As Tata Institute Of Social Science, also known as TISS, closes its application form on Feb 7 for the TISS National Entrance Test (TISSNET) 2022, candidates prepare themselves for the exams to be conducted on Feb 26.
TISSNET, also known as the Tata Institute of Social Sciences National Entrance Test, will be administered for the year 2022-24 in a computer-based mode. Though there is no age bar to appear for the TISSNET 2022 entrance test, candidates should have completed their Bachelor's degree in any discipline or should be in their final year of graduation.
Yatharth Badala, a candidate from Goregaon, said that he is aiming to get into TISS because their Master of Arts programmes in the fields of Human Resource Management, Labour, and Organisational Development are equivalent to pursuing MBA from top colleges.
"TISSNET is a very important entrance exam but for us who are interested in areas that include Business Administration TISSMAT(Management Aptitude Test) is something we are looking forward to", said Badala, who added that as far as the paper pattern goes 40 marks goes for General Knowledge questions, while Reasoning and Maths see 30 marks each.
"I feel that as far as Quantitative and Reasoning goes, it's pretty simple but for General Knowledge, I am looking up current affairs, news of interest, etc. I am also brushing up my know-how of Analytical Reasoning if I, fortunately, qualify for TISSMAT," said Badala, who has given other Management exams too.
"TISS is considered to be one of the best institutes for Management programmes in HR and Labour Studies, so it was a no-brainer for me to prepare for its exam. Anywhere between 70-75 marks should be enough for me clear the cut-off," said Tarun Pandey, from Gwalior who is also taking coaching classes to improve his General Knowledge and English but is not worried about Quantitative and Reasoning sections.
Tarun also said that he is not sure if TISSMAT will happen this year as no notification has been released regarding the same and it didn't happen last year too.
"Since there has been no official notification about it, I am a bit sceptical if TISSMAT will be conducted or not. Online assessment has been mentioned in the notification which is a personal interview," added Tarun, who claimed that one other problem that hinders his ability to get into TISS is the fact that most seats are reserved for candidates from Maharashtra for the Mumbai campus while "only 15-20 are reserved for students from other states."
Neeru, a student from Mumbai, is currently juggling her academic load as well as the preparation for TISSNET, especially in the field of Human Resources Management.
"After TISSNET, there's supposed to be TISSMAT, but I can't find info about when it happens, what's the gap between the two, and what syllabus it covers. I've applied for two courses, the second is counselling psychology and even that has an exam later called TISSPAT but again I'm clueless as to when it will happen," said Neetu adding that since the process has changed post-Covid, she hasn't been able to find much information and hopes to know more on how to get an admit card.
"I wish info about what's the process after TISSNET was clear because then I could plan out my studies accordingly but it's a little frustrating not knowing that," Neetu added.
Amol Paranjpe, the Communications Officer at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, asserted that stage 2 of the admission process is the most critical part as candidates are shortlisted based on their performance in the first stage i.e. the exam.
"Stage 2 will have various components such as written tests, online personal interviews, etc, and in order to shortlist the candidates for all the fifty masters programs we conduct this test," said Mr Paranjpe who also explained what they focus on through the entire evaluation process.
"In this test, we look at the basic mathematical, reasoning, logical abilities, and general awareness of developmental issues. We are also at the same time trying to understand whether the candidate has a good hold of socio-political issues, whether the person has a good understanding of the basic English language. We aim to understand the candidate's preparedness for undertaking these post-graduate programmes," Mr Paranjpe added.
