Tips to Improve GK for MBA Entrance Exams: Best Books and Preparation Tips
GK is considered as the most scoring section of any MBA entrance exam. However, the weightage of this section will vary for all entrance exams. This article covers all the important tips and best books which can help you ace the GK section.
Master of Business Administration has become one of the most demanding career options opted by candidates from all backgrounds. Every year thousands of students enrol for this program at various MBA colleges in India. However, it is not a cakewalk to get admission at any of the top MBA colleges in India especially the IIMs. Most of the colleges shortlist candidates on the basis of MBA entrance exams and candidates are thus required to score a good percentage in MBA entrance exams.
However, there are also some private colleges that also offer direct admission to MBA without entrance exam but the total number of seats offered by such colleges is very limited. Hence, the majority of MBA admissions are done through the MBA entrance exam.
Some of the common MBA entrance exams are CAT, XAT, SNAP, GMAT and NMAT. Candidates need to prepare well in order to crack these exams. It is important to score well in every section to increase the chances of selection. But sometimes students get stuck while preparing for a particular section. One of the important areas where the candidates often face difficulty is General Knowledge (GK) for MBA exams. This article will provide you with some important tips and strategies to improve general knowledge for MBA but before that let's take a look at the exam pattern of some of the popular entrance exams.
Exam Pattern of Popular Entrance Exams
Check the table provided below to know the exam pattern of MBA entrance exams that have a GK or General Awareness section.
Exam | Section | No of Questions |
Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning | 26 | |
Decision Making | 21 | |
Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | 28 | |
General Knowledge | 25 | |
General Awareness | 25 | |
Logical Reasoning | 25 | |
Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | 25 | |
Language Comprehension | 25 | |
Language Comprehension | 40 | |
Mathematical Skills | 40 | |
Data Analysis & Sufficiency | 40 | |
Intelligence & Critical Reasoning | 40 | |
Indian & Global Environment | 40 | |
Data Interpretation (DI) | 20 | |
Quantitative Ability (QA) | 20 | |
Logical Reasoning (LR) | 20 | |
Reading Comprehension (RC) | 16 | |
Verbal Ability (VA) | 18 | |
General Awareness (GA) | 20 | |
General Awareness | 40 | |
English Proficiency | 30 | |
Maths & Logical Reasoning | 30 |
Why Focus on the General Knowledge Section?
Many candidates often ignore the GK section while preparing for MBA entrance exam exams. This is a big mistake because the questions in this section have a direct answer. Candidates can score good marks in this section without spending a lot of time. Sometimes when two candidates end up getting equal scores in all other sections, the GK section can make a difference. Therefore, they should treat this section as important as quantitative ability and logical ability section.
GK Syllabus for MBA Entrance Exams
It is necessary for the candidates to know the syllabus of the GK section for all MBA entrance exams before starting the preparation. All the exams have a similar syllabus for GK except for some topics. Candidates can go through the table given below to find out some of the important GK topics for MBA entrance exams.
Awards and winners | History |
Business | Geography |
Economy | Current affairs |
Government and Politics | Important happenings around the World |
Science | Static GK |
Famous Personalities | Indian Constitution |
How to Prepare for GK for MBA Entrance Exams?
Apart from the topics mentioned above, the GK section will comprise questions from current happenings around the world, current affairs and important events. Once the candidates have checked all the important topics for the MBA entrance exam, they can come up with preparation strategies for the GK section. A preparation strategy will help the candidates assign equal time for all important topics. They can prepare different exam strategies for all MBA exams depending on the number of GK questions which will be asked in the exam.
Preparation Tips for Static GK Topics for MBA Entrance Exams
The static GK part of the MBA entrance exam will have questions from history, economics, business and other topics. Some important tips for handling the Static GK topics are given below.
- There are many books available for improving GK for MBA entrance exams. Candidates can select any books depending upon the language and content.
- Try and solve a maximum number of question papers and mock tests to know the type of questions that will be asked in the exam.
- Prepare notes for all the important happenings and dates so that you can revise them before appearing for the exam.
- Candidates can also research online to find out some of the important questions for all the topics for static GK.
Best GK Books for MBA Entrance Exams
It is important to be well aware of all the current affairs and important happenings around the world. Reading various newspapers and magazines will also help in staying updated with the current events. Besides this, there are also many books in the market that can help candidates score well in this section. Some of the best GK books for MBA entrance exams are listed below.
- General Knowledge by Disha Experts
- General Knowledge 2020 by Manohar Pandey
- Manorma Year Book or India Year Book
- Newspapers
Weightage of GK in MBA Entrance Exams
The weightage of GK will vary for the different MBA entrance exams. Also, the marking scheme and the number of sections will also differ for all MBA exams. The table below to know the exam wise weightage of GK section in all MBA entrance exams.
Exam | Maximum Marks | Weightage % for GK as per the Scoring Pattern |
MAT | 200 | 40% (1 Mark for Each Right answer) |
CMAT | 400 | 25% (4 Marks for Each Right answer) |
SNAP | 150 | 20% (Division of 1 Mark for 20 Qs and 2 Marks for 5 Qs) |
XAT | 100 | 25% (1 Mark for Each Right Answer) |
IIFT | 100 | 8% (0.50 Mark for Each Right answer) |
GK Questions for MBA Entrance Exams
Some of the sample GK questions for MBA entrance exams are given below
Q: Who won the cricket world cup in 2019?
- Australia
- India
- England
- New Zealand
Q: Which is the oldest Veda?
- Rigveda
- Samaveda
- Yajurveda
- Atharvaveda
Q: Which team was banned for two years in IPL?
- CSK
- RCB
- MI
- SRH
Q: Which of the following is not a Cryptocurrency?
- Litecoin
- Paypal
- Etherium
- Bitcoin
Popular MBA Colleges in India
Let's also take a look at some of the popular MBA colleges in India along with their location and fee.
Colleges | Location | Fee |
Visnagar | INR 74,000 | |
Chennai | INR 55,000 | |
Gurgaon | INR 3,60,000 | |
Ghaziabad | INR 95,000 | |
Bhopal | INR 1,60,000 | |
Rohini, New Delhi | INR 1,00,000 | |
Jalandhar | INR 1,56,000 | |
Bhopal | INR 1,90,000 | |
Bhubaneshwar | INR 8,40,000 | |
Pune | INR 7,90,000 |
If you have any queries related to MBA admission, just fill our Common Application Form (CAF) or call our toll-free helpline number 1800-572-9877. Our experts will help you get admission to the best MBA college of your choice and as per your requirements.