For candidates interested in admission to Tata Institute of Social Sciences, it is time to get into preparation mode for TISSNET 2019 as the exam dates have been released and applications will begin on 22nd October.

TISSNET 2019 Exam Pattern

Before discussing the preparation guidelines, clarity about the exam pattern is necessary. No matter what programme/programmes the candidate has applied for, the TISSNET 2019 will be a common 100 mark paper for a duration of 100 minutes (1hr 40mins).

The exam pattern has been elaborated below:

As can be seen above, General Awareness has maximum weightage with 40 marks.

Every correct answer awards 1 mark to the candidate.

Note: There is NO NEGATIVE MARKING in TISSNET 2019 for any of the programmes, including the HRM course.

TISS Pre-Interview Test Pattern

The PIT consists of 2 sections. The first is an essay answer and the second is a case study.

Note: This may differ depending on the course opted for by the candidate.

The essay topics for HRM have been asked on topics like role of CEO/CSR/corporate governance/women in corporates/best practices in HR.

For other courses, the essay will be on a given theme of contemporary socio-political, economic, cultural and political importance. Cover recent schemes and their impacts. Also have a general answer ready for state of rural society, women’s issues, education and any other recent sensational issue in the media.

The Caselet will be designed to judge the candidates understanding and sensitivity towards complex social issues.

TISSNET 2019 Syllabus

TISS has released a section-wise topic list to allow candidates to prepare for the TISSNET 2019. The table below indicates the topics that need to covered under every section:

TISSNET + TISS PIT & PI (Pre-Interview Test and Interview) Preparation

For TISSNET 

1. For the TISSNET, General Awareness is the most crucial section to prepare for. While the level of questions is moderate, the range and scope of this section is wide. Candidates are well advised to start daily reading of newspapers and be aware of major social/political/economic happenings and also of important appointments and achievements of Indian persons in sports/international institutions and politics.
2. Apart from topics mentioned above, questions have also come from static portions like Indian polity, important rivers, monuments and art/culture. For static parts, covering Lucent should be sufficient as emphasis has been on current affairs which well be covered in newspaper readings.
3. The English, Quant/Logic sections are relatively easier compared to other B-School entrance exams. Even a basic brush up of Class X mathematics will be sufficient.
4. For Vocabulary, you can refer to the books Word Power Made Easy and Objective English For Competitive Examinations. Reading newspaper editorials regularly will also help you with the RC questions.

For PIT

1. For the PIT, you will have to write your essay supported by facts. Remember, your content is being marked, not your writing skills. Hence, make sure to include facts and cases you have read about in the news. Your sensitivity to social issues is also being judged, so not taking an extreme stance is suggested.

For Interview/Group Discussion 

1. The last stage is either an Interview or a Group Discussion. For this too, your knowledge of current happenings and social awareness will be essential. It is advisable to not come across to aggressively. Give your panel/GD participants opportunity to put forth their questions or points. It is also useful to quote or reference points of fellow participants to indicate that you have the ability to accept inputs from peers.
2. 3 essential answers to prepare for are – 1] your motivations to join the particular programme you have applied for, 2] how your graduation subjects/work experience influences your decision to pursue this field and 3] the basic concepts and fundamental knowledge about the subject you will be studying in the programme.