Table of Contents
- What is WAT for IIMs? Why IIMs conduct WAT?
- IIMs using WAT for Admissions 2025
- Other Top B-schools using WAT for Admissions
- Past Topics in WAT for IIMs
- Types of WAT Topics
- Latest WAT Topics for IIM and MBA Admission 2025
- IIM WAT Preparation
1. What is WAT for IIMs? Why IIMs conduct WAT?
WAT is a paper-pen based writing test of 15 to 30 minutes duration conducted by IIMs and other top B-schools to test your writing skills after you are shortlisted for final admission round. This test is conducted just before your personal Interview session. Most of the IIMs have replaced Group Discussion (GD) round by WAT in their final selection round.
Managers and Business Leaders are expected to possess strong effective verbal and written communication skills to make effective presentations and proposals. While verbal communication skills are assessed during Personal Interview, written communication skills are assessed by IIMs through Written Ability Test (WAT).
2. IIMs using WAT for Admissions 2025
WAT for IIM goes by different names. While IIM Ahmedabad has WAT as Academic Writing Test (AWT), IIM Calcutta and IIM Bangalore have named it as Writing Ability Test (WAT). WAT has been reintroduced in the IIM CAP 2025 selection process. List of IIMs using WAT for admission 2025 include:
Table: List of IIMs participating in IIM CAP 2025
|
IIM
|
Is WAT Part of Admission 2025 Process?
|
|
IIM Kashipur (2011)
|
Yes (IIM CAP 2025)
|
|
IIM Raipur (2010)
|
No
|
|
IIM Ranchi (2010)
|
Yes (IIM CAP 2025)
|
|
IIM Tiruchirappalli (2011)
|
Yes (IIM CAP 2025)
|
|
IIM Udaipur (2011)
|
Yes (IIM CAP 2025)
|
|
IIM Rohtak (2010)
|
No
|
|
IIM Nagpur (2015)
|
Yes (IIM CAP 2025)
|
|
IIM Jammu (2015)
|
Yes (IIM CAP 2025)
|
|
IIM Bodh Gaya (2015)
|
Yes (IIM CAP 2025)
|
|
IIM Sirmaur (2015)
|
Yes (IIM CAP 2025)
|
|
IIM Sambalpur (2015)
|
No
|
|
IIM Amritsar (2015)
|
No
|
|
IIM Visakhapatnam (2015)
|
No
|
3. Other Top B-schools using WAT for Admissions
Top MBA Colleges Using WAT are:
- Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) Delhi/Kolkata
- Goa Institute of Management (GIM) Goa
4. WAT Topics
IIM WAT Topics are as follows:
IIM Ahmedabad WAT Topics
- Your Views on Change of Union Budget Presentation Date
- How Effective has been Brexit – Share your Opinion and Thoughts
- How do you see State of News Media in India
- What are your views on Performance of Refineries in India
- Spending money on Statue of Unity resulted in wastage of resources
IIM Bangalore WAT Topics
- Aadhar has been a game changer as it has enrolled more than 100 crore people in India. However, a lot of people are worried about the privacy and protection of their data. What are your views on the same
IIM Calcutta WAT Topics
- Social media has given the freedom of speech to the masses. However, it has led to a lot of false information being spread resulting into incidents of violence and riots. What are your views on the same?
5. Types of WAT Topics
There are different types of WAT topics on which you would be asked to write a well worded fact or opinion based coherent piece in 15-30 minutes. The types of WAT Topics for MBA admission in an IIM or other top B-school can be based on:
- Current Affairs,
- Business, Economics, Finance,
- Social or Political issues,
- Sports related news
- Abstract topics.
6. Latest WAT Topics for IIM and MBA Admission 2025
Type of WAT Topics include Abstract WAT Topics, Business & Economy WAT topics, Current Affairs WAT topics, and WAT Topics on Social and International Issues. Here are latest WAT Topics for IIM and MBA Admission 2025.
|
Alert! MBA Admission Closing Soon | Apply Now
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Latest WAT Topics 2025 are as follows:
- Beauty fetches more followers than talent in social media. True/False
- Qualities required in a manager to provide community services.
- Life is unfair
- Online dating advantages and disadvantages
- Communication Vs Analytical Skills in a Manager
- WILL "WATCHING" TAKE OVER "READING"
- Flaws makes one beautiful
- Solar power challenges
- Nepotism - is it a bollywood concept only?
- Cyberbullying at workplace.
- Large youth population would lead to large retired population.
- Religious harmony in India
- Influence of social media
- Significance of Indian tradition festivals in modern society
- Employees do not leave their company, they leave their boss.
- Should organisation gives menstrual leaves
- A day without phone
- Smartphone use by children
- Managing volunteers by corporation
- Credit card and youth
- Spend 90% or save 90%
- Large youth population would lead to a large retired population.
- Religious harmony in india.
- What are aliens
- Elimination of dress code in schools in india
- Will watching take over reading
- Fomo vs joy of missing out
- A world with no religion
- Youth is entitled
- Hospitals and profits
- Fashion and sustainability
- Should social media be regulated
- Going vegan - trend or lifestyle
- Trends or Lifestyle
- Anxieties of an influencer
- Cuisine and Culture
- Digital vs conventional marketing
- A day without phone
- Smartwatches induces healthy behaviour
- Does Data make decision making obsolete for managers
- Is honesty the best policy?
- Freedom of Speech- an ideal or mirage?
- Data driven decision making would make managers obsolete
- Polarised world
- Human Resource vs Automation
- Sustainability real or just a buzz word
- The richest person in the world
- Does AI kills creativity
- Leadership: A lonely position
- Reality of Reality Shows
- Start-ups, is it worth taking the risk?
- Reel, a short video concept is interesting on social media or a wastage of time
- Can one make true friends in social media
- Can Creativity Be Learned?
- Hopping jobs due to colleagues and bosses.
- Work-Life balance
- Freedom of Speech - An ideal or mirage?
- Work life balance
- Box office success of Bollywood
- Influence of social media
- Is honesty the best policy
- Impact of peer pressure
- Large youth population would lead to large retired population
- Management lessons from cooking
- Should hostels have a return time?
- Generation Gap- who should bridge it
- Is sustainability hindering industries
- Soft skills for professional excellence
- Cooking for a loved one.
- Reels and shorts affecting or result of short attention span?
- Spirituality in corporate performance
- Covid 19 impact
- Binge watching Challenges for Indian Healthcare System
- Learning from Youtube
- Censorship of OTT (Netflix, Amazon)
- Solving social problems through social entrepreneurship
- Doing wrong does less harm than doing nothing
- Online shopping addiction
- Business ethics are overrated
- A leader is a reflection of the people
- Nepotism is only restricted to Bollywood
- Driverless car
- Role of government in healthcare
- Leadership roles improve quality of life
- Sports compulsory for every manager
- India with no religion
- Placement is an indicator of the quality of a candidate
- Change is the only constant
- Generation gap: who should bridge
- Digital payments - pros and cons
- Influencers and their influence on social media
- Freedom of speech - myth or reality
- Digitization will replace the employees at work
- The colour 'Pink'
- Dress code at workplace
- Mindless scrolling
- Relationship between Employability and the Employer
- Management lessons from Mythology
- Love is Blind
- An ideal living space
- Work from home is there to stay
- He/She/They
- Religious conduct in corporation
- How has technology affected our relationships?
- Does advertising influence healthy food choices?
- Cybersecurity a concern for india?
- Polarized world
- Business schools in rural areas to connect and serve the community
- Stereotypes in Films
- Social impact by social entrepreneurship
- Data science to create positive social impact
- Importance of Sleep
- Hospital and Profits
- Poverty in india
- A world with no countries.
- A train journey
- Empathy in leadership
- Digital payment: pros and cons
- Stereotypes in films
- Ethics and profits can coexist?
- Fake News Vs Sensational News
- Trolling on Social Media
- Punishment for Animal cruelty
- A typical Sunday
- Pollution in Indian cities
- Robot will lead the world
- Family planning in India
- WFH is here to stay
- Plastic
- How has technology transformed our relationships.
- Justice Delayed is Not Justice Denied
- Human Resource vs Automation
- Digitalization will replace employees from work.
- Age of Mergers
- India's push for Manufacturing
- A typical sunday
- If i had superpower
- Digital gadget - boon or bane for personal security
- A world without religion.
- Digital Payments
- Troll and insensitivity same side of two coins
- A leader is a reflection of their team Elderly at home
- Brand Endorsement as an effective advertising strategy
- Being Human
- Bollywood vs Hollywood
- Fate of newspaper
- Education loan: boom or bane
- Your alter ego.
- Do we need branded things
- Role of Literature in Modern Times
- Is bharat really becoming swachha?
- Mental health and competition
- Real world vs virtual world
- Are regional movies overshadowing Bollywood?
- Is cost of Luxury items justified?
- Rise of ott death of cinema?
- Should business school shift in rural areas for better teaching and learning experience.
- Impact of selfies
- Success is Relative
- Working from Home: Convience vs Inconvenience
- Can animal lovers be meat eaters
- Does advertising influence healthy food choices
- Do influencers promoting brands cause a conflict of interest
- Death of circus
- A world without Religion
- A world with no countries .
- Smart home personal assistant (alexa,etc) and invasion of privacy.
- Doing wrong is better than doing nothing.
|
Alert! MBA Admission Closing Soon | Apply Now
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7. IIM WAT Preparation
WAT Tips include how to prepare for WAT by toppers. WAT is not going to be unlimited length essay writing. You are supposed to give your best within the given time frame. So, in 20-25 minutes, a coherent, thoughtfully written piece could be around 200 to 300 words but it should not lose track on the WAT topic in any paragraph or any line. Here are WAT Writing Tips:
1. Understand the WAT Format: Before preparation, get clarity on the test structure.
- Duration: Typically 20-30 minutes.
- Length: 250-300 words.
- Topics: WAT topics are diverse and can include current affairs, abstract ideas, social issues, or business-related themes.
2. Develop General Awareness: WAT topics often focus on contemporary issues, so staying updated is crucial.
- Read Newspapers: Regularly read newspapers like The Hindu, Economic Times, or Indian Express.
- Follow Current Affairs Portals: Refer to reliable websites for updates on politics, economy, and global issues.
3. Improve Writing Skills: WAT evaluates how well you structure and express your thoughts.
- Practice Essays: Write 2-3 essays per week on random topics.
- Work on Clarity: Avoid unnecessary jargon. Keep your language simple and clear.
- Structure Your Essays
4. Learn Time Management: In WAT, managing time effectively is crucial.
- Practice Timed Writing: Use a timer to simulate the test environment. Aim to finish your essay within 20-25 minutes.
- Prioritize Planning: Spend 3-5 minutes brainstorming and outlining your essay before writing.
5. Focus on Grammar and Vocabulary: Errors in grammar or spelling can impact your score.
- Work on Grammar: Use tools like Grammarly or practice from books like Wren & Martin.
- Enhance Vocabulary: Learn 5-10 new words daily and practice using them in sentences.
6. Analyze Solved Sample Topics: Familiarize yourself with past WAT topics.
7. Review and Get Feedback: Share your essays with mentors, peers, or online communities for feedback. Work on areas like coherence, grammar, or topic interpretation based on the feedback.
8. Practice Mock WATs: Join mock WAT practice sessions conducted by coaching centers or online platforms. Or do it on your own.
In summary, Written Ability Test (WAT) is an important part of IIM Final Selection process for MBA program. WAT for IIMs has become more important as WAT has been reintroduced in the IIM CAP 2025 selection process. Many other leading B-Schools like IIFT also use WAT in its final selection process. Tips of IIM Written Ability Test are given above. WAT Preparation Tips, given in the above article, will help you prepare well.