Business General Knowledge for Management Entrance Examinations
How to prepare for GK section of CMAT, IIFT, and XAT- All the national level MBA entrance exams in India like CMAT, IIFT, XAT, etc, have questions from General Knowledge. Preparing for the GK section for CMAT, IIFT and XAT can be difficult as this section is too vast and questions could be asked from anywhere. Hence, it is very important to have the right kind of strategy as one prepares for the General Knowledge section for CMAT, IIFT and XAT. Normally, the questions that are asked in the General Knowledge section are from a wide array such as current affairs, social issues, awards, global summits, national and international politics, awards, sports, entertainment, etc. It is equally important to prepare for the GK section as it covers 15-25 percent weightage of the exam. In this article by Careers360, candidates who are preparing for the MBA entrance test will get to know how to prepare for the GK section of CMAT, IIFT, and XAT.
Latest Updates for CAT
- 27 Nov 2021:
Careers360 announces BSchool Rankings 2022. Know the top MBA Colleges in India 2022.
- 18 Nov 2021:
100 Quant Facts Every CAT Aspirant Must Know ! Click Here
- 30 Oct 2021:
CAT 2021 for MBA/PGPM admission to be held on November 28. CAT admit card is now available for download!
Stay up-to date with CAT News
Ongoing MBA Admission 2022
Weightage of GK in MBA Entrance Exam
The entrance exam to International Institute of Foreogn Trade, also CMAT and XAT ask at least 15-25 questions in the test.
Exam and number of questions
| Exam | Number of GK Questions |
| CMAT | 20-25 |
| IIFT | 15-18 |
| XAT | 20-25 |
Quick Links
How to start XAT 2021 Preparation
One Year Study Plan For XAT 2021
Key Areas for GK Preparation
Since general knowledge section is very wide as huge as an ocean, candidates can stategise their planning by covering the following topics that are given below:
-
Current Affairs & Social Issues
-
Business & Economics - Fiscal and Monetary policy changes
-
UNO - Wings, HQs, Agencies, Abbreviations
-
International Current Affairs & Events
-
Global Summits
-
Countries - Capital, Prominent development, Currency
-
Constitution of India and recent amendments
-
Latest Who's is who
-
Awards, National, Honours, International days
-
Questions related to Geography, History, General Science
-
Company logo identification
-
Books, Authors
GK Books for MBA Entrance Exam
For IIFT, CMAT and XAT toppers suggested the following study material to prepare for the GK section in MBA entrance exam.
-
While preparing for the MBA entrance exam, candidates should read 'The Economist', 'Business Standard' and 'Economic Times'.
-
Apart from that candidates have to read Manorama Year Book which is recommended by the expert and MBA entrance exam topper.
Quick Links
IIFT 2021 Time Management Strategy
Section wise preparation strategy for IIFT
Here are some tips which would help the candidates to ace the Gk section in above-mentioned exams:
Division of Areas
Before starting preparation for GK, aspirants should divide the areas from which questions are asked in this section as it will help them a lot to categorize the different types of questions further. GK is broadly divided into two sections, that is, Static Gk and Current Affairs. The current affairs section includes questions based on Business & Economy, International Affairs, Government plans and schemes and their implementation, Awards and Honours. The Static Gk Section mainly includes questions related to Countries and Capitals, currencies, Books & Authors, United Nations, Sports and Company records.
In order to cover the section on national and international current affairs, candidates must make sure that they read national daily and listen to the news on Doordarshan as major policy related decisions are announced on it. Moreover reading the news paper on a regular basis will help the candidates get an idea about the new appointments that are made in different spheres.
Be well versed with current affairs on daily basis
Candidates must practice some current affairs questions on a daily basis from different topics to get updated about what is happening in all over the world. Making notes from the daily newspaper is one of the best ways to prepare for current affairs questions. Making such notes will not help the candidates memorise what they have learnt but during the last minute preparation they will also get an opportunity to flip through the pages and revise.
Business & Economy questions for GK section of IIFT, CMAT and XAT
Business & Economy related questions cover major part of GK section in exams like IIFT, CMAT and XAT. The questions mainly revolve around the economic policies, changes in Corporate and industry, latest business news like, who's who, Business awards & honors, logos of companies and their performance, etc. Candidates can prepare for this section with the help of business magazines, reading newspaper etc and scanning through relevant business sites etc.
International Affairs for IIFT
Some of the questions in the GK section of CMAT, IIFT, and XAT are asked from prominent international events that have taken place. While preparing for international events, candidates could study from prominent international news sites which provide correct and authentic news as well as intensive information. Therefore, it is important for the candidates to regularly go through these websites, see if any new international treaty is signed, who were the signatories to it so on and so forth.
Take Mock Tests and Online Quiz for GK
To prepare GK section of CMAT, IIFT and XAT candidates should practice mock tests based on the General Knowledge section of the paper, on a regular basis. This will help them to analyse how well they have prepared for the entrance test and how much more effort they will be required to put in. On a periodical basis candidates must take quiz as this will also help them to improve their general knowledge. .
Create multiple questions from a single questions
While making notes or attempting questions throughout the preparation for the GK section, candidates should not only answer one question if asked from a particular topic, instead should create as many extra questions as they can from that particular question so that more knowledge could be gained on a particular topic. For example - suppose a question is asked related to the topic of international affairs and the answer is in the form of the name of the country. Here, candidates should not only answer which country is the correct option, but also should pay attention to other information relevant to that country such as capital, currency, current leader etc., of the country as well.
Quick revision at the end of the day
We know that, to retain a particular thing in memory for a long time, it is essential to revise again and again. Hence, therefore it is needless to say that whatever notes one makes on a daily basis, they must revise their notes before going to bed everyday. It will definitely help them to have the answer to all the questions on their finger tips.
Also Read
CMAT 2021 Preparation Tips and Trend Analysis
What are the Best Books for Preparation of CMAT 2021
Business General Knowledge for Management Entrance Examinations
Source: https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/how-prepare-for-gk-section-of-cmat-iift-and-xat