GCET 2010 and beyond!

Now that the merit list for GCET 2010 is out, it would be proper to reflect upon the test that was unique in its format, duration and delivery. With a total duration of 80 minutes, this year’s test was by far the shortest as compared to any other MBA entrance exams in India. Also, what really mattered were the first 64 minutes wherein the candidates had to answer 80 questions of quantitative ability, verbal ability and logical reasoning. Thus GCET 2010 closely resembled T20 cricket – quick, intense and unforgiving!

With a shortened time-span, the candidates had to be at the top of their game right from the first click. Many students found that it was almost impossible to recover from a poor start because of the short time duration. The only saving grace was that two attempts were available for each candidate. Given that a good start was critical in GCET 2010, it would have made sense for students to first attempt questions that were from an area of their strength. In my case, verbal ability has been an area of strength and I have always started by answering questions from this area. In fact in all the GCETs that I have taken, irrespective of the format and duration, I have always stuck to my attempt pattern of Verbal followed by Quant followed by DI/DS followed by Reasoning.

It is important to note that compared to earlier GCETs, GCET 2010 has laid a greater emphasis on reasoning while the proportion of verbal ability questions has been reduced. Within verbal ability, there were very few questions pertaining to vocabulary and comprehension, while basic grammar was given greater importance. I have observed that many students from Gujarat dread the verbal section because of their perceived discomfort with the English language. I believe that the solution to this problem is two-fold. The first part is that the student must convince herself that she can be good with the English language. The second part is that the student must form a good reading habit. Improving verbal skills requires a long-term effort and it cannot be sustained unless proper habits are formed. Personally, I cannot start my day without going through a newspaper and I enjoy listening to cricket commentary by likes of Harsha Bhogle and Tony Greig. Such simple things go a long way in improving students’ comprehension, vocabulary and general language skills.

In the quantitative section, basic arithmetic was very well represented and students did not face too many difficulties solving these questions. Although questions related to permutations, combinations or probability were not asked, a high number of trigonometry questions were asked this time. Even during last year, trigonometry was given a fair weightage. Hence, students preparing for future GCETs would do well to concentrate on trigonometry (including height and distance). In the quantitative section, there are always questions which do not require to be solved. One can easily answer such questions by simply plugging the alternatives. For example, problems pertaining to divisibility, ages, work and time etc. can easily be solved by using the options. In GCET 2010 as well as GCET 2009, one could have easily found at least 2 to 3 such questions. The key is to identify such questions and this ability comes with practice. The big surprise in GCET 2010 was that not a single question was asked from areas of data interpretation and data sufficiency. The key to data sufficiency is conceptual clarity while data interpretation requires comprehension and an ability to perform calculations quickly. Students preparing for GCET 2011 would be well advised not to ignore these areas.

The reasoning section in GCET 2010 was all about variety. The 30 reasoning questions covered a very wide range of topics such as syllogisms, family relationships, symbol based questions, alphabetical coding, directions, verbal reasoning and many more. Students would have done well to avoid the puzzle type questions because here the data set was followed by only one question! General knowledge section (section II) was a game changer because students had ample time to attempt all the 20 questions if they wished to. A large number of questions were related to current affairs. This highlights the need for students to be abreast of contemporary issues and developments.

Since the test was conducted in an online format, it was crucial that the students had a very good idea about how the test “looked and felt”. Familiarity with a mouse was not enough. What was really needed was a first-hand idea about the way the test screen appeared, the manner in which icons were displayed, the way in which instructions appeared etc. Hence, those students who had taken an online mock test before the real thing had a better chance of scoring well.

Looking ahead, GCET 2011 may make a few changes to the test but the online format is here to stay. Also, given the keenness of the authorities to offer multiple attempts, I do not expect the future GCETs to be any longer than this one. In my opinion, to excel at GCET, a student must:

• Give himself at least 6 months of preparation under an experienced mentor.
• Develop good habits and focus on conceptual clarity rather than ready-made formulae and short-cuts.
• Thoroughly know her strengths and weaknesses and accordingly formulate a plan for attempting questions.
• Be fully conversant with the online format and take a sufficient number of online mock tests.

- Mikin Shah

About the Author : Mikin Shah is ranked 1st in GCET 2010 (MBA). He was also ranked 1st in GCET (MBA) 2004 & 2009. He is a co-founder of foresight school: A GCET Prep Institute.