What is the format of Group Discussion?

Group Discussion in a B-school admission process is a very important aspect and has a significant weightage in the final selection process. The Group Discussion round follows a broad format with minute changes on a case-to-case basis. There are generally 8-10 students in a group discussion. There is a moderator who looks over the flow and discipline of GD and a panel evaluating the students

The first step is the Topic Allocation where the students are informed of the topic on which the discussion will happen. Next, students are given generally 3-5 minutes to gather their thoughts. They are allowed to note down them. The Moderator signals in order to start the GD or sometimes he just mentions the maximum time limit after which the GD starts on its own. The GD generally is for nearly 15-20 minutes. In an ideal case scenario, a GD should have a decent introduction of the topic, Arguments for and against it if it is a question, and a proper conclusion that encompasses all the arguments. In certain GD formats, it follows an approach where each student has to speak for a particular time limit whereas, in others, the floor is open to the candidates to put forward their points.