How I Landed Into MICA : MICAT Preparation Strategy

- Pooja Sharma

MICAT is a unique entrance examination and of the quirkiest in India. That is how I like to put it. The exam seems to look straightforward but isn’t. It is designed in such a way that it touches upon every aspect that affect one’s aptitude and potential to learn. With so many sections, it makes it impossible for one to go for this exam unprepared. Like the life is at MICA, this exam aims to check holistically your cognitive and creative abilities. Let’s try to break out the sections of the exam along with some tips to help you prepare better.

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Section – Wise MICAT Preparation Strategy

1. Psychometric Test

This is the section of paramount importance. Like a mystery none have been able to decipher what is the right answer. With about 120-150 questions in about 30 minutes. The key to this section is consistency. The best approach is to practice some psychometric tests online and compare your results, this helps you understand if you are answering with the same line of thought.  Some questions like do you gossip? Do you believe in being honest can also be tricky, so stay honest and honest consistently is the mantra

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2. Creative Writing

In the heart of most Mican’s. You enjoy and despise this section the most. This is the standout section in MICA. Paid heavy importance to by aspirants. Following a similar time crunch of 30 minutes you are expected to write a short story as well as answer certain subjective questions. The first three questions test your style of writing an argument.  With a phrase or a sentence given, you are expected to present your opinions for and against the same. You can also be asked to write about the same with your own point of view. The last question is testing your story writing skills. With 4 pictures provided to you, you must weave a short meaningful story. It could be anything, something funny, serious, or even moralistic.  One can prepare in multiple ways for this section. Reading and practicing writing is very crucial. Reading short stories or editorials to help in argument writing as they support your practice to express your opinions in a crisp way. Articles also help you open your mind and be receptive to different ideologies which you may encounter during interview prep as well.

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3. Thinking Abilities

Questions are a mixture of both convergent and divergent thinking. With series and pattern questions only, practice can help you crack this. Statement-conclusion, small puzzles, finding the best fit series are some examples. Word association questions only found in MICAT’s are a part of this section. They consist of one word with multiple options to choose from, words that are can be associated together with creativity and logic

Practicing for 30-60 minutes a day would be beneficial if you are starting a month before the exam.

4. Quantitative Techniques

In lieu of the current trend of analytics in the industry it is seemingly possible that quants are becoming difficult year by year. The quantitative questions range from algebra and arithmetic in equal proportions. This section comprises of are 20 questions and incorrect answers result in a 0.25 penalty mark. Working on your foundation and keeping them solid is the key to this lock. Before moving on to other subjects like probability, mensuration, numbers, equations, venn diagrams, and functions, you might concentrate on arithmetic and keep an eye on your speed. Data interpretation questions also need basic understanding of percentages, ratios and calculations.

5. Verbal Abilities

This section alike quantitative techniques. These questions are difficult to medium level and hence practice becomes important along with accuracy. Para-completion, Para jumbles and short format comprehension questions are found here. exercises. Statement and assumptions questions test your critical thinking skills and are not as straightforward as they seem to be. Unprecedented last MICAT exam had questions with almost 8 options hence accuracy and grammar rules became crucial in cracking this section. Practice basic sentence formation rules along with punctuations and where are they appropriately used. Vocabulary questions can also surface with are based on context and prior knowledge about the same. Reading articles and practicing critical reasoning questions can help you sail through this.

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MICAT Key Preparation Tips

• The first and foremost step in cracking a competitive exam is working on your basics. If your roots are strong, you can almost tackle any question. As the questions get tougher your conceptual understanding and application will have to improve as well. For this, practice is a must. Start with small and easy fundamental concepts and then move to questions that are an amalgamation of many.
• Second Important strategy is to keep in mind the limit constraints and the pressure that awakens during your final exam, If a question takes 1 minute in the final exam, you should be able to complete it in 45 seconds during your practice tests. Practice your mocks and questions with time limits.
• Lastly, Revision is extremely crucial. This has two parts to it, first revise your concepts and what you learnt last night every morning or each day before starting the next set of studies.  Secondly, revise your answers before submitted the exam as well. Leave 1 minute before each question to quickly run through the answers and calculations. This helps you avoid a negative marking.
• Set your timetable. Making your own schedule and following through helps you track your own journey. This should be based on your best time of productivity. It is seen often that one should use the most productive time of the day for the most difficult subjects or one that require more concentration that the other.

• Know your own strengths and weakness. This can happen only when you have started to practice questions that you become aware of your own areas of weakness. Revise the areas of weakness more often and do not waste time on concepts that you are already positive about. Set extra time aside for the same and use multiple resources on weaker areas. You can watch YouTube videos and solve the questions provided by iQuanta for the same.

Do check out iQuanta’s MICAT 2023 preparation course. Here you’ll get access to live classes , unlimited practice questions and 24×7 doubt solving. Visit www.iQuanta.in/mba or click on the image below.