Written Ability Test (WAT) and Analytical Writing Test (AWT) for MBA Admissions

Written Ability Test (WAT)

WAT (Written Ability Test) is a timed, written assessment used by top institutes such as prominent IIMs (IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow, and IIM Indore), ISB, XLRI and SPJIMR. This test is usually conducted after the exam scores of CAT/XAT/GMAT are submitted and before the Group Discussion and Personal Interview Round. By this test, the institutes aim to evaluate critical thinking ability, the skill to structure arguments and performance under pressure. When the final composite score is prepared, the various colleges assign the WAT round a weight of 5% to 20% (some colleges do not conduct the WAT or AWT). 

Here is a breakdown of what WAT entails and why it matters

What is WAT?

• Conducted right before the Personal Interview 

• Candidates are given a topic or statement to evaluate or critically analyse

• The word limit ranges from 150 to 200 words

• A short exercise, timed for 15-20 minutes

• The candidates are given no prior information about the topic

• There is no time to research the topic

What is the purpose of WAT?

• Clarity of thought: The institutes want to know if the candidate can understand the argument logically under time pressure

• Structured Communication: This tests if the candidate can form an ordered stream of thoughts, with a well-structured flow of thoughts about any topic, with the introduction, body of the argument and conclusion in place. 

• Concise expression: If the candidate can convey complex ideas effectively under a strict word limit

• Critical Thinking and Analysis: The candidate should be able to dive into the topic, go below the surface-level ideas and show depth in reasoning and awareness. 

• Language proficiency: To learn if the student is proficient in the English language with a strong vocabulary, overall writing fluency and without grammatical errors.

• Originality and Perspective: Offer unique insights that are well-reasoned without the use of AI.

• Time Management: The ability to focus is to think logically and clearly under pressure instead of going numb. The time frame to complete the essay may be either 10 minutes, 15 minutes or 20 minutes. The judges test if the students can manage time and prepare an essay within the time allotted. 

• It provides a standard way to compare students beyond test scores and interviews.

How to prepare for WAT?

• Read extensively: One of the best ways to hold a strong grip on a variety of subjects is to read newspapers consistently. The constant reading of the cover page, editorials, and business/economy segment is a must.Magazines such as The Economist and current affairs from credible online sources. 

• Practice structuring: While writing the essay, the structure holds importance. It must always follow the format of starting with an introduction, followed by a body and a conclusion in the end. Practicing writing essays in this format will develop this thought process. 

• Argument: If the aspirants are asked for their opinion on a statement, they must follow the ORS approach, where they mention their opinion first, followed by a reason and its significance. In case of presenting a solution to a problem, PECS is the correct format. ‘P’ stands for explaining the problem, followed by describing the Effects and the Causes behind this problem. The last paragraph must evaluate the possible solutions. If the students attempt essays and follow this framework, they will adapt quickly and always get the structure correct.

• Timed practice/ Time management: To simulate the same conditions as the exam, the students must pick a topic randomly and right about it for 15-20 minutes without the internet’s help. 

• Develop a perspective: One must state beyond just facts. They must examine the issue from a personal point of view and develop their writing voice. This will give the essay a more intimate feel. Authenticity is significant to make any essay intriguing. 

• Efficiency/Make a mind map: The candidate must not beat around the bush. He/She must come straight to the point, and there is a time limit as well as a word count limit. They can use transition words and keep sentences small and precise. The students must make a mind map and prioritize the important topics within the essay. 

Myth vs Reality

Since the WAT is not very popular among the students and their primary focus is on scoring well on the test. Most candidates start preparing for the WAT after the test, when there is not much time left. This makes the candidate sometimes follow the wrong preparation guide and work according to the myth.

Myth: One might believe that the written ability test is solely to check the proficiency of the English language. Students do not need to use complicated words or make the passage lengthy. 

Reality: The test is taken to check the logical understanding, general awareness and the flow of structured thoughts in the candidate. Students do not necessarily need to work on their vocabulary for this test, but on their logical and writing ability. 

WAT Topics

The topics are about Business/ Economy, Sports, Current affairs and social issues. Examples of the topic are mentioned below

Analytical Writing Test (AWT) 

The Analytical Writing Test (AWT), conducted by IIM Ahmedabad for its admission process, might look similar to the Writing Ability Test because of the time limit and the word limit. However, the AWT is distinct in terms of areas of focus, format and expectation. 

In the Analytical Writing Test, the primary task is to take a problem-centric approach. This is followed by analyzing he problem, presenting solutions and the direction in which one should head further. One should focus on diagnosis. Additionally, candidates can also be asked questions based on their views. 

What is the purpose of IIM Ahmedabad’s AWT? 

• The AWT if the candidate is suited for the case study learning method of IIM Ahmedabad and if they have a problem-solving approach. Through this step, the institute aims to find out if the candidate can cut through the complexity and solve the root cause of the problem.  

• IIM Ahmedabad places a premium on structured analytical thinking over an opinionated structure of thinking. It is less about what the candidate ‘believes’ and more about their approach towards solving a problem. 

• Strong performance in this test suggests that the candidate is prepared to excel in the case study method in each classroom session, which is central to management in the top IIM. 

Steps to prepare for IIM Ahmedabad’s AWT 

• The candidate must start by practising caselets, such as business scenarios. In this process, they should develop a habit of analysing each step in a problem instead of jumping to the solution. 

• Identifying the core problem is essential. One needs to figure out the main challenge that hinders the outcome of any process. The candidate can form a simple cause-effect chain to find out the problem. 

• Being objective with the case study is the key. Base the analysis on the information provided in the castle without bringing in assumptions or excessive external knowledge that is not relevant to the business. 

AWT Topics

The AWT essay topics given to students are about analysing the situation, identifying the problem instead of general current affair topics. The topics mentioned below, are the previous year topics for PGP Admissions. 

1. ‘Social media facilitates democracy. The politicians have a platform to reach the public. Political opinions can gain traction on social media and people can become popular sharing unique opinions. Social media also helps raise funds and connect with people who want to donate. Therefore. Social media can only flawed to a peaceful future.’ Analyse the argument, Is the reasoning correct or flawed? 

2. ‘Money should not be given to NGOs. The money given is barely utilised for welfare and mostly used by the NGOs for their expenditure. They hold their meetings in expensive hotels to live a luxurious life. The emotional advertising used by them is very manipulative.’ Analyse this statement, identify the assumptions and what strengthens or weakens the argument. 

3. ‘Food delivery partners face unfair treatment with low salaries and other disadvantages. The customers claim they cannot do anything to change this.’ Identify if there is a false belief and identify if you are for or against this statement, and why? The topics mentioned below were asked during the Analytical Writing Tests for PGP admissions in the year 2024. 

4. Support and contradict: ‘MBA fees is very high,  leading to reduced creativity, loss of entrepreneurship since students are focused more on loan repayment’

5. ' Can increasing obesity, mainly be attributed to the usage of carbonated drinks' asked to give arguments in favour of and counter-arguments to both government-driven and manufacturer-driven solutions

6. ‘Due to new applications like WhatsApp, people have forgotten about apps like SMS which were the only applications before. Even businesses use these apps for communication and employees are not allowed to keep their phones on silent even after office hours. This leads to them not having a life of their own.’ Analyse the statement and write points only in favor or against it, keeping in mind the assumptions taken in the argument

7. ‘Denmark is one of the happiest countries in the world. It has very good work life balance and employees get unlimited paid leave. Still, the work quality and productivity is not compromised.’ Provide the possible reasons for this paradox

8. A new joinee at an MNC is not in favour of companies giving flexible work options to employees who are caregivers and believes that they might be perceived as unfocused. Give arguments against and evidence in support of the argument

9. ‘Faculty in b-schools have never been inside an office! They have limited practical knowledge about running an organisation. Students only do well because b-schools only take top notch students. They only teach bookish knowledge.’ Provide your personal views about this exam.

10. ‘About a law forbidding employees from having work discussions with employers outside office hours’ State assumptions and the information that can strengthen or weaken this. 

11. ‘Pandemic has made online education the norm. Benefits include better access and parity, making the masses more tech savvy, and AI, VR, etc, enhancing the learning experience. Thus, colleges should hasten the transition to online education, as it has rendered traditional classroom lectures useless.’

12. 'Gen Z have no reading habit. They only read headlines from digital media, apps, etc. They watch YT videos which provide incomplete information. The future looks bleak.’ State assumptions made by the author, what data points would you need to access the validity of this claim and findings which could strengthen or weaken the argument

13. ‘Public places, especially airports are being renamed. Traveller 1 says no one cares about airport names. Traveller 2 says that the focus should be on quality of air travel.’ What are the assumptions made by them? Present counterarguments

14. Let’s conduct a thought experiment , ' A PHD from a top b-school vs a CEO who is a dropout and manages the top companies in the world' who is better qualified or who would you prefer to teach how a business works?

Differences between AWT and WAT

Candidates aspiring to attain education in management from IIM Ahmedabad must not confuse AWT with WAT. The differences between the two are highlighted below:

• While attempting an Analytical Writing Test (AWT), as administered by IIM Ahmedabad, one’s key focus must be on analysing the case study, identifying the core issues and presenting the causes. In the Writing Ability test (WAT), conducted by prominent IIMs like IIM Lucknow, IIM Calcutta etc, the test taker must defend a point, critically analyse a situation, or evaluate an argument.

• AWT aims to test the candidates on problem identification, root cause analysis and structured problem decomposition. This is a crucial skill for MBA graduates. The WAT tests the critical thinking, argument structuring, persuasion and the clarity of knowledge. 

• During AWT, the problem asked is mostly about a business caselet/scenario. In the case of WAT, the question can be more diverse. This can be about an abstract phrase, evaluating a quote or information and a point of view about any current affair. 

• Personal opinion is not required, the only ‘view’ a person has to present is their diagnosis for a problem. The WAT requires the test taker to form an opinion and defend the opinion in an argumentative form.  

Top colleges that administer WAT/AWAT for MBA admissions

The tables below mention the name of the MBA & PGDM colleges and whether they conduct the WAT, AWT or none. This table will help MBA aspirants to aim for a college based on their skills. 

Top government colleges' weightage of WAT/AWT in comparison to exam scores:

The following table shows the percentage of entrance exam and written ability test scores that the top government colleges take into account at the time of final selection. They can also compare the weightage of the exam and the WAT/AWT to prepare accordingly for the admissions. 

* for two programs

Top private colleges' weightage of WAT/AWT in comparison to exam scores: