MBA

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

2010-06-12T04:43:00.000-07:00

1, Harvard University

SOME PHOTO PICTUES ABOUT HARVARD UNIVERSITY

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Eight Presidents of the United States have graduated from Harvard University: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, John F. Kennedy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Bush graduated from Harvard Business School, Hayes and Obama from Harvard Law School, and the others from Harvard College.
Some fifty Nobel Prize winners have been associated with the University.

ADOLPHUS BUSCH HALL

AUSTIN HALL

SEVER HALL

ANDOVER HALL

HARVARD STADIUM

CONANT HALL

DUNSTER HOUSE

HARVARD STADIUM

SOME VIDEOS ABOUT HARVARD UNIVERSITY

HARVARD UNIVERSITY OUTSIDE

HARVARD UNIVERSITY CLASSROOMS

HARVARD UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

TOURING HARDVARE UNIVERSITY

BILLGATES SPEECH IN HARVARD UNIVERSITY - 1

BILLGATES SPEECH IN HARVARD UNIVERSITY - 2

BILL CLINTON SPEAKS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Established
1636

Faculty
About 2,100 faculty members and more than 10,000 academic appointments in affiliated teaching hospitals

Students
Harvard College — About 6,700
Graduate and professional students — About 13,600
Total — About 20,000

Undergraduate Cost (2009-10 academic year)
Tuition — $33,696
Total including room, board, student service fees — $48,868

contacts

Primary address:
Massachusetts Hall
Cambridge, MA 02138

Tel: 617.495.1000

http://www.harvard.edu/

Top Ten University In The World

2010-06-08T04:34:00.000-07:00

Rank University

1 Harvard University

2 University of Cambridge, UK

3 Yale University, USA

4 University College London, UK

5 Imperial College London, UK

6 University of Oxford, UK

7 The University of Chicago, USA

8 Princeton University, USA

9 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

10 California Institute of Technology, USA

2010 WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKING
Top 200 Colleges and Universities in the world

Indian Universities In This Rank

26'th place - Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

29'th place - Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

130'th place - University of Delhi

132'th place - Indian Institute of Technology Madras

200'th place - Anna University

1, Harvard University

SOME PHOTO PICTUES ABOUT HARVARD UNIVERSITY

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Eight Presidents of the United States have graduated from Harvard University: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, John F. Kennedy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Bush graduated from Harvard Business School, Hayes and Obama from Harvard Law School, and the others from Harvard College.
Some fifty Nobel Prize winners have been associated with the University.

ADOLPHUS BUSCH HALL

AUSTIN HALL

SEVER HALL

ANDOVER HALL

HARVARD STADIUM

CONANT HALL

DUNSTER HOUSE

HARVARD STADIUM

SOME VIDEOS ABOUT HARVARD UNIVERSITY

HARVARD UNIVERSITY OUTSIDE

HARVARD UNIVERSITY CLASSROOMS

HARVARD UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

TOURING HARDVARE UNIVERSITY

BILLGATES SPEECH IN HARVARD UNIVERSITY - 1

BILLGATES SPEECH IN HARVARD UNIVERSITY - 2

BILL CLINTON SPEAKS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Established
1636

Faculty
About 2,100 faculty members and more than 10,000 academic appointments in affiliated teaching hospitals

Students
Harvard College — About 6,700
Graduate and professional students — About 13,600
Total — About 20,000

Undergraduate Cost (2009-10 academic year)
Tuition — $33,696
Total including room, board, student service fees — $48,868

contacts

Primary address:
Massachusetts Hall
Cambridge, MA 02138

Tel: 617.495.1000

http://www.harvard.edu/

2, University of Cambridge, UK

Top Ten University In The World

Cambridge University Development Office (CUDO)

1 Quayside
Bridge Street
Cambridge CB4 8AB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1223 332288
Fax: +44 (0)1223 764476
Email: enquiries@foundation.cam.ac.uk

Cambridge in America

292 Madison Ave, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10017
USA
Tel: +1 212 984 0960
Fax: +1 212 984 0970
Email: mail@cantab.org
Website: www.cantab.org

http://www.cam.ac.uk/

3, Yale University

Contact Info
Admissions Director
Yale University
246 Church St.
PO Box 208234
New Haven, CT 06520-8321
United States

Phone: 203-432-9300
Fax 203-432-2334

Yale University comprises three major academic components: Yale College (the undergraduate program), the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the professional schools. In addition, Yale encompasses a wide array of centers and programs, libraries, museums, and administrative support offices. Approximately 11,250 students attend Yale.

4, University College London, UK

contact
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
UK

Phone
The central UCL switchboard number is 020 7679 2000 (+44 20 7679 2000 from outside the UK).

UCL was ranked fourth in the world in this year's Times Higher Education-QS rankings. No fewer than 21 Nobel prizewinners have come from the UCL community.

We have a global reach and global vision. Some 34% of UCL students come from outside the UK, attracted from nearly 140 countries around the globe. Our research, too, reaches the farthest corners of the globe; from the conservation of antiquities in Iraq to the transformation of engineering research in Kazakhstan.

Much of the energy of UCL life comes from our students, who are clever, curious about the world and passionate about making a difference. Student life here is challenging. We provide the opportunity and leadership in teaching and research, entrepreneurship, volunteering and overseas study. We admit only excellent students - from all backgrounds - and we work with them to develop and excel.

UCL was founded in 1826 as a radically different university, opening up English higher education for the first time to people of all beliefs and social backgrounds. That radical tradition remains alive today. Our research strategy commits us to addressing UCL's 'Grand Challenges', by working together right across the university in order to tackle the problems that face us today - in global health, sustainable cities, intercultural interaction, and human wellbeing. We believe in undertaking fundamental research and in applying it.

5, Imperial College London

Main campus address:
Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, tel: +44 (0)20 7589 5111

6, University of Oxford

University of Oxford
University Offices
Wellington Square
Oxford
OX1 2JD
United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 1865 270000
Fax: +44 1865 270708

7, The University of Chicago, USA

Motto
Crescat scientia; vita excolaturLet knowledge grow from more to more; and so be human life enriched.
First Classes: 1892
Founder: John D. Rockefeller
President: Robert J. Zimmer
Students
5,027 undergraduate students
10,122 graduate, professional, and other students
Faculty
2,211 faculty and other academic personnel
85 Nobel Prize winners, including 8 current faculty
Alumni
143,482 alumni worldwide
Research
$472 million in sponsored research awards
More than 3,200 patents filed since 1987
Manager of Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (in partnership)

The University of Chicago
5801 South Ellis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
(773) 702-1234

The University of Chicago Medical Center
5841 South Maryland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
(773) 702-1000

All University postal addresses are within
Chicago, IL 60637

The University and Medical Center exchanges are
702, 753, 795, and 834.

8, Princeton University, USA

Contact Us

Princeton University Graduate School
Clio Hall
Princeton, NJ 08544
Phone: (609) 258-3030
Fax: (609) 258-6180
Office Hours: 8:45 a.m -5 p.m.; 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m. (summer hours)
gs@princeton.edu

The Dean's Office
Dean: William B. Russel, (609) 258-3035
Assistant to the Dean: Sandra C. Sussman, (609) 258-3035

Office of Academic Affairs
Associate Dean: David Redman, (609) 258-3902
Associate Dean: Karen Jackson-Weaver, (609) 258-3257
Academic Affairs Specialist: Elaine Willey, (609) 258-3033
Program Manager: Jessica Brown, (609) 258-9637
Office Coordinator, Susan Sanford, (609) 258-3037
Office of Budget & Administrative Affairs
Associate Dean: Sandra Mawhinney, (609) 258-3037
Manager, Graduate Financial Support: Judy Farquer, (609) 258-3038
Manager, Graduate Financial Support: Kit Chandler, (609) 258-3038
Manager, Graduate Financial Support, Kathy Slomian, (609) 258-3037

Office of Student Life
Associate Dean: F. Joy Montero, (609) 258-3028
Assistant Dean: Lisa Schreyer, (609) 258-3028
Community Programs Coordinator: Olivia Martel, (609) 258-6686
Student Life/ Financial Aid Administrator: Mary O'Connor, (609) 258-3536
Student Life Programs Assistant: Alyssa Martillotti, (609) 258-3168
Graduate College Office Coordinator: Lynne McClister , (609) 258-3443

Graduate Admissions Office
Manager: Michelle Carman, (609) 258-4880
Admissions Specialist: Michelle L. Johnson, (609) 258-3034
Admissions Specialist: Melanie Heaney-Scott, (609) 258-3034
Admissions Specialist: Shelly Redfern, (609) 258-3034
Contact Us Via Email

Diversity Office
Associate Dean: Karen Jackson-Weaver, (609) 258-3257
Program Manager: Jessica Brown, (609) 258-9637

Graduate Alumni Relations
Director: Elisabeth Dorman, (609) 258-1999
Assistant Director: Tara McCartney, (609) 258-7785

Computing
Director: Justin Bronfeld, (609) 258-8582
Technical Support Specialist: Evelyn Gora-Evans, (609) 258-3643
Technical Support Specialist: Joana T. Milan, (609) 258-3603

9 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

contact

MIT | 77 Massachusetts Avenue | Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 | 617.253.1000 | TTY 617.258.9344

MISSION AND ORIGINS

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of MIT is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

The Institute is committed to generating, disseminating, and preserving knowledge, and to working with others to bring this knowledge to bear on the world's great challenges. MIT is dedicated to providing its students with an education that combines rigorous academic study and the excitement of discovery with the support and intellectual stimulation of a diverse campus community. We seek to develop in each member of the MIT community the ability and passion to work wisely, creatively, and effectively for the betterment of humankind.

The Institute admitted its first students in 1865, four years after the approval of its founding charter. The opening marked the culmination of an extended effort by William Barton Rogers, a distinguished natural scientist, to establish a new kind of independent educational institution relevant to an increasingly industrialized America. Rogers stressed the pragmatic and practicable. He believed that professional competence is best fostered by coupling teaching and research and by focusing attention on real-world problems. Toward this end, he pioneered the development of the teaching laboratory.

Today MIT is a world-class educational institution. Teaching and research—with relevance to the practical world as a guiding principle—continue to be its primary purpose. MIT is independent, coeducational, and privately endowed. Its five schools and one college encompass numerous academic departments, divisions, and degree-granting programs, as well as interdisciplinary centers, laboratories, and programs whose work cuts across traditional departmental boundaries.

10 California Institute of Technology, USA

Caltech Center for Diversity
California Institute of Technology
1200 E. California Blvd
M/C 255-86
Pasadena, CA 91125
USA.

Eva M. Graham Ed.D.
Director Caltech Center for Diversity
Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF), Lactation, Advisory Board

Tel: (626) 395-6207
Fax: (626) 395-1736

THE CALTECH ARCHIVES

were formally established in 1968 to serve as the collective memory of the California Institute of Technology. Our mission is to preserve and make accessible the institutional records, personal papers, documents, artifacts and pictorial materials that tell the school's history.
The Archives' unique research collections in the history of science and technology range from the time of Copernicus to today. They are available to the campus community for instructional and research purposes, as well as to qualified non-campus users by appointment.

Seven Ways to develop a Winning Attitude for the CAT

2010-01-07T01:08:00.001-08:00

You don't have to be an Olympian to boast a winning attitude,
but you do have to be willing to work hard to get it.

Here's how:

1· Set performance-oriented goals
Focus on goals that you can attain. For example, marking
improvements in your performance from week to week.
Strive for a little more each time.

2· Plan for your Big Day
Find triggers or cues that help you stay focused on your
performance during the CAT Exam. Then rehearse that plan in
practice.
Do what athletes do and visualize yourself going
through the exam, focused on your triggers.

3· Avoid mixing your self-worth with your performance
This is a danger many Students encounter, and something that
you simply must watch for. Your Score DOES NOT equal your self
worth.

4· Relive your best performance
Write down what you felt and thought. That's your blueprint
for how you should capture that performance again.
Refer back to it often so that you relive the experience
rather than the outcome.

5· Dump your ego
If not, you won't allow yourself to do things that make you
look bad and in the end, that will keep you from getting better.
Tennis players, for example, who have a weak backhand might
try to avoid hitting a backhand shot and run around the ball
to hit a forehand because they don't want to look bad or lose.
Do this and that backhand will never improve.

6· Accept temporary letdowns as normal
Nobody's perfect, and no test is ever taken perfectly.
Know that you will make errors and mistakes but let them slide.
Learn from them and focus on the next event.

7· Laugh often
When the going gets tough, the tough laugh, right? Take the
negative out of the situation and find something to laugh about.

Is RC troubling you? Fear No more...

2010-01-07T01:06:00.000-08:00

If I were to point out one single skill that strongly correlates with your final CAT Score, it would be ‘Reading'.

Ability to read fast not only helps for the RC section of the CAT, but is also invaluable in the whole of the Verbal section.

Moreover, a fast reader can shave off seconds on each Quant problem by reading and
digesting the information quickly.

But there is more..... being able to read faster will also help you throughout your career. Most of the top managers have reading speeds that are double the national average.

Good Reading skills will not only help you immensely on ALL sections of the CAT, but
throughout your professional career.

We all have a capacity for reading much faster than we typically do.

We aren't even scraping the surface of how fast we can read. You see, we have 1,000,000,000,000 brain cells. In fact, the inner connections, the synapses, in our mind are virtually infinite. It has been estimated by a Russian scientist that the number of synapses we have would be one followed by 10 million kilometers of zeros.

Our physical capacity for reading is beyond our comprehension. Our visual unit has the capability to take in a full page of text in 1/20 of a second. If we could turn the pages fast enough, our brain could process it faster than our eyes can see it.

If we could turn those pages fast enough, our eyes have the capacity to read a standard book in six to twenty-five seconds depending on the length of the book. We could take in the entire Encyclopedia Britannica in one hour. So reading 700 - 1,000 words a minute is easily within our reach.
We have recently launched the 'Winners' Guide to CAT Reading Comprehension', a book designed to identified your reading blocks, and help you triple your reading speed.

This comprehensive 150+ page book will help you:

- Identify the ‘blocks' to reading faster.

- Clear these blocks and double/triple your reading speed.

- To apply the same strategies that CAT RC Winners use to get that 99 percentile.

This book has been highly appreciated by students since its launch two month's back.

It is still available at the launch price, but within 48 hours, we will revise its price to the standard price.

As a valued subscriber, we would like to give you this opportunity to buy the book at its launch price.

Also, since it is a new book, if you give us a testimonial, you could see your name on our Website,

But hurry, we must receive your testimonial by the end of the month.

Click (or cut and paste) the link below for more details on the 'Winners' Guide to CAT Reading Comprehension'.

thanks to
http://www.mycatprep.com/WinnersGuidetoCATRC.html

How to achieve your CAT goals, one step at a time.

2010-01-07T01:05:00.000-08:00

Do you want to excel in your CAT exam?
Are you completely confused about how to go about preparing for your CAT because of the amount of information available everywhere? Do you think that you are completely at a loss on where to look for preparatory material, advice, and tips for your CAT?

Are you waiting for the right inputs, and for someone to point you in the right direction?

Let me share some of my experiences with you, and maybe you could benefit from them.

First and foremost, make up your mind about whether or not you actually want to attempt this test, as once your mind is firmly made up, you will find things easier.

Draw up a list of your strengths and weaknesses, and depending on these, make a structured study plan or take up a course.

Try to do as many different types of questions as possible. Remember, the more familiar you are with the content of the test, the more prepared you will be for the exam.

When I was preparing for my CAT, I used the method of approaching the exam step by step, and I would try my best to achieve one goal before going on to the next, and each time, I would visualize where I actually wanted to be, and I would stop and think if what I was doing would get me there.

e.g. Initially, I used to have a lot of trouble with reading comprehension. Tried various strategies, but nothing worked. Finally, I decided to focus completely on Reading Comprehension and set myself a target of getting at least 90% question right.

For this I had to dig very deep into what made fast readers tick, and do a lot of practice and research. Eventually, I was doing the RC questions with near 100% accuracy. This is also reflected in my 99 percentile score in Verbal.

(These preparation notes for RC have helped scores of students overcome this section. These notes have been greatly refined and added to over the years, and are now available in the 'Winners' Guide to CAT Reading Comprehension'. Click on the link below for more details.)

http://www.mycatprep.com/WinnersGuidetoCATRC.html

This method of setting small goals helped me a great deal in my preparations: I would have the satisfaction of having achieved my goal, before I progressed on to the next one, and this proved to be a great help to me in my journey to becoming a CAT Winner.

It is of utmost importance to spend sufficient time reviewing the questions you have got wrong, and also the questions you have got right, as this will show you what you have to do next. Do not worry, with proper and determined preparation, there is absolutely no reason why you cannot ace the CAT, and become a top scorer.

If you want any more practical tips and advice, go to to read the ‘Ultimate Guide to cracking the CAT', an excellent book that helps you to concentrate on your weak points and conquer them successfully, and to raise your score by 10 to 25 percentile points at one go!

Click on the link below for 'Ultimate Guide to cracking the CAT'

http://www.mycatprep.com/UltimateGuidetocrackingtheCAT.html

Prepare well! All the Best!

PS: If you can do with some help with your CAT Reading Comprehension, click below for the 'Winners' Guide to CAT Reading Comprehension'

http://www.mycatprep.com/WinnersGuidetoCATRC.html

What you Don't Need to do for your CAT!

2010-01-07T01:03:00.000-08:00

The first thing you DON'T need to do when you are preparing for your CAT is to get worried and worked up about the approaching exam. Remain cool and calm, and prepare well in advance, so that you are familiar with the format and the type of questions that are asked.

What you DO need to do is to review the types of questions on each section, the format, and the directions that are given for each section, and then answer them, while at the same time taking extra care to time yourself.

DO review and study one section of the CAT at one time, and allow yourself at least two months of study and intense preparation before you attempt the sample tests.
DON'T skim through the questions, or the possible answers, even when you are simply practicing. This is because skimming will make you miss important and fine distinctions and nuances of each question, and unless you are familiar with them, you may well end up giving the wrong answers.

If, however, you feel that you are not sure of the correct answer, then what you can DO is quickly eliminate those choices that you know are definitely wrong, and select the answer that you think would be the best choice.

DON'T forget to try your very best to complete each section, before you move on to the next one. When you are attempting sample papers, DON'T forget to pace yourself, so that you can take the time to evaluate each answer, and choose the best one. DON't skip answers, and DON'T randomly and simply GUESS the answers; take the time to make a wise and informed choice. Remember, there is no need to fear your CAT; prepare well, practice well, and DON'T lose your cool at any time!

Why settle for less when you can get more?

2010-01-07T01:02:00.000-08:00

Why should you settle for less when you can have more?

The CAT is an exam that can be tackled with the right prep stragegy. There are hundreds of students who have improved their scores by 20+percentage points by focused study and preparation.

There is absolutely no reason why you should settle for a lower score when you have the potential to get more.

One of the most confusing issues that I faced when I started my CAT prep was how to choose from the flood of material that is available in the market? How to organize my preparation so as to maximize the results and most important of all, how to control my nerves?

Unfortunately, there were no easy answers. Moreover, at that time, I had no guidance and had to learn things the hard way, spending a lot of time & money in the process.

But you don't have to do it the hard way, you don't have to settle for anything less than the best score that you can get without fretting over umpteen books and superfluous coaching.

And that is because I have detailed out the winning strategies and done a thorough review of the CAT prep material available in the market, in my book, the 'Ultimate Guide to cracking the CAT'.

Here is what G Murthy, a CAT Winner, has to say about the 'Ultimate Guide to cracking the CAT'

This Book was probably the Best thing that
happened to me. With so many types and
variety of courses and study material, I just
did not know where to start. I wanted to
focus on my Quant and did not know where
to look.

After reading this book and applying the
strategies, I managed to raise my score by

15 percentage points.

If you want to 'go for the Gold' in the
CAT, I strongly recommend 'Ultimate Guide to cracking the CAT'

- G Murthy (CAT: 99.4 Percentile)

If you are looking at a 99 percentile+ score, you must not forget that it is your positive mindset and psychological makeup that will bring you a higher score, and merely knowledge is not sufficient.

You must develop a real winner's attitude, and make up your mind that you will cross the finish line, no matter what. This in itself is half the battle won!

For starters, if you are in full time work, plan to take at least two weeks off before your CAT so that you can concentrate on your studies and feel confident enough to face the test bravely.

You do not need more than four month of consistent preparation to ace the CAT. Also, do not refer to too much material; select your prep material wisely, and focus on it completely.

Set yourself reasonable goals: doing 500 to 800 problems in total should be enough to prepare you for the D day and there is no need to attempt any more!

Remember, poor planning and setting excessively lofty goals will only let you down and put you on the path to burnout. Avoid this: set reasonable goals, and try to vary your study routine so that it remains interesting. Once boredom sets in, you will not be able to conquer it easily!

Take mock tests, and attempt full length tests before the actual CAT.

This will help you a great deal as you will know exactly where you stand. Learn from your mistakes. Maintain a record of the frequent mistakes that you have made and try to understand the concepts behind the question.

Join a forum, where people like you share their views with each other, and you will be able to benefit from learning about another's mistakes.

If you feel that the time limit for the CAT may be against you, then practice writing answers with a timer next to you, and mark the time after each answer. This way, you will know exactly how long you have taken for each question, and know to make it shorter the next time.

Remain confident, and de-stress yourself before you enter the Exam Hall. There have been instances of people ‘freezing up' and forgetting their answers when they start writing the CAT. Avoid these pitfalls, remain cool and calm, and walk in with full faith in yourself and in your abilities. Perform to the best of your ability, and cross the finish line successfully! Good preparedness and cool self confidence will take you places, and bring you the scores you deserve.

Why settle for less when you can get more?

Best of luck with you CAT prep.

Little known Tips to ace your CAT

2010-01-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hopefully you are now charged up to becoming a CAT Winner!

Becoming a CAT Winner is by no means an easy task; prepare, practice and only then plan to appear for this test of knowledge & mental skills.

We recommend that you must start preparing for your CAT at least four months prior to the actual exams, and one good way to start your preparation would be to take at least two sample tests. This would give you a good idea of where you should focus your effort and energies.

You can also look at the Ultimate Guide to cracking the CAT(E-BOOK) when you are starting out.

This book will walk you through the best ways in which you can approach the CAT, and provide you with proven methods to ace the exam.

For example, you will get in-depth information on the types of questions that you are expected to answer, and how to tackle them effectively.

Spending just a couple of hours with this book, you will get to know how the winners prep, which books they study from, how are various sections scored, how the scores are calculated, which pitfalls to avoid, what to focus on, and much more...

In standardized tests, the test starts off with easier questions, and progressively becomes tougher.

Keeping a close eye on your performance is a must for effective preparation.

You must try to compare your performance from your previous sample test to the one you are attempting now, and find the differences, and more important, learn from them.

One little known tip for you: try to duplicate the test center conditions, as you know them, in your own study room/center.

This will make you more confident, and comfortable with your surroundings when you are writing the actual CAT exam.

Do not ever forget to time yourself when you are answering sample tests, and do not take more than the allowed breaks. This will help you understand how prepared you actually are for the CAT.

So, go for it, prepare well, and ace the CAT!

All the Best!

How to prepare for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

2010-01-05T22:18:00.001-08:00

The Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section of the CAT is probably closest in resemblance to the kind of problems you will be dealing with as a manager. It tests your decision-making ability and speed using limited input. As with all other CAT sections, the most important part of preparation is practice. Needless to say, you should give every practice test as seriously as the real CAT. There is absolutely no sense in giving untimed tests. In fact, giving tests without looking at the watch will only hamper your preparation.

Start off with topical tests in the initial stage of preparation. When you gain confidence in all areas of DI/LR, it is time to start giving a couple of full-length DI/LR tests. After this, merge individual sectional tests and start giving CAT-type full length test papers containing all three sections. Always analyse your performance after every test you give and use tests as a valuable feedback mechanism. If you feel the need, keep going back to topics which you feel require more work and take 1-2 more area-specific tests in that topic. An important thing you need to work on is the judicious selection of questions. Utilize practice tests for this purpose.

The Data Interpretation/Logical Reasoning section can be divided into three key areas:

1. Data Interpretation: This is the calculation intensive portion of the section. It consists of a myriad of graphs, charts and tables from which you will have to glean and analyse data. The key to cracking this area is to quickly identify the key pieces of data that you will require to work on the questions asked. It is not unknown for question-setters of the CAT to try and bewilder students with a large amount of data, most of it unnecessary. As a rule, the more the data presented, the easier the questions that follow, so don’t lose heart if you see a table with 10 columns occupying one whole page. On the other hand, several seemingly innocuous questions may trip you up. Therefore, I would advise you to look at the questions first to get an idea of what data you need to be searching for in the graphs/charts/tables in the main question asked.

Another interesting feature of DI that you as a student can use to your advantage is that, usually, not all questions in a set are of equal difficulty. Specifically, most sets have a ‘counting’ type of question (How many companies have profits more than x%, how many people have incomes less than Rs. Y etc.). Most of these questions can be solved without calculation but by close inspection of the data presented. These I would categorize as ‘gift’ questions designed to test a student’s presence of mind, and should never be missed out on. There are other similarly easy questions in most sets, and you should practice identifying the level of difficulty of questions so you know immediately which ones to attempt and which to avoid. There is no rule that states that you need to attempt all questions in a set, so it is a perfectly valid strategy to attempt selected questions across your DI section, without perhaps completely attempting even a single set.

An unusual source of practice questions that I would recommend for DI is a GRE preparation textbook or software. These contain several graph and chart type questions, most of which are near CAT level. You can utilize these questions in the initial source of preparation to practice reading data off charts and tables, and then gradually move on to tougher questions from CAT preparation material. GRE software comes with the added advantage of an inbuilt timer that keeps you on your toes.

2. Logical Reasoning: This is the tougher (as perceived by most students) portion of the section. It consists of logical puzzles with several questions that follow. The most important and first step to solving an LR problem is to write down all of the information given in a box, table or diagram e.g. if the problem involves seating arrangements at a round table, always draw the table first and then try various permutations and combinations of people seated around it. Once you have drawn the figure for the problem, you are free to think with an uncluttered mind. LR problems usually contain several statements which serve as clues to solving the problem. Thus, the problem should always be attempted in a methodical fashion, and solved step-by-step, because trying to look at all the information at once will confuse even the best of us.

LR problems are usually ‘all-or-nothing’ type, in the sense that if you crack the problem you will have answers to all the questions that follow, and if you don’t you will not be able to answer even a single question. This is because if the logic to the problem is apparent to you, the questions that follow are trivial. Hence, proper selection of problems to tackle is even more crucial here than in DI. Often, students fail to solve a problem after investing 10-15 minutes on it. Since the information they have at the end of that time is not much more than that at the beginning, they cannot answer even a single question in the set and have nothing to show for their effort. Problem-selection is tricky, so if you find that you are unable to make headway after the first 5 minutes, do the smart thing and switch to another set or section. You can always come back later if you have the time.

LR requires the maximum amount of practice among all areas in the DI/LR section. Apart from picking apart problems in your CAT preparation material, try looking for puzzle books or newspaper leisure sections that contain logic puzzles. Puzzle-solving is a knack, and the more you start enjoying logic puzzles, the better you will get at them.

3. Data Sufficiency: This is the third portion of the section, and quite a few DS questions were asked in the last CAT paper. Data Sufficiency problems usually take the form of a logical puzzle, and are in the form of a question followed by two statements. You need to answer whether you can solve the problem using the statements individually, or using both, or whether you cannot solve the problem using the information provided. The key to answering such problems is to pretend like one statement does not exist, try solving the problem, and then pretend like the other statement does not exist and try solving the problem again. These problems are generally tricky, and I would recommend lots of practice and perhaps solving them near the end of your section, after you have solved the other problems.

The DI/LR section is one of the higher scoring sections on the CAT, so you can look to it for help in improving your overall score as well, as long as you devote a good proportion of your time to it. Although recent CATs have had 4-5 question sets, be prepared for 1-2 question sets as well. DS questions have never appeared in sets. Important things to remember while attempting this section are that you need be quick in switching sets if you find a particular set tough, and you need to have presence of mind while solving DI/LR questions. Both of these things can be achieved with the help of practice.

How to prepare for Quantitative Ability

2010-01-05T22:14:00.001-08:00

The Quantitative Aptitude section in the CAT draws upon theory learnt in school up to the 12th grade, so it is theory that every one of us has learnt at some point of time or the other. Therefore, there is absolutely no need to pick up textbooks with advanced engineering mathematics in them. Textbooks I would recommend for theory are the NCERT textbooks for the 9th to 12th grades, and a personal favourite of mine – ‘Higher Algebra’ by Hall and Knight. All of these are very reasonably priced.

The most important part of preparation for QA in CAT, and in fact for CAT overall, are practice tests. I would recommend taking every practice test as seriously as the real CAT. Time yourself for every test that you take and have a target time in which you have to finish the test. For engineering students or students currently in college who may be familiar with the theory, it is okay to start off with tests immediately. However, for working professionals who may be out of touch with academics, I would recommend taking at least a couple of weeks to look at some of the formulae and theorems that you will require for your CAT.

Start off with topical tests in the initial stage of preparation. When you gain confidence in several topics, it is time to start giving a couple of full-length QA tests. After you have gained confidence in QA, merge individual sectional tests and start giving CAT-type full length test papers containing all three sections. Always analyse your performance after every test you give and use tests as a valuable feedback mechanism. If you feel the need, keep going back to topics which you feel require more work and take 1-2 more area-specific tests in that topic. An important thing you need to work on is the judicious selection of questions. Utilize practice tests for this purpose.

Most importantly, try and ensure that you do not have more than one really weak topic which you wish to avoid, as you never know which areas the CAT will test you on. It is okay to have one dodgy area, but you will still be taking a risk, and need to be that much better in the other topics. Therefore, I would recommend working hard in every area, so that you have the luxury of having all questions to select from in the real CAT.

Quantitative Aptitude for CAT can be broadly divided under three main heads:

1. Geometry, Coordinate Geometry and Mensuration: I have grouped these topics together since they deal with the portion of QA that can be visualized. Of the three, maximum weightage is given to geometry, although every CAT paper will have 3-4 questions on mensuration, as well as a couple of questions on coordinate geometry, totalling about 25-30% of questions in the QA section. Topics that need to be covered in geometry are basic theorems involving triangles, circles and parallel lines. A common type of question that is often asked in CAT is to find the value of certain angles or length of certain sides. Therefore, make sure that you cover topics such as congruency and similarity of triangles.

The only things that you need to do in coordinate geometry are straight lines and circles. Don’t go into conic sections and other advanced topics. More importantly, do not try and solve IITJEE level questions in coordinate geometry. Given the equation of a circle, you should be able to comment on the centre and radius of the circle and draw it on a piece of graph paper, and nothing more. Similarly, you should know what the slope and y-intercept of a given straight line equation is, and be able to draw the line on a piece of graph paper.

For mensuration, flip through a school level textbook for basic formulae on areas, surface areas and volumes of triangles, circles, cylinders, cones, cuboids and spheres. Mensuration problems are calculation intensive, and require lots of practice.

NCERT textbooks will suffice for this head.

2. Algebra and Number Theory: Algebra and number theory provide the major chunk of questions in any CAT QA section – 55-60%. Topics that you need to look at are Permutations and Combinations, Probability (very basic, including die and card problems and perhaps Bayes’ theorem), Functions, Progressions (A.P, G.P. H.P. and A.G.P), Logarithms, Equations (Quadratic and Linear/Simultaneous) and, most importantly, Number Theory.

Number Theory problems are usually very simple, if you know how to do them. They require certain tricks that you can pick up from any good textbook. Having said that, number theory contributes 3-4 questions to every CAT, and so it is a very important topic. You should be comfortable writing numbers in their algebraic form (e.g. a three digit number having digits xyz can be represented as 100x + 10y + z). You should also learn about divisibility tests and the ‘modulo’ notation and its applications (for programmers, 10%5==0 is also referred to as 10 modulo 5 is 0, that is, the remainder when 10 is divided by 5, is zero).

A textbook I would recommend for algebra and number theory is ‘Higher Algebra’ by Hall and Knight, which is available at any bookstore that sells textbooks for IITJEE.

3. Arithmetic and Miscellaneous: 15-20% of questions in any CAT paper fall under this head. Major topics that you need to cover are Set Theory (especially Venn diagrams) and problems on Time, Speed and Distance, both of which are always asked. Both of these topics are covered as part of the school syllabus, but may need some brushing up on. Sometimes, questions on topics such as Linear Programming are also asked. An NCERT textbook is enough to study from for this head.

Miscellaneous problems are those problems which do not fall under any head. They are rarely asked, and even when they do appear in a CAT paper they do not number more than one or two. They are purely tests of mathematical aptitude, and you cannot learn how to solve them. The only advice I can give for dealing with these problems is to try back-substitution of answer choices, or to avoid these problems altogether.

An area that had a high concentration of questions in CAT 2007 was Data Sufficiency. Data Sufficiency problems can come from any of the three heads, and are in the form of a question followed by two statements. You need to answer whether you can solve the problem using the statements individually, or using both, or whether you cannot solve the problem using the information provided. The key to answering such problems is to pretend like one statement does not exist, try solving the problem, then pretend like the other statement does not exist and try solving the problem again. These problems are generally tricky, and I would recommend lots of practice and perhaps solving them near the end of your QA section, after you have solved the other problems.

Although there is absolutely no substitute for knowing your theory, and practice, in your QA section, there are some question-solving strategies that you may use. They are:

Substitution of numbers for variables in algebraic problems, which may make the problem simpler. Remember, however, that this usually does not work when the answer choices are also in terms of variables.
Back-substitution of answers into the problem in order to solve it, i.e. assume one of the answer choices to be the answer and then solve the problem. If the problem cannot be solved or reduces to the trivial case, repeat for another answer choice until you stumble on the correct answer choice.
Substituting variables for numbers in the answer choices. This usually works for progression problems. Lets say the nth term of a progression is given in terms of n and some other terms. You are then asked to find the 100th term in the progression. The answer choices are of the form 2100, 299 – 1 etc. (say). Then, you can start with the first answer choice, assume that the nth term will be 2n, solve the first few terms of the progression and find if this is indeed the case (lets say it’s easy calculating the 3rd term, which you find to be 8 or 23. Hence the 100th term will be 2100). If it is not, assume that the nth term is 2n-1 – 1 and repeat, until you get to the correct answer choice.
Solving coordinate geometry algebraically, or vice-versa. Often a complicated algebra problem involving several equations can be solved very easily if you draw the corresponding figures on an imaginary graph paper. Similarly, coordinate geometry problems can often be solved by writing corresponding algebraic equations. Always remember the correspondence between algebra and coordinate geometry.
If you can eliminate all options except two, guess. The CAT rewards educated guessing. Look at it this way: If you have two questions, probability states that you will get one of these wrong and the other right. The expected number of marks you will get is +4 and -1, which translates to +3 for both the questions combined, or +1.5 per question answered. If you do this for a significant number of questions, unless you are exceptionally unlucky, the benefits of not wasting time solving every problem completely will far outweigh the loss of marks due to some incorrect answers.
To summarize, the most important part of your QA preparation is PRACTICE. The theory is not too tough, so practice as much as you can. QA has been an area where students have done well in the last two CATs, so you should look at it as an area where you can also improve your overall score.

How to prepare for Verbal Ability

2010-01-05T22:09:00.000-08:00

First things first - a change in philosophy

Verbal Ability or Reading Comprehension tests your ability to understand

The nuances of the written word
Identify and differentiate the subtleties of meanings of words
Correct syntax, structure and formation of sentences
Identify the complex ideas presented in the paragraph and link it to the overall theme
As far as the EU section is concerned, over the years CAT has moved from being an English language test to being an English usage test. It implies that few years back, a lot of questions on grammar, vocabulary and fill in the blanks were pretty straightforward. Either you knew the answer in 10 seconds or you didn’t. No amount of deliberation and reasoning would help you if you didn’t know exact meanings of words and core concepts of grammar.

Over the last 3 – 4 years, CAT has been laying more emphasis on the contextual understanding of the language. It is not enough to merely mug up 3000 high frequency and high power words as one would do in a GRE scenario. It is also not enough to know a Wren & Martin inside-out or to know all the parts of speech with their rules and exceptions. One needs to understand and appreciate how these rules and words are used in particular contexts. For example the usage of the word - ‘tension’ becomes entirely different in different subjects. It would be a part of quantum mechanics with an entirely different meaning in Physics, be in the context of demand-supply gap in Economics, existential issues in Philosophy, wars in History or emotional stress in Social Psychology. How one understands the word and its application thus depends upon one’s fundamental understanding of the subject matter. Needless to stay, the more one comes across different subject matter, the better he is placed to maximize the chances of understanding complex subject matter during the paper.

A man is a product of his habits; is it really true?

Yes, we are talking about inculcating, improving and then expanding reading habits here.

Let’s begin by comparing two students, A & B, who are preparing for CAT.

Student A takes all the preliminary tests, goes through concept notes, takes all the mock tests diligently and sticks to a time schedule till the day of CAT. He is not a voracious reader and doesn’t feel the need to read anything extra. As a regimen, he reads through newspapers daily, an occasional magazine and a rare novel.

Student B is not as disciplined as A in taking the tests or undergoing concept notes and skips a few mock tests. Instead he spends a lot of time reading fiction and non-fiction material on variety of topics ranging from biographies, religious and motivational books, philosophy, architecture, fluid mechanics, mountain biking, psephology, Psychiatry, Astronomy, Finance & Economics, Chinese culture, Entertainment & Media, etc.

Who do you think has a better chance of clearing the test? Surprisingly it is student B. And the reason is the change in the system of test. Unlike university tests and papers where one needs to revise the entire syllabus and go through last few years’ papers to clear the exam, the English section in CAT has every material ever written in English in the last 250 years to its disposal. As overwhelming as it may sound, it implies that all the literature in English is open to the CAT paper setter to choose from. So how does one maximize ones chances of clearing the cut-off in the EU section? One obvious but humanly impossible task is to end up reading all the literature in the world. A more realistic and do-able solution is to read up some of the best books on as diverse topics as you can. RC Passages, Idea Completion Questions, Multi-blanks, Jumbled Paragraphs etc. have appeared from very diverse areas. So why not read up sufficient amount of material in each area and make yourself atleast less uncomfortable, if not more comfortable when they appear in the paper.

Also, when you have read more and read diverse topics, your comfort level and understanding (especially of passages) will shoot up dramatically. This will save valuable time in comprehending very complex data and make you more convinced about the answer that you think is the most appropriate one among the five choices.

The crux of the matter presented in the paragraphs above is this – there is no other answer to ensure competence in the EU section than reading extensively, reading a lot and reading diverse subject matter. The more varied books and magazines you read, the more familiar you become with different presentation styles and techniques of sentence formation. Sub-consciously you are also soaking in good forms of English, learning new and unfamiliar words and internalizing the correct forms of grammar.

I know what to do, tell me how to do it.

It would help to form a reading habit of

Editorial page of One daily – Any one from The Times of India, Indian Express, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Deccan Chronicle, Deccan Express, The Telegraph etc.
Editorial page of One Finance daily – Anyone from The Economic Times, Business Standard, Financial Express, Businessline, etc.
Material from any of the international magazines available online – The Economist, Time, Far Eastern Economic Review, Harvard Business Review, Mc Kinsey quarterly, etc.
International dailies - Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, etc.
Any of the books by Isaac Asimov, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes), Dan Brown, Ayn Rand, Richard Bach, Stephen Covey, Adam Smith, Nicolo Machiavelli, Karl Marx, P.G. Woodhouse etc
War speeches of Winston Churchill, Letters of Abraham Lincoln, Autobiographies of Andrew Carnegie, Adolf Hitler, Benjamin Franklin, M.K. Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Writings of Vivekananda etc.
Begin somewhere, anywhere with a dedication of about 45 minute a day. As you become more comfortable, you may want to increase your reading time and material and cover all the six areas mentioned above. The idea is to read more and reduce the surprise element in the CAT.

Getting the holistic approach

Apart from reading extensively, it helps to keep practicing a few questions on verbal everyday. If you are new to the CAT format, you may want to begin with 2 questions a day for the first week (basic level). If you are already comfortable and know the pattern, it would help to push 10 questions a day to begin with (intermediate level). It can be a mix of 1 passage with 5 questions, 3 parajumbles, and 2 Fill in the blank Q. As you become more familiar, move on to other types of questions by the 3rd week – Critical Reasoning, FIJ, Paragraph completion, Multiple blanks, Analogies, etc.

The idea is to start from areas which are more comfortable and then move on to areas which are less familiar. With reading on diverse subjects going on simultaneously, one should be in a position to firm the grip on questions type more and more as practice continues. About 3 -4 months before the CAT, you should be able to move to the difficult level of questions in the area.

Reading Comprehension is the key

As Reading Comprehension forms about 35 to 60 % of the EU section, it is an area where more attention and detailing is called for. You can try different strategies of attacking an RC, after going through the concept chapters provided. For eg.

The PQ approach (passage first, then the questions)
PQ - Read the entire passage thoroughly first and then read the questions
Pscan Q - Skim & Scan through the passage and keep going back and forth with questions and passage
2PQ, 4PQ, 6PQ - Read the first 2 paragraphs, scan all the questions and see what you can answer, then read para 3 & 4, scan the questions and see what you can answer, then read para 5& 6 …..
The QP approach (questions first, then the passage)
QP - Read all the questions with their answer options first and then the passage
1QP, 2QP, 3QP, 4QP - Read question 1 with all the options, then go through the entire passage to answer it. Then read question 2, go through the entire passage. Then question 3……
Qstem P - Just read all the question stems, without reading the answer options. Then read the passage and try answering the questions by reading them with the options.
Once you have tried these different strategies (recommended minimum of 3 passages with each strategy), identify which strategy you are more comfortable in and which one gives you a lot of difficulty. It is possible that in passages having certain subject matter for eg. Economics, Globalization, Public Policy, you may be comfortable with 1QP, 2QP approach. Whereas in some other topics such as philosophy, literature, you may be very comfortable with the QP approach.

Once you have identified your comfort areas, try to solve a few more passages with the frozen strategy and see if your attempts and the number of correct answers go up within the allocated time. Keep reshaping and polishing your strategy based on

Length of the passage
Familiarity and complexity of the subject matter
Number of questions

What you Don't Need to do for your CAT!

2009-12-24T19:48:00.001-08:00

How to come out a Winner......... even when you lose.

2009-12-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

Although most of us like to celebrate victory, sometimes we can't all be winners. Someone has to lose, whether that means missing that admission offer by a whisket or placing dead last.

No one knows that better than the candidates looking at the Top IIMs.

Not only do they have to be fully ready to compete, these candidates also have to be mentally ready to accept the outcome of their competition. They have to prepare to face losses, and in the end, still emerge victorious.

How can you do the same?

What Is a Winning Attitude?

Although winners may be born with talent, attitude is something they attain through training.
"Attitude isn't something you're born with, Attitude is a decision."
There are two components to a winning attitude: a desire to win, which is externally driven, and a desire to perform your best, an internally driven wish.
CAT candidates obviously have a desire to win, but once the competition starts, the true Winners switch their focus.
Rather than worrying about winning, they worry about performing their best. After all, they can't control the outcome of the test or how well their competitors perform, but they can strive to reach performance-related goals within their control.
Measuring Success Your Own Way

Let us take an example from sports, an area which is at least as competitive as the CAT, if not more.
Gold medallist speed skater Bonnie Blair raced not against her competition but against the clock. If she beat the clock, she believed she had a better chance to beat the competition. "When you become your own yardstick," she says, "you experience success, no matter if you win or lose."
That's the attitude Joanna Zeiger, a 30-year-old triathlete from Maryland, is taking to the Olympics. She's not putting any pressure on herself to win, only to do her best and have fun while doing it.
"If the race isn't fun and if I don't feel good about it, then the outcome doesn't matter because I haven't enjoyed the experience," says Zeiger. "When I race, I want to enjoy the experience, and when that happens, I'll have a better shot at doing my best."
Obstacles That Stop You From Being a Winner

No matter what your level of competition, it's not easy to adopt a winning attitude.
Perhaps one of the biggest stumbling blocks is focusing on the outcome rather than the activity.
"You need to focus on getting better, not being the best,"
When you lock into the score or the time, then the whole experience becomes miserable.
Another obstacle is an obsession with comparing yourself to others. Maybe you get upset because you're not as good as someone else, when in fact, that someone else has different genetics, background, experience and training.

Instead, you need to adopt internal ways to measure your performance, rather than just comparing yourself against other people.

e.g. Instead of comparing your performance in the Verbal section, to the performance of someone who is a professional writer, and feeling miserable about it, you should evaluate your own performance week to week.

Are You a born winner or will You train yourself to become one?

2009-12-24T19:45:00.001-08:00

Let me tell you a little story.

A little girl - the 20th of 22 children, was born prematurely and her

survival was doubtful.

When she was 4 years old, she contracted double pneumonia and scarlet

fever, which left her with a paralysed left leg.

At age 9, she removed the metal leg brace she had been dependent on and

began to walk without it.

By 13 she had developed a rhythmic walk, which doctors said was a

miracle. That same year she decided to become a runner. She entered a

race and came in last.

For the next few years every race she entered, she came in last.

Everyone told her to quit, but she kept on running.

One day she actually won a race, and then another. From then on she won

every race she entered.

Eventually this little girl - Wilma Rudolph, went on to win three

Olympic gold medals.

Winners never quit !

numbers

2009-05-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

NUMBERS.

classificatios of numbers:

natural numbers = N = (1,2,3,4,5...)
these are counting numbers. these are infinite.

whole number = W = (0,1,2,3,4,5...)
these are obtained on adding 0 to the natural numbers.

odd numbers = 1,3,5,7,9........
these are not multiples of 2. they can be represented in the form ( 2n-1 ). where n = a natural number.

even numbers = 2,4,6,8,10.....
these are multiples of 2. they can be represented in the form ( 2n ). where n=a natural number.

prime number = 1,3,5,7,11,....
a prime number is divisible only by one and itself, and not by others.

composite numbers = 2,4,6,8,9,10.......
a composite number has more than two factors, besites itself and unity. 1 is neither prime nor composite.

integers 1 to Z = (...-3,-2,-1,0,1,2,3....)
these consist of natural numbers, zero and negative of natural numbers
1,2,3.... are positive integers.
...-3,-2,-1......are negative integers.
0 is simply an integer - neither positive nor negative.

rational numbers = Q: 1/5, 2/3, 0, -5 etc...

these are of the form p/q, where q =/ 0.
every integer and all the fractions are rational numbers.
these maybe terminating or, non terminating repeating decimals.

MBA entrance exams

2009-04-27T06:30:00.001-07:00

this site gives you entrance exam dates and more information.
http://www.winentrance.com/mba_entrance_exam/

CAT

IIM's Common Admission Test - November (IIM CAT) 2008

Date of IIM Common Admission Test (CAT) 2008: November, 16, 2008
Test Timings: 10.00 AM to 1.00 PM

Programs offered by Indian Institutes of Management (IIM):
Post Graduate Programs in Management (PGP)
IIM Ahmedabad: PGP, PGP-ABM
IIM Bangalore: PGP and PGSEM and PGPPM
IIM Calcutta: PGP-PGDM and PGP-PGDCM
IIM Indore: PGP and Ex-PGP
IIM Kozhikode: PGP
IIM Lucknow: PGP and PGP-ABM
RGIIM Shillong: PGP

what is mba

2009-04-27T06:24:00.001-07:00

MBA is a post graduate degree in business communication. MBA stands for Masters of Business Administration and is a very popular course for business students the world over. The MBA program is recognized worldwide and is considered as a major step towards a successful business management career.