XAT Essay Writing Tips :

Be ready to write Essay in 20 minutes

Essay section of XAT attempts your skills of expressing your opinions, specifically under time limitations. Candidates are given a time of period 20 Minutes after XAT exam.

What does XAT Essay Writing Tests?

The essay is used as a tool to judge the social and ethical values of the aspirant as the written piece provides a valuable insight into the mind of the test taker.

The B-schools use the essay as a pre-interview yardstick as well. The panel also judges your clarity of thoughts, logical hints, focus and concentration, etc. through your essay.

Structure, argument and several other factors that you portray through your essay is judged as well. Each of these factors reflects your personality traits and that is the main criteria for selection.

 

For instance, XAT essay would test you out on these parameters including the knowledge about the topic, so, the interviewers would know some of your personality traits and can easily spot if you are lying to them or trying to depict what you are not.

What can you do in 20 Minutes Essay Writing Test?

In 20 minutes, if you have substantial information regarding the topic or even if you don't have, always remember one of the most important criteria is to Structure your essay.

A 20 minute essay can test you out in a panic situation if you aren't sure of the information you know. In that time, it’s very important to keep your cool and maintain a structure.

A structured essay is always interesting and gives vital insights about a person, that the person is clear and structured in his approach. You are not expected to know everything but you can show that you are meticulous in your approach, which is the desired quality by all the b-schools and not only XAT 2014 excepting institutes.

Key points to highlight during the Essay Writing Test

As mentioned above, you already know which are the desired qualities you need to have and show case, through your essay. One main criterion for writing an interesting essay would be to think of what the reader would like to know from the essay. 

If You are the selector and reading about 1 lakh essay, then how would you select?

You would only select those which are different from the rest and provide interesting points. This can be done through stating facts, humor or adopting a single, one sided approach and justifying your point that is quite different from the customary views.

Few more important points are:

• Develop your main idea with vivid and specific facts, events, quotations, examples, and reasons. There's a big difference between simply stating a point of view and letting an idea unfold in the details.

• Be Specific and avoid clichéd, generic, and predictable writing by using vivid and specific details.

 

Essay Writing: An important tool for MBA selection process

 An essay is a short piece of writing on a topic and generally presents the author's point of view on the matter. It is an organized collection of ideas. It could be based upon any real experience or imaginary idea of the author. It is the presentation of your outlook on the topic that is the focus of the essay. There is no any fixed format of essay but the most standard essay compromises of the following:

An introduction A three point(paragraph) body A conclusion

It is important to structure an essay in different sections so that it is easy for the readers to read and follow the author's thoughts clearly.

Essays could be of different types, for instance:

Argumentative Essay - Argumentative essays are written to present an opinion which either favors or disagrees with a given topic. The writer of the Argumentative essay must prove his/her viewpoint by supporting it with convincing facts and evidences from the reliable sources.

Autobiographical Essay - An autobiographical essay is a short description of the writer's own life. It highlights the main aspects of your personal, educational, social and professional life.

Biographical Essay - Writing someone else's 'Autobiography', but called biography as it is not written by the concerned person himself/herself rather they their story written by other.

Descriptive Essay - A descriptive essay gives the detailed description about a topic

like person, place, or any incident.

Narrative Essay - A narrative essay is used to narrate a course of events. We can share our experiences by means of the essay.

Persuasive Essay - Persuasive essay is used by the writer to convince the readers to believe in his opinion.

Pictorial Essay - A Pictorial essay is a collection of photographs that tell a story. The writers could add captions or text along with the photographs for a better description.

When we talk about the significance of essay writing in CAT 2012, we can say that cracking CAT and scoring good percentile is only half the battle won. After cracking CAT, you need to focus on the final hurdle - Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI).

WAT, as we all know, is the new test that has replaced Group Discussion (GD) exercise for entering IIMs and other top B-schools. For instance, six new IIMs - IIMs in Ranchi, Raipur, Rohtak, Trichy, Kashipur and Udaipur - have also replaced the GD process with Written Ability Test (WAT) for Admissions 2012-14 like other IIMs in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Indore and Kozhikode.

This year (2012), 11 out of 13 IIMs are having written Ability Test (Essay) as a part of their selection process. Now, essay writing skills have become much more important.

B-Schools believe that the admission process of conducting Group Discussion and then Personal Interview has become so predictable that students mostly come prepared and it becomes difficult for the panel to judge their real ability. That is why; this new trend of conducting WAT instead of GD will help the admission committee judge a candidate in a better way.

How to write impressive essays?An impressive essay could be written only if you have a complete structure of the essay in your mind. You need the follow the following steps for writing a lot of practice essays and you will realize that your thought process is actually developing in the same direction.

These simple steps will guide you through the essay writing process:

Decide on your topic. Prepare an outline or diagram of your ideas. Write the main essence of your essay in one statement. Start writing the introduction

Write the main points. Write the sub points. Elaborate on the sub points. Write the conclusion. Add the finishing touches.

Sometimes, you may face a situation where you will be shown several pictures and asked to write a story or essay based on them. It will no different from a pictorial essay that we have discussed above. You just need to concentrate on the pictures shown and create a topic on your own. This, rather, is much easier to write than a given topic where you don't have the option to choose.

In the situation where you are provided with many topics and you need to pick one, then you should be wise and pick the topic that suits you or you may take help of the following points:

Select something that interests you Choose something you have read about know about Find an interesting way to approach a topic, i.e. one from the different types of essay

we have discussed above Start Brain storming Narrow your topic down to a manageable size

If you can't find anything that thrills you, just pick something and get started. Take your most basic idea and start with it. But before jumping on to any particular topic, you need to evaluate each potential topic.

How to Choose a Stance or Position?In many topics, you will be required to take a side on a specific issue in order to construct a persuasive essay or an argument so, you will need to know how to take a strong stance on a subject at some point. There is an art to taking a side. You have to be a little crafty. To really persuade someone in an argument essay, you have to know a little about each side and pick the one you can argue most effectively.

You must remember that you don't have to choose the side you believe, necessarily. If you are going to be graded according to your logical points, you might have to go against your gut feelings.

For instance, if a topic asks you argue either for or against the use of pesticide in cultivation of food grains. Then, you should avoid getting carried away in emotions and think practically. First, draw a line down the middle of a piece of scrap paper, dividing the sheet in half. Label one side as 'yes', and other side as 'no'. Then think of strengths for each side and list at least three strong points for both sides.

Once you have come up with various points for each side of your issue, read over the results to determine which side is strongest, and which you could argue most effectively. Decide which side has the points that you could back up with examples like statistics, expert opinions, anecdotes, observations, precedence, consequence, etc.

Even though you choose one side as the strongest for your argument, you must be able to demonstrate that you understand both sides of your issue. Keep this in mind as you construct your argument essay, and use the strengths that you listed for the opposite side.

Practice is the need of the hour!!Essay writing is something that you cannot improve overnight. It has to be in your habit. For developing a habit of essay writing, you need to practice it on day to day basis. Writing practice is very important, but to develop a habit of analysis is much more important.

If you really want to reach a position where you can write an essay over any given topic, then you have to develop a habit of analyzing each and every situation as well as topic you come across. For analyzing, you need to chart the following steps:

Read: Learn as much as you can about any topic you think you are not much aware of. It could be anything like international relations, important historical events, great personalities, etc.

Think: It may seem obvious, but you really have to think about whatever you read and learn. You have to take a stance in each case and argue for as well as against the topic in your mind itself.

Investigate: Talk to classmates, friends, and teachers about the topics you have been reading. What do they think about them? The responses that you get from these people will give you a preview of how they would respond to your opinion in your essay. Talking out your ideas, and testing your opinions, gives you more of a clue of what you have to say to persuade them to your point of view.

Organize: In any essay that you write, you should make sure that your points are well-organized and that you are supporting or opposing the idea very clearly, concisely, and to-the point. In standard essay writing, though, it is especially important that you use specific examples to illustrate your main points. Don't give your observer the impression that you are not educated on the issues related to your topic. So, choose your words carefully.

Common Essay MistakesMany of us generally commit mistakes in writing essays on simple topics like "Why do you want to go to our college?" Admission Committee of the colleges comprise of learned and experienced people who can judge you based on what you have written. So, you need to be very careful and selective while framing and jotting your essay. Try to avoid the following common mistakes:

Vague Language - The Essay is generic and lacking detail Length - The Essay is too long (or too short)

Lack of Focus - The Essay doesn't answer the question Faulty Tone - You sound like a judgmental character, not buying any criticism Faulty Impression - You sound too materialistic and self-interested Faulty Structure - You are introducing the topic after you have presented you

argument for the same Deviated Thoughts - You are not concentrating on one point rather trying to illustrate

too many facts without knowing how to organize them

Top 10 Business School Essay Writing Tips

1. Don't Use Company Jargon2. Don't Bore the Reader. Be Interesting.3. Do Use Personal Detail. Show, Don't Tell!4. Be Concise. Don't Be Wordy5. Do Address Your Weaknesses. Don't Dwell on Them6. Do Vary Your Sentences and Use Transitions.7. Do Use Active Voice Verbs.8. Do Seek Multiple Opinions.9. Don't Wander. Do Stay Focused.10. Do Revise, Revise And Revise

Sample Essays:

Topic 1India is the second most populated country of this world. It has its own pros and cons. You need to express your own views over 'Family Planning in India'.

Essay 1Planning is a prerequisite for solving any problem. Our country, India, is facing an acute problem of increasing population. This problem has its root in the family-level and the solution of this problem lies in family-planning. So, family planning should be mandatory in India.

According to the 'Malthusian Theory', population increases in geometrical progression, i.e., at the rate of 1,2,4,8,16,32,. but the food production increases at the rate of arithmetical progression, i.e., at the rate of 1,2,3,4,5... Thus, the problem of population is not only about more and more people living in this country but this problem could be much more trivial like it could create food shortage, mal nutrition, poverty, high death rate, unemployment and much more.

We need to look at every angle to find a solution to this problem. For instance, the Government should make it necessary for every couple not to have more than two children. It can announce medical schemes for assisting poor couples in family planning.

However, mere planning on paper will not solve this dreaded problem. Government and the citizens of the country will have to execute the planning on the ground level. This is the only way of avoiding the crisis that we and our off-springs will face in future due to over population.

If every couple understands the benefits of family planning, we can overcome this issue in no time. The Government is encouraging family planning by introducing new and innovative schemes and education the people about the pros of less number of children like less number of children means greater care for them, good education for them, sufficient food for them, and a much better future for the children as well as their parents. Government has also opened many family planning clinics that are giving free advice, consultation and treatment to the public. People should co-operate in this attempt and make their nation one of the greatest country on this planet with better education, health facility, employment rate, growth rate, etc.

Topic 2How Does Outsourcing Affect the U.S. Economy?

Essay 2How outsourcing affects the US economy is a matter of great debate. For those who speak for the international business and globalization, this practice will have an overall positive effect on the US economy - since it is economical for companies to hire less expensive work force of other developing countries, opens up opportunities for greater entrepreneurship in the US, and leads to more Americans holding higher level jobs.

Critics suggest that hiring foreign workers has an immediate effect on the US economy by stripping many Americans of jobs they would have performed, particularly by semi-skilled or skilled laborers as all the American population is not to be placed at higher level of managerial hierarchy.

Both sides on this issue and all those who try to navigate a middle road between the two sides, have some valid points. It is true that outsourcing has led to job loss in the US, and has had a detrimental effect on those people who may be only minimally qualified to work. However, it's also the case that there are plenty of skilled labor jobs being outsourced to foreign countries. The loss is not only to people with minimal job skills.

This is a problem for those Americans in certain who are needy and might take jobs that require minimal skill, but due to outsourcing it is now much harder to get jobs of this type. When President Clinton enacted the Welfare to Work plan in the 1990s, he was attempting to encourage people to get back to work so as to reduce government spending in welfare. Unfortunately, with fewer jobs available for unskilled workers, people may find themselves in exceptional poverty. Poverty does not benefit the US economy since it reduces consumer spending and tax revenues.

Even in the middle classes, there are plenty of jobs that are now outsourced. This has been particularly the case in the computer and technology industry. Again, inability to find work means inability to purchase homes, spend money, and profit companies. When people don't buy, corporations that produce things don't make money, which can thus "trickle down" to fewer jobs available and a greater desire to outsource to make things more cheaply so they will be more attractive to consumers.

Those supporting outsourcing say that lowering expenses of corporations will create jobs. There are plenty of government agencies that outsource some of their work, saving millions of dollars which has a direct effect on the US economy. A common theory contends that

being able to pay people lower wages for work means that companies will be able to produce things with less expense and transfer this saving to consumers. Lower prices may mean more consumer-spending, and companies will be able to hire more workers in the US because they're paying less for workers outside of it.

Further, many argue that giving jobs to workers in less developed countries improves those countries economically and increases trade for US products. It also increases a country's ability to pay back debts to the US, and may promote better political relationships. Companies economically benefit by selling their products in other countries. This means they can hire more people in the US, lower their prices on products for US consumers.

There is another "side" to the issue of outsourcing that needs to be addressed. Not all people in other countries economically benefit from outsourced jobs, and some companies aren't dedicated to providing humane working conditions. Outsourced work may be performed by children, or in inhumane working conditions. Abuses of foreign employees might not benefit US trade or political relationships.

Outsourcing remains a difficult issue, but it does remain. Virtually no one, on any side of the argument concedes that outsourcing can be eliminated completely. There are those who feel that corporations are evading taxes and depriving the government of needed money and suggests corporations should be taxed for outsourcing, and rewarded for keeping jobs within the US. Others feel the temporary loss of jobs will be followed by greater economic growth in the US and will ultimately be worth the cost.

Topic 3Express your views over 'Alcohol and Youth'.

Essay 3Alcohol is the most dangerous drug known to mankind and as well the world's most abused substance. It is observed that around the globe drinking alcoholic beverages has become a way of life. It is called a drug because its main ingredient is ethanol. Ethanol acts as a central nervous system depressant like a sleeping pill. In high dosage, alcohol acts as an anesthetic. In low doses it acts a behavioral stimulant for complex reasons.

On how impaired one becomes from the depressant effects of alcohol directlyrelated to a person's age, weight, gender, prior experience, and level of tolerance. And alcohol like other drug creates tolerance. So the more you use it, the more you need to achieve the same effect each time you drink. When alcohol is introduced into the stomach, it goes rapidly into the bloodstream. After entering the blood, it passes into the brain, where it exerts its effect on behavior. If a person is drunk, they will remain intoxicated until the body converts much of the alcohol into acetaldehyde.

Along with alcohol's effect on the brain causing sedation or drunkenness, it also causes a general loss of brain tissue. It also resulted to alcoholic dementia, a specific condition of the brain, in which individuals develop difficulty swallowing, suffer impaired problem-solving skills and have difficulty in manipulating subjects. Cirrhosis of the liver is a condition that alcohol is known to cause. When the liver is diseased with cirrhosis it is unable to function normally. Hearth disease is another concern for individuals who drink. They can also have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure which can them go on to cause strokes or further heart problem.

Consumption of alcoholic drinks leads to several death around the globe. Thus, we can say that alcoholic drinks bring many problems in ourselves and even in our society. In addition, it can also be a great threat for our young generations as young generations are the future leaders of our country. They are the one who will lead, guide and build a more successful and beautiful countries in the years to come. Thus, for them to fulfill their great role in this life, they need a lot of preparations knowledge and guidance to build a stronger foundation to their selves, but we all know at this moment, that a great number of young generations are facing a lot of trials, difficulties and struggles in life. For example, with the high-tech technology that we have and with this fast changing world, the young generations are in a pressure on how they will deal with these things. Peer pressure is also one of the reasons, it can add up burden to a person if the pressure is consistent.

This is just the examples of the pressure our younger generation is bearing. It could be more trivial if the elder and experienced generation does not guide these future guiding lights in the right direction. Our elders need to communicate with the youth freely and in a friendly manner so that if the young ones have any problem or pressure, they could discuss it without any hesitation rather than embracing any other options like drinking, drugs, etc.

Topic 4Through some light over 'The Truth vs. Hype of FDI'

Essay 4There are always many facts of any realistic situation, especially in the country where democracy is deemed above anything else, and where the right to freedom of speech and expression is used or misused, over and over again. Unlike the U.S., where only two major political alliances exist - the Democratic and the Republicans, we in India have a host of fronts other than two major alliances - the ruling party and the opposition, and all of them consistently scuffles over every single agenda and many times ignore the main issue and divert the whole argument.

Same is the case with introduction of Foreign Direct Investment (F.D.I) in the Indian retail market. The government has decided to open up the Indian retail market for global players through F.D.I. in multi-brand retail with a 51% threshold, i.e. they can have only 51% equity in the investment and 100% ceiling in single-brand retail. There are several versions of the possible outcome of this scenario floating in the different spheres of the country. But the different interpretations ought to be backed with rational reasons.

Broadly, there are two different views with regard to the decision of the Indian government to allow F.D.I. in Indian retail market, one supporting it and the other opposed to it.

The first argument is put forward by the government itself, supporting its resolution. The government claims that 10 million jobs will be created in the retail sector in the next three years. It mandates a minimum investment of 100 million U.S. dollars, approximately 500 crores rupees, for the foreign companies, with at least half the capital to be invested in back-end infrastructures, including cold chains, refrigeration, transportation, packing, sorting and storing. Now, this is a fact that India is not much developed in terms of infrastructures. Hence, this step can be deemed most welcoming.

Another very influential agenda pointed out by the government is the nuisance of middleman-

ship. FDI in retail will ensure procurement of raw materials, especially of fruits and vegetables, directly from the farmers, thus filtering out the roles of middlemen. Another proposal buoying this idea is that a minimum of 30% of the value of manufactured items procured should be sourced from small and medium Indian enterprises. The government backs its decision with a host of other reasons, e.g., the presence of foreign retail majors will ensure supply chain efficiency. It also alludes to examples of some other nations like China, Thailand etc.

The second version includes the views of the opposition and those who consider this decision to be inconsistent with the nation's development. There are over 1.2 crores shops in India, employing over 4 crores people, 95% of which are small shops run by self-employed people. The opposition claims that the move will lead to large-scale job losses. Since there is no compulsion to procure all the raw and manufactured materials from Indian sources only, it may lead to domestic agro-industries getting haywire. The move can also lead to market prices being controlled by the foreign giants, further causing a slump of traditional Indian markets and monopoly in the markets. The fact being pointed out by the opposition is that any comparison being made between India and country like China is crushingly in genuine.

Both these versions of possible upshots are anything but restrained. And going by the history of our nation's reaction to issues pertaining to the common-man's life, a lot of hype is being created over the situation and the issue, by and large, is being blown out of proportions. These extremist views, being largely politically motivated, are far from being the truth.

The truth, in fact, lies somewhere in the middle; Firstly, a sheer glance at the whole matter at hand gives anyone the fair idea that this move is going to do more good than harm. Since the government is not directing anything against the Indian domestic enterprises, they can co-exist with the big guns of the world, and a healthy competition is never a bad idea in today's world. They should, in fact, look forward to work in liaison with these companies. If the idea to introduce F.D.I means that the farmers are going to get their worthy rewards and the masses are going to have access to better qualities of commodities at better prices, then this step should be welcomed with open arms, even if this means that a handful of people will be driven out of jobs, because while choosing between two evils, one should always go for the lesser evil.

However, if the government is backing its decision purely on the basis of examples and references of nations like China and U.S., then it should also keep in mind the grave differences between the highly-disciplined systems of theirs and the chaotic conditions of our system.

The bottom line is that any step of any nature taken by the government is always going to benefit a particular section of the society and at the same time, is going to be harmful for another section. But the million-dollar question is whether this decision has really been taken with a chaste heart, or is just another example of seasonal politics.

Team MBA Rendezvous will keep on posting such informative and useful material for your preparation. Wishing you all 'best of luck'!!

The candidates in XAT are tested on both the counts and would then be shortlisted based on their performance in essay writing as well." Prof Munish Thakur, Admission Chairperson XLRI and Convener XAT 2015

XAT 2015 will have a separate section of Essay Writing of 30 minutes out of the total allotted time limit of 3 hours to solve the entire test paper. Awarding a separate subjective section of half an hour duration in an objective type MCQ test is in itself reflects the importance and weightage in the Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) 2015, gateway to the MBA/PGDM batch 2015-17 in XLRI, SPJIMR, XIMB, IMT, XISS, LIBA, TAPMI, Great Lakes and many more top rated B schools.

XAT 2015 will be a paper pen based 3 hours duration test to be conducted by XLRI on January 4, 2015. The exam will provide admission opportunity in top B schools of India like XLRI, XIMB, SPJIMR, IMT, LIBA, TAPMI. More than 120 B schools are associated to XAT 2015 and will short list the candidates on the basis of XAT 2015 scores.

Importance of Essay Writing Test in XAT 2015

Essay Writing will play an important role in XAT 2015. A lot depends on it in finalising the admission to the desired Management College in and after getting shortlisted. Emphasising the importance of Essay writing test in XAT 2015, Prof Munish Thakur, Admission chairperson XLRI Jamshedpur and Convener XAT 2015 says “Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) aims to assess multidimensional capability of aspirants in XAT 2015.  Essay writing will also be accounted for calculation of Percentile. Test takers may be very good at attempting objective Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) but may not have real life driven written communication skill, or a wider perspective on important issues of our times, which is a basic requirement. The candidates in XAT are tested on both the counts and would then be shortlisted based on their performance in essay writing as well.”

Weightage of Essay Writing in XAT 2015

According to Prof. S.K. Agarwal, Verbal Ability Expert and mentor on XAT preparation ‘XAT awards great importance to the writing ability of future managers and accordingly place high weightage to this test’. Although the percentile is based on MCQ test in XAT, total marks can not be awarded without obtaining marks in Essay Writing Test. Its weightage becomes more prominent in final admission round.

Essay Writing section is of 30 minutes duration and does not figure in calculation of percentile at the initial stage but is very important part of shortlisting criteria in XLRI for admission 2015. XLRI Jamshedpur, SPJIMR Mumbai; XIM Bhubaneshwar; IMT Ghaziabad; TAPMI; LIBA Chennai and other coveted B schools are very particular on taking into account the obtained scores of Essay Writing in XAT.

Evaluation of Essay Writing in XAT

Essay Writing in XAT is a 30 minutes’ test. Final selection depends on it and if written with a clear and coherent flow of thought with rich contents, may get the candidate through the last round of admission procedure. Evaluation of essay in XAT is done after the candidate has qualified the MCQ test.   The score and the thought expressed in essay then serve as a ground for the selection in B schools listed in XAT.

Expect the questions in PI 

The crucial role, this essay writing plays, is the candidate’s ability to face the Board and answer the penetrating questions, based on whatever was expressed in the essay. The piece of advice is not to write anything superfluous or biased which is confusing and is difficult to explain.

XAT 2015 exam pattern

XAT 2015 will be divided in two parts

Part-1 will have four sections in multiple choice questions (MCQs) format

1. Verbal and Logical Ability

2. Decision Making

3. Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation

4. General Knowledge.

The marks of General Knowledge will not be used for determining the percentile and cut off at first stage of selection. However it is used by XLRI and some other Associate Member Institutes at the time of final selection

Part-2

The second part in XAT 2015 will be the test on writing ability. Aspirants will be asked to write an essay on a given topic. Candidates having been tested on objective Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) will also be tested on real life driven written communication skill based on wider perspective on important issues of our times. The candidates in XAT are tested on both the counts. Their performance in essay writing will also form the base of their final section round.

XAT 2015: Time duration; overall as well as sectional

XAT 2015 will be a 3 hours test to be held on January 4, 2015. The test will be conducted in 47 cities across India in a single session beginning from 10.30 AM to 1.30 PM with no break in between.

The candidates will not have any break in between except for the fact that Objective MCQ part will be over in 150 minutes and next 30 minutes will be allotted for essay writing part. 

XAT 2015 test takers will be expected to complete the first 3 sections of the first part of the MCQ exam namely Verbal and Logical Ability; Decision Making; Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation in 140 minutes while questions in General Knowledge section will have to be attempted in 10 minutes only. 30 minutes will separately be allotted for essay writing test.

How to deal with Essay Writing in XAT 2015

XAT 2015 Essay Writing test aims to search the right person who can express his thoughts well in a written form and who is well read and well informed about the various prevailing important national and international issues as well as their effects on businesses. It will definitely have its due impact on business managers. Besides it conveys whether the aspirant is free from biases and is able to understand the things without prejudice.

Key points to remember in Essay Writing

The 30 minute essay writing test means you should write a well worded essay of about 350-400 words. To achieve this goal you must have prepared well and practiced well keeping in mind the following points.

Outline the essay: Starting to write an essay without organized thoughts is nothing short of trying to build a house without a blueprint of design and foundation. The end product ends up a mess of disorganized and illogical thoughts and redundancies and irrelevant material. So give a few seconds to organize your thoughts before proceeding to write the essay.Practice well before the exam: Writing is hard work for the new and experienced writer alike. With a lot of practice, you’ll eventually get to that more confident place, a place in which your writing really conveys your thoughts. Use simple and lucid sentences and paragraphs that really tell your reader everything that you meant to say.

Read more to become a good writer: Read something basic, not directly in your field of expertise. Most fields have journals that are considered very good in their field. Reading good literature in general is essential to re-training your brain to good English construction and style.  Read articles and editorials in news paper, periodicals like India today, Economist, Reader’s Digest, Time, and Magazines of interest to you. Read well-written material regularly.

Know your reader – who is going to read your essay

When you write an essay in XAT, who you are writing for? Of course the reader is your XAT 2015 examiner. Do not write for yourself ignoring your overarching goal-writing for the reader, who happens to be the examiner. Later on, the writing piece may become a part of questions in Personal Interview.

The first paragraph: Hook your examiner

Before you start writing the essay in neat handwriting which is quite necessary, consider that your learned reader will have to examine number of essays, so you have to write in such a manner that would hook your reader in the first paragraph itself. Pour your knowledgeable ideas in a systematic way to maintain consistency and conclude it gracefully.  It will serve you well.

Essay writing tips for XAT and Other Exams :

A written article exposes two things:

The Thought process of the writer, the clarity of his thoughts, his creativity, knowledge and ability to analyze.

Secondly, it indicates his language, vocabulary and succinctness.

 Most of the essays that candidates come across in exams are either abstract in nature or is on some current affair, in short it tests either his knowledge, ability to analyze or use his creativity to write something on a subject he must have rarely ever heard of. 

For example:

Write an essay on the pros and the cons of ‘Lokpal’ bill

Write an essay on ‘Silence is golden’.

 The first essay needs general awareness and can be easily written in 15 minutes, with approx length of 300-350 words.

The second essay needs creativity; it stirs the test takers imagination and his lateral thinking, and is a far greater challenge than writing an essay based on general awareness.

 Here I will give an example from ‘The Essays’ of Francis Bacon on ‘Of Studies’:

Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment and disposition of business.

To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgment wholly by their rules, is the humor of a scholar. They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning, by study; and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience. Crafty men condemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them; for they teach not their own use; but that is a wisdom without them, and above them, won by observation. Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention

Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit: and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to seem to know that he doth not. Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend

As a reader, I would, without the slightest hesitation, say that the above highlighted extract is one of the greatest piece of writing in the English language, as a critic and book lover I am enthralled by the succinctness of the content, it is difficult to believe that Francis Bacon, around 1600, could have written such a deep and insightful essay in so simple a language, when Shakespeare ,his contemporary, was busy writing plays and sonnets in a language that today is almost inscrutable to most readers who understand English.

 Characteristics of a good essay

An essay has to be compact, one might right a short story or a piece of poetry which starts and ends abruptly, just the way Anton Chekov writes his short stories, most of them start without any background and end abruptly without any conclusion, but an essay cannot be written like a short story.

A good essay has more ideas and less words, most writers even the columnists in newspapers have some predilection for words, one reads the whole article and still, as a reader, one is not able to make out whether the author has given anything new to the audience; overuse of too many words spoils the essay and there is little substance left.

One should exhibit eloquence both in writing and speaking, but again one should be cautious not to cross the border get into the domain of grandiloquence where one ends up shoving words which are either redundant or inapplicable.

A good essay has logical connectivity between the sentences and the paragraphs, if someone is new at writing; he or she should use short and terse sentences, be simple and clear. Unnecessary gaudiness is incoherent and irritates both the reader and the examiner, one should write to express the ideas and thoughts and not to brag ones vocabulary and grandiloquence.

Never try to be too elaborate in an essay, one should use good ‘aphorisms’, ‘proverbs’, ‘wise quotes’, ‘sayings’, ’maxims’,’ axioms’ to prove a point or support ones point of view, these things also point to fact that the writer is well read and sagacious.

Always try to put in something of your own, most of the time writers and busy borrowing ideas, draping them in their own words and projecting them as their own.

 Comparison between Reading comprehension and Essay

In structure an essay has to be similar and should have the same flow as a normal passage in RC, the content might vary depending on the subject.

As we often seen in RC, the opening paragraph highlights the intent and the purpose of the author, the body of the RC adds examples, points of view, arguments and the last paragraph concludes.

A simple essay should at the most have 4 to 5 paragraphs, if one is good at using modifier and clauses and has practiced enough the art of using them then one should use long sentences, else or otherwise, one should avoid them and use short sentences instead; long sentences, if not grammatically correct, can at times distort the meaning and sound funny just as misplaced modifiers sound.

The biggest hurdle to writing is practice, if one is used to too much of reading, speaking and writing then inadvertently one ends up writing well.

XAT Essay Topics for the past 15 years

As we all know that XAT differentiates itself from all the other exams by having an essay writing at the end of the exam. Unlike last year where the Essay writing and General Awareness section were held together, this year only the Essay section will be held after 2.5 hours of the Aptitude and G.K Test. Though the essay is not considered while declaring the initial cut-offs, it holds a lot of importance during your interview of important colleges like, XLRI. You will be given 20 min to write an essay on the mentioned topic. There is no word limit mentioned, but an essay of 350-400 words will be more than sufficient. Anyways it’s not the length of the essay, but the quality of content that matters.

Though there are no specific XAT essay writing books to depend on for XAT 2014. But going through the following topics that have been asked throughout the past 15 years in XAT will surely help you with the preparation of this section.

1999 -  “Television really is, another eye so you can see anywhere, another part of your heart so you can feel and care about things you never felt and cared about before, another ear to hear strange music,  The first and only international language.”

2000 -  Ships are safer in the harbour. But they are not meant for the same.

2001-  “Economic Growth without distributive justice can only lead to violence

2002-  “Indian Economy in the Post WTO Era.”

2003-  To give real service, one needs to add something that cannot be bought or measured, like sincerity and integrity.

2004-  Asked at the age of 83, as to which of his project would he choose as his master piece, Frank Lloyd wright, the architect answered, “The next one”

2005-  More than one billion Indians: A gigantic problem or a sea of opportunities.

2006- 'India has one of the largest pools of talented manpower, but few innovations and patented products.'

2007-  Economic growth without environmental damage – a mirage or a reality.

2008-  Gender Imbalance would lead to Third World War.

2009- The Inherent vice of Capitalism is unequal sharing of blessings and the inherent virtue of Socialism is equal sharing of misery

2010-  Earth provides enough to satisfy everybody’s need but not everybody’s greed 

2011- “The statesman who should attempt to direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capitals would not only load himself with most unnecessary attention but assume an authority which could safely be trusted to no council and senate whatever, and which would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands of man who have folly and presumption enough to fancy himself fit to exercise it.’’

2012-  Statement 1 - Poverty is a big menace in India. Due to its complexity and    magnitude, most of the government initiatives fail.

Statement 1 - Poverty is a consequence of failure of government policies due to the fact that governments do not target the root causes.

The students had to support one of the two statements,provide the justification for the same and give further examples to support his/her point.

2013 - 'Corruption is the root cause of economic slowdown in India'

2014 -The most beautiful thing can neither be seen nor be touched but can only be felt.