PGDBA 2022 Test Analysis

PGDBA-2022 Analysis

April 3, 2022 – 9:00 am – 12:00 noon 

PGDBA-2022 entrance test was conducted on 3rd April 2022 for admission to the niche Business Analytics programme jointly offered by Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIMC) and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IITKgp).  

Structure

There was a slight change in the exam pattern this year. Verbal Ability (15Qs) and Logical Reasoning (5Qs) were merged in a single section of 20 Qs. Following was the structure of the exam:

Marking scheme: 3 marks for correct answers, penalty of 1 mark for incorrect answers. No penalty for unattempted questions.

Verdict

As per the feedback received from students, PGDBA-2022 was one notch more difficult than PGDBA-2021. We believe that a score of about 100-103 should be enough to secure a call for the interviews for the general category of students.  

Sectional Analysis

Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning Section (20 questions)

The  VARC part was of easy difficulty. 10 Reading Comprehension Questions (5 questions, each on 2 short passages), 2 Vocabulary questions (1 Fill in the Blank, 1 analogy), and 3 Jumbled Paragraph questions (4 jumbled sentences) made up the VARC part of the section. 

There were two RC passages – one about “the Marshmallow test and delayed gratification” and another one on “biometric surveillance”. Both the passages were easy to read and comprehend. The questions in the passages were mostly in the easy to medium difficulty range. Out of the 10 RC questions, around 8 were easy. From the vocabulary questions, the fill-in-the-blank question was tricky while the grammar-based analogy question was easy.  None of the three paragraph jumbles posed any challenge. All three were easy and should have been attempted. Students should have attempted 12 to 13 questions in this section in about 25 to 30 minutes. 

The Logical Reasoning part had one set of 5 questions on Circular Arrangement.  There were no questions on Verbal Reasoning or any standalone question. The set was of medium difficulty and students should have attempted all the 5 questions in about 15 minutes to maximize the score.

Overall, the Verbal Ability + Logical Reasoning section should have been allotted around 45 to 50 minutes. An attempt of 17 to 18 questions out of 20 within this time frame would be considered a good attempt.

Data Interpretation and Data Visualization Section (5 questions)

All the five questions in this section were standalone questions.  4 of the questions were based on tables and 1 was based on histograms. The questions involved simple observations and calculations. Students should have aimed at attempting all the 5 questions in this section in about 10-15 minutes.

Quantitative Aptitude Section (25 questions)

One factor that differentiates PGDBA exam from other exams is the questions on Higher Mathematics (usually covered at 10+2 level). In the previous years, PGDBA exam usually had 11 to 13 questions on Higher Mathematics. PGDBA-2022 had as many as 14 questions on Higher Mathematics (calculus, Conics sections, etc) and the remaining 11 questions were on topics covered in CAT and other MBA entrance exams. The questions on Higher Mathematics were dominated by conics and circles (4 Qs) as well as matrices and determinants (4 Qs). The questions on Higher Mathematics also involved 2 questions on limits and continuity, 1 question on integration and 2 questions on advanced functions. The questions on other topics were dominated by Algebra (5 questions).

Following was the break-up of the questions in the section:

Detailed break-up of the questions on Higher Mathematics was as follows

Overall, the level of difficulty of questions on Higher Mathematics was on a higher side. Ideal strategy would have been to attempt all CAT-level questions in the section at very high accuracy and attempt as many of Higher Mathematics questions as possible. The questions on Higher Mathematics could be attempted only by those students who had brushed up the concepts of these areas. Students would have definitely found PGDBA workshops and test-pack offered by IMS helpful.

Like in the previous years, the PGDBA-2022 exam did not have too many questions with shortcuts.. However, that was compensated by a couple of really easy questions and the fact that more time could have been devoted to this section as the other sections were on a relatively easier side and overall there were 50 questions to be attempted in three hours.

An attempt of about 16-17 questions in about 110-120 minutes would be considered a good attempt. 

Overall

Overall, PGDBA-2022 was one notch more difficult than the previous year, mainly due to the level of questions asked on Higher Mathematics.

Reports from students suggest that questions on Higher Mathematics are asked in the interview for admission. Students who have performed well in PGDBA-2022 and are expecting a call for the second round of admissions may benefit if they brush up the concepts on Higher Mathematics in the intervening six weeks.