Should GD/PI be a part of selection process in management schools?

Group discussions (GD) and personal interviews (PI) are standard selection tools for admission in a good management school in India. Should this be made a permanent feature of the selection process?

For

- Communication skills are extremely imperative for students seeking a career in management.
- GD/PI’s prove an effective mechanism to test an aspirant’s analytical, listening and speaking abilities.
- It assesses an aspirant’s receptiveness to the inputs and his ability to incorporate them with his own ability and simplicity.
- It is the best possible way to choose a worthy student that would do well in management schools.


Against

- Communication skills should be developed in management schools.
- Simply rejecting a candidate just because he isn’t suave or flamboyant or got nervous and couldn’t give his or her best performance is a bit harsh.
- People who make it to the GD/PI’s have worked hard all through the year to clear the entrances and that itself should be enough to guarantee them a seat.
- It demoralizes students who are not able to clear the GD/PI’s, this leads to disappointment and a reason to take extreme measures (suicide).
- It neglects the value of the academic performance as GD/PI’s are all about overall quality and personality.

GD/PI’s are important as academics record does not tell the true story. A student’s personality should be given utmost important as anyone can perform well academically but not everyone has the talent to shine when the odds are not in his favor.