GDs & PIs - at this time?? Part I

At this time every year, I exhort young ambitious MBA aspirants to now increase their focus on Group Discussions/Personal Interviews (GD/PIs) preparations. Every year, I get to hear one of the so many standard reasons for not starting, at least not yet. Sample these and check out if you also tend to agree with one or more of them :  

confused, are you?



• My CAT did not go as well as I had wished - should I not prepare for the other tests that are lined up?
• The weightage of GD/PI in the entrance process is as low as 15-20%. Isn't it logical that I should focus on the written test & not worry about GD/PI so much.
• Whats the point of starting GD/PI preparations so early. Let me receive a call first. What if I do not eve clear the written test?
• Akash, I am so busy - my college exams are lined up. Other MBA tests are also there and then projects/ campus etc. I simply cannot give time to GD/PIs now.

I can already picture some of you smiling (gotcha........). Jokes apart, lets consider each of the question because they are at least not excuses - they are valid questions - I shall write one post for each of the question - so here we go....

First, Your CAT did not go as well as you would wish to and hence you would to prepare with increased focus for other exams?
And by increased focus on other exams, you mean........what? Let me guess - you would want to appear in more mock tests? As if you have not already taken scores of them. Not just at CHEM but may be at 'other' classes as well. So what will tests with increased frequency do to your focus. My take - Nothing!! except may be, making you feel less guilty about your performance.

Let me point to the flaws in the argument. You are assuming two things
one, that CAT did not go well for you
two, the above happened because you did not prepare well
Both the assumptions are faulty. Let me explain

Help me meet someone who cracked the CAT and is surely getting the call. Actually, CAT being a competitive test - one is not able to gauge the extent of one's performance. It is futile to try and judge how you did. Only results will tell you know the date on which results shall be released - don't you?

Now, the second assumption. CAT has happened and your preparations (good, bad or ugly) will reflect in it. However, this is not to say that you do not prepare for other tests. If you have not prepared well in all the months of your preparations before CAT, you cannot make much difference in this one month. And if you have been working in those months - all you need to do currently is to maintain continuity/momentum for the written tests lined up.

But you must take up preparing for GD/PIs in equal earnest for reasons that I am going to discuss in the coming days (so tune in to this space regularly).

P.S. Do let me know what you think about all this. Your queries, feedback and suggestions are welcome. Just click on comment and enter your comments. Feel free to follow this blog by clicking the follow button at the right side panel.