SNAP: 2005 - 2007

SNAP 2005 to 2007 Comparative Analysis

Overall Paper Pattern: In the last three years the exam has had some minor changes in its pattern but the level of difficulty as expected out of SNAP has more or less remained consistently at easy to moderate.

Note: In 2006 and 2007, DI and DS has been combined to the QA section. Unlike CAT, the exam requires the use of black / blue pen to mark the answers and there is no negative marking for marking more than one choice.

Comparative analysis of difficulty level of each sub-skills

Quantitative Ability

This section has seen some changes such as DI and DS being combined in this section, the changing number of questions in this section etc. Yet, what has remained consistent is the level of difficulty. Though the level of difficulty has remained easy to moderate, the section consists of questions involving time consuming calculations.

The number of questions has been extremely diverse within the subskills with 1 – 4 questions in each. The exam so far has tested all these questions - Time / Speed / Distance, Averages, Divisibility, Number Systems, Functions, Equations, Ratio, Arrangements, Simple/Compound Interest, HCF/LCM, Directions, Probability, Permutation/Combination etc. This means the major chunk of the paper usually consists of questions from Arithmetic and Algebra. Geometry has considerably been less – with just 4 questions in 2007 and 2006 and none in 2005. Higher math has not been tested so far.

In the Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency, the questions have remained consistent in the following sub-skills

Thus, students must concentrate on basics in each sub-skill. QA+DI+DS section in general has remained manageable for students good at speed calculations, approximations, observation skills etc.

General English (Grammar, Vocabulary, and Reading Comprehension)

This section also offers a diverse sub-skill selection. In general, the number of VA questions outweighs the RC. Yet, in 2007 the difference was marginal at 21 VA + 19 RC questions.

The questions in VA section have had a wide array of skills tested. This is good as well as bad news. Good because, there is no concentration of sub-skills and offers quite a few sitters but for a student who is not good at a particular sub-skill, say vocabulary, then the question selection is reduced.

The types of questions that have appeared so far are:

Reading Comprehension

The RC section usually consists of medium length passages. The number of passages and questions has increased. In 2007 and 2006, there were 4 passages with 19 and 15 questions respectively. In 2005, there were only 2 passages and 11 questions.

The type of question usually is direct or partially indirect. The topics of the passages are also easy to comprehend. If one is good at speed reading, this section can yield a good return.

It is imperative to brush up basics of grammar and vocabulary  as the level of  difficulty is easy / moderate. It is also advisable that students give a quick go through the questions in RC before reading the passage, in order to locate sitter/ direct questions easily as one reads the passage. Overall an easy section to aim for a good score.

General Knowledge

The weightage given to this section may not be as high as other skills, yet is imperative to get a good score to manage good overall score as well as to ensure a call. The questions are usually from current affairs, sports, IT, Business and Economy etc. Students who have been regular in reading newspapers with an eye for general knowledge are bound to find this section easy to score. Some of the questions asked last year include

1. An Indian company manufacturing automobiles for Mitsubishi – Ans: Hindustan Motors
2. Koneru Humpy is associated with which Sport? – Ans: Chess
3. The leading brand of artificial sweetener in India, Sugar Free, is owned by – Ans: Cadilla
4. In the sports world, the sobriquet „Indo-Pak Express? applied to? – Ans: Rohan Bopanna and Aisam Qureshi.
5. What does CRR stand for in Banking terminology? - Ans: Cash Reserve Ratio
6. Major Oil finds in India have been reported in – Ans: Krishna Godavari Basin
7. “In god we trust, the rest have to bring data on the table”, this statement was made by which famous industrialist? – Ans: N. R. Narayana Murthy
8. In 2006, these were the largest economies in the world? – Ans: USA, Japan, and Germany
9. The following newspaper was voted as the largest selling newspaper in the world? – Ans: The Times of India
10. A major US toy manufacturer which suffered a breakdown in supply chain from China on account of legally unacceptable toxic substances in its products is – Ans: Mattel Toys

The GK questions in SNAP are generally easy and direct and usually one-liners. This means the students can skim through and attempt only those that they think they are familiar with without wasting much time. An investment of 15 minutes can ideally yield an attempt of 20+ questions ensuring 14-18 marks.

Analytical and Logical Reasoning

This section has a combination of verbal, visual, and logical reasoning questions. This section has a higher weightage with 2 mark questions. The type of questions that has appeared so far in the last three years  is:  Matrix  arrangement,  Linear  arrangement,  Venn  diagram,  Puzzles,  Family  tree,  Visual Reasoning, Critical Reasoning, Syllogism, etc.

The questions in this section can be as simple as this one – from the last year paper.

A man has a job which requires him to work 8 straight days and rest on the ninth day. If he started working on a Monday, the 12th time he rests will be on what day of the week? – Ans: Wednesday

At a family reunion were the following people: 1 grandfather, 1 grandmother, 2 fathers, 2 mothers, 4 children, 3 grandchildren, 1 brother, 2 sisters, 2 sons, 2 daughters, 1 father-in-law, 1 mother-in-law, and 1 daughter-in-law. But not as many people attended as it sounds. How many were there?

Since the section is a 2 marker, it would really make sense for the students to attempt as many of these questions as possible, as at the end the overall marks will determine your calls. Questions from LR traditionally have been quite direct and requires quick thinking rather than anything else. So, one should be agile in one?s mental processes and do the best here.

Overall Conclusion

Though there is no specific sectional cut-offs for any institute, do not unduly stress / neglect a section – not even GK. One must try to maximize on strengths and attempt minimum accurate attempts in the weaker  section  to clear the  sectional  cut  off  to maximize  the  overall  score. In  the  past,  sectional emphasis has been comparatively low. If one is targeting calls from SIBM or SCMHRD, then target a net score  of  90+  marks.  Brush  up  your  basic  skills  in  each  sub-skill  – grammar,  vocabulary,  speed calculations, short-cuts, approximations, quick conversions, as this might prove to be the life saver. Overall – a lengthy but manageable paper with a good possibility for high scores.

A possible approach could be to spend the first 15 minutes on GK and get as many questions as possible to ease the pressure on the skills. Depending on one?s strength, LR can be the second one to attempt with an investment of 30 – 40 minutes and attempting a good 20 + questions and get around 35+ marks. The rest of the time can ideally be split between the other 2 sections and get the rest of the 50+ marks.

Regular advice remains, ideally keep the RC in between the exam. Save the VA, GK or a few stand alone questions in QA, DS, DI to the end (depending on the strengths) to maximize score in the last few minutes, that cannot be done in the LR sets or RC.

All the best
Team MBAGuru

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