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[laj (Lajwanti D'Souza)]

MBA admission without an entrance test would sound like music to the ears of many. However, the Maharashtra government's decision to fill 15,000 vacant MBA seats in the state's b-schools without the Common Entrance Test (CET) has met with moderate success. Two weeks after the circular was issued to effect the change, about 10,000 seats are still vacant, according to an official from the Department of Higher and Technical Education (DTE). The number of MBA seats in Maharashtra is about 35,000 and before the circular was issued, some 13,500-14,000 seats were vacant.

Ironically, this circular has a shelf life for only this year. According to Rajesh Tope, minister for Higher and Technical Education, the move to scrap CET for MBA admissions will not be carried over to the next year and was mooted this year only to fill in the vacant seats and give students a genuine chance to pursue MBA.

The decision to allow students entry into b-schools without CET was taken vide a circular issued on September 15 (circular titled TEM (2010 (237/10) by DTE). The circular stated that while CET scores would still be given a preference for MBA or MMS admissions, graduates from any faculty could apply purely on the basis of their degree marks, without having appeared for the mandatory CET. The admission process was extended till September 25, 2010 for students wanting to take advantage of the change.

Tope informs that the decision to debar CET was taken with students' interest in mind. "I think MBA is a good course for students and I would like many more students to pursue an MBA. And if there are such students who want to do an MBA and for various reasons have not got admission to an MBA college, this can be the opportunity to do so. This decision has been taken to help the students."

When asked whether the quality of the b-schools (and the students) would suffer if students sans CET are allowed admission, Tope said that CET is not being done away with altogether. "CET will always be there. First preference will be given to CET, but if there are students who have gone through 5-6 CAP (Centralised Allotment Process) rounds and have still not made it, this will give them a chance to pursue an MBA."

Tope, however states that only about 100 students have taken advantage of this change in the last two weeks, as against the DTE's figure of 3,500-4,000 students.

Colleges that accept CET have a mixed reaction to this move. Dr Suresh Ghai, Director of KJ Somaya Institute of Management Studies and Research said that the circular was issued to basically aid the smaller institutes and those b-schools in small towns.

When asked if the process will lower the quality and standards in the colleges which admit students without a proper merit-based exam, Dr Ghai added that the CET was basically a move to normalise graduation scores of students. "What CET does is check the aptitude of students. So even if the CET is not there, colleges will find a way of checking the aptitude of students before they take them. It's not a difficult process."

Dr Ghai said that he will not permit students into his college without a CET. "But even if this rule is made compulsory, we have our own way of checking a student's credibility and making certain whether he or she fits in before we admit."

[apurv (Apoorv Pandit)]

After experiencing the CAT 2010 practice demo test released by Prometric, all of you must have found features you liked or found disappointing. We got Aditya Dipankar, a student of M.Des. (Information & Interface Design) 2009-11 at the National Institute of Design (NID), Bangalore to look up the practice test and identify pain points and suggest improvements in the interface.

"The interface looks as if it was designed for the lowest common denominator of test-takers in terms of their comfort with computers. Overall, the interface is alright. But there are some minor irritants and obvious improvements in usability that the interface lacks," says Aditya. Following is an edited compilation of the improvements suggested by Aditya. Most of the suggestions are from a design, usability and ease of use perspective.

1. Need a help screen during the exam: There are a lot of buttons and features in the test to aid the test-taker. But the only aid provided to learn these controls is the tutorial that appears before the exam. The tutorial has a lot of information explained at one go. The assumption seems to be that all test-takers will easily learn all that information at one go and know how to implement it immediately in the actual exam screen. Some kind of a ready-at-hand help would be nice to those who are uncomfortable with the format. The feature we are talking about would be a button titled 'Help' somewhere on the top-right of the test-screen and upon clicking it, the computer would show a snapshot of the screen with callouts describing the function of each button. Upon clicking some sort of a 'Go Back to the Test' button, the screen would return to the test mode.

"An example of a help screen that could be seen anytime during the test"

2. Review Screen breaks sequence: If you are taking the test in the sequential order of questions and choose to go to the Review screen in between for whatever purpose, or because it somehow is a step in your strategy, there is no 'Back' button to take you back to the question you were attempting last. So you pretty much have to remember the question number that you were attempting before you jumped to the Review screen. Most people will expect a 'Back' button there and upon not finding it, guess the question number they were on to resume taking the test. Sometimes, this guess might be wrong and it might take you to the wrong question and throw you off-track, wasting precious time in the process. Although access to the Review Screen is provided throughout the test, the Review Screen itself has been designed for use only at the end of the test.

"The Review Screen should have another button to take you back to the question you were attempting last"

3. Better quality graphs and diagrams: We really hope that the quality of the graphs and diagrams in the test is better than the one given in the Practice Test. The lines are faint and depending on the luminosity of different monitor screens, often invisible. The choice of font so totally wrong (the Arial Narrow on the vertical text on the Y axis is so closely spaced that it's illegible). This is a test of aptitude and not eyesight. We are not expecting dazzling graphics, but it doesn't really take much to create graphs with a minimum level of elegance.

4. All text on the screen looks the same: There is minimal or no work done on the interface's typography. All text is in more or less in the same typeface and size. Information that the test-taker is going to read more frequently --- such as the Time Remaining, or the question number --- could have been in a larger size compared to other items on the green band on top, so that it aids the eye when the test-taker is trying to locate it and make the visual hierarchy of text more efficient.

5. Ambiguous hotkey support: The first letter of each of the buttons is underlined. Are those supposed to be hotkeys? If one can invoke those buttons by pressing the corresponding keyboard keys (instead of the mouse), it at least isn't functional in the demo practice test. If there is no intention of attaching hotkeys to the buttons, then the underlines should be removed.

Many MBA aspirants have a tendency to rationalize bad design in entrance tests as "part of the stress environment the examiner is trying to create in order to test whether you are a good manager". So most CAT takers will not really fret over the above flaws in the testing interface. However, from a point of view of a consumer service being offered for a price paid, good quality testing experience is something Prometric owes to test-takers and thoughtful design is a part of it.

[shashank3012 (Shashank Prabhu)]

The engineers among us would be aware that the notification for the Joint Management Entrance Test (JMET) conducted by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) is out and registrations are in full swing. Here is the JMET 2011 Ready Reckoner - some tips to help you sail through.

What is the eligibility criteria for appearing for the JMET?

You need to be an engineer or an architect in order to be eligible for an MBA from any of the IITs. However, only the Masters of Human Resources Management at IIT Kharagpur also allows admission to graduates in commerce or arts. So if you are a non-engineer, you could take JMET specifically for the Human Resources Management course. For all other courses under JMET, engineering or architecture is a must.

Students in their final year of qualifying degree course are also eligible to apply. Such candidates, if selected, will be admitted provisionally, and their continuation in the programme is subject to the completion of all requirements for the qualifying degree and submission of provisional degree certificate on or before the date stipulated by the admitting Institute.

You can go through the eligibility criteria for the various participating institutes here.

Which are the participating institutes in the JMET and which are the courses on offer?

The list of participating institutes in the JMET and the information on the various courses is given here. You can apply to the institutes if you satisfy their eligibility criteria.

Now that I am eligible, how can I get myself registered for the test?

The application guidelines have been provided on the JMET 2011 website.

When is the test going to be conducted?

The JMET will be held on the December 12, 2010 at various test centres across the country from 10 am to 1 pm.

What is the pattern of the paper?

The pattern of the paper along with few sample questions is put up on the site.

JMET has not changed its pattern for the last two years and has remained the same. The JMET paper consists of 120 questions and the duration is 3 hours, slightly more than the other popular management entrance tests.

Number	Section	Number of questions	Marks per question
1	Quantitative Ability	30	1
2	Data Interpretation	30	1
3	Logical Reasoning	30	1
4	Verbal Ability	30	1
Total		120	120 marks

For every incorrect answer, 1/4 mark is deducted.

Are there any sectional cut-offs?

Yes, there are nominal sectional cut-offs. Those who manage to clear the cut-offs are given a rank on the basis of which they can apply to the institutes after the JMET results are out.

Toppers' Talk

I had a chat with a few of the JMET crackers from the last couple of years: Vinay Raj Kumar Mandaville (Shailesh J Mehta School of Management, IIT Bombay, Batch of 2009-11), Hari P R and Prashant Gupta (both from the Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi, Batch of 2010-12) and Kanishka Chakraborthy (Vinod Gupta School of Management, IIT Kharagpur Batch of 2010-12). Here are some edited excerpts.

Vinay Raj Kumar Mandaville, SJMSoM, IIT Bombay

How different is JMET from the other management entrance tests?

According to Hari: Not very different. The key difference is the additional half hour's time (compared to other exams), and the relatively low difficulty level, which increases the cut-off (I guess it was around 77/120 for IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi last year). Also, the sectional cut-offs are usually pegged at reasonably low levels, so one can go for the kill in one's strong areas.

According to Vinay: The basic sections are the same with the Data Interpretation/Logical Reasoning section bifurcated into two separate sections taking the total number of sections to four (maths and verbal being the other two). Since the questions are not as tough as some of the other tests, it becomes a speed-cum-accuracy game.

Is any additional preparation needed for someone who is already appearing for CAT?

According to Hari: Not much, as far as the questions are concerned. Preparing for the CAT readies one for tackling JMET questions. However, it is always advisable to take a couple of practice mocks to ensure that one is fully warmed up and ready for the real thing. Since it is a three hour exam, one might want to use a different strategy in terms of time allocation and question selection. So, a few mocks will surely help.

Kanishka adds: The only extra effort required is to go through your engineering maths books.

According to Prashant: Last year, as soon as the CAT got over we had special week-long classes for higher maths at my coaching centre. I think the main difference lies in the strategy for the exam and not in the course. Serious aspirants of CAT should not face any problem as far as the course for JMET is concerned. Just attempt and analyse well all the mock JMETs.

Prashant Gupta, DMS IIT Delhi

With almost all the other tests being timed at around 2.5 hours, how much more endurance do you think a 3-hour test demands physically and mentally?

According to Vinay: This is something which might look like a minor issue but is not. A three hour test entails concentration for a longer period and some practice is required so that you are at full throttle throughout. So, after the mock CATs and the actual CAT is over, one should try giving a three-hour test too.

Hari suggested a simpler approach: To go too deeply into physical endurance would be complicating things a bit. It does take a bit more mental effort because of the additional half hour involved, but for the average serious aspirants who spend months in dedicated preparation, it shouldn't make any massive difference. My advice would be --- don't think too deeply about the duration; just go out there and take it like any other exam.

According to Prashant: The available time per question is the biggest differentiator in this exam. The pressure is high because right from the beginning you know that you have ample time to solve all the questions and now it's up to you to solve as many as you can accurately. You are supposed to remain completely alert for the full 3-hours. Sometimes laxity caves in after some two and a half hours but that is to be taken care of because each mark and each question is important.

Higher maths and vocabulary. Are they that important? And is it actually possible to get comfortable with them now that there are only 2 months left for the test?

According to Hari: Vocabulary is always good to have, but it isn't a vital part of the exam, unlike, say, in the FMS entrance test. Higher maths has been asked in the past JMETs, but it hasn't been stressed upon too much in the last two years. In fact, the weightage given to higher math last year was minimal. A quick brushing up of the basics should suffice, in my opinion.

According to Kanishka: Higher maths has not formed a considerable part of the JMET paper for the last 2-3 years. But revising the important concepts and formulae will certainly help. No need to delve too deep. Vocabulary on the other hand is certainly very important. Go through the last year's paper and you will have an idea.

Prashant adds: As I told before, higher maths asked can easily be covered in a week after CAT. For vocabulary, I always considered it to be the bedrock for Verbal Ability preparation. Vocabulary building needs continuous work and reading. The Hindu newspaper and good literature are imperative to get comfortable with words. Initially, the task might seem to be insurmountable but once you start spending more and more time with words you tend to develop a liking for them.

Hari PR, DMS, IIT Delhi

Speed or accuracy: which is more important considering that there are 3 hours to finish the test?

According to Hari: Both are important. The cut-off marks for the top 2 IITs (around rank 418 for Bombay and 490 for Delhi) was somewhere in the range of 80/120 in 2008, and 75+/120 last year. So, it's usually a pretty high percentage of the total marks that makes the cut. Also, the density of students near the cut-off score is really high: a mark or two can pull down one's rank considerably, and can make the difference between getting a call and missing one.

Kanishka says: The ideal approach is always a mix of both. I know it sounds cliched but it is true. Plan well before the test how you are going to divide your time. Stick to your schedule as much as possible and you will do just fine.

Any specific section or subsection to look out for?

According to Hari: It depends on one's strength, really. Like I said, it is possible to make the most of one's strong areas in an exam like JMET. But, because of the traditionally high cut-offs, I would suggest that a maximum number of questions be attempted, overall. Also, in the past, quant used to be a tough nut, but it has been on the easier side in recent years.

Kanishka shares the same thought: Maths is the only section that needs JMET-specific attention. For all other sections, CAT preparation should suffice.

According to Vinay, however: I found the verbal section to be one, where one could solve most of the questions without spending a lot of time thereby, leaving more time for the other sections.

Time distribution per section and strategy you had followed.

Hari says: I spent roughly 40-50 minutes per section (there were 4). My strategy was to maximize in the VA/RC section, and the logical reasoning section. I did a fair number of questions in the other 2 sections too, though. It is not really wise to take any section lightly, because, like I said, the overall cut-off is usually high, and every question, every mark matters.

Prashant had kept in mind a few things:

In all the entrance exams I took, some points were common in my strategy. Like,

• leaving my strongest section (quant) for the end when the pressure is the highest.


• As I was in the habit of working with a pen while solving questions I made it a point to mark all the answers in the end. It may sound trivial but it did saved me a lot of time.


• Strict time allocation. You have to remain committed to the time allocation you did before the exam. It should only be changed in case of drastic changes in the paper pattern which normally we know beforehand.


• Attempting my weakest section(VA) in the beginning when there is least pressure.

My suggested strategy for JMET 2010:

i) VA- 50 minutes

ii) DI- 50 minutes

iii) QA- 50 minutes

Then mark the answers and spend the rest of the time in your strongest section(QA) to maximize score. This time can also be spent in attempting some questions which you were not able to read in the allotted time but don't contemplate much, look for sitters.

Final Thoughts?

Prashant: One last advice from me, especially applicable to JMET. Never get stuck on any question. In my analysis of the last 2 year papers there were many questions with wrong data and finally full marks were awarded to all the candidates. So, if in case you feel some doubt about some question like data missing or incorrect data or option missing, just move on to the next question without spending any time on it.

Vinay sounds a caution: The standard of questions from the time I gave to the next year increased so, the trend could continue.

Hari: Focus on CAT preparation; JMET preparation would automatically be taken care of. It would only need a couple of mocks in addition.

Kanishka: Don't loose your cool. Be calm and do your best.

To discuss JMET preparation, please continue on this thread. There are active seniors from IIT b-schools there who will help you out.

[apurv (Apoorv Pandit)]

After tea and a heavy breakfast, he leaves home to attend to his first appointment for the day. After putting in his first hour for the day, he bids his first client goodbye, secretly hoping that the client would hand him a cheque with the pending payment. But no such luck. Payment will be cleared by month end, says the client. Exiting the building, he kick-starts his Bajaj Chetak parked outside the premises. Theres still two hours to go until the next appointment, so he drives towards his home, hoping to complete a couple of household chores in the meantime. But just as he leaves that traffic, the mobile phone rings. Another client needs someone like him, and they need him now. Can he make it? He quickly calculates the feasibility of attending this unexpected call and says a yes. After all, the b-school is just a little off the route and earning a grand off an hour of teaching marketing management isnt a bad deal at all.

That was not a day in the life of a music or dance instructor, but one variety of management faculty that forms virtually the majority teaching backbone of Indias privately-owned business schools in tier-2 and below category.

In b-school administration-speak, they are often called Scooter faculty or Briefcase faculty. In Delhi, they are called Metro faculty because they carry their office in the Delhi Metro. In more descriptive vocabulary, they are known as Cheap visiting faculty.

The common thing between all of them is that they are not on the fulltime payrolls of any b-school. They live their entire day on the road, going from b-school to b-school and delivering an hour of lecture at each in the one or two subjects they are good at. The better ones have their days planned out in advance. The not-so-good ones get work as the day passes, often in the same way that convenience servicemen such electricians or plumbers get work.

Every management hub in the country has a floating population of 'scooter faculty' who live their day carrying a briefcase on a two-wheeler, doing rounds of business schools and taking lectures wherever required.

It is not by compulsion that Scooter faculty choose to be a floating workforce.

It makes perfect sense for us as well as them, says the Director of a prominent private b-school in Noida, under the condition of anonymity. The problem with hiring fulltime faculty is that I will be tied-down with someone who could turn out to be a lousy teacher. So I only hire as much fulltime faculty as is dictated by AICTE or whatever other norms. The rest of the capacity I fill using visiting faculty who I can hire or fire depending on their performance.

For them the benefit is of freedom. They choose the number of lectures they want to take according their will, he adds.

What would they do with the freedom? It depends.

Some could be just lazy. Being a fulltime professor means eight hours of daily work at the college. They might want to teach fewer hours and spend the rest of the day at home or to do something else, explains the Director.

Some might want variety so instead of being stuck up with the same batch, they may want to teach in different colleges where they can interact with more number of students, he adds.

Money is another important reason. A Scooter faculty would teach on an average three to four hours a day for twenty days in a month. At an average industry rate of Rs 1,000 per hour taught (for a professor of average quality), they stand to earn between Rs 60,000 to Rs 80,000 per month. The rates could go up to Rs 1,500 per hour, taking the monthly earning well above Rs 1 lakh. Compare that with the fixed salary for a fulltime faculty in a private second-tier b-school: Rs 35,000-Rs 45,000.

The rates per hour of course, can be as high as Rs 3,000 per hour for the really top-quality visiting faculty. These professors would usually be former industry professionals who have retired from very senior positions in corporates. According to the b-school Directors I spoke to, the term Scooter faculty would be too demeaning for them.

A typical Scooter faculty would not be too qualified, but sufficiently proficient in pulling off a lecture on basic management subjects at low-rigor b-schools. Some would be in the profession because they did not get a job anywhere else after completing an MBA or a PGDM from a lower-rung b-school.

For all their seemingly un-academic ways of operating, they have been an indispensable necessity to the management education boom.

Faced with an acute shortage of good quality faculty in the face of increasing MBA batch sizes, private b-schools have since the last 4-5 years begun to keep just three to six faculty members on their permanent payroll. The rest of the faculty strength is made up entirely of cheap visiting faculty.

Says the Director of a b-school in Gurgaon, Suppose I have to teach Kotler to a bunch of 60th percentile students from class B and C towns. Do I really need a big-shot marketing vice-president? Whatever he or she teaches will go over their heads. So all I want is somebody who can teach them the basics. I dont want an Einstein.

Some b-schools keep an entire directory of floating faculty in their towns segregated by department. If the school needs a professor for Six-sigma, coordinators in the institute will call up the phone numbers, and as soon as a suitable price is negotiated, a faculty will be on its way to teach that subject.

The market for visiting faculty too has boomed. In cities such as Pune, many visiting faculty are engineers in their 50s who have taken voluntary retirement from their firms.

For all the practical sense that Scooter faculty makes for them, no b-school Director that I spoke to was ready to be quoted on this subject.

Visiting faculty is a touchy subject. We have a market positioning and if people know that we use scooter faculty, it will be damaged, said a b-school Dean in Pune.

While both b-schools and visiting faculty agree that the Scooter faculty or Briefcase faculty system works for them, they were divided on whether it also works for the most important stakeholder: the students.

We got the following quotes from b-school heads who thought that the system was good for students.

If our students dont like the professor, they complain to us and we get him changed. Would that be possible if we had a permanent faculty in his place?

We are charging Rs 7 lakhs in fees and if we dont deliver, the parents are at our necks. So I cannot afford to keep dead weight (permanent faculty) in my b-school.

I have further subdivided core subjects such as finance, marketing and human resources to sub-topics. I am finding the best guy to teach every sub-topic so that the students are getting exposure to the best possible person for their studies under the circumstances.

We are taking students from backward regions who do not even know basic communication skills or table manners and uplifting them for a basic corporate job. Even if they absorb what our basic-qualified teachers are teaching, it is a huge leap for them.

And then there were those who spoke against running a b-school on the back of visiting faculty.

If most of your faculty isnt fulltime, you are nipping all research in the bud. Years will go by and your intellectual capital will remain the same.

There is no career growth in being a fully visiting faculty. You teach the same subjects over and over again without any additional input or experience. It wont be much time before which youll become obsolete.

How can you teach core subjects using a faculty who cannot be guaranteed to be there for students doubts? Faculty at b-schools are not just teachers, they are mentors also. How will mentorship happen if your professors keep changing?

The teaching profession is all about pride. If you chase money and a comfortable life, you may amass some wealth but you will have no respect in the academic circles.

[apurv (Apoorv Pandit)]

We are looking to expand our Editorial Team! Join us to carry on the PaGaLGuY legacy of reporting inside stories from India's most followed b-school campuses and help lakhs of MBA aspirants to make smarter admission decisions.

By joining the Editorial Team at PaGaLGuY, you will work with a highly experienced team of senior journalists who have formerly worked for illustrious publications such as The Times of India, Mid-Day, Indian Express, Associated Press, Hindustan Times, Outlook, The Pioneer and more, and are passionate about writing impactful journalism for Indias higher education.

About the News Features Writer job

The Editorial team is looking to hire experienced Senior/Junior Journalists specializing in news features to add to its team.

• You will keep yourself up-to-date with the trends and developments at business schools in India and abroad, and in the higher and business education sector.


• You should be well-versed with writing a wide-variety of news features, ranging from Analytical features to Human interest features, First-person accounts, Explanatory features, Descriptive interviews, etc.


• You will need to have outstanding research skills and an eye for detail with information. You will need to regularly interview people in person or over phone, travel across India to visit b-school campuses, source and analyse data and link it to prevalent occurrence and maintain news sources in various b-schools. Comfort with Math will work to your advantage.


• You would have to generate ideas for stories regularly and deliver the stories under tight deadlines. Your work should be well-written, accurate and insightful.


• You should have a flawless command over the English language. An avid reading habit wont hurt.

Desired profile and qualifications

We would prefer it if you had a Bachelor/Master degree in any discipline from a reputed university/college followed by a stint of 1-5 years in a reputed newspaper or news magazine.

If you do not have Journalism experience, you may still apply, but your application will have to demonstrate potential to us convincingly.

Compensation shall be at par with industry standards and based on prior experience.

How to apply

Apply by sending us your detailed Resume, a Covering Letter and samples of your writing to [email protected]

You should also check our office blog & understand how we hire.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I work Part-time or Freelance?

A: No, this is a fulltime-only position.

Q. Can I work from my home, or from a city other than Mumbai?

A: No, you have to work out of our Mumbai office.

Q. I have always wanted to be a creative writer all my life. Is this the chance for me?

A: This job requires two skills: research skills (not the Google kind) and writing skills. Between the two, research skills take priority.

[vasundhara_vyas]

Theater and management studies might not have much in common on the face of it, but the students of Mudra Institute of Communication, Ahmedabad have developed a strong bond with both. What started out as one of show by the students in 1999 has now, become the institutes annual theatrical event happening annually for over a decade.

Students involved in organising the event feel that the months that go in putting up the three-day long festival in December every year gives them greater learning of management and communication than any other class or internship.

Though annual business school competitions and cultural festivals happen in most b-schools, MICA has been able to create a niche by focusing on performing arts, theater being the most explored. Be it there theater festival Sankalp or the brand communication festival, MICANVAS, the city of Ahmedabad awaits the performances and programmes put up by the students.

Sankalp, which will be hosted in December, is an event put together completely by the students. The event has plays produced by team Sankalp, staged for the public for three consecutive days. "Student teams handle sponsorship, production, set designs, media and logistics during this event. Besides contributing our little bit in trying to restore the dying art of theatre, putting forth the whole event together is an on the job training for us where we learn various skills of resource and people management," says Surabji Suri, from the organising committee of Sankalp.

In previous years, team Sankalp had staged plays such as Girish Karnad's 'Tuglaq', 'Hayavadana', 'Sacrifice', Vijay Tendulkar's 'Encounter in Umbugland', Dharmavir Bharti's 'Suraj Ka Satwan Ghoda' and Woody Allen's 'Death.'

Besides the three-day long theater festival, team Sankalp also contributes to society with its theatrical skills. The team, in their initiative called 'Rangmanch', has been performing street plays in villages, municipal schools and community places in and around Ahmedabad spreading the message of personal hygiene, save the girl child or importance of education.

Sankalps founders - Karthik Kumar and Sunil Vishnu K who launched the programme in 2000, now run a theatre company Evam. The theatre group is based in Chennai and stages plays in various cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and even Colombo. Other Sankalp alumni come back to participate in the event every year. Formar Sankalp director, Spandan Mishras work The Diary which was first staged in Sankalp 2009, has gone on to win accolades at the Kala Ghoda Festival, Mumbai.

This year Sankalp is going bigger. From a theater festival alone, this year onwards, there will be over 15 different events spread over three days for students of MICA and other institutes. The festival will explore story-telling in all its forms one-act plays, photography, comic strip creation documentary film making, radio plays, street plays, shadow theatre and more, says Surabhi.

The brand communication festival of MICA, also planned and executed by the students themselves, MICANVAS has a strong element of performing arts in the various events during the three-day event. Being organised from October 28 to October 31, students get to do both; apply the management skills taught in class and learn beyond classroom concepts like people management.

"The one thing that we try to keep in mind while planning MICANVAS is that like other institutes, the annual festival of MICA should not forget the festivities. While MICANVAS's flagship event, Mindspeak, has eminent people from the media fraternity coming and sharing their experiences with the participating students, there are many other fun events that test participants on the communication and analytical skills, says Kartikeya Malhotra, from the organising committee of MICANVAS.

Abhinav Krishna, also from the organising committee of MICANVAS shares, "keeping the connection with the corporate world, one of our competitions is around the communication and marketing problems faced by them. There are competitions like 'Roti Kapda aur Mobile' for a mobile company and few other corporate sponsored events for whom a market research is undertaken to identify problems and a competition is announced to find the best possible solution.

There are also competitions like Half time a sport marketing event, Metropia - where teams create their own super hero and market them, Random Play - the music marketing competition and Digi 3.0+ - digital media marketing that sounds fun but has its genesis in what the corporate world is offering and demanding."

[laj (Lajwanti D'Souza)]

The education ministry in China is on an ambitious plan to attract 500,000 international students every year, of which 150,000 will be for higher education. To meet this number, the government has already set about improving the quality of faculty, designing more international education programs and increasing services for foreign students. Little wonder then that China has able to attract far more number of students of international ethnicity than India. But what makes China a more viable option for higher education for international students when compared to India and what is it that India needs to do to get into the international league?

PaGaLGuY spoke to two important people from the Shanghai-based China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) on the subject. The first is Dr Ramakrishna Velamuri, Professor of Entrepreneurship Academic Director - International EMBA Program and the second person is MBA Programme Academic Director Lydia Price. Incidentally CEIBS has recently entered a coalition with three other Asian schools, including Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, to rope in students from the Western world in a joint operation.

Dr Ramakrishna Velamuri, who was previously on the faculty of IESE Business School as Academic Director of the Global Executive MBA and the Inside India programs and has taught as a Visiting Professor at the ISB says that India needs to not only attract international faculty but also provide MBA degrees more widely.

What do you think Indian b-schools who are looking to get in international students could do to be more attractive to prospective students internationally?

There are several barriers that we need to overcome. One barrier is our own government policy. You may know that the best Indian business schools are not university-affiliated, which means that they cannot call their degrees 'MBA'. They have to call them PGDM (in the case of schools such as IIMs) and PGP in the case of ISB. Those of us who have lived in India know very well that these certificates are the equivalent of MBAs, but this is a much harder sell to prospective foreign students. This same problem exists for the 'Fellows' of IIMs. At CEIBS, we once received an application for a faculty position from a candidate who had a Fellow certificate from one of the IIMs. I struggled to convince my faculty colleagues that a Fellowship was equivalent to a doctoral degree. Sometimes, we Indians are our own worst enemies.

How should b-schools look at growing their faculty with the goal of attracting international students?

We need to attract good internationally-trained faculty. Despite the improvement in faculty compensation resulting from the 6th Pay Commission's recommendations, Indian b-school faculty salaries (based on UGC scales) are not at all competitive. ISB is the only b-school in India that has faculty compensation that is somewhat comparable to international standards. The faculty members in the leading Indian business schools are excellent teachers, because teaching is what has been historically rewarded. Nowadays, business schools need to be active knowledge generators, in addition to being knowledge disseminators. However, the incentive structures in Indian business schools still do not emphasize research (with some exceptions like ISB). What needs to be done is to attract internationally competitive faculty and then give them light teaching loads so that they can dedicate a significant portion of their time to doing research with a view to publishing in international peer reviewed journals. This is very, very expensive and must be addressed through a sound economic model.

Indian pockets are not generally deep when it comes to education. How could Indian b-schools handle the financial load of paying such salaries?

The experience of CEIBS in China and ISB in India shows that there are enough students in both countries who will pay a premium for a high quality education. A high quality educational experience means excellent faculty members, excellent facilities (CEIBS and ISB are good examples of this) and an intelligent, diverse student body. The leading Indian b-schools have always been able to attract exceptionally talented Indian students. Unless they move away from government subsidized higher education, I am afraid this will be difficult to sustain in the future and their ability to attract talented international students will remain low.

India does not really have an 'international' reputation in the world education market.

International reputation is an important issue. Both CEIBS and ISB have done very well in the Global MBA rankings published by the Financial Times. CEIBS built a strong reputation through its early mover advantage in China, strong support from the EU and the Chinese government, high quality faculty coming from more than a dozen countries and other factors. Similarly, ISB built an excellent reputation in its very short history thanks to top tier partner schools (Wharton, Kellogg, LBS, and now MIT for the Mohali campus) and some of the best visiting professors. ISB has now started to attract a number of foreign students (many of Indian ethnicity but several others as well) and will continue to do so in growing numbers. My understanding is that the IIMs will soon be eligible to participate in the FT Global MBA rankings through their PGPX programs. I would expect several of them to be in the top 50, based on the quality of their students and alumni. If they could address some of the other issues (international faculty, international students, state-of-the-art facilities etc), there is no reason why several of them cannot be in the top 20. As the Indian growth story continues, there will be more and more people who will want to study in India, and this will also help Indian b-schools attract international students.

Should India's larger English-speaking base not work in its favour, and against China?

I have answered this question earlier that some of the best Indian b-schools cannot offer an 'MBA' degree and that could be one of the reasons why students look at China over India. One factor favouring CEIBS is the China/Shanghai location. China is much more connected internationally than India, both in terms of trade and investment. China's exports in 2009 exceeded $1.2 trillion compared to India's $164 billion. China's imports in 2009 were $954 billion versus India's $268 billion. In terms of inward stock of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), China had $456 billion as of 2009 versus India's only $158 billion.

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We then spoke to Lydia Price, MBA Programme Academic Director, CEIBS. She says that the internationalisation of a student pool goes a long way in creating an 'international' image for the b-school.

How many international students does your B school have at this moment and from which nationalities?

We now have 65 international students in 2010 class, accounting for 36.1% of the student body. They are from 19 countries, spreading across North America, South America, Europe and Asia.

What in your opinion is the reason that b-schools in China are able to attract more international students than those in India?

China is the most dynamic and fastest growing economy in the world. Nowadays, over 60% of Fortune 500 enterprises have operations in China while 43 Chinese enterprises are among the top 500 list. With the deepening and extension of Chinas economic growth, graduates with aspiration, managerial potential and international orientation are in high demand, thats the most important reason that international students want to come and explore China. And with Chinas growing impact around the globe, particularly since the recent global financial crisis, the China experience has become many international students competitive edge even if they work in other countries. Thats a factor they use to differentiate themselves.

Yours is an an English-medium b-school in what is largely a non-English-speaking country. Do you see any kind of hesitance from the local student population to join CEIBS?

The CEIBS MBA marketing and admission teams work hard to build awareness that we are an international program with a high standard of required English competency. Over the years we have applied a strong English competency screening criterion in the admissions process, often rejecting applicants with the advice that they study English intensively for a year before reapplying. At this point, there is an efficient self selection process at work. Those who are weak in English know that they should improve their ability before applying. Most of our current students have extensive experience working in a multinational environment, both in China and abroad. Through this persistent effort we have been able to attract the right students for our learning environment in sufficient quantities to meet our overall program objectives.

What do you think Indian b-schools can learn from how you market your b-school to international students?

Our marketing is very clear about our market positioning: specifically that we are an international program with a strong China focus. We deliver this idea in many formats (words, pictures, numbers) and through many media (brochures, brief teaching demonstrations, student ambassador outreach, etc). We try to include people - students, faculty and staff in our marketing as much as possible. All of these people embody the brand we live and work in a very multicultural world that reaches the highest levels of international capability while retaining a strong Chinese flavor. This clarity of our positioning and the ways we portray it to the market and seek it in the members of our learning community delivers a very powerful image to the market. So our advice to other schools is to clarify your positioning and then be fully consistent in portraying it externally.

Do you think the British history and cosmopolitan nature of Hong Kong indirectly add to the flow of international students and corporates to China?

Business and economic connections between Hong Kong and mainland China increase continuously over time. As a result, many multinationals have operations in both locations, much as companies operating in Europe or North America might establish presence in multiple cities. Many years ago, foreign businesses entered China through Hong Kong. But today, China is very well developed in terms of the factors that support international trade and investment. Anyone who researches the China market as a destination for business expansion will quickly realize this. Therefore, it is fair to say that Hong Kong helped to boost international interest in China business many years ago. But the effect is much more limited today.

Any suggestions that can make Indian B-schools compete effectively in the international market?

We have found that internationalization of student pool greatly boosted our worldwide image and credibility. Hence, we would advise Indian schools to consider that route. They must keep in mind, however, that this is a complex process that requires big adjustments to all aspects of admissions, academics and operations. So schools should not embark on that path blindly. We suggest that they establish clear goals and priorities for the internationalization process, and then pursue those goals aggressively.

[guest_writer (Guest)]

There are various things one can do to beat exam stress, like the ones listed below. PaGaLGuY has put together a five-point agenda that can help make the road to CAT a little bit easier on the nerves. From praying to God, meditating, to eating the right food and what to expect on the big day --- read below for a quick-fix.

1. Be positive and be brave. Do not center your life around the result.

By Prof Virender Kapoor

There are three distinct phases for a competitive exam. First, the 'preparatory phase', which in this case could be a year. Second the approach phase, when you are very close, say a few weeks before the exams. The third is 'the day of exam,' when you give all that you have in those few hours in the examination hall or in this case an online test. Many times, because of the fear some of the aspirants cannot do well on the day of the exam. With CAT, an additional level of frustration too can creep in if the person appearing has made attempts before.

Testing your wits: The exam is a test of wits and you are running against time and that is why all mock tests try to grill it in you that 'time is precious.' There is no short-cut to practice. Even if you have a very high IQ, you still need to go through the practice sessions religiously. Be rest assured that if you have worked hard, results are bound to be positive. If you have worked diligently, taken the right material for practice sessions, attempted sufficient number of mock tests, there is nothing to fear. You will move ahead in life and that too, ahead of others. Avoid a crash study course, because it can generate a lot of stress. Make it a point to take a short break in between study sessions. Remember, in a competitive exam, not only is 'how you perform' important, but also how others perform. Because at the end of the day, it is all relative.

Be positive: Give your best shot and be positive. Anyone who takes this test is a serious contender for a top b-school. He/she would have prepared by going through rigorous study material and undergone many mock tests. These tests are usually tougher than the final CAT exam just to raise the bar purposely. This should make your final exams appear a little easier and that would help on the D-day. As they say 'the more you sweat in peace the less you bleed in war.' And at the end, you have to be positive. Go for a walk with a friend and take a mental break. During the walk, talk about everything else except exams. This helps immensely. Please do rest before the examination day. About 8 hours of sleep will definitely help. Another important tip is not to discuss questions just before the exam. It again confuses your mind more than anything else.

Beat stress: The best way to beat stress is by taking things as they come. Beating stress is essential if you want to deliver a peak performance. In the 'Emotional Intelligence' domain this attitude to face life is what makes the difference between a winner and a loser. Since all of you are in the few days before CAT, you are feeling that pressure and anxiety, which builds before. You have to fight fear. You have worked hard for so long for this exam and a good score is important but there is a fear of failure. What happens if I cant crack it? is what goes on in your mind all the time. You dont fear the exam, you actually fear the result. If some how you are not so 'attached' to the result the fear will go away. In fact, anxiety may not build at all or at least will be less in intensity.

Attitude and perception: By saying 'be brave' you cant become brave but giving stress a little less importance, can be a great help. It's okay if you dont get in an IIM or a top college. It will not be the end of the world. It is not at all that you will never make a decent living? I am from an IIT but do you think a handful of my batch mates are the only ones who are driving good cars and making money. Remember only a few thousand go to these institutes, but the world goes on. You have worked very hard, given your best shot and that is all that you can do. In case of public speaking, I always advise a simple thing: Stand on the dais and think that you are addressing a bunch of dodos. And I have seen, it works very well. Therefore, it is important to remove the cause of fear rather than fear itself. If you keep programming your mind with 'perform or perish, do or die' you will always generate anxiety. Having said that, I must caution, that it doesnt mean you dont work hard and dont prepare for the examination. You work hard, do your best and dont worry about the results. If you cant make it to the best B-school you can always find a place in some other institutes which will give you an opportunity to do well in life.

Breathing techniques: CAT aspirants, like other exam takers may get very anxious and lose their appetite. It is important that you have three square meals every day- even if you have to force yourself to eat. Do not miss breakfast. Dont change your style of studying. There are guys who study in groups and some study alone. Changing your style a few weeks before exam can generate unnecessary stress. If you practice meditation and yoga, please continue during this phase. If you have not done yoga or meditation, you should simply do deep breathing a few minutes at an interval of five to six hours. This helps in relaxing. A simple relaxing technique, which you should make part of your life, is a derivative of vipasana. Sit in a quite place, close your eyes and switch off the lights and cross your legs, or lie down. Now just breathe normally and concentrate on your breathing. Watch the breathing activity as you breathe in and out softly. Concentrate as your breath touches the nostrils as you breathe out. Your breath is a little warm. As you breathe in your breath touching inside your nostrils is cooler. Keep doing (observing) this for ten minutes. It is so effective that some of you may fall asleep. This works like a sleeping pill. This is the best relaxing exercise I have ever known.

Prof Virender Kapoor is the former Director of Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management (SITM), Pune. He is also an author of bestselling books on Emotional Intelligence, Success, Passion, Wor-life Balance, which are available in many languages. He is the founder director of MILE (Management Institute for Leadership and Excellence), Pune.

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2. What you need to do on the big day, the night before, the day after

By Shashank Prabhu

We are now into the last week before the CAT 2010. The pulse is running high and the tension brimming. All that one has prepared for in the last few months is about to be tested in a short span of two and a quarter hours. There are those like me, who took the examination last year and are pretty well-versed with what to expect on the C-day. But for many it is the first time, so here are a few tips.

You have done your job: You have done the difficult part. You have been persistent throughout the season. Taken every mock seriously and analysed it. Seen the good, the bad and the ugly side of results. Argued with people how right you were and how wrong the paper setter was. Now, it the time to relax and be in a good frame of mind before the exam. It isn't advised to take a full-fledged mock at this point in time. If you are really anxious, you can try something you have already done like say a sectional test or some questions you had found interesting in mocks. A full-length test is not advised as, if you don't score well in it, you just could get nervous going into the C-day.

The night before: Make sure you get a proper night's sleep. You don't want to feel tired and exhausted before the test starts. If you have followed an awry schedule from the beginning, make it a habit to alter it to suit your slot. Make sure that everything you need to take to the centre is in place and you aren't missing anything. Also, if possible, try to visit the centre a couple of days before the test and get to know where your lab is (there are multiple labs even in the same centre) and a rough estimate of how the environment would be.

On the exam day: Reach the centre slightly earlier than when you are supposed to be (8 a.m. for the morning slot and 1 p.m. for the afternoon slot). Don't forget to carry with you the voucher and a printout of the Admit Card along with a photo identity card and a valid document to verify your SC/ST status if applicable. When you reach the centre, you will see some tense faces buried in their books or papers trying to read every last bit of information they can. Don't get worried. If you weren't able to do something in the last one year, chances are few that you will be able to do it in the last few minutes.

The gates will open about one and a half hours before the test. After that, your credentials will be checked and all your belongings will be taken and kept in a bag. You will be given a token so as to identify your stuff. Then, you will be queued to get your digital fingerprinting and photograph done after which, you will be allotted a system. The slots are spread out well which effectively means fewer candidates taking the test in your slot, the process should be quicker than what it was last year. Avoid drinking too much water before the test as toilet breaks will not be allowed from 30 minutes before the test till the end of the test. You will be allowed to visit the washroom only after you have been allotted your system. With your system, will be a 20-paged booklet for rough work along with two pencils and an eraser.

If anything is not in place, ask the invigilator for it. Once everyone is settled, you will be asked to follow the instructions on your screen. You can go through the CAT guide to get familiar with the interface. Before you start the test, you will be asked to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) which prohibits you from disclosing any questions from the test. If you choose to not agree to it, you get exited from the test. So, accept it and you will be asked to start the test.

During the test: While the test is on, if you face any problem, you can raise your hand and the invigilator will come to your desk. If you have some problem with your stationery, it will be replaced immediately. If you have some problems with the visibility of a question, the invigilators will make a log entry of it. In case your system shuts down, you will be moved to another system. Whatever be the case, please don't panic during the test. The quit test button which was a problem faced by few aspirants last year, has been taken care of in this edition. It is placed only on the review screen. Even if you accidentally select it, it will warn you before quitting the test. So, there is little chance that one would abruptly end his/her test if one is vigilant enough.

Also, during the test, it might happen that you find yourself answering fewer questions than what you are 'supposed to.' Remember that, each of the paper sets will be different and hence, the difficulty level too might vary. Focus on doing justice to your set and do not think of anything else. Just make sure that whatever you are attempting is right and you don't lose out marks in questions which you know you can solve well during the test. If you are done with your test early, you may choose to quit your test. But, you won't be allowed to leave the lab. So, even if you are done with your test, it is wouldn't hurt if you c re-check whatever you have solved.

After the exam: Post the exams, sit back and relax. There will be plenty of speculation (on the PaGaLGuY threads) on what qualifies as a good number of attempts, what should be the corresponding score and what will fetch a 99.5+ score. Avoid thinking too much about these things. You will get the same result on January 12, 2010 irrespective of whatever others say. If you are taking other entrance tests, relax for a couple of days. You need to be fresh before you can get back to solving questions again. If you are only taking CAT, there will be a void in your life after CAT. No more mocks and preparations. You can do things you couldn't due to CAT and job/college pressures. If you have your college exams, prepare for them. You can also use this time to prepare for the next stages of the process, the Group Discussion, Interview, Essay, etc.

Shashank Prabhu was the Maharashtra CET 2010 topper and Captain of this year's PaGaLGuY Dream Team.

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3. Talk to god and talk to yourself, unwind

By Harish Shetty

The unconscious mind cannot differentiate fantasy from reality. So students can spend 15 minutes daily and fantasise the entire exam in all six senses. Closing their eyes, they can visualise themselves entering the classroom, seeing the environment in all the colours, hearing the chatter, seeing the invigilator, seeing the computer screens and begin to imagine that you are answering beautifully. See it all in 5 senses and experience the 6th. The feeling of joy as the answering progresses with jet speed and correctly. The 6th sense, a joyous feeling, which should be part of the fantasy.

Childlike: Be like a child before the exams and relax around the house. Try to have fun and talk fun with family and siblings. Hum all the songs that you have always liked. This movement will help melt the fear. At this time avoid the pravachan type of guys and those with pakav faces. Make sure such types are not around you at all.

Workouts: Don't stop your workouts as sweat is an antidote for all anxiety. Workouts will also make you feel energetic and light.

No brain panga: Do not take panga with your brain, so sleep enough so that the valves of your mind open in the exam hall. Cease- fire all your conflicts including those with boyfriends and girlfriends. Avoid thinking of those people or things that give you stress.

Talk to yourself: Khud se bolo. It is important. Remember: "Mai aur mera tanhaiyee aksar aapas me baate karten. Tum ho tho tho kitna aacha ho. Tanhayi mit gayi." Throw Oxford obscenities, it is very good for health. If needed, discuss your fears with your friends.

Notes to God: Try talking to god. Speak to God and tell him or her what is in your mind. It will help keep the mind peaceful. Pray but not with shaking palms and with an anxious mind.

Harish Shetty is a psychiatrist based in Mumbai.

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4. Eat right, stay cool and stay healthy

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By Zubeida Tumbi

Since CAT aspirants are most probably going to be sitting in one place for long duration of time, food should be such that keeps them light and their minds active. Rice should be avoided unless the student wants to have a good sleep. Efforts should definitely be made to have frequent meals which are small in portion. These will get rid of the urge to eat a heavy lunch and also keep the system active. Also students should go off all aerated drinks and salted potato wafers.

Late night: If the student is sitting up at night to make sure he or she has a good bowel movement the next morning, then prunes, figs or raisins could be had after soaking them in water for a couple of hours. This will not help the bowel movement but also give the student something to munch on. It is better to munch on raisins and prunes than salted wafers, potato chips or chocolates in the night. This will also wean away the student from drinking cups coffee or tea at night just to keep awake.

Lots of water: Besides consuming lots of water during the day, consume water half an hour before a meal or one hour after a meal. If you want to consume during a meal, only a small cup of water. Better still if you drink hot water with a dash of lime. This will make sure that you do not feel bloated after your meal. Soup sachets are a good source of liquid to have during the day. While making the soup, toss in a few vegetables, which will make it wholesome.

Frequent meals: Some of the frequent meals can also include fruits and raw or steamed vegetables. Make sure both the fruits and vegetables are properly washed and have the fruits with the skin. These will not only provide the necessary nutrition but also keep the body light for study purposes. If you have to choose between fruit and a fruit juice, go for a fruit.

Sprouts: Sprouts should become an integral part of a student's menu. Some prefer to eat it raw or they can be lightly cooked, to be had as a salad or as a pastime snack. Similarly, cereals are should also become a part of the diet during pre-exam days. There are different types in the market. Lhapsi is also a good option for breakfast. If a student is strictly non-vegetarian, sprouts can be replaced with chicken or fish. But these should be prepared lightly and neither in a curry base, nor fried.

Avoid salted products. Avoid all salted products, especially salted nuts which are a fun munching food for many youngsters. Nuts in fact are a very good option for those studying, but the nuts have to be unsalted. Best to have them soaked in water for a little while. While walnuts can be had as it is, almonds need to be soaked and peanuts can be roasted. The right quantity to have in a day is: 4-5 almonds, 1 tbsp peanuts, 4 pieces of walnuts.

Zubeida Tumbi, is a Phd in Nutrition and working in the field of lifestyle disorders in Mumbai.

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5. Meditate and stay focussed for the exam

Mediation for better performance during exams

Meditation is a good way of life, whether during exams, before or after. It improves concentration and a clear mind is far more productive for any field. Meditation ensures that you are less bothered by little things which may irritate. It can be done for 10-15 minutes daily to help recharge the brain and body. And the best thing is that meditation is not religious but a state of consciousness. Only you need to be in a place where one will not be disturbed.

How to meditate:

Posture: Sit with a straight back. It is fine to meditate in a chair, as long as the back is straight. Don't try to meditate lying down because you are likely to fall asleep. Meditation brings relaxation and peace to the self. Meditating with an empty or full stomach may be distracting or even uncomfortable. So make sure theres something in your tummy, but not so much that you feel bloated while sitting. After a heavy meal, your body can become lethargic. Just like we don't eat before exercises, we do the same with meditation. It is helpful to take a shower before meditating. Burning incense and or a candle is not necessary, but can add a little extra touch.

Breathing: Start breathing slowly and deeply. Close your eyes softly. Begin by taking a few slow and deep breaths inhaling with your nose and exhaling from your mouth. Dont force your breathing. Let it come naturally. The first few intakes of air are likely to be shallow, but as you allow more air to fill your lungs each time, your breaths will gradually become deeper and fuller. Take as long as you need to breathe slowly and deeply.

Awareness: Be aware. When you are breathing deeply, youll begin to feel calmer and more relaxed. Thats a good sign. Now, focus your attention on your breathing. Be aware of each breath that you take in through your nose. Be mindful of each breath that you exhale with your mouth. Continue focusing on your breaths for as long as you like.

Straying thoughts: If you find your attention straying away from your breaths, just gently bring it back. It may happen many times. Dont be disheartened. Whats important is to realise that youve wandered and bring your attention back to where it should be. As you develop greater focus power, you will find it easier to concentrate.

Music: Some find it easy to meditate with music in the background. If you belong to this group, choose tunes that help you to calm down and wont distract you from your practice. Some examples to consider are sounds of nature, soft music. These days even music shops keep music suitable for mediation. The choice of music, or lack of, is entirely a matter of personal preference. So feel free to experiment and see what works best for you.

[shashank3012 (Shashank Prabhu)]

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 appeared in some of this year's mock CATs. Though all aspirants and coaching centres seem to be certain that they will not reach this year's CAT screens, nobody's taking chances because with the CAT, you just never know. A quick look at these topics, for your information.

1. Facts, Inferences, Judgements

• Last seen in CAT 2006 and before that seen in a CAT paper in the early 1990s.


• Appeared this year in T.I.M.E. AIMCAT 1117.

The question is typically a set of few statements. The test-taker has to determine the nature of each of the statements --- whether it is a fact, an inference or a judgement. The instructions define what a fact, an inference and judgement are supposed to mean and one needs to use those definitions while identifying the nature of the statements.

As instructed in a question from CAT 2006,

Facts: which deal with pieces of information that one has heard, seen or read, and which are open to discovery or verification (the answer option indicates such a statement with an F).

Inferences: which are conclusions drawn about the unknown, on the basis of the known (the answer option indicates such a statement with an I).

Judgements: which are opinions that imply approval or disapproval of persons, objects, situations and occurrences in the past, the present or the future (the answer option indicates such a statement with a J).

But then, it's not as easy as it seems and these questions are known for being notoriously confusing and open to multiple interpretations.

Example question,

Please identify whether each of the following statements is a fact, an inference, or a judgment. Select the sequence that best describes the nature of the statements.

1) I can crack CAT.

2) I think I can crack CAT.

3) He thinks you can crack CAT.

a) JJF

b) FFF

c) FJJ

d) JJJ

2. Logical conclusions, Contradictions, Far-fetched conclusions, Irrelevant statements (LCFI)

• Last seen in AIMCAT 1107 and 1103.

In this question type, a short paragraph is followed by a few statements. The objective is to determine if the statements can be logically concluded from the paragraph (L), or does it contradict what is mentioned in the paragraph (C), whether it's a far-fetched conclusion drawn on the basis of the paragraph (F) or is irrelevant to whatever is said in the paragraph (I).

The answers are vey subjective and can be interpreted differently by different people which makes them very ambiguous.

Example question,

A jump in the overall percentage obtained by individual learners who pass will be interpreted officially as success in creating a stress-free environment and higher levels of motivation for the young. Not all are convinced. Extra-time, multiple choice questions, "yes" or "no" tick marking, easier textbooks and a limited system of marking are some of the changes being fed to the media as being improvements in the system that have resulted in higher scores. These are claimed to have created a stress free ambience for the children. However, not all these steps may be bringing out the best in them in terms of creative thinking and nurturing talent.

(A) Easier mathematics is welcome but transition to a stage when even 13+11 has to be calculated using a calculator is not desirable.

(B)If the examinations put one student at a disadvantage to the others, they just cannot project a fair assessment.

(C) This year for the 1st time, success rate in CBSE results has crossed 80% which shows that school children are conscious of the demands of their Board exams and hence put in more efforts now than even before.

(D) If we really trust the CBSE and technically normalise the marks obtained in other boards, is it not possible to save the children from burden of entrance tests to professional courses?

a) FICI

b) LILI

c) FICL

d) ILCL

e) LCFI

3. Upstream, Downstream, Lateral, Irrelevant arguments (UDLI)

• Last seen in AIMCAT 1109.

In this type of questions, a short paragraph is given and a few statements are provided. We have to determine whether the sentence is a continuation of the paragraph (D: downstream argument) or the genesis of the argument (U: upstream argument) similar to the paragraph (L: lateral argument) or irrelevant to the paragraph (I).

These questions are similar to the LCFI questions and are equally, if not more, confusing.

Example question,

In a television interview last night, Mr Chidambaram, the finance minister, made it clear that the government had identified infrastructure as one of the weaknesses which had emerged in the economy during the five years of reform.

1) Infrastructure is to get a big boost in the budget to be presented by Mr.Chidambaram.

2) Infrastructure -particularly power and roads- has been neglected by successive governments over the last two decades.

3)Television interviews should not be used as a forum for complex economic discussions.

4)The economic reforms,which invigorated several sectors of the economy ,had not done much to stimulate infrastructure development.

a) UDIL

b) DULI

c) DUIL

d) UDLI

4. Syllogisms

This is a type of question usually found in speed-based tests. This can have a few variations. The question will be in the form of a few statements out of which three will be logically connected. You have to select the option which has the connection. Another variant of this can have a few statements which will be logically connected and you have to find out which one of the options satisfies the connections established.

These are easy questions and if you can interpret the data given in the question statements correctly, you should easily be able to score full marks in these questions. Keeping one's eyes open for multiple possibilities is advised here.

Example question,

1) All cats are dogs

2) Some dogs bite

3) All cats are carnivores

Which of the following can be logically concluded from the above statements?

a) Some cats bite

b) Some dogs are carnivores

c) All dogs are carnivores

d) All carnivores are cats

5. Logical connectives

• Last seen in: AIMCAT 1013 (last year)

This type of question basically consists of a main statement followed by options. The candidate has to choose the option which logically follows the main statement. These questions are based on the commonly used logical connectives of negation (not), conjunction (and), disjunction (or), implication(if... then) or biconditional (if and only if).

Once one is thorough with the basic set of rules, one can solve the questions quickly and correctly with ease.

Example question.

Either I jump or I dance

Which of the following options conveys the same idea as the original sentence?

a) I am not jumping definitely means that I am dancing

b) I am not dancing definitely means that I am jumping

c) I am not dancing means that I am not jumping either

d) More than one of the above is true

I had a chat with Parag Chitale (founder of CPLC coaching classes, Mumbai), a veteran from the CAT coaching business to know what he thought about the likelihood of such questions appearing in CAT 2010.

Parag Chitale adds, "We can classify the CAT papers broadly into pre-2009 and post-2009 categories. There were hardly any questions asked on 'percentages' before CAT 2009 but last year's edition saw plenty of questions from this area. We do not have much data as of now to be able to predict a trend, but after CAT 2010, things should start getting clearer (about the post-2009 type of CAT paper). The coaching classes are playing it safe by including the whole gamut of questions they have so that an aspirant does not get caught unawares if he encounters such questions in the CAT."

When asked if it was indeed possible to introduce these questions while keeping the difficulty levels across various slots the same, Parag Chitale said, "We cannot say for sure that the difficulty level will stay the same across all the slots. There can be variations, to counter which the process of normalisation is adopted. So we cannot entirely rule out the possibility that such kind of questions can make an appearance in the sets. Also, all the sets cannot be made having similar number of questions of equal difficulty levels from a certain area. If that happens, people taking it at a later stage can prepare for these questions in advance thereby gaining an edge over others.

[laj (Lajwanti D'Souza)]

'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 bulk of applicants will take it towards the end of the exam schedule. What can possibly be the reason to chose the early slot and tread the unlikely path. Pagalguy spoke to two of them to find out.

Take Rinkesh Yadav (22) who is appearing for CAT tomorrow (October 27) at 10.00am at a centre in New Delhi. His first attempt at CAT, he took the decision to sit early to lessen his trauma. "I did not want to be one of the last to give the papers and spend the entire 20 days asking others about their papers and in the bargain anticipating mine. An early slot means I will have done away with this stress by tomorrow evening."

Rinkesh adds that if he sat for CAT with the later groups, his anxiety levels would have definitely risen. "Suppose I was to sit with those like the Dream team guys who will probably attempt 60 questions and say I would attempt 40, that would make me tense like mad. Better to sit early and finish off with all the speculations. "

Rahul Grover

For Rahul Grover (21), also from New Delhi, it was last year's errors that prompted him to take the CAT exam first slot tomorrow. Last year, he chose one of the last slots. "That created too much pressure. I spent the days only thinking how my paper would be and that created so much stress that I did not do well in the paper. This time I decided quite early to take CAT. First I thought I should take it in the first week, but then I felt there would still be some days of stress so better to pick the first day itself," Rahul told Pagalguy.

Both Rinkesh and Rahul have friends who are giving CAT either in the later slots or in the coming days but peer pressure did not work against them. Besides, their families did not stand in the way of their decision either.

Rinkesh Yadav

The day before the big day

Rinkesh says he is bored. "I have done my work. Studied very hard. I am only bored and now waiting for CAT to get over. My books are open but I don't seem to be studying." The only worry for Rinkesh is that he should wake up in time for the exam. "I attempt to wake up at 7.00am evereyday but wake up at 9.00am. Tomorrow I can't afford to. I have to wake up at 7.00am. But my dad will wake me up."

Rahul on the other hand is eagerly waiting for his exam tomorrow. Meditation has helped him keep cool and in control last few months. He says he is much prepared this year than last year so does not feel so tensed.

Additionally, for both Rinkesh and Rahul, 'getting done with the exams' was also a reason to choose the first day slot, so that they could resume living their lives like earlier.

In fact, Rahul quit his BPO job for CAT and has been at his books since June. "Last year's CAT made me realise how much I needed to put in, so gave up my job. It is not possible to do night shifts and study for CAT," he says. Rahul started working very early in life and so completed his graduation through correspondence, while working. "This also meant that I was away from actual studying for long and that is another reason I quit my job to study for CAT properly," he adds.

Stress

The last few months have been strenuous for the two. Both joined coaching centres and have given plenty mocks. At their coaching centres too, they were goaded to take CAT at a later date but they did not budge form their decision. Says Rinkesh: "Finally coaching centres are business models. I don't know how much advise they give really works." Like others taking the CAT, Rahul and Rinkesh have put in hours and hours of study. Adds Rahul, "Before 2008, CAT every year would throw up surprises and but after last year and the exams stretching to 20 days, I don't think there will be many surprises this year."

Regret

At any point did either of them regret choosing the earlier slot of the exams.? Rinkesh says somewhere the normalisation thing got stuck in his head. "I know there are very very few giving the exam on the first day, first slot. And I am going to be among them. I hope the normalisation process does not work against me since I am gong to be pitted against a small number," he hopes. Rinkesh has calculated that given the fact that about 10 per cent of the crowd is taking the test on October 27, he will be pitted against a small number of applicants.

For Rahul, some stray thoughts have bugged him on whether he should have chosen the later slot. "But I managed to cast away the thoughts as soon as they came. Over all I am happy with my decision to finish off with the exam on the first day."

Both Rahul and Rinkesh are going to to be appearing for other entrance exams post CAT. Rahul of course will take a 5-10 day break after CAT and return to FMS and other exams. Rinkesh will be studying for his engineering exams which are between November 8-16.

Ahead

Both have grand plans ahead, if they score well and get through an IIM. While Rinkesh wants to join a corporate firm and and later start something on his own, Rahul has plans to rise high in the corporate ladder. "I want to climb very high. All the steps. When I climb one step, I will see another step and yet another. There is no end. I want to climb all those steps and just keep going on ," dreams Rahul.

[laj (Lajwanti D'Souza)]

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 can call us anytime between 12 pm and 7 pm on (022) 24022402 and say 'Calling-in.' You could even mail us at [email protected] if you want.

[vasundhara_vyas]

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. With the CAT testing window, increasing to 10 days last year and 20 days this year, coaching centres have come up with innovative solutions to help their students till the last moment possible.

Hitesh Devalia, from Endeavor, Ahmedabad shared with Pagalguy, that his centre will be carrying on mock-CATs till much after the CAT testing has begun. Devalia said, As most of out students have registered for the test post-Diwali (November 5), the gap from their last mock-CAT and the final CAT will be too long, hence we have planned to launch two test after October 27."

But that is not all. These last two tests will be designed specially for the students after gauging the trend of the test from the first two days of the exam. There are people from the team who will be taking the test on the first two days. They will try to come out with a trend or a pattern on the basis of which the last two test papers will be created. The students can take the test that are custom-made and closest to the actual test, added Devalia.

Time coaching classes has also decided to hold their last two AIMCATs in two slots, which means that the candidates who are taking CAT in the last week of the testing window, will have a chance to give the mock-CAT only days before their actual test. The test paper though, will remain same for both the windows. The students will be given the result within 48 hours.

A recent mailer sent to the students registered with TIME, says that chat sessions on Verbal/Quant/DI, B-school Selection, and Test taking strategies/Last Minute Tips will be conducted. The chat sessions will also include chats on other exams like FMS, IIFT, SNAP, JMET, IRMA, etc. During the chat sessions, the candidates will get to interact and get their queries addressed from the coaching centre's senior faculty and subject experts.

Abhishek S, who will be taking the AIMCAT 1102 on October 31, says: It's good. You almost get a feel of writing the real thing. And it is a meaningful preparation too to write one just before appearing for CAT."

Another candidate who will be taking the test in the second slot says that as CAT 2010 is extended over a 20 day testing window, students taking CAT earlier have had to forgo the last two mocks or the ones appearing in the later part have to forgo the mock experience closer to their CAT date. " Though these tests are good to stay in touch with the flow of CAT, the results and scores might not give the true picture. The number of candidates taking the test has decreased and that reduces the percentile scored by the candidates. Candidates should not assess their performances with these mocks,"he said.

The website of Career Launcher has also launched a CAT'10 Corner, which has sections like slotwise analysis and the percentile predictor, besides the FAQs and information on other entrance tests. Though there are no mock tests,the website has made provision for CAT takers to discuss their papers, doubts and expected scores.

[apurv (Apoorv Pandit)]

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 that you can live' through our experience. If you have had different or similar experiences, we would love to hear them in the comments.

Apurv - Oct 27, 10 am slot, Sri Balaji Society, Pune

• I reached the centre around 7:30 am at Sri Balaji Society Group of Institutes campus, just a few hundred meters off the Pune-Mumbai Highway near the Wakad flyover. There was good parking space for both two-wheelers and four-wheelers inside the campus, so I parked mine and arrived in front of the building entrance that had 'CAT 2010 Test Center' written on it.


• The crowd was quite thin with barely a couple of hundred candidates --- nothing compared to the mega-congregation of candidates one has come to expect outside CAT centres.


• I spoke to a few candidates waiting outside. Many weren't really from Pune, but from towns nearby Pune such as Satara, Ahmednagar, etc. One guy was sullen because he had forgotten his CAT voucher. Everybody immediately asked him to call someone to deliver it to him as there were still 45 minutes to go until 8.30 am. But unfortunately for him he was from Satara, about 120 kms from Pune.


• Around 8 am, we were asked to enter the centre and start the checking-in process. Immediately upon entering, we were asked to fill in our name, CAT registration number, mobile number and email address in a register. The register was a standard register and didn't have any Prometric branding on it, yet we were being made to fill it as if it were part of the checking-in process. So I asked one of the attendants why we were asked to fill it. He vaguely replied that it was being asked for security reasons. It was unconvincing, as no security register ever asks for a CAT registration number or email address. When I asked the attendant if the Balaji Society b-schools would use the data to send email and SMS promotion to me, he simply asked me to leave the mobile and email fields blank.


• After filling up the register, I climbed to the fourth floor, where all the testing labs were located. After frisking us and checking our documents, they sealed our belongings such as mobile phones, wallets, stationery, keys, in a bag and gave us a token. They then took my photograph and fingerprints at the biometric kiosk and within 15 minutes, I was allotted a computer. The process was pretty smooth and the staff seemed sure of what they were doing.


• I was allocated a computer at around 8:20 am. Thereafter, there was nothing much to do until 9.30 am expect stare at others. I went off to sleep and noticed that many others were doing the same. I could guess that many would have woken up around 5 am to reach this centre in time, especially those who were coming from opposite ends of Pune city.


• I woke up with a jolt at 9.30 am. Instruction sheets with do's and don't's were passed to us along with a pencil, an eraser and a stapled set of blank papers (12 sides) for rough work.


• I could spot a total of seven distinct invigilators who were making periodic appearances in my room. After 9.30 am, they started making announcements one after another --- about the rules, that we should look at the tutorial before starting the exam, etc. Soon after, they logged us in to a screen that showed two buttons. 'Start test' and 'Start tutorial'. We were asked to not touch either until announced to do so.


• 10 am arrived and people started getting impatient. At 10.04 am (according to the computer screen clock), we were finally asked to begin. I took a quick look at the 15-minute tutorial and then started the test. A pointer here --- the tutorial can be seen only once, so don't skim through it expecting that you could restart it for a detailed look later. Go through it once, and go through it well.


• The test started. Same pattern as announced --- 20 questions each in Data Interpretation/Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability and Quantitative Ability. The paper was relatively easy, except for about a dozen questions which qualified as above-average tough. Except for around half a dozen questions from quant which were really tough and required conceptual understanding, the rest of the paper was easy to moderate in terms of difficulty. Since I hadn't prepared for even a minute, it took me time to revisit the concepts from my memory to solve the questions. But I could figure that somebody who's been in the loop would have done them faster.


• There was one question with which I had a problem. It was a question involving sets, where the relationship between two sets was established with a symbol, ostensibly a subset or a superset symbol. That symbol appeared as a box on my screen, the kind that appears in Windows when it tries to render an unrecognized character. I made a complaint to the invigilators, but they were rigidly uncooperative in getting the error clarified. "The test is just as it has been sent by Prometric. We cannot do anything about it," was their flat reply.


• After 2 hours and 15 minutes, the test ended. The invigilators waited for everyone in the room to finish and then proceeded to collect the rough papers, pencil and erasers lent to us. Around 12:45 pm, we were asked to leave the centre and after collecting my personal belongings by submitting the token, I was out of the centre.

Vasundhara - Oct 27, 10 am slot, Institute of Business Studies and Research, Navi Mumbai

I took the CAT after eight years and in a completely new avatar. Though I was a little nervous when I entered the test centre, I consoled myself that if I got lucky, I will have the technical glitches to blame it all on. After all my first experience with CAT 2002 wasn't all that great either. But to my very pleasant surprise there were no glitches and I could sit through the test, attempting more questions than I expected. Here's how my second encounter with CAT went:

• I was lucky to have the CAT test centre within walking distance of my home. Since I had not visited the centre before, I took an auto and was there in less than three minutes. It was almost 8:45 am by then and I was praying that they should allow me to enter. I was told by everybody to be at the centre two hours before, so the tension was evident. But as I spotted the entrance of the building and started climbing the stairs, there was one of the faculty members standing there to guide me. She took a look at my admit card, highlighted my Test ID, and my name and asked me to proceed to the fifth floor.




• On the fifth floor was the security desk, where one male guard, one female guard and several faculty members were waiting for candidates. I was asked to switch off my cell phone and surrender all my belonging. Prepared for this, I had not carried anything besides a little cash and my house keys. In one minute, the officials asked my thrice to deposit my belongings. Then the lady guard took me to a empty room for further checking.




• Once through the security, I was asked to start the registration process. I took my place in front of a webcam, got my picture clicked and then was asked to place my finger on the bio-metric scanner right index finger thrice followed by the left index finger thrice.




• Post the registration process, I was asked to wait in the same room, where already 15 men were sitting. I realised, I was the only girl there. There were candidates who were allowed to come in till 9:30 am.




• We were then given our admit cards back, which now carried the computer number assigned to us. In over enthusiasm or nervousness, a Mr Manoj Kapoor grabbed the form of a Manoj Kumar and finally had to exchange it when his name was finally. During this 40 minute long wait in this room, there were senior faculty members from the institute who dropped in to make small talk and wish us luck.




• Proceeding to the computer lab, adjacent to the registration room, I took my place at the computer screen. The first thing that caught my attention was the dense smell of fresh cardboard that had been used to create partition between computer screens. It took me a good 10 minutes to get used to the smell. The other thing were the loose wires that were hanging from my machine and the machine next to mine. One of the people on duty spotted it and tucked them under the table.




• 9:45 we were asked to start the 15-minute tutorial. Nine minutes into the tutorial, one of the candidates in the room ended his tutorial and pressed the 'Start your Test' button. It caused a little commotion but then everybody else's tutorials were ended to even though there were full five minutes to go and we were made to start the test.




• The first section for me was Verbal. It helped me ease, because atleast the questions are comparatively easier to understand than quant. During the test there were no technical glitches and it went smooth. There was a thin yellow vertical line that went through my screen. Since it was not bothering my vision, I did not ask for the attention of the people on duty.




• 2 hours and 15 minutes later, the test ended. I turned to look around and everybody looked as if they wanted to pop out of their seats. But we were asked to stay put. First it was the submission of the test that took long and then the uploading of the test to the Prometric server, which took longer. During this time also, the loo breaks were prohibited.




• While sitting there, I started talking to the person sitting next to me. We discussed a few questions, tough passage and our professions. To my surprise, he was an IIM-A grad from 2008 batch and had been taking CAT for last two years. I wanted to start my own business, so I have taken up the franchise of a coaching centre. Till now it was only for GMAT but now I want to launch CAT, he told me.




• Finally around 1 pm we were allowed to leave the lab and suddenly we heard a lady call out. Which one of you is a good speaker, she asked, and she pointed at two people including me. There are a few members of the press waiting. Can you give an interview?. I refused, the other agreed.

On the whole, a good experience and glad that IIMs and Prometric got it right this time. Hopefully the performance continues in the coming days when the candidates will increase. In my lab there were there were 22 other with me giving the test today.

All in all, it was a frictionless first-day for CAT 2010. According to Prometric, 4,548 candidates were due to appear for the test today, a far cry from the 12,000 odd candidates that appeared on the first day of CAT 2010. CAT 2010 Convenor Prof. Himanshu Rai told me that they deliberately capped the number of test-takers today so as to not overload the system. While the first day has been glitch-free, the real challenge for Prometric will be to ensure a similar experience during the weekend slots in November, when between 10,000 to 13,000 candidates are due to appear for the CAT on a single day.

It appears that several candidates today have been unable to take the exam because they forgot to bring a photo-identity card, their vouchers or the admit card or did not reach the centre by 8.30 am. According to Prof Rai: "The least we expect from them (the candidates) is the discipline of bringing proper documents and reaching their centres on time. The instructions have been given to them long before so nobody can help them (the candidates who had to miss the exam today) if they don't follow the instructions." He appealed to candidates in the future slots to ensure that they brought with them their CAT vouchers, admit cards, photo-identity cards and if applicable, their caste certificates.

--

[laj (Lajwanti D'Souza)]

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 like in the case of a person who had recently met with an accident and had to give an extended explanation of how, what, when and where it happened.

All in all, first day CAT-takers said it was a moderate paper, with not many surprises. Pagalguy spoke to six of them who led the way for the rest of this year's CAT-takers and asked them for advise to make it easier for the rest of CAT-aspirant population.

Ijas from Chennai says:

Decade stuff: Solve last ten years papers and you will be more than ready for CAT 2010. They will give you the right mix of what to expect.

Blank mind: Go with a blank mind. Do not expect the paper to be too easy or too difficult or it will be difficult for you to cope if the paper does not go according to your expectations

Don't take it easy: Go over the basic at this stage of preperation. It will help considering the kind of questions I had to answer

Center sure: Make sure you go to the center real early. Do not take chances and leave to be just in time.

Do your best: Do what you know best and leave the rest. If you have studied, then do what you know and do not bother about what you don't . It will fall in place.

Rahul Grover from New Delhi says:

Enough is enough: If you have prepared sincerely for CAT last few months, that should do the job. No need to revise over and over again.

Old is gold: Solve as many old CAT papers as you can. These should help more than any mock at this point. They will give you a better feel of what to expect.

Center visit: Have a good look at your center a day before. Mine was in Punjabi Park area and a difficult place to get to if you have not been there before.

No pressure: Do not take the pressure. After CAT, there are other entrance exams like XAT, Maharashtra CET to prepare for if CAT does not go too well

Good heart: Do not give your heart too much stress, say 'all is well'. It relieves stress. If you have studied sincerely, no need to let stress go to your heart.

Rinkesh Yadav from New Delhi says:

Just another one: It is just another test. Do not follow any special routine for this exam, it will be easier than you think.

Mocks: If you have taken all your mocks, then the paper might just turn out easier than any mock you have taken.

No surprises: There were no surprises in the exam like expected. It was a moderate paper, not too easy, nor too difficult but one can't tell for the future slots.

Drop stress levels: If you are nervous you might stall your chances of doing well. Go for the paper with a calm mind. Easier said than done but it helps.

Dibyajyoti Sharma from Bangalore says:

Keep calm: Keep calm during the exam. Don't panic if you face any problem. Being calm will help you tackle the problem better.

That's it: If you have prepared for the exams well, it is enough. No need to over do it. It's not needed considering how the first paper went.

Keep your confidence: Do not lose confidence whether during the paper or during preparation time. It can affect your output.

No concepts: Do not go for concepts while preparing for CAT at this stage. Just take tests and ready yourself.

Time: There is enough time to complete the paper. Do not get hassled when you see the questions.

Apurv Pandit from Pune says:

No valuables: Women especially should not wear or carry too much jewellery. Do not carry credit cards or too much of cash or important articles such as keys as you will be asked to stock them in a bag before the exam and will not be allowed to take with you

Vehicle: If you own a vehicle, take some person with you so that you can hand over the car keys to the person.

Identity crisis: Be serious about taking your photo identity and voucher with you. The Center may just refuse you the test without either of them

Early bird: Reach the center early. At least by 8.30 am if not earlier. Those who reached late will have to miss the exam

Check center: Pay a visit to the center at least a day earlier.

Washroom : You cannot visit the wash room after 9.30 am, so make sure to go early if you want to.

Vasundhara Vyas from Mumbai says:

Documents: Make sure you take all required papers with you. At my center a person who had met with an accident (earlier and was limping) had a lot of explaining to do to the Center officials

Instructions: Read the instructions carefully and definitely before you start the paper. One candidate, out of enthusiasm clicked on the 'Start' button, making all the others quit the tutorial and start with the test.

Boredom: Be prepared to get bored. At least for an hour and half before the exam and half hour to 45 minutes after the exam, you might just be sitting at your terminal with nothing to do. Don't get irritated.

Warnings: Take warnings seriously, especially about the toilet breaks. You will not be allowed toilet visits apart from the scheduled time

Carry along: Don't carry anything that you might not want to keep in someone else's custody as the center is very strict on this count. I was only allowed to keep a Rs 100 note with me.

[apurv (Apoorv Pandit)]

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 a queue inside the building entrance and write their names, CAT registration number, mobile number, email address and in-time in a register. The register did not have any Prometric branding on it. On asking the attendants if the data was being taken for the school's purposes or Prometric's, they replied in affirmative that it was being taken by Sri Balaji Society for 'security' purposes.

Huh?

CAT registration number and email address for a security register?

Similarly, my colleague Vasundhara Vyas reports from her Institute of Business Studies and Research (IBSAR) test-center at Belapur, Navi Mumbai,

After the test ended, all I wanted to do was stretch. But the institute where I was taking my test did not think we were done yet. "The uploading of all the test papers has to be done. We have started the process and will request you to wait till the Prometric office confirms having received all the test," said one of the senior faculty invigilators of the institute. Then he motioned one of his staffers to bring in something.

A long register was brought in, which had green paper. There were columns drawn and the register was brought to each of the candidates to fill in information: Name, Contact Number, Email ID and Pin code.

When the register reached me, I turned and asked the young office staff what it was for. "It's official," she said. When I asked was it for the college's purpose, she confessed. "Yes, it's for the college," and took the register to the next candidate.

In both the cases, the manner in which the data was being asked for was such that it seemed like a mandatory part of the process to appear for the CAT.

About half of this year's CAT 2010 testing centers are private management institutes and being visited almost daily by hundreds of registered CAT candidates is a golden chance for harvesting their personal data. The concern here of course is, if the institutes are recording the data so that they have a ready database of leads to pester for admissions after the CAT results through unsolicited emails and SMS. In other words, will your personal information leak out into the open market and will you soon start receiving 'counselor' phone calls, SMS and emails from business schools you really did not opt-in to look out for.

We spoke to senior management in both Sri Balaji Society and IBSAR.

Prof Biju G Pillai, Director (IT) of Sri Balaji Society said that the data was just being collected for security purposes. "Anybody who visits our institutes is asked to fill in the register at the entry gate so that we know who is on the premises. But since today was the CAT day, we shifted that register inside the building for the same purpose of security."

When asked why a security register would require people to fill in their CAT registration numbers and email addresses, he replied, "What if some people forget their personal belongings submitted at the token counter? We feel responsible for all the people who are going to visit us today and the remaining days of the CAT."

Asked if the candidate data will be used by the Sri Balaji Society to send unsolicited emails, phone calls and SMS to the candidates during the admission season, Prof Pillai said, "Has anybody received a phone call today? Then why are you asking? I have personally signed the MoU with Prometric for allowing our campus as the CAT center and if any violation happens then I'm personally responsible for it."

PaGaLGuY also contacted Manju Aggarwal, the Group Deputy Director of IBSAR and she said, "That register is for the information that Prometric has asked us to gather. The register is of Prometric and I do not know of the details they have asked for in it. The information has been asked for by Prometric to keep a record of the candidates giving the test so that in case there is a glitch while uploading the test of the candidate, the information is readily available and the candidate can be informed."

Both Prometric and the CAT 2010 Convenor deny that there is any such requirement.

"Prometric has not instructed any CAT test centres to take down any candidate particulars upon arrival for their test. We have investigated the report that this is happening in some centres and have reiterated the standard operating procedures to them. We will identify the responsible parties and take appropriate action," said Prometric's Managing Director Soumitra Roy in an email to PaGaLGuY.

When contacted about the matter, Prof Himanshu Rai, CAT 2010 Convenor said, "Nowhere in the process is an institute required to record the candidates' personal data on their own accord. If any institute is doing this then they are clearly stepping out of their brief. I request the candidates to report any such activity so that we can take action."

Were you asked to share your personal information at any of the CAT centers you attended? Are you comfortable with giving your personal information so that b-schools could contact you after the CAT results? Do comment.

[vasundhara_vyas]

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 in 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2010 two of them paper-based and two computer

"Comparing the two computer-based editions of CAT, the confidence level this year was definitely higher than that in the last year.

The biggest advantage that CAT 2010 has over CAT 2009 is the longer testing period. They knew the exact problem areas. They knew the strings which had to be tightened. In my opinion, they did a great job of using the experience of the last year to change things for the better.

Right from releasing the data about CAT test takers in the week before CAT to reducing the number of CAT centers (of course, the applicants were anyway lesser), somehow, the test taker was given the confidence that this years CAT exam will be a smoother one.

And it was indeed a smoother exercise. The test administrators seemed to be in complete control of the exercise even on the very first day and in the very first slot. I had taken the test in IBSAR, Navi Mumbai.

Content of the test: This has been my observation about the quantitative and data interpretation section of CAT over the last several years. It seems to be evolving into a test of ones common sense and ceasing to be a test of ones knowledge of formulae. A sharp person with a basic understanding of the behavior of numbers and a hang of the basic formulae would be able to crack the quantitative and data interpretation section of the test. In another sense, the questions were focusing on the practical applications of our Xth standard mathematics just the skills expected of a manager in the making.

Perhaps, the move is part of an effort to dispel the myth that CAT is an exam which is more suited for an engineer than to a non engineer. If that is indeed the case, hip hip hooray."

Rajesh B (PGDM 2008 IIM-B)

"I took the CAT at Everonn, Perungudi in Chennai. From the outset, the processes were very clearly outlined and managed very efficiently. All test-takers were asked to wait in a room till 8:00 am and then asked to queue up to enter the exam hall. There were around 100 test-takers in the session and all of us were seated at our places by 8:45 am.

They completed verification, biometric profiling, giving instructions, starting computer terminals, etc. by this time. The center was more than adequately staffed and almost every person in the organizing group knew his/her role perfectly well.

We were allowed to log in at exactly 10:00 am and could start the test any time between 10:00 and 10:15 am. Perhaps due to the experience in the previous year, the exam was frightfully well-organized. Having said that, the one peeve that almost all test-takers will have is the time lag involved between entering testing room and beginning the test. The average test-taker would have waited for some time between when they would have sat in front of their computer screens and begun the tutorials.

Given that most of us would have spent 1.5 hours in the center prior to this, the wait was agonizing. The IIMs are probably overcompensating and they should definitely look at reducing this time. Imagine sitting at a blank screen for 100 minutes before starting the most important exam in your life.

Content of the test: The testing pattern and format were broadly similar to the previous year. Once the students exited the hall, there was no unanimous agreement on which was the toughest section. So, I think that the three sections should have been more or less evenly matched. The exam itself did not have any great surprises. CAT 2010, in many ways was an extension of the trend that we had seen in the previous few years.

Overall a good paper, excellent planning, good execution, friendly and knowledgeable support staff. No glitches (at least thus far) at all."

Omkar Bibikar,

Appeared for CAT in 2009 and 2010

"Last years CAT was a very simple paper. The paper in my slot was atleast 20 per cent more difficult that the CAT of 2008. I took my test at Saraswati College, Navi Mumbai. Though the numbers of questions in CAT 2010 were much lesser, the RCs were longer. Where the questions were 150, the RCs used to be shorter with more questions with each comprehension. This year, the comprehension had just two questions each, so the times spent attempting two questions gets longer.

The similar thing happened in the DI section when the numbers of questions for each graph or data were only two where as in past years DI had sets of three or four question with every set of information. Logical reasoning would be simple for somebody who is fast with calculations and can attempt sums orally. Para-jumbles were confusing and time-consuming.

On the whole one has to figure out what their strong points and get started with the paper in that manner. Its a predictable paper and somebody who has done the CAT papers of 1999 to 2002."

Sneha Satyamoorthy

Appeared for CAT in 2009 and 2010

"I gave the test at the same institute, Thakur College, Kandivali, where I gave CAT 2009. Hearing that there were no technical glitches and the test was being conducted smoothly, I was feeling more confident taking the test this year, though I found the test tougher.

The security was tighter and in the same institute, where I had carried the books right up to the lab where I took the test last year, this year I wasnt allowed to even carry it through the gate of the college. The toughest section was DI where there was a lot of data to be analysed and there were only two questions to be answered. Data given was irrelevant and confusing.

Quant was moderate but Verbal was dicey. Last year verbal section was more direct but this year the comprehension passages were lengthy and confusing. The para-jumbles were simple but there were four multiple usage questions, which is relatively a high number compared to last year."

[laj (Lajwanti D'Souza)]

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 unmanageable, but not to the point of labelling any paper 'difficult.'

The computers assigned for testing too have not played truant this year and CAT has more or less been having a smooth run.

Prof Himanshu Rai, convenor for CAT 2010 says that in fact at all centres across the country, there has not been a single issue. "Everything is going on as perfectly as expected," says Rai.

Easy

Almost everyone we spoke to among those who have taken the CAT in the last one week say that the paper was easy to handle. Hitesh Agarwal from Gujarat says that Quant was a little difficult in his slot "but English was simple and I would term it as a moderate paper." Same with Himanshu Nandwani, also from Gujarat who said that the paper was lengthy and while Quant was good, English was average in his slot.

Ramita, who did not want to give her second name said that the paper was very easy in her slot. "People just need to learn to manage time. If that is done, most will find it easy. English was extremely easy and DI not at all difficult to manage." Ramita attempted about 50 questions.

Krunal Prajapati, who took his exam on November 3 said that he attempted 60 questions and while DI was lengthy, "Some of the other questions were styled differently, for instance, RC was had lengthy passages." For Devanshu Kimalia, who took his first CAT ever this year, Quant was the easiest while DI was vague. "I think my paper was not too good," he said with a sigh. He attempted about 40 questions

Besides the individual performance in CAT 2010, the only thing that is making news in CAT circles, are the inconsistencies in management at various centres. Prof Rai said that the only issue he has got to hear of is about someone who had reached the centre without proper identification. "This morning too there was a case of a person who forgot to take his photo identity along. It is ridiculous because this point has been stressed over and over again and yet people are not paying heed," Prof Rai adds.

Sameer Pandey could not make it to the exam on the first day of the season, in the first slot. "My centre was at Thakur College of Science and Commerce, Mumbai and I was travelling from Andheri to Kandivali. There was so much traffic on the way that I just did not make it. I reached at 8:45 am. The test was to start at 10:00 am, but the security guards didn't let me in."

Sameer says he has written a couple of mails to IIM Lucknow in the hope of being awarded another slot but has received no response as yet. We asked Prof Rai on Sameer's behalf and this is what he said, "No. We cannot allow a reschedule to anyone who has missed his exam. There is a basic discipline required. Whatever be the case, efforts have to go in to reach the centre on time."

However on the same day and same slot, at IBSAR in Navi Mumbai, applicants were actually allowed in the centre at 8.45 am.

At MeritTrac Services Pvt Ltd, a centre in Andheri, Mumbai, the security staff outside allowed students to take in handkerchiefs and water bottles.

When asked about the inconsistencies, Prof Rai said that only handkerchief which are paper napkin would not be allowed. "With regards to water, you cannot take a bottle in, but if you ask for water, it will be given to you. There is no ambiguity on this front. Applicants cannot take anything with them into the exam room. There is a provision to deposit one's belongings with the centre authorities," he said.

In yet another incident, Ramita who gave her exam at a centre in Mumbai walked out of the exam much before the others. When asked how she had managed it, she told Pagalguy that she logged out, visited the wash room and then left, no one stopped her. Realising she was the only one at the out gate, Ramita spoke to security officials at the gate, who told her that as long as she had logged out, it was fine. After ten minutes, she saw the others, (who gave the test with her) walking out.

There have been cases of tests starting late. Says Mumbai-based Pritesh Bari who appeared for CAT at a centre in Vikhroli, "We had to stand in the queue till 9:30 am then we were told that there is a power snag. We had to stand, no chairs were provided till 11:45 am. After which the biometric scanning was done. The test started at 12:15 and got over at 2:30pm." Bari quips that he thought he was being put under a physical stress test, as opposed to the mental one that he had gone for (CAT).

Candidate gets incorrect center on Admit Card

What of course takes the cake is Himanshu Shah, an applicant from Delhi who had registered for a centre in Delhi for his CAT paper but today when he logged on to print his Admit Card, he found that he has been given a centre in Noida. Himanshu had printed his admit card earlier which said his centre was in Delhi and he had even visited the centre once to check the exact location. Himanshu is already making travel plans to reach Noida which is almost 50 kms from his home in Delhi. His exam is slated for tomorrow (November 4). And guess what the telephone number for both the CAT centres is the same - 124-4517177

When asked, this was the statement from Prometric. "On the evening of 3 November, as we conducted our standard set up procedures for the following days test, we became aware of some hardware instability in one of the test centres in Delhi. As part of our contingency plan to minimise impact on candidates, duplicate appointments were made at an alternative venue for candidates scheduled at this test centre on 4 November. After replacement of faulty hardware, all computers functioned perfectly and candidates were able to test as scheduled. Candidates who printed their Admit Card through the CAT registration site last night and arrived at the alternative venue in Greater Noida were also able to complete testing successfully."

Vasundhara Vyas adds,

The total number of candidates who have taken the test till now are 47,407, which works out to 23% of the total number of applicants. October 31, a Sunday, was the day that the highest number of candidates took the test until now (11,485). The first day (October 27) had the lowest registrations at 4,548 candidates.

CAT used to be known for its surprise element and this year's surprise element until now is 'no surprise'. The questions being asked are the kinds that mock CATs would have made the applicants practise. CAT 2010 till now has been of moderate difficulty. The DI section has been having lengthy caselets with only one or two questions to answer. The Verbal sectional has been termed as dicey or tricky in discussions of candidates who have taken the test. Finally Quant, some call it moderate and others tough. But until now, hardly anybody has called any of the sections in any of the slots 'extremely difficult or un-do-able'.

The most common recommendation by those who have taken the test is to sleep well the night before --- else you are bound to sleep off during the hour-long wait in between the biometric testing and the test commencement.

[shashank3012 (Shashank Prabhu)]

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 be. what would you you do? So that you do not press the panic button and sacrifice performance to stress, PaGaLGuY lists a few such scenarios which might come your way and advises you about ways to overcome them.

Scenario number 1

I have attempted only 40. But then I remember that my friend who took his exam only two days ago (with no preparation whatsoever) had done 55. Should I gamble and do some 'intelligent' guess work?

There aren't any marks awarded for attempts, are there? Well, you have answered the question yourself. Two days back is the key phrase here. Remember that the papers are different for every slot so there is a very good chance that your slot might be tougher than that of your friend. Also, you have prepared hard throughout the season, taking all the mocks and spending a lot of cash. So, if you are attempting 40, you can be almost sure that most of the people in your slot will be attempting roundabout the same number of questions. There is no need to be adventurous and attempt something you aren't very sure of. Just make sure that whatever you attempt, you do it correctly and have faith in the normalisation process.

Scenario number 2

I have the answer but it is not in the options. What now?

This has been a common observation in most of the CAT 2010 experience tales till now. There can be questions which are wrong and there can be ones where you have overlooked certain facts. The thing here would be to not get stuck and go to the next question as soon as you realise something is wrong. Just make sure that you register a complaint with the Prometric Candidate Care after your test. I don't think marking an answer which is close to what you have got is a wise idea because if it is you who are wrong, you might get a negative for that question.

Scenario number 3

This is one of the lengthiest DI questions I have seen. So many variables and so much of data is making my head spin. Help!

Go through the questions first. See what they are asking. Even if it is a huge set, the data required can be just a small portion of it. So don't leave a set blindly. Just go through it once and see what is asked and if you could crack it. If you feel you can, you can proceed. If you feel it's still cryptic, you can forget about the set and move on to the next question.

Scenario number 4

Boy, that's a really huge Reading Comprehension passage. Now what?

One thing to remember: if it is huge for you, it will be huge for everyone. Having gone through various mocks throughout the season, any Reading Comprehension passage should not be huge for you. The thing you can do is, read the questions first and get to know what is asked. If the questions are factual, you can just spot and mark the answers. If the questions are inferential and you don't think it is possible for you to do the RC quickly, you can finish the remaining questions in the section and can then come back to the passage. Use the 'Mark' button in the CAT interface so come back to it quickly later.

Scenario number 5

I am trying this question for 10 minutes now. It definitely seems interesting and doable. But I have drawn tables, made calculations and derivations but the answer is still elusive. But I think I can solve it. What should I do?

Depends on what position you are in. If it is the last set in the test, it makes sense to stick with it provided you have covered everything else in the test. If it is the first question of the section, it would be better if you went through rest of the questions and come back to the set if you have time left in the end. Also, if it is the last question in the section and you have another section to do after this question, it would be better if you finished the remaining section and then came back to the set. It will also help you if you kept the scratch paper clean and legible. In case you have a left a solution midway, it would help you in case you decide to come back to it at a later point in time.

Scenario number 6

I have done 12-13 attempts in both Quant and DI in 45 minutes. The paper is moderate but then, I have never attempted below 15 in any mock. I will just rush through VA, clear the cutoff and squeeze in a few minutes and try to solve a few more. Whatsay?

Not necessarily a good idea. Can work, can backfire. You cannot and should not form an opinion about a section you haven't seen. You can show a little bit of urgency but then, it doesn't mean that you think about the previous two sections while attempting the third one. Do it with a clear mind and give it the amount of time it deserves. If you could do 12-13 in 45 minutes, you have to back yourself up to get most of them correct.

Scenario number 7

The first section I've been doing throughout the year has been the Verbal section. But hey, I can see an easy Quant question right in front of me. Should I do Quant first?

Nope! Not advised. You have already got yourself into a comfort zone throughout the season and know all possible scenarios you could encounter while solving it in the order. Just because the first question seems easy does not necessarily mean that the section has to be easy. I would advise you to stick to a tried and tested strategy and not experiment at this crucial juncture.

Scenario number 8

Good God, I am really weak in probability questions. Have never attempted any in a mock. Had practised a bit but then I think I should leave this rather than wasting time on this question.

Just take a look at the question before leaving it. If it requires just basic knowledge of the topic, it would be unwise to leave it just because you fear the topic. Also, it might actually turn out to be a sitter which might make a difference in the end.

In any entrance test, time is of paramount importance. So having a strategy planned out beforehand just in case something goes wrong during the test is beneficial. The common thing across all the scenarios is the tendency to get stuck. The one who avoids this will certainly perform his best in the test.

In case you have faced similar kind of scenarios during any of the tests, you can let us know by writing to us on [email protected].

[laj (Lajwanti D'Souza)]

Just when CAT 2010 was being written off as a 'no-glitches' exam, reports have begun to trickle in about wrong questions and no right options. According to candidates who have given the exam this season, a few questions have been tough to crack but the real reason for their tough character is possibly because they never had the the right answer options.

Speaking to Pagalguy, Sanjay Kumar Gandhi who took his CAT exam on November 8 at Sri Balaji Society in Pune said that his paper sported at least four wrong questions. Two questions in Quant and two in DI were wrong. Some did not have the right options, he said.

Bharat Hazare who also took the test on November 8 said that his paper also had some questions which he thought were wrong and options available were also not right.

Other exam takers have also complained. Speaking for the October 31 paper, a candidate student remarked that at least four questions in his paper were wrong in the exam held post-lunch. Two choices were repeated and two were wrong and I wasted time doing them,"

On November 3 too, a candidate remarked that his paper had mistakes in the answer options. On November 5 as well, there were reports by some candidates that the questions were ambiguous.

When asked, CAT Convenor Prof Himanshu Rai said that he has taken note of all the complaints on the website about the wrong questions and initiated an inquiry for the same. Prof Rai said there were two scenarios possible in the given situation. One could be that there is no problem and students who have not been able to answer the question felt it was wrong. If more than one feels the question is wrong and it is mutually discussed in a group, then everybody feels that the question is wrong."

Another scenario is that the questions could be wrong. "If that is the case we will give everybody in that slot an extra point for that question and that will be done psychometrically. But that will happen only if the questions are proved wrong. I have made a note of every complaint and have asked for a proper inquiry into them. However, it is very unlikely that the questions turn out wrong, Prof Rai warned.

The convenor added that before the exams began, he promised everybody a problem-free and a reliable CAT 2010 and he will keep his promise and do whatever he can to ensure that the remaining papers are as glitch-free as possible.

Sanjay did speak on the Prometric helpline on November 8 and was told he would get a response within 48 hours.

On November 9, he got a mail from Prometric saying: " Your feedback is very important to us. Our goal is to provide exceptional quality service. We welcome and appreciate your comments and your taking out time to notify us of the issue. We have made a note of your concern and forwarded it to the concerned department... " The mail has been sent by CAT Candidate Care Support of Prometric.

Sanjay says that the mail should have at least given him some reference complaint number so that he could track his complaint. "The response mail is very general," he said.

However, all is not list for Sanjay and other students who think they have been victims of wrong questions. If their complaints stand justified in the CAT Convenor's inquiry, some hope may be coming their way.

[shashank3012 (Shashank Prabhu)]

The last time, I focused on few of the commonly faced dilemmas at the various B-School entrance tests. A management entrance test is designed so as to bring out the ability of an aspirant to perform under immense pressure. To subject the students to a bit of stress so as to observe how good they are at handling it, is one of the main objectives of any entrance test. In order to ensure this, the test designers set a few traps in the papers which, an under-prepared aspirant ( or sometimes even a well prepared aspirant) can fall into. I will elaborate on a few of those traps here:

Well begun is half done

Visualise this. You have started your test. The first question is a scorcher. You cannot do anything but just scribble the same bit of information which is given. After fighting it out for 2-3 minutes you finally give up. Question two, the same thing again. About 10 minutes into the test and you aren't going anywhere.

You might have been through this a number of times. One of the commonest traps set in any paper. The first DI set, the first RC passage, the first few Quant questions are sometimes, the most difficult compared to the rest of the paper. Reasons are two:

1) It makes you panic as it eats into your time and,

2) It somehow makes you believe that the paper is indeed difficult thus making you score a bit less than what you would.

The best thing would be to get rid of such questions as soon as possible and go to the next one. It is always a great feeling to nail that first question which helps soothing your nerves to a large extent.

The converse of this is also true many a time. The final few questions will be the easiest ones. It is just to make sure that a 'prepared' aspirant goes through all of them and scores to his best ability without getting stuck anywhere.

Too many cooks spoil the broth

Plenty of information. Pretty much useless. You read and read and read some more. End of the day, a simple question awaits. You rue wasting so much of your precious time. The motive is the same old time wasting tactic.

People who took the FMS test last year might recollect the huge RC that was offered. People who have the habit of reading the entire thing first and then answering the questions would have ended up wasting a lot of time. Few questions in DI, have much more info than what is required to solve the questions. An RC might seem to be highly philosophical but could have some sitters for questions. Just looking at the main question and leaving the sub-questions after being disappointed, is one of the frequently used traps.

To get through, one can take a look at the questions first so as to know which part of the information to focus on and then go about reading/skimming through the data and go slow at the relevant portions.

Not to call a spade a spade

Now this has a few variations. They will say that there is a rectangle or a rhombus or a parallelogram. Then there will be a generalised question with some options in variables. One can always assume it to be a square and do it quickly. Similarly with triangles. One can assume it to be an equilateral triangle and get over with it. Similarly with the questions where a series is given, if one cannot solve it completely, one can always put in a few values which satisfy the conditions and check with the options if there is some pattern.

'Its' a bad thing to 'loose'

Notice the errors? These are few of the most common errors in English. In fact there are few questions designed so as to make people pay for the wrong habits. In this case a simple spelling mistake you have not bothered to correct for so long that you can almost challenge anyone that whatever you are saying is right.

Right ya wrong

Under pressure in a moment of madness, one tends to overlook what is asked. The instructions for a question are designed so as to confuse even the most vigilant of the aspirants. You can see an instruction which reads as Following is a group of sentences amongst which some are not grammatically correct. Identify the sentence(s) which are incorrect in terms of English, usage and grammar. Then choose the most appropriate option. Now, the trouble starts when you get confused between 'incorrect' and 'appropriate.' You must have faced this a lot of times, when instead of picking the incorrect sentences, you end up selecting the correct sentences and because you get an option (obviously a trap), you mark it and forget about it.

The other variations of this trap are found in RC passages and sometimes in DI caselets when a test-taker gets confused between, say the number of wins and the number of matches not lost (which effectively means the number of matches won plus the number of matches drawn).

Shock value

This involves catching a test-taker unaware. There might be some new type of question, a simple logic which is twisted in a such a way so as to give it the 'look' of an entirely new type of question. Or say, maybe a new type of question altogether. Or maybe the pattern won't be revealed till the time you get the booklet. Maybe there will be progressive negative marking. If you notice in last year's XAT, the negative marking was -0.2 for the first five incorrect answers and -0.25 thenceforth. What seems to be a 'harsh' negative marking scheme is actually better than other entrance exams wherein you get a straight -0.25 for every incorrect answer.

The point here is to throw an aspirant off his premeditated strategy and make him panic. At the end of the day, the basics remain the same - "attempt what you know correctly, leave what you don't and start preparing for the next stage."

The art of misdirection

Sometimes, there is information which seems unnecessary, which often 'seems' to contradict the first few statements. This is mainly to misdirect you. More or less similar to a magic show where the magician makes you believe that the trick is what you are looking at but actually it is something else. This is because you are made to think that a particular piece of information is important when in reality isn't. There was a question in one of the mocks in which one of the statements said that 'X was satisfied with the money he had won.' This is designed to make you believe that actually X is the winner though it was nowhere mentioned. This can be one of the seemingly 'wrong' questions. The above statement was just put there to introduce the character X i.e. just to say that the one person about whom nothing has been said is X.

Another variant is commonly seen in the RC passages where, the question asked about what the author does not state in this passage and all the option sentences are present in the passage. The right answer in this case will most often than not have someone else's quote and so not necessarily what the author says. A simpler variant of the same will be when one of the statements is slightly altered (not entirely wrong but not entirely right either).

These are just few of the traps which test-designers commonly set in the entrance tests. If you know of any more of them, do write to us at [email protected]