Articles – PaGaLGuy

It’s been one year and 4 months since we compiled arguably the best thread on PaGaLGuY into a book – ‘The Best of All I wanted to speak about CAT’. The ebook — which documented super-detailed stories of how successful CAT aspirants persevered against all odds and aced their way...

Commonly faced dilemmas at entrance tests – How to work around them?

Imagine, you are in the midst of your MBA entrance exam (CAT, XAT, FMS, whatever) and one section has proved to be more taxing than you expected, or may be it has fewer sets than you were anticipating, or still is much longer than you would have liked it to...

By Shashank Prabhu

One week of CAT 2010: Moderate test, with a few sectional upsets and some odd incidents

CAT 2010 is easier than expected — is the verdict among those who have taken the exam so far. At most, it has been moderately difficult, say those who have taken the test until now. Depending on individual study preparedness and section-weakness, one or the other section may have turned...

More ways to ace the RAT without any hard work whatsoever – from the RatRace u0084u00a2 Products Catalogue

See Part One of this comic. *RAT = Random Admission Test **estranged_gnrs = Da Workaholic Moderator on PaGaLGuY, also an Administrator on the forum. Concept, illustrations and graphics by Deepak Gopalakrishnan aka chuck_gopal, a Mallu-turned Mumbaikar who blogs here and tweets here.

By Guest

Why an IIM Ahmedabad gold-medalist left a consulting job to work with APJ Abdul Kalam

Looking at his situation at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, Srijan had everything going for him — securing an admission without any prior work-experience, being elected as the general secretary of the Student Council, a summer placement with a top notch consulting firm which converted into a pre-placement...

By Vasundhara Vyas

XLRI Jamshedpur summer placements 2010-12: 307 offers, FMCG and Finance largest recruiters

(Credit: Ayush Shukla) The XLRI School of Business and Human Resources, Jamshedpur declared its summer placements for the batch of 2010-12 complete with a total of 307 offers for a combined student strength of 240 students. The placements were conducted using a slotted process and according to the institute, it...

CAT 2010 is tougher but better than 2009, say those who have encountered both

The difference between the CAT 2009 and CAT 2010 can only be discussed by the people who have experienced both. PaGaLGuY speaks to a few candidates who have taken the CAT in the latest computerised avatar as well as last few years. Naveenan Ramachandran (PGDM 2008, IIM-A) Appeared for CAT...

By Vasundhara Vyas

Do serial test-takers from coaching institutes eat into the chances of actual MBA aspirants?

The advent of the computer-based Common Admissions Test (CAT) has brought about many changes in the way MBA aspirants prepare and strategize for the test. This has led to a complete turn-around in the way test preparatory institutes deliver CAT coaching to MBA aspirants. Mock tests are now computer-based and...

By Shashank Prabhu

Life at IIM Shillong: Management lectures amidst misty mountains

If you want to get back a picture postcard of Shillong, all you have to do is click a photograph of the IIM Shillong campus with its palatial building and regal drive-in. If you have a wide lens, you can get the bounteous flowery gardens on either side of the...

SIOMs MBA (Operations Management) offers unique global potential for engineers

Operations Management is an area of business concerned with managing the process that converts inputs (in the forms of materials, labor and energy) into outputs (in the form of goods and services). It involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as little resource...

By PaGaLGuY.com Spotlight

Careful while filling up that register at the CAT centre, you might be giving a private b-school your personal data

On the sidelines of today’s CAT 2010 test, there have been reports of centre personnel asking CAT candidates for their personal information and contact numbers before or after the test. At the Sri Balaji Society center in Pune where I was taking the exam, all students were asked to form...

First day CAT takers recommend that you tap your heart and say “all is well”

The D-day has come and gone. CAT 2010 has begun. About 4548 had registered to take the CAT test today, first slot. Of these, some failed to turn up because they were stuck in traffic, some forgot to bring their vouchers or photo id and some who’s registration took longer...

CAT 2010 first-day: Our experience, what we liked and what we did not and what future CAT takers can pick up

First-day first-show at the CAT is over, and no untoward incidents have been reported until now. Two of us from the PaGaLGuY HQ attended the 10 am slot test at two different centres in Mumbai and Pune. We have written down our experiences in the form of a timeline so...

Seven stakeholders that are hoping for a glitch-free CAT 2010

After the faulty first implementation of the computer-based CAT thwarted the dreams of several IIM aspirants in the country in 2009, there are high expectations from Prometric and the IIMs for an unblemished CAT 2010 from everybody involved in the management education sector. Here’s a look at stakeholders who are...

Last Push: Longer testing window pushes mocks to mid-November

Gone are the days when coaching centres threw a party just a day or two before the D-day to de-stress CAT takers. Or, when they handed over free tickets of a latest Bollywood flick or had a movie screening inside the coaching centre to lessen the anxiety associated with CAT....

By Vasundhara Vyas

CATCALL: PaGaLGuY phone lines are open, do call and share your experiences

PaGaLGuY will be following regular updates on CAT 2010 for the entire CAT period starting October 27 to November 24, 2010. Those taking CAT, please call in and share your experiences, what you liked about the CAT, what disappointed you, etc with us. We’d love to hear from you. You...

CAT 2010: The brave ones taking it on the first day, first slot

‘Exams’ is not like the most beautiful word in the dictionary. Be it the elementary exams in school or CAT exams taken by lakhs of IIM aspirants every year. Worse is when applicants actually opt to take the CAT exam, the first day, first slot, knowing very well that the...

CAT 2010: Will obsolete questions be a surprise package?

Just about a day to go before CAT 2010 begins, aspirants are still abuzz with discussions about the expected question-patterns and probable questions. Occupying a large part of the discussions are question from sub-topics that haven’t been seen in the CAT papers of the previous 7-8 years, and yet have...

By Shashank Prabhu

How to crack the RAT without any prep whatsoever in two days flat