TAPMI, India’s leading B-School, Jindal Global Business School (JGBS), a part of the O.P. Jindal Global University, and TCYonline.com, India’s No.1 Test Prep portal, have joined hands to provide impetus and guidance to thousands of MBA aspirants who will be appearing for various MBA entrance tests in the next few months. Winners would be awarded with cash prizes up to Rs. 10,000 and many other rewards.

The three organizations have joined hands to launch MBA Wizard-2012, a twelve week MBA pre-entrance contest that will help identify and groom India’s best future managers. The contest will be live on www.TCYonline.com from October 3^rd to December 24^th 2011.

Every week, Top 10 students will be selected on the basis of their performance and all these students will be given cash prizes, certificates of appreciation, and complimentary admission forms from sponsoring institutes & career counseling sessions. There are special prizes for Top 3 performers of the event.

With more than 50,000 MBA aspirants expected to participate in the MBA Wizard 2012 contest, the results will be less ambiguous than the results in a traditional classroom where skills of a limited number of students can be benchmarked against one another. TCY Analytics, a database of nearly 4 crore analytics will help the students identify their strengths and weaknesses, which in turn will help them improve their performance by targeting weak areas.

About TCYonline.com: TCYonline.com is India biggest test prep platform with 1.2 million enrolled students. The portal features more than half a million questions catering to over 50 categories of international and national tests. The tests have been contributed by thousands of educators who are registered with the portal. When students attempt a test, they can benchmark themselves against thousands of other students who have already attempted the test. TCY Analytics, a database of nearly 4 crore analytics, evaluates each student’s attempt by comparing it to the attempt pattern of other students who have already taken the test.

About TAPMI: The T A Pai Management Institute (TAPMI) located in the international university town of Manipal (Karnataka), is among the leading management institutes in India, and is reputed for its academic rigour and faculty-student interaction. Founded by the visionary, Late Shri. T. A. Pai, TAPMI’s mission is to provide much needed impetus to the task of building professional management capability in the country.

Since commencement of the PG Programme in 1984, TAPMI has received recognition and respect amongst the well-known industrial houses and academic institutions in India for the quality of its education. Over the years, the institute has earned a name for its Post Graduate Programme in Management (equivalent to MBA) and the quality of student talent it has produced. Continuous improvements in the curriculum, structure, academic systems and faculty resources have contributed significantly to making TAPMI a preferred centre for management education. Today, over 1900 TAPMI alumni hold responsible managerial positions in India and abroad.

About Jindal Global Business School:  A part of the O. P. Jindal Global University, JGBS started its operations in 2010. The vision of JGBS is to impart global business education to equip managers and professionals with skills and knowledge to efficiently tackle challenges faced not only by businesses but also by NGOs, entrepreneurs and government organizations. JGBS offers multidisciplinary education to foster academic excellence, global collaborations and linkages between inter-disciplinary research and teaching. O.P. Jindal Global University has collaborative partnership arrangements with a number of globally reputed universities in the Asia Pacific Region, Europe, UK and the USA. JGBS currently has memoranda of understanding (MoU) with the School of Management at the University of Texas, Dallas and Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

The partnerships provide for student and faculty exchange, joint seminars, and collaborative research. The Global Immersion Program at JGBS extends opportunities for experiencing business, cultural and academic centres in different global institutions with which JGBS has established partnerships.

Click http://www.tcyonline.com/india/MBA-wizard.php to know more.

Subject experts at www.TCYonline.com, India’s largest online test prep platform, will be solving the test paper and hosting the JMET 2011 solution key on their website. Students wanting to check JMET 2011 answers can find them on http://www.tcyonline.com/exam-analysis/jmet-2011-solutions latest by 4:30 p.m. of the same day as the test.

Students from across the nation can also participate in ‘JMET 2011 Questions Discussion‘ on the website. They can also leave their queries on the website and the experts at TCY will revert back with the answers within a short time. Candidates will also be able to input their expected scoring range and TCY Analytics will also compute the inputs to give a cross section of expected scores.

Unlimited free JMET 2011 and other MBA program Mock Tests are also available in the tests section on www.TCYonline.com. Aspirants can do last minute revision and hone their skills for the upcoming test. They can also target self improvement by using TCY Analytics to analyze their attempt pattern, time taken on each question, sub topic and topic wise analysis of strengths and weaknesses.

Take a deep breadth, crack your knuckles and get ready to face the next challenge: IIFT 2010. IIFT 2010 will be held on Nov 28, 2010. IIFT MBA Entrance Exam is conducted by Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, one of the prestigious business schools of India.

IIFT entrance test is always a surprise to the candidates. Last year there were 122 questions and four sections and toughest sections were Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation. Let’s see what challenges you will get in IIFT 2010.

The students will want to know how well they did, what are their chances of clearing it, what would be their score in each section, which questions they did correct and what could be the cut-offs etc…..

Worry no longer!

All these questions will be answered on same day, so their anxiety will not last beyond 5 PM on test day itself.

The subject experts at www.TCYonline.com, India’s largest online test prep platform, will be solving the test paper and hosting the IIFT 2010 solution keys on the website. Students wanting to check IIFT answers can find them on http://www.tcyonline.com/ at 5 p.m onwards of the same day (Nov 28)

So Logon to TCYonline.com for complete answer/solution key and question by question analysis for all sections; Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension.

You can also share all your apprehensions and experiences with your peers through us. Your experience may allay somebody else’s apprehensions and vice versa.

time or how the federal government works. Instead, it is a distinct

piece of the biological makeup of our brains. Language is a complex,

specialized skill, which develops in the child spontaneously, without

conscious effort or formal instruction, is deployed without awareness of

its underlying logic, is qualitatively the same in every individual, and is

distinct from more general abilities to process information or behave

intelligently. For these reasons some cognitive scientists have described

language as a psychological faculty, a mental organ, a neural system,

and a computational module. But I prefer the admittedly quaint term

“instinct”. It conveys the idea that people know how to talk in more or

less the sense that spiders know how to spin webs. Web spinning was not

invented by some unsung spider genius and does not depend on having

had the right education or on having an aptitude for architecture or the

construction trades. Rather, spiders spin spider webs because they have

spider brains, which give them the urge to spin and the competence to

succeed. Although there are differences between webs and words, I

will encourage you to see language in this way, for it helps to make sense

of the phenomena we will explore.

Thinking of language as an instinct inverts the popular wisdom, especially

as it has been passed down in the canon of the humanities and social

sciences. Language is no more a cultural invention than is upright posture.

It is not a manifestation of a general capacity to use symbols: a three year old,

we shall see, is a grammatical genius, but is quite incompetent at the

visual arts, religious iconography, traffic signs, and the other staples of

the semiotics curriculum. Though language is a magnificent ability

unique to Homo sapiens among living species, it does not call for

sequestering the study of humans from the domain of biology, for a

magnificent ability unique to a particular living species is far from

unique in the animal kingdom. Some kinds of bats home in on flying

insects using Doppler sonar. Some kinds of migratory birds navigate

thousands of miles by calibrating the positions of the constellations

against the time of day and year. In nature’s talent show, we are simply

a species of primate with our own act, a knack for communicating

information about who did what to whom by modulating the sounds

we make when we exhale.

Once you begin to look at language not as the ineffable essence of

human uniqueness but as a biological adaptation to communicate

information, it is no longer as tempting to see language as an insidious

shaper of thought, and, we shall see, it is not. Moreover, seeing language

as one of nature’s engineering marvels an organ with “that perfection

of structure and co adaptation which justly excites our admiration,” in

Darwin’s words  gives us a new respect for your ordinary Joe and the

Much maligned English language (or any language). The complexity of

language, from the scientist’s point of view, is part of our biological

birthright; it is not something that parents teach their children or

something that must be elaborated in school as Oscar Wilde said,

“Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to

time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.” A preschooler’s

tacit knowledge of grammar is more sophisticated than the thickest

style manual or the most state of the art computer language system,

and the same applies to all healthy human beings, even the notorious

syntax fracturing professional athlete and the, you know, like,

inarticulate teenage skateboarder. Finally, since language is the product

of a well engineered biological instinct, we shall see that it is not the nutty

barrel of monkeys that entertainer columnists make it out to be.

• Read the passage and answer the questions

below:

1. According to the passage, which of the following

does not stem from popular wisdom on language?

1. Language is a cultural artifact.

2. Language is a cultural invention.

3. Language is learnt as we grow.

4. Language is unique to Homo Sapiens.

5. Language is a psychological faculty.

2. Which of the following can be used to replace the

“spiders know how to spin webs” analogy as used by

the author?

1. A kitten learning to jump over a wall

2. Bees collecting nectar

3. A donkey carrying a load

4. A horse running a Derby

5. A pet dog protecting its owner’s property

3. According to the passage, which of the following is

unique to human beings?

1. Ability to use symbols while communicating with

one another.

2. Ability to communicate with each other through

voice modulation.

3. Ability to communicate information to other

members of the species.

4. Ability to use sound as means of communication.

5. All of the above.

4. According to the passage, complexity of language

cannot be taught by parents or at school to children

because

1. children instinctively know language.

2. children learn the language on their own.

3. language is not amenable to teaching.

4. children know language better than their

teachers or parents.

5. children are born with the knowledge of

semiotics.

5. Which of the following best summarizes the passage?

1. Language is unique to Homo Sapiens.

2. Language is neither learnt nor taught.

3. Language is not a cultural invention or artifact as

it is made out.

4. Language is instinctive ability of human beings.

5. Language is use of symbols unique to human

beings.

• Click here for MBA Exam Alerts, CAT 2010 Notifications and to get complete study material for CAT Preparation.

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In our country, English is the second language. Apart from metropolitan cities, which have a number of convent schools, all other students stand at a huge disadvantage, since they are not exposed to the English Language. In all these states, even though the English Language is part of the curriculum, the English Language is taught in their mother tongue. The teachers themselves are not trained properly and they do not have the ability to make the English Language interesting. Moreover the interaction between students also happens in their mother tongue, with the net result being a rude shock, when they get exposed to the outside world.

When I interacted with this category of students at length their concerns were:

If we try to converse in English with our teachers, they reply in our mother tongue

English is not required for me because I am joining the family business

Our friends make fun of us or treat us as social outcasts, if we try to converse in English

Our parents are not educated and our siblings are also sailing in the same boat

Our teachers discourage the use of English

We know only a few words

We do not know how to construct a sentence and pronounce the word, so we will end up making fools of ourselves

Emotionally sensitive

Inability to speak in front of a small group or public speaking

Thinking in one’s mother tongue and translating into English

After listening to their concerns, I just asked them one question, How did you pick up your mother tongue?  The answer was prompt. We learnt to speak our mother tongue by listening to our parents speak. My next question was, Did your parents teach you grammar?  The answer was No

I then went on to tell them, the English Language also needs to be learnt, the same way.

I worked out a plan of action which I am listing below:

Be passionate about the English Language

Make it a point to watch News Channels, Animal Planet or National Geographic. Close your eyes and focus on the words. Likewise, if you share a passion for a particular game, as in, cricket or football, listen to the commentary

In the initial phase do not bother about your grammatical accuracy, fluency or vocabulary. Your focus should be to reach a level, where you can boldly communicate in the English Language, with whatever vocabulary you have

Identify one person in your locality who speaks the English Language fluently. Have a serious discussion with this person,  and tell him that you want to improve your language, and you are prepared to stretch the limit. Ask him to correct your mistakes. Fix up a time convenient to him and interact with him for anywhere between 10 – 15 minutes daily.  This conversation can be in person or on phone. Ask him to correct your mistakes and make it a point, not to repeat the same mistake again.

Avail of every opportunity that you get to speak. Never bother about the reaction of the audience. There are bound to be people in the audience who will smile sarcastically or may laugh at you, while you are delivering your speech. Let me tell you that these people are failures. They have not achieved anything in their life, and are filled with envy. Make yourself mentally so tough, that nothing should pull you down, and destroy your confidence

Do not compare yourself with anyone. You are unique

Read any magazine which is related to your area of interest. If you want to go in for fiction, there is nothing to beat, James Hadley Chase. You will not put the book down, till you have finished, reading the book fully. The language used is also simple.

Always think in English. If you think in your mother tongue, and translate  into English, the structure will go horribly wrong. Let us take a sentence; Rita is beautiful, which is the right structure.  Assuming that your mother tongue is Hindi, the translation will be, Rita khoobsurat hai, which when translated to English becomes, Rita beautiful is.  Always remember the basic structure of the English Language, which is, Subject + Verb + Object

Practice Auto Suggestion. Human beings are blessed with two minds, conscious mind and the subconscious mind. When we go to sleep in the night, the subconscious mind comes on top and the conscious mind goes down. Auto suggestion means feeding your subconscious mind with positive thoughts. In this case, let us assume that you have to deliver a speech after one week. Everyday before going to sleep, imagine that you are one of the best speakers in the world.  People admire you and they have come in huge numbers to listen to you. See yourself talking confidently, and the audience listening to you, with full attention. After your speech gets over, the entire crowds’ gets up from their seats and give you a standing applause. Do this everyday without fail, and more importantly, believe in the power of the subconscious mind. Visualize this whole scene again and again. The great tennis player, Andre Agassi, is a master of the subconscious mind. When you get up in the morning, the conscious mind comes on top, and the subconscious mind goes down.  The job of the conscious mind, is purely to implement the commands, given to it, by the subconscious mind.  You can rewrite your whole destiny, if you tap the power of your subconscious mind

Before I wind up, I would like to quote Martin Luther King, who said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenges and controversies”

HAPPY SPEAKING

The basic objective of studying these subjects, is to ensure that your fundamentals are strong. No one expects you to master all the subjects. Tomorrow when you take up a leadership role, you should have the basic knowledge about all functions, to ensure that no one takes you for a ride.

At the end of the first year, students go for summer placements. The summer placement runs for around four months. After finishing their summers, students come back and the second year begins wherein they specialize in their core area.

Before the students go for their placement, they have to choose their core specialization, as in, Finance, Marketing, Operations and Human Resources. The students have a dual specialization. On most occasions, whenever I interact with students, I see students choosing the core field due to peer pressure. When I sit with them and discuss as to what made them choose that field, the replies that I get are:

Majority of my batch mates have chosen that field

We heard it is a sunrise industry

This field pays much more than any other line

As a teacher, it pains me a lot when I see students getting into functions they are not fit for. Personally I do make it a point to tell students to identify their strengths by doing an honest introspection and  to discuss the same with their family members and close circle of friends. If they have professional contacts, they are the best people, since they are already working in that line. They are not only the best source of information they will also guide you properly.  Once the student narrows down on his core specialization, he will know the gap to be bridged in terms of skill sets after he interacts with professionals working in that industry.

Lot of B Schools have come out with super specialization programs which is an add on to the core specialization. The areas are:

Airlines and Airport Mangement

Shipping and Logistics Management

Retail Mangement

Supply Chain Management

Let me also tell you that there is nothing called as a sunrise industry. Each and every industry has to go through the stages of Infancy, Growth, Stability and Decline. It is part of the economic cycle.

I also reiterate the point that compensation is totally secondary. According to me, at the start of your career what you learn, is more important than what you earn. I also see students having unrealistic expectations and living in their own dream world. Your specialization should be in tune with your skills. If you choose the wrong line, apart from being a misfit for the job, you are also putting your entire career at risk. If you get into an industry purely for money, the day is not far off when you will get frustrated and land up in a mess.

Once you have identified your skill sets and decided your core specialization, ensure that you keep yourself updated in that line. You need to seriously devote time to understand the industry, the major players, the standing of the industry right now and the future of the industry. The best source of information will be newspapers like Economic Times and Business Standard. Apart from this, try to identify a mentor, when you go for your summer placements. If you prove your worth during the summer placements, there is every chance that the organization will consider you, when they come for the final placements.

I would like to share some critical points to be kept in mind throughout the program:

• Integrity is the foundation on which your career is built. Never lie. If you have done a mistake have the courage to accept your mistake, instead of trying to hide it or getting into arguments.
• Be the first person to take the initiative. Put your heart and soul in your job, when you go for summer placements.
• Be disciplined and punctual. Never take any leave.
• Strictly adhere to organizational decorum.
• As I mentioned earlier, this is the apt time to identify a mentor, who will be your guiding and inspirational force. Never try to put on a mask and show interest. They are seasoned professionals and your reputation will take a beating. Be genuine. Be yourself.
• Be in touch with your mentor and work on your weakness. This should be done throughout the program.
• If you have the habit of gossiping, work seriously on it. All relationships are built on trust. Trust is built up only once. It cannot be built again and again. Likewise during the course of your program never criticize any of your batch mates or professors.
• During the program, you will get lot of opportunities to make presentations. Take each presentation as a challenge and keep on raising your bar.
• Be mentally alert and focused on the program.
• In group presentations you may have to work with other candidates who are not known to you. Extend your full cooperation and take the responsibility of keeping the group bonded together. Each individual will have his idea. Genuinely congratulate your group member if he has come up with excellent points. It is natural to get discouraged if your points are not included in the presentation. Try to find out why the point is not relevant. Always remember that our learning process continues till death. Moreover when you start your career you will inevitably be part of a team. You cannot afford to create disharmony within the group.
• Be very careful whenever you speak. Choose your words with care. Never indulge in any kind of casual talk. Likewise ensure that you are well dressed and maintain good hygiene. Groom yourself to become a person who can be trusted.
• Work on your vocabulary. Keep a daily target and strictly adhere to it.
• Keep working on honing  your listening skills. There is a huge difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is done with the ears. Listening is done with the mind and the heart. Powerful listeners can create miracles.

The basic objective of having summer placements is to get exposed to what an organization is, how does it work, the role of each department and how the industry works as a whole. This is because most of the students are fresh from college and directly enroll for an MBA Program.

The second year is the time when you have to hone your skills in your line or function and ensure that you keep abreast of all the latest developments in that line.

Likewise during your final placements make a very careful choice. There are two critical points which you need to keep in mind. The first is the reputation of the organization. The second is the Human Resource Interventions that the organization has in place. All professional organizations have an individual career growth plan for each employee. They also have structured training programs to help the new employee develop his skill sets and also get him exposed to all the functions. Your first job is the most critical because it is going to determine the entire course of your career. When an organization selects an employee, it does so with a long term perspective in mind. Never make the mistake of job hopping. It is suicidal. As of today, job hopping is looked upon very negatively by all reputed players in the industry. Even an experience of five years in an organization,  makes the other company think. You need to have a really valid reason for quitting the organization.

My only advice to all  MBA students is to make the right choice in terms of their specialization. Once you make the right decision, believe me, it will be an eternal honeymoon for you.

CHEERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another misconception is that the online format makes RC more difficult. Some of the fallacious reasons advanced are:

The test-taker can no longer underline important parts of the passage that would  have been helpful in locating the correct answer.
Since the passage is displayed on only half of the screen, the test-taker has to  scroll up and down a number of times to read the passage.
Since, only one question is available at a time on the other half of the screen, overviewing all the questions becomes time consuming.
Talking of the third fallacy first, let it be known that all the questions are visible on the right half of the screen, while the passage is available on the left. So, the passage and the questions can be viewed simultaneously. Underlining never helped in cracking CAT RC, because the test requires the student to comprehend the underlying idea, rather than the detail. Scrolling up and down the passage repeatedly also means you are looking at the detail whereas you be looking for the underlying idea instead.

In most cases, the test-taker cannot attempt each question based on each passage. So, the best way is to choose what suits you best. Select the passage for attempt that you find interesting. Your interest means you understand, or will understand easily.

Remember every RC passage has a one-line gist. A 10-line gist means you did not understand the underlying idea.

So how should you go about cracking the RC section of CBT CAT?

Construct a “Dot Diagram” of the passage
Remember the dot diagram that you find in the kids section of a paper or magazine? There could be hundreds of dots. When once you join a few dots to form a picture, the other dots become irrelevant. Your RC is like that dot diagram. The hundreds of words are like the hundreds of dots. The questions revolve around the picture and not around the words. So get the picture out of the dot diagram.

Now how do you join the dots? Our advice:

Pre-read (First reading: 1 min)
Get a feel of the passage by reading the opening lines of each paragraph (the opening paragraph in particular) as well as the concluding lines of the last paragraph. Also have a look at the question stems (not the options).

Speed read (Second reading: 3 min)
Say you have to drive a train from Delhi to Mumbai. Should you drive at the same speed throughout? What about the stations that fall along the way? You will definitely slow down and even stop at some of the stations. Do the same thing in the case of RC.

I keep forgetting as I proceed: Speed read the first paragraph. Write down its gist in one single phrase on your scratch sheet. Do the same thing in case of the other paragraphs. Now you have five ideas for (say) five paragraphs. The common link among these five ideas is your dot diagram.

Post-read (Third reading: 30 sec)
This is to make sure that the picture you made was right. Look for repetitive words and phrases in the passage. These have to be part of the picture.

The opening paragraph and the concluding paragraph are important. But remember if the test-taker is smart the test-maker is smarter. Sometimes there may be nothing much in these paragraphs. So don’t overdo it.

Linking up the answers
You will be able to view all the questions together. But the answers to various questions based on a passage should have some link. And the link is provided by (you guessed it) the picture that you formed.

One major factor, which I notice, is students complaining about CAT going online. There was this fear of the unknown which haunted nearly everyone.

The only difference is, instead of a paper and pencil test, the test will be online. Everything remains the same. Students are given sheets to make their rough calculations. The right answer has to be clicked using the mouse. Candidates can scroll the entire paper and start from wherever they want. Likewise they can also change their answers.

If we look at GMAT, it is a computer adaptive test. A computer adaptive test will throw up questions according to your level. Just to cite an example, if you have clicked on the right option of a question which is difficult, the next question will be more difficult than the previous one. If you get this question wrong, the system will again start throwing questions, depending on your level. The marking will also happen according to the level of difficulty. If a candidate has got lot of difficult questions right, he will obviously get a higher grading than a student who has answered all simple questions correctly.

Coming to CAT, we have three sections, Quantitative Aptitude and Data Sufficiency, Analytical and Logical Reasoning and the English Language which includes Comprehension also.

As individuals we have our strength and weakness. Go to the section, where you are very confident and finish it off first. Ensure that you crack it fully. Once you are over with this, come to the other questions, where you will need some time. Taking the new format into consideration, you are required to answer 60 questions in 90 minutes. Ensure that you manage your time well.

I would like to focus on the Verbal Ability Section. The English Language happens to be the section, where I have seen students take a huge beating. Let’s have a look at all the possible question formats:

• Synonyms
• Antonyms
• One Word Substitutes
• Idiomatic Phrases and Phrasal Verbs
• Foreign words
• Jumbled Sentences
• Fill in the blanks with the right word
• Error Correction
• Cloze Test
• Sentence Improvement
• Reading Comprehension

If we look at the all the above exercises, the bottom line is vocabulary. If we do not have an excellent vocabulary, we are bound to take a beating. If you do not understand the meaning of one word, you will find it extremely difficult to pick the right option. This applies to all the sections in Verbal Ability. Unfortunately vocabulary is the most neglected part during the CAT preparation. I have seen all the so called reputed coaching classes giving a book full of words in alphabetical order from A till Z with their meanings and asking students to mug up all the words.  Rote learning will never work for you. It is virtually impossible to recall the meaning and more importantly by doing this you are in a way, blocking your career also.

A committed vocabulary building exercise involves two major activities. The first is adding new words to your arsenal. The second is to keep in mind the vocabulary you already know. The English Language has over one million words and the average speaker is well versed with only 30000 words. You can see the huge gap. A good vocabulary is a prerequisite for professional growth.

There is only one proven method to increase your vocabulary and also ensure that you do not forget the usage of the words, which you know. Make it a habit to read a newspaper or magazine. You are bound to come across words whose meaning you do not know. First try to guess the meaning of the word with respect to the whole sentence. Only then look up the dictionary and understand the precise meaning. Once you comprehend the meaning, make a sentence using that word in a sentence and have it corrected by a person who is excellent at the language.

Another excellent technique is to use the word in any area of your liking, as in your hobbies or extra curricular activities. Since you already like that line, you will find it motivating to use the word and the learning process becomes interesting and quick. Once you do this you will never forget the meaning and application of that word. Vocabulary Building is a long term process. There are no short cuts.

Having an excellent vocabulary has got lot of advantages. A better vocabulary will help you to enjoy reading more. Likewise having an excellent vocabulary will also give you the confidence to interact with professionals at the highest level. It will undoubtedly be a huge boost for your self esteem.

Another effective method is to understand the meanings of root, prefix and suffix. A root is the basic building block or a key which will help you to understand the meanings of many words.

To understand the importance of a root, let us take the word ‘ali’ which means another. From this, we can easily get to know the meaning of the word, alias, which means an assumed name. Another example is the root ‘am’ which means love. From this, we can understand the meaning of the word, amiable, meaning friendly.

Coming to prefix, it is a word which comes at the beginning. For example, the prefix ‘bi’ means two. We can easily understand the meaning of the words; bisect, bimonthly, bigamy and so on.

A suffix is a word which comes at the end of the word. For example, if we take the suffix ‘cide’ it means killing. We can easily get to know the meaning of the words, homicide, patricide, matricide, regicide, etc. If we take the suffix ‘mania’ which means madness, we get the meaning of the words, megalomania, kleptomania, and so on.

Another area I would like to touch on is Synonym and Antonym. Synonym means words which are similar in meaning. But this does not mean it can be used interchangeably. The right synonym needs to be used taking into consideration the message, we want to communicate. For example, if we take the word active, we have lot of synonyms like, agile, alert, efficient, energetic, quick, prompt, assiduous, indefatigable, etc

Let us take three examples to understand the usage of synonyms:

Mahesh is an efficient worker

A prompt reply is always appreciated

The guard was quite alert and this helped to catch the thief

The same logic applies to antonyms also.

Lastly, coming to Reading Comprehension, lot of books mention words like speed reading, skimming, etc. Let me tell you that all these skills can be acquired only through practice. Start practicing with small comprehension passages and gradually go to bigger ones. Read the questions first and understand what is required. Then go through the passage. While going through the passage, try to get the answers and mark the respective option.

The same technique applies to Cloze Tests also. Go through the whole passage. You will get an idea of what the passage is about, as in, the central idea.  After this, filling up the blank with the right option becomes easy.

With this, I conclude my write up and wish you all the best. Ensure that you

BELL THE CAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vaishnu is an authority on Quant preparation and gives coaching for CAT, GRE & GMAT. Faculty at TCY, he has been coaching aspirants for these exams for the last 14 years.

Is there a ‘magic number’ of hours of coaching that one should get while preparing for Quant part of CAT?

There is no ‘magic number’ of hours as such. Nevertheless, there are an optimum number of hours of classroom lectures that are required. From my experience of over 14 years, I feel that at least 84 hours must be allocated for Quant in order to excel in it.

How do you divide these hours? How many hours a day? How many days a week?
I would divide CAT test prep into three distinct categories. Rush Hour, Optimum and Ideal. Let’s talk about ‘Rush Hour’ first.

Rush Hour: is when a candidate sincerely starts his CAT prep after his final year exam. With just about six months to go for the CAT, the entire preparation schedule has to be completed in a relatively short time. For instance, at TCY, classes are scheduled six days a week and here, the onus is on the student to keep up with the hectic pace.

The student has to understand that a very self-disciplined effort in self-study will be required on his part to make it to the top.

Optimum: is when a student is in his final year and starts preparing in January/ February of his graduation year. With around 9-10 months to go, the pace of instruction is brisk but not as breathless as ‘Rush Hour’. For Instance, at TCY, classes are scheduled three days a week and a student gets optimum time to revise what is being taught in the classroom. A break of one day between classes allows students the luxury of self studying at the pace most suited to their temperament.

Even an average student who studies sincerely and consistently has every chance of making it to the B- School list.

Ideal: This is when a student enters the penultimate year of his graduation degree course. A good faculty gets the time to teach students to crawl before making them walk and run hard! Basics are covered in depth and preparation starts at the very grassroot level. At TCY, we schedule classes only twice a week over the weekend initially.

The first few months are spent entirely in concept building. It can be compared to being able to dig the foundations oneself before laying them and finally constructing upon them. By the time a student reaches the final year of his degree course, his foundation is so strong that he is more than halfway ready to take on the CAT. The best part about this is that it is of longer duration and more exhaustive than Optimum, but generally costs less.

What preparation strategy would you suggest for each of the three distinct categories you just mentioned?

In Rush Hour, I would recommend the student to take a Diagnostic Test first. A diagnostic test is a mock test especially made to gauge an aspirant’s grasp of concepts. Once the strengths and weaknesses are clear to a student, it is recommended that a student start working on his weak areas first as they are the ones that offer maximum chance of improvement. Areas of strength can be worked upon later in the day. At TCY, we put such students on extensive online testing with a strong focus on performance analysis with the help of TCY Analytics. With TCY Analytics, a student is able to benchmark his performance of each sub-section, section and subject against all his previous attempts. This helps him in analyzing his progress with each test. Later on, the aspirant can start benchmarking his attempt against lacs of other aspirants on our website, www.TCYonline.com.

The success in ‘Optimum’ category rests majorly on the optimum trade-off between self study and disciplined prep. Self study is any day the best test prep strategy. However, disciplined prep calls for following a light but consistent weekly schedule. The CAT programme on TCYonline works on lecture by lecture schedule for each test section. This helps the candidate decide what fraction of the total available time for CAT prep he should invest in a particular month.

Additionally, joining a classroom programme would add to your disciplined effort.

The ideal prep calls for, obviously, the ideal way. For a candidate, this means understanding what skills the exam tests and taking a few sample tests in each area to know his ‘Best’ and ‘Worst’ areas. A good faculty will help the student by chalking out a plan till December to develop the lower and middle level skills required. For instance, working on one’s vocabulary, reading regularly on topics that come in the exams, improving one’s reasoning ability and re-visiting the Class VIII, IX and X math concepts of 2-3 major boards viz. CBSE, ICSE and Maharashtra SSC can be very useful. One can find a lot of this basic stuff on TCYonline and can generate customized tests on any topic to move up the learning curve skill by skill.

What advice would you give to CAT aspirants?

First, the student has to be very clear ‘if’ he wants to go for MBA. To explain, let us take a hypothetical situation. A BBA student is in his second year and he has consistently been getting good percentage so far. If he is extremely sure that he will not take up a job straight after graduating, he can afford to take his foot off the pedal a little bit and start preparing for CAT. As long as his overall percentage remains above 50%, he can appear for CAT. A high CAT score will see him secure a call from the best B- Schools in the country.

On the other hand, even if he gets overall 70% in BBA, he can’t secure a call from a good business school with a low CAT score. I again say, vision is very important. If MBA is not of paramount importance, focus fully on your current academic pursuit. If MBA is your ultimate goal, learn to keep your focus and prioritise accordingly.

This is the time when lot of students who have given their CAT or MAT will make the most crucial decision of their career. Which B School should I join?

Drawing from my experience of over 20 years in training students for CAT\MAT and having done my MBA from one of the most reputed B School in India, I would like to share my thoughts with you.

Do not get trapped by the ‘herd mentality’

I often see students joining B schools, just because, all my friends are joining there, and so I will have company and feel comfortable.

I better take admission in my state itself. I do not want problems of relocation.

I got a call from this college. So obviously I am good. I will take admission there.

I have gone through the ratings given in so and so magazine.

I had a look at the website. It is superb.

I have seen regular advertisements in news papers and magazines. The facilities are top class.

Choosing your B School is going to determine the direction of your whole career. Before I come to the points you should keep in mind before joining a B School, I would like to share with you my personal experience. After my graduation, I started working. The social pressure to study further and acquire a professional qualification was enormous, but I did not succumb to it. I joined for the MBA program after working for five years with a reputed organization. I took the decision to enroll for an MBA Program only after honestly doing an introspection of my skill sets, and then identifying the function where I could make a mark. After this I consulted senior professionals from the industry and then narrowed down on doing my MBA. It was a well thought of and conscious decision.

I still clearly recollect those times when becoming a Chartered Accountant\Cost Accountant\Company Secretary was the ‘in thing’

I noticed every Tom Dick and Harry, joining coaching classes for CA\CS\ICWA

It boosted their ego when people asked them what they were doing. These very people took a hard beating when they could not clear the ‘Intermediate Exam’ which had two groups and four subjects under each group. They dropped the program, and then enrolled for a computer programming course because the IT industry was expected to boom in the near future. This was during the year (1994-96) when I was doing my MBA. All computer institutes came up with aggressive advertisements and marketing, quoting surveys and statistical figures. Students joined in huge numbers and the institutes minted money. These people somehow got a foothold, but found it very difficult to perform. The reason was simple. They were not cut out for that line or function.

I recollect the words of Osho Rajneesh who put it beautifully. He said, “In our country there is so much of unintelligence. This is because everybody is in somebody else’s place. One who has to become a doctor has become a carpenter and vice versa”

When I joined the program subsequently, I realized the huge leverage you get when you do your MBA after gaining some work experience. I was able to relate with and understand all concepts from a practical angle since I had valuable work experience. Work Experience also made me more level headed and mature.

My advice to all aspirants who want to acquire a professional degree would be to take a well informed decision. You can study at any age. Taking an impulsive decision because of social pressure will end up wrecking your career. You have to do an honest SWOT analysis of yourself. Get an honest feedback from your close circle of friends and relatives. Gather as much information as you can about programs which matches your skill sets. Consult professionals working in that line or function and get to know the growth pattern. After this exercise you can narrow down on the program and the institution from where you want to pursue the program. It need not necessarily be an MBA Program.

Candidates who have decided to join for an MBA Program need to exercise lot of care and caution.

It has become very fashionable nowadays for all and sundry to do a rating of B Schools in India, and term it as unbiased. Never take a decision based on the rankings that you see. It is totally superficial and does not give you the true picture.

From by observation, the Business World Magazine does a fantastic job. You have to get into the top 50 B Schools for your degree to be valued by the corporate world.

I often see students opting to write MAT instead of CAT, because MAT is less tough. Let me tell you there is no rocket science in CAT nor is it monstrous. From my perspective, there is absolutely no need to enroll for a coaching class, if you are disciplined.  Even if you put in two hours of focused study every day for two months, you can easily crack CAT with a high percentile. If you do not do well the first time, take it as a challenge to clear the CAT next time. Never compromise on the quality of the B School just because you did not get a valid CAT or MAT score. There are lots of B Schools in the top 50 who consider MAT scores also.

Do not get attracted by all the advertisements that you see in newspapers and magazines.

In India every nook and corner has got a B School. Ironically AICTE, the main governing body to give accreditation to start a B School, is itself mired in controversies. It is notorious for granting licenses to all and sundry by taking bribes. The Chairman of AICTE was arrested in the recent past and since then our HRD Minister Mr. Kapil Sibal has taken over. With a dynamic person like him at the helm of affairs, the entire educational system will surely be revamped. But it will take time.

Never be under the wrong notion that if any B School has got an AICTE accreditation it is good. Similarly lots of advertisements are misleading by talking about affiliations, and tie ups with foreign universities.

The common features that you notice in every B School advertisement are more or less the same:

WI FI CONNECTIVITY (GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!!!!!!)

FREE LAPTOP   (COST OF THE LAPTOP IS INCLUDED IN THE FEES)

STATE OF THE ART CAMPUS (WE HAVE COME TO STUDY, NOT FOR SIGHT SEEING)

EXCELLENT FACULTY (DOING A GREAT FAVOUR. IT IS THE CRUX OF EDUCATION)

EMINENT GUEST LECTURERS (THEY COME ONCE IN A MONTH, BOAST ABOUT THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS, AND GIVE YOU SOME STUPID GYAN)

100% PLACEMENTS FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS (GOD KNOWS BETTER)

LIST OF COMPANIES WHO COME FOR CAMPUS PLACEMENTS

(DO NOT GET LURED BY BIG NAMES. THEY MIGHT HAVE TAKEN 1 OR 2 STUDENTS, A FEW YEARS BACK)

WELL RESEARCHED PEDAGOGY (WE ARE NOT COMING FOR A BEAUTY PAGEANT)

AIR CONDITIONED CLASSROOMS (COST INCLUDED IN THE FEES)

YOGA CLASSES, AEROBICS AND FULLY EQUIPPED GYMNASIUM (HAVE A SPA AND BEAUTY PARLOUR ALSO)

TIE UP WITH X BANK FOR LOANS (UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION!!!!!)

As I have already mentioned earlier, the best decision is to work for 4-5 years and then enroll for an MBA Program. If you are not able to make it to the TOP 50 B Schools, drop the idea of doing an MBA program. If you still go ahead and join the herd, you are not only wasting your parents’ hard earned money, you are digging your own grave. Your degree will just be a worthless piece of paper.

If you closely have a look at the advertisements of late in newspapers, given by reputed companies, they clearly specify that your MBA should be from a reputed B School.

Most of the students join the MBA Program for placements. I sometimes wonder, Are we so insecure, that we do not have faith in our abilities?

Assuming that you get an offer from a reputed company during the final placements please understand that you need to survive on the job. Your clock will start ticking the moment you join. This is because you have not exactly beaten the competition and come in. All placements happen because of relationships. You need to hone your soft skills. If you have excellent technical skills but lack soft skills you are in deep trouble.

I will list down qualities which come under Soft Skills:

• Integrity (It is a combination of honesty coupled with excellent mannerisms)
• Sound Character
• Loyalty
• Time Management
• Ability to work comfortably in teams
• Willingness to take responsibilities and be accountable
• Willingness to learn
• Ability to take criticism
• Excellent Oral Communication and Listening Skills
• Emotional Stability
• Calm and Composed Temperament
• Trustworthiness
• Punctuality
• Energetic
• Open Mindedness
• Humility
• Ability to multi task
• Personal Hygiene
• Well Dressed
• Perseverance
• Strictly adhering to organizational decorum
• Decision Making
• Analytical bend of mind

Before I sign off, I wish all you a great career. And yes, when you get into your dream B School, do not forget to treat me to a cup of tea.

Date and time: April 16th – 9:30 am
Place: Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai

Reached at around 2 pm on Sunday the 15th and spent that evening at TISS – met many new PG friends – Vachan, Rajiv and of course later Saki and Ram (whom I already knew)… the stay overnite was nice – doesnt feel as if u are in Mumbai when inside the campus at TISS – small in size but really nice to have a walk in da evenings etc – and extremely conducive atmosphere and surroundings for study – and well – the latest news is that TISS has become wi-fi – all da info was poured in from Babu who met us on Sun evening and answered a lot of questions from our side…

Woke up early in da morning – got ready and went to the main lounge where there was a smal crowd – not as much as expected – we had a small presentation on the know-how of TISS by a second-year’ite of the HRM/LR program… later we came up and were grouped into different batches (as put on da notice board) – and were led to da different classes for the GD/PI – Mine was in class XI – 8 of us (2 absent) – 4 boys 4 gals… so even ratio

GD: Globalisation is a mixed blessing for the youth of today (it was the same topic for all the batches in my main group) – the other group had got Gandhian values etc etc… ( though the topics are being changed evryday – so dont go by them )

Very decent GD – chipped in a lot of times… was surprised by da female junta as some spoke real well, and real fluently. By da way we ourselves decided that we wud use paper, and recollect our thoughts for sometime – the 2 supervisors didnt have a prob with it – though when we decided on the topic as globalisation and started writing, one of them said ‘Isnt this a GD ?? ‘ – and well – one of the ladies started rite away. Two of the females seemed to be dominating the show – though all guys spoke well too – and well – chipped in a lott of good points – though the youth aspect was kinda fading away with all the industrial and economic aspect takin toll of da topic :mg: – all of us spoke without majorly cutting others – as we had been reminded that domination of the GD wud lead to getting -ve points.

Rating: 8/10

After this – we were led into a room, and were told that there is still some time for the PI. Hence we moved off – grabbed a vada-paav for a quick bite and then came back – to our disbelief the PI’s had already begun – apparently the people were being called RANDOMLY. Was surprised at this – but there was nothin we cud do. We just gave our names, and sat there hopin for a quick call. I was called in just before the lunch call – though they dedided later that I too shud be pushed in after lunch . So i went ahead, ate somethin and returned. The wait before the PI was long. The PI finally happened at around 3 to 3:15 pm. I was all jittery before as I had heard my panel had been stressing the people in da morning and blasting on GK… finally I was in…

PI: The panel – Oldish smiling lady – L (did almost all questioning)
Elderly man in between – E
Different lookin elderly person with long tied hair – D
Bakra moi – B

B (enters and wishes all – sits)
E: Whats these documents? (pointing to my change of name docs)
B: (Explains what were they)
E: But why did you change your name ?
B: blah blah
All 3 of them: Ok ok
L (smiling eternally :mg: ) – So u are working in XXX – how long?
B: blah blah
L: Oh – thats a lot of time – wat are u working in?
B: blah blah (cool workex questions :mg:)
L: Ohk so such a nice field – why do u want to come into HR?
B: Blah blah blah blah -( some kind of an answer which I had thought of… explained properly – wat do I get — EXPRESSIONLESS faces from all except from L – she is smiling in an understanding manner – E is checkin my papers/docs/certificates)…
E: So what do you know about HR as a field?
B: blah blah – tell them the basics
(all shaking head except D of course )
L: Ok – so Ashish tell me bout what you think of women in this present day corporate world? And what are the issues faced by them ?
B: blah blah – sexual harrasment, ego problems from men, etc etc
L: Ohkie – so wat are the things companies have been doin to prevent such things like sexual harrasment?
B: blah blah
(trying to maintain eye contact with all – but E is busy with file – doesnt look at me AT ALL – and D is well – blank – stone-faced – no expressions! )
L: Ohkie – so tell me about the reservations issue now -
wat do u think bout the reservations issue in the private sector?
B: Blah blah blah blah
L: Ohk cool – (looks at others for their turn)
D (all of a sudden): What are the different central trade unions in India?
B: (says somethin which goes kinda unheard)
D: wattt???
B: blah blah (explains)
E: Ohkay yes yes
D: (shaking head)
D: Can you name some trade union in the unorganized sector?
B: umm – dont think I know any – but i guess BMS can be one of them
D: (smilingly looks at L)
Moi understands that my answer is wrong
D: So which are the new states in India??
B: blah blah
(all quiet for sometime)
L: (asks E if he wants to ask any questions)
E: No nothin actually – so bout ur hostel accomodation at TISS — blah blah ( they were askin this to all at their interviews)
B: blah blah
L: Ohkay thats it then – thanx Ashish
E: yes thanks
D: expressionless
B: (wishes and exits)

Approx 15 min – Dont know wat to say – questions were ok and I answered without any gaps etc -managed it well- but hardly any reaction from the panel – except for the lady at times… the people before me and those after me had a similar kinda interview – though not entirely on GK questions – theirs were even shorter – some 8 to 9 min…
Looks like they were lookin for more than just mere answers…

Rating: 8.5 to 9/10 (from my side)

Travelled in da evening to Churchgate to meet a friend and stayed overnite with him – had kinda fun – and then travelled back to airport da next morning to catch flite back to Blore – Saki (chaosunlimited) and another girl accompanied me in it – so that was good fun too

General opinion: Diverse interviews being conducted – entirely on luck which panel u get, and also how ur interview goes. Heard later that my panel conducted stress interviews in the latter half of the day… was again surprised at that… The panel with the dean was stressing most of da guys (like every year) – so guess people had to watch out there…
Source:  http://ashishyahoo.blogspot.com

Jan 30th 8 AM- Pune ( first batch in the entire GD/PI process spanning 4 days)
Institute: Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM)
Batch – 1XF ( had a SNAP 100 scorer in this batch too )
Composition: 10 boys, 1 gal… but well – the gal wasnt present in the GD’s and GT’s with us…

The sight of SIBM wasnt really a pleasing one for me, as I had seen it the previous day – as it was nothing more than a building – frankly speaking even smaller than my school. Though I was here, and I had to attend the GD/PI now. The previous evening had been spent meeting friends, and also meeting my buddy Chinmay at SIBM (a buddy was supposed to guide he/her through the entire GD/PI process)

There was a crowd outside SIBM – the line of students for registration had reached the road ( the institute is one building right outside the road ). I got in the line – and it didnt take time to finish the registration procedure. I was given a batch tag – and was directed upwards to one of the floors above. We were made to sit in a classroom – some 3 or 4 batches in the morning. After a brief presentation by the seniors on SIBM and its culture, we started off. The first thing on the programme was the essay

Essay as told above – Whistle Blowers are guardians to democracy..

Hardly any time to recollect thoughts and write some stuff, in fact the topic needs better understanding and better examples as a good essay – which of course mine lacked.

Rating – 5/10.

Following this we were led to separate rooms where we sat with our buddies/other coordinators, who I must say were extremely helpful. My batch was seated in a small circle, and the coordinator gave us more ideas on how life at SIBM is. Soon we were called for the interviews – which was unexpected to come before the GD’s. I was the third on the list in the group. We were led to another room, where the three of us had a seat on the bench outside. The first person was a guy who was from PG – and had interacted with him in the morning. He seemed to have a good profile (2 years at DRDO, owner of a tech-forum online etc), and I was all apprehensive of him going before me. Still I was more at ease then expected. He had a cool interview, and so did the person before me – a 2 year experienced fellow at GE.

The next to enter was me. The following is how it all went.

Panel: One internal faculty(in middle) – F
One Senior HR Manager from Pepsi – P
One IIMA pass out – A
Myself – M

F did most of the questioning.

M (enters, greets and sits down)
F: So Ashish, tell me about yourself, your schooling, your extra curriculars, your workex, your hobbies and so on.
M (prepared answer): blah blah
P: Hmm ok – so which coaching institute have you prepared this answer from?
M (taken aback): Frankly this is my own prepared answer Sir, I do not require any external preparation for this – so I did not take help from any coaching class.
P: Thats good – its a general answer rite – so it doesnt require any preparations.
M: Yes Sir it doesnt
F: So Ashish, you have had workex as a technical consultant, so why an MBA now?
M: Blah blah – interests in HR etc
F: So Ashish, I see you have done your schooling and graduation at Goa. Why then do you want to come to Pune to do your management from SIBM? I am sure Goa too has a nice management institute.
M: blah blah – why SIBM prepared answer – qualities SIBM possesses.
F: So what in HR interests you?
M: Blah blah – more on Traning and Development
P: Ohk – tell me more about what kinds of trainings are there in Oracle
M: Blah blah
P: Ohkay – are all these trainings required at all levels?
M: No – as you go higher in the ladder, you require to take certain types of trainings.. blah blah ( had discussed most of the T&D part with an HR manager I knew – phew – was saved here )
P: Ohk
F ( looks at A )
A: So you say you like reading – what books do you read?
M: blah blah – all kinds blah blah
A: So name some books of Paulo Coelho
M: blah blah
A: Ohkay so you have interest in Hindu mythology…especially in Mahabharata – so I suppose I can ask you anything from it (big grin)
M: I guess so (scared a bit )
A: Ohkay – how many siblings did Dhritarashtra have?
M: 100
A: Siblings?
M: (oops!!) – Oh sorry – he had one sibling – thats Pandu
A: Are you very sure?
M: Yes Sir
A: Hmm – I think you need to revise your concepts on Mahabharata again then (all laughing)
M: Perhaps sir – if you say so…(was reasonably sure of the answer)
F: Ohkay Ashish – so what if we dont offer you the admission at SIBM? Whats the backup plan?
M: (prepared answer): blah blah – have to do it this year itself – maybe correspondence in HR – cant pursue a residential MBA after this year – blah blah
F: So you are hell bent on doing HR this year itself
M: Yes Sir
F: Ohk then thank you Ashish.
M: Thank you Sir

M (thanks all and leaves)
Quite a decent interview – would rate it 8/10.
Was bugged as they didnt go through my files at all – though they were there in my hands all the while etc. – Had really arranged them well and brought – and I tot i had some things to show in them

GD – Case study ( I guess all had case studies )… first case study of my life – hence was a bit nervous…

The case was about a person who joins a company as a programmer, then the company changes its domain of technology, and along with it, this 4 yr experienced guy has to adapt to the new domain, and new business. He is unable to do it , and underperforms, hence is warned from HR manager to be removed. The guy gets pissed, applies to other companies, gets reco letters from known people etc etc. One year down the line or so, the HR manager tells him that he has to leave the company. The guy loses it and threatens to sue the company for the treatment and show the reco letters as proof etc etc.
What should the HR manager do?

PS – this is as far as I can remember the case – ne one else please correct me…

Okish discussion – lot of argument – there was more talk about the reco letters and the suing , rather than the HR manager’s alternatives for tackling the problem – probably thats where we lost out. (my opinion).

The two panelists were ok (one male one female) – the female leader stopped us twice to make the quiet people speak – the male guy was noting our expressions, how we spoke etc… the GD was stopped by the female lady (probably she got bored )

Rating for my performance: 7.5/10

Next
Group Task: (This was the weirdest part in the procedure)
Panel: 2 old gentlemen

Task 1: This was a handkerchief placed at a distance from all of us – and we had to somehow touch it by crossing the line before it, without touching any part of our body to the ground. Weird rite? We discussed for a major part of the time – but I landed up convincing them to spend more time on doing the task at the end – so we somehow started. One fellow volunteered to be held by the others – and we all held him in some strategic method. Somehow we managed to do the task eventually. Looks like they were observing more of the group dynamics in it.

Task 2: This was a restrainer-captive task – where the prof stands at one end. We have to pair ourselves with a partner. At one instance I am the restrainer, trying to hold my partner from reaching the prof at the other end of the room. Next I am the captive, and he is holding me, preventing me from reaching the prof. We had this exercise – and well, I had some fun tickling my partner (he complained, but I retorted sayin that the prof had mentioned ‘the restrainer can do nethin in his power to stop the captive’. So it was kinda allowed. . At the end of the task, we all were made to stand in a line, and were questioned one by one on whether we liked to be the restrainer or the captive. This was dumb as the others further in line would try to mould their answers acc to what we answered. I chose to be the captive, as I gave some gyaan about having a certain goal to move to etc.

Tough to rate myself – but would give it a 6.5/10.

Our group was the first to finish that day. We left at around 12 – and me and my restrainer partner (Akaash) went over and had something at a Java Green center nearby. From there we departed, and I moved to my friends place where I was staying, and prepared to leave Pune.

Overall I was kind of satisfied with the entire experience – knowing I had done well with most of the proceedings – though I knew that if I got other calls later, I would have to leave this one for them – as the last date to pay the fees (75k) was 28th Feb. Eventually I did land up converting SIBM, but took a strong decision and gave up the seat without paying the fees. I had other better interviews to attend – and was confident in cracking at least one more of them.
Source: http://ashishyahoo.blogspot.com