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While a good test score enables one's name to appear on the merit list, the final selection depends on performance at the Group Discussion and the Personal Interview, which are held roughly two months after the written test. Some institutes also conduct Technical Tests and General Knowledge-based tests.

20. What are Technical Tests?

Apart from the aptitude tests, some institutes test candidates on specific subjects related to their background. The objective of these technical tests is to gauge the student's learning and understanding of concepts of the subjects they have graduated in. For example, NITIE considers only engineers for selection; hence, a section of its entrance test is devoted to engineering and technology questions.

21. General Awareness & Business Awareness

Understanding the environment and possessing knowledge about political, social, economic and business scenario is also an important parameter in student selection. Though Group Discussion and Personal Interviews test a candidate's knowledge of the same, institutes like FMS, XLRI, IIFT test these in the entrance test as well.

22. Purpose of Group Discussion & Personal Interview

The purpose of Group Discussion (GD) and Personal interview (PI) is to get to know the student and gauge how well he matches the profile desired by the institute.

The Group Discussion tests how one functions as a part of a team. As a manager, you will always be working in teams - either as a member or as a leader. Therefore, how you interact in a team becomes an important criterion for selection. The Personal Interview is a personality test. In an interview, the panel looks for a sound .grasp of academics, self-awareness, clarity of goals, and a well-rounded personality.

The institute assesses whether the candidate exhibits the qualities of a good manager. In a GD, these qualities are revealed by participation in the group. In an interview, the panel deduces these qualities from their answers.

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* Contributed by -
Lionel Aronah,
Visiting Faculty, IIM Bangalore.
Published in The Observer of Management Education, Vol. 2 Issue 1 January 2007.