Anisha has done MBA in Marketing from NMIMS And Executive Management(PMNO) from Harvard Business School. She has been instrumental in growing CATKing Digital with her experience with Marico and Henkel in the past.
How to crack,TISSNET, XAT, MICAT, CMAT GK questions
General Knowledge covers centralized common knowledge and current affairs focused on national and foreign topics. The Static GK covers a broad range of topics including History , Geography, Environment, Corporations and Products, Indian Political Structure and Constitution, Organisation, Science and Technology, Sports, Awards & Recognitions, Books & Writers, Corporates, Industry, Share Markets, etc. Miscellaneous, etc. Let's look at how to crack XAT, TISSNET, MICAT, CMAT GK questions in these exams.
Exam-wise GK snapshot
| Exam | GK weight / nature | Marking highlights |
|---|---|---|
| IIFT | GK = ~20 questions (part of paper); focused static + business GK. | GK uses lower per-question marks (IIFT uses sectional marks differences). |
| TISSNET | Large GK component (traditionally ~40/100 in older pattern; current TISSNET places heavy weight on GA within 100 marks). | No negative marking in TISSNET; mark per correct generally +1. Confirm current year pattern before test. |
| XAT | Dedicated GK section (usually 25–30 Qs) — used for final selection but not counted in percentile; no negative marking in GK. | GK considered for shortlisting at PI stage. |
| MICAT | GK part of Section C (Aptitude) — plus subjective/descriptive & psychometric parts. GK Qs mixed with Verbal/Quant. | Psychometric section is qualifier; negative marking varies for Section C (objective). |
| CMAT | One full section = General Awareness (~20 Qs) (equal weight to other sections). Focus: business/economy + static GK. | Standard CMAT marking: +4 / −1. GK counts fully in percentile and merit. |
How to prioritise (exam-specific strategy)
CMAT (GK matters for percentile & cutoffs)
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Daily 20–30 mins on business/economy + static GK.
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Weekly 50 Q mock on GK; revise repeatedly wrong facts.
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Practice elimination-based MCQs; learn key years, schemes & winners.
IIFT (GK focused + vocabulary in VARC matters)
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Heavy weight to business/economy + international trade news.
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Practice quick recall (flashcards) for economic indicators and committees.
XAT (GK not in percentile but used in final selection)
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Treat GK as “no-risk” attempt zone — attempt all GK Qs carefully (no negative mark).
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Focus on recent leadership changes, awards, top corporate moves.
TISSNET (large GK emphasis; no negative marking)
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Cover social sector news, government schemes, welfare initiatives, development indices.
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Use past TISSNET GK pattern to focus on social & development headlines.
MICAT (marketing + brand awareness oriented)
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Read marketing case news, ad campaigns, brand launches, famous taglines, viral campaigns.
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Practice psychometric and descriptive clarity — GK sometimes embedded in prompts.
How to prepare for G.K ?
G.K preparation becomes a nightmare for almost all MBA entrances. Hence, in this article, we will help you with insights on how you can crack the GK section in MBA exams like XAT, TISSNET, MICAT, CMAT.
1. Read Newspapers Daily
We all know that “Old is Gold”, the same fact is applicable here too. We need to create a habit of reading newspapers consistently. It is recommended that you study more than one paper. It will be better if you read one paper of your mother's language and other of English. Some useful newspapers are “The Times of India”, “The Hindu”, “The Telegraph” etc.
Recommended national daily to study GK:
- The Hindu
- Economic Times
- Business World
- Business Today
- Financial Express
- The Financial Times
- Hindu Business Line
- Wall Street Journal
Reading daily newspapers can make it easier to learn General Knowledge. In MBA exams like XAT GK relies more on current affairs than on plain Static GK. To break CMAT GK, you need to set a date for activities around the world in the last 1 year. Staying up-to-date is still a smart thing, it's not only going to help you with the Gk portion, it's also going to help you with GDPI, where it will support you stand out from the rest.
Also read: How to read the newspaper for Verbal ability
2. Watch Current affairs special programs on News
Everyone will agree that watching news channel is the easiest and most relaxed way to stay up to date with all sorts of news. News channels cover single topic news the whole day, so you may come across a lot of specifics related to the original story, which may be helpful for you to break CMAT GK. Also, you might prefer to recall the knowledge better, as a visual tool helps you recall the truth better. You'll need to watch news shows at least once a day. Choose up an appropriate time for yourself to watch any favorite news channel of yours. You can watch ABP News, NDTV, Times Now, ET Now, Zee News etc. Try to go through all the breaking and highlighted news, and make a habit to watch regularly.
3. Notes for Exam
Always try to write short notes of what you think is important in terms of exams. We may come across this very basic truth a number of times, but it may get forgotten over time. As we know there's a lot of action going on in the nation and across the world, but it's easy to realise that it's not easy to memorize it all. So, a safe idea will be to keep track of those big incidents when and when you read them.You can do this either by writing it down daily in a small notebook (that you can easily carry around) or you can keep them in your smartphone's digital notepad (Try Google Keep app). This will ensure that whenever you want to revisit and refresh your memory, all you have to do is go through these notes. Going and searching the web for information during the last few days is very troublesome. So take some extra efforts today, and it will save you a lot of effort and time tomorrow! Also read: GK on States of India
4. Internet
Google, Twitter, and Wikipedia are our best instructors, so you can use all your web tools to scan for current affairs and GK feedback. Every day, you'll find gk on a wide variety of posts on the internet. Youtube is also a decent source for visual Gk, you get to see a gif, and you seem to remember better. There are also plenty of newspapers available online which cover a lot more information than on hardcopy newspapers. You can always join online groups of Current affairs to keep yourself updated and if not so, go like some pages of current affairs on Facebook and other social networking sites. We also have a special GK blog section with current affairs and static GK specially designed for all MBA Aspirants, you can refer that for the latest content as well.
5. Read Magazines / Books thoroughly
Various General Knowledge books / magazines are still a good way to get new material easily and reliably. There are several large newspapers that report on topical issues and on general knowledge. You need to order it from your community newspaper provider and start testing it extensively. Such important magazines are Pratiyogita Darpan and Manorma, etc. Try to study business magazines and sports magazines as well as a popular publication. This will improve the odds of breaching challenging tests with ease.
6. Participate in Online Quizzes
You should get involved in some free mock tests that are available on the internet to evaluate yourself. This is one of the best ways on how to crack CMAT GK questions. It provides you with an appropriate idea of whether you are prepared for the examination day or not. Also, mocks are the best way to anticipate what kind of questions can be asked in the exams from the prevalent data. Sometimes you may know all the information, but when the question is asked you blank out That is because you do not anticipate it can be asked in that form. This is why giving mocks and solving questions is important.
We also offer Mocks for GK for your overall preparations, check them out here!
7. Make Your Strength Your Plus Point
Generally, we find it very difficult to learn the entire thing at a glance, so that we mostly learn a lot in this direction, but memorize a bit in mind. So, first, we need to weigh our hard pieces for our planning. If you're preparing for bank tests, then you need to concentrate more on banking related words, athletics, awards & honors, and so on and build this division as your greatest arm. It won't make sense for you to learn the GK for UPSC exams. You should try to use some free online quizzes to test yourself to determine the right form of questions.
8. Discussion Forums
There are plenty of discussion forums on the Internet today that will encourage you to improve your general knowledge. These forums participate in informative discussions in a multitude of areas, and reading through and engaging in them will benefit you and advance your general understanding. Hope you enjoyed this post on how to hack CMAT Gk in MBA exams. Only bear in mind that in one month, you can't plan for the GK portion. You may get away with Verbal or Quants, but not GK! The easiest way to train for Gk is to read it every day. You have to understand the relevant topics from newspapers and internet sources that can be asked in these exams. Try to analyze past papers of these MBA exams, to gauge an idea of the types of questions that are usually asked. A lot of the same pattern will be followed every year. Try to frame your information and GK knowledge in that way, so on the main day of the exam, you will recollect all the information quickly. While the current affairs is obviously important, you will need to work on your static GK as well. Try to not keep that for last moment and keep revisiting it to have a better chance of scoring in the section. Remember that GK is a very scoring section, so don't neglect it and keep it till the end. You will keep working and improving your other sections, but GK will require special focus soo don't forget to nurture it. That's all from our side, stay updated and keep learning!
What differs — and why that matters for your GK study
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Scoring effect: CMAT’s GK has same weight as other sections (direct impact). XAT’s GK typically doesn’t affect percentile but matters in final selection — treat it as “free marks” with no negatives, but prepare because colleges look at it.
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Negative marking policy: TISSNET generally has no negative marking; XAT and CMAT have exam-specific negative marking rules (XAT has negative marking in other sections, GK usually free). Always verify current year rules.
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Question style: IIFT and CMAT expect more business/economy GK; TISSNET and XAT mix current affairs + social issues; MICAT includes context-based questions tied to marketing/brand awareness and a psychometric qualifier.
High-yield GK topics (common across all five exams)
Prioritise these — they appear repeatedly and give maximum ROI:
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Business & Economy: RBI actions, major mergers/acquisitions, top CEOs, central bank rates, Budget highlights, major policy announcements.
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Government Schemes & Policies: National schemes, major committees & their recommendations, recent flagship launches.
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Static GK: Important dates, institutions (IMF, World Bank, SEBI), awards & winners (Nobel, Booker, Bharat Ratna), capitals & currencies.
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Science & Tech Headlines: Notable missions, major tech launches, digital initiatives.
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Sports & Major Events: Olympics / Asian Games medalists, major tournaments winners.
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Startups & Unicorns: Big funding rounds, IPOs, M&As in Indian startup ecosystem.
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International Affairs: Major treaties, high-level diplomatic visits, elections in big economies.
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Culture & Books: Major books/authors mentioned in national news.
FAQ
Q1. Does GK carry equal weight in CMAT?
A1. Yes — CMAT has a full General Awareness section (around 20 questions) and it counts equally toward the overall percentile; marking is typically +4/−1.Q2. Is XAT GK counted in percentile?
A2. The GK score in XAT is usually not counted in the overall percentile but is used during final shortlisting/admissions; there is no negative marking in the GK section.Q3. Does TISSNET have negative marking?
A3. TISSNET generally has no negative marking; exact pattern should be verified in the year’s official notice.Q4. How many GK questions should I aim to get right in CMAT to be safe?
A4. Aim for 14–16 correct out of ~20 GK questions to be safely placed in the higher percentiles (subject to overall paper difficulty)
Also read: GK on India's rank in various indexes
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