How to Prepare for CAT GD PI Round: Expert’s Tips and Books

What is GD PI in CAT?

In the CAT GD round, the shortlisted aspirants are divided into 8-10 Groups. A topic is allotted to them, which is needed to be discussed within a stipulated time. The interview panel secretly monitors candidates’ performance. The CAT GD round is an important round because the aspirants are judged based on their communication skills, leadership approach, vision, decision-making skills and teamwork.

Additionally, in the CAT PI round, the aspirants are judged based on their verbal communication skills and presence of mind. The interviewers evaluate how smoothly the aspirants present their thoughts to convince the experts on the interview panel. Therefore, the aspirants must follow an effective strategy for GD PI preparation for CAT.

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Best Books for CAT GD PI Preparation

Following are some well-curated books for GD PI preparation for CAT. The aspirants can follow these books during CAT GD PI Preparation.

Book Name	Author
A Complete Kit for Group Discussion	S. Hundiwala
Group Discussion on Current Topics	P. N. Joshi
Master the Group Discussion & Personal Interview: Complete Discussion on the topics asked by reputed B-schools & IIMs	Sheetal Desarda
Group Discussions And Interviews	Anand Ganguly & RPH Editorial Board
Group Discussion: More Than 100 Topics Covered	Universal
How to Interview Like a Top MBA: Job-Winning Strategies From Headhunters, Fortune 100 Recruiters, and Career Counselors	Shel Leanne
Marketing Chronicles: A Compendium of Global and Local Marketing Insights From the Pre-Smartphone and Post-Smartphone Eras	Nimish V. Dwivedi
Universal Interview And Group Discussion Book	Manoj Kumar Sharma

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Topics to be Studied in GD PI Preparation for CAT

Below are important topics that you must look after while doing CAT GD PI Preparation.

• Global Climate Crisis: India Leadership
• Economic Survey 2022
• Coal Crisis in India
• Privatization of the Public Sector in India
• Gati Shakti Master Plan
• Covid-19 Third Wave
• Air India Disinvestment by BJP Government & Acquisition by TATAs: Selling Family Silver or Saving Taxpayer’s Money
• India’s Semiconductor Mission
• Farmers’ Protest
• Budget 2022
• Repealing of Farm Bills
• Are Stock Market & Economy Not Co-related?
• Facebook Rebrands to Meta
• National Startup Day & Startup Boom in India: Are Unicorns Real or just Paper Tigers?

Note the below section to get a list of question types that you can prepare for CAT GD PI.

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why have you chosen MBA?
• Share some details of your previous years’ work experience.
• Which specialization do you prefer to study MBA?
• Questions on extracurricular activities
• How do you follow your hobbies and dreams?

Experts’ Tips on CAT GD PI Preparation

The aspirants must know why IIMs conduct GD PI rounds for the final shortlisting of the candidates. The MBA programmes in the top-most B-schools are important for future business communication. For this, aspirants’ communication, leadership, and decision-making skills are analysed first. In the following, the BYJU’S Exam Prep experts have listed some important CAT GD PI Preparation tips to ensure the aspirants ace this selection round with a good score.

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Always be Careful while Writing SOPs

Aspirants’ SOPs are a good source of questions for the interviewers. So, you must be careful while writing your SOPs and keep your answers ready as per the mentioned points on SOPs. You must write your SOP for CAT GD PI very strategically so that it can land you up with your dream IIMs. It is an essay in which the aspirants can convey their intentions for doing an MBA.

Be Updated with Current Events

The aspirants need to be updated with the daily happenings during CAT GD PI Preparation. They should start a regular habit of reading newspapers and business magazines. It is needed to remain updated with the surroundings to represent the thoughts in the CAT GD PI round.

☛ Also Check: CAT Syllabus

A daily habit of reading books and magazines also improves your speaking skills and fluency for CAT GD PI. Additionally, your thinking ability will increase, and you can express your thoughts without hesitation.

Brush up Academics

The aspirants need to be well-versed in their specialisation. Because the interviewers sometimes show interest in the academic knowledge of an aspirant. So, if you have good academic knowledge, you can easily share your experience and interest in the subject during the CAT GD PI round.

Simply be yourself

When you’re in front of a panel of judges, it’s critical to convey your personality. It makes no difference to the judges whether you are an extrovert or an introvert; your traits count to them. So, there’s no purpose in pretending to be someone you’re not. Always attempt to enhance your appearance in front of the judging panel of the CAT GD PI round.

Involve in Team Work

You must be aware of teamwork during GD PI Preparation for CAT because it will assist you in becoming a good conversationalist. The aspirants must participate in various group activities to analyse their speaking skills. Apart from this, it will also improve their grammatical knowledge and communication skills.

☛ Also Check: CAT Question Paper

In addition to this, teamwork also influences your public speaking skills. If the aspirants focus on this, they can easily express their thoughts in front of the interviewer without any fear.

CAT GD PI Preparation Course

The aspirants can also prepare for CAT GD PI in online mode. They can attend BYJU’S Exam Prep online classes for GD PI Preparation for CAT. It will help them to understand their leggings and areas to be improved.

You will get personalised mentoring directly from IIM alumni with live sessions and recorded sessions classes. You will learn the best way to present yourself in front of the interview panel in the CAT GD PI round. Enrol for CAT GD PI Preparation Course.

Always be Positive and Sincere

While answering the questions in CAT GD PI, you must remain positive and sincere. Never speak much and try to give precise answers to the questions that will be asked. The panel will check the aspirants’ personalities, strengths and weaknesses through their questions.

If you ever face questions like ‘what is your career goal for choosing an MBA’, then you must give a clear and to-the-point answer. Never say inspirational words or stories, as panel experts are busy. So, deliver your thoughts precisely.

What to Start GD PI Preparation for CAT?

The candidates must start their CAT GD PI Preparation as early as possible. If you are thinking of preparing for GD PI for CAT at the last moment, after the declaration of the CAT Result, then it will be completely impossible for you to ace this final selection round. Basically, there is a technique which you must be learned to crack CAT GD PI. First of all, the candidates must be well versed in ‘How to Start a Group Discussion’.

If you are given the job of initiator in a group conversation, you will undoubtedly have an advantage over others since you will have the opportunity to grab everyone’s attention and make a strong first impression. However, initiating a GD in CAT isn’t as simple as it appears. Being the one to initiate a group discussion is favourable, but it is also difficult since it needs you to think on your feet and produce an excellent opening remark that can make a lasting impression.

• First and foremost, introduce yourself.
• Be concise and clear.
• uniquely present the subject.
• Make the Most of Your Time
• Begin with quotes and questions.