Scores in Decision Making Section in XAT 2015 could be a turning point in getting shortlisted for XLRI admission batch 2015-17. Doubts on relevance of introducing the Decision Making section in XAT throng the minds of XAT aspirants off and on. One thing is however clear you can not run away from it and have to grab every opportunity to prepare/learn and clarify doubts on questions in Decision Making Section of XAT Exam.
In fact, Making decisions in business environment is something an MBA aspirant should be aware of. This is the reason that XAT emphasises on this module and has developed a separate section with 25 questions on decision making.
Every human being has to make a decision in a given situation. The decisions may be clearly focussed, confusing, or may have to address the problem in multiple ways. Right or wrong decisions are the everyday part of life which may not be avoided.
How important is Decision making section in XAT
XAT has formed an entire section of 25 questions since 2012 on Decision making. Earlier this section had less number of questions say 7-8 clubbed with other sections but realising its importance throughout the managerial career of a candidate a separate section on Decision making has been formed since then.
Decision making section accounts for-
-Calculation of percentile;
-Calculation of sectional cut offs;
-Shortlisting of candidates for GDPI
Ignoring the importance of this section in XAT 2015 will not only lead to a substantial dip in XAT percentile but also due to low scores in this section the candidate may not be shortlisted for final admission round.
Type of questions in Decision Making
A passage with certain information is followed by a set of 4-5 questions. Each of the questions is again followed by 4-5 close decision making answer options.
The questions may be on what should be the decision in the given situation, how it should be taken, why it should be taken-factors influencing the decision or who should take it.
Following type of question set is expected to appear in XAT 2015. Aspirants have to focus on right direction of their study pattern to prepare for Decision Making section.
The passage will have information based on a tricky situation. The test taker is expected to decide the best and preferred course of action to tackle the situation. You will have to identify the reasons leading to the situation and opt for best course of action to defuse and move forward in the given situation.
The passage will be followed by a set of varying questions. You are supposed to approach the situation skilfully taking decision as a leader with intelligence, determining the priorities of organization while working in a team.
How to approach the right option
The first and foremost thing is to read and understand the given data, facts, information in the passage. It is advised to go through the information with an open mind and read it attentively.
Now read the questions one by one. Try to get to the core of question as what is being asked for.
Then move to get the available information, whether you have all of that or the requirement is more than the availability.
Now comes the time to analyse the information in right perspective and fit it into a problem solving structure.
Once the data given is classified, arriving at the answer will be easier.
The best way to prepare is to develop the analysing skills by practicing more and more questions
Decision making is different from Logical reasoning
Reasoning is related to answering questions from diverse data without human intervention or help.
The data is given in some formal system whose semantics is clear
On the other hand Decision Making is a form of reasoning that focuses on answering questions about preferences and choice between/among two or more activities, e.g., in the context of an autonomous agent trying to fulfil a task for a human.
Many times in decision making earlier actions affect later decisions.
The decisions taken there involve achieving goals or optimizing some criteria such as plan length, actions’ cost, or future expected accumulated reward.
Step wise preparation strategy
It is never suggested that you should immediately jump to solve the different types of problems. Study the situation, learn to analyse all the pros and cons and then arrive at most appropriate decision.
The 3 step preparation strategy to score more in Decision making section should be-
Study the material to build the basics on XAT Decision Making questions
Clarify all your doubts with an expert in this section
Practice as many questions of different types as possible
Related Links
XLRI: Go get grab your Dream B School; XAT 2015 is round the corner
XAT 2015 Application form: Know the procedure to apply
XAT 2015 would be similar to XAT 2014 says Dr Munish Thakur, Convenor XAT
XAT 2015 exam date: notification out, exam on January 4
XAT 2015 to assess multidimensional capability: XLRI Admission Chair
XAT 2015: 7 Steps of Registration; fill up the information with patience
Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more preparation tips on Decision making
