India - Upcoming Global Manager

India is striving hard to become a global hub of management knowledge and helping it achieve are world class management institutions like IIMs. At present, the USA is the obvious knowledge destination of the world because of the high quality research that is carried out there and its management and PhD programmes. "But things are changing. Indian B Schools have started doing high quality research and are producing great work with which they are able to attract global faculty", said V.K. Menon, senior director, careers, admissions and financial aid at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad. It is estimated that by 2040 there would be the time when the entire world will look at India for people with brain power because by that time 65% of India’s population will comprise of the workforce. That would be the time when Hence, B-schools in India must chart a work plan to build on this power of mind. Let's have a look at the latest trends in management education in India and what more is required to be incorporated in the curriculum to match the industry trends.

Quality focus - 

To drive quality, a multifaceted effort is required. The government plays an important role in terms of giving approvals and evaluating the intent behind starting business school. Faculty resource selection and retention is most important. One way of determining quality is accreditation of business schools. There are national, regional and international accreditation bodies like NBA, SAQS, AMBA, etc. which can ensure quality checks. There are very few business schools in India which have continuously done a self-audit to identify the gap areas. As per facts and researches, around 20% offer quality management education. Emerging needs of the practicing world requires a good combination of domain and soft skills. Indian government is today exhorting inclusive growth, yet it does not feature anywhere in Indian management education. 

"There are very few good management schools in India - may be only top 25 make the grade in a broad sense. There is a need for bringing in tremendous change in pedagogies and current curriculum in use. What we require is a complete overhaul of Indian management education rather than mere incremental improvements. Also, there should be a larger focus on developing the person, building character, rather than only focusing on developing cognitive skills and giving cognitive knowledge. The curriculum must develop greater sensitivity to the context - environment", said Asha Bhandarker, dean, research and consultancy, MDI. 

To update curriculum to meet emerging needs it is important to include industry experts from various functions, achievers from alumni community and leading academicians as part of the academic council.
Currently, Indian management education is undergoing a metamorphosis from traditional classroom oriented teaching to using research driven teaching and use of contemporary case studies. "Indian case studies are beginning to get written and drawing attention across the world. This trend is set to grow. Complex demography, strong value orientation, need for rigorous cost management, deep and multiple distribution systems are some of the challenges routinely faced by companies operating in India and these are adding to the body of management knowledge. As the world globalises, Indian management education will have exponential growth in years to come", said Menon. Competition is certainly not set to come down and the techniques developed in India will be used worldwide. The other issue deals with the right fit. Companies are looking to hire employees who bring great and direct value to their organizations.

Latest Trends In Management Education

The last decade has witnessed major transformation in the management education domain. This transformation could be analyzed from three perspectives - management institutions, students and corporate. "Where earlier the focus of management institutions used to be on developing functional managers, the focus is shifting towards developing holistic managers by giving them more exposure to industry. Traditional courses are being replaced by courses linked with emerging business needs. This is a reality in good business schools where corporate play a key role in designing of the courses. In terms of delivery, lecture based pedagogy is being supplemented by simulations, cases, live projects, outbound, etc. The idea is to bring the classroom environment similar to real organizations where students are able to experience the decision dilemmas in-turn helping them to become good managers. Similarly, students applying to business schools have all the right information to take informed decisions. The last few years have seen a significant rise in the number of portals catering to the needs of the MBA aspirants. Further, the increased participation in social-media has made the applicants capable of making the right choices. Corporate today are picking up the best talent. With the opening of new IIMs and a number of other business schools, the choice has increased. A large number of corporate have tied up with schools all over India to provide managers tailored to their business requirements. The whole focus has shifted towards selecting candidates who can be assigned to roles quickly. Therefore, the whole orientation towards training and skill development has also undergone a major change.

Why only a few of Indian B-schools can be compared with world's best management institutions? "One of the primarily reasons is quality of education. In a quest to approve new business schools, quality has taken a big hit. Good business schools are known by their intellectual capital and not by the size of their campuses or infrastructure. And the core component of the intellectual capital is the quality of faculty which determines the quality of students selected and passing out from these schools", said Joshi World's best management institutions consistently and continuously produce high quality research. This gets them cutting edge knowledge which they are able to pass on to their students. According to Menon, "The major focus of many Indian Bschools has been in teaching. This trend is now changing and good research is getting done in India. A B-school graduate is trained to be a senior manager.
An MBA is not just a teaching of tools and techniques. B-schools need to inculcate integrative thinking, and should equip the student with functional expertise and cross functional knowledge. This understanding of various functions of business and their interplay helps the students to assess an issue through a multi-dimensional lens and to arrive at an appropriate solution."
Another dimension is the profile of the promoters or the leadership behind the schools. Management schools which were opened with a purely commercial objective have not been able to survive. This is precisely why a large number of B-schools have closed down within few years of their inception. The third dimension is the quality of research and consulting undertaken. The fact remains that we are still not doing enough management research to be at par with global standards. Barring few IIMs and top notch B-schools in India, there is very little in terms of faculty output other than fulfilling their course loads."
It is believed that if adequate efforts and processes are established, the quality of education offered by distance institutions can be as good, even better than regular full time education. Any distance learning institute should offer programmes that are at par with the best programmes of the world and must take initiatives to continuously upgrade its programmes.

Points to remember before taking admission in a B-school
First and foremost it should be the profile of the promoters and faculty resource.
Second, the industry/corporate linkages of the institution. It would also be worthwhile to look at student and faculty exchange arrangements with other leading b-schools around the world.
A B-school must be is closely connected with corporate world and have good mix of academicians and faculty from industry.
While selecting a business school, students should keep in mind that the business school is configured to lead students to a career of their choice / liking. This is possible if the business school has appropriate linkage of curriculum and training programmes with the corporate.
Most importantly, the degree should be a recognized from an approving body of Ministry of HRD. One must opt for a PGDM programme approved by AICTE or University Degree approved UGC.
Check whether the school offers Full time PGDM / MBA. The students should be careful about distance and part-time programmes as they have up gradation purpose and are not meant to be professional certifications preparing you for a career ahead.

Also many institutes conduct distance programmes under the garb of full time degree/diploma while conducting classes similar to full time mode. Students must visit the website of AICTE at http://www.aicte-india.org/ to confirm the name and address of the institute they are interested to seek admission.

Source -  Times of India

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CAT 2011 - Make Your Grip On Quantitative Ability

Quantitative Ability can be a nightmare for many CAT aspirants. But if you are really determined about your goal to study MBA in a top notch MBA institute, then a section should not hamper your chance.  For every MBA aspirant, there is one or the other area of weakness. In this article, you will get the tips on how to strengthen this weak section of yours.

 

As you are aware, Quantitative Ability tests your basic knowledge about mathematics, brushing up of the subject, which you had done in the classes VIII to X. The best way to start preparation is by starting with the NCERT books. You will not only feel familiar but will also get your basics brushed up. Before you know more about the preparation strategies, it is important to know about the topics of the Quantitative Ability that you will be facing.

Topics of Quantitative Ability

The topics which you will encounter in this section are Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra, Functions, Number System and Time, Speed and Distance. These are the most common topics that you will face in the CAT exam. Apart from these, the topics are Mensuration, Linear Equations, Ratio and Proportion, Percentage, Profit and Loss, Variable and Inconsistence.

These are the overall topics which you will focus in this section. As Anurag Goyal, who scored 99.56 percentile in CAT 2008 says, “The relative importance keeps changing. It is extremely important to be thoroughly prepared with the chapters that one is comfortable with and not waste time on the others.”

Books for Quantitative Ability

•    The NCERT Maths Books of Class 8 to 10

•    Any one of the following books by R.S. Agarwal: Objective Arithmetic, Mathematics for MBA, Quantitative Techniques

•    ‘How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT’ by Arun Sharma

•    ‘The Pearson Guide to Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT’ by Nishit Sinha

•    ‘Quantum CAT’ by Sarvesh Kumar Verma

•    ‘Quantitative Aptitude for MBA Entrance Examinations’ by Abhijit Guha

Preparation strategy

For preparing the Quantitative Ability section, practice is the best way. In Quantitative Ability if you are weak in all areas, you would need to solve and learn from around 5000 questions in order to match your skills with the best. Over a 150 day period this means 30 to 35 questions per day.

The method of learning by solving is also suggested by many experts. The more questions you solve, more idea you will have on the questions and the topics. “For Quant, focus on the learning you can extract out of every question.  If you can do so, then for CAT or for that matter any aptitude exam would ever hurt you in Quant over the next 10 years! Remember, Question based learning is the key.”

One more way to start is by starting with a particular chapter. Clearing the basic concepts, answering the questions and when you feel comfortable about it, move on to the next chapter. “Take one chapter at a time and solve as many questions as possible over a week or 10 days. The objective should be to master the chapter and develop a very high level of comfort and confidence should any question be asked from the chapter. Thereafter, move on to the next chapter,” experts say.

While you clear the basic concepts and solve the questions, you should also keep in mind the fact that speed is an important constraint of the CAT exam. Hence, maintaining speed and accuracy at the same time will be of utmost importance. CAT is about speed and you should plan your time towards solving each and every question very efficiently. Practice as many questions you can mainly from the previous papers because it gives you an idea about the variety of questions that has been asked before.

If mugging up formulae is not your forte, then practice will come to your rescue. Just practice a lot and you won’t need to mug any formula and any trick. Things will turn out eventually in your favor.

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How to Improve Reading Comprehension Skills for CAT 2011

Verbal Ability Section of CAT test is mainly divided into three sections, reading comprehension, verbal reasoning and grammar and vocabulary. These areas, reading comprehension often causes an obstacle, since it involves reading passages and then answer comprehension questions. In this article, we will provide strategies to overcome the difficulties as suggested by the experts.

There are several difficulties they may face when dealing with questions on reading comprehension. To do this, we will offer strategies for the preparation of MBA you must follow to succeed in this section often feared!

Strategies, as told by the experts are:

Read a lot: Reading helps as you get to know about many issues and increasing their knowledge in general. In order to improve its RC and VA section you need to broaden their background knowledge by reading newspapers, magazines and books. Try to discuss a topic of the paper with your parents or friends. This will help develop interest and help in understanding.

In addition to reading a lot, you need to practice speed reading is. Speed reading helps you understand the faster pace and therefore perform better in reading comprehension passages for their MBA preparations.

Go through the following points to the speed of reading ....

1. They focus in three to four main words in a sentence.

2. When you are reading speed and reduce the time it takes to read slowly.

3. Identify the main parts of the paragraph.

4. You can mark important points / words / phrases in the beginning but gradually be able to identify these unchecked.

5. During reading, the eyes move rapidly from left to right, focusing on key words.

6. After finishing an article, type the essence of that. This will help you know how much you remember that passage.

The choice of Reading Comprehension passages

Among the various passages, it is necessary to select the passages will be easier for you to respond. The factors you should consider when choosing the Reading Comprehension passages includes the theme of the passage, whether you like it or not, the patterns in question, whether direct or twisted are some important factors. The relationship between the length of the passages and the number of questions is another important factor. A long corridor with a few questions is paid few dividends in relation to time put in.

Dealing with long reading comprehension passages

Most of facing the question: How do you answer the questions of long passages of reading comprehension in a short space of time? If it is a long passage, everyone will take time. What you need to do is understand quickly, instead of reading quickly. The approach while reading should be not to read faster But to understand quickly, while the CAT.

“Trying to get more practice in reading, especially in dense reading material quickly. Learning to look at each question in the examination of first principles. You can also turn the reading of passages. When you are starting with the preparation of their reading comprehension, short passages, which have a similar style and are more or less equal length. Determine your reading speed from day one. Say, it is 150 words per minute. Read at that speed for a while, say a week or so and after that, spread over the increasing restrictions of time, say 150 words every 45 seconds, "says an expert.

Solving the reading comprehension passages in computer-based testing

Since last year, the MBA exams like CAT, NMAT and MAT have become computer. Those who are concerned about dealing with reading comprehension passages on the screen instead of paper, experts suggest ways to handle it. Experts suggest that if the practice of reading more articles and news on the computer and take notes on your rough paper (to be included in the CAT online), while reading it, you will be better. Focusing on and understanding of the passage in the reading speed, you can make a note of the important points as you read on the rough paper provided. This will help you answer questions faster and reduce the time to browse through a step each time you answer a question. You have to make full use of the highlight option presented in the CAT team base. "

Stay tuned to MBAINFORMER.TK for more information on preparing for CAT 2011

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Tips on Body Language for PI

“Body language is a form of non-verbal communication, consisting of body pose, gestures, and eye movements. Humans send and interpret such signals subconsciously.” - Wikipedia....
It is often said that human communication consists of 93% body language and paralinguistic cues, while only 7% of communication consists of words themselves. Body language may provide clues as to the attitude or state of mind of a person. For example, it may indicate aggression, attentiveness, boredom, relaxed state, pleasure, amusement, besides many other cues.
According to Prof. Ajay Singh, Chairman MDP & Corporate Interaction Committee of IIM Lucknow (Noida Campus), “During the interview your body language is important. You should not be too submissive or too aggressive.”
Dinup Mathew, Director of PT Education Delhi advises: “While speaking maintain eye contact. Maintain proper body language. You should sit in a calm and straight posture with open hands.”
The right body language in front of the interview panelists is an absolute must if you want to turn your dream of pursuing MBA course at a top B-school into reality. We present to you the ways of communicating non-verbally to the panelists that you are the perfect choice for them.
Keep in mind the following 10 key points while you are facing the panelists:
1. Sit upright but not too stiffly in your chair. This indicates that you are comfortable and feeling confident.
2. Relax and lean slightly forward towards your interviewer. This gives the message that you are both interested and involved.
3. If the interviewer is talking and you want to show that you are actively listening, you need to have direct eye contact and maintain it. Don't overdo direct eye contact; too much contact without breaks can make the other person extremely uncomfortable and can be suggestive that you are domineering.
4. Ensure that your voice tone is not apologetic or defensive.
5. Hands on knees will indicate readiness to answer.
6. Show your cool character: Let your hands lie loosely on your lap or place them on the armrests of your chair.
7. Have control on your hand movements at the start of the interview.
8. Stay calm, think before your talk. Do not interrupt the person interviewing you.
9. Establish a comfortable amount of personal space between you and the interviewer. Invading personal space (anything more than 20 inches) could make the interviewer feel uncomfortable and take the focus away from your conversation.
10. Show your enthusiasm by keeping an interested expression. Nod and make positive gestures in moderation to avoid looking like a circus joker.

For more on GD/PI, stay connected to MBA Informer.

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GD myths, Qualities Count, Some Interview Tips

The GD PI process at leading Maharashtra B-schools, like JBIMS, Sydenham, Welingkar will be conducted from Tuesday, May 10, 2011 to Tuesday, May 31, 2011.

It’s the beginning of the efforts of MBA Informer community. We are here to help you at each and every stage of your ROAD TO MBA. As all of you know that all the MBA aspirants has to go through a tough selection process of GD {Group Discussion}. Some Institutes also test the abilities of the candidate through Case studies.

All the institutes wish to have the best brains in their institutes. Thus for this purpose the admission processes is divided into two stages. The first stage of this process is entrance test. You have faced this stage already. Institutes conduct GD and PI(Personal Interview) in the second stage. The time period of second stage may vary. For e.g. Most of the institutes which accept CAT score only have conducted there GDs but those colleges which accept MAT score are still calling candidates for GD and PI. CET Maharastra will conduct its GD in month of MAY.

The qualities B-schools look for in candidates and the purpose of holding GD PI

GD PI is a very important aspect for selecting the students as the complete personality of the candidates is reflected through these processes. The expectations from the candidates are determined by industry expectations. These include the technical skills, decision making skills, interpersonal skills and conceptual skills.

Technical skill comes from the education. Decision making ability refers to how you take the decisions in your organization. Conceptual skill is the ability to solve and analyze complex situation and Interpersonal skills is the combined skills of communication, leadership, teamwork and conflict resolution.

Myths associated with a GD

1.  Person speaking the most scores the most: It is not important who speaks the most. What is important is whose points make more sense

2.Person starting the GD is the winner: A person might start the GD with a good point. But that does not make him the leader. He has to keep coming back with equally good points whenever possible.

3. Communication skills are very important:  Only communication skill is not enough as your points should have some substance.

3.Like starting the GD, summarizing the GD is also of great importance: Summing up does not mean that you will have to repeat what others have said. It is checked how differently you present the points from others while summing up.

Case Study GD

Case Study GDs are gaining importance over the years. Several B-schools like IIM Indore, IMI and many others conduct Case Study round of GD. In Case Study GDs, you will be given a certain situation and you have to bring out a solution of that problem or situation…

Approach for dealing with a Case Study GD should be as follows:

Identify the problem – At first you will have to understand what the problem is and exactly which is the area you need to look at. For example, if the case is about a company undergoing a loss, then you will have to review what the reason is. Is it the product or something else?

Give two to three different possibilities - On the basis of the problem, you need to come up with two to three possible solutions that you think will work for the particular situation.

Analyze – After that you need to analyze the pros and cons of the suggestions you have made. Then finalize which one is the most feasible option to approach.

Recommendations – You have to give your recommendations on the basis of the solutions made by you or the other members of the group.

Personal Interview

Some of the common questions during the interview round are on: Introduction about yourself, Why you want to pursue MBA, Your awareness about the subjects you pursued in graduation and General Awareness.

For the question on introducing yourself you should give a brief introduction about yourself. Mention your strengths and achievements, your hobbies and interests. But be careful about your tone. It should not sound over confident or under confident.

The way you carry yourself is also of utmost importance. You should dress formally and comfortably. Remember that you are appearing for an interview and all aspects of your personality will be reviewed.

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B School?? Tools To Find Best For You

An MBA program is your opportunity to push outside of your comfort zone, to learn new skills, develop strong relationships, to grow into a leader.  You will grow the most in an environment that facilitates the way that you learn.  This is very personal, and cannot be captured in a number or ranking driven by statistics and weightings that have been deemed important to others as they may not be important - or as important - to you.   Do your own homework.  Start with yourself and what you hope to gain from an MBA program as well as what factors challenge you to push yourself.  Then gather as much information as you can - online, in person, in print, from the schools themselves, independent sources, alumni, and the like.  Develop your own criteria, and then make a point to visit the programs that rank highest on your list.  Experiencing first-hand the culture of a program through interactions with students, faculty, and staff will solidify to you where you will best "fit" and will challenge yourself to grow the most.

One of the major objectives of MBA Informer community is to spread the awareness among all the MBA aspirants about all the available options for them. Soon the results of MBA entrance tests will be declared and the hunt for B-School will begin as per your scores.

Now question is -

How to select the best program as well as institute for you. This article is to tell you about some of the factors that, as an MBA aspirant , you should consider for, while  searching for the B-School for you.

Additionally, we offer suggestions as to additional points to think about and steps to take when deciding upon which programs you will apply to.

Available Program Types

• Two-Year MBA

• One-Year MBA

• Executive MBA

{ Some Institutes offer Distance Learning MBA with PGDBM(AUTONOMOUS) at the name of Dual MBA, never go for it.}

Explore your MBA Options ( Other then IIMs and other Top MBA Institutes)

• Indian Colleges in North India

•Colleges in South India

• Specific Cities

The Rankings – understand what they are telling you

• Internet

• Business Week

• The Wall Street Journal

• The Education Times

But never go only with the words of these sources as there is a maximum probability of getting biased information.

Formal Channels

• The Internet

• Admissions Offices

• Literature

Informal Channels

• Alumni

• Corporate Recruiters

• Faculty

Research, Planning & Preparation are the Key Elements :-

A good Business schools, no doubt offers an unique learning experience, quality education  to the students that spans all management disciplines including the latest research, theories, practices—and, ultimately, a highly regarded degree recognized across the world. Likewise, business schools recognize the valuable dimension, depth and diversity that international students add to their MBA programs. In fact, the insights and perspectives international students bring to the classroom have become integral to the MBA experience. The result is a mutually beneficial experience that enhances all students’ perspectives of the global business community. And the key to realizing the quality education and door-opening opportunities of an MBA program lies in an intensive research, preparation, and planning process on the part of prospective international students.

Qualities and Goals:-

One of your initial steps in pursuing an MBA should be exploring business schools for program types that match your personal style, educational objectives and career goals. Fortunately, there’s a world of information right at your fingertips, courtesy of the Internet. You’ll want to examine the curriculum and various areas of specialization offered at different business schools, along with each school’s unique culture. Equally important is finding out what kinds of services are available specifically for international students. By exploring Web sites for business schools, you can get a good feel for curriculum and campus life. At the same time, you’ll find a wealth of resources specifically to assist international applicants, ranging from admissions requirements, visa information and immigration issues, to English language classes, support networks, scholarships and loan information. In addition, you’ll want to look at the schools’ event calendars for key dates including the admissions information sessions many business schools host around the world. Such sessions provide excellent opportunities to network and learn more about what the schools have to offer.

The Earlier You Start the Better the Result:-

Business school admission is extremely competitive and the earlier you start preparing the better. In addition to practicing your English language skills, you should also be thinking about your application—and interview—long before you actually apply. For starters, you’ll want to make sure your credentials, academic ability and achievement-oriented experiences align with the requirements of the MBA programs you’re considering.  Admissions directors will expect you to effectively position, differentiate and sell yourself in terms of your leadership potential, interpersonal skills and the overall value you will bring to the program.

Your Budget, Be Prepared for it:-

Also keep in mind all the expenses you need to make for your MBA. Its not less than any investment. So be concerned about it. Make a proper planning. If want to go for education loan, check all the available options as well as be careful about all the terms and conditions of banks. Also check all your available funds to make the payments at the time of admission.

You should plan to make contact with those business schools you’re interested in about one year before you intend to apply. This gives you plenty of time to find out each school’s requirements and ensure all required exams  (including TOEFL and the Graduate Management Admission Test [GMAT]) are completed well ahead of their deadlines. With that said, ample preparation for the GMAT is essential. While the GMAT addresses skills that have theoretically been developed over years of schooling and work experience, you can still sharpen your skills by strengthening your foundations and taking practice tests to highlight those areas requiring additional focus.

In the End

The payoff to your comprehensive research, program consideration and preparation, financial aid assessment, and application submission, however, is a comprehensive global experience that will embrace you in a collaborative community, challenge you to reach new heights, forever widen your scope of the world and provide insights that will guide you throughout your business career.

Geographical location and career goals, these are two important points to consider for  all the candidates looking towards MBAs.  Although, there are many programs which have a global focus,  regional knowledge may certainly be enhanced through the location of a Business School and will influence availability of opportunities including field trips, industry speakers, management projects and internships as well.   International exchange is one avenue students might look at to gain exposure to a new geographic region and to strengthen international networks.  While making decisions related to B-School for yourself, you should also assess fit between the School and your career goals.  Looking at diversity amongst the student body, on-campus recruiters and placement data can help candidates do this. You can use the opportunities of GD and personal Interviews to talk with other aspirants, current students and alumni about their experiences.  Lastly, exploring where future opportunities are likely to lie can be extremely important.

Source: {Research Work}

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Verbal Ability for CAT- Verbal Reasoning

Verbal Reasoning is more about testing your logical ability rather than English knowledge. Rather than mere English knowledge, for the sub section of Verbal Ability, you need to enhance your logical skills.

English, the world’s local language has various intricacies which are tested in all its forms in the CAT exam and other MBA Exams.  Verbal Reasoning is another predominant part of CAT. Verbal Reasoning is more about testing your logical ability rather than English knowledge. For verbal reasoning, you need to have the ability to use logic. Thus, rather than mere English knowledge, for this sub section of Verbal Ability, you need to enhance your logical skills regarding MBA Exams Preparations 2010. A look at the question pattern will help you understand what you can expect and how you shall prepare for the Verbal Reasoning part for MBA Exams Preparations 2010 and specially for the CAT Exam.

Types of questions in Verbal Reasoning

The most common form of questions is that you will be given a paragraph where the sentences will be jumbled. You will have to rearrange the sentences and make the paragraph meaningful. Another type of question that is found in the Verbal Ability section of the CAT exam is paraphrasing a given paragraph. This calls for your understanding of what is given and hence is some what similar to the Reading Comprehension section of the CAT Exam and other MBA Exams.

Since CAT 2006, the questions on Fact, Inference, Judgement became common. In this kind of questions, you will be given a set of sentences and you will have to identify which one is fact, which one is inference and which one is a judgement.

MBA Exams preparations 2010 for Verbal Reasoning

As mentioned earlier, Verbal Reasoning is more about having the logic and clear understanding rather than learning. MBA Preparations will also be on that line. But you can initiate the MBA preparations with the same method as you have done for Reading Comprehension and English Usage parts, i.e. reading. When you read an article or a chapter of a book, you will follow a pattern of the sentences. They will start with an introduction, followed by that would be the main theme. Similarly, in the questions of para jumbling too, you can follow the same. First read the entire paragraph and then find out the link between the sentences. Identify the introductory sentence and you will automatically recognize the order of the paragraph.

Often the first sentence gives an overview that helps in forming the framework of the passage. Transitional words, phrases or paragraphs that change the topic should be checked. Try understanding the type of reasoning used i.e. cause and effect reasoning, hypothesis or model building for your CAT Exam MBA Preparations.

For the paraphrasing questions, the advice is to write a summary of an article or paragraph after you read one. This not only expands your comprehending skill but also helps develop an independent thinking process and your ability to express. After finishing an article, write the gist of that. This will help you know how much you remember of that passage. Write a summary of about 100 to 150 words every day on the editorial as it will help in building thought process.

Fact, Inference and Judgment questions can be dealt totally on your understanding. You can identify a sentence as fact if it gives hard core information, universal or applied truth. Inference sentences can be identified by conclusions drawn on the basis of facts. For e.g. if the sentence starts with ‘So, Thus, Due to’ etc. it can be considered as Inferential sentences. Judgment sentences are easy to identify as it gives the personal opinion. Initially, identification of fact, inference and judgment might be confusing but with regular practice, you will get comfortable in this sort of questions for your MBA Exams Preparations 2010.

Only practice and clear understanding will help you score well in the Verbal Reasoning portion of the section of Verbal Ability section in CAT 2010. For your MBA Preparations, supplement your learning by solving examples from previous exams as well as from books or course material developed by experts exclusively for CAT entrance exam.

Stay connected to www.mbainformer.tk for more on MBA preparations

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Verbal Ability for CAT: How to score in English Usage

Verbal Ability is an important section of CAT test. It is consists of three sub sections, Reading Comprehension, English Usage and Verbal Reasoning. Here we will talk about English Usage.

English Usage part consists of the grammar and vocabulary. They form a major part of Verbal Ability section in CAT Exam and other MBA Exams every year. The question patterns which are seen here are similar to the ones which you are familiar in getting during your school level exams. But that does not ensure that the questions will be a child’s play for you. You need to go through rigorous MBA Preparations & practice to ensure zero negative marking in this part for your MBA exams. As most of the time, CAT Exam takers are prone to lose marks by getting confused with the close and tricky options.

Question types on Grammar

The pattern of grammar questions range from sentence correction to locating the error in a sentence. Another question type could be, in a sentence, a portion remains underlined and the CAT Exam takers have to identify the error. You have to choose the option which will correct the error in the underlined part of the MBA Exam section for your MBA preparations 2010.

Another form of question could be that, you will be given four sentences, and you have to find out which of the four sentences are grammatically correct. This type of question was given in CAT 2005.

Questions types on Vocabulary

The questions on Vocabulary basically test your word power. The questions give you a word and ask you to choose the option with the closest or most different meaning with the given word. In simple words, the question tests your synonym and antonym knowledge. Questions like ‘Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word’ are also quite common in MBA Exams like the CAT exam.

Another form of question is, a single word is used in four different sentences with four different usages. You have to choose the sentence which uses the given word in the most appropriate manner.

You are usually not asked to choose the correct meaning of a difficult or less-known word or its antonym or synonym from among the options, a good Vocabulary is still quite crucial for doing well in the English section of any MBA Exam..

MBA Preparations 2010 for the English Usage section

The MBA preparations for English Usage section requires thorough practice and understanding of the basic concepts. In order to do well in Verbal Ability you need three things, reading, clarity on English grammar basics and building up your vocabulary.

For grammar practice, the best way is to consult the basic grammar book, ‘High School English Grammar and Composition’ by Wren and Martin. Not only will you get accustomed to the concepts, but you can also do ample practice from it. Another book which you shall refer for the improvement of your grammatical abilities is ‘A Communicative Grammar of English’ by Geoffrey Leech for advanced knowledge. “Don’t try to mug up grammar as set of rules. See the meaning and understand the connection.

MBA Preparations 2010 for the Vocabulary

The more you read, more often you will come across new words you will come across and hence you will be accustomed to its meaning. Find out multiple applications of commonly used words and phrases, if any. While reading, note the context in which words and phrases are used. This helps in tackling a number of Verbal Ability questions.

You should also keep a pocket size dictionary handy with yourself so that you can know the meaning and note it down whenever you come across a new word. Some books for MBA Preparations 2010, which you can refer for enhancing your Word Power are ‘A Word A Day: A Romp through Some of the Most Unusual and Intriguing, Words in English’ by Anu Garg, ‘All about Words’ by Rosenblum and Nurenberg, ‘30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary’ by Wilfred Funk and Norman Lewis.

Also, try to understand the meaning of the words from its roots. “The best strategy is to understand the ‘roots’ or the origin of certain words. From what ‘main root’ has a particular word been derived? If you approach Vocabulary is a systematic manner, you can rapidly improve on it,” says Balakrishna.

At an overall level, you need to be prompt and accurate while your MBA Preparations 2010 for MBA Exams, for this part of Verbal Ability section. Adequate practice and having conceptual clarity is best in this regard. “In general, focus on building speed and accuracy, through practice, and careful analysis following practice.

Stay connected  to www.mbainformer.tk for more on CAT Exam 2010 preparation

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VOCAB Through roots-2

Having a strong vocabulary is a boon for all CAT 2010 takers. But what about those who are not armed with the word power? Do they not stand a chance to clear the Verbal Ability section of CAT 2010? They certainly do, if they utilize the remaining time left for CAT 2010 in working for a strong vocabulary base.

By now, you must have a fair amount of words in your vocabulary account. As our experts had suggested, there are several ways to bundle up your stock of words such as going through dictionaries, vocabulary books, using flash cards etc. But the most basic of them is to learning words through its roots.

Let us first consider the root Ver/Veri. “This root means ‘true’ or ‘genuine’. These are derived from Latin.

• Verify: To check the accuracy or truth of something-could be a statement, some data, fact or figure etc

• Verifiable: Something that can be checked-the accuracy can be ascertained etc

• Veracity/ Veracious: These words mean something that is correct, truthful, genuine or accurate

• Verisimilar: Something that appears to be true

• Verily: Something that is true or certain, correct or accurate

• Veridity: Something that is genuine and true

• Veritable: Again, this means something that is true

The second root is Chron. “Whenever you see the root, ‘chron’, you should immediately think of ‘time’ for that is what the root means.

• Chronology:  This means “of, relating to, or arranged in or according to the order of time”

• Chronicle:  A record of events in a chronological sequence (in order of time when they occurred)

• Chronic:  Means occurring at frequent intervals of time

• Chronometer:  A device used to measure/ keep time. A clock is therefore a chronometer

• Anachronism:  Something that is out of place in time/ chronologically out of place. For example, if you see someone wearing a dress that was usually worn only in the medieval period, you could call that an ‘anachronism’

The third root which is considered is ante. “This root means the same as the well-known prefix, pre means i.e. it means ‘before’.

• Ante-room:  A room that leads to a bigger room (literally, a small room before a bigger one)

• Antediluvian:  Literally, of or belonging to the period before the great Biblical flood, generally used to refer to someone or someone who is old-fashioned, out of date or antiquated

• Antebellum:  The root ‘bell’ means aggressive (think of the words ‘bellicose’, ‘belligerent’ etc). ‘Antebellum’ therefore literally means ‘before the war’ (here the reference is generally to the American Civil War)

• Antedate:  To be of an older date than something else, thus precede in time

• Antecedent:  refers to a preceding circumstance or event; thus a precursor or fore-runner.

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Vocabulary through Roots-Part I

Dear friends,

Vocabulary plays an important role in verbal section of CAT, but getting well prepared for Vocab. Is a job   which needs regular studies and smart studies. You might have been noticed that several words which are in common use have some common roots like 'CIRCUM', 'PRE' etc. Its easy to learn those words if you know the meaning of these roots. Today we will discuss about some word roots.

Let's start with the root word 'loq' and (related roots such as 'loqui', 'loqu' and 'loc'). These similar roots all mean 'To speak' and are derived from the language of Latin.

Here are some of the many words derived from these roots and their meaning:

• Loquacious : Means extremely talkative (a synonym for this is garrulous, verbose etc, while antonyms would be taciturn, laconic, pithy, terse etc)

• Circumlocution: Another root that you should know is 'circum', meaning 'around'. Circumlocution therefore means an indirect or roundabout way of expressing oneself, not coming to the point, 'to beat around the bush' etc

• Elocution: Is a word that we are all familiar with; meaning a public speech. Remember the elocution contest you may have participated in or watched in school?

• Eloquent: A similar word. It means to be fluent, expressive/ clear in communicating while speaking.

• Soliloquy: Another word using two roots-'loq' and 'solo' (meaning one/ single). A 'soliloquy' therefore means a speech or talk to oneself/ a monologue

• Interlocutor: Again a word with two roots- 'loc' and 'inter' (which means 'between' or 'among'. The word 'interlocutor' therefore means one who takes part in a conversation/ speech.

There is one caveat here. Do not confuse this root with the other ‘loc’ which also comes from Latin and means 'place'. The most common word with this root is perhaps ‘location’.

Other words using this root, referring to place, are: ‘Locomotion’ (also ‘Locomotive’) –the act of moving from place to place; ‘Locate’ – to specify a place to or to find the place of etc

Now let us consider another important root: the root ‘peri’ means ‘around’.

• Pericarp: Refers to the skin or shell of a fruit or vegetable (it is something that goes ‘around’ the fruit or vegetable

• Pericentric: As the word clearly suggests, means to be ‘around’ the centre of something

• Periphery: refers to the boundary ‘around’ something

• Perimeter: Every Maths student knows this word only too well! It means the measurement ‘around’ a closed figure

• Peripatetic: Means to be walking or wandering 'around' from place to place, having no fixed place (like a nomad)

Here are some more roots-which all mean the same thing-'power': 'poten', 'potes', 'poss'

.

These roots are derived from Latin.

• Potent/ Potency: A commonly used word. To be 'potent' means to be powerful or capable of doing something

• Potentate: A 'potentate' is a ruler, a king, a monarch ('mono' means 'one', so 'monarch refers to a single or one ruler)

• Potentiate or potentize:Means to imbibe with potential or to make something powerful

• Omnipotent: Means to be all powerful ('omni' is also a root, meaning 'all')

• Potential: A very common word, meaning having the power to develop further in the future

• Posse: A posse is an armed group, or a group with legal power

• Possess: Another common word derived from the same root and meaning to have in power

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Craze for MBA Admissions or Just Blind Rat Race

Pure science, arts seems to have become a passe and engineering seems to be an incomplete degree. Welcome to the MBA generation. There is a rat race for B-School admissions in the country, from MBA in Delhi to MBA in Hyderabad students are going to lengths and breadths of the country to complete their MBA. For those who are little better off and do not want to face this neck breaking competition in the nation going abroad for a management degree has become a craze. From MBA in Singapore to Sydney, students from India are flocking all educational destinations abroad.

The demand has grown so much over the last few years that top notch institutes haven't been able to cater to this growing demand. Many management institutions have come up in different parts of the country. The newspapers are full of advertisement 'MBA in Delhi' and likewise. The ground situation is so bad that students are opting for the course without even verifying it's brand value in the market.

Barring a few B-Schools in the country that have the infrastructure for management courses, most rely on their placements which is a result of good contacts in the industry rather than a good academic program. There is little emphasis on the course content and most of them even lack a state-of-art campus in spite of tall claims.

Many students choose to pursue an MBA degree as this qualification guarantees them a Job. Or so is the perception amongst the student community. This has led to a rat race in the country for B-School admissions. Although most of these students come out with a degree in hand, a very few of them get what they were promised at the time of joining the course. To make things worst management being one of the costliest streams of educations in India costs the student and their families a fortune.

If you are an aspiring MBA student in India there are a few things that you should keep in mind while seeking admission to a B-School:

•    Do not get fooled by catchy advertisement as the claims on infrastructure and placement in many cases are completely false. Rather verify the credentials of an institute by doing an online research on them both through their websites and other social networking sites.
•    If the institute claims to have recognition from some educational body try verifying it from the website of the educational body itself.
•    Look for their faculty and their background. An institute might be relatively new but with a team of experienced faculty they can create a brand soon. Do not get fooled by the list of impressive Board of Directors as they generally have little control over how an institute is run.
•    If possible try seeing the infrastructure through your own eyes rather than learning them from newspaper and magazine ratings. These ratings aren't a full proof indicators of the actual conditions.

It is a fact that a management degree is the door to opportunities in today's world but students should not let themselves be cheated in the name of doing a management course.

Source - Webpages

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Some Possible Topics For GD In B-Schools For Admissions In 2011

1. How the stock market works
2. Social issues - education, taxation, social programs, income distribution
3. The foreign exchange rate, liquidity, basic economic theory
4. The role of technology in business
5. India's case for a permanent seat on the security council of UN
6. The Sri Lankan Peace Process
7. Doctors' Accountability to Improve Health-Care
8. Universal Disarmament is a Must
9. Is India Aping the Western Obsession with Celebrities?
10. Exit Options for the US from Iraq
11. Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants in India
12. Are Live-in Relationships better than Marriage?
13. Should Guys Expect their Educated Wives to be Virgins?
14. India at 60: A Senior Citizen?
15. Unrest in Countries around India
16. The environment - whose responsibility is it?
17. How will the introduction of hedge funds and the liberalization of foreign exchange controls impact our market?
18. Should Animals be used for Testing New Drugs & Medical Procedures?
19. Do NGOs in India Really Work for Others OR Work for their Own Vested Interests?
20. Security Cameras & Privacy
21. Advertisements Cheat People, Hence Should Be Banned
22. Borderless World: A Threat?
23. Basic political theory and ideologies such as capitalism (Adam Smith), communism (Marx), socialism, democracy, egalitarianism, libertarianism, etc.
24. India's 5-Year Plans
25. Advertising - fairness, company responsibility, unbiased information
26. The Indian space programme orkplace
27. The preservation of heritage, culture or customs
28. The "brain drain"
29. Foreign exchange rates, convertibility, currencies and per capita incomes
30. How banking works; common banking terms
31. The global economic scenario
32. Current politics of India
33. Computers result in unemployment.
34. E-Commerce the best thing for India.
35. Know how the stock market works - bonds, investment, etc.
36. Scandals such as Enron, Worldcomm, Arthur Andersen and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
37. The pros and cons of globalization
38. Emerging communication technologies
39. Derivatives trading
40. The India-US Nuclear deal - is it beneficial or not?
41. Principles of political theories, pros and cons of each ideology, how the most important governments function
42. Currencies and per capita incomes
43. Economic reforms in India
44. The advancement of women's rights is the basis for social development.
45. Do you agree or disagree with these statements? Think about the arguments for or against them.
46. Globalization is good.
47. Corruption is the main outcome of democracy in India. NGOs (Non-governmental organizations) such as the United Nations are ineffective.
48. An India free of the caste system is simply a pipe dream.
49. Is materialism good or bad?
50. Is the agrarian economy in India a boon or a bane?
51. What is the role of ethics in industries such as tobacco, gambling and liquor?
52. Should India aspire to be a nuclear superpower?
53. Advertising is a form of brainwashing.
54. What do you think of this firm's (one that is in the news) decision to go public?
55. Is identity more important than policy?
56. Greed is good - it is an essential human quality.
57. Is China a threat to the Indian economy?
58. Democracy has hampered India's progress.
59. History repeats itself.
60. Is management education really necessary to succeed in business?
61. The ends justify the means.
62. Should the concept of arrange marriage still exist?
63. Men and women will always be unequal in the workplace.
64. Is Indian bureaucracy the basis of a government's foundation, or simply a poor leftover from colonial times?
65. Is war with Pakistan inevitable?
66. Borderless World: A Myth or Reality?
67. Secularism has become a Tool to Justify the Wrongs done by the Minorities
68. What is the Difference between People who do Things Rightly and People who do Right Things?
69. Corruption is a Necessary Evil for Success in Any Sphere,
70. Beauty Pageants are a Must.
71. How to Deal with International Terrorism?
72. Are Peace and Non-Violence Outdated Concepts?
73. Indian Army as a Career Option
74. Capital Punishment should be Banned or Allowed?
75. Is Dependence on Computers a Good Thing?
76. Is India a Soft Nation?
77. Should Research on Human Cloning be banned?
78. Should Sting Operations be Carried Out?
79. How safe is Unmarried Fairer Sex?
80. Conditional Access System for Cable TV Watchers: Boon or Bane?
81. Nuclear War cannot be won and should not be fought
82. Is Swapping Terrorists for Hostages an Encouragement to Plane-Hijackers?
83. Brain-Drain has to be stopped
84. Flexi Timings or Fixed Timings - Which is better at Work?
85. Individual Brilliance Certainly makes a Difference
86. Is Paperless Office a Reality or Not?
87. Rules & Regulation Breed Corruption
88. Rivers are our natural resource. All states have equal rights on them
89. Gender issues in society and in the workplace
90. The emancipation of women
91. The effects of globalization and trade on the world and in India
92. Problems which plague developing nations
93. Immigration

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