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Economic slump has no effect on rush for B-schools

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:02:00 +0000

Coimbatore, Jan. 6 The global economic downturn seems to have failed to ground the dreams of aspiring managers.
Though there has been no dearth in registrations for MBA – seen as a passport to a successful career – given the current economic uncertainty, one would probably think twice about enrolling for such programmes. But a look at the trend reveals otherwise.
Indian School of Business (ISB), for instance, has registered a 35 per cent increase in the number of applications for its full-time one-year postgraduate programme in management for the next academic year.
Inflow into ISB
The Dean, Mr Mendu Rammohan Rao – who was here to deliver the keynote address at the Third International Symposium and Workshop on Global Supply Chain at PSG Institute of Management – told Business Line that the phenomenal increase in the application flow signalled the opportunity that individuals saw to enhance their skills and improve employability, besides reaffirming the attraction and value for the programme.
ISB faces a bigger challenge in identifying the right candidate, he said, and pointed out that a good number of applicants managed good GMAT scores. “These scores have gone up. Though we do not go by GMAT scores alone, the qualifiers for the programme are on the rise.”
The student intake during the next academic year is expected to increase to 560 from 430.
While there are takers for the programme, he admits to a difficult scenario on the placement front. Campus hiring at ISB is expected to start next week.
“Companies have indicated that they would visit the campus and recruit. But nothing is certain till they come. The number of candidates hired off-campus has fallen from eight to 10 per company during the earlier years to less than three this year. This not only indicates a steep dip in the overall levels of recruitment, but higher expectations from prospective employers as well. We are striving to get more companies, but it has not been easy,” he added.
Certain sectors such as telecom and healthcare are on a hiring spree.
Besides widening the headhunters’ ambit, ISB gets some of its candidates to work on projects. “The Andhra Pradesh Government has a number of projects. We also encourage them to take up entrepreneurial activity,” he said.

Managing the boss

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:00:00 +0000

A few lessons in the art of boss management
Hello everyone. Welcome back to `Sid Says'. I hope the last fortnight has been good to you and you all have had a chance to actively work on your job profiles, careers and resumes. Never forget the motto of this column: "Be dedicated to your employer and keep an updated copy of your CV!"
So sit back in your cubicles and fire up an Excel spreadsheet full of numbers to deceive your co-workers while we share the inside dope about `How to manage your boss and leverage his ignorance to advance your career' or, as it is popularly called in some organisations, `Leadership'.
This column is never one to beat around the bush. To stretch the short story long. To go around in circles In all frankness, most bosses are decent fellows who are merely incompetent and really have no idea how they managed to get the corner office in the first place. This is why they often issue memos to their staff, which make little sense, yet give them a sense of security and confidence. For example:
"Dear Team Members!
Last week there was a meeting of the All India Senior Leadership and Vision Formation and Deployment team in Mumbai. As you may all be aware I have been an active member of this team for several years and was recently elevated to the position of Additional Deputy Advisor (Temporary) in the Regional Strategy Sub-committee.
At this meeting the decision was taken to realign our strategic initiatives along customer-oriented lines and to gradually diversify from our current product-oriented approach to a more holistic go-to-market concept. This is a drastic paradigm shift in the way we work and will be of great benefit to the long-term strategic growth of our company.
Sidin Sunny Vadukut will be in charge of crafting appropriate action steps. It gives me great pleasure to announce that all employees will receive special gifts from the company to commemorate the occasion as follows:
Senior Management: Large screen television sets and home theatres
Middle Management: Wrist watches (almost completely waterproof)
Junior Management: T-shirts (wrinkle free)
Everyone else: Box of Rosgollas (one dozen)
Congratulations.
P.S. Does anyone have a DVD of Basic Instinct?
Regards,
Boss"
Such is the animal we young managers need to learn to tame and manipulate to our personal benefit. Sounds impossible? Pshaw! Of course not! Let me explain.
The concept of asymmetric information is one that has been discussed in this column before and one that is the first tool in the art of boss management. As we said before most bosses have only a vague idea of what their subordinates are meant to do. For instance, if you are the Finance and Accounts Manager he will know you as "the guy who sends me boring Excel sheets but has an attractive secretary".
The young manager can easily use this information to his advantage. First you must ensure your boss never knows how much work you really have to do. Observe:
Boss: "Sidin I need four copies of this document. It is confidential and critical."
Sidin: "OK. No problem. I will give it to you next Thursday."
Boss: "What? I can't wait that long. Today is Wednesday."
Sidin: "See boss I need to make sure that there is no one around when I am taking those copies. Confidentiality is key you see. But you know we only have one copier in the office. So it is pretty tough to get a `confidential' window of access to the machine."
Boss: "So stay after work then and wait till everyone else has gone."
Sidin: "But then the housekeeping guys could be around. They could leak this info to anyone. A competitor even."
Boss: "Oh! That will not do at all. But Thursday... "
Sidin: "Okay then let me see if I can get it done by Monday. I won't be able to do anything else though. Need to keep an eye on the copier always obviously."
Boss: "Obviously. Excellent! For a minute there I thought you were trying to pull a fast one. Ha Ha."
Sidin: "Ha Ha."
The rest of the week is going to be a breeze no doubt.
Another important strategy is to ensure that your boss is completely, utterly and helplessly dependent on you.
This is a walk in the park for all you sharp young managers. What you need to do is to ensure that every document that passes into his office finally rests in one of your files. E-mails, market information, sales figures, pricing, salary slips, bank statements, credit bills... the works. Your boss, in an ideal scenario, should have access to practically nothing if you are not around. Achieve this, and it takes time and effort, and you can start clearing out the parking space for your Octavia.
Before you know it, your boss is a nervous wreck if you aren't available in the office. Combine this with subtle data manipulation, (use log normal distributions on his board meeting slides and use complex linear regression even for average monthly sales calculations and don't tell him.) and soon it will become clear to everyone in the office that the real brain is the guy in the corner reading the newspaper every day.
The final nail in your boss' coffin is the expert use of misinformation with HIS boss. (Remember: A boss' boss is a young manager's best friend.)
For instance, assume your boss has an urgent presentation and has asked you to drop everything else and work on the slides.
Boss's boss: "Sidin our monthly sales are down 68 per cent this month!"
Sidin: "Oh that was because of my boss sir."
Boss' boss: "What?"
Sidin: "He told me to drop everything and work on these slides sir."
Boss' boss: "What the... What are these slides?"
Sidin: "Fall in monthly sales sir. Ironic sir."
Boss' boss: "The stupid fool!"
So if you can implement all that you might as well buy a few DVDs yourself!

Focus on soft skills a must

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 07:57:00 +0000

NISHANT SAXENA, Dy CFO, Procter & Gamble India.

Nishant Saxena, who passed out from IIM-Lucknow, believes B-schools must organise more interaction with industry managers so that students can learn what really is important from a business point of view.
On what made him pursue an MBA...
To get a complete picture of running a business (in addition to the focus on technical aspects that my engineering degree offered). In most big companies, if we aspire to reach the top echelons, an MBA helps.
On what B-school taught him...
It is interesting that most of us use only 10 per cent of what we studied in B-school. But the value is in a thinking process that helps see the big picture, looking at the forest as well as the trees, and having a comprehensive look at a problem.
On what it ought to have taught...
Most B-schools in India are run by academicians who unfortunately may not have a very high quality corporate experience themselves (unlike in the West where most professors do active research with Fortune 500 companies). This naturally limits their ability to focus on what really is important from a business point of view (against what is written in the text book).
There is still opportunity to focus on many soft skills, though these soft skills are very abused ...you can easily make a mockery of a classic strategy or leadership, and you can also make it ever so inspiring and a real value add. Managing people, art of influencing, seven habits, win-win.....many such basically commonsensical concepts are something we could have focussed more in B-schools.
Interaction with industry managers and more handsome projects/research is another area B-schools can focus more on.

Test taking strategy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 07:56:00 +0000

The secret of handling a tough CAT lies in understanding the selection process adopted by the IIMs
Cracking the CAT in such a scenario is obviously not just about learning all the relevant concepts, working out enough problems to strengthen one's understanding and taking enough tests. It's all about tackling the unpredictability of the CAT.
For the last few years, candidates appearing for the CAT have had a common complaint - "The paper was very tough". What the person actually means is that "I was not able to attempt many questions in the CAT paper". This "toughening-up" of the CAT has been observed in all the sections — English, Quantitative Ability and Reasoning. The number of questions/marks that even successful candidates attempted, has fallen from around 110-120 in the late 90s to around 65-70 for the last three years. To make things tougher, the CAT test booklet give only limited instructions. It says that while a student may apportion the total time available in any manner, he/she is expected to perform equally well in all the sections. What makes matters even worse for an aspirant is that the IIMs spring a surprise every year in terms of the test pattern and the nature of questions.
When a CAT paper gets tough suddenly, many candidates will find themselves solving far fewer problems than they have been used to. This can upset performance in many ways: 1) Devoting too much time to a few questions/a section (getting stuck) and having very little time to handle other questions/sections; 2) Becoming nervous and making more errors by attempting the wrong questions and rushing too fast through the easy ones. How does one avoid the pitfalls inherent in a tough paper?
The secret of handling a tough CAT lies in understanding the selection process adopted by the IIMs. The explanation that follows is based on our 14 years of experience in successfully training students for the CAT.
Selection at the CAT is fundamentally based on a process of relative assessment. The aim of the IIMs is to select the best candidates out of those who appear for the test. At the same time, they also look for a certain minimum level of competence in each area of testing. These twin goals are achieved through the simple concept of percentile. Percentile is just another way of representing rank. Your percentile indicates the percentage of the candidates you have got a better rank than. For instance, in a test written by 1 lakh candidates, the candidate ranked 100 has surpassed 99900 candidates and therefore gets a percentile of 99.9 (= (99,900/1,00,000)*100)
When the CAT papers are evaluated, each candidate is given a percentile in each section as well as on the aggregate. Each IIM then independently decides the minimum level of competence in each section of the paper in terms of percentile. Out of all the candidates who achieve the cut-off percentile in all the sections, each IIM would (once again independently) shortlist the best performers based on the aggregate percentile. We have observed that different IIMs have different percentile cut-offs and a candidate gets as many calls as the cut-offs cleared.
What the IIMs mean when they say "perform equally well" is, therefore, not to get the same "good score", but to get an acceptable percentile in each section. A very important learning from this analysis is that one can now put to rest the big demon that is Difficulty Level.
Working on the understanding of the selection process, one can clearly see that the Difficulty Level of the paper has no bearing on the performance of any candidate. If you, after a thorough preparation, find yourself unable to attempt a number of questions, remember that all other candidates would also be in a similar position. If a paper is tough it is tough for everyone. If it is easy, it is easy for everyone. So, do not panic or rejoice too early.
Cracking the CAT in such a scenario is obviously not just about learning all the relevant concepts, working out enough problems to strengthen ones understanding and taking enough tests to see where one stands vis-à-vis competition. It is absolutely essential to have a comprehensive and robust strategy to tackle the inherent difficulty as well as the unpredictability of the CAT.
Strategy plays a critical role in a candidate's CAT performance. The importance of strategy comes out clearly when one realises that the CAT is a highly time-constrained exam. The rank obtained is still going to be determined by the number of questions one manages to attempt. And since every question attempted will consume a finite amount of time, the number of questions one answers in the CAT clearly depends on how well one manages the time available. For the same level of knowledge and problem solving practice, a good strategy can boost a candidate's performance by up to 20-25 per cent.
Over the next few articles, we shall explore different aspects of Test Taking Strategy, which you can incorporate in your mock tests and adapt to our individual requirements.
(The writer, an alumnus of IIT-Madras and IIM-A, 1998 batch, is Director, Chennai Centre, T.I.M.E., an education and student training/counselling organisation.

PERCENTAGE TRICK

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 07:54:00 +0000

if u want to calculate the %age of any number ,then just break down the %age no into parts.... e.g. 22% of 50=20% of 50+2% of 5o......

VULGAR AND DECIMAL FRACTIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 07:50:00 +0000

Key notes
The method of representing one part of the system to whole system is termed as fraction. They are of 2 types.
1) Vulgar or common fractions eg : etc
2) Fraction whose denominators are powers of 10 is known as decimal fractions eg : etc
A fraction is also called a rational number
A fraction in its lowest terms always possess numerator and denominator which are prime to each other .
if numerator and denominator are large numbers & if their common factor cannot be easily guessed then we find its H.C.F
A fraction is unity if its numerator and denominators are equal.
A fraction with numerator lesser than denominator is termed as proper fraction. eg: etc
A fraction with numerator equal to or greater than denominator is termed as improper fraction eg: etc
A mixed fraction contains a whole number and a fraction eg:
In adding mixed fractions the integral and fractional parts should be collected separately.
The easier method of comparing two or more fractions is to express each fraction into decimal fraction and then compare.
Adding zero to the extreme right of a decimal does not alter its value.
The decimal number in which a set of digits is repeated again and again is known as recurring decimal.
A decimal fraction in which all the digits after the decimal point are repeated is called pure recurring decimal. eg: etc.
A decimal fraction in which at least one digit after the decimal point is non recurring is termed as mixed recurring decimal.

Number Theory

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 07:05:00 +0000

Number Theory
Contents
Properties of real numbers
Number systems
Tests of divisibility
HCF ( Highest common factor )
LCM ( Least common multiple )
Key points on L.C.M & H.C.F
Simplification
Complete Remainder
Fractions and ordering fractions
Surds and Indices
Finding the Square root

Properties of real numbers
In Hindu Arabic system we use ten symbols 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 called digits to represent any number. This is the decimal system where we use the digits 0 to 9. Here o is called insignificant digit where as 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 are significant digits
Number systemsNatural numbers :
The numbers 1,2,3,4,5,.......125,126, ........... which we use in counting are known as natural numbers The set of all natural numbers can be represented by N = {1,2,3,4,5 ........... }
Whole Numbers :-
If we include 0 among the natural numbers then the numbers 0,1,2,3,4,5 ........... are called whole numbers The set of whole numbers can be represented by W = {0,1,2,3,4,5, ........... .} Clearly, every natural number is a whole number but 0 is a whole number which is not a natural number Integers
All counting numbers and their negatives including zero are known as integers. The set of integers can be represented by z or I = {.........-4,-3,-2,-1,0,1,2,3,4..} Clearly every natural number is an integer but not every integer is natural number
Positive Integers
The set I + = {1,2,3,4........} is the set of all positive integers. Clearly positive integers and natural numbers are synonyms
Negative Integers
The set I - = {-1,-2,-3,.......} is the set of all negative integers 0 is neither positive nor negative. Non negative integers :
The set {0,1,2,3........} is the set of all non negative integers
Rational Numbers
The numbers of the form P/q, where p and q are integers and q≠0, are known as rational numbers. e.g: etc ,e.g is not define The set of all rational numbers is denoted by Q. i.e Q = { x :x = ; where q ≠ 0}
Irrational Numbers
Those numbers which when expressed in decimal form are neither terminating nor repeating decimals are known as irrational numbers e.g = The absolute value of & etc The absolute value of P is irrational. is rational.
Real Numbers
The rational and irrational numbers together are called real numbers. e.g: 13/21, 2/5, -3/7, / 3, +4 / 2 etc are real numbers The set of real numbers is denoted by R
Even Numbers
All those natural numbers which are exactly divisible by 2 are called even numbers e.g: 2,6,8,10 etc are even numbers. Odd Numbers All those numbers which are not exactly divisible by 2 are called odd numbers. e.g: 1,3,5,7. Etc are odd numbers
Prime Numbers
The natural numbers other than 1, is a prime number if it is divisible by 1 and it self only e.g: Each of the numbers 2,3,5,7,11 ,13,17,etc are prime number. 1 Is not a prime number 2 Is the least and only even prime number 3 Is the least odd prime number Prime numbers upto 100 are 2,3,5,7,11,13,17,19,23,29,31,37,41,43,47,53,57,61,67,71,73,79,83,89,97. i.e 25 prime numbers Composite Number
Natural numbers greater than 1 which are not prime, are known as composite numbers The number 1 is neither prime number nor composite number Two numbers which have only '1' the common factor are called co-primes (or) relatively prime to each other e.g. 3 and 5 are co primes
Tests of Divisibility
Divisibility by2: A number is divisible by 2 if the unit's digit is either zero or divisible by2. e.g. : units digit of 76 is 6 which is divisible by 2 hence 76 is divisible by 2 and units digit of 330 is 0 and hence it is divisible by 2
Divisibility by3 A number is divisible by 3 if the sum of all digits in it is divisible by 3. e.g: The number 273 is divisible by 3 since 2+ 7 + 3 = 12 which is divisible by 3.
Divisibility by 4 A number is divisible by 4, if the number formed by the last two digits in it is divisible by 4, or both the last digits are zeros e.g The number 5004 is divisible by 4 since last two digits 04 is divisible by 4.
Divisibility by 5 A number is divisible by 5 if the units digit in the number is either 0 or 5 e.g: 375 is divisible by 5 as 5 is present in units place in the number.
Divisibility by 6 A number is divisible by 6 if the number is even and sum of all its digits is divisible by 3 e.g: The number 6492 is divisible as it is even and sum of its digits 6 + 4 + 9 + 2 = 21 is divisible by 3
Divisibility by 7 A number is divisible by 7 if the difference of number' obtained by omitting the unit digit' and 'twice the units digits' of the given number is divisible by 7 e.g: Consider the number 10717 On doubling the unit digit '7' we get 14. On omitting the unit digit of 10717 we get 1057. Then 1071 -14= 1057 is divisible by 7 Therefore 10717 is divisible by 7
Divisibility by 8 A number is divisible by 8,if the number formed by last 3 digits is divisible by 8. e.g: The number 6573392 is divisible by 8 as the last 3 digits '392' is divisible by 8. Divisibility by 9 A number is divisible by 9 if the sum of its digit is divisible by 9 e.g: The number 15606 is divisible by 9 as the sum of the digits 1 + 5 + 6 + 0 + 6 = 18 is divisible by 9. Divisibility by 10 A number is divisible by 10, if it ends in zero e.g: The last digit of 4470 is zero, therefore 4470 is divisible by 10.
Divisibility by 11 A number is divisible by 11 if the difference of the Sum of the digits at odd places and sum of the digits at the even places is either zero or divisible by 11. e.g: In the number 9823, the sum of the digits at odd places is 9 + 2 = 11 and the sum of the digits at even places is 8 + 3= 11. The difference between it is 11 - 11 = 0 the given number is divisible by 11. Divisibility by 12 A number is divisible by 12 if it is divisible by 3 and 4 e.g: The number 1644 is divisible by 12 as it is divisible by 3 and 4
Divisibility by 18 An even number satisfying the divisibility test by 9 is divisible by 18. e.g: The number 80388 is divisible by 18 as it satisfies the divisibility test of 9.
Divisibility by 25 A number is divisible by 25 if the number formed by the last two digits is divisible by 25 or the last two digits are zero e .g: The number 7975 is divisible by 25 as the last two digits are divisible by 25.
Divisibility by 88 A number is divisible by 88 if it divisible by 11 and 8 e.g: The number 10824 is divisible by 88 as it is divisible by both 11 and 8
Divisibility by 125 A number is divisible by 125 if the number formed by last three digits is divisible by 125 or the last three digits are zero e .g: ' 43453375' is divisible by 125 as the last three digits '375' are divisible by 125.
Common factors
A common factor of two or more numbers is a number which divides each of them exactly e.g: 3 is a common factor of 6 and 15.
Highest Common factor
Highest common factor of two or more numbers is the greatest number that divides each of them exactly. e.g: 3,4,6,12 are the factors of 12 & 36 among them the greatest is 12 and hence the H. C. F of 12 and 36.is 12 H. C. F is also called as Greatest common divisor or Greatest Common measure. Symbolically written as G. C. D or G. C. M
Method of finding H.C.F
Method of division • For two numbers: Step1: Greater number is divided by the smaller number Step2: Divisor of (1) is divided by its remainder Step3: Divisor of (2) is divided by its remainder. This could be continued until the remainder is '0' Then H. C. F is the divisor of the last step e.g: Find the H. C. F of 96 and 348 Solution: Here the divisor of the last step is 12 H. C. F of 96 and 348 is 12
Method of finding H. C. F of 3 or more numbers : Step 1: Take any two numbers as your wish and find their H.C.F. Step 2: In the given numbers take the third number and find the H. C. F of the number taken and the H. C. F of previous pair. Step 3: In the given numbers take the fourth number and find H. C. F of the fourth number and the previous H.C.F Continue the same process till the end The final H.C.F is concluded to be the H.C.F of all the given numbers e.g Find the H.C,F of 128,246,100 Now 6 is H.C.F of 120,246, is 6 then take 100 with respect to 6 H.C.F of decimals
Let us observe the example Find the H.C.F of 3.2, 4.12, 1.3, 7 Solution : First write the numbers eliminating the decimals with the appropriate multiplication by either '10' or 100 or 1000 etc Here multiplying all the numbers with 100. the numbers are 320,412,130,700 Now we will find the H.C.F of the above numbers. Here the H.C.F of above numbers is 2 Did you remember we multiplied all the numbers by 100 to eliminate the influence of decimals. Here we divide the answer by 100 to get H.C.F of the given numbers The H.C.F is 2 /100 =0.02
L.C.M (Least common multiple)
Least common multiple of two or more given numbers is the 'least or lowest number' which is divisible by each of them exactly, in the sense without a non zero remainder
Method of finding L.C.M
Step 1: Write the given numbers in a line separated by a comma
Step 2: Divide any two of the given numbers exactly with a prime number then the quotients and the undivided numbers are written in a line below the first
Step 3: Repeat the same process till all the numbers in the line are prime to each other. We mean without any common factor Conclusion : The product of all divisors and the numbers in the last line is the required L.C.M of the numbers
Example : Find the L.C.M of 14, 18, 24, 30
2
14, 18, 24, 30
3
7, 9, 12, 15

7, 3, 4, 5L.C.M of 14, 18, 24 and 30 is 2 × 3 × 3 × 7 × 4 × 5 = 2520
L.C.M of decimals Let us observe the example Find the L.C.M of 1.6, 0.28, 3.2, 4.9
Solution : First write the numbers eliminating the decimals with the appropriate multiplication by either '10' or 100 or 1000 etc Here multiplying all the numbers with 100. the numbers are 160, 28, 320, 490
Now we will find the L.C.M of the above numbers.
2
160, 28, 320, 490
2
80, 14, 160, 245
2
40, 7, 80, 245
2
20, 7, 40, 245
2
10, 7, 20, 245
5
5, 7, 10, 245
7
1, 7, 2, 245

1, 1, 2, 35� The L.C.M of 160,28,320 and 490 is
2 . 2. 2 . 2 . 2 . 5 . 7 .1 . 1 . 2 . 35 = 78400.
Did you remember we multiplied all the numbers by 100 to eliminate the influence of decimals. Here we divide the answer by 100 to get L.C.M of the given numbers
The L.C.M is 78400 /100 = 784
key points on L.C.M and H.C.F
Finding L.C.M and H.C.F of Fractions
Example1:Find the L.C.M of 2/5, 81/100 and 125/302
Solution : First find the "L.C.M of the numerators" As there is no common number (prime) which divides any two of the numbers. Hence the product itself is L.C.M
L.C.M = 2 × 81 × 125 = 20250
Now find the H.C.F of denominators
H.C.F of 5 and 100 is ' 5 '
H.C.F of 5 and 302 is ' 1 '
H.C.F of 5,100 and 302 is ' 1 '
L.C.M of the given fractions = 20250/1 = 20250.

SIMPLIFICATION
In simplification we are supposed to follow the order which is essentially demanded by mathematics and given by a common note of remembrance as VBODMAS Where
V indicates Vinculum
B indicates 'Bracket
' O indicates 'Of'
D indicates 'Division
M indicates 'Multiplication'
A indicates 'Addition'
S indicates 'Subtraction'
Use of Algebraic identities : A student can use algebraic identities given below in the simplification
The Algebraic identities are
1.(a + b)2 = a2 + 2ab + b2
2.(a - b)2 = a2 - 2ab + b2
3.(a + b)2 + (a - b)2 = 2(a2 + b2 )
4.(a + b)2 - (a - b)2 = 4ab
5.a2 - b2 = (a + b) (a - b)
6.(a + b)3 = a3 + 3a2b +3ab2 + b3 = a3 + b3 + 3ab(a + b)
7.(a - b)3 = a3 - 3a2 b + 3ab2 - b3 = a3 - b3 - 3ab(a - b)
8. a3 + b3 = (a + b) (a2 - ab + b2 )
9. a3 - b3 = (a - b) (a2 + ab + b2 )
10 .a3 + b3 + c3 - 3abc = (a + b + c)(a2 + b2 + c2 - ab - bc - ca )
11.a4 - b4 = (a2 + b2 ) (a + b) (a - b)
The number of divisors of a composite number:
If N is a composite number in the form Where a, b, c are primes, then the number of divisors of N, represented by 'N' is given by e.g Let the number be 600 Now 600= 23 x 31 x 52 Therefore the number of divisors of 600 is ( 3+1 ) ( 1+ 1) ( 2+ 1) = 24 The number of divisors of 600 excluding 1 & its self is 24 - 2 = 22
The sum of divisors of a composite number:If N is a composite number in the form of Where a, b, c are primes, then the sum of the divisors , is given by e.g Let the number be 600 600 = 23 x 31 x 52 Now = =
Sum of natural numbers from 1 to n = e.g Sum of natural numbers from 1 to 40 =
Number of odd numbers from 1 to n is
Number of even numbers from 1 to n is
Sum of even numbers from 1 to n is k ( k +1) : where k indicates number of even numbers from 1 to n e.g Sum of even number from 1 to 80 is 40 (40+1) = 1640 Here from 1 to 80 there exists 40 even numbers
Sum of odd numbers from 1 to n is ( Number of odd numbers from 1 to n ) 2e.g Sum of odd numbers from 1 to 60 is ( 30) 2 = 900 Here from 1 to 60 there exists 30 odd natural numbers
Sum of squares of first n natural numbers is . e.g Sum of squares of first 20 natural numbers is
Sum of the squares of first n even natural numbers is e.g Sum of squares of first 10 even natural numbers is
Sum of squares first n odd natural numbers is e.g Sum of squares first 30 odd numbers is
Sum of cubes of first n natural numbers is .e.g Sum cubes of first 9 natural numbers is
Any number N can be represented in the decimal system of number as .e.g
A sum of any5 consecutive whole numbers will always be divisible by 5e.g Here 25 i.e (3 + 4 +5 + 6 +7 ) is divisible by 5The difference between 2 numbers will be divisible 9 e.g Let the 2 numbers be 95& 59 Here 59 is just the reversal of 95 Now 95 -59 = 36 You can observe that 36 is divisible by 9
Products :
n! = eg. 6! =
The product of any 'r' consecutive integers ( numbers) is divisible by r!
If m and n are two integers then ( m+ n) ! is divisible by m! n!
In the kind of numbers , finding the units digit Observe the working Here the unit digit of 252 is 2 and the index is 54 we know that , . hence unit digit is repeated after each 4 indices the units digit of is same as the unit digit in which is also same as the unit digit in which is nothing but 4
Complete Remainder
A remainder obtained by dividing a given number by the method of successive division is called complete remainder. Ex : A certain number when successively divided by 2, 3 and 5 leave remainders 1,2 and 4 respectively. What is the complete remainder or remainder when the same number be divided by 30 ?. Here this 30 is the product of 2, 3 and 5
When there are two divisors and two remainders the complete remainder is given by
When there are three divisors and three remainders the complete remainder is given by
When there are four divisors and four remainders the complete remainder is given by
In any case if there are no remainders consider them as zeros
Two numbers when divided by a certain number gives remainders r 1 and r 2 . When their sum is divided by the same divisor, the remainder is r 3 . The divisor is given by r 1 + r 2 - r 3 . Ex Two numbers when divided by a certain divisor give remainders 437 and 298 respectively. When their sum is divided by the same divisor, the remainder is 236. Then the divisor is given by 437 + 298 - 236 = 499
Fractions and ordering fractions
A number of the type which represent x number of parts of y number of equal parts of a thing is called a fraction , remember y is never be zero
Fraction Such a fraction is known as common fraction
A fraction whose denominator is 10 or 100 or 1000 etc. is called a decimal fraction .
Fractions whose denominators are same, are called like fractions, Ex are like fractions.
Fractions whose denominators are different, are called unlike fractions, Ex are unlike fractions.
When two fractions have the same denominator, the greater fraction is that which has the grater numerator.
When two fractions have the same numerator, the greater fraction is that which has the smaller denominator. In the above two arguments if the identity is not possible convert one fraction according to your convenience
Let two given fractions be To insert a fraction lying between the following is an identity which is always true , using this identity we can insert any number of fractions between two fractions Ex Ex Arrange in ascending order Sol L.C.M of 5, 16,7, 104 is 7280 then After making all the denominators same and having the comparison between numerators the fractions in ascending order are Ex Insert three fractions between � �
Surds and Indices * (a is called the base) is called a surd if x is a fraction and is called an index if x is an integer. ax x a y = a x+yax /a y = a x-yWe can use the above identities in arithmetic Ex : Find the expression with rational denominator. Sol : Given expression =
Finding the square root
Division method : Let us have an example 64009 square root of 64516 is 254 Let us observe the above working rule in words first consider the given number then from right consider, two digits pairs leaving left most digit as it is For the left most part guess the approximate square root, in the example it is 2, then start the division Between 6 and 4 the reminder is 2 adjacent to it bring down 45 now the number is 245 As in the example for this 245 the divisor is 45 that its " 4 is double of the previous quotient 2" and �5 is a guess" such that for 245, 45 must produce very nearer multiple of 45 with 5 In the last step in above example 20 is the reminder, then bring down 16 than it becomes 2016 for this the divisor is 504 where �50 is double of the previous quotient 25" and �3 is the guess" such that for 2016, 504 must produce very nearer multiple of 504 with 5 Here the complete quotient is the square root of the given number i.e254 is the square root here After having the argument once again you can observe the example Square root of 119716 is 346
Key points on finding square root
1. A number ending with 2,3,7, 8 cannot be a perfect square the last digit of a perfect square must be any one among 0,1,4,5,6,9
2. A number ending with odd number of zeros can never be a perfect square
3. The difference between squares of two consecutive numbers is always an odd number.
4. A square root of a decimal fraction first eliminate the decimal point by dividing and multiplying with even powers of 10 then find the square root of both numerator and denominator separately and then you can conclude the square root Ex Find the square root of 1190. 25

CAT-2008 AVAILABLE CHECK OUT

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:36:00 +0000

The results of CAT-2008 will be available from 9th January 2009

CLICK HERE

SNAP-2008 DETAILED ANALYSIS BY IMS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 07:28:00 +0000

Overview

Institutes accepting this exam score	12 Post-graduate institutes of Symbiosis
Total Duration of the exam (minutes)	120 minutes
Total number of questions	135
Number of sections	4
Sectional timing	no
Number of choices per question	4
Marks per question	Differential*
Negative marking	1/4th of the allotted mark

* In 3 sections, 30 questions carried 1 mark each and 5 questions were of 2 marks each. In Analytical & Logical Reasoning section, all 30 questions were of 2 marks each.

Sections	Area	No. of questions
1	General English	35
2	Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency	35
3	General Awareness	35
4	Analytical & Logical Reasoning	30
	Total	135

Section 1 – General English
This section comprised questions on verbal ability as well as reading comprehension. Broadly speaking, the questions were almost at par with the types and the level of difficulty of questions that have been appearing for the last two years.
This was a comparatively easy section. The questions based on grammar were mostly doable. There were many questions asked on topics like synonyms, plurals, spellings and usage. There were 3 RCs, one with 6 questions and the other two with 3 each. The RC with 6 questions was on environmental pollution due to cars in the background of the launch of the Nano. The second RC was on census and its history and the third one on the Great Depression of 1929. The RCs were of moderate difficulty level since some of the questions were inferential; however some others were direct questions. The RC on the Great Depression contained a question on an antonym. The RC with 6 questions and any one of the two other RCs should have bee attempted.
Moreover on the slightly tougher side, there were 2 questions that tested skills such as parallel reasoning and differing usage of the same word, and a good knowledge of idioms and phrases, through the format of “Match the Following”.
The questions on grammar should have been attempted first.

A good attempt would have been 23 to 25 questions with a possible score of 20 + marks.

Section 2 - Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation & Data
SufficiencyThe Quantitative part required basic knowledge of mathematical concepts. However, there was a slight emphasis on analysis and concepts such as permutations and combinations and probability. A few of the questions required simple calculations. This section had 25 questions on Problem Solving, covering topics like numbers, percentage, puzzle, TSD, clocks, profit & loss, inequalities, series, ratio, P & C, probability, stocks, stats, geometry (area, volume and triangle), series completion, etc. The questions ranged from easy to moderately difficult ones. In geometry, 2 questions involved option-based solving. In the 2 mark questions, one question was based on a table and was calculation intensive. The DI questions were very easy, especially, the 4 questions on tables. Out of the 4 questions on bar graphs, 3 were easy and 1 was slightly difficult because it was time-consuming. In the 1 mark questions, there were two sets of questions with tables. Both were calculation intensive and carried 4 qs each. There was also another single question based on a table where one had to calculate a ratio. There were only 2 Data Sufficiency questions and these could be easily answered. The 5 questions with 2 marks each differed from the other 30 questions carrying 1 mark each only with respect to their difficulty level, which was slightly higher in the former case. This section was time consuming because it was calculation intensive and one had to spend some time in reading and understanding the questions and then solving them. A sound strategy would have been to attempt the tabular form of questions first along with the ones involving simple calculations. At least 3 of the 5 questions with 2 marks each should have been attempted.

A good attempt in this section would be around 20 to 23 questions with a possible score of 18to 20 marks.

Section 3 – General Awareness

This section contained a lot of questions on current affairs. Apart from these questions on sports, wildlife, diet and nutrition, human biology, music and general knowledge of other topics were also present. The 5 two mark questions were on the more difficult side as compared to the other 30 with 1 mark each. 3 of these 2-mark questions were based on current affairs, 1 on bioengineering and 1 on geography.

Overall this was a moderately difficult section.

A good attempt in this section would be 15 to 19 questions with a possible score of 12 to 16 marks.

Section 4 – Analytical & Logical Reasoning

This section, which had 30 questions of 2 marks each, was time consuming. There were a lot of questions based on geometrical figures for which one had to use skills of visual reasoning and analysis. There were questions based on parallel reasoning as also a syllogism where one had to determine which conclusion(s) follow from the given statements. There were many questions, which were descriptive in character and hence took time. There were also 2 questions on Magic Squares wherein the empty boxes in the square had to be filled.

Further there were 2 sets of questions on Logical Reasoning, which required considerable data interpretation and data refining skill. However, they contained 3 questions each and hence were a “must attempt”.

Thus this was a moderately difficult section again. It was especially time consuming and should not have been left at the end, as with 2 marks per question, it was also highly scoring.

A sound attempt would have been around 18 to 20 questions with a score of about 30 to 32 marks.

Section 4 – Analytical & Logical Reasoning
This section, which had 30 questions of 2 marks each, was time consuming. There were a lot of questions based on geometrical figures for which one had to use skills of visual reasoning and analysis. There were questions based on parallel reasoning as also a syllogism where one had to determine which conclusion(s) follow from the given statements. There were many questions, which were descriptive in character and hence took time. There were also 2 questions on Magic Squares wherein the empty boxes in the square had to be filled.Further there were 2 sets of questions on Logical Reasoning, which required considerable data interpretation and data refining skill. However, they contained 3 questions each and hence were a “must attempt”.Thus this was a moderately difficult section again. It was especially time consuming and should not have been left at the end, as with 2 marks per question, it was also highly scoring.

A sound attempt would have been around 18 to 20 questions with a score of about 30 to 32 marks

.Thus on the whole, SNAP 2008 was a slightly tougher test than SNAP 2007, with a lot more emphasis on understanding, interpretation and reasoning

POSSIBLE CUT OFFS:-

COLLEGE	OVERALL CUT OFFS	SECTIONAL CUT OFFS IF ANY	REMARKS
SIBM, Pune	78-80	GK – 8 -10Gen. Eng – 11- 13PS and DI – 11 -14Reasoning – 24 - 26	Considering calls are given in the ratio of 1:7.5
SIBM, Bangalore	68-73	GK – 7-9Gen. Eng – 9 - 12PS and DI – 10 -13Reasoning – 22 - 24
SCMHRD	69 -72	GK – 8 -10Gen. Eng – 10- 13PS and DI – 11 -13Reasoning – 20 - 24	Profile based calls
SIIB (IB)	64-66	-	Profile based calls
SIIB (ABM)	48-50	-
SITM (MKT and FN)	65-67	-
SITM (FN and System)	60-62	-
SIOM	59-61	-
SCIT (ITBM)	68-70	-
SCIT (SDM)	47-50	-
SCIT (System)	52-55	-
SCIT (NITI)	41-44	-
SCIT (ISS)	34-38	-
SIMS	49-52	-
SICSR	42-45	-
SIMC	35-40	-
SIG	38-40	-
SIHS	40-42	-

XAT 2008 ANALYSIS BY TIME

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:53:00 +0000

XAT 2008 Analysis by Time

No. of Questions	120
Total Marks	120
Marking Scheme	1*
Negative marking	¼ for first 6 wrongs & ½ thereafter*
Number of Sections	3
Number of Choices	5
Duration	120 Min + 20 Min for Essay

*The marks per question was not specified. An assumption of 1 mark per question has been made here.

Snapshot of the XAT 2008 paper

The break up of the XAT 2008 paper and an optimum time allocation strategy are given in the table below.

Section	No. of Questions	Difficulty level	Optimum Time Allocation
Verbal & Logical Ability	38	Difficult	40
Analytical Reasoning & Decision Making	38	Moderate	40
Data Interpretation & Quantitative Ability	44	Difficult	40

Verbal & Logical Ability
The expected score for this section should be around 8-10 in about 40 min. A score of 16+ should be considered excellent. The cutoff is expected to be around 9-10 for xat 2008 test.

Data Interpretation & Quantitative Ability
The expected score for this section should be around 7-9 in about 40 min. A score of 14-15 should be considered excellent. The cutoff is expected to be around 8-9 for xat 2008 test.

Analytical Reasoning & Decision Making
The expected score for this section should be around 9-11 in about 40 min. A score of 15-16 should be considered excellent. The cutoff is expected to be around 10-1 for xat 2008 test.

Estimated Cutoffs for Sections for xat 2008 test

Verbal & Logical Ability - 9-10
Data Interpretation & Quantitative Ability - 8-9
Analytical Reasoning & Decision Making - 10-11

Expected Overall Cutoff for xat 2008 test

Top Institutes	Expected Cutoff in Xat 2008	Overall Cutoff in 2007 (Percentile)
XLRI - BM	36+	97+
XLRI - PMIR	33+	97+
XIM-B	31+	93.12 (88.4 for Orissa Quota)
SPJain	28+	85+
GIM	27+	90.10
LIBA	27+	91.5
KIAMS	25+	NA

EXPECTED OVER ALL CUTOFFS BY RELEVANTS COACHING

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:50:00 +0000

by Careerlaucher :

XLRI - BM -> 32-33
XLRI - PMIR -> 30-31
XIM-B -> 29-30

by IMS :

XLRI - BM -> 37-40
XLRI - PMIR -> 32-35
XIM-B -> 32-35

by T.I.M.E.

XLRI - BM -> 36
XLRI - PMIR -> 33
XIM-B -> 31

Analysis of XAT 2008 BY- CAREER LAUNCHER

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:29:00 +0000

Executive Summary
In a nutshell, the XAT 2008 paper failed to live up to the promise of XAT 2007. The three sections continued to be largely lengthy, providing the test-taker with no respite at all. A few problems in the Quant/DI section were quite ambiguous. Also, the DI questions with conventional, bulky charts were monotonous. The problems in the AR/DM section were not very exciting, either. The DM cases were simple, though some of the questions could have ambiguous explanations. By and large, the RC passages in the English section entailed time-consuming reading. However, many of the questions were easy. In contrast, the sentence completion questions were fairly simplistic. The paper had its share of critical reasoning questions, and, even here, the language of the questions was often vague and unclear.

Overall, the cut-offs can be expected to be close to last year’s level though the paper was nowhere near to being as exciting as last year’s.

Section	Topics	Number of questions	Suggested time	Possible Attempts	XLRI BM Cut-offs
1	EU and RC	38	40 minutes	21+	11 - 12
2	AR and Decision Making	38	40 minutes	14+	7-7.5
3	QA & DI	44	40 minutes	14+	7.5-8
	Total	120	120 minutes	49+	32-33

Likely Cut-Offs for other institutes:

Institute	Cut-off
Expected cut-off XLRI – PMIR	30-31
Expected cut-off SP Jain	29-30
Expected cut-off XIMB	29-30
Expected cut-off GIM/BIM	25-26
Expected cut-off LIBA	22-23

Disclaimer: These cut-offs are decided by our expert faculty, who have attempted the XAT 2008 paper and might not be the actual XAT cut-offs. These calculations are based on our experience and expertise.

Comparison with Last 3 year’s XAT:

Parameter	XAT 2008	XAT 2007	XAT 2006	XAT 2005
Number of sections	3	3	3	3
Number of questions	120	130	127	175
Difficulty level (Overall)	Difficult	Difficult	Difficult	Average
Expected cut-off (BMD)	32-33	35+	32+	70+
Expected cut-off (PMIR)	30-31	33+	28+	65-68

Section-wise Analysis

Section I: English Usage & Reading Comprehension
There were 38 questions, to be attempted in 40 minutes. The questions ranged between average and high in terms of difficulty level. Surprisingly, grammar was not tested. Critical reasoning questions were in the form of case lets. There was an increase in the number of these questions, as compared to the past XAT papers. The Para- jumbles should have been best left alone. A good command over homophones would have been required to tackle the contextual vocabulary questions.

Reading Comprehension
A good mix of passages! Two passages, viz. the ones on Psychology and Science, were difficult to read and the questions in these, being mostly inferential, would have given one a tough time. The relief was provided in the form of direct vocabulary and fact-based question in the remaining two passages.
Overall, an attempt of 21 questions & a score of 12+ was definitely possible.

Topic-wise breakup

Type of question	No. of questions	Difficulty level	No. of possible attempts
Four sentence Para jumbles	3	High	2
Critical Reasoning (Case lets)	10	Average	6
Grammar	0
Reading Comprehension [4 passages]	20	Average to Difficult	8-9
Contextual Vocab (fill in the blanks)	5	Average	3
	38		21 attempts

Comparison with last 3 year’s XAT :

Topic	XAT 2008	XAT 2007	XAT 2006	XAT 2005
Overall	38	41	40	65
English Usage	18	18	16	22
Vocabulary: Synonyms	0	3	0	5
Vocabulary: Antonyms/ Inappropriate Usage	0	2	0	7
Vocabulary: Analogies	0	0	0	0
Vocabulary: Usage-based	0	0	6	0
Fill in the blanks	5	0	3	0
Para Jumbles	3	4	3	4
Critical Reasoning	10	5	4	6
Sentence Correction	0	4	0	0
Reading Comprehension	4 passages (20 Qs)	4 passages + 1 poem (23 Qs)	5 passages (24 Qs)	6 passages (31 Qs)
Phrenology	0	0	0	7
Taxonomy	0	0	0	4
Sociology	0	5 (1 Passage)	6	0
Philosophy/ psychology (1 passage each)	11	4+ 4 (1 Poem, 1, Passage)	6	0
Science & Research	3	4 (1 Passage)	3	0
Business/Economics/Management	6	6 (1 Passage)	7	0

Section II: Analytical Reasoning and Decision Making Ability

Total No of questions: 38
(Decision Making: 10, Individual Reasoning Qs: 2 and AR: 26)

Summary:
This time it was XAT’s turn to test your logical skills. In this section of 38 questions, 28 were on Analytical Reasoning and 10 on Decision Making Ability. Some of the AR sets were very time consuming. On the other hand, the Decision Making Ability questions were relatively less time taking. Overall, the section had a high difficulty level. 13-14 attempts with an investment of 40 minutes would have been ideal. 8 seems to be a good net score.

Topic	XAT 2008	XAT 2007
AR+Decision Making	38	40
AR-sets	26 (7sets)	22(4 sets)
Individual AR questions	2	3
Decision Making	10(2 sets)	15(4 sets)

Section III: Quantitative Ability +DI

Summary
Total number of questions: 44 (30 QA, 2 DS, 12 DI)
2 DS questions in this section were of mixed level of difficulty.
Keeping in mind the risk of committing more than 6 mistakes in the section, an intelligent investment of 40 minutes would have yielded 14-15 attempts. Cut-off will most probably hover around 8.

Topic-wise breakup

Topic	XAT 2008	XAT 2007	XAT 2006	XAT 2005
Overall	44	36	44	75
Number System	2	5	2	11
Arithmetic	3	5	3	3
Simple calculations of fractions etc	0	0	0	0
Average, %ge, SI-CI, PLD	1	2	1+1	1
Ratio proportion, Average	1	1	0	2
Speed Time Distance, Work	1	2	1	0
Algebra	13	14	20	14
Equations & Inequalities	2	3	6	6
Functions	3	4	7	2
Maxima minima	1	2	5	3
Series, sequences & progressions	2	4	2	3
Graph	1	1	0	0
Misc Type	4	0	0	0
Geometry	6	4	3	8
Plane geometry	5	3	3	4
Mensuration	0	0	0	2
Co-ordinate geometry	1	1	0	2
Permutation & Combination	1	0	1	1
Probability	0	1	3	1
Mathematical reasoning	3	2	2	1
Set Theory	2	1	4	0
Higher Math (Limit, differentiation Integration)	0	0	2	8
Data Sufficiency	2	4	4	3

Data Interpretation

There were 3 DI sets—2 sets on Tables and 1 on Line diagram—with moderate difficulty level.

Topic	XAT 2008	XAT 2007	XAT 2006	XAT 2005
Data Interpretation	12	13	18	25
Table	9(2 sets)	11 (3 Sets)	13 (3 sets)	10 (3 sets)
Pie Chart	0	0	5	5
Line Chart	3	0	0	6
Table + Bar Diagram	0	2 (1 Set)	0	4

Essay
XAT also tests you on essay-writing and 20 min is stipulated at the end of the 2 hour test period to write a page-long essay. The topic for this year was:
“The consequence of gender imbalance – The Third World War.”

What is gender imbalance?

Gender imbalance is defined as the unfavorable status accorded to women in society, vis-à-vis men
Examples of gender imbalance – lack of opportunities for education, career, human and legal rights (to vote; to own property) and other rights as equal citizens

History of gender imbalance

Most societies practised gender discrimination, well into the 19th century
The Age of Enlightenment in Europe and America saw shackles being removed and women being gradually considered as equal citizens through imparting the right to education, jobs, vote etc.
In India, too, we witnessed correction of gender imbalance through moves such as permission of remarriage for widows, education for women etc. Therefore, one hallmark of a modern society has been correction of gender imbalance

Gender imbalance – where it exists today

Exists in several underdeveloped parts of the world, viz. Middle-east and sub-Saharan Africa
Even today, women in these countries are denied basic rights to education, careers and legal recourse for securing their rights
These are countries which typically suffer from poverty, lack of intellectually capable manpower, absence of basic education and health care resources
These countries are typically marked by repressive and reactionary governments, often dominated by antiquated theocracies

The danger to the world

The gender imbalance in these countries is symptomatic of the broader malaise affecting these nations
These countries are typically populated by troubled and aggrieved citizens
These are also often havens for disgruntled, and even terrorist elements
Modern societies are clearly polarized against these backward states which pose a grave threat to world security

Unless these societies are allowed to modernize and aspects like gender imbalance corrected these will seethe with unrest. Since many of these countries have nuclear weapons, the destabilizing forces could cause eruption of violence and war against developed nations which could escalate to a global conflict.

Detailed Analysis of XAT 2008 BY-IMS COACHING

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:27:00 +0000

The XAT held on 6th January 2008, was easier compared to XAT 2007. The shock value was not there this time because students were prepared for differential negative marking and a section on decision making.

XAT 2008 had 120 questions as compared to 130 questions last year. The questions were divided into 3 sections - Verbal and Logical Ability (38 questions), Analytical Reasoning and Decision Making (38 questions) and Data Interpretation and Quantitative Ability (44 questions).

The instruction page clearly stated that one fourth of a mark might be deducted for first 6 incorrect answers in each section and half a mark for each incorrect answer thereafter.

Total Duration of the exam	120 minutes + 20 minutes for essay
Number of Questions	120
Number of Sections	3
Number of choices per question	5
Sectional timing	No sectional timing
Marks per question	1 Mark (assumed)
Negative Marking	Differential (as explained above)
Mode of marking the ovals	HB pencil

The test had three sections:

	Section	No. of Questions
I	Verbal and Logical Ability	38
II	Data Interpretation and Quantative Ability	44
III	Analytical Reasoning and Decision Making	38

This section was a reading intensive one and the focus was more on reasoning and vocabulary. Questions based on grammar concepts were conspicuous by their absence. The highlight of this section was the use of caselets in the verbal section.

Reading Comprehension
There were 20 questions based on four reading comprehension passages and 10 questions based on 6 caselets.

Topic of RC passage	No. of questions
Philosophy (Concept of Karma)	7
Philosophy of Science (Deborah Mayo)	3
Psychology (Jung)	4
Consumer Psychology (Moods and Emotions)	6
Caselet 1 (Performance based salary for CEOs)	2
Caselet 2 (Hindi as national official language)	2
Caselet 3 (Situation based)	2
Caselet 4 ( History of science)	2
Caselet 5 (Company strategy)	1
Caselet 6 (Reflection on Blue Ocean)	1

The passages were of medium length with the exception of one passage that was fairly long. Comprehending the passages was not a constraint, although they were based on abstract topics. The questions following the passages were a mix of inferential and direct types. A momentum-building attempt among all the four reading comprehension passages could have started from either the passage on ‘Karma’ or ‘Influence of moods and emotions on consumer behaviour’. The passages discussing Jung’s writing and Mayo’s perspective on scientific experiments were moderately difficult, and therefore could have been attempted later on.

The situations presented in the caselets were easy to understand and the questions based on them followed a pattern of standard critical reasoning questions viz. strengthening and weakening the argument.

Verbal Ability

The questions in verbal ability were framed in the regular format – Fill in the Blanks and Jumbled Paragraph. The FIBs were quite tricky in terms of closeness of options and also required the students to know the subtle contextual differences between the words given in the options. The questions on Jumbled Paragraph were based on quite abstract topics and had jumbled sentences that varied in length from single liners to over 5 lines. Both these types of questions seemed attemptable at first glance but required a careful understanding of the context.

A decent attempt in this section would have been 18 to 20 questions in 40 minutes.

Section II – Data Interpretation and Quantitative Ability

This section comprised 29 questions based on Quantitative Ability, 2 on Data Sufficiency and 13 on Data Interpretation.

Quantitative Ability
Most of the question in the Problem solving section was conceptual.

The highlight of this section was different type of questions “Derive the Conclusion”, which were very simple. One was supposed to derive the conclusions and arrive the answer.

The questions on ‘averages of marks’ and ‘digits omitted’ were easy. Some of questions from modern maths (e.g., set, sequence, Functions, sum of greatest integer) were solvable. The set of questions on puzzles were time consuming. This should have been given last preference while solving.

The selection of easier questions would have helped to maximize the score.

Area	No. of Questions
Arithmetic (Number, Averages)	2
Algebra (Inequation, Quadratic Equations, Algebraic Formula)	6
Modern Math (Sequences, Series, Functions, Counting Principle, Sets)	9
Geometry (Circle, Quadrilaterals, Co-ordinate Geometry)	6
Puzzles	6

Data Sufficiency

Topic of the Question	Number of Questions
Geometry- Triangles	1
Arithmetic – Numbers	1

These two questions should have been attempted.

Data Interpretation

Topic	Type of Questions	Number of Questions
Sales of Jamshedpur Electronics	Table 1	4
Sales and Costs of XYZ Co.	Line Graph 1	3
Stock X and Mutual fund Y	Line Graph 2	1
Drop out rates	Table 2	4

Questions based on the tables (referred above as table 1 and 2) involved complex calculations. Questions based on Table 2 should have been avoided. For few questions, options were so close such that it did not allow approximations. One should have attempted the set based on the Line graph 1 and Line graph 2.

Overall allotting 40 minutes to this section, one could have attempted 16-18 questions.

Section III – Analytical Reasoning and Decision Making

Analytical Reasoning

This section was easy and questions were based on Linear/Matrix Arrangements and Logic Puzzles.

Title	Type of Questions	No of Questions
Activities by Prof Mukhopadhyay	Matrix Arrangement 1	4
Six Square States	Matrix Arrangement 2	4
Product Advertisement Schedule	Matrix Arrangement 3	4
Bistapur Market	Matrix Arrangement 4	4
Names & Professions	Linear Arrangement	1
Digit Set	Puzzle	2
Magic Box	Puzzle	1
Word Game	Puzzle	5
Cricket	Decision Making	3
Loha India Ltd	Decision Making	6
Independent Questions	Decision Making	4

Linear Arrangement was a single question and could have been attempted.
Three of the Matrix Arrangement sets could have been attempted and a few questions from the set on Bistapur Market could have been attempted.

Among the puzzles, “Word Game” was easy and should have been given the first preference. The set on “Digits” should have been given the second preference and the question on “Magic Box” should have been avoided.

Decision Making

Contrary to the last year, Decision making was easy and did not involve mathematical ability. Questions were supposed to be solved based on the logical conclusion about the situation given in the caselet.

There were 4 single questions, two caselets of 3 questions and 6 questions.
The Single questions were must attempt ones. One could easily arrive at the answers in 1 – 2 minutes per question. These would have helped to maximize the attempts.

The caselet (6 questions) based on the ‘Policies by president Mr. Thakur’ should have been given second preference, as the situation was easy to comprehend. Except for one or two questions the rest could be attempted in less than 60 seconds.

The caselet (3 questions) based on the ‘Selection of Top 5 batsmen’ was a speed-breaker and should have been avoided.

In 40 minutes, one could have attempted 18-20 questions in this section

ATMA 2009 on Sunday, February 8, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 07:04:00 +0000

Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) is the national network with over 400 management schools. It represents Indian Management Schools in various national and international fora connected with Management Education. AIMS organises ” AIMS Test for Management Admissions (ATMA)” a standard test for admission to postgraduate management programme ATMA approved by AICTE, is focused on the student. It is designed to assess the aptitude for management education including verbal skills, quantitative skills and analytical reasoning of students.

ATMA has been approved by the Ministry of Human Resource Development of the Government of India for admission on All India Basis to the MBA / PGDM and other Postgraduate Programmes like MCA.

Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree in any discipline. Students appearing for their final year examination in 2009 are also eligible to apply.

ATMA 2009 - Important Dates
Sale of ATMA 2009 application kits starts: November 01, 2008
Last date for Sale of ATMA 2009 application kits: January 17, 2009
Last date for receipt of completed application forms: January 20, 2009
Date of Test: February 08, 2009 - Time:2.00 PM TO 5.00 PM.

MAT on February 1 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 07:02:00 +0000

Centre for Management Services (CMS) is the specialized division of AIMA undertaking testing and other management services. The testing services have been in operation since 1988 under the trademark All India Management Aptitude Testing Services (AIMATS) facilitating academia, industry and government to screen and select candidates for higher studies, recruitment, promotion etc. Hundreds of organizations and lakhs of candidates have availed these services. AIMATS has the unique distinction of being the first to be awarded with ISO 9001: 2000 Certification for the range of services under its scope.

Next MAT - Management Aptitude Test Date

01 FEBRUARY 2009 (Sunday)

(Reporting Time 9.15 AM)

TIME : 10:00 AM TO 12:30 PM

ISB 2008 BATCH GETS Rs 19 LAKH AVERAGE OFFER

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 07:00:00 +0000

NEW DELHI: Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business on Wednesday said the average cost to company (CTC) which has been offered to its students this year is Rs 19 lakh, but did not disclose the highest CTC.

The comprehensive average of all the international offers including those from the US, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East stood at 1,44,812 dollars.

According to ISB’s report, the international averages of the US stood at 1,38,614 dollars, Europe at 1,56,658 dollars, Asia Pacific at 1,45,607 dollars and Middle East at 1,25,389 dollars.

The number of international companies visiting the ISB has doubled this year with 41 new foreign firms visiting the campus for the first time.

Asked why the institute was not revealing the highest salary package offered, ISB Deputy Dean Ajit Rangnekar told reporters, “Talking about a few fat packages does not give a true picture of the industry trends and the expectation of the students shoot up drastically”.

The offers encompass a range of functions and industries such as consulting, manufacturing, real estate, IT and others. While maximum placements have happened in the financial services (22 per cent) and consulting (44 per cent).

This year a total of 81 per cent students have made career shifts. Interestingly, the batch of 2008 had 25 per cent women, which according to ISB is the largest number in an Indian B-School.

“106 women students out of the batch of 422 students have received several senior roles across industries. Their CTC has increased three times over after completing the ISB programme as compared to what it was before joining,” ISB Director (Career Advancement Services) V K Menon said.

Courtesy: Economic Times

Lehman bankruptcy will hit IIM placements

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:02:00 +0000

With America's fourth largest investment bank Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy protection and Merrill Lynch being bought over by the Bank of America, placements at the Indian Institutes of Management will be affected.
These financial giants have so far been the biggest recruiters from the IIMs especially from the institutes at Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta.These have been among the day zero firms on IIM campuses and have made plum job offers.
"We are sitting on pre-placement offers from these companies, which go invalid after this development. So, the students will have to go through the regular placement process and look at other companies," said professor Sourav Mukherjee, chairperson, placements, IIM-Bangalore.
The institute will write to these banks in the next few weeks to seek clarification on the issue. Last year, IIM Bangalore had received around 20 job offers from the banks.
IIM Calcutta has recorded 54 offers so far from these banking banks. Last year, IIM-C received 90 pre-placement offers. Students have been offered international profiles with BCG, Mckinsey, Bain and AT Kearney in the consulting sector and Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers, Barclays, HSBC, Credit Suisse and Citibank in the investment banking sector. The institutes however, are not very enthusiastic of the banking and financial sector doing well on the campus this year.
"Banking giants like Lehman and Merrill have been the leading paymasters on our campus, offering crore-plus salaries. The confidence of students in the banking sector is collapsing with the bad news from the market," said an IIM professor.
The IIMs have decided to host new companies on campus. Many institutes have decided to invite smaller private equity players and wealth management firms. Unlike most years, the banking and financial services sector is not expected to be the best performer on campus this year.
"As of now, we have not heard of any tremors from the consulting sector so we are certainly pinning our hopes on the sector. The FMCG,marketing, manufacturing, trading and services sectors might also take the lead this year," added a placement official from an IIM.
Last year, IIM Ahmedabad placed around 45 per cent of students in the banking and financial sector. Around 37 per cent of students from the institute opted for a job in management consultancy. At IIM Bangalore, while 37 per cent students got placed in consulting jobs, 40 per cent opted for a career in the banking and financial sector.
Students are wary of joining investment banks. Says an IIM-A student: "IIM students are no more upbeat about an investment banking job and are finding these jobs risky. Moreover, there is a possibility of jobcuts in the industry following which offers from these banks are less likely to land up during placements."
As it is, investment banking had been losing status among students for the past year. Thus development will only accelerate the trend, students say.
Gowrish Prabhu, student co ordinator, post graduate programme for executives, IIM-A, says, "Having gained experience in specific areas, the executive programme students will not face any difficulty during placements since very few are interested in taking up jobs in investment banks and financial firms."

IRMA RESULT 2009-2011 PROGRAMME

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:53:00 +0000

Written Test Result

Post Graduate Programme In Rural Management

Result of written test conducted on November 09, 2008 for admission to PRM course (2009-10) has been announced. Please find below a table describing details of short listing criteria to indicate your performance. Please enter your personal data below to know the result.

Sections	Category-wise cut-off (%)
Sections	General Category & OBC	SC/ST & PwD	Sponsored
1. Analytical Reasoning	38	34	20
2. Quantitative Ability	38	34	20
3. English Comprehension	35	32.5	20
4. Issues of Social Concern	25	21.7	20
Overall	40	38	20

Candidates have been short listed on the basis of their performance in the written test for Personal Interview and Group Discussion. Call Letters have been dispatched to such short-listed candidates to their respective addresses. However, all candidates interested in seeing their score cards may enter their Form Number or Roll Number below.

JMET 2008 ANALYSIS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 07:21:00 +0000

JMET 2008 Analysis

MET retains its charm as the most predictable of the major exams and JMET2008 was no different. However, in no way was this among the easy exams of this season. In fact, JMET2008 was a monster in the league of the IIFT and CAT papers, with no respite for the students. The most common reaction among the student community after the exam was that the “QA cutoff would very low – tending towards 0 (!)”.

Section 1: Verbal Communication

No. of Questions: 40

The Verbal Communication section had questions from Reading Comprehension, Grammar, Vocabulary, Analogies and Fill in the blanks. The section had a good mix of both easy and difficult questions and a student who picked up the right questions will have no problems in clearing the. The RC passages were short and readable (as opposed to CAT) but like CAT, had two very close options in most cases, which made them a nightmare to negotiate. The vocabulary questions were not commonly used words which made them very difficult to answer. The Fill in the blanks and the questions based on semantics were doable and would have given opportunities to score

Section 2: Logical Reasoning
No. of Questions: 40

This section was dominated by the Logical Reasoning kind of questions, i.e., questions on Arguments, Strengthen & Weaken Statements and Logical Flaws. Unlike the previous years, very few questions were based on puzzles. This section was ambiguous and confusing and in several cases, one was better off working out the answers by the process of eliminating choices. There were two sets on Analytical Reasoning – one on blocks and the one based on tasks taken up by four persons, both of which were doable. Overall, this section can be classified as Easy-Moderate and was a section where marks could have been scored in this paper.

Section 3: Quantitative Aptitude

No. of Questions: 40

This section of the JMET has always managed to retain its reputation of being one of the toughest QA sections of all the management entrance exams. Traditionally there used to be a mix of questions on arithmetic as well as higher mathematics (from 10+2 level and sometimes graduation level mathematics). However, this year, the paper setters completely left out the ordinary arithmetic type of questions, involving the familiar topics of geometry, numbers and quadratic equations etc. Further, the questions on higher maths used to be mostly individual questions based on standard concepts. This year, there was a shift of focus from such type of questions to entirely application oriented questions. With the exception of a few individual questions that appeared in isolation, almost all the questions appeared in twelve sets of what can best be termed as “business caselets”, with a heavy emphasis on not only the conceptual understanding across various topics but also on the practical application of those concepts in a real-time problem/decision making situation. To this extent, most of the questions involved dealing with situations which were not perfectly structured as one would find in the usual objective type questions. An uncanny sense of discomfort would have plagued anyone and everyone trying to make sense of this section The concepts involved were as varied as probability distributions, present value of investments/cash flows, linear programming, matrices, differential calculus, curve fitting etc. In fact, the cut-off in this section is expected to be as low as 3 marks.

Section 4: Data Interpretation

No. of Questions: 30

This section, though having only 30 Qs was a nightmare for most students. This was very unlike the easy DI section of the past. Being different from what one was used to, the sets demanded intensive calculations which made this section moderately difficult. The easy sets here were the ones pertaining to Production & Sales and the one on newspapers, which could have been solved with a little bit of effort.

This JMET 2008 Analysis brought to you by TIME Institute.

Expected Overall JMET Cut-off marks by Time.

Institute	Expected Overall Cut-off
IIT-Bombay	50+
IIT-Delhi	45+
IISC	45+
IIT-Kanpur	40+
IIT-Kharagpur	40+
IIT-Chennai	40+
IIT-Roorkee	36+

DEMANDS MBA BY REGION

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:45:00 +0000

More and more companies are global in their operations without ties to any one region, according to the QS TopMBA.com Recruiter Survey 2007. In total, 58 of the 489 recruiters responding to our survey had global responsibility for MBA hiring. These global recruiters include strategy consulting firms, investment banks, and pharmaceutical companies, supplemented by a small number of companies in most other sectors.North America In the USA, the largest MBA employment market, recruitment is booming again according to the QS TopMBA.com Recruiter Survey 2007. Demand is growing both amongst mainstream, high volume recruiters and companies seeking a smaller, more select entry pool. Maryana Ayerbe of Merrill Lynch USA says, “We are increasing our MBA hiring because MBAs bring in the new talent and energy that the business needs to grow.” Debbie Sehulster of Ingersoll Rand USA says, “We have been able to improve our leadership strength over the years by bringing on a handful of MBAs each year. We have a rigorous hiring process and have been successful in recruiting and retaining high calibre talent that in the long term become high performing and/or high potential leaders in our organization. MBAs bring us greater business acumen than undergraduate students.” Many industrial companies are having to look outside the top tier schools in order to find the MBAs which match their skill requirements at a competitive salary. Mesha Mott of Mead Westvaco USA observes, “Depending upon the universities and the skill sets required, salary requirements may be misaligned with what the candidates actually bring to the table. This usually is a function of both school/reputation of program and skill set of hires.” For many candidates, entry to a top-tier US business school channels them into a banking or consulting career post-MBA in order to pay back the fees, as well as follow the natural peer-pressure to get the ‘best job’. A growing number of candidates are actively looking for specialist smaller schools which can better match their career aspirations. It is still a challenge for foreign students to obtain H1 visas to stay and work in the US, though recent evidence confirms that as the labour market tightens, recruiters are finding ways to hire the people they really want. The Director of the Career Service at Wharton comments, "Over 60% of Wharton's international students accepted full-time positions in the United States last year." At UC Irvine, Tom Koziki reports that 90% of their international students obtained work permits to stay and work in Southern California, but a handful of students were unable to stay beyond their F1 visa which guarantees a year of work experience in the USA after an MBA. Europe, Middle East & Africa MBA recruitment is very much on the agenda of European-based companies seeking to be internationally competitive. Lucy Tarrant of Barclays Bank says, “To become a truly global bank, we need internationally-minded future leaders.” Usha Kakaria-Cayaux of Nike Netherlands says, “We look for MBAs for their learning agility, international experience, conscious decision to evolve, interest in continual learning and broad management exposure (although sometimes somewhat surface level).” Several Western European countries are becoming hot spots for MBA recruiting. The UK is at full employment, particularly due to the implementation of the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, the visa regime that is favourable to MBAs of almost any nationality. Spain and Italy have growing numbers of financial and technology companies regularly recruiting MBAs, as well as a growing consulting industry. The German economy is also on the move. France remains sluggish, though a new right wing government seems set on revitalising the industrial sector and major companies are active. Dominique D’Arcy of Manchester Business School says, “Increasingly the MBA is becoming the mainstream qualification for recruiters in many Western European countries, as has been the case in the USA for many years.”

ABBREVIATIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:02:00 +0000

Abbreviations

A
AAFI AAPSO AASU ABM AC ACC AD ADB AERE AGOC AICC AICTE AIDS AIFE AIIMS AIL AIMPLB AIR AITUE AM ANC APEC APSC ASEAN ASLV ASI ASSOCHAM ASWAC ATS	Amateur Athletics Federation of India Afro-Asian People's Solidarity Organisation All Assam Students Union Anti Ballistic Missile Alternate Current / Ashok Chakra / Air Conditioner / Antarctic Club Anxillary Cadet Core Ano Domini (After the birth of Jesus) Asian Development Bank . Atomic Energy Research Establishment Asian Games Organisation Committee All India Congress Committee All India Council of Technical Education Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome All India Football Federation All India Institute of Medical Sciences Aeronautics India Limited All India Muslim Personal Law Board All India Radio (Broadcasting) All India Trade Union Congress Anti Meridian (Before Noon) African National Congress Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Army Postal Services Core Association of South East Asian Nations Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle Archaeological Survey of India Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (India) Airborne Surveillance Warning and Control Anti Tetanus Serum
B
BAMS BARC BBC BC BCG BCCI BEL BENELUX BHEL BIFR BIMSTEC BIS B Pharma BSF	Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery Bhabha Atomic Research Centre British Broadcasting Corporation Before Christ (Before the birth of Jesus) Bacillus Calmette Guerin (Anti TB Vaccine) Board of Control for Cricket in India Bharat Electronics Limited Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg Bharat Heavy Electronics Limited Board of Industrial Finance and Reconstruction (Formerly Industrial Reconstruction Finance Board) Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand Economic Cooperation Bureau of Indian Standards Bachelor of Pharmacy Border Security Force
C
CAD CAG CARE CASE CAT CAZRI CBI CBSE CCEA CCS C-DAC CDMA CDRI CDS CHOGM CID CIS CISF CITU CNG COD COFEPOSA CPO CPRI CRPF CRR CSIR CSO CTS CVC	Command Area Development Comptroller and Auditor General Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere Commission for Alternative Sources of Energy Central Administrative Tribunal, Computerised Axial Tomography Central Arid Zone Research Institute Central Bureau of Investigation Central. Board of Secondary Education Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs Cabinet Committee on Security Centre For Development of Advance Computing Code Division Multiple Access Central Drug Research Institute Compulsory Deposit Scheme Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Criminal Investigation Department Commonwealth of Independent States Central Industrial Security Force , Centre of Indian Trade Unions Compressed Natural Gas Central Ordnance Depot Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Act Central Passport Organisation Central Power Research Institute Central Reserve Police Force Cash Reserve Ratio Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Central Statistical Organisation Computerised Tomography Scanner Central Vigilance Commission
D
DDT DFDR DIG D.Lit. DM DMK DNA DPAP DPC DPSA DRDO DTH DVD	Dichloro Diphenyle Tri-chloroethane 'Digital Flight Data Recorder (Black box)' Deputy Inspector General Doctor of Literature District Magistrate Dravida Munetra Kazhagam Di-oxyribo-Nucleic Acid 'Drought Prone Area Programme Dabhol Power Company Deep Penetration Strike Aircraft Defence Research and Development Organisation Direct to Home Digital Versatile Disk
E
EAS ECD ECG EEC EEG ELISA EMF EPABX EPZ ERDA ESMA EVM EXIM Bank	Employment Assurance Scheme European Central Bank Electro Cardiogram European Economic Community Electro Encephalogram Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay Electromotive Force Electronic Private Automatic Branch Exchange Export Processing Zone Energy Research and Development Administration Essential Services Maintenance Act Electronic Voting Machine Export-Import Bank of India
F
FAO FBI FBTR FCI FDR FERA FEMA FICCI FIPB FIR FRS FTII FTZ	Food and Agriculture Organisation Federal Bureau of Investigation (USA) Fast Breeder Test Reactor Food Corporation of India / Fertilizer Corporation of India Flight Data Recorder (Black Box) Foreign Exchange Regulation Act Foreign Exchange Management Act Federation of India Chambers of Commerce and Industry Foreign Investment Promotion Board First Information Report Fellow of the Royal Society Films and Television Institute of India Free Trade Zone
G
GAIL GATT GIC GMT GNLF GNP GPF GPO GPS GSI	Gas Authority of India Limited General Agreement on Tariff and Trade General Insurance Corporation Greenwich Mean Time Gorkha National Liberation Front Gross National Product General Provident Fund General Post Office Global Positioning System Geological Survey of India
H
HAC HAL HCF HDFC HIV HMT HUDCO HYVS	Hindustan Aluminium Corporation Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Highest Common Factor Housing Development Finance Corporation Human Immuno-deficiency Virus Hindustan Machine Tools Housing and Urban Development Corporation High Yield Variety Seeds
I
IAAI lAC IAEA IARI IBRD ICAR ICBM ICC ICFTU ICICI ICJ ICMR ICSI IDA IDBI IDO IDPL IFA IFCI IFFI IFFCO IFTU IIPA lIS IISCO lIT ILO IMA IMF INGCA INS INSAT INTELSAT INTERPOL INTUC IOC IPC IPKF IQ IRBM IRC IRDA IRDP ISB ISM ISO ISP ISRO IST ITBP ITDC ITPO ITO ITUC	International Airport Authority of India Indian Airlines Corporation International Atomic Energy Agency Indian Agricultural Research Institute International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) Indian Council of Agricultural Research Inter Continental Ballistic Missile International Cricket Council International Confederation of Free Trade Unions Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India Limited International Court of Justice Indian Council of Medical Research Indian Company Secretaries Institute International Development Agency Industrial Development Bank of India International Defence Organisation Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited Indian Football Association Industrial Finance Corporation of India International Film Festival of India Indian Farmers Fertilizers Cooperative International Federation of Trade Unions Indian Institute of Public Administration Indian Institute of Sciences Indian Iron and Steel Company Indian Institute of Technology International Labour Organisation Indian Military Academy International Monetary Fund Indira Gandhi Gallery for Culture and Art Indian Naval Ship Indian National Satellite International Telecommunication Satellite International Police Organisation Indian National Trade Union Congress International Olympic Committee / Indian Oil Corporation Indian Penal Code Indian Peace Keeping Force Intelligence Quotient Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile International Red Cross Insurance Regulatory Development Authority Integrated Rural Development Programme Indian Standard Bureau Indian School of Mines International Organisation for Standardisation Internet Services Provider Indian Space Research Organisation Indian Standard Time Indo-Tibet Border Police Indian Tourism Development Corporation Indian Trade Promotion Organisation International Trade Organisation Indian Trade Union Congress
J
JMM	Jharkhand Mukti Morcha
K
KG	Kinder Garten
L
LASER LIC LLB LLM LMG LoC LoAC LPG LSD LTTE	Light Amplification By Stimulated Emission of Radiation Life Insurance Corporation of India Bachelor of Law Master of Law Light Machine Gum Line of Control (Pakistan) Line of Actual Control (China) Liquefied Petroleum Gas Lysergic acid di-ethylamide Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam
M
MA MASER MBA MBBS MBT MCA MCC MD MFN MI MISA MIT MLA MLC MNC MRCP MRCS MRTPC MODVAT	Master of Arts Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation Master of Business Administration Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Main Battle Tank Monetary Compensatory Allowance / Master of Computer Application Melbourne Cricket Club Doctor of Medicine Most Favoured Nation Military Intelligence Maintenance of Internal Security Act Mechachusates Institute of Technology (USA) Member of Legislative Assembly Member of Legislative Council Multi National Corporation Member of Royal College of Physicians Member of Royal College of Surgeons Monopoly and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission Modified Value Added Tax
N
NABARD NACO NAEP NAFED NAFTA NAPP NASA NASDAQ NASSCOM NATO NCW NCCR NCERT NDA NDDB NDF NEERI NEFA NEPA NFDC NFL NHRC NICO NIDC NIIT NIMHANS NITIE NMDS NMEP NOIDA NPC NPP NPT NRDC NREP NRI NSC NSSO NTC NTPC	National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development National AIDS Control Organisation National Adult Education Programme National Agricultural and Marketing Federation North American Free Trade Agreement Narora Atomic Power Plant National Aeronautics and Space Administration (USA) National Association of Security Dealer's Active Quotation National Association of Software & Service Companies North Atlantic Treaty Organisation National Commission for Women National Council for Civil Right National Council of Educational Research & Training National Defence Academy National Dairy Development Board (Anand, Gujarat) National Defence Fund . National Environment Engineering Research Institute North-East Frontier Agency National Environment Protection Authority National Film Development Corporation National Fertilizer Limited National Human Rights Commission New Information and Communication Order National Industrial Development Corporation National Institute of Information Technology National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences National Institute for Training in Industrial Engineering National Missile Defence System (US) National Malaria Eradication Programme New Okhla Industrial Development Authority National Productivity Council National Population Policy Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty National Research and Development Corporation National Rural Employment Programme Non Resident Indian National Security Council National Sample Survey Organisation National Textile Corporation National Thermal Power Corporation
O
OGL OIL OK ONGC OPEC	Open General Licence Oil India Limited All Correct Oil and Natural Gas Commission Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries
P
PCI PCS Ph. D PIN PLO PM POTA PSLV PTI PRO PTO PVC PVSM PWD PWG	Press Council of India Provincial Civil Services Doctor of 'Philosophy Posial lndex Number Palestine Liberation Organisation Post Meridian / Prime Minister Prevention of Terrorism Act Polar. Satellite Launch Vehicle Press Trust of India Public Relations Officer Please Turn Over Poly Vinyl Chloride / Paramvir Chakra Param Vishisht Seva Medal Public Work's Department People's War Group
Q
QED QEF QEI QMG	Quod Erat Demonstrandum (Which was to be proved) Quod Erat Faciendum (Which was to be done) Quod Erat Inveniendum (Which was to be found) Quarter Master General
R
RADAR RAW R & D RBI RCC RDX RIMC RMS RLEGP RNA RPM RSS RTO	Radio Angle Direction and Range Research and Analysis Wing Research and Development Reserve Bank of India Reinforced Cement Concrete Research Developed Explosive Rashtriya Indian Military College Railway Mail Service Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme Ribonucleic Acid Revolutions Per Minute Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Regional Transport Officer
S
SAARC SAC SAFTA SAI SAIL SAPTA SARS SC SCI SCOPE SCRA SDR SEBI SGPC SHAR SIDBI SIS SITA SLV SPCA SPICMC STARS STD STPI SWAPO	South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Space Application Centre South Asian Free Trade Agreement Sports Authority of India Steel Authority of India Limited South Asian Preferential Trade Arrangement Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Security Council/Supreme Court Shipping Corporation of India Standing Conference of Public Enterprises Special Class Railway Apprentice Special Drawing Rights Security Exchange Board of India Siromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee Shri Harikota Range Small Industries Development Bank of India Secret Intelligence Service (U.K) Suppression of .Immoral Traffic in Women and Girls Act Satellite Launch Vehicle Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical music and culture Satellite Tracking and Ranging Station Subscribers Trunk Dialing Software Technology Parks of India South West African People's Organisation
T
TA TC TELCO TELEX TISCO TNT TOEFL TRAI TRIPS TTE TTFI TWA	Travelling Aliowance / Territorial Anmy Transfer Certificate, Trusteeship Council Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company Teleprinter Exchange Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited Tri-nitro-toluene Test of English as a Foreign Language Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights Travelling Ticket Examiner Table Tennis Federation of India Trans World Airlines (USA)
U
UDC UFO UGC UHT ULFA UNCTAD UNDP UNEF UNEP UNESCO UNFPA UNHCR UNI UNICEF UNO UPS UPSC USP USSR UTI	Upper Division Clerk Unidentified Flying Object University Grants Commission Ultra High Temperature United Liberation Front of Assam United Nations Conference on Trade and Development United Nations Development Programme United Nations Emergency Force United Nations Environment Programme United Nations Economic Social and Cultural Organisation United Nations for Population Activities United Nations High Commission for Refugees United News of India United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund United Nations Organisation Uninterrupted Power Supply Union Public Service Commission Unique Selling Proposition, Union of Soviet Socialist Republic Unit Trust of India
V
VAT VDIS VC VIP VPP VRS VSNL VSSC	Value Added Tax Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme Vice-Chancellor / Victoria Cross Very Important Person Value Payable Post Voluntary Retirement Scheme Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
W
WEF WHO WILL WMO WWF WPI WTO WWF WWW	World Economic Forum World Health Organisation Wireless in Local Loop World Meteorological Organisation World Wild Life Fund Wholesale Price Index World Trade Organisation World Wild Life Fund for Nature World Wide Web
X
X-tian	Christian
Y
YMCA YWCA	Young Men's Christians Association Young Women's Christians Association
Z
ZBB ZPG ZS ZSI	Zero Based Budgeting Zero Population Growth Zoological Society Zoological Survey of India

MORE ANALYSIS BY RELEVANT COACHINGS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:20:00 +0000

BY CAREER LAUNCHER:
CAT 2008 has finished. Lots of MBA aspirants are looking for CAT 2008 analysis , cutoffs , answer keys and solution for all the 3 sections namely Quant , LR-DI , Verbal. All the Leading CAT Coaching institutes of India are busy in making detailed Cat analysis , solution sectional / overall cutoffs for IIMs and various Top bchools of India.
* Career Launcher , a Leading Indian Cat Coaching Institute has preddicted following cutoffs to get atleast 1 iim call.
QA – Around 20
Logic & DI – Around
Verbal – Around 20
Overall – Around 90

BY TIME :
CAT 2008 Paper First Impression by Time
* QA was similar to CAT07 but of a higher difficulty level. This section had fewer questions on Arithmetic. Logic & DI was of a similar level of difficulty as CAT07. This was a classical DI paper with sets on DI as well as Logic puzzles. * Verbal was less subjective than last year. Level of vocabulary was higher. Overall cutoff -
Quant Section Cutoff : 18 ± 2
English - Verbal section Cutoffs : 42 ± 2
Logic - DI section Cutoffs : 32 ± 2
Over all Cutoffs : 125 ± 3

CAT 2008 Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:14:00 +0000

CAT 2008 Analysis
CAT 2008 had total 90 questions: DI: 25, Quant: 25 and Verbal: 40There were 4 sets 111, 222 ,333 and 444This page will get updated frequently, so keep checking
Overall, the CAT 2008 paper was of a slightly difficult level. Also it was noticed that the CAT 2008 paper was more adequate than previous years, primarily because of more choices in the English section. There was an increase in the total number of questions - from 75 to 90 (as compared to the last year), with English section comprising of 40 questions (an increase of 15 from last year) and Quant and DI having 25 questions each.
The Quant section was less difficult than last two years, though not in an absolute sense. It was closer to CAT 2006 than CAT 2007 in terms of level of difficulty. Although the number of questions remained 25 as last year, the questions were relatively much simpler and it was quite possible to solve around 15 questions with a high accuracy level in 50 minutes.
There were only two Data Sufficiency questions but they were more tricky and confusing as compared to the rest. There were more problems involving counting principles, and Modern Math constituted almost 25% of the section. However the questions were quite easy and tested only reasoning from basic concepts.
Geometry took a back seat, while Algebra and Arithmetic remained at the forefront just like last year. The question on finding the circumradius was quite tough to conceptualize.
DI, however, was slightly on the a tougher side for CAT 2008. The DI section was a good mixture of calculation and reasoning based questions. A good selection of questions would have led to the attempt of 12 – 14 question in around 40 minutes
The English section, with more choices, was easier to handle. The verbal section of CAT 2007 was fairly straightforward: 13 VA/VR questions and 12 RC questions (4 passages with 3 questions each).
Verbal Ability/Verbal Reasoning questions had some new takes on old constructs, like Jumbled Paragraphs, which featured five sentences with the first sentence fixed, and in some cases whole paragraphs jumbled instead of single sentences. Grammar/usage/vocabulary-based questions were presented in a novel way in two different types of questions. Complete the Theme questions were the only familiar construct.
The four passages in Reading Comprehension were fairly short, and except for one passage, quite easy to read. They varied in subject: one was on art and literary history, one on sociology, one on historiography and one on philosophy of science. The questions ranged from very simple and direct to challenging and inferential ones.
Overall, this section was of medium difficulty and slightly easier than CAT 2006. A student with good language concepts and reading skills should not have faced any insurmountable difficulties here.
Expected cut-offs:
Quant: 31-34VA: 46-50DI: 30-35
Overall: 120 + for calls from one or two IIMs, 132+ for upto four IIMs and 142+ for all six IIMs
CAT 2008 Results will be announced in JAN 2009, but this interactive analysis and CAT 2008 percentile score will give you an idea about where you stand.Along with this I think it will make sense to have a step by step solution for CAT 2008 questions, this will be helpful for CAT 2009 aspiring candidates.

The Oxford One-Year MBA

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:53:00 +0000

STEPHAN CHAMBERS, MBA DIRECTOR
"The one-year full-time MBA programme at the Saïd Business School not only allows you to realise your ambitions, but to redefine them. As you explore this website, imagine what an Oxford MBA will do for you."
The one-year MBA programme at the Saïd Business School embodies the academic rigour and forward thinking that has made Oxford University a world leader in education. Building on Oxford’s 800-year history of educating leaders, the programme seeks to develop the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs.
Ranked among the top global MBA programmes by the Financial Times, the Oxford MBA attracts some of the most talented business men and women from around the world. The programme is delivered by world class faculty in state-of-the art facilities at the Saïd Business School. All students also benefit from membership of one of Oxford’s celebrated colleges.
The Oxford MBA is one of the most flexible one-year programmes available. Designed to give you the analytical tools to think about business from a broad range of perspectives, it will develop your knowledge, your critical faculties and your practical skills. Core courses immerse you in the foundations of modern enterprise, a series of electives allow you to pursue your own interests and career goals, and two real world projects help you to apply the skills and knowledge you have learnt.
The Oxford Executive MBA is identical in content to the Oxford MBA but delivered through a part-time modular format.
At Saïd Business School, we expect our applicants to be exceptional and our MBA programme reflects this.
A top-ranked one-year MBA programme at Oxford University
A state-of-the art business school within an ancient university
Full membership of an Oxford college
A flexible yet rigorous programme structure with strengths in entrepreneurship and finance
An exceptionally diverse and talented international student body
World-class faculty and cutting edge research centres
A first-rate careers service and a global alumni network.

How they topped MAT and Maharashtra CET

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:52:00 +0000

We didn't have to look too far when we began searching for the 2007 Maharashtra CET and MAT toppers. Both Ankit Agrawal and Shreyas Shah were studying a stone's throw away at the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai.
Hi Shreyas, so how’s life treating you at JBIMS?
The thing about JBIMS or b-schools attached to universities is that you have to do a lot on your own outside the institute curriculum based on how much value you want out of the MBA. You have to be constantly reading more books or taking part in business plan competitions. I believe in working hard and then partying harder and since the institute is close to Churchgate in Mumbai, there are many places we unwind at after college. My summer training is with the Sharaf Group in Dubai where I’ll be given a business development role.
That’s great! So tell us, how did you prepare for your management exams last year?
Management entrance exams today test the abilities of a student to be able to interpret and reason out the underlying principles rather than simply solve numerical and grammar based questions. So, my preparation for these exams was also in line with these traits of the exams. My focus was more towards thoroughly understanding the concepts that I was studying rather than plain procedure – based solving.After having prepared for CAT, how much extra effort did you put for the CET?
The CET is a speed-based exam unlike the CAT which is an out-and-out reasoning based exam. So, once the CAT was over, the preparation for the CET was more towards solving questions that had little depth but a lot of variety. Practice tests are of a lot of importance as they would go a long way in helping one identify the strengths and weaknesses as well as work upon the very much sought – after SPEED. Also, visual reasoning questions which do not appear in the CAT were required to be worked upon and practiced.
How would you differentiate CET from CAT and other management exams?
The CET is an exam that is heavily biased towards speed whereas exams like the CAT, XAT, SNAP, etc. do focus on the Accuracy aspect. This also owes to the fact that there is no negative marking in the CET.
Was the difficulty level of CET different from that of CAT? How?
CET questions cannot be termed as difficult. Though there are a few trickster type questions to differentiate between an average and an intelligent student, the questions in the CET are more biased towards solving, which when done intelligently without relying on pure procedure yields a great amount of speed. CAT questions, on the other hand test a candidate’s ability to apply the concepts learnt and reason out with them. The focus is not so much on speed as much as is on Application and Reasoning.What would you say your biggest mistakes were, while preparing for the CET exam and during it?
My biggest mistake during my preparation could have been the fact that I may not have laid enough emphasis on the analysis of my scores after I attempted the practice tests. During the exam, I never really had the time to think about mistakes. I just kept on solving questions all the way from 1 to 200!How was your experience in the CET Group Discussion and Personal Interview (GD-PI)? How different was it from other Group Discussions?
During the CET GD (which is compulsory for everyone who takes the test), the saddest part is that the people you are discussing with are not necessarily like-minded people. They are with you just because their roll numbers are close to yours. So, many a times, the discussion never proves to be productive. This is something that is very important in order to score well. Other GD-PIs actually ensure that the people who are called are more or less of the same intellectual and emotional intelligence level. So they are much better.
What do you think you did right, in order to clear the CET GD-PI?
I just stuck to the basics. Make sure that your point is put across. You may have to be aggressive but not at all impatient. Talk sense and involve everyone in the discussion. During the PI, I was only ensuring that whatever I put on the form was true and I knew completely about it. I spoke with full conviction and they liked it. The basics are important, which means that you should have some basic knowledge of what’s happening with you and around you.
What mistakes did you see other people making in the GD-PI?
People pretend to be what they are not and that really shows. In the GDs specially, people make nonsense points just because they have to make a point. But really, if you don’t know what you are saying, you should better keep your mouth shut.Any, exam taking strategies you would like to advice to this year’s aspirants?
Since the exam is speed based, the strategy you use while appearing must also be in line with the same. I used a simple strategy: don’t waste a lot of time on any question. If you can’t solve one, go to the next and save time. There is never a shortage of questions to solve. Another thing, it is very important to attempt all 200 questions if you have to score well. Generally what happens is that people find themselves with another 50 questions not even seen when there are only 5 minutes left. This should never happen. So, with the help of the practice – tests, it is imperative to work upon your speed!