The Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) is easily the most sought after entrance examination for students aspiring to obtain admission in to the IRMA management programs. Like most Management entrances even the IRMA exam is similar but with few changes. The IRMA consists of 200 question which assess applicants on 4 broad areas. The first section tests students on their Verbal Ability, Reading and Comprehension, the second area assess Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency, the third tests the Reasoning Ability and the forth assess the general awareness of the applicants on Issues of Social Concern. The number of questions allotted to each area are 30, 10, 25, 20, 50 and 60 simultaneously. Most students have a tendency to look for tips to help them clear the exam, in view of this there are a few tips and tricks that students can avail of to crack the IRMA Examination. Given the areas of assessment it is only fair that the tips and tricks to crack the IRMA should be based on the same.

Verbal Ability

This sections assess the applicant’s command over the English Language. Since this is a language, by default grammar is tested. The Verbal Ability section comprises of questions on analogies, synonyms and antonyms, match the list, idioms, one word for many, fill in the blanks and identifying the various Figures of Speech which is a task for applicants.

Grammar
A useful tool to improve your language skills is by referring to the Wren & Martin. This book is a perfect guide for improving your grammar, essay writing skills as well as your comprehension skills because it has exercises and examples for each topic. It also comes with a key that you can use to verify if your answers are correct.
Reading and Comprehension
Refer to a copy of the Wren & Martin in any form either in print, in a pdf or e-book form as it has very good examples for improving your comprehension skills. It has sample passages that contain questions on most of the aspects covered in the English section.

Expose yourself to the language
You can start by making use of the various resources available to you such as the Internet, newspapers, journals, magazines, television, books etc.

Converse with a friend who is good at the language if possible because it is the most effective way to increase your confidence.

It is absolutely essential for students to make a habit of reading as this is one of the best ways to improve your language skills. Reading English newspapers, listening to English news and writing a few sentences in English will definitely help you in the long run.

When you read; it not only helps you to improve your grammar but also increases your vocabulary. When you come across a word that you do not understand make it a point to open a dictionary and a thesaurus nearby whenever you read something.

Ensure that you have both in any form that you are comfortable with such as in print, software or on line.

Logical Ability

When a problem is given don’t just solve it try to analyze it for 20 to 30 minutes by asking your W/H questions such as Why, What, When Where and How.

Analytical Reasoning and Decision Making

The reasoning section consists of questions based on logical, analytical and critical reasoning therefore they are framed accordingly.

Whenever you read a passage don’t forget to put on your thinking cap and ask your W/ H questions as often as possible.
Students need to practice difficult reasoning puzzles from mock papers and books on reasoning. Solving puzzles from popular puzzle books available in bookstores will also help.
Focus on lengthy puzzles on distribution involving lots of variables.
The section on Decision Making can be best practiced by going through the mock IRMA papers.

Data Interpretation

This section mainly consists of questions that use bar graphs, line graphs, case lets (data given in the form of paragraphs and requires applicants to extract the information provided to establish a relationship between the data given), tables, pie charts or circle graphs etc. to interpret data. Similarly the questions are based on the data that is interpreted, so break up the question and note down the information that is given to you.

Issues of Social Concern

Read newspapers and watch educational channels that will boost your general knowledge.

A good start to improve your knowledge of India to crack this section is by visiting www.india.gov.in which has information about the latest happenings in the country.
Read past issues of business magazines (from January 2013) and pay attention to the main events in the corporate world.
Having information about organizations /associations like the UN and its associate agencies such as ASEAN, SAARC, NATO, BRICS etc. can help you to clear this section.
A good knowledge about the stocks and GK questions like countries, capitals, currencies, inventions and discoveries in science can be very helpful.

Group Discussions

Try to be loud and aggressive in an appropriate manner, if you need to get your point across. If unclear about the topic wait for someone else to begin. Try and summarize the points that have been discussed at regular intervals.

Practice

It is essential that students refer to previous years question papers and rely on mock tests, as this will make them familiar with the paper pattern and will give them an idea about the type of questions asked. Thus, students are better prepared for the examination.

Join Coaching classes

This will ensure that students practice regularly and are better prepared because they can resolve the queries that they might have about a particular topic.

Health Matters

It is important to ensure that you get enough rest, eat a balanced diet and most importantly exercise. It is important that you sleep in time, eat properly and exercise, if you wish to perform well in the examinations because both the body and the mind need to rest to function to its maximum potential.

By following these simple tips cracking the IRMA will be easier to clear. I leave you with a simple quote, “Practice as if you are the worst; perform as if you are the best.” – Jaspher Kantuna. If you are looking for more details about the IRMA Examination you can visit or sister website www.way2k.com.