Established in 1936, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) is one of the earliest institutes to offer courses in social sciences. It provides certificate, vocational, PG, doctoral, integrated, and online courses in various fields of Public Welfare and Community Development. The institute has 12 schools in total, of which the majority are located at the Mumbai campus. Apart from the main campus at Mumbai, TISS has campuses at Tuljapur, Hyderabad, and Guwahati. TISS is popular for its PG programmes, for which certain entrance tests take place as a part of the admission process.
In this article, you will get to know about TISSNET, held for M.A. (HRM & LR) and M.A. (ODCL) at the School of Management and Labour Studies at TISS. The test also applies for other master's degree programmes offered at various campuses.
What is TISSNET?
Every year, TISS conducts a national-level exam called TISSNET, which paves the way to M.A. programmes at the institute. These programmes are considered equivalent to management programmes (MBA/PGDM) offered by the reputed B-schools of India. Besides the M.A. courses, TISSNET scores are required for admission to courses like M.H.A, M.P.H., M.Sc., B.Ed-M.Ed, and other programmes offered by the institute.
TISSNET is held in computer-based mode at 100+test centres across various cities of India. Around 40,000 candidates appear for the exam annually. The difficulty level of TISSNET is comparable to that of NMAT, CMAT, and similar other entrance tests.
When is TISSNET held?
TISSNET generally takes place in the month of January or February. The official notification for TISSNET is released in December, and the registrations continue for a month. Candidates are required to apply at the official site:
admissions.tiss.edu. In the last week of January, the institute usually organizes a pre-admission orientation programme for the reserved category candidates.
The students can download the admit cards from the official website, about 10 days before the exam. TISSNET result is declared in the month of March. The shortlisted candidates are then called for further admission rounds as per the merit list prepared by the institute.
What is the structure of TISSNET?
TISSNET is an objective test of 100 questions. Similar to other entrance exams, TISSNET consists of questions related to general aptitude, mathematics, reasoning, verbal proficiency, and general awareness. TISS considers only an overall cut-off in TISSNET, while an individual cut-off is assigned only for the General Awareness section. The given table displays the detailed exam pattern of TISSNET 2024:
TISSNET Exam Pattern 2024
|
Sections
|
No. Of Questions
|
Total Marks
|
|
General Awareness
|
40
|
40
|
|
Mathematics & Logical Reasoning
|
30
|
30
|
|
English Proficiency
|
30
|
30
|
|
Total
|
100
|
100
|
Listed below are the main features of TISSNET exam format and marking scheme:
- The duration of the test is 100 minutes.
- Each correct answer is awarded 1 mark.
- There is no negative marking in the test.
- Each MCQ consists of 4 answer options.
- There are no sectional time limits in TISSNET.
Syllabus for TISSNET 2024
TISS indicates a brief overview of TISSNET syllabus 2024. Also, we have enlisted the important topics for each section as per the pattern of the previous year papers. Given below are the crucial areas of TISSNET 2024:
- English Proficiency: This section includes questions from Reading Comprehension, Verbal Reasoning, and Grammar. Generally, there are 2 RC passages with 4-5 questions each. The Comprehension part intends to assess the candidate’s proficiency in understanding management-related literature. Further, the section also has vocabulary-based questions like word choice, odd-one-out, synonyms, antonyms, analogies, sentence correction, etc.
- Mathematics and Logical Reasoning: This part tends to evaluate the quantitative and reasoning skills of the candidates. It covers topics from Arithmetic, Geometry, Trigonometry, Statistics, Data interpretation (DI), and Analytical reasoning. Questions associated with DI segment check the candidate’s ability to understand data related to different domains like economy, business and market functions.
- General Awareness: This section involves questions from static GK as well as current affairs. Here, the focus is mainly on socio-political issues and economic developments. Other areas are: sports, science, environment, art and culture, etc. Certain questions are put to evaluate the candidate’s awareness related to business sector and functional areas of management.
Who can appear for TISSNET?
TISS follows a quite relaxed eligibility criterion for its entrance exam. Listed below are the basic requirements to fulfil before appearing in TISSNET:
- Candidate must have completed a Bachelor's or Master's degree with a minimum 3 years duration or equivalent (under the 10+2+3 or 10+2+4 or 10+2+2+1 year bridge course pattern or any other pattern fulfilling the compulsory requirements of 15 years formal education) from a UGC-recognized university.
- Final year students can also appear in the exam. These candidates must have completed their final year degree (including all examinations and internships, if applicable) by June 2024.
While the above-mentioned eligibility conditions apply for TISSNET only, the institute specifies additional requirements for different programmes. For M.A. (ODCL), the candidate needs to have professional working experience of at least 2 years in order to seek admission. Similarly, in the case of M.A. in Applied Psychology or Urban Policy, the candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in the related field. The complete details about the programme-specific eligibility are available at the institute’s official site.
Did you Know: TISS is Asia's oldest institute for professional education in social work and public welfare.
What all courses are offered by TISS?
TISS extends a total of 57 Masters and 3 PG Diploma programmes across its Tuljapur, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Guwahati campuses. All four campuses are connected so that the online library and classes are accessible through a common platform. Besides, they also have a unified placement process with the same set of rules. TISS has the best faculty and environment equipped for studies in social sciences. Listed below are the main fields in which the institute offers multiple specializations:
- M.A. (Social Work)
- M.A. (Human Resource Management/Labour Studies)
- M.A. (Health Systems Studies)
- M.A. (Development Studies)
- M.A. (Education)
- B.Ed-M.Ed (Integrated)
- M.A./ M.Sc. (Habitat Studies)
- M.A. (Disaster Management)
- M.A. (Applied Psychology)
- M.A. (Media and Cultural Studies)
- Master of Library and Information Science
- Master of Law (LLM)
Most of the aforementioned fields are further bifurcated into specialized master degree programmes. Of the total programmes, 32 are offered at Mumbai campus alone, while 4-8 of them are available in each of the other campuses. The number of seats varies from course to course, with the lowest (15 seats) in M.A./M.Sc. (Water Policy & Governance) and highest (68 seats) in M.A. (HRM/LR).
Admission Process at TISS
The selection process at TISS comprises of two major stages: TISSNET and Assessments. It is important to note that the reservation rules do not apply at the first stage. As per TISSNET score, the candidates are shortlisted for the next stage.
Assessments
A three-member panel holds the online/offline assessments to evaluate the candidate’s interest and readiness for the chosen programme. The duration of QA is 20-30 minutes. It consists of the following screening stages:
- Extempore
The candidate has to select one topic from the two available options and speak on it for 2-3 minutes. The topics are generally related to the programme chosen by the candidate.
- Personal Interview
In the last stage, the candidates need to attend an online/offline personal interview, where the interviewers probe them on their knowledge of social and economic issues. Questions regarding graduation subjects, hobbies, etc. mostly form the topic for discussion.
The final score is based on marks allotted to both stages. The following table reflects the weightage given to each screening component:
|
|
Stage
|
Weightage
|
|
1
|
TISSNET
|
50
|
|
2
|
Extempore
|
20
|
|
PI
|
30
|
ROI of Programmes offered by TISS
Considering the cost and time investments in master degree programmes, it is absolutely critical to learn about the placement scenario before enrolling into one. In this respect, TISS maintains a high reputation owing to its 100% placement records across all programmes. In 2022, The highest salary has increased by 44%, the average salary increased by 22% & the median salary increased by 19% compared to the 2021.
- For HRM & LR 2022 batch, the Highest salary stood at INR 42.09 LPA. With an Average salary of INR 23.97 LPA offer coming in, the Consulting sector was the leading recruiting sector. 65% of the total offers were made from this sector.
- During the 2022 summer internship placement drive, the Highest Stipend stood at INR 1.5 Lakhs Per Month. Some of the major recruiters included Accenture, Aditya Birla Group, Nestle, Flipkart, Amazon & many more..
- Top 10% of the batch received an average salary of INR 23.97 LPA & top 25% of the batch received an average salary of INR 32.21 LPA. The median salary stood at INR 22.50 LPA.
On similar lines, TISS prides in its summer internship records. The 2022 placement process was a success with 100% of the batch getting the maximum stipend at INR 4.4 lacs for 2 months. The placement season saw the highest-ever numbers in the history of the program. The process witnessed the participation of regular recruiters like Accenture Strategy, Asian Paints, Aditya Birla Group, Citi, HUL, ITC, Mahindra and Mahindra, Marico, Nestle, Piramal Group, P&G, TAS etc.
The highest stipend stood at INR 4.4 Lakhs for two months, witnessing an increase of 33%, over the previous year. The average stipend of the top 10% and the top 25% was INR. 3.45 Lakhs and INR 3.2 Lakhs respectively. The mean stipend stood at INR 2.62 Lakhs and the median stipend was INR 3 Lakhs, registering an increase of 11.49% and 25% respectively, over the previous year. 95% of the batch of 77 received a stipend of INR 2 Lakhs and above. The maximum number of candidates will be interning in Conglomerates, followed by FMCG, Consulting, and Pharma. Amazon rolled out the highest number of offers followed by Aditya Birla Group, Asian Paints, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Piramal Group, Reliance and Tata Steel. Pernod Ricard India & Texas Instruments were back on campus after a hiatus.
Preparation Tips for TISSNET 2024
After you have thoroughly studied the syllabus and exam pattern of TISSNET, you need a proper preparation plan to ace the exam. As there is no penalty for incorrect answers in TISSNET, you should aim to maximise the score in all sections. For this, our experts have come up with top tips for TISSNET 2024:
- To start with, you can begin by working on your vocabulary. The best way to broaden your vocab base and improve comprehension skills is to develop a regular habit of reading. In the next stage, you must practice 2 RC passages every day. Your reading resources should include newspapers, magazines, books, etc. This way, you will also stay updated on current affairs, which form a crucial part of the General Awareness section.
- Apart from RC portion, the English section includes questions from verbal reasoning and grammar-based topics. While there are a few standard rules that you will need to learn for grammar, achieving mastery in reasoning questions can be build up with practice only.
- For the Mathematics part, you should focus on understanding the fundamental concepts of Arithmetic, Geometry, and other important areas. Alongside, start practising chapter-wise tests to boost your speed and accuracy in the section.
- Since there are no fixed rules and formulas in Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, you can get a hold on the related topics by practising previous year papers of TISSNET.
- Once you are well-confident of your knowledge, it is ideal to attempt the complete mock tests for TISSNET 2024. After the tests, make it a point to analyse your strong and weak areas. With this knowledge, you can devise an exam strategy that works best for you and let you attain a great score.
So if TISS is on your mind, then start preparing now! Gather your resources and make a well-focused strategy to come out with flying colours in the exam! For more guidance, checkout our prep stuff at
mba.hitbullseye.com!
FAQs Regarding TISSNET
- In TISSNET application, how many programmes can I choose?
A candidate can apply for a maximum of three programmes across any two campuses of TISS. He has to select in the order of preference. Finally, the institute prepares the merit list based on the preferences mentioned by the candidate in the application form.
- What is the validity of TISSNET score?
TISSNET score is valid for one year.
- What is a good score in TISSNET?
Although TISS sets different cut-offs for different programmes, it is advisable to target a score more than the maximum cut-off. Over the years, the cut-off has varied widely in the range of 63-77 marks. So, ideally, you should aim at scoring more than 70 marks in TISSNET.
- Are there any age restrictions for TISSNET?
There is no age limit for appearing in TISSNET.
- What is the sectional cut-off for TISSNET?
Except for General Awareness (GA) section, there is no individual cut-off for the rest of
the TISSNET paper. The candidate needs to achieve 35% or more in GA to qualify the exam.
- How many times can I appear in TISSNET?
There is no restriction on the number of times you can take TISSNET.
- What is the fee for TISSNET application?
The application fee is Rs. 1030 per programme.
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