Tips to Sharpen Your Decision-Making Skills for XAT 2018

Several other prestigious MBA institutes also accept XAT scores, such as Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship - Bengaluru,Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneswar, Xavier Institute of Social Service – Ranchi, Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA) Chennai,SSN School of Management- Kalavakkam, AIMS Institutes- Bengaluru, and many more.

The Exam Pattern of XAT

The question paper is divided into two parts, as listed below:

Part 1 – Verbal Ability, Decision Making and Analytical Reasoning, Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation. The maximum allotted time to attempt this section is 140 minutes.
 

Part 2 – GK and Essay. The maximum allotted time to attempt this section is 40 minutes.

You sure would have noticed the section called “decision making” right? This is what makes XAT a unique exam. The decision making is regarded as the most difficult section by a plethora of students taking the examination.

The rest of the test consists of the sections for Verbal and Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation, General KnowledgeandEssay as already covered above.

The Verbal and Logical Ability challenges you with standard English language questions. The level of difficulty of the questions itself isn’t very high.Students who keep in touch with the regular language readingmight find it really easy to attempt this section without any significant problems.

The Quantitative Ability consists of standard mathematics questions that are, once again, not of a very high level of difficulty. Regular or even frequent practice shall keep you in sharp shape.

Then there’s the General Knowledge section which is of considerably higher difficulty level. Be prepared for questions based on events you might have never even heard of before. Keep up to date with current events and also make sure to study all the relevant news from history as well, e.g. major historical events from Indian or world history.

The last category, essay writing, is a fairly easy section. Make sure you prepare a backbone for your essay before you start writing. Include good relevant examples that dive your point home. End the essay by providing a recap of all the included examples in a single sentence, with a fitting conclusionthus ensuring a perfect score.

So, is the decision-making segment impossible to prepare for? Fret not, follow the following tips and trick for a breakdown of how to approach the section. There is a solve example at the end of the list for clear understanding and demonstration.

Tips for Cracking the Decision-making Section

1. Stay calm and read the complete question

This seems like a generic advice that everyone offers to everyone else, but it is still one of the most helpful yet ignored advices. Students have a tendency to get impatient with the exam, especially when the timer is ticking. Still it is necessary to stay calm and read the complete question without missing a single word. It is necessary because the answers you will be choosing from would appear to be true at a cursory glance. Unless and until the context of the premise is clear, attempting the question will most probably result in a wrong answer, and consequently, negative marks.

2. Read and understand all the provided options

In order to determine the correct choice, you must understand all the provided options. As pointed out previously, all the options might appear correct at first, but as is the case with every exam, only one actually is.

3. Categorise and compare the statements

This is the tricky part. Categorise the option statement according to the context paragraph. Gather evidence from the context about the asked question by locating the portion relevant to the question. Now read the statements again and mark whether or not the statement is true or not in the provided context. Remember, all the statement might be true on their own, but only if it fits the context, will it be the right answer. Be careful.

4. Try to link the information provided in the options and in the context paragraph

The information provided in the different option statements would almost always make sense or hold true on their own. It is therefore necessary for you to compare it to the context paragraph. The options wouldcontradict the information in the context, provide alternative information or reuse a different portion of the paragraph with similar words but unnecessary information. If the any of these is the case, mark that option as wrong.

If the statement uses the correct information from the passage to provide a reasonable judgement, or is consistent with the statement, that option is true.

5. Avoid extreme language

One thing to be kept in mind while solving decision making questions is that if an option consists of extreme judgement, harsh or cruel reactions, or insensitive language, it can be safely concluded that it is the wrong answer.

6. Employ different perspectives in a given problem, but make sure they are correct

Recognise the parties involved that are either directly or indirectly involved. Make sure to understand which information is relevant. If there are multiple conflicts, make sure you pick the correct one from the passage. The context is important.

7. The priority is to minimize losses, or if possible, rectify them

Make sure that nobody suffers due to the judgement. The best decision might not bring the most profit, but it definitely makes sure losses are minimized. Sometimes, if there are two decisions that achieve the same level of loss management; choose the one where generosity is also offered alongside.

8. Do not let personal feelings affect the decision

Do not favour one side more than the other in any case. More often, it is seen that students adopt an approach based on their own values. PLEASE REMEMBER, agendas will lead to biased decisions. The correct option will be fair and as close to neutral as possible. Picking sides would land a manager in trouble in real life, which is why you should remember it in the exam too.

9. Immoral or unethical options are to be avoided at all cost

If there is an option that manages to minimize/rectify losses but does so in a shady manner, avoid that option. It has been already pointed out that this section is the closest it gets to providing crises that mirror real life. Even if unethical options are available to you, you shouldn’t allow yourself to be swayed by them, just like you should ideally in real life. As tempting as it may sound, it is the wrong answer.

10. Revise and be sure of your decision before marking the answer

If you have followed the above guidelines, you have probably arrived at the correct answer. Still, it is necessary that you revise the answer before submitting it. Make sure you are confident with the choice you’ve picked and that it is the best option among the ones present.

Now for added benefit, let us take one example question from the decision-making segment

Question:A pastor had eaten at a restaurant with his family and friends. It was the norm to tip the waiter and about 20% of waiter’s salary came from these tips. However, while paying the bill, the pastor crossed out the automatic 18% tip charged for parties of more than eight and wrote “I give god 10%, why do you get 18%?” above his signature. The chagrined waitress at the restaurant posted a photo of this on the social media. She was subsequently fired for violating company’ policies on customer privacy.

This would have been understandable it the restaurant had not posted just two weeks ago a customer receipt that was complimenting them. Social media and social rights activists came heavily upon the management’s ambivalent stand and the firing of the waitress. In response, the company posted the same note over and over again. There were also accusations of company deleting negative comments and blocking users. The restaurant also experienced a sizeable drop in their footfall.

Q. Who/what is the main cause for the situation becoming unmanageable?

A. The pastor for flouting the norm of restaurant.

B. The waitress for violating customer privacy.

C. The management for not taking action against the pastor.

D. The management for giving out disproportionate punishment t the waitress.

E. The management for removing negative comments from the social media.

Solution: Consider every option

A. It is true on its own but the information present does not stand true when fit with the context of the passage. The pastor is not the reason for the situation becoming unmanageable.

B. The waitress did violate the customer policy (according to the company at least) but this information in irrelevant, since the public isn’t outraged about the behaviour of the waitress.

C. The information is not present in the context.

D. The management did give out disproportionate punishment to the waitress, considering the fact which is clearly stated in the passage “This would have been understandable if the restaurant had not posted just two weeks ago a customer receipt that was complimenting them.” The waitress and the company did the same thing (post customer feedback on social media) but only the waitress was punished for it, thus angering the masses on social media.

E. This information is picked from a different section of the passage and it must be pointed out that the allegations came to light after the outrage
Thus, D is the answer.

Question. The downward spiral continued for the restaurant as the management persisted in defending their actions and argued with those who criticized them. By the following week, the original post had generated over 18,000 negative comments.

Which of the following is the best way forward for the restaurant at this juncture?

A. Unconditionally restore the waitress to her former position and salary on the ground that she was never at fault in the first place.

B. Apologize to and reinstate the waitress and ask her to apologize for her breach of customer privacy and post both the apologies on social media.

C. Reinstate the waitress provided she apologises for her breach of customer privacy and post that apology on the restaurant’s social media page.

D. Reinstate the waitress if and only if she apologizes for the breach of customer privacy and posts that apology on her social media.

E. Recruit two waitresses at a higher wage but stick to the original decision of firing the waitress.

Solution: Remember the guidelines

A. Taking sides with the waitress.

B. Minimising losses and apology offered to two involved parties.

C. Minimising losses and apology offered to one involved party.

D. Language of the statement is too extreme

E. Doesn’t minimise losses

It can be seen that C makes the best choice.

In conclusion, I would like to say that I hope students aspiring for XAT exam find this article useful. The guidelines have been crafted with a careful eyefor maximum benefit. Along with the above guidelines, I must also urge you to make sure you’ve had ample practice before you head on to tackle the examination. Please practice all previous year XAT questions, especially the decision-making questions. During my research I also came across some sites claiming to have the answer keys along with the previous XAT question papers, but the answer keys turned out to be fakes, so beware. Good luck!