 marks.

Total Duration: 60 mins

Negative Marking: No

Sectional Time Limit: None

Logical and Analytical Ability : This section contained questions on quantitative reasoning as well. The overall difficulty level was easy to moderate. Average attempt would have been 16 +,Following are the topics with the number of question which came into the exam:
Venn Diagrams – 2 Questions,Numerical/word series – 1 Question,Permutation and Combination – 1 Question,Time and Work – 3 Questions,Time and Distance – 3 Questions,Geometry and Mensuration – 3 Questions, Ratios and Proportions – 3 Questions ,Percentages – 3 Questions ,Deduction – 1 Question

Social & General Awareness:Duration allotted was 30 minutes. The difficulty level was easy to moderate. Average attempt could have been around 25-28 questions out of the 30.Average attempt would have been 16 +,Following are the topics with the number of question which came into the exam:History of India and World – 8 Questions ,General Geology – 5 Questions ,Fine Arts &Music – 5 Questions ,Reading Comprehension – 6 Questions ,Paragraph Formation – 6 Questions

There was no sectional time limit. Overall the test was of easy – moderate difficulty level but the General Awareness part was quite tough. There was no negative marking.  The overall cut-off for the HRM program was around 35 -40 marks.

TISSNET Analysis 2010

The TISSNET entrance exam is very crucial for taking admission into the courses offered by Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The TISSNET 2010 was divided in two parts: Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 section consisted viz. Analytical & Numerical Ability, Language Ability & Awareness of General & Social Issues. It consisted of 50 questions to be solved in 45 min. Mostly the students would have solved the questions within the given span time as the overall the paper was easy.

CAT Exam 2017 – Afternoon Slot – Reading Comprehension Sources

Total Duration: 105 mins

Negative Marking: No

Sectional Time Limit: None

Detailed Analysis of  Part 1: Analytical & Numerical Ability

There was a set on DI with 5 questions which had quite simple questions which could be solved easily in given time period. There was also questions based on Arithmetic, Time & work, P & L, Mensuration & Simple equations. Overall the paper could be solved easily.Total Questions in Analytical & Numerical Ability – 15 Questions

Language Ability Overall the sections was quite easy. Overall a good attempt of correct questions would be 13-14 questions.Total Questions in Language Ability – 20 Questions

General Awareness. :This section consisted of variety of questions from topics like geography, history, basic science, economics, social awareness & current affairs of 2010. Students who would read newspapers daily would have attempted this section questions easily.Overall a good attempt of correct questions would be 10-12 questions.Total Questions in General Awareness & Social Issues – 15 Questions

Detailed Analysis of  Part 2:
There were total five sections viz. Data interpretation (DI), Data Sufficiency, Reading Comprehension and Business knowledge & Foundation of Management. This part was almost on the pattern of the previous year set but had a surprise in that questions increased to twenty from ten last year. RC questions were more than those last year. Questions that were asked in GK were from different fields. An attempt of 42+ questions should be considered to be very good.

Number of Questions per Section is mentioned below: Data Interpretation(DI) – 20 Questions ,Data Sufficiency – 20 Questions ,Reading Comprehension – 20 Questions ,Business Knowledge – 15 Questions.

There was no sectional time limit. Overall the test was of easy – moderate difficulty level but the General Awareness part was quite tough. There was no negative marking. The overall cut-off for the HRM program was around 60-75 marks.

TISSNET Analysis 2009

The management entrance test to Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), held on 13th December 2009, was easier compared to TISS 2008. The overall level of difficulty of the test was quite low. The test was divided into 2 parts – the first part was of 45 minutes duration and the second of 1 hour. The second part of the test was specialization specific, i.e., it varied according to the specialization one had chosen. The instruction page of the test clearly stated that there would be no negative marking, no sectional cut-offs and no sectional time limits.

The total number of Question Section wise were as follows :

CAT Exam 2018 – Morning Slot – Reading Comprehension Sources

Total Duration: 105 Minutes

Negative Marking: No

Sectional Time Limit: None

Analytical & Numerical Ability :There was a set on DI with 5 questions which had quite simple questions which could be solved easily in given time period. There was also questions based on Arithmetic, Time & work, P & L, Mensuration & Simple equations. Overall the paper could be solved easily.
Some of questions were based on the following topics :Pie-chart, Number Series,Geometry, Mensuration, Averages, Time & work

Language Ability : This section consisted of grammar, vocabulary questions, Usage of English, Fill in the blanks, Odd man out, correct and incorrect sentences, Grammar correction, Analogy,Reading comprehension, Sentence Arrangement Overall the sections was quite easy

General Awareness : This section consisted of variety of questions from topics like geography, history, basic science, economics, social awareness & current affairs of 2009. Students who would read newspapers daily would have attempted this section questions easily.Overall a good attempt of correct questions would be 10-12 questions.The Question were based on the following topics: Geography , History , Basic science , Economics etc.

Part I: A good attempt in this part would be 33-37 with a possible score of 26+,Part II: A good attempt in this part would be 55-60 with a possible score of 40+.