GPE or Group Planning Exercise also known as Military Planning Exercise or MPE is a test in the Group Task series where the candidates are given some problems and asked to overcome them in certain duration of time. In Group Planning Exercise you’ll be generally given a set of four problems, out of them two will be major ones, one a little lighter and one a small unnecessary problem. You can see the example for them on our website. You can also refer to the article on Group Planning Exercise for a detailed explanation on the kind of problems, their nature and how to solve them. Here however we’ll be dealing with some tips on how to excel in the Group Planning Exercise. So in GPE you are asked to write your solution on a piece of paper and then discuss all the solutions together with your group and then arrive at a common solution.
Excelling in Group Planning Exercise
- Write neatly, carefully: You need to maintain a good handwriting while you write your solution. As
time will be a constraint so you are likely to mess up your handwriting. There are myths regarding the Group Planning Exercise solution, many people say the GTO never reads it. But you have never been a witness to what happens inside the board, so please write carefully and neatly. - Apply Logic: Do not go for bookish solutions. There might be solutions where country is being given more priority and in some life is given priority. It is your own appreciation what you give priority to. There are no hard and fats rules to solve Group Planning Exercise, and I am sure if you stick to others solutions you are likely to fail. So read a few solutions, and what matters the most is applying your brain.
- Be analytical: Analyzing a problem is even bigger a task than solving it. If you are able to analyze a problem well you can excel in Group Planning Exercise very well. Look out for the minutest details, look out for the resources and apply them in your solution. Read the problem carefully and listen to the instructions very prominently.
- Divide and conquer: Candidates feel that they have to put the whole group to work for a single problem. This is not the case. You can divide your group in two parts and work for the major two problems.
- Don’t speak first in the discussion: if you speak first in the discussion you’ll open up your cards. Listen you at least one more person before you speak. In this way you can also check whether or not you have missed out any points, because sometimes in hurry you might miss points. In this case when you feel the solution which you wrote is not as good as the plan others are speaking, change your side. Go with the plan you think suits the best.
- Learn to find mistakes: If you can learn the art of finding small mistakes in others plans, you can come up as the hero in the planning exercise. Listen to their plan and find small mistakes, do not say them in a condescending manner, instead comment politely, that you plan is good but lacks this. Do opt yourself for the person who narrates the group story.
