Data Interpretation (D.I.) : contains information presented in the form of Bar graphs, Line Graphs, Pie Charts, Tables, Histograms etc. The student is required to analyze the information provided and supply the answer to asked queries related to the data given. Students who are good at heavy mental calculation are at an advantage as it is one of the keys for doing well in this section. This section  tests the students’  skills in Percentage calculation, Profit and Loss Analysis, and Ratio Proportion.

Data Sufficiency: is a section where a statement is given and with it are provided two options which could hold the key to the answer. The student is required to independently analyze both the answer keys and see from which the answer can be derived. The student has to tick one of the five options for the answer.

•           If answer can be derived from Answer key A- then answer is A.

•           If answer can be derived from Answer key B- then answer is B.

•           If answer can be derived from both A & B independently- then answer will be C.

•           If answer can be derived from a combination of A & B- then answer is D.

•           If answer cannot be derived from any of the options, then the answer is E.

Imp: Many times students get confused when the solution does yield an answer with both the answer keys but the answer is different in both the cases. In such a scenario, C would be the correct option is the right one as long as both the options provide unique answers (i.e. it can’t be -2 or +2, it has to be either).

Reasoning: as a section can be tackled very well if the mental calculation is fast. There are broadly three types of reasoning questions: Linear, Circular and Tabular.
To Prepare for CAT 2010 you can get complete study material consists Notes, CAT Test Papers, CAT Practice Papers CAT Sample Papers CAT Previous Papers online. Visit the  links given below to prepare for CAT 2010.
CAT
CAT 2010
CAT Quants
CAT Mock Test
CAT Test Paper
CAT Practice Papers

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.

Contributed By IIM Lucknow Students
As the B-school admissions pick up steam, candidates are busy preparing for the nerve-wracking group discussion-personal interview phase. To assist aspiring management grads in their preparation, students at IIM Lucknow [  have come together to pool their experiences of the admissions process and present these tips.

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

• Life has become dangerous in this unipolar world
• A permanent seat in the UN Security Council is neither necessary nor sufficient for India to become a world power
• A university is what a college becomes when the faculty loses interest in teaching the students
• In business, the rear view mirror is clearer than the windshield
• True happiness can be got only when you make the others feel that they are responsible for it
• A room without books is like a body without soul
• Speculation is an art of life
• The validity of science lies in its power to predict
• Freedom is the freedom to say 2 + 2 = 4. Once that is granted, everything else follows
• That so few people now dare to be eccentric, is the chief danger of our times

Personal interview

Typically personal interviews begin with the “Tell us about yourself” question. Candidates have to be well prepared for this question as the rest of the interview would be based on the answer they give to this question.

Candidates are also asked about their strengths, weaknesses, long-term and short-term goals. Candidates are asked questions on the core subjects of their academic stream and recent developments in that area.

Engineering students are expected to be well-versed with engineering maths as well as their final year projects. Those having prior work experience are questioned on their roles and responsibilities, their company and its competitors, recent performance, and industry trends.

The candidate is expected to have a sound reason for leaving his/her job and pursuing an MBA. Interviewers also ask questions on current affairs in the world of politics and business. Through this, they not only try and assess a student’s knowledge and awareness but also his ability to think.

A candidate may also be asked to share details on his extra-curricular achievements and the hobbies that he has pursued.

While a candidate may not be questioned on all the above mentioned areas, it is always better to be prepared for them.

This is a compilation of student experiences and interaction with the faculty, and is not officially endorsed by IIM Lucknow.

Source: http://getahead.rediff.com ]]> http://www.tcyonline.com/blog/b-school-admissions-real-iim-gd-topics/feed/ 0 http://www.tcyonline.com/blog/my-iim-bangalore-interview/ http://www.tcyonline.com/blog/my-iim-bangalore-interview/#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 10:42:12 +0000 TCYonline.com http://www.tcyonline.com/blog/?p=855

Since I attended so many GD, GT and PIs, it would not be possible for me to narrate all the experiences.               However, I would like to share a few things which are very important for any college.

1) Be honest. Never bluff.

2) If you are a fresher, be prepared for technical questions like – ur final year project, ur seminar, ur training, ur favorite subject, etc

3) If you have work-ex, be prepared for questions related to business of ur company like – who were ur clients, what was the business of the clients, ur company’s hierarchy, sales and turnover of ur company, number of employees, etc.

4) Interview is a pre-planned game. Pls understand this. Go prepared with answers for all the question like – introduce urself, why MBA, why this particular college, ur hobbies, ur strengths, weakness, career goals,  etc.

5) For every question, ur answer shud be logical and if the interviewer asks, u shud be able to give suitable examples to justify wat u have said.

6) Be prepared for cross-questions.

7) Smile wen u enter the room.

Come formally dressed. Proper haircut and clean shaven. It is very important. .

9) Remain updated about all GK and current affairs stuff. Read morning’s newspaper on the day of interview.

10) Always have a stand and have ur own opinion about whatever is asked to u, esp. in the case of debatable issues and current affairs.

11) Never talk about placements in the interview. Never compare any college.

12) Do a lot of research about the college before attending its interview. It helps u to speak confidently in the interview wen asked for questions related to why mba and why this college, etc.

13) Be thorough about ur hobbies. It is very much possible that ur entire interview can go discussing ur hobbies. If u don’t know all the details, say, about ur favourite game, u are out. It gives a very bad impression.

(the old prof went out for some reason he joined the interview after 2 mins)
me :- good morning sir, good morning ma’am
lady : good morning take a seat
me- thank U ma’am
lady:- have u brought any identity proof with U
Me- yes ma’am
(i handed my driving license to them)
lady:- oh ur license has a smart card.
(alumnus joins in)
alumnus :- what is the need of a memory chip in ur license
me- sir to save information in it.. information about the license holder
alumnus: what kind of info
me :- data like address , name ,expiry date etc
alumnus :- that data can be printed on the card .. why do we need a separate embedded memory chip.. See the information u said is already printed in ur card.
( old prof arrives and takes a seat )
me :- well I guess the police who catches U swipes the card in the smart card reader to check the authenticity of the printed data,or maybe it saves his time by swiping the card rather than reading the printed data…
old prof :- well I will repeat the question .why do we need a memory chip on ur driving license when all the data is printed on ur license…take ur time.. think on it .. it won,t save his time to read the printed data.. the reason is something different.. take ur time .. think and answer
me :- ( after thinking) since there r lots of information about lakhs of license holder .. we need to store the data in digital format
alumnus :- U r talking about lots of data at the server.. we r talking why is there a memory chip on a smart card
Lady:- which branch u have done ur engineering
me :- electronics
Lady to old prof:- (with a smile ) he must answer the question then
me :- (thinking)
old prof :- have u ever been caught by a police while driving..
me :- no sir
old prof kay whenever U get caught the police checks the data in the smart card to see if there is any previous default done by U.. if u r a serial offender it can be seen from the smart card. say for instance u were caught drunken by police .. that would be updated in the memory chip and next time if ur caught U won,t be spared .. understood.
me :- ( nodding my head) yes sir
old prof :- don,t u think u shud have thought of this answer
me :- yes sir , as a manager we need to think of all possibilities
old prof:- (nodding his head with a smile)
alumnus :- do u think smart cards can u used to store money
me :- yes sir
old prof :- give me an example
me :- (thinking) sir In Mumbai there is Go smart card which can be used to travel anywhere
old prof:- does it store money ..
me :- i guess its like prepaid card .U buy the card .. it doesn’t store money
alumnus :- what bout ATM cards
(dumb me didn’t recall ATM stores money)
old prof :- what u mean by data warehousing and data mining
me :- sir i can make a guess, am not sure of the answer.
lady:- ( with a smile ,encourages me) go ahead , go ahead
me :- Since a warehouse means a place where goods are kept , data warehousing must be a place to store lots of data.. which can be used for analysis later
and from mining ,i can guess data mining means , searching for a particular piece of data
old prof :- nice
alumnus:- I see ur a 2006 pass-out and u have only 26 months of experience
(what did u do for 2 years)
me:- sir i worked for a BPO for some time
alumnus:- then u shud have mentioned that here
me:- sir but i don’t have an experience certificate for the same and last year in the month of April I was asked to resign from my job in Patni due to lack of projects…
old prof :- so u were given a pink slip
me :- yes sir, But in stead of searching for other jobs i took it as an opportunity to crack CAT and get into IIMs .
Lady :- ( encourages me again) that’s good and u managed to get IIM calls
me :- I found is unethical to do a job for few months and leave it since i wanted to do an MBA eventually
old prof :- so how do u manage ur finances.
me:- sir I stay with my family and i got enough support from them
old prof:- oh so u r from mumbai
old prof :- that’s great then U seem well determined ..( looking at the lady ) he has decided he is gonna make it
lady:- which other IIM calls
me :- IIM indore
lady :- then u got good chance to make it from a good college ( smiles)
( i don,t recollect exactly but those profs were praising me too much that I am determined ,no one can stop him and blah blah)
its then that i made a biggest mistake by saying
me :- sir I have already converted Symbiosis
old prof:- see no one can stop him
alumnus:- ( who was silent ) which college u said
me :- SIIB
alumnus :- okay ..
( smiles everywhere)
U may leave
me :thank u sir, thank u ma’am

2 panelist .. 1 lady prof and 1 old and healthy male prof( i will call the male prof as prof )
This was one of my final interviews ( i had been giving interviews since 2.5 months.so was actually bored .. I was unprepared for this interview.. I didn’t read news papers for last 10 days.. didn’t study much .. had done lots of traveling for IITs .. anyways
process started with an essay
“is indian movie industry getting globalised ”
the panelist were reading my essay when i entered the room
me :- good afternoon sir, good afternoon ma’am.
lady :- good afternoon , have a seat
me :- thank U
prof :- so u r an electronics engineer having work ex as a software engineer in Patni. okay in your essay U have written “NRI abroad “.. Do u think its right
me :- no sir it has a grammatical error
prof :- what kind of error say to me in the language of data structure
me :- sir it would be redundancy
prof:- explain the error
me:- ( it should be only NRI or abroad ,I explained properly)
prof :- ( reading my essay) hmm kollywood and tollywood movie industry in south .. what r these
me:- kannada movie industry is kollywood and telugu movie industry is tollywood
lady:- tell me the 4 states and their languages in south India
me :- (said )
lady:- what is this u have written e-globally
me:- Ma’am I have written globally..
lady :- okay
lady :- complete this sentence if u agree with it
” democracy is not good for India ……………… )
me :- democracy is not good for India because in India majority of voters are illiterate who can be manipulated easily by politicians . The vote bank politics played in our country divides the country and its people..
lady :- anything else u dislike about democratic system in India and what kind of government u want
me :- ma’am in coalition government, it is not possible to make good decision quickly which is in the interest of the country since most parties r looking for their own interest … like we saw what happened while passing the nuclear bill
I feel a benevolent dictatorship would be good for India.
lady :- what do you mean by benevolent dictator.
me:- a dictator who takes quick decisions in the interest of the country, who is not corrupt ,peace loving, and thinks of the growth of the country and welfare of the people .
lady :- can u think of any past ruler in India who was a benevolent dictator
me :-(thinks) I think Akbar was.. he respected all religions and always thought of welfare of his people.
lady :- Name any other form of government , apart from democracy and dictatorship
me :- communism
lady:- which countries in the world follow communism
me :- China , and i have read somewhere about chile being communist
lady :- okay what u mean by autoXXXX (i can,t recollect)
me:- i can guess its a form of goverment similar to dictatorship
lady :- what is autocarcysyncracy ( i can,t recollect )
me :- i don,t know
( male prof takes over)
prof:- what is this subject u had in your final year.. mechattronics
me :- sir its a subject which has principles of both mechanical and electronics engineering
prof :- so can u answer questions from this subject
me:- sir I can try but am not sure I will be able to recollect .
prof :- what was there in it
me:- about PLCs, transducers
prof :-so what was your favorite subject in engineering apart from data structures (hahahaha he assumed I am good at data structures since i worked on it )
me :-sir I guess microprocessor
prof :- what is the difference between micro processor and micro controller
me :- explained correctly
prof : where are micro controllers being used
me :- in any appliance which does a fixed job .. like a TV , a microwave oven etc where the

processor can be programmed to do a fixed job we use micro controller
prof :- what is used in a laptop
me :- sir micro processors because laptops has to to multitasking and we need lots of

external memory for that
lady:- what is used to implement Fuzzy logic
me:- ma’am I don,t know fuzzy logic
lady:- the one that is used in washing machines
me:- if its used in washing machine.. then it must be micro controller( i was very good in

explaining why)
lady :- hmm so u have mentioned that u are creative ( we had a small psychometric test

before the essay in which we had to mention all this)
(she kept few plastic pins in front of me,paper clips)
okay tell me 10 uses of this apart from its normal use.
me :
1) it can be used to clean your ears 2) scratch your head 3) to remove something it gets struck

in a narrow hole 4) to play by kids since they were colorful 5) as paperweight
6)since its flexible u can use it as friendship bands if u tie it on your fingers
( i was thinking when she stopped me)
lady :- so u have mentioned the reason for leaving Patni as your ambition to study for CAT.. whereas U have written in the column below that u have a gap becoz u were asked to resign from Patni and took it as opportunity blah blah
prof :- u should have mentioned the same reason that u were asked to resign
me:- sir I cud have easily got another job given my experience. but i found it unethical to work for few months in a firm and leave it for MBA.. so i decided to take a gap.. so the main reason was my ambition
prof :- but the reason for leaving should n,t be that…
me :- yes sir but since ,there was a separate column ,i wrote it that way..
lady :- so u were honest in your answer here
Lady:- so what r your extra curricular activities.. what else u do apart from studying for CAT and working for Patni
lemme see oh so u have done cartooning .. draw my cartoon
prof :- (interrupts the lady ) he has organized the competition .. i guess he himself isn’t

a cartoonist
me :- yes sir.
lady:- so u like football, cricket and and and ( she searching for something in

extracurricular to ask me)
prof :- so u like rock music.. whats the difference between heavy metal and hard rock
me :- Sir i guess hard rock is a vast genre of music and heavy metal is a subset of hard
rock
prof :- u sure
me :- ( not so confidently) yes
prof :- U just destroyed my artistic talent( he said something like that and laughed)
a lil bit of smiles followed and they asked me to leave….
i said thank u and left

“Tell us something about yourself”

“What are your views about the current Indian cricket team”

“How did Punjab get its name?”

These were some of the opening questions I was asked during my interviews for admission into various top b-schools of the country. As you can see, some are clichéd questions whereas some are a bit off the course and there is no way you can be sure of what you are going to be asked. The best you can do is to be well prepared.

You may come across a lot of experts who tell you different things about how to crack an interview. A lot of the things might be true, but always take them with a pinch of salt. A lot of times their judgement is based on the past experiences of themselves or of others. The experience of others can surely give you a good idea of what can happen but it won’t be what will happen. Once I met a so called expert who told me, “ I will give you the answers to the questions like Why MBA and you just have to put them in your own words and present them.” Frankly this seemed totally absurd to me. In the end it is you who is going to be interviewed and it is you who knows about yourself, about Why you want to do an MBA! Being yourself  is of utmost importance in any interview. If you don’t believe in what you are saying, how can you convince someone else about the same?

Confidence is the key when it comes to cracking an interview. Remember that most of the questions that you will be asked in the interview are going to be very basic and generic in nature. So, what the panel looks for is whether you can answer those questions with confidence and conviction. If an interviewee says that he wants to be entrepreneur, the panel invariably asks whether he has any business idea in mind. This counter question is just to check whether you are bluffing or are you actually serious about it. They also know that you won’t be having a fool proof business plan because otherwise what would you be doing there!

The question that gave me sleepless nights was whether or not I will be asked questions regarding my academics. I didn’t have a very good academic background which means less marks in graduation which  made me doubt my own capabilities in answering those questions. This has been a query pointed at me by a number of aspirants as well. Again, like I said right at the start, you can never tell what you will be asked. For a fresher, you can generally expect at least a couple of academic questions as lack of work experience takes away one dimension of questions that can be directed at you so the odds increase. But this is not something that should worry you much as the panel more often than not will try to bring the best out of you and if you don’t seem to comfortable with your academics they will shift to other questions and you should try to answer them well.

Generally there is a lot of buzz about stress interviews. This is the case when the interviewer is trying to judge how bad your worst is. In such interviews, always remember, a smile never harmed anyone.

Sometimes the panel can also ask you current affairs or general knowledge questions. These questions are never the make or break questions. Whereas knowing the answers can give you some brownie points for sure, not knowing them will not end it for you. The bulk of your interview will be on the basis of the form that you will be asked to fill. Do take that form seriously as the form in itself won’t matter in your selection but the form is what can drive your interview in a certain direction. Try not to express extreme views as that shows you as being stubborn and less room is there for you to change your answer in the interview if you feel necessary.

A lot of times you can end up being your own interviewer. The questions you will be asked can be the loose ends in your previous answers. This can be to your advantage and also to your disadvantage. So, try not to leave loose ends and if you want it to play to your advantage, be extra careful as it can backfire as well.

All said and done, don’t forget that it is just an interview- One among many you will appear in this “MBA-season” or for that matter in your life. It will be good if you make it but won’t be the end of the world if you don’t. It may just be a blessing in disguise as who knows, You may get much better opportunities in the future.

OVERALL
Overall, the common feeling among the test takers was that the test was of moderate level of difficulty. This was expected as this was IIMs first tryst with the computer based CAT. As most of the test takers fond it easier we can generalize that the first of the 20 tests was of moderate difficulty.

NAVIGATION
The navigation and test interface was very user friendly. The Highlights in case of RCs remained for all the questions answerable through that RC. It was possible only because all questions related to a RC appeared on one page (scrollable) and NOT as one question a page as it appears in GRE. This was good news considering the fact that the video by Prometric said that the highlights would go off as the screen changed.

The only exception was a button to quit the exam that was available on all pages and many takers clicked on that by mistake leading to sudden end of their test.

QUANT
As per the students’ opinion, Quant was of the level of CAT 2006. It was quite manageable. The cut-offs are expected to be higher. However, some well placed traps in Data Sufficiency questions may so the damage.

VERBAL
Verbal was much like that of past two years. Many students observed that RCs were shorter as compared to past years.

DI
Students found DI section the most time consuming mainly because of the few logical questions. Also, the questions that appeared in sets were presented the same way as RCs were – That is, all questions based on one set of data were on the same page. Here also, highlights were possible till the end of the set.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Stay cool! The test is manageable.
2. It is pretty CAT and did not incline towards GRE or GMAT.
3. All basic topics in Quant are important to be covered viz. Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry etc.
4. Practice more on Logical reasoning questions with long statements and only one question per set.
5. Practice a lot of past CAT questions will help you gain confidence in handling the test!