WHAT IS GROUP DISCUSSION ?
The candidates who qualify in the written part of tests for campus selection are asked to appear in the Group Discussion(GD) and Personal Interviews (PI). In most cases, the Written Test(WT) carries a weightage of 5o%, while the combined weightage of theGD & PI phase of selection is 50%.
THE PROCESS The Group-Discussion is a process in which all candidates successful in the Written Test (usually 8 times the number of seats) are dividedin to groups of 10 candidates each, and every group is assigned aspecific topic or a Case Study to discuss. The group of 10 candidates carry the entire discussion forward on its own, and the supervising Panel neither intervenes nor participates in thediscussion. The GD is left to evolve itself while the Panel observesand assesses the performance/ attributes all the candidates from adistance. The candidates display their knowledge, viewpoints andexchange ideas on the given subject matter among themselves. Thishappens in a dynamic situation in which every candidate wants a timeperiod of 25 Minutes or so. The medium of the GD almost, always, isEnglish, though sometimes, a choice is given to the group to speak inHindi or English (but a majority opts for English). Foridentification, either the candidates wear chest numbers or theirnameplates are displayed in front in a semicircular formation.SelectionGenerally, the Panel recommends only two candidates from a particulargroup for selection. Occasionally, one or three aspirants may besuccessful, depending on exceptionally bad or good individualperformances, and on whether the level of the GD was very low or veryhigh respectively.
Subject Matter
The topic for the Group-Discussion generally is from current affairs.The issues in public domain, where different and even mutuallyexclusive viewpoints may co-exist, get precedence as topics. In someentrance exams, two current affair topics to choose from are given.The topic may also be in the form of some famous sayinglike, `Nothing Succeeds Like Success' or some punch line.
TYPES OF GDs
Normal -A topic is given to the group. The GD coordinator and thestudents are asked to discuss it for a duration of 15-20 minutes. Avariation could be a GD where the students are asked to decide thetopic amongst them. In either case, the students will normally begiven a time of 2-3 minutes for preparation before the GD actuallystarts. The students will be seated in a circular or a semi-circularpattern.

Case Study- A printed case study is given to the group and thecandidates are allowed a time limit of 3-4 minutes to read andcomprehend the passage. Then the group is asked to discuss thequestions based on the case study given. Here again the students aregiven a time of about 20 minutes to discuss the topic. Case studiesnormally pertain to standard business situations and are full offacts and figures. Thus the GD coordinator attempts to examine thecomprehension power of a candidate along with the communicationskills.

Role Play -A role-play type of GD is one where a situation isdescribed and each person in the group is asked to assume a specificrole in a situation. In such cases, you must completely step into therole and your reasoning will have to be consistent with role you haveassumed. The participation, in this specific case, needs toappreciate the gravity of the situation and generate appropriatereasoning to facilitate decision making for the group.
STRATEGIES FOR GDs
How to decide a Topic?Avoid random method while selecting a topic.Selecting a topic is another way evaluators use to judgeparticipation in Group Discussions.The evaluators give the group the task of selecting the topic andthen discussing that topic for a specified length of time.Think of the most suitable approach to do it whether by allparticipants suggesting topics and one selected randomly, or byparticipants suggesting different areas that could be discussed andrationale given for the final selection.Try and think of logical ways to select a topic as a group, settingup criteria as the basic for consideration or selection.Some of the criteria that you could use for selection of a topiccould be:1. The topic should be general in nature so that all groupmembers are able to speak about it.2. It should be interesting so that it motivates everyone to beinvolved in the discussion.3. It should be topical i.e. it should be current so that it isrelevant to today's situation.4. It should be such that a discussion is possible i.e., atleast two points of view emerge.