Prepare for WAT rounds of best B-schools

 

Prepare for WAT rounds of best B-schools

 

MBA aspirants have transferred their focus from problems based on practicing aptitude to sharpening their communication abilities as well as soft skills, with the shortlist declaration at IIMs & other B-schools. The vital components for the selection procedure include WAT (Writing Ability Test) and PI (Personal Interview). In India, most of the B-schools will be conducting the selection rounds between March and April. Therefore, this is a crucial time for the applicants to get prepared for the rounds.

 

WAT looks for what?

 

Through WAT, B-schools tests the candidate's potential to communicate suggestions, think critically, draw a constructive analysis, and completing the tasks in a given time. For applicants, it is necessary for them to build up the essay in a good way. 

WAT is something that stipulates improvisation together with bona fide arranging of views to a logical whole. Practicing to put down essays about random matters revolving around your thoughts on current affairs & some other generic topics, while sharing her devise a strategy for WAT, a student of IIM, Anusha JVD said. 

 

How to structure WAT?

 

The duration for WAT is twenty to thirty minutes approximately and the word limit has been set up as 200 to 400 words. Candidates within the word & time limit, need to search for the idea behind the topic, draw the points, and then give it an appropriate structure of introduction, body, and salutation.  We  suggest the CODER approach.

 

C- Collect ideas

O- Organise them

D- Develop them

E- Express them

R- Review

 

Time management

 

The majority of B-schools offer a specific duration for writing the essay. Therefore, you need to follow the whole process within the demanded duration. Candidates must give time to themselves while practicing and should make sure that they can complete the essay writing in under ten minutes. They should finalize the content & framework after they hear the time limit, says IIM Lucknow's Ashish Shrivastava. 

 

Form your opinion

 

You need to write the essay either for or against the topic and the conclusion should carry the essence of your persuasion. It will help the interlocutors better understand your thoughts and personality as well. Student at IIM, Jayesh Patil says, that generally, the topics in WAT have both positive & negative aspects. In the given time, think about the major points with a few examples. While writing the essay, give preference to more pertinent points. And give your essay a good conclusion. 

 

How to prepare?

 

The very first step to proceed with WAT is to be up-to-date with the current affairs. Try to read magazines and of minimum 2 national dailies for example, The Week, Frontline, and Outlook and prepare notes to develop critical analysis. 

IIM Shillong's Sahithi while sharing his WAT preparation says, that focusing on enhancing knowledge for the essays and working more on grammar & sentence formation will help the candidates to perform well. 

 

Dealing with theoretical topics

 

IIM Lucknow's VK Narasimhan says, that he got "loose lips sink ships" as the topic, and he instead of getting blank elaborated what the metaphor meant & then gave examples such as the Ambani brothers' tussle for Dirubhai's property and the Tata-Mistry spat. One of the advantages of the abstract topic is you can redirect the topic to any of relevance about which you're familiar. 

 

Major topics of WAT

 

Below are various topics that had been asked in IIMs and the rest of B-schools from previous years'. Some of them are easy & direct some are abstract and you are asked to relate it with a current affair or recent event in order to make it relevant. 

 

1. Immigration- boon or bane?

2. How can we reduce the absenteeism of teachers in primary and middle schools? suggest ways. 

3. Each decision in a democracy need to be taken directly through referendums

4. Doing something right takes less time. Why it went wrong? Elaborate.

5. Cultural diversity hinders democratic governance

6. Demonetization

7. What is more important, name or money?

8. Cases of farmers' suicides are at their peak. Suggest some measures to improve this situation.

9. Ads not always just sell products but sometimes notion success. 

10. Is it correct to allocating money & profits from an investor to CSR activities?

11. How monetary will benefit from improving sanitation in rural areas?

12. Will the centralization of Indian oil companies be a boon?

13. Net neutrality

14. Impact of food delivery start-up business? Reflect your views on how it can provide a revenue stream to housewives.

15. Ethical dilemma in business

16. Indian village's sustainable modernization

17. Is there a need for women changing their surname post marriage?

18. India's bid for a stable seat at UN?

19. Is peace possible between India & Pakistan?

20. To reach the level of cricket, how can Indian sports be encouraged?

 

Abstract topics

 

1. Loose lips sink ships

2. Honesty is the best policy

3. Sometimes you win and sometimes learn

4. 1+1 is not equal to 2

5. Which leads to more comfort, order, or chaos?

6. Best animal- elephant