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"For good or ill, your conversation is your advertisement. Every time you open your mouth, you let men look into your mind. Do they see it well-clothed, neat and business-like?"

- Bruce Barton

To say that communication, then, in the light of what, is immaterial, would be to play with one's own future. Who does not want to be able to speak cogently, convincingly and fluently? Everywhere you go, there will be a need to express to people your knowledge that could remain untapped due to lack of proper verbiage. From the classroom to the boardroom, through every stage of one's career and social life, we need communication.

The way you speak, the matter you present, will decide your destiny to a large extent. How far would you go to make it just right? We believe that this journey ends here on CoolAvenue.com. Experts from TCYonline.com will help you understand the real essence of a Group Discussion and a Personality Interview through a series of informative articles. Here is the first one that describes the types of Group Discussion, and ways to excel in each one of them.

Group Discussions

I hope all the MBA aspirants in the nation know that candidates who qualify in the written part of entrance tests for selection in MBA courses are then asked to appear in the Group Discussions (GD) and Personal Interviews (PI). In most cases (B-schools like IIM Bangalore have openly declared the admission criteria), the Written Test (WT) carries a weightage of 75%, while the combined weightage of the GD & PI phase of selection is 25%, most of which is carried by the Group Discussion.

The Process

The Group Discussion is a process in which all candidates successful in the Written Test (usually 8 times the number of seats) are divided into groups of 8-12 candidates each; and every group is assigned a specific topic or a Case Study to discuss. The group of 8-12 candidates carries the entire discussion forward on its own, and the supervising panel neither intervenes nor participates in the discussion.

The GD is left to evolve itself while the panel observes and assesses the performance and/or attributes of all the candidates from a distance. The candidates display their knowledge, view-points and exchange ideas on the given subject matter among themselves. This happens in a dynamic situation in which every candidate wants a time period of 25 minutes or so. The medium of the GD almost always is English, though sometimes, a choice is given to the group to speak in Hindi or English (but a majority opts for English). For identification, either the candidates wear chest numbers or their name-plates are displayed in front in a semi-circular formation.

Next

Related GD Articles: -
+ Group Discussions - Part II: Your Queries Answered
+ Group Discussions - Part III: Your Queries Answered
+ Conquer Thy Kingdom: How to Prepare for Group Discussion & Personal Interview
+ Group Discussion (GD) Topics for MBA Entrance
+ Must Read for GD/PI
+ Join Discussions on Current GDs
+ Share your GD Topics & GD Experiences

* Contributed by -
Top Careers & You (www.TCYonline.com) is a premier organization that has been preparing national and international candidates for high-end tests, viz., CAT, GMAT, XAT, SNAP, FMS, JMET, NMAT and MAT since 1998. TCY has sent 50,000+ students to their dream destinations in India and abroad.