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Symbiosis National Aptitude (SNAP) test is a national level exam conducted annually by Symbiosis International (Deemed) University [SIU]. It is a post-graduate level examination for admission to the various MBA and M.Sc. programmes offered by the Institutes of Symbiosis International. So candidates who want to enrol for these Masters courses have to take the common, compulsory SNAP exam. SNAP 2020 will be a computer-based examination.
Candidates who wish to appear for SNAP 2020 exam need to register themselves for the SNAP exam as well as the Institute(s) that offers his/her choice of programme. There is an integrated registration procedure for SNAP and the other institutes. So candidates can complete both the registrations through the same portal, i.e snaptest.org. Candidates who qualify the SNAP exam will be shortlisted for further admission procedures that each of the Institutes conducts individually.
Highlights of the SNAP 2020 Exam
Before we discuss the exam dates, eligibility criteria, registration process, and exam pattern, let us have a look at some of the highlights of the upcoming SNAP exam:
● Key to the top B-schools in the country: The SNAP scores are widely accepted by all the 16 Symbiosis MBA Institutes, which include SIBM (Pune), SIIB (Pune), and SIBM (Bangalore), among others.
● The similarity to CAT, CMAT, XAT, NMAT: The online computer-based SNAP test is quite similar in pattern to the CAT, CMAT, XAT, and NMAT exams.
● Fetches a University MBA degree: All the participating Institutes that accept SNAP scores are affiliated to SIU. As such, they award University MBA degrees that are globally recognised.
● Moderately difficult: Given the past trends, the SNAP 2020 exam is expected to be moderately difficult, with a total of 115 questions divided across four sections.
● No separate cut off for each section: The total 150 marks will be scaled down to 50 without any sectional cut off.
● Single-day exam conducted in a single session: SNAP 2020 will be a single day exam with one session. Thus, the preparation of the merit list will be straightforward without the need to normalise the scores according to the difficulty level across various sessions.
● Cost-effective and hassle-free application: The application fee for SNAP 2020 is INR 1750 - quite low considering the fact that the exam is a gateway to the best 16 B-schools. The entire application process is online with a few simple steps.
SNAP 2020 Tentative Exam Dates
When will SNAP 2020 registration begin? What is the SNAP last date to apply?
SIU has not yet given any official notification for the SNAP 2020 exam. But candidates can check the expected SNAP important dates for the 2020-21 session below. However, the dates are tentative and subject to change, given the COVID 19 pandemic scenario. The final SNAP 2020 exam schedule will be officially declared on the Symbiosis admission portal (snaptest.org). Event Tentative Date
Commencement of SNAP registration 3rd week of August 2020
SNAP registration last date (Last date for filling up SNAP application form) 4th week of November 2020
Last date for paying SNAP form fee 4th week of November 2020
SNAP admit card available from 1st week of December 2020
SNAP exam date 2nd or 3rd week of December 2020
SNAP result date 2nd week of January 2021
Eligibility Criteria For SNAP 2020
Candidates need to fulfill the following eligibility criteria to appear for the SNAP M.Sc./MBA entrance exam.
1. The candidate should hold a Bachelor’s degree with a minimum aggregate mark of 50% or equivalent grade from a Government recognised or statutory University/Institution. Candidates belonging to the SC/ST category are given relaxation and need to have at least 45% marks or equivalent grade in their graduation.
2. Students who are in the final year of their graduation are also eligible to apply. However, their admission is subject to obtaining a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent grade (45% marks or equivalent grade in case of candidates belonging to the SC/ST category). Such admission will be provisional and may stand cancelled if the candidate fails to fulfil the said criteria.
3. Certain programmes require a specific subject specialisation/discipline as given by the respective SNAP colleges/Institutes. Candidates can check their eligibility for such programmes on snaptest.org.
4. Candidates who have completed the qualifying degree from a Foreign University are also eligible to apply. However, they have to obtain a certificate of equivalence from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). The candidate needs to verify his/her foreign degree/qualification from AIU before pursuing admission to any programme offered by SIU. The following candidates will fall under the ‘International Student’ category:
● Foreign Nationals: A student who holds a foreign passport and is a citizen of any country but India.
● Overseas Citizen of India (OCI): A student who is granted Overseas Citizenship of India and holds an OCI card.
● Person of Indian origin (PIO): A student who has a PIO card and is a citizen of any country but India.
● Non-resident Indian: A student who is an Indian national and has appeared for his/her 12th or graduation examination outside India. 1. All Institutes under SIU follow a reservation policy as per the UGC
regulations/guidelines. However, such guidelines are not applicable to the Symbiosis Institutes of Management Studies, which have a separate policy. The reservation of seats for various categories as applicable for the SNAP 2020 exam are given below:
● Scheduled Caste: 15%
● Scheduled Tribe: 7.5%
● Differently Abled: 3% (the following types of disabilities are covered under this):
● Hearing impairment
● Vision impairment
● Mental retardation
● Locomotor Disabilities
● Multiple disabilities
● Dyslexia
● Nagpur Domiciled: 25% (applies only for SIBM, Nagpur)
● Wards/children of Defence personnel: 5% (applies only for the Institutes and their respective programmes listed below):
● MBA in International Business (Symbiosis Institute of International Business, Pune)
● MBA in Digital and Telecom Management (Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management, Pune)
● MBA in Information Technology Business Management (Symbiosis centre of Information Technology, Pune)
● MBA in Information Technology (Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research, Pune)
● Kashmiri migrants: 2 seats in each programme (over and above intake)
● International candidates: 15% (over and above intake) Candidates applying under any of the above mentioned reserved categories are obligated to submit the relevant documents issued by a competent authority. Final admission is subject to the verification of such documents. Provisional admission does not imply acceptance of eligibility. SIU has the final say in deciding the eligibility for admission.
Registration Process for SNAP 2020 Exam
The registration process is completely online and must be completed within the SNAP registration of the last date, as notified by SIU. Candidates may take note of the following guide of the SNAP registration procedure:
1. Registration can be done online on the portal snaptest.org. Please note that changes to the online SNAP application form (except the name, date of birth, category, and test city preference) will be allowed only up to the registration closing date. No change will be permitted once the closing date is over.
2. Candidates will be required to upload a scanned copy of their latest passport sized coloured photograph at the time of online SNAP registration.
3. Make sure that all the information you have entered is accurate.
4. The next step is the payment of the SNAP test application fee of INR 1750. Candidates
may pay through the following modes of payment:
● Billdesk Payment Gateway
● Indian Bank Payment Gateway
● Easebuzz Payment Gateway
● Demand Draft (Candidates may submit a Demand draft of INR 1750 from any Nationalised Bank in favour of the “Symbiosis Test Secretariat” payable at Pune. Directions for payment through Demand Draft:
● In the ‘Make Payment’ tab, choose the method of payment as ‘DD Payment.’
● Take a printout of the payment advice form, fill in the details of DD, sign, and send it together with the DD to the Symbiosis Test Secretariat at, Symbiosis Test Secretariat Symbiosis International (Deemed University) Gram: Lavale, Tal: Mulshi, Dist: Pune - 412115 You will be sent a payment confirmation email on your registered email ID once the Symbiosis Test Secretariat has authenticated the details of the Demand Draft.
● Once the registration is complete, fill up the SNAP 2020 application form by entering the relevant details. Click on ‘Submit’ to complete the process.
Exam Pattern for SNAP 2020
Recently there have been quite a few changes in the SNAP exam pattern. These changes have been formulated over subsequent years and, in turn, have holistically changed the way a student must approach the exam. For instance, in the year 2017, the time-tested paper-based exam format was done away with to be replaced with the more easily conducted computer-based test. While this might seem like a small change, it drastically changes the way students should be giving mock tests and strategizing the way questions are to be answered.
In the following year, SNAP introduced into the exam pattern what has since then come to be known as special questions. There has also been a radical shift in the number of questions being asked along with the weightage in terms of marks being assigned. The last SNAP exam, held in 2019, still further tweaked the SNAP test pattern by further reducing the number of questions being asked.
This constant slew of changes has been so proficient that if one were to compare SNAP previous year question papers with the 2019 equivalent, they would seem like papers of totally different examinations. The 2020 SNAP entrance exam is expected, however, not to have any further changes; however, considering the past trends, one can always expect a surprise. Thus the exam pattern for 2020 is given in this regard:
1. Total number of Question in SNAP 2020 exam: 115 (2020), 115 (2019), 130 (2018)
2. Composition of the question as per sections: English - 30, Quantitative Analysis and
Data Interpretation - 35, Reasoning - 30, Current Affairs - 20. (2019, 2018)
3. Total number of questions in MCQ type: 110 (2020, 2019, 2018 )
4. Non MCQ based special questions: 5 (2020, 2019), 20 (2018)
5. The scoring pattern for MCQ based questions:
● Each correct answer in Quantitative Analysis and Data Interpretation and Current Affairs = +1
● Each correct answer in Reasoning and English = + 1.5
6. The scoring pattern for Non-MCQ based special questions: Each correct answer = +2
7. Negative marking for questions: 1⁄4 or - 25% for each wrong answer given
8. Number of options: For normal MCQ based questions, four options
9. Options for special questions: For these questions, there are no options or answer fragments to select from, the answer should be written into the computer using the virtual keyboard.
While we have at length talked about the changes that have been incorporated into the SNAP exam test format, there are some parameters that remain unchanged. Here’s a list of the same:
1. Duration of exam: The time duration of the exam remains the same for 2 hours.
2. The maximum marks the exam is conducted on remains 150
3. There’s no change in the weightage given to negative marking. It is still 25%.
4. Number of sections remains unchanged at four sections.
Process of Shortlisting and Selection
Candidates will be shortlisted for GE-PIWAT ( Group Exercise, Personal Interaction, and Writing Ability Test) on the basis of their overall SNAP test percentile. All information regarding dates and details of GE-PIWAT will be available on the websites of the respective participating Institutes.
It is compulsory for shortlisted students to attend all the parts/tests of GE-PIWAT to be considered eligible for any of the postgraduate programmes. Only those candidates who attend all the parts/tests of the GE-PIWAT selection process shall be qualified to be considered for inclusion in the merit list or waitlist, as the case may be. Candidates who absent themselves from any one of the parts/tests of GE-PIWAT will be disqualified from being considered for the selection process of any of the postgraduate degree programmes.
Declaration of Merit List and Admission
The SNAP result 2020 will decide which candidates will make it to the final merit list. Aspirants who appear on the final merit list will be considered for admission to the programme of his/her choice. However, such admission shall be provisional and would be confirmed only on payment of fees and fulfillment of eligibility criteria of the respective programme(s) and in accordance with the rules of SIU.
The final merit list will be prepared by taking into consideration the scores obtained by the candidate in the SNAP test and GE-PIWAT. The different parameters carry the following weightage in deciding the position of a candidate in the final list of merit:
● SNAP score: 50 marks (the total marks of 150 will be scaled down to 50)
● Group Exercise (GE): 10
● Personal Interaction (PE): 30
● Writing Ability Test (WAT): 10
● Total Marks: 100
The category-wise SNAP cut off marks for the merit list, and the waitlist is displayed on the official websites of the respective participating institutes. The movement of the waitlist will depend upon the availability of vacant seats.
SNAP Exam Paper Breakdown
A crucial part of any MBA exam happens to be the element of time management. In this regard, as you might already know, you are expected to solve 110 questions in a span of 120 minutes. While the expected SNAP cut off will give you an idea of how many questions you need to get right to qualify for symbiosis admission into SNAP colleges, it is important to play your cards right.
While attempting SNAP official mock tests, you will have noticed that there are some sections that suit you better than others. Here’s a breakdown of the three static sections as you may find in a SNAP sample paper:
1. Analytical and logical reasoning: The section has emerged as a popular choice for students from across streams. In this section, there are 36 questions, each with a weightage of 1.5 marks. Now, that makes a total of 54 marks. Generally, SNAP exams have revealed this segment to contain moderate level questions, usually from areas like missing numbers, verbal reasoning, visual reasoning, etc. It is extremely easy to go through the chapters and gain mastery over the area.
2. General English: English as a section is extremely polarising. In this section, there are 34 questions carrying 51 marks. Usually, students are overwhelmed when they encounter this section because of the relative unfamiliarity of the content. There is no easy way to go prepare for this section. A large part of your success in this section depends upon your vocabulary.
Rigorous practice of verbal ability and comprehension is the only way to strengthen this area. You could read newspaper editorials and books to accrue new words. Keep in mind that this section needs time to master, and therefore you should start early and practice regularly.
3. Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency: This section has a grand total of 35 questions, including the special questions, and they carry total marks of 45. This section requires a lot of practice. Go through the SNAP previous year question papers and make a list of the areas from where most questions are asked. At the end of the day, your success in this segment depends upon your ability to solve these questions faster and with precision.
Conclusion
The SNAP exam has, over the years, been regarded as one of the most prestigious examinations when it comes to MBA entrance exams. With over 1800+ seats divided over 16 different institutions, the SNAP exam is one of the best ways to secure admission into a B-school. Given the exam pattern and the relative effort needed to qualify it, it is also one of the easiest exams to qualify. A set coherent strategy revolving around the basics should keep you in good stead while attempting the examination.
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