Last minute tips for SNAP 2014

by Vinayak Kudva

Over the years, SNAP exam has had four sections, namely General English (40 marks), Quantitative Ability (40 marks), Analytical and Logical Reasoning (60 marks), and General Awareness (40 marks). Questions from the Analytical and Logical Reasoning section carried two marks each while questions from other sections carried one mark each. SNAP 2014 is also expected to follow similar structure.

Since there are only 120 minutes to attempt 150 questions, effective time management of individual questions is of the essence. Moreover, top Symbiosis institutes have sectionwise cut-offs for assigning calls for the next round of selection. Therefore you need to ensure that you devote sufficient time to the questions and attempt enough of them to clear the cut-offs of the individual sections.

You should have some strategy when you begin the exam. The strategy should include points such as the order of attempting the sections, which types of questions in a section to attempt first, etc. After attempting a number of practice tests, you would have developed a better judgement about what works for you and what doesn’t. Accordingly, devise a strategy that suits you. Remember that an idea that works for your friends may not necessarily work for you. Therefore we would strongly advise you to devise a strategy that suits you. At the same time, be flexible about changing the strategy if needed, depending on the requirements and level of difficulty of the test. For example, your strategy might include attempting questions from a particular area first because you are strong in that area; but if the questions in that area are difficult in the actual exam, while questions from other areas are easy and doable, it makes sense to attempt questions from the other areas first.

SNAP exam is still conducted in the traditional paper based format. Therefore you need to tailor your strategies for SNAP in a different way than for a computerized test. Once you get the question paper, preferably scan it for first two minutes. Scanning the question paper will help you get a better idea of the level of difficulty and types of questions. This will also help you decide if you need to make any changes in your strategy. View SNAP 2014 last month tips.

We would suggest you attempt the questions in three rounds. On reading a question, if you find that the question can be answered in about 30-45 seconds, solve the question right then and there. In the first round, you should attempt all the questions that can be answered quickly. If you think that the question will take longer to solve, mark the question for the second round and move to the next question. In the second round, attempt all the doable questions that you identified earlier. Once you have done all the doable questions, check if you have solved enough questions to clear the likely cut-off. If not, in the third round, try to solve as many more as you can in order to get close to the cut-off.

Suggested time allocation for sections

Section	Suggested attempts	Suggested time
General English	28-32	25-30 minutes
Quantitative Ability	32-35	30-35 minutes
Analytical & Logical Reasoning	23-25	35-40 minutes
General Awareness	About 30	10-15 minutes

 

Note that some questions in the General English section (such as questions on vocabulary) as well as questions from the General Awareness section can be attempted very quickly. You can save time on those questions and attempt more questions from other areas.

General tips: During the exam

When you solve a question, don’t spend too much time on a single question. At times students make an ego issue of not being able to solve a question from the area of their strength. Remember that getting into a good B-school is more important than solving a particular question in the SNAP exam.
Leave the last 10 to 15 minutes for ‘taking stock’ of the situation. Check if you have attempted enough questions in all the sections. If you have not attempted enough questions in a particular section, make sure that you devote time on that section.
Remember that you need to mark the ovals in OMR sheet using a pen. So you will be unable to change your answer once you have marked it. Therefore check every answer before marking it.

General tips: Before the exam

Make sure you know the directions and address of your exam centre. Plan your route to it in advance – for example, look up railway timetables or bus routes beforehand – and ensure that you know how much time it will take you to get there. Reach the centre early so as to avoid last minute hassles.
Make sure that you have pasted your coloured photograph on the admit card and got it attested from a gazetted officer.
Make sure you carry all the required items such as admit card, pen, identity proof, etc.

MBA colleges accepting SNAP in Pune	MBA colleges accepting SNAP in Maharashtra
MBA colleges accepting SNAP in Karnataka	MBA colleges accepting SNAP in Delhi-NCR

 

 

Tips on preparation

 

Mathematics: Typically most of the questions in Quantitative Ability section are easy to medium in terms of level of difficulty. Revise all your fundamentals and formulae from different topics (such as Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, etc). Make yourself comfortable with speed mathematics so that you can carry out the calculations fast. Remember that you do not have to form an equation to solve questions every time. At times questions can be answered more quickly by eliminating incorrect options.

Analytical and Logical Reasoning: You don’t have to learn anything new in order to attempt these questions. All you need to do is to practise these question types. Pick up questions from the study material or practice tests, time yourself and solve the questions. When you solve these questions, always keep an eye on the options. Also drawing a schematic diagram for arrangement types of questions will expedite the process.

 

General English: The English section in SNAP is usually of an easy to medium level of difficulty. The focus is mainly on Verbal Ability, particularly on vocabulary-based questions. These can be solved very quickly, so this section should not take you much time. The concepts tested are not too tough, though occasionally, an obscure word or unusual idiom can prove to be tricky. Until last year, SNAP had only one Reading Comprehension passage, though last year there were two. However, the questions are fairly straightforward, so even if RC isn’t your strong point, you should have little difficulty with it in SNAP.

General Awareness: The questions in this section are based on current affairs, international affairs, economics, finance, etc. As long as you keep abreast of the current events of the day by reading newspapers and news magazines, and have a reasonable level of general knowledge, you should have little trouble with this section. 8 tips to score well in GK.

About the Author

Vinayak Kudva is the MBA product head at IMS Learning Resources.