AICTE is conducting the first National level Common Management Admission Test (CMAT)-2012 for facilitating institutions to select suitable students for admission in all management programmes approved by AICTE for the year 2012-13. The testing window for computer based test will be open for nine days i.e. from 20th February, 2012 to 28th February, 2012 in 61 cities. The candidates will have option of selecting date and city for appearing in the test.

The initiative has been taken to address the issue of physical, mental and financial burden being imposed on the students through a multitude of entrance examinations being followed by the institutions for admission into all Management Programmes in AICTE approved institutions and University Departments.

Helpful tips for a smooth experience

Taking the CAT 2011:

Prior to the commencement of the actual test, there will be a 15‐minute tutorial that candidates are advised to go through. All candidates will be provided with scratch paper, pencils and an eraser for use during the test. After reading and accepting the non-disclosure agreement, the test will begin. All candidates will first be presented with the section on Quantitative Ability (QA) & Data Interpretation (DI). A countdown timer set at 1 hour 10 minutes (i.e. 70 minutes) will appear on the top-right corner of every screen.

Candidates can navigate within this section using the “Next”, ‘Previous” and “Review” buttons. Since the two sections are separately timed, test takers can focus all their energies on one section at a time. Once the time ends for the first section, candidates will no longer be able to go back to it. The second section on Verbal Ability (VA) and Logical Reasoning (LR), will then begin, with a fresh timer counting down once again from 1 hour 10 minutes. Security is taken very seriously at Prometric.

The in-depth ranking consists of 7 parameters which were used to help students choose their college wisely.

The candidates will be having lot of questions in their mind for online CAT 2010 like 'How do I tackle the computer-based test (CBT) CAT?'

The most obvious aspect of the 'Online CAT' that concerns students is the emphasis on the word 'online' rather than the the word CAT. Well, the answer is to keep things simple and not to worry about the computer-based format, instead concentrate on the 'content' of the paper.

CAT entrance exam is actually test of elimination rather than the test of selection. Successful candidates often attribute their success to their approach -- a poised and calm mind, avoid errors and do not fall into the traps that the exam often surprises you with. This article will address the common errors that students make in the run-up to CAT.

Error 1: Preparing Only for Selected Topics

One of the serious flaws in the approach over the years has been to narrow down the syllabus and prepare only for select topics based on questions that have appeared in the past few years of CAT. CAT has been an extremely unpredictable examination and is known to spring a surprise every year.

There is a high probability that topics or areas that have not had much of a weightage in recent years might make a comeback. Therefore it is in the best interest of candidates to prepare for all topics.

Error 2: Speculating on the Composition of the Paper

CAT is known to ask questions from a wide assortment of test areas and therefore there is no point speculating as to what might happen this year. The IIMs have hinted that there will be 'around' 60 quetions across three sections: Verbal, Quantitative and Logic & Data Interpretation in CAT2010.

Error 3: Overdose of Mocks

Most of the students believe on practicing for as many mock questions as possible but actual fact is that repeated mock tests only highlight the same weaknesses and if students are not analysing their mistakes and rectifying them, then there will not be any major improvement in their performance.

Therefore, a thorough analysis of every mock test will yield far better results than taking a large number of such tests.

Error 4: Missing out on Items to be Carried to the Examination Centre

This year, students should carry their Admit Card, the CAT voucher, a valid photo identity (any among driver's license, passport, PAN card, voter ID, college ID, employee identification card or a notarised affidavit with photo, signature, date of birth and residential address) and a valid document as proof in case the student belongs to the SC/ST categories.

Error 5: Blind Guessing

It is has been observed in 'experimental' conditions that blind guessing almost always leads to a negative/low score, therefore avoid blind guessing and marking answers indiscriminately.

However, if you are able to eliminate two/three choices (out of the four or five) on proper reasoning, then, it is not advisable to leave out the question even if you do not know how to solve it.

The graph of the students to pursue MBA degree is growing steadily, but many students still have a lot of questions in their mind about the future after pursuing degree. This article will help students to answer some important frequently asked questions

What is The quantity of Required Work Experience?

Many students want to get the MBA degree immediately after gaining their degree for their positives hopes in future. While some B-schools admit students with excellent academic record who do not have any work experience, but some B-schools prefer to admit students with work experience. If we talk about ideal conditions, candidates should have acquired 2 to 5 years of work experience before applying for an MBA becuase live work experience on projects/sites will will candidates to learn some communication and leadership skills. After the Work Experience MBA degree may be a gift to improve those skills.

How to choose the right B-school?

There are thousands of business/Management schools in the world. We may categories these schools in A, B and C class. Some of thses schools teaches excellent business tricks and some are average. Some are special in a particular stream. Before you start the application process, make a list of 5 to 10 B-schools. Besides Their dream schools, they should select one or two schools where they have decent chances of getting an admission.

Some questions should be in the mind during selection of B-Schools

• Think about your career goals?
• Why do you want to pursue an MBA?
• Where do you want to reach in ten years from now?
• Once you have answered all these questions try to find a school that will help you achieve your aims in life.

Online CAT 2010: Do's and Don's

You have reached the final lap in the race to CAT 2010 and we are sure you have put in a lot of effort. At this time, it would be natural for you to be a little anxious about the test. Do not let this anxiety lead to distress but let it serve as a motivator to keep your performance levels high on the big day.

You need to stay focussed and confident at this point of time.

Tip for 1 day before the test:

• Stop studying. Just revise some few concepts or formulae, make mental maps of important strategies that you have used during test preparation. Do not study anything new.
• Relax with friends or watch a movie on the day before the test.
• Ensure that you get a good night's sleep on the eve of the test.
• Be positive and confident.
• Ensure that you read the test rules and regulations and are aware of what can be carried into the test venue.

Online CAT 2010: Exam Day Tips

Here are some following imporant tips which should be followed at the day of CAT exam.

On the day of the exam
The candidate should reach the exam centre at least two hours before the reporting time. In all likelihood, there will be quite a few students at the exam centre – do not get intimidated by them.

You may also see some students referring to books or discussing questions. Just ignore them. Before you enter the examination hall, use the rest room if need be. In general, once the test starts, you will not be allowed to leave the examination hall until the test is over — it takes close to four hours from the reporting time.

Do not approach the examination with any expectation about the pattern of the test, the composition of the sections or about the models of questions that are likely to appear. Any such speculation will only heighten your anxiety.

If the table/chair/monitor/keyboard are not proper, please ask for a replacement or a change in the position before the exam starts —once the exam starts, the invigilator may not entertain such requests.

Keep proper track of the passage of time —make sure that you keep looking at the timer on the screen regularly throughout the test. Go through the 15-minute tutorial carefully and make a note of the number of questions in each section, number of choices and the marking scheme and negative marking. Remember that the test duration is 135 minutes (2 hours and 15minutes).

Once the test starts, scan through the paper for the first two to three minutes using the REVIEW button. Depending on how the test is organised, distribute the time over various sections – and adhere to the time limits that you set for yourself. Remember, that there will be easy questions in all sections — your focus should be on attempting all the easy questions before you decide to attempt the difficult or the more time-consuming ones.

Corporate Social Responsibilities : Lecture series on Management Science by Prof.Anuradha Sharma, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Delhi.

CAT practice test id designed to provide you with a comprehensive overview of what to expect on the day of your test. It comprised of two sections: A tutorial and overview of the CAT user interface; and a fully functioning practice test - giving you the ability to interact with the CAT well ahead of your testing day.

The Common Admission Test (CAT), which one needs to clear for a coveted seat in any of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other B-schools in India, will be held over 20 days between October 27 and November 23, 2010 with breaks for Diwali. Given the technical glitches in last year’s exam, most students are apprehensive as to what lies in store for them this year. However, the technical goof-ups may or may not happen this year, but the following tips are likely to help students maximise their performance in the exam.

GET READY

Appearing for the CAT on the computer is substantially different from appearing for it in the paper-and-pencil-mode. For instance, it is much tougher to read large quantities of text in the reading comprehension section on the computer than in an exam booklet. Similarly, interpreting graphs and tables on the screen is tougher than on paper, where you can scribble and make notes. Thus, it is crucial that you are prepared to appear for the test on the computer. It is fine to work with paper and pen during the initial stages of practice, but in the final run up, i.e. beginning mid-September, you should practice tests only on the computer.

Here GA reader Adarsh Sharma, an IIM Indore student who scored in the 99 percentile in CAT 2008, shares his advice...

CAT is an exam of uncertainties and preparation is the only thing that can equip you to manage this uncertainty. But how you prepare varies from individual to individual. I know people who have got IIM calls studying half an hour a day and have seen people with equal capabilities failing at the same despite putting in several hours every day.

Talking about myself, I gave CAT in 2008 and managed 99.73 percentile to get a couple of IIM calls and now am studying in IIM Indore. I had not performed very well during my engineering entrance exams and the journey during engineering was also not turning out to be a fun ride. So for me, CAT was my last chance to prove to myself that I could do something big. Of course you can say that I could have sat for CAT the following year as well but I think if you don't challenge yourself and see this year as THE year, success is tough to come. So, my first tip would be --challenge yourself.

I believe regularity is more important than the number of hours you study ie studying one hour every day is better than studying 10 hours on one day or 5 hours on two days. The reason for this is simple -- you just can't maintain the same level of concentration for such long hours and regularly brushing up concepts is better than trying to gulp everything at one go. Hence, my second tip is -- be regular.

LISTENING

1. Read instructions carefully, don’t just glance at them. They are not always the same as in practise or previous tests.
2. Often the speaker will give you an answer and then correct themselves-watch out for this. It’s a common trick.
3. Try and anticipate what the speaker will say. This requires concentration-easy in your own language, but more difficult in English.
4. Remember if you want a high score you should aim to get all questions in parts one and two correct. Don’t make any careless mistakes in the easier sections.
5. Although there are not that many IELTS books on the market other Cambridge exam preparation materials can provide valuable practise such as FCE and CAE preparation books.
6. Small errors can lead to low score such as spelling, omitting 's' or incomplete times.
7. Don’t  panic if you think the topic is too difficult or the speaker is too fast. Relax and tune in.
8. Read, write and listen at the same time. Tricky but practise!!
9. Don’t leave blanks, you might as well guess you won’t be penalised.

Dear Student,
The IIM’s have released the CAT scores. By now you must have a fair idea of the options available to you. The options that you would have are given below. Choose the one that suits you best or explore all.

Tips for Admissions in B-school And Real IIM GD Topics

IIM Lucknow's post-CAT selection process consists of three parts:
    1. Written ability test (of 15 minutes duration)
    2. Group discussion (on a given topic for 20 minutes)
    3. Personal interview

Last year, the process began with the written ability test, which is typically an essay-writing exercise. Over the past three years, the topics for this test have been one line abstract topics and the time allotted for this is 15 minutes.

Evaluation of the essay is done on the parameters of perspective and communication. This is followed by a group discussion on the same topic. The maximum time allotted for the GD is 20 minutes.

GD topics for CAT 2008

* He who knows how to be poor knows everything
* Habit and routine have an unbelievable power to waste and destroy
* A fool can ask more questions in an hour than a wise man can answer in seven years
* You have to break a few eggs to make an omellette
* When all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail
* If you want peace, prepare for war
* Patience is a bitter plant but it bears sweet fruit
* Cursing the weather is bad farming
* It is better to be born lucky than rich
* Good judgement comes from experience and experience comes from poor judgement
* If you are not a part of the solution, you are part of the problem
* Rules are made to be broken

GD topics for CAT 2007

* Business and Ethics do not go together
* Performance enhancing drugs should be legalised in sports
* The test of a successful man is not an ability to eliminate the problem before it exists, but to meet and resolve it whenever it arises
* Good economics is bad politics
* A successful man is not one who has ability to eliminate problems before they occur, but who can face the difficulties as they arise and solve them
* Good things always arise from good thinking
* A successful man is one who plans for the problems and avoids them and not one who faces problems as they come and solves them
* Faith is to believe what you do not yet see, reward for faith is to see what you believe
* Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative
* When you find that you are on the side of majority, it is time to reform
* Science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind
* Morality is the creation of the weak to deter and limit the strong
* Winning is what matters, whatever may be the cost
* Education is a progressive way of discovering your ignorance
* Great spirits face violent opposition from mediocre minds
* Helping hands are better than praying lips
* Necessity is the mother of all invention
* Thinking about the worst prepares you for the worst
* A closed mouth catches no flies
* You don't have to be different to be good; but you have to be good to be different
* If you give a man a fish, he eats it once. You teach a man to fish, you lose a business opportunity
* A man with words and no deeds is like a garden full of weeds
* For an idea to be accepted it has to be advertised by a good salesman
* Law is the creation of the strong to rule the weak
* Happiness is a mystery like religion, and it should not be rationalised
* Hope for ill gains is the beginning of loss
* Education is what remains after one forgets what one has learnt in school

GD topics for CAT 2006

1.Find something interesting to read and listen to, then practice speaking and writing about it.

Listen to Podcasts, recorded lectures – check the website of your favorite University. Go to news websites such as Ndtv.com, ibnlive.com, timesofindia.com. Read up on your favorite subjects on popular websites such as wikipedia.org. Tell a friend or family member about what you learned.

2.Work with a speaking partner, preferably with a native speaker of English or try an online video chat! The more opportunity you have to speak the language, the more familiar you will become.

3.Take on the role of a great journalist: Take good notes and use them to make summaries.

4.Make vocabulary flash cards and pretend you are a contestant on a vocabulary quiz show. Carry the flash cards with you often. They are a great way to make a bus ride go by quickly.

5.Visit TOEFL-TV on YouTube. www.youtube.com/TOEFLtv for great resources and tips from English language instructors and students that have taken the TOEFL test.

6. Reading Tips

Practice summarizing and paraphrasing texts.

Time Management (Lecture for MBA Students) Part 1/4

Description: Sebastian Schabowski presents the biggest secrets of time management in a lecture titled "How to double your productivity.

So the entrance tests are done with, and the preparation for the group discussion-personal interview phase has begun. Most candidates wonder why a group discussion/interview is even necessary after they have managed to pass the gruelling exams. The common sentiment is that after clearing the hurdles of a tough examination like the CAT or XAT, the interview sessions and group discussions simply add to the burden. But the fact remains that a written examination can only test the academic capabilities of a candidate. The group discussions and interviews on the other hand are more like assessment tools that help the interviewers find the qualities that they are searching for in an ideal candidate.

Personal interviews can help candidates too however. They present a platform where the candidate can elaborate on his / her candidature. S/he can put forward various points that he or she might have missed in the application.

Remember, the interviewers look forward to meeting some of the best minds in the country; so make sure you are one of them. Here are some tips to help you ace your B-school interview:

Make a positive first impression
The first impression has to be good -- so make sure you dress well. One should go for conservative business attire. Flashy dresses, dirty nails or unkempt hair are to be avoided. If you happen to be wearing a party outfit, the board might think that you lack focus about your career. A casual attitude can ruin everything.

Be punctual