~ The most important thing from now on till the time of the 20-minute GD challenge is to build your knowledge base. You must have done your daily dose of reading -- newspapers, magazines, etc -- even as you were preparing for CAT. Continue with your reading; add to it if necessary. Analyse issues from various angles.

~ Maintain a positive attitude. Stay motivated and excited about the upcoming challenge.

The Group Discussion and Personal Interview stage is also the most decisive one; a bad performance here can undo all the good work you put in CAT. So, continue to stay focused and competitive.

~ One of the most critical challenges of coming across as a good participant in a discussion is to have the ability to see things from the other person's viewpoint and respect it even if you strongly disagree.

Practice make perfect

~ As part of your preparation, you must participate in a few mock GDs. Run through these performances later, identify your areas of strength and areas for improvement and work on them consciously.

~ Success in a GD also depends on outgrowing old habits like indulging in small talk with a group of friends. Whenever you have a gathering of sorts, try not to indulge in loose talk. Focus on discussing a topic of current relevance. Thus, an informal gathering of friends can be converted into a GD practice session.

~ Whenever you come across fellow MBA aspirants, don't look upon them as competitors. Treat them as contributors to your success. You can share each other's strengths and thus iron out your own deficiencies. It makes a lot of sense for fellow MBA aspirants to get together and conduct mock GDs on various topics. This run-up to the actual GD should be a symbiotic effort rather than a parasitic one.

After each discussion, you must, as a group, analyse one another individually and suggest areas for improvement. This way, you will also get exposed to your fellow aspirants' perspectives and broaden your thought process.

The skills you develop to ace your GD will prove to be an asset even after you begin your professional career.

Posted in Labels: GD PREPARATION