SNAP 2013 Exam Snapshot:

SNAP 2013 did not spring any surprises, the pattern remained the same as it has been over the past few years. The difficulty level of the test was marginally lower compared to last year. Let us first have a look at the exam pattern -  

Duration of test - 120 mins

Negative Marking - 25%

Let us now look at each section individually:

Quantitative & Data Interpretation

This section was easier compared to previous year, despite the presence of a few interesting questions which required conceptual clarity to solve.

•There were six questions on Time & Work with varying difficulty level from easy to moderate.

•Seven questions were on Geometry. Three of them were clubbed with time & distance concept were of a higher difficulty level when compared to the other questions. The question on front and back wheels is a regular model, but was slightly twisted.

•There were 7-8 questions from Percentages, Profit & Loss, most of them easy, except the questions on population of vultures, and the multiple transactions question on profit and loss – these could be termed moderately difficult.

•There were several other topics, which had 1 question in the paper using them - logarithms, mixtures, simplification, indices, etc. The question on simplification, indices and logs were the easiest, mixtures as moderate.

Ideal time allocation strategy for this section would be around 35 minutes. With proper question selection, a student could have attempted around 25-30 of the 40 questions in the section.

Analytical & Logical Reasoning

The Analytical and Logical Reasoning section of SNAP 2013 was easy compared to last year. The difficult level of the questions was quite on the lower side. This was the area that the student was expected to make use of, to maximise the score, given that the section carried a weight of 60 marks.

The questions on coding-decoding, direction sense, venn diagrams, deductions, one set of DI (the 2 questions based on sectorial investment) distribution, comparisons, dice, clocks and letter series were among the easier questions.

The questions odd man out- jumbled words, number series, DI (NNP, GNP) and symbols, notations were of moderate level of difficulty. The question involving blood relations with symbols was tricky.

Ideal time allocation strategy for this section would be around 40 minutes. Attempts in the range of 23 - 25 should be considered very good.

General English

The emphasis on vocabulary was evident again. Over half of the 40 questions in the section were vocab-based, i.e., Synonyms, Synonym-Antonym pair, spelling, appropriate substitute, GRE-type sentence equivalence and 2 blank fill in the blanks. They were of moderate difficulty level. The RC passages increased to two this year, with a total of 7 questions - around 4-5 of them were sitters. Grammar was the other major area - Error identification, sentence correction, arrangement of jumbled sentences, punctuation were the usual suspects, but what would have caught candidates off-guard was the identification of parts of speech. While no rocket science, those who did not lay emphasis on grammar basics while preparation may not have been able to crack them.

A good time allocation strategy for this section would be around 30 minutes. Attempts in the range of 30-32 should be considered to be very good.

General Awareness

The GA section was biased towards static questions with precious little coming from the current affairs per se. Like last year, there were quite a number of questions on India's constitution, geography, history, economy which were not too difficult for a well-prepared student. The 5-6 sitters in the paper - universal red cell donor, BP measuring apparatus etc were something that everyone would have come across in primary education syllabus. 

A good time allocation strategy for this section would be around 15 minutes. Attempts in the range of 22-24 should be considered to be very good.

The Bottomline:

Given that it was easier or at least on par in all the sections compared to last year, we expect the cut offs to be slightly higher. Overall, a score of 105 or above should be a good score for SIBM, 100 for SCMHRD, 95 for SIBM Bangalore and SIIB.