Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) is a legacy institute. "For the last 43 years, its commitment to nurture rural management professionals who could contribute to the growth story of the nation, has remained steadfast," says Dr Umakant Dash, IRMA. He shares more about the exam, here
How has the exam evolved?
The institute as well as the curricula of its programmes has undergone a gradual transformation with the changing times, and so have its methods of selecting individuals who could take the legacy of the institute forward and become nation-builders of the future.
The selection test has evolved from a standalone qualifying examination to one that now even more keenly tests the aspirants on their understanding of the current rural scenarios and trends in addition to their ability to articulate their thoughts and opinions.
Where do you see the exam when compared to CAT?
CAT tests the aspirants across multiple levels such as quantitative, verbal and decision-making, while IRMA also seeks to understand their ability to analyse real-life scenarios that affect rural India as well as their ability to express themselves freely in terms of writing. This eventually complements their Personal Interview (PI) process.
What kind of job opportunities await students?
IRMAns have been keeping the IRMA flag high across a wide spectrum of domains and specialisations. Since IRMAns specialise in Rural Management, they have a plethora of opportunities available to them across sectors such as CSR, Social Business, Development, BFSI, Consulting, FMCG, Retail and E-Commerce, Food and Agribusiness, Consumer Durables, and many others.
February 2024
Exam will be held
3 TIPS
Be aware of the latest news in rural management
Thoroughly read about IRMA
Practice writing on topics like rural management, development.
Be thorough in
- General Knowledge
- Rural Development
- Allocation for Rural Development in Union Budget
- Latest Economic Survey
30 minutes
Exam duration
Aim of WAT
Written Ability Test (WAT) tests familiarity with issues of social concern
- Ability to articulate views in a constructive manner on a given topic.
12 cities
exam will be held in
Anand
Pune
Mumbai
Bhopal
Jaipur
New Delhi
Bengaluru
Hyderabad
Bhubaneswar
Kolkata
Lucknow
Guwahati
Patna
Student speaks
The exam is a combination of a Written Ability Test (WAT) and interview rounds. WAT includes an essay on a topic and the duration of the written test is about eight to 10 minutes. Additionally, the exam should be written on the IRMA portal.
During the interviews, the essay will be evaluated. The topics for the essay are about current affairs and during my exam, I was asked about India's plan targeting 25 years of budget. However, it is not a single question/topic for all. The topic of the essay differs for candidates.
Since this exam contributes 10-15% of weightage for admission, I have started preparing from a week before the exam. I started covering the newspapers, current affairs and world economics. Additionally, I have prepared to structure my essay and have strategised to mention quantitative details like statistical numbers and targets rather than the usual qualitative concept-based subjective details.
I got a call from 11 B-Schools but I chose IRMA because it has no negative reviews. Before joining, I had tried to reach out to former students asking about IRMA and where they are working now.
There is a myth that IRMA offers jobs restricted to rural areas. But, I have spoken to many others who are working in corporates. Also, companies like Mother Diary and Amul give more preference to IRMA under a rural division when compared to IIM's FABM course.
Arpit Kalra, Second-year student, IRMA
