All topics of Group Discussion can be broadly categorized into four areas:

Factual Topics:

Factual topics are about practical things, which an ordinary person is aware of in his day-to-day life. These are impersonal in nature. Typically these are socio-economic or political topics. These can be current i.e. they may have been in the news lately, or could be unbound by time. A factual topic for discussion gives a candidate a chance to prove that he is aware of and sensitive to his environment.

Controversial Topics:

Controversial topics are a subset of factual topic as they too are socio-economic or political but these are argumentative in nature. They tend to generate a controversy. While discussing these topics you may feel embarrassed or uncomfortable. In Group Discussions where these topics are given for discussion, the noise level is usually high, there may be tempers flying. The idea behind giving a topic like this is to see how much maturity the candidate is displaying by keeping his temper in check, by rationally and logically arguing his point of view, without getting personal and emotional.

Women are Better Managers - A Controversial Topic

Abstract Topics:

These are mostly ambiguous in nature. E.g.: You only live twice or the third eye. While discussing these topics you need to think laterally and ultimately link the abstract with a known fact.

Case-based Group Discussion:

Another variation is the use of a case instead of a topic. The case study tries to simulate a real-life situation. Information about the situation will be given to you and you would be asked as a group to resolve the situation. In the case study there are no incorrect or perfect solutions. The objective is to get you to think about the situation from various angles.