ByAbhijith B

What is MBA?MBA is Masters in Business AdministrationPG course in Business ManagementMost sought after amongst the PG coursesThere are 1600 business schools in India

offering two year MBA programs.Has a link with most CEO’s/Chairmen of top

companiesIs kind of a slingshot/shortcut to be a rich

guy

What an MBA will do for you?Will put you in a better/higher managerial

hierarchyWill put you in a better/higher pay packageWill get you to the ideal start of a DREAM

CareerWill get you to jobs that otherwise you’d have

never got toWill get you to look good in a suit Maybe a lot more dowry than you ever

would’ve got as JUST ANOTHER graduate

What an MBA will NEVER do for you?Will never get you cars, apartments and

private jets.Will never get you a girlWill never get you respectWill never make you a leaderWill never make you more intelligentWill never get you into being a better person

MBA Institutes/collegeBased on test of admission

CAT/GMAT/XAT/JMET/SNAP/MAT/Own testBased on degree awarded

MBA/PG DiplomaBased on Ownership

Govt Owned/Privately ownedBased on Course Content

Generic MBA/Sectoral MBABased on General perception

Good/Bad/Fraud

GMATWhat is GMAT?What the GMAT® Test Measures?As of June 2009, the fee to take the test is

U.S. $250 worldwide3.5 hours to answer questions in each of the

three tested areasMaximum Score of 800A 750+ score will get you into Harvard

GMATMost top B Schools have essays in addition to GMAT

scores. Eg: The following is from Harvard Business School:Essay Questions

1. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit)2. What have you learned from a mistake? (400-word limit)

Please respond to two of the following (400-word limit each):1. What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?2. Discuss how you have engaged with a community or organization.3. Tell us about a time when you made a difficult decision.4. Write a cover letter to your application introducing yourself to the Admissions Board.5. What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?

CATCAT was started in 1975 as the Common

Admission Test to IIM’s. Earlier the then 3 IIM’s had separate tests.

Is the MOST competitive exam in the world with largest number of applicants.

The selection ratio is tougher than that of Harvard

A total of 246546 applicants appeared for the CAT in 2009.

CAT Cutoff’s IIM A(315 total seats)

Minimum 98%ile overall and 94 in QA and DI and 94.5 in VA

IIM COverall - 98.97; QA- 95.52, DI- 95.86, VA- 95.87

IIM I(240 seats)Overall- 98.91

IIM KOverall – 98. QA – 92, DI – 92, VA – 93

How do I prepare for CAT??Preparation tips are like a SHOE. Mine won’t fit

you and yours would bite me PLEASE give enough time for strengthening your

basic fundasCLARITY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN QUANTITYPRACTICEDon’t take Mocks just for the sake of showing-offPlease Do Not Assume ‘Reading = Reading

Newspapers/Magazines’DI has no possible help lines or guidelines for

preparationHave a study group

VA/RC – The Big Gain/LossTry to avoid focusing on every wordWork on vocabulary improvement. Read more! 15 minutes a day of reading an

average size novel equals 18 books a year at an average reading speed!

Determine your purpose before reading. Spend a few minutes a day reading at a faster

than comfortable rateIf you have poor concentration when reading,

practice reading for only 5 - 10 minutes at a time and gradually increase this time.

RC Helpful websiteshttp://www.magicspeedreading.com/http://www.aldaily.com/http://books.google.comhttp://psych.athabascau.ca/html/aupr/

social.shtml

Some FAQs on CATIs Joining a CAT coaching institute necessary for

cracking the CAT?Can you tell me which Coaching Institute to Join

for CAT preparation?I have got XX% marks in my

10th/12th/Graduation. Will I be able to get Admission in “ABC” B-School?

I am a fresher, do I stand any chance in the IIMs??Which books apart from the regular study material

can I opt for, for extra practice?

Non IIM Institutes under CAT

NITIE, MumbaiMDI, GurgaonIMT GhaziabadIMI DelhiSP Jain Institute of Management Research,

MumbaiMICAAmrita, CoimbatoreTAPMI, ManipalBIM, Trichy

IIFT Entrance TestFor Admission to IIFT’s two centers' at Delhi and

KolkataIs a long test with GK also in the fray.RC and VA are separate sectionsIn 2009 the test had 5 sections and no sectional

cutoffs.Amongst the most transparent processes with

detailed cutoff’s explained very clearly.Amongst the best as the only institute where TAS

goes for recruitment other than IIMs ABCL, XLRI and FMS

IRMA Entrance TestIt occurs 1 week prior to CAT, so is kind of a

icebreaker.Has a section pertaining to Rural

Management called Issues of social concern.It is a relatively easy paper and is very easy

on all except the social concern section.

JMETEntrance test for MBA in IIT’s. A large

number of questions in 3 hours.IIT’s have a better brand value than other 2nd

rung B Schools in international marketHere Ranks matter, not %iles.A good rank is must for a GD call. Anything

within 300 will get you all calls.But in Indian placements IIT’s aren’t that

much favored by recruiters.

SNAPSymbiosis National Aptitute test. Test for

entry to Symbiosis Group’s institutions.Only two are among the best in India:

SIBMSCMHRD

XATXLRI Admission Test. Started by XLRI Jamshedpur for their

MBA programmes.Is a good fallback option if your CAT goes awry.Has 20 minutes, 1 page essay in addition to the test at the

end of the test.XLRI Jamshedpur has about 240 seats in its flagship BM

(Business Management) and PMIR (Personnel Management and Industrial Relations) courses.

Apart from XLRI, 60 other institutes accept XAT scores for selection of candidates to their respective programmes.

About 92,000 students appeared for the XAT exam in 2009.

Other institutes under XATXIM, BhubaneshwarGIM, GoaLIBA, ChennaiXIME, BangaloreWelingkar, Mumbai

FMS, DU Entrance TestAnother of the Long test seriesAmongst the top rated colleges in IndiaHas the best return of investment in India for

MBA’sHas a good location in DelhiGreat Alumni networkAmong the few colleges where top

consultants go.Disadvantage of being a non-residential

campus.

TISS Entrance TestTechnically not a B-School, but their HR

programme is most sought after in India after XLRI, SIBM and IIM’s.

Offers an MA in Human Resources Management and Labour Relations

Has the advantage of being in MumbaiHas good Alumni network in top corporates

MATTest happens 4 times in a yearEntrance for various tier 3 and tier 4 B

Schools in IndiaNot the best places to study as far as

education imparted and peer study groups considered.

Good for people looking for region specific MBA institutes

Good for those who need an MBA rather than a job providing MBA

Good institutes under MATChrist College, BangaloreAlliance Business Academy, BangaloreAmity, DelhiMS Ramiah, BangaloreCollege of Engineering, TrivandrumMACFAST, Thiruvalla

Tests over! GD/PIAll institutes except XLRI have GD and PISome institutes also have essay’s and speechesMost test on GK, subject knowledge and work-ex

relatedA good work-ex can offset a bad graduationA good subject knowledge can help you to take

the interview in the way you wishThe GD tests your Group Behaviour more than

anything elseThe interview tests your poise as well. So SUIT

UP!

Useful Linkswww.pagalguy.comwww.catiim.in/www.gate.iitb.ac.in/jmet2k9/www.xlri.eduwww.iift.eduwww.snaptest.orgwww.mba.comwww.tisshrmlr.comwww.aima-ind.org/mat_general.asp

Thanks for the Patience