7 New IIMs

There is no dearth of eligible and quality students who miss the prestigious IIMs just by a whisker. IIMs have fixed number of seats and they can take only so much. But now, students have better chances of getting admission into their dream institutions. Last year on August 27, the Union Cabinet approved 7 new IIMs to become operational in two phases. The privileged states are,

Haryana

Tamil Nadu

Rajasthan

Jharkhand

Chhattisgarh

Jammu & Kashmir

Uttarakhand

New IIMs will become operational in two phases. In phase I, four IIMs will commence operations 2010-11 and the initial intake will be 140. These four IIMs are;

Raipur (Chhattisgarh)

Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu)

Rohtak (Haryana)

Ranchi (Jharkhand)

Rest of the three IIMs will be set up during 2010-2011 in the phase II and the intake will be a whopping 560 per year. So, all the IIM aspirants, you can rejoice now.

MBA News

In our last post, we talked about how new CAT exam format went haywire for a number of reasons. The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2009 for admission to the IIMs and other premier Indian B-schools took place in December 2009. The test was conducted in a new method and that was computer-based test instead of earlier paper exam. The exam period was over eleven day. The appearing candidates had to encounter a number of problems during the exam. Some of the common problems faced by students were, frozen monitor scenes, automatic shutdown of computers during the test and even last minute rescheduling of test slots etc.

Many eligible students couldn’t even take the exams and to handle their situations, IIMs have decided to hold the second phase of CAT exam on January 30 and 31, 2010. Students are hoping that, this time things will be far more efficient.

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Another piece of news for MBA aspirants comes from MET Institute. Students willing to join diploma programmes in business management through distance learning mode can look into course offered by MET. The available areas of specializations will include marketing, HR, finance, operations and systems.

To obtain the admission form and prospectus, one can visit

MET Institute of Distance Learning,

MET complex,

Bandra Reclamation (West), Mumbai-50 or

Can log onto www.met.edu. Final year students, working professionals and diploma/degree holders can apply for the course.

The last date for form submission is March 15, 2010.

For further details, one can visit, Website: www.met.edu or www.met/askMET.asp or email at communications@met.edu

The contact number is 1800 22 0234 or (022) 26440096/ 57

CAT 2009- ‘Mis’-Management

So after months of preparation and anticipation, CAT 2009 finally took place. Students were eager as well as apprehensive about new exam format. Things did go wrong to some extent. Students had to suffer because of new format and poor execution. There were issues like old CAT questions, cancelled exams, waiting for endless hours, poor handling by invigilators and what not! Many students have complained of getting less time for exam and some other, definitely the luckier ones got extra time. There seemed to have no back-up plan and this severely affected career prospect of many bright students. This was not just a one-off case but found across several centres.

Students have much to complain because of this royal mess done to them. Prior to exam, students were promised user-friendly and flexible exam pattern but things really went haywire. IIM management and Prometric deserve all the flak bestowed to them by media and affected students and their parents. Another bad aspect was inadequate knowledge possessed by incompetent invigilators. They were just not aware of all the rules, procedures and even conduct.

Students and their family members had to wait for endless hours at exam centres. Many places, exams were cancelled and imagine the plight of students coming from far-flung areas. It would be a real disaster for students who could not take exam due to technical glitches. One interesting observation was difficulty level faced by different students. Some founds really easy questions whereas others found it too tough. Overall, it was not a very pleasant experience for students however they need to maintain their cool and calm and remain in positive frame of mind. Life always gives options.

CAT 2009: Stay Motivated

CAT is just three weeks ago and this will be the last one in the series of preparatory articles. Almost three lakh students will be taking the mother of all management exams. The stress factor is palpable because of factors like performance, anxiety, targets, expectations and of course exam. The preparation phase is almost complete all that remains to be done is to tie the loose ends. Now the focus shifts on revision and enhancing confidence levels. Students now need to take care of mental aspect of the preparation and should also know how to manage stress management.

Remember, exam preparation is just one aspect of the process. What is also important is your confidence level without which nothing concrete can really materialize. The trick lies in avoiding the normal mistakes and remaining confident. Keep your composure intact. Stress can have adverse effect even on most bright students. Try to remain fresh as fatigue in the last stages of preparation can undo all the hard work of months. The changed format this year might make you apprehensive but remember, you have worked really hard and old format or new, if the preparation is right, you are bound to perform well.

If your motivation level is high, half the battle is won. Remember your past successes and every once in a while indulge in some honest introspection. Always look at the bigger picture ignoring the trivialities. Taking control of the situation is very important. Try having a to-do list that should contain only the most important activities. Prepare well and don’t compare your preparation level and methods with others. Always measure your progress with a neutral view. Relax your senses and be joyful. Last but not the least, sleep properly and take a day off if things seem too stressful.

CAT: Timely Tips

Among the sections covered in the CAT, DI (Data Interpretation) is a tricky one. But it is also a high scoring one and chances of improvement are quite high. Just for clarification, the prime difference between Math and DI is the ways of solving the sums. If you intend to improve drastically in DI then focus on calculation part. Many students have tried help of Vedic Math and it has done wonders to them in calculation part. The key is in knowing that, one does not need to give accurate answers in CAT. Choose the one from the options that is closest to the answer. This will save time and unnecessary calculations.

Many aspirants have used one ideal method for solving DI questions and that is to do all the calculation in the mind without taking the help of pen and pencil. This will make your mind come up with new solutions and speed will be additional benefit.

DI section also covers Logic part. If you intend to improve your logic section then try to solve puzzles because that is going to improve your skills greatly. One has to be very systematic while solving logics. The toughest section often found by students is Verbal one. It takes time to master this section. The best way to approach this problem is by reading regularly and thoroughly. It is not hard to improve your reading speed. All it needs is practice and regularity and you are there! Finally, remain focused and motivated and success is bound to touch your feet.

CAT: Suggestions for Preparation

We discussed the importance of devising new methods in the previous post. To continue with the series, let’s talk of some other ways of preparing you to best of your optimum capacity. One potentially idea is to think like your faculty and be forthcoming in sharing your ideas and views. So why faculty? That’s because a faculty always comes up with new ways of solving papers that have not been thought by the students. So when you start thinking like your professor while solving any problem you are bound to have value addition to the knowledge you already possess. Furthermore, you can share your solutions with your class mates.

Many students prefer to study in groups. This helps them in understanding things better because several minds are at work together. Here also, you should try to study with someone who is better than you. That way you might come across new ideas and methods. You should also try to explain what you have understood because when you explain things your won concepts become much clearer to you.

Math and logic section trouble a lot of students. But to their respite, there is a simple way out and that is solving different types of puzzles. The thing with puzzle is they are not solved in a fixed way and you have to come up with some innovative way to solve them. Ultimately that helps your thinking ability. Sudoku could be one of the ways to start with.

CAT: Devising New Methods

So, you are all set to bell the CAT! Its less than 3 months and by this time, your preparation must be going in full vigor. Aspirants’ preparing seriously for CAT must have got command over the basics and would have probably started to take test series. Now, after the initial excitement of tests peters down, you might have noticed that you get a certain percentile in each test. Of course, there is bound to have some improvement since you are also preparing, but what if the percentile get stuck in a certain region? Study harder? Go back to books?

Well, yes, that goes without saying but what else? One can always try new methods. One of the first methods that you can try is to analyze the previously solved papers. Concepts are already clear in your mind so focus should be now on devising new methods. The trick is not be satisfied with your initial high score. Complacency is often root cause of underperformance in final exam and having said that it makes sense to go back to the study table and think of new ways to solve your papers.

Practice is fin but it can also block your way from devising new methods. Mind adjusts itself to the way you allow it. The point to be noted here is the method you are following must be followed by thousand other students so your advantage is almost nullified. In the light of such possibility, it makes sense to think of new ideas that will give you edge over others.