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!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In this article, I shall cover the common issues with Indians and the steps to be taken to come to a Neutral Accent.

I will list down the common problems with Indian speakers in general:

Indian speakers of English are known to speak much faster than people in the West. This means that in many cases Indian speakers of English will make business communication difficult. We need to ensure that we understand and are understood.

Indians do not speak with their mouth fully open. As a result, the speech muscles get tight over a period of time, and the pronunciation gets severely affected. In other words we are not able to articulate properly.

Indians have a very fast rate of speech. The ideal speaking rate is between one hundred forty and one hundred sixty words per minute. Indians speak at anywhere between one hundred eighty to two hundred forty words per minute. At this speed, the listener is bound to lose the message. Take any article from a newspaper or magazine and work on your speed by reading it regularly. Read it for one minute. Keep a count of the number of words you read in one minute. Over a period of time you will automatically come to the right pace.

In the English Language, the vowels give the sound and therefore the stress has to be on the vowel sound, taking the syllable into consideration. Indians stress on the consonants because of which the word gets horribly mispronounced and this creates a huge communication barrier.

The consonant B is pronounced as P and vice versa

The consonant D is pronounced as T and vice versa

The consonant L is pronounced strongly

There is no distinction made between V and W sounds

The vowel U is pronounced without opening the mouth

There is no distinction made between the words, their, there and they while pronouncing it

The ‘th’ sound is not clear

The consonant T is not pronounced sharply

STEPS TO BE TAKEN TO COME TO A NEUTRAL ACCENT

To learn a new accent you need to listen to English again and again. It is not what you say, but how you say it, therefore, get familiar with the feel, tone and delivery of the accent. That adds a lot more meaning to what you say, rather that just the actual words.

Learning a new accent is making your subconscious mind conscious.

The critical thing to remember is to relax and speak in a flow, instead of speaking each word separately, to sound clear.  Pronunciation is governed by two factors, syllable stress and the vowel sound articulation.

Vowels and consonants come together and form syllables. Syllables give the word its pronunciation. Each syllable has a vowel sound and can have one or more consonants

Let us take an example:

Chair – This word is pronounced in one breath of air. It has only one syllable

Moment – This word cannot be pronounced in one breath of air. We take a pause while pronouncing the word. The place where we pause is exactly where the first syllable ends. It is broken down into parts,

Mo \ ment (2 syllables)

We can see that the first syllable has the vowel ‘O’ and the second syllable has the vowel ‘E’

Deliver – This word is broken down in three parts.

De \ li \ ver (3 syllables)

In this word, the first syllable has the vowel ‘E’ the second syllable has the vowel ‘I’ and the third syllable has the vowel ‘E’

As a rule of thumb, if a word has two syllables, stress on the first syllable. Likewise if a word has three syllables, stress on the second syllable.

Received Pronunciation is the most widely understood pronunciation. It is also referred to as Queen’s English or Oxford English.

The English Language uses over 45 basic sounds but has only 26 letters in the alphabet to represent them. This means that a word is not pronounced in the way it is written, unlike our mother tongue.

The International Phonetic Association (IPA) has laid down the pronunciation for each word. Special phonetic symbols are used to represent sounds. There are several accepted pronunciations for each word.

The Oxford Dictionary is very useful. The pronunciation is clearly mentioned for each word. Take the help of a professional who speaks the language well and practice your pronunciation.

Most poor pronunciations happen due to the omission of a sound altogether or swallowing of the last one or two alphabets.

Just to cite an example, if we take the word ‘going’ speakers often drop the last ‘g’

The ‘ch’ sound also creates lots of problems. If we take the word, chair, the ‘ch’ sound is strong whereas if we take the word, champagne, it is pronounced as ‘sh’ not ‘ch’

The ‘k’ is silent in the words, knight, knife and know

The letters ‘gh’ are silent in the words, height, might and right

The letter ‘l’ is silent in the words, should, could and would

Kindly note that the words mentioned above have been given purely for the purpose of understanding. Apart from the above words, there are lots of other words also where the ‘k’ is silent. The same applies to all the other examples also.

We need to breathe correctly for good modulation and rate of speech.

If we do not breathe properly, we cannot speak long sentences. An effective voice is possible only with an effective breath. Indians on the whole have a very poor breathing pattern which needs to be worked on.

BREATHING EXERCISES

Sit up straight

Relax your shoulders and arms

Drop your neck down with your chin touching the chest

Open the mouth and let the breath go in and out gently without exercising any kind of pressure

Do not make any noise while pulling in the breath

Take a quicker breath and then release it slowly

Repeat this exercise at least ten times

OTHER EXERCISES

Take a deep breath. Pronounce each alphabet from A till Z by throwing the air out. Initially you will feel lot of pressure on the chest. Do not give up. Keep on practicing this exercise.

With the tip of your tongue touch the back side of each tooth.

Hum any song which you like. Over a period of time you will notice a perceptible change in the quality of your voice.

As I have mentioned earlier, our goal should be to come as near as possible to the British Accent. In our country English is the second language. It is very critical to interact or listen to native speakers of English. The best channel is BBC News. Observe very carefully how the news readers pronounce the words, as in, the movement of the lip and the tongue.

Record your voice regularly which will help you to understand how far you have progressed and where you are going wrong.

To conclude, a poor speaker is often considered to be inept in all other areas also. People judge you not only by what you say, but how you say it.

HAPPY SPEAKING

The first reaction of all professionals whenever I used to mention the importance of Accent Neutralization was one of sarcasm and smirk.

When I interacted with these professionals at length, I found one point in common. They were technically very sound in their function. Moreover they were proven performers. But somewhere down the line, the growth stopped. They probably never realized this or probably did not sit down and introspect where they should have been and where they are right now.

As we are all aware, the English Language has become the lingua franca linking businesses across the globe. So it becomes all the more imperative to be fluent in our speech. Fluency is a combination of many factors put together.

Fluency includes your pronunciation, intonation, and use of the right words, flow of language and the rate of speech.

Drawing from my experience of working with multinational organizations,

I have without exception, seen professionals at all levels, having a very limited vocabulary. Moreover the use of colloquial expressions and slang is on the higher side, which makes them look totally unprofessional.

Effective Communication is very simple to define. The target listener should understand the message, in the way you want him to comprehend. If there is a mismatch here, the very purpose of communication gets lost.

Professionals, who rise up the hierarchy very fast, are without exception excellent communicators.

Indians have a very strong regional influence while speaking. In professional parlance it is called as the Mother Tongue Influence (MTI)

When people speak with a very heavy regional accent, people get distracted because the pronunciation is not clear and the class aspect is lost. The net result is your image gets spoilt. I have seen umpteen cases, where professionals have a good vocabulary, but unfortunately their heavily accented English coupled with the rate of speech creates a huge barrier in the communication process, and their reputation also taking a beating.

Neutral Accent is nothing but globally understandable and comprehensible English Language. This means that a person from any part of the world should be able to understand what you are speaking without having to strain him or interrupt you.

People have this wrong notion that they need to imitate a certain accent, as in, American Accent or British Accent. There is absolutely no need to imitate any accent. Your English should be devoid of regional influence.

When professionals speak, using the right word, with excellent pronunciation, intonation and the ideal rate of speech, people perceive you as a classy person and you command lot of respect. Likewise, a very heavy accented pronunciation, puts off the listener, and thereby the very purpose of communication is lost.

Business today is very fast paced, and in order to survive and excel in this cutthroat competition, it is of utmost importance to articulate in diction, and, be globally understood.

Comprehensibility is therefore the ultimate focus.

Now I come to the most critical part. All MBA programs talk about lot of skill sets being developed over a period of two years, but no one talks about the importance of Neutral Accent. Moreover during the selection process, Neutral Accent becomes a very critical skill which is assessed, irrespective of the industry. Lot of people have the misconception that Neutral Accent is confined only to the BPO industry, which is totally wrong. Neutral Accent is not industry specific. It is an essential requirement across all industries and more importantly one of the most critical skills if you want to move up the hierarchy.

Your voice is the means by which you convey your inner thoughts and feelings to the outside world.  It is the outward expression of your inner self.

The English language, its structure and the accent or dialect changes from country to country.  Hence, it is very critical to speak in a globally comprehensible English dialect.

In the second part of this article, I shall cover the problems faced by Indians and the steps to be taken to come to a Neutral Accent.

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.

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/students-share-your-gdpi-experiences-with-the-nation/ http://www.tcyonline.com/blog/students-share-your-gdpi-experiences-with-the-nation/#comments Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:32:32 +0000 TCYonline.com http://www.tcyonline.com/blog/?p=890 TCYonline.com, India’s No. 1 test prep website has come out with a platform for students to share their interview experiences with other readers. All current and previous UPSC, MBA, MCA, NDA and NTSE (finals) candidates can share their G.D.P.I. and interview experiences with nearly one million users of TCYonline.com. Even students who have appeared for Student Visa interviews can upload their experiences on TCYonline.com/blog. Apart from interview experience, achievers can also share their preparation strategies and success mantra with other students on the portal. Students studying abroad after clearing their GRE and GMAT exams can also share their stories as also their experiences of settling down in a new culture.
All that a contributor has to do is mail the stories to manav.sarmal@tcyonline.com or alternatively they can log on to www.TCYonline.com/blog and self submit their experiences.
TCYonline.com, India’s number one test prep platform has nearly one million enrolled students from over 1500 cities and towns across the nation. The website has over 15000 free tests from over 50 exam categories and boasts of a databank of nearly 5 lac questions.

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.

“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.

1. Why do you want to do an MBA? This is one of the most common and yet one of the most difficult questions to answer. After all, a recent research by INSEAD professors has revealed that among the top 100 CEOs (as measured by long-term value creation), more than half did not have an MBA. In life, there are always exceptions. The No. 1 ranked CEO, Steve Jobs, didn’t even finish college. For the rest of us though, education is important. How you answer this question determines the flow of the rest of the interview. Please avoid canned or clichéd answers. Example: I am an engineer, I have the technical skills, I want to sharpen my managerial skills. Or I have always been fascinated by management (since when – even when you were a kid?). Or I have done bio-tech, I don’t like research, therefore I want to do an MBA. Just consider these sample answers carefully – they have one thing in common – they lack focus. Focus is so critical that everything else can take a rear seat. At one of the Ivy League schools, a landmark study was conducted decades ago to determine the importance of focus. 300 graduating students were asked what they wanted to become after 15 years. 97% provided generic answers – marketing manager of a large MNC, finance manager of a top investment banking firm. Only 3% gave precise answers – “I want to be the CXO of ABC Corporation and I want to increase shareholder value by 80% in 3 years.” This batch of brilliant youngsters was monitored for 15 years. The results were tabulated. Guess what? The 3% who were focused had 97% of the wealth. In one of the global institutions I am associated with, the first day on campus is devoted entirely to write down your life’s goal. Ideally, at the end of the day, you should be able to name the company you would like to work for. During campus recruitment, that is the only company you will be allowed to appear for. Imagine something like this being replicated in Indian B-Schools. What might be the outcome? Therefore, I suggest you start writing a journal and prepare a solid and persuasive answer as to why you want to do an MBA.

2. Because of the diversity of aspirants, interviewers have to ask them a few questions about undergraduate studies. Examples: An automobile engineer may be asked to name the latest development in engine technology. A computer science graduate may be asked the internal architecture of an operating system like Windows. A commerce graduate may be asked about the rates of personal or corporate taxation. A bio-technologist may be asked to explain enzymes and their importance. A literature graduate may be asked about one of the classics, say Milton’s Paradise Lost and to comment on it. This is where students tend to flounder or try to get away by bluffing. Fatal mistake. Bottom line: Please be conversant with your undergraduate studies and subjects. Just because you want to do an MBA does not mean you can forget your basics.

3. Business Awareness: It is assumed that anyone who wants to do an MBA is aware of what is going on in the business world – leading business magazines, business TV channels, the largest company in the sector you want to make a career in, the business leader you admire and the reasons for it and the difference between India and China. My purpose is to educate, not to find fault. This is an area where aspirants are found terribly wanting. If you haven’t already done it, pick up at least one business newspaper and one business magazine and start reading at least one hour every day. The same rule applies to general knowledge and awareness. (Please don’t say you couldn’t read the newspaper because you were on a train for three days; pick up a paper at any railway station and be prepared.)

4. Hobbies and interests: Of all the answers that we get to this question, watching TV seems to be the favorite. Be honest. Can you say watching TV is a hobby? Or music. Which type of music? Oh, nothing in particular. Maybe you think it is a great answer but it won’t get you through. You can have just one hobby – say gardening – and if you know enough about it, you are likely to sail through. Be passionate about your hobby. If you don’t have one, start one. It is never too late. How about joining a self-help group, or be a member of a local NGO. Remember, anything you say must be backed up by evidence. Same thing goes for attributes you claim: “I am very innovative.” Most likely follow-up: Tell us something innovative you have done in the last one week. Please do remember the person sitting on the other side didn’t get there by magic.

5. Attitude: I can repeat this a thousand times and still it won’t be enough. Develop a positive attitude. Be an optimist. Look at all the blessings you have. Remember the adage about the man who was crying he had no shoes till he saw a man with no legs?

Prepare well, be confident and composed, and give off your very best.
May all your great dreams be transformed into reality through hard work and perseverance.

Be it upcoming SNAP, FMS and XAT, or for that matter any college/school or competitive exam, the student’s Net gains have made him more confident after he has learnt how to wriggle out of difficult situations.  Online testing being his new success mantra, all he has to do is benchmark his performance against the best in India and abroad, and raise his bar.

Today, we see a study shift from chalk-and-board to computers with the greater impact of education websites like TCYonline.com which have brought a revolution of sorts in the test prep sector. A smart student is supplementing his classroom education with online practice tests, which are taking precedence over traditional ‘bookish’ learning.

It is worth noting that enjoying the privilege of being India’s Number One Testing Platform, www.tcyonline.com has today over 2.70 lakh students in the age group of 13–32 years on its portal taking advantage of its various free resources — online tests ranging from CBSE to MBA to GRE and Medical/Engineering exams.

Talking of the CBSE, scores of practice tests are available on the website for the benefit of the school students.  As a gesture of goodwill, like previous years, TCYonline.com will also make available number of pre board tests for the February 2009 exam.

Student benchmarking being the hallmark of this web-portal, its recently launched two testing tools – the ‘Challenge Zone’ and the ‘Test Generator’ – are making good rounds among the academic community.

Being the free website for the students, the portal has also found great favour with some schools, colleges and universities in the country. Of late, some academic institutions have shown keen interest in TCYonline.com’s elite testing platform.

TCYonline.com’s exhaustive and free material catering to all the major national and international exams coupled with technology-enabled tools is not only becoming a rage amongst students but is also catching the eye of educational institutions and other companies.

A huge student base and separate exam categories on the website provide a perfect platform for educational institutions to showcase their offerings to prospective students. With continuous product innovation and technological upgradation taking place every second, this platform offers a host of opportunities to education institutions in India and abroad, virtually on a platter.

While it is heartening to note that TCYonline.com is crossing the five-lakh registration mark during the next few months, the web-portal gives education bodies an opportunity to describe their programs, organize mock tests and virtual education fairs. Moreover, the students can gain by asking questions and interacting with the university representatives through an online chat facility.

TCYonline.com has in a way squeezed the whole world to such an extent that a now a student sitting in any part of the world, say in the US or Canada, can prepare for any international entrance exam like GRE or GMAT or TOEFL.  Practice tests for all these entrance exams are available on the website free of cost.

All said and done, TCYonline.com has become the ‘testopedia’ of the modern student today. He can’t think of his life without it.

This North India’s premier chain of test preparation has always been the first to provide such ‘threadbare’ analysis for the students across the nation. This year an estimated 2.3 lakh students will be vying for 1500 IIM seats in the country. The students can checkout CAT solutions on the website at 2.30 p.m. on November 18, 2007.

“This solo exercise would be in maintaining our rich symbiotic relationship with CAT for the last five years in providing a deep analysis of the test”, commented Rakesh Kumar, IT Manager.

Benefits to the IIM aspirants are immense, with CAT analysts providing:
* answer keys or solutions for all the questions
* comparative CAT 07 analysis with previous years question papers
* an overview of the difficulty level
* estimation on the expected cut-offs for IIMs & other premier B-Schools
* topic wise graphical analysis of all the sections

“Every year thousands of aspirants take our online help to assess their performance in the CAT exam. The students can come on live chat or e-mail their queries to our experts to seek admission guidance for various B-schools in the country”, added Mr. Rakesh.

The website www.tcyonline.com is the fastest growing education portal. The company distributes FREE online practice test for MBA and other standardized tests.

The web portal has essentially been the reference site on test preparation, admission notifications, practice tests, B-School updates, etc. Its focus lies in preparing the students interested for a career in MBA, MCA, GRE, GMAT and SAT.