How to Prepare for XAT BDM?

While solving XAT BDM questions, there are a bunch of things to keep in mind, to improve your ability to spot correct answers.

1.  The answer you pick cannot suggest anything borderline illegal or unethical. For example, if the option says, “In large companies, some indiscretions are bound to happen and those matters will be dealt internally”, you must stay away from this option. This is because matters like these should be dealt out in the open. You should always anchor around options which are legally and ethically right. This will help you eliminate one or two options in many BDM questions.
   
   
2.  Generally, as a rule of thumb, do not gravitate towards options that are very passive. For example, if one of the options says, “Nothing needs to be done as everything will get sorted out with time”, stay away from those options as well. The “Don’t do anything” options are generally incorrect. If your gut tells it could be the answer, reread the options and reevaluate them.
   
   
3.  Look for clues given in the language. This is important especially for the XAT BDM section as this might be the crucial differentiator for eliminating one of the last 2 options. For example, “A financial irregularity being discovered” is very different from “Investigating complaints of impropriety”. The former tells us that the irregularity has happened, while the latter informs us that the complaint is being investigated and nothing is yet conclusive. Both options look similar but spotting these subtle nuances makes all the difference. There is another example to illustrate the ‘looking for clues’ aspect in the XAT BDM section. If the question says, “Pick the most suitable and sustainable option”, there may be one option which is most suitable and might work temporarily for the time being. But the question mentions ‘sustainable’ as well. Hence, it asks for a suitable option that works in the long run rather than a temporary band aid solution. Observing clues like these will help you pick the right option. While practicing questions, make it a habit to read and reread the question(s) and options carefully before answering. This will help you pick the tone and nuances in the question(s).
   
   Watch the above video to get more insights on how to prepare for this section.
   

Not having enough practice questions/material is one side of the coin, but solving the questions at your disposal, with some deliberate effort and diligence, keeping all the above-mentioned points in mind, is uber-crucial. Qualitative practice matters a lot as far as this section is concerned but quantity also adds value if you can get your hands-on loads of questions.

If you want more XAT BDM sets to solve apart from previous year papers, click here to check out our XAT 2021 crash course which includes 7 fabulous BDM sets with detailed video solutions explaining the thought process behind answering each question, for free.