KEANE Placement Question paper

[ganeshbala]

2008 Tamil Nadu State Anna University B.E Information Technology KEANE PAPER Question paper

KEANE PAPER ON 10th MARCH AT KOLKATA

Keane visited our campus on 10 March around 8am..They took
1.Aptitude test.
2.Group Discussion.
3.Technical interview.
4. Hr interview.

Total 246 students appeared from our campus out of which 40 were selected.

Written apti test was easy (except one or two quanti which i couldn,t solve) as they followed the same pattern that we got in previous ques papers in yuvajobs. English section was damn easy. Even logical was easy. Probable chain rule and series problems were absent. But they had three different sets having same questions, but in different order.

The tip to clear apti is to stay confident and maintain Ur cool. I was blank to see 1st a ques of quant section & thought I will not be able to clear but able to do rest.Best thing is there is no negative marking so u can always rely on flukes but my advise is to avoid them because they give a separate sheet for rough work and they attach it with answer sheet and resume and till hr interview that sheet is there.So anytime interviewer can ask u to perform the calculations and fluked in this case leaves bad impression.We were also given an essay on the topic "How ur college has enabled ur career" .

Out of 166,111 cleared the apti.

Next round was Gd,there were 8-10 ppl in each group. Those who moderated the gd were cool,quiet generous and helping. Our topic was " Can India be a technical super power by 2015".My group was a very gud and it had 7 of our class mates. All of us speak well, I spoke 3 times in gd and at last he asked everyone to conclude, dont ever speak irrelevant and out of topic just 4 the sake of speaking.But do speak. They selected 8/10 ppl frm our grou,at end of gd he collected the resume of selected ppl and stapled it with the respective answer sheets and rough sheet.

out of 111,66 cleared the the gd.

Next it was technical interview. The interviewer who took my tech interview was really nice and cooperative.I am a chemical engg student ,so first of all he asked me y IT JOB and not CHEMICAL.Then he asked me the basics of array,pointer,datastructure(stack,queue,linklist),algo of reversing string,printing the ascii value of character, and then he asked few questions on positive and negative testing on mobile phones. He didn,t asked me a single ques from my departmental subjects.

It lasted for 30-35 mins.Be confident maintain eye contact. stick to ur words and try to kep a gud smile on ur face.Technical Interview and gd are the main elimination round so never take them lightly......

Out of 66,50 cleared the technical round.

Then the h.r interview,it was just like chatting with the h.r as it is thought that once u reach hr round u are 99% placed but keane ppl eliminated many ppl in hr also. So don't take it lightly also. They will ask few ques like
1.About ur preference in posting and position.
2.Family details.
3.Entrance rank,dept rank.
4.Backlogs
etc.

final






KEANE PAPER ON 6th MARCH 2008

Hello friends ! I am sameer , a student of B-Tech ECE 6th Semester. It was my third chance for the placement which i got On 6th March, When KEANE INTERNATIONAL (INDIA) visited our campus for campus placement. And by God's grace , I got selected in KEANE . Our MST's were also going on.

I also want to add that before being selected in Keane, I was unsuccessful to make it in INFOSYS and PATNI Computers. So after being rejected by these company, I analyzed my errors and weaknesses. So this time I did not repeat them.2 colleges participated in it; ours i.e. Lovely Institutes and GNE Ludhiana. round about 350 students appeared for it.

There were 4 rounds of selection
1. Aptitude Test ( with one essay writing )
2. GD (Group Discussion)
3. Technical Interview
4. HR Interview

Before starting aptitude test, they gave us an essay "How your college has enabled your career ."

Aptitude test: Total 35 questions in 60 minutes
• 15 questions of Quant
• 8 questions of English Usage (very easy)
• 12 questions on Verbal Ability (very easy)

There was sectional cut-off also. There were 2 sets of the paper.After an hour, Also I want to mention that cut-off in KEANE Is round about 55 % (very easy to crack this paper )

Then they announced the names of candidates who cleared the aptitude test. I was one of them. They divided them into 15 groups of 10 students each. I was in 11th group.

Our GD topic was "Now a days AMERICA is strengthening its relationships with INDIA , should INDIA go with AMERICAN deals or with RUSSIAN deals . ".

Then our moderator gave us round about 4-5 minutes . Then he allowed us to start the GD .in GD just be confident and make some revel lent points and also you must be a good listener besides being a good speaker. then i also got selected in the GD .
(THIS ROUND WAS ALSO VERY EASY)

TECHNICAL INTERVIEW....
ME: may i come in sir ?
Interviewer: yes , please come .
ME: may i please have a seat ?
Interviewer: yes , sure .
Interviewer: (he saw my resume very carefully and ask me) Why there is a fall down in my %?Other questions were: As i am from electronics branch so he asked me abt my training and he asked me to completely explain my project. So be prepare for ur projects.Then he asked me abt c++, he only asked me the fundamentals of c++. Just hv the basic knowledge of programming.In the interview they just check ur confidence, so whatever u say just be confident and logical then i cleared this round also .....then after 10 minutes i was called for HR interview...
ME: may i come in sir ?
Interviewer: yes , please come .
ME: may i please have a seat ?
Interviewer: yes , sure .
Interviewer: can u go any where ?
ME: yes sir , sure . then he gave me the full information about wher would be my training .. for how many months it would be...etc.
Interviewer: ok , mr.sameer , any question ?
ME: What is my carrier growth in keane and what other programming languages should I learn before joining.
Interviewer: he explains.... (always ask 1 or 2 quest. It increases ur chances)
Interviewer: Now u can go.
Me: Thank u sir. total 33 students were selected from our college. I was also one of those lucky ones.

I really want to thank my College Placement Cell, My Parents, all my teachers and my frnds .they help me a lot. And at the end I just want to say that just be confident during the whole process, just don't think of ur result, hv faith in GOD and believe urself.








3.KEAN placement paper 2
KEANE INDIA LTD.



Keane selection pattern consists of 4 rounds. Namely:
1) Written test (Elimination Round)
2) GD (Elimination round)
3) Psychometric test (Not an Elimination Round)
4) Technical Interview.

About 1500 to 1600 people attended the written, out of which 125 were short-listed.
Out of 125 about 6 batches were made for GD (21 in each batch).
About 80 were short listed in GD (from each batch 7 members were eliminated).
Finally they will be selecting 35 members from interview (i.e., the batch size they required for testing is 35 only. For other courses I heard the batch size is 40)

Written Pattern:
Written pattern would be based on the course you have applied for.
For testing paper was quite easy.
Consists of 60 Questions to be answered in 60 min. There were 3 sections.
1) Quantitative Aptitude---------------------------25 questions.
2) Verbal and comprehension---------------------25 questions.
3) Logical Reasoning and Computer Basics-------10 Marks.

For other development side courses like Mainframes and Peoplesoft the pattern was somewhat tough. Tough in the sense the no of questions in each section were more.
Consists of 75 Questions to be answered in 60 min. There are 3 sections.
1) Mathematical Ability & Aptitude------------30 marks
2) Verbal and Comprehension-----------------25 marks
4) Computer Basics & Logical reasoning-----20 marks.

SECTION 1: Mathematical Ability & Aptitude
Questions on
* Number systems like--
How many numbers between 100 and 200 are odd, divisible by 3, but not by 7?
Also on lcm, hcf, etc.
*Time &work
*Time&Distance
*Races
*Probability
*Areas and volumes, length of chord etc.

SECTION 2: Verbal and Comprehension
*Analogies
*Antonyms
*Reading Comprehension
*sentence completion...
*Arranging sentences in correct order.
eg:
P: Alas! she had only 30 rupees with her.
Q: Bindu got late for the exam and she started in a hurry.
R: She called an auto and he demanded 50 rupees..
S: She blamed her hurry, as in hurry, she forgot to bring more money.
T: She went to the bus stop and there were no buses.
The following is the exact order of sentences:
a) PRSTQ b) QTRPS c) RSQPT d)QPRTS e)none of these
Answer :b

SECTION 3: Computer Basics & Logical reasoning
Logical Reasoning like
eg:
P: All girls are Bindus.
Q: Some Bindus are boys.
R: All Bindus are boys.
S: Some boys are not girls.
T:All girls are boys.
U:All boys are girls.
The following sentences are logically related:
a) UTQ b) PQS c) TSP d) RPS e) QSP
Answer : b

GD:
Even GD round was different for testing and other courses.
In my case our batch consists of 21 members. Topic was
"Population In India-Pros and Cons-Steps to control"
Each member was called at random and he needs to talk on the topic for about 1 or 2 min. We need to talk only when our chance comes.
It's not like general GD.
But for other courses it was like general GD only.
Other topics, which my friends faced, were:
"Youth role in Politics-Pros and Cons",
"Impact of Globalization on Indian Economy",
"Mobile Phones ad their Nuisance",
"IT development in India", etc.

Psychometric test: It's not so important. About 10 questions were given with 2 choices. We need to tick one of them. The test reflects our personality.
For e.g.,
How do you sit while talking to others?
a) Lean forwards.
b) Sit backwards.
I heard that they would consider this only while selecting in final round if two persons have same scores.

Technical Interview:
There were 9-pannels to interview us.
They will ask to take a slip from a bowl. Depending upon the no. we get that particular panel will interview us.
I got panel 6.
There were two people. Both are technical members. They were very friendly and cool.
I wished them and took my seat.
1) Tell me about yourself.
2) Did u write GRE? I said I wrote, But my parents are not willing to send US.
3) What are Your extra-curricular activities?
4) Asked my favorite subject in my Btech.
I told Microprocessors (As I am Btech ECE).
Then they asked questions on Microprocessors.
5) What did u learn in Microprocessors? I said 8086 Architecture.
6) Then he asked me whether 8086 is 8-bit or 16-bit. I said 16-bit.
7) Then he asked about the registers in 8086.
About length of address and data in 8086 (add-16 and data-16).
9) What's the maximum Address you can access with a 16-bit Address? Ans: FFFF
10) What we call if we place the address of a data in memory location in another location? I said Indirect Addressing.
11) What are the Addressing Modes of 8086? Told the Addressing modes.
12) Then he asked me to give an example for immediate addressing.
13) Then asked me to write simple addition program.
14) What is a DMA controller?
15) What is Your PC configuration?
16) What are the DMA devices and non DMA devices in your PC?
17) Then he asked about Difference Between RAM and CACHE memory.
18) Then they asked me to draw the diagram of a microcomputer.
19) Then he asked other than this what Programming languages you know well. I said ORACLE.
20) Then they asked questions on ORACLE.
21) What is Normalization? Need for Normalization.
22) What are the Normal forms we have?
23) What is a Trigger?
24) What's the difference between DDL and DML statements?
25) What are the DDL commands we have?
26) What is a view?
27) Can we update the data in a table from a view? I said no.
28) What are Entry controlled loops and Exit controlled loops? I said Entry controlled if LOOP -------- ENDLOOP and Exit controlled is REPEAT ----- UNTILL.
29) Asked about While LOOP.I said Entry controlled. Don't know correct answer. I think While is also Exit controlled.
30) Then he asked again other than this what you know like C, C++. I said I don't know C++. Then asked me do u remember C. I said somewhat.
31) Then asked me "You are 2004 passed out Why did u take this much time to get a job" I said I spent 3 to 4 months for GRE, afterwards learned Oracle and SAP-ABAP.
32) Then they asked is there any specific reason you have chosen SAP-ABAP. I told since it is some what database related I choose it.
33) Then asked me where you want yourself to be seen in next 3 years.
34) Finally they asked any questions for us?



A GD is a methodology used by an organization to gauge whether the candidate has certain personality traits and/or skills that it desires in its members. In this methodology, the group of candidates is given a topic or a situation, given a few minutes to think about the same, and then asked to discuss the it among themselves for 15-20 minutes. Freshersworld.com brings you an elaborate section for GD as you had ever seen anywhere else.
Some of the personality traits the GD is trying to gauge may include :-

Ability to work in a team
Communication skills
Reasoning ability
Leadership skills
Initiative
Assertiveness
Flexibility
Creativity
Ability to think on ones feet



Why GDs:-

The reason why institutes put you through a Group discussion and an interview, after testing your technical and conceptual skills in an exam, is to get to know you as a person and gauge how well you will fit in their institute. The Group discussion tests how you function as a part of a team. As a manager, you will always be working in teams, as a member or as a leader. Therefore how you interact in a team becomes an important criterion for your selection. Managers have to work in a team and get best results out of teamwork. That is the reason why management institutes include GD as a component of the selection procedure.

Company's Perspective:-

Companies conduct group discussion after the written test so as to check on your interactive skills and how good you are at communicating with other people. The GD is to check how you behave, participate and contribute in a group, how much importance do you give to the group objective as well as your own, how well do you listen to viewpoints of others and how open-minded are you in accepting views contrary to your own. The aspects which make up a GD are verbal communication, non-verbal behavior, conformation to norms, decision-making ability and cooperation. You should try to be as true as possible to these aspects.

Freshersworld.com wish you all the best of luck in your Group Discussion !

GD Tips
1. Initiation Techniques
2. Body of the group discussion
3. Summarization/ Conclusion
Initiation Techniques
• Initiating a GD is a high profit-high loss strategy.

When you initiate a GD, you not only grab the opportunity to speak, you also grab the attention of the examiner and your fellow candidates.

If you can make a favourable first impression with your content and communication skills after you initiate a GD, it will help you sail through the discussion.

But if you initiate a GD and stammer/ stutter/ quote wrong facts and figures, the damage might be irreparable.

If you initiate a GD impeccably but don't speak much after that, it gives the impression that you started the GD for the sake of starting it or getting those initial kitty of points earmarked for an initiator!

When you start a GD, you are responsible for putting it into the right perspective or framework. So initiate one only if you have in-depth knowledge about the topic at hand.
Body of the group discussion
• Different techniques to initiate a GD and make a good first impression:

i. Quotes
ii. Definition
iii. Question
iv. Shock statement
v. Facts, figures and statistics
vi. Short story
vii. General statement

i. Quotes

Quotes are an effective way of initiating a GD.

If the topic of a GD is: Should the Censor Board be abolished?, you could start with a quote like, 'Hidden apples are always sweet'.

For a GD topic like, Customer is King, you could quote Sam (Wall-mart) Walton's famous saying, 'There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company -- from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.'

ii. Definition

Start a GD by defining the topic or an important term in the topic.

For example, if the topic of the GD is Advertising is a Diplomatic Way of Telling a Lie, why not start the GD by defining advertising as, 'Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services through mass media like newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an identified sponsor'?

For a topic like The Malthusian Economic Prophecy is no longer relevant, you could start by explaining the definition of the Malthusian Economic Prophecy.

iii. Question

Asking a question is an impact way of starting a GD.

It does not signify asking a question to any of the candidates in a GD so as to hamper the flow. It implies asking a question, and answering it yourself.

Any question that might hamper the flow of a GD or insult a participant or play devil's advocate must be discouraged.

Questions that promote a flow of ideas are always appreciated.

For a topic like, Should India go to war with Pakistan, you could start by asking, 'What does war bring to the people of a nation? We have had four clashes with Pakistan. The pertinent question is: what have we achieved?'

iv. Shock statement

Initiating a GD with a shocking statement is the best way to grab immediate attention and put forth your point.

If a GD topic is, The Impact of Population on the Indian Economy, you could start with, 'At the centre of the Indian capital stands a population clock that ticks away relentlessly. It tracks 33 births a minute, 2,000 an hour, 48,000 a day. Which calculates to about 12 million every year. That is roughly the size of Australia. As a current political slogan puts it, 'Nothing's impossible when 1 billion Indians work together'.'

v. Facts, figures and statistics

If you decide to initiate your GD with facts, figure and statistics, make sure to quote them accurately.

Approximation is allowed in macro level figures, but micro level figures need to be correct and accurate.

For example, you can say, approximately 70 per cent of the Indian population stays in rural areas (macro figures, approximation allowed).

But you cannot say 30 states of India instead of 28 (micro figures, no approximations).

Stating wrong facts works to your disadvantage.

For a GD topic like, China, a Rising Tiger, you could start with, 'In 1983, when China was still in its initial stages of reform and opening up, China's real use of Foreign Direct Investment only stood at $636 million. China actually utilized $60 billion of FID in 2004, which is almost 100 times that of its 1983 statistics."

[ganeshbala]

KEANE Placement  Question paper

vi. Short story

Use a short story in a GD topic like, Attitude is Everything.

This can be initiated with, 'A child once asked a balloon vendor, who was selling helium gas-filled balloons, whether a blue-colored balloon will go as high in the sky as a green-colored balloon. The balloon vendor told the child, it is not the color of the balloon but what is inside it that makes it go high.'

vii. General statement

Use a general statement to put the GD in proper perspective.

For example, if the topic is, Should Sonia Gandhi be the prime minister of India?, you could start by saying, 'Before jumping to conclusions like, 'Yes, Sonia Gandhi should be', or 'No, Sonia Gandhi should not be', let's first find out the qualities one needs to be a a good prime minister of India. Then we can compare these qualities with those that Mrs. Gandhi possesses. This will help us reach the conclusion in a more objective and effective manner.'
Summarization/ Conclusion
• Most GD do not really have conclusions. A conclusion is where the whole group decides in favor or against the topic.
• But every GD is summarized. You can summaries what the group has discussed in the GD in a nutshell.

Keep the following points in mind while summarizing a discussion:

1. Avoid raising new points.
2. Avoid stating only your viewpoint.
3. Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of the GD.
4. Keep it brief and concise.
5. It must incorporate all the important points that came out during the GD.
6. If the examiner asks you to summaries a GD, it means the GD has come to an end.
7. Do not add anything once the GD has been summarized.

GD Preparation
While selection tools and techniques like tests, interviews etc. provide good data about an individual, they fall short in providing real life data of how an individual would be performing in a real life situation especially a group situation. Team work being an integral part of the BPO work profile, it is important to ascertain group and inter-personal qualities of an individual. Group discussion is a useful tool to ascertain these qualities and many organizations use GDs as a selection tool along with Personal Interviews, aptitude tests etc. A GD is an activity where
• Groups of 8-10 candidates are formed into a leaderless group, and are given a specific situation to analyse and discuss within a given time limit, which may vary between twenty minutes and forty-five minutes, or
• They may be given a case study and asked to come out with a solution for a problem
• They may be given a topic and are asked to discuss the same
1. Preparing for a Group Discussion: While GD reflects the inherent qualities of an individual, appearing for it unprepared may not augur well for you. These tips would help you prepare for GDs:
Reading: This is the first and the most crucial step in preparation. This is a never ending process and the more you read, the better you are in your thoughts. While you may read anything to everything, you must ensure that you are in good touch with current affairs, the debates and hot topics of discussion and also with the latest in the IT and ITES industry. Chances are the topics would be around these. Read both for the thoughts as well as for data. Also read multiple view points on the same topic and then create your point of view with rationale. Also create answers for counter arguments for your point of view. The electronic media also will be of good use here.
Mocks: Create an informal GD group and meet regularly to discuss and exchange feedback. This is the best way to prepare. This would give you a good idea about your thoughts and how well can you convince. Remember, it is important that you are able to express your thoughts well. The better you perform in these mocks the better would be you chances to perform on the final day. Also try to interact and participate in other GD groups. This will develop in you a skill to discuss with unknown people as well.
2. During the Group Discussion:
What do the panelists assess:Some of the qualities assessed in a GD are:
Leadership Skills - Ability to take leadership roles and be able to lead, inspire and carry the team along to help them achieve the group's objectives.
Communication Skills - Candidates will be assessed in terms of clarity of thought, expression and aptness of language. One key aspect is listening. It indicates a willingness to accommodate others views.
Interpersonal Skills - People skills are an important aspect of any job. They are reflected in the ability to interact with other members of the group in a brief situation. Emotional maturity and balance promotes good interpersonal relationships. The person has to be more people centric and less self-centered.
Persuasive Skills - The ability to analyze and persuade others to see the problem from multiple perspectives.
GD is a test of your ability to think, your analytical capabilities and your ability to make your point in a team-based environment.
These are some of the sub-skills that also get assessed with the skills mentioned above:
• Clarity of thought
• Group working skills (especially during a group task of case study discussion)
• Conflict handling
• Listening and probing skills
• Knowledge about the subject and individual point of view
• Ability to create a consensus
• Openess and flexibility towards new ideas
• Data based approach to decision making
While, it is not possible to reflect all these qualities in a short time, you would do well if you are able to show a couple or more qualities and avoid giving negative evidence on others.

How do I take my chance to speak: Trying to interrupt others while speaking would only harm your chances. Instead, you may try to maintain an eye-contact with the speaker. This would show your listening skills also and would help you gauge from his eye-movement and pitch of voice that he is about to close his inputs. You can quickly take it from there. Also, try and link your inputs with what he has spoken whether you are adding to or opposing his arguments. This would reflect that you are actually being participative rather than just doing a collective monologue.
• How to I communicate in a GD: Be crisp and to the point. Be fact based and avoid making individual opinions that do not have a factual base. Make eye contact with all the members in the group and avoid looking at the panelists while speaking. The average duration of the group discussion provides an average of about 2-3 minutes per participant to speak and you should try to speak about 3-4 times. Hence, you need to be really crisp to reflect the most in those 30-40 sec. slots.
• How do I convince others and make them agree to my view point: A lot of candidates make it their mission to make the group reach to a conclusion on the topic. Do not forget that some of the topics have been eternal debates and there is no way you can get an agreement in 15 mins. on them. The objective is not to make others toe your line but to provide fact based, convincing arguments which create an impact. Stick to this approach.
• Do leadership skills include moderating the group discussion: This is a myth and many people do try to impose their order on the GD, ordering people when to speak and when not to. This only reflects poor leadership. Leadership in a GD would be reflected by your clarity of thought, ability to expand the topic in its different dimensions, providing an opportunity to a silent participant to speak, listening to others and probing them to provide more information. Hence, work on these areas rather than be a self-appointed moderator of the group.
• Listening: This is a key quality assessed during the GD about which many participants forget. Active listening can fetch you credit points and would also provide you with data to discuss. Also, if you have an average of 2-3 minutes to speak, the rest of the 20-25 minutes is required to spent in active listening. For this, maintain eye contact with the speakers, attend to them (like nodding, using acknowledging words like -I see ok, fine, great etc.). This would also make you be the centre of attraction as you would appear non-threatening to the speakers.
• Behaviour during the GD: Be patient; don't get upset if anyone says anything you object to. Stay objective and don't take the discussion personally. Also, remember the six C's of communication - Clarity, Completeness, Conciseness, Confidence, Correctness and Courtesy. Be appreciative & receptive to ideas from other people and open-minded but do not let others to change your own viewpoint. Be active and interested throughout. It is better to participate less if you have no clue of the topic. You may listen to others and take clues from there and speak. You would be assessed on a range of different skills and you may think that leadership is key, you need to be careful that you don't dominate the discussion.
• Quality Vs Quantity: Often, participants think that success in group discussions depends on how much and how loudly they speak. Interestingly, it's the opposite. Also, making your point on the topic, your views are important and the group needs to know. This will tell you are knowledgeable and that you participate in groups
• Summarizing: If you have not been able to initiate the discussion, try to summaries and close it. Good summarizing would get you good reward points. A conclusion is where the whole group decides in favour or against the topic and most GDs do not have a closure. But every GD can be summarized by putting forth what the group has discussed in a nutshell. Keep the following points in mind while summarizing a discussion:
• Avoid raising new points.
• Avoid stating only your viewpoint.
• Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of the GD
• Keep it brief and concise.
• It must include all the important points that came out during the GD
• If you are asked to summarise a GD, it means the GD has come to an end.
• Do not add anything once the GD has been summarised.
Some Positive Task Roles in a Group Discussion:You may want to play one or more of them:
• Initiator
• Information seeker
• Information giver
• Procedure facilitator
• Opinion seeker
• Opinion giver
• Clarifier
• Social Supporter
• Harmonizer
• Tension Reliever
• Energizer
• Compromiser
• Gatekeeper
• Summarizer
Negative Roles to be Avoided
• Disgruntled non-participant
• Attacker
• Dominator
• Patronizer
• Clown
Feedback template: While doing mocks for GD preparation, you would get benefited by the feedback of others. For the purpose, we are providing a template for feedback - both quantitative and qualitative. The items described over there are a suggested list and not a complete one. You may make changes in it depending upon your need.

GD Mistakes
Here's a list of the most common mistakes made at group discussions:
Emotional outburst
Rashmi was offended when one of the male participants in a group discussion made a statement on women generally being submissive while explaining his point of view. When Rashmi finally got an opportunity to speak, instead of focussing on the topic, she vented her anger by accusing the other candidate for being a male chauvinist and went on to defend women in general.
What Rashmi essentially did was to
• Deviate from the subject
• Treat the discussion as a forum to air her own views.
• Lose objectivity and make personal attacks.
Her behaviour would have been perceived as immature and demotivating to the rest of the team.
Quality Vs Quantity
Gautam believed that the more he talked, the more likely he was to get through the GD. So, he interrupted other people at every opportunity. He did this so often that the other candidates got together to prevent him from participating in the rest of the discussion.
• Assessment is not only on your communication skills but also on your ability to be a team player.
• Evaluation is based on quality, and not on quantity. Your contribution must be relevant.
• The mantra is "Contributing meaningfully to the team's success." Domination is frowned upon.
Egotism Showing off
Krishna was happy to have got a group discussion topic he had prepared for. So, he took pains to project his vast knowledge of the topic. Every other sentence of his contained statistical data - "20% of companies; 24.27% of parliamentarians felt that; I recently read in a Jupiter Report that..." and so on so forth. Soon, the rest of the team either laughed at him or ignored his attempts to enlighten them as they perceived that he was cooking up the data.
• Exercise restraint in anything. You will end up being frowned upon if you attempt showing-off your knowledge.
• Facts and figures need not validate all your statements.
• Its your analysis and interpretation that are equally important - not just facts and figures.
• You might be appreciated for your in-depth knowledge. But you will fail miserably in your people skills.
Such a behavior indicates how self-centered you are and highlights your inability to work in an atmosphere where different opinions are expressed.
Get noticed - But for the right reasons
Srikumar knew that everyone would compete to initiate the discussion. So as soon as the topic - "Discuss the negative effects of India joining the WTO" - was read out, he began talking. In his anxiety to be the first to start speaking, he did not hear the word "negative" in the topic. He began discussing the ways in which the country had benefited by joining WTO, only to be stopped by the evaluator, who then corrected his mistake.
• False starts are extremely expensive. They cost you your admission. It is very important to listen and understand the topic before you air your opinions.
• Spending a little time analyzing the topic may provide you with insights which others may not have thought about. Use a pen and paper to jot down your ideas.
• Listen! It gives you the time to conceptualize and present the information in a better manner.
Some mistakes are irreparable. Starting off the group discussion with a mistake is one such mistake, unless you have a great sense of humor.
Managing one's insecurities
Sumati was very nervous. She thought that some of the other candidates were exceptionally good. Thanks to her insecurity, she contributed little to the discussion. Even when she was asked to comment on a particular point, she preferred to remain silent.
• Your personality is also being evaluated. Your verbal and non verbal cues are being read.
• Remember, you are the participant in the GD; not the evaluator. So, rather than evaluating others and your performance, participate in the discussion.
• Your confidence level is being evaluated. Decent communication skills with good confidence is a must to crack the GDs.
Focus on your strengths and do not spend too much time thinking about how others are superior or inferior to you. It is easy to pick up these cues from your body language.
Knowledge is strength. A candidate with good reading habits has more chances of success. In other words, sound knowledge on different topics like politics, finance, economy, science and technology is helpful.
Power to convince effectively is another quality that makes you stand out among others.
Clarity in speech and expression is yet another essential quality.
If you are not sure about the topic of discussion, it is better not to initiate. Lack of knowledge or wrong approach creates a bad impression. Instead, you might adopt the wait and watch attitude. Listen attentively to others, may be you would be able to come up with a point or two later.
A GD is a formal occasion where slang is to avoided.
A GD is not a debating stage. Participants should confine themselves to expressing their viewpoints. In the second part of the discussion candidates can exercise their choice in agreeing, disagreeing or remaining neutral.
Language use should be simple, direct and straight forward.
Don't interrupt a speaker when the session is on. Try to score by increasing your size, not by cutting others short.
Maintain rapport with fellow participants. Eye contact plays a major role. Non-verbal gestures, such as listening intently or nodding while appreciating someone's viewpoint speak of you positively.
Communicate with each and every candidate present. While speaking don't keep looking at a single member. Address the entire group in such a way that everyone feels you are speaking to him or her.

[ganeshbala]

Engineering GD Topics

• Is China a threat to the Indian software industry.
• Role of UN in peacekeeping.
• Position of Women in India compared to other nations.
• Environment Management.
• Is China better than India in software.
• Govt contribution to IT
• is china a threat to Indian industry
• India or west , which is the land of opportunities
• water resources should be nationalised
• "BALANCE BETWEEN PROFESSIONALISM AND FAMILY"
• Effect of cinema on Youth
• Education in India compared to Foreign nations
• What is the effect of movies on youth. is it good or bad)
• Are studies more beneficial in India or in Abroad.
• "UN's peace activities" and "America's war on Iraq".
• "Environment-Whose Responsibility".
• US war on iraq-justified or not.
• Role of UN in Peace keeping
• War on Iraq
• About Hockey being the primary game in India.
• Can America occupy Iraq
• IS CHINA A THREAT TO INDIA
• Present state of Indian Cricket team
• Advantages of Co-education.
• How to deal with international terrorism.
• Should we pursue our policy of dialogue with Pakistan?
• Is peace and non-violence outdated concepts?
• A Unipolar World spells disaster for underdeveloped countries like India.
• Is Globalization Really Necessary?
• What shall we do about our ever-increasing Population?
• Corruption is the price we pay for Democracy.
• Foreign Television Channels are destroying our culture.
• What India needs is a Dictatorship.
• With media publishing and telecasting trivia, censorship is the need of the hour.
• Kaun Banega Krorepati is less about knowledge but more about money and personality.
• Beauty contests degrade womanhood
• The rise of regional blocs threatens independent nations like India
• Six billion and one bronze!
• Is dependence on computers a good thing?
• Should the public sector be privatised?
• China and India are similar nations with contrasting ways
• Is India a Soft Nation?
• Value based politics is the need of the hour
• Religion should not be mixed with politics
• How to deal with high oil prices
• Our cricketers are not to blame for match fixing
• Why cant we be world players in industry as we are in software?
• Multinational corporations: Are they devils in disguise?
• Should there be limits on artistic freedom (the controversy on Fire).
• Should there be private universities?
• Does banning fashion shows and New Year parties save our culture?
• Public sector is more a hindrance than help to promote socialism.
• Economic betterment of the poorer nations is as important as disarmament to ensure lasting world peace.
• From public sector to privatization as in the U.K., is the right answer for India's instant economic breakthrough.
• The doctrine of "limited nuclear war" is an ill-convinced, ill- logical, irrational and extremely dangerous concept.
• Some simple but effective electoral reforms will enable us to retain the present parliamentary system and ensure the preservation of democracy in India.
• Nuclear war cannot be won and should not be fought.
• Private enterprise and not public sector will contribute to faster and higher economic growth in India
• Inflation is inevitable in our developing country.
• The policy of reservation is a legacy of the British and it has done more harm than good.
• For a marketing post graduate, without prior work experience working in a big marketing firm is a disadvantage when compared with working in a small firm. Discuss.
• Consumerism is destroying the social fabric of Indian culture
• Free market is a prerequisite for growth.
• Cricket as a national obsession is a detriment to other sports.
• To develop India has to empower women.
• .Formulate the government's health policy to control the spread of AIDS.
• Advertising is a waste of resources.
• Privatization will lead to less corruption.
• State is the biggest violator of human rights.
• There can never be a classless society.
• Beauty pageants are a marketing gimmick.
• Voting rights to illiterates in India is illogical because it is widely misused.
• Joint family is a blessing in disguise
• Higher education should be made possible only for those who can pay for it.
• Women cannot successfully combine both career and home
• Women are good managers.
• Executive should be allowed to form unions.
• Effect of liberalization on poverty.
• Indians perform better as individuals rather than in groups.
• Business and ethics go hand in hand, or do they?
• Developing countries should spend more on development than on defense.
• Political parties have outlived their utility.
• Is Swadeshi relevant for India today?
• Money is required to earn more money.
• Foreign trade is necessary for any country to survive
• Presidential Vs Parliamentary form of government of India.
• Technology: The Ism' Of The New Millennium?
• Religion And Politics Should Not Mix
• TRIPS Controversy And The Patent Act Amendment
• Should India Sign The CTBT
• State Interventions In Market Kind Or Mixed Economy
• Science Is A Boon Or Bane
• Is Swapping Terrorists For Hostages An Encouragement For Plane- Hijackers?
• Nice Guys Finish Last
• All Work And No Play Makes Jack A Dull Boy
• Individual Freedom And Civil Society
• Conventionalism And Modernity: The Ever going Debate
• Should There Be A Restriction On Permissiveness Being propagated by The MTV Culture And Foreign Media?
• Marxism And Its Future All Over The World
• The Growing Menace Of Casteism And Regionalism
• Presidential Form Of Government Is Needed In India
• Bullet For Bullet: Is It The Right Policy?
• Capitation Fees Should Be Abolished
• Brain-Drain Has To Be Stopped
• Business And Ethics Can't / Don't Go Together
• Are women As good as Men Or Inferior?
• Nothing Succeeds Like Success
• The Malthusian Economic Prophecy Is No Longer Relevant
• Secessionism In The North-East: Who's To Blame?
• Should India Break Diplomatic Ties With Pakistan?
• Age and Youth: Experience And Young Talent
• East Is East & West Is Where All The Action Is': Mark Twain
• Freedom Of _Expression And The State Authority.

GD Do's

• Do's
1. Be as natural as possible. Do not try and be someone you are not. Be yourself.
2. A group discussion is your chance to be more vocal. The evaluator wants to hear you speak.
3. Take time to organize your thoughts. Think of what you are going to say.
4. Seek clarification if you have any doubts regarding the subject.
5. Don't start speaking until you have clearly understood and analyzed the subject.
6. Work out various strategies to help you make an entry: initiate the discussion or agree with someone else's point and then move onto express your views.
7. Opening the discussion is not the only way of gaining attention and recognition. If you do not give valuable insights during the discussion, all your efforts of initiating the discussion will be in vain.
8. Your body language says a lot about you - your gestures and mannerisms are more likely to reflect your attitude than what you say.
9. Language skills are important only to the effect as to how you get your points across clearly and fluently.
10. Be assertive not dominating; try to maintain a balanced tone in your discussion and analysis.
11. Don't lose your cool if anyone says anything you object to. The key is to stay objective: Don't take the discussion personally.
12. Always be polite: Try to avoid using extreme phrases like: `I strongly object' or `I disagree'. Instead try phrases like: `I would like to share my views on...' or `One difference between your point and mine...' or "I beg to differ with you"
13. Brush up on your leadership skills; motivate the other members of the team to speak (this surely does not mean that the only thing that you do in the GD is to say "let us hear what the young lady with the blue scarf has to say," or "Raghu, let us hear your views" - Essentially be subtle), and listen to their views. Be receptive to others' opinions and do not be abrasive or aggressive.
14. If you have a group of like-minded friends, you can have a mock group discussion where you can learn from each other through giving and receiving feedback.
15. Apart from the above points, the panel will also judge team members for their alertness and presence of mind, problem-solving abilities, ability to work as a team without alienating certain members, and creativity.