Established in 1971, Symbiosis International (Deemed University) has evolved to become one of India’s most popular destinations for specialised education in India.
Over the years, the institution has been offering quality undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral education in a variety of programmes, ranging from law, science & technology, media, and business administration.
Among these courses, Symbiosis is particularly noted for its business and management schools and courses, which have scores of applicants every year. The institution offers MBA programmes in a variety of specialisations, ranging from Information Technology to Agri Operations, through its various B-Schools and institutes across India.
The first step to gaining admission into these programmes is clearing the Symbiosis National Aptitude (SNAP) Test. To gain more insight into the SNAP Test, EdexLive speaks to Dr Ramakrishnan Raman, Director of the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune (SIBM Pune). Excerpts:
Not Plan B, C, or D to the CAT, but the SNAP Test has become a priority exam for a lot of Management education aspirants in India. How far has the test come? How has this perspective change come about?
The SNAP Test has been a popular exam over the past decade and was always on par with the CAT. It has always been an important exam for management admissions, due to the quality of the programmes we offer.
The SNAP Test was created to consolidate admissions into all educational institutions of Symbiosis under one entry point. As a result, clearing the SNAP Exam would make one eligible for a variety of courses – hence the popularity.
In addition, the SNAP Test is also easier in comparison with CAT. For starters, the duration of the SNAP Test is only one hour, with the paper having 60 questions. The motive of the test is to check how many questions the students answer correctly in one hour – and those who manage to get 45 correct answers or above, will get a call from us. Aspirants do not have to answer 60 questions in an hour correctly, they should answer 45 questions. The SNAP Test gives them a buffer time of 15 minutes. Moreover, the questions are also balanced in toughness across all sections.
Where do you see the SNAP Test when compared with CAT?
Based on data collected through our market research, we can safely say that the SNAP Test is the second-largest MBA Admissions exam after CAT.
As said earlier, the SNAP Test is also much easier for the aspirants. The exam takes place on three days in December, and candidates can attempt either one of them or all of them, depending on their convenience. For candidates who attempted more than once, the best score would be taken into consideration as their final score.
Most importantly, unlike CAT, the SNAP Test does not have sectional cutoffs. There is no mandate for the candidates to attempt all the sections, which eases their burden.
What opportunities do the SNAP Test aspirants have in terms of employment and growth? How far do these avenues deviate from a corporate career?
At Symbiosis, the focus of the pedagogy is to instil entrepreneurial spirit and skills into the students. Placements aside, our students receive the knowledge and training to establish their own start-ups or manage their family businesses.
As for opportunities for growth beyond the typical corporate careers, Symbiosis institutes offer various niche and specialised programs beyond the standard Finance, Business Development, and Marketing MBAs.
For example, we have an Operations Management programme specifically for Engineering Graduates and a Healthcare Management programme for doctors and other healthcare professionals. We also offer industry-specific MBA courses for Agribusiness, Telecom, Banking and Finance, Sports, IT, and more.
Companies know exactly what they are looking for in candidates, and Symbiosis gives them that. These opportunities present themselves to candidates who clear the SNAP Test.
Selection procedure in the SNAP test
Three rounds:
Round 1: SNAP Test
Round 2: Group Exercise (GE)
Round 3: Personal Interaction
Category-wise Merit lists and waiting lists will be made based on the candidates’ performance in these rounds, and waiting lists will be made subject to the availability of seats.
Admission is provisional and will be confirmed on payment and meeting the eligibility criteria of the respective programmes.
Number of SNAP Test Centres in India
84 Test Centres across India
Exam duration and marking scheme
Total number of marks: 60, scaled down to 50
Number of sections: 3
Marks breakdown:
- General English (Reading Comprehension, Verbal Verbal Reasoning, Verbal Ability) - 15 marks
- Analytical & Logical Reasoning - 25 marks
- Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency - 25 marks
Negative marking: 25% for each wrong answer (25% of 1 = 0.25)
Test duration: 1 hour
Recommended study material
- A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning, RS Aggarwal (S Chand)
- A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning, Dr RS Aggarwal (S Chand)
- How to prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT, Arun Sharma (McGraw Hill India)
Student Testimonials
“I have done my BTech in Computer Science in Engineering from NIT. At SIBM Pune, I’m a student of Human Resources from the batch of 2023-25. Two of the strategies from my side to crack the SNAP examination are:
1) To divide time amongst sections wisely. Since you can attempt sections in any order, and you can switch between the sections unlike other MBA exams, leverage this and score maximum in each section. There’s also been no section cut-off in the past.
2) Make speed your strength. SNAP is primarily a speed-based exam wherein you must attend the maximum number of questions. So, in the 60 minutes given to you, use those 60 minutes wisely and don’t get stuck on any particular question.”
Muskan Dhiman, SIBM Pune (2023-25)
BTech (Computer Science), NIT
“My two most important strategies for cracking SNAP exams are:
1) Don’t get attached to any single question as SNAP is a times-based exam.
2) Take as many mocks as possible and analyze them thoroughly”.
Kartik Kulkarni, SIBM Pune (2022-24)
BTech, BMS College of Engineering
