Process of CAT for IIM MBA

Getting admission into an IIM is a 3-step process. The test very well known as IIm Cat for Mba the Common Admission Test (CAT), followed by a Group Discussion and a Personal Interview if you clear CAT. Do not fear.

You do not have to be a genius or an academic topper to get through what might seem like an impossible goal. On the contrary, all you need is a logical flow of thought and an analytical mind and the IIM dream is yours to live.

Once you have cracked CAT, the next step in the selection process is a Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI).

You would start with a  IIM MBA GD which is not elimination round. This means that you will give a PI irrespective of your performance in the GD round. The GD round usually consists of a group of 6-10 students. The panel remains the same over the GD and PI and usually consists of IIM MBA Professors.

The topic in a GD is usually a general topic but can vary to just about anything under the sun. 

The last round of selection is the PI. Most of us have a tendency to view an interview as something where someone is sitting across from us and we are trying to convince them of something and get on the top. However, we can perform much better if we could just look at it as a conversation that we are having with some people sitting with us, who are interested in hearing our opinion on different things. They are not looking for reasons to reject us; instead they are actually looking for reasons to accept us into their academic institute. If you have made it this far, they do recognize that you have potential and have a very open stance instead of being the threatening monsters that you probably imagine them to be.  One  thing is that you should prepare your content well for a PI. The content here consists of preparing your graduation subjects very well and understanding their application to some real world scenarios. Be confident and do not lie. If you don’t know the answer to something, just say that. There is nothing wrong about not knowing something. At the same time it is very important to stay composed through out the GD and interview. 

IIM MBA Interview Tips

In an attempt to help you prepare for your GD and Personal Interview, CAT 2009 topper and a student of IIM-Calcutta Ankit Garg reveals tips to succeed in GD and Interview-:

1) Personal Interview: If you want to succeed in this round, you must know how to sell yourself. You should know how to market yourself and should be compatible with your interviewer. It is not that questions asked in the interview are tough, but it is what and how you answer is what will fetch you a seat in IIM MBA. Also remember each institute checks different things in a candidate. They are looking for different traits and it is advisable to find out what each IIM is looking for in their candidates. In my case, I did research and got to know that IIM - Calcutta checks on how a student deals in pressure situation. As we all know life in B-school is very hectic and demanding, IIM - C will gauge if you can handle all this pressure. Hence, best thing is to talk to seniors or go through institute`s website to know what the interview panel is looking for while interviewing candidates. Also, you should be able to express yourself well and you must have soft skills to develop a rapport with your interviewers.

2) Group Discussion: There is one misconception which I would like to clear for B- school aspirants and that is that it is not necessary that you have to speak too much to make a mark in GD. It is not how much you talk but how much you contribute to the discussion that sets you apart. A GD checks how you conduct yourself in a Boardroom. It checks how you conduct yourself, how you handle everyone present in the room. You should give others a chance to speak and never try to be imposing. Be soft spoken yet assertive.

3) Essay writing: Though IIM - Calcutta does not ask candidates to write an essay, there are a few IIMs that check how an aspirant can structure his thoughts. Like I was asked to write an essay on Tiger Conservation when I went for my selection process in IIM - Bangalore. Each institute has different ways of judging students based on essay writing. The time is limited and can vary between 10 to 30 minutes and it checks how well you can structure your thoughts.

4) What to wear during Interview: When you're going for a B-school interview, you must be properly dressed. The B-school interviews still follow the conservative standard. You should wear formal suit or at least pant and shirt and have polished shoes, ironed shirt, cut hair and nails. You must look neat, serious and should make an impact.

Personal experiences of Best Students at IIM MBA interview

-- Ankit GargAnkit Garg had his D-day fixed at IIM Ahmedabad on Monday, March 15, 2010. The topic of essay was ‘Diversification is not an indicator for inclusiveness’. This was indeed a complex topic and involved a lot of thinking before penning down the appropriate words. But for those who have the ability to articulate well and razor sharp mind can make the best use of the 10 minutes.

The interview questions for Ankit were generic. He was first asked to introduce himself. “There was another question which was ‘ Sell yourself to IIM A for mba,” said the 100 percentiler. In this question he had to emphasize his strengths and convince the panelists that he is the apt candidate for IIM Ahmedabad MBA. The marketing skills were also tested through this question. He was also asked questions on Math and his city, Chandigarh. Some general questions on hobbies and interests were also asked. 

-- Manu BajajThe essay topic for Manu Bajaj on Sunday, March 14 was ‘Child artistes are an exploited lot’.  Manu touched the lines of the child artistes in films as well as the reality show where the participants are children and the immense pressure they have to undergo at such young ages.

The PI round for Manu started with the basic questions on introduction and academics. He was asked about his favorite subject. Being a student of Computer Engineering, he had to answer quite a handful of questions on quantum computing and other such facets.

Then he was asked ‘Why MBA?’ In this, he gave an overall answer. “I have always been part of Extra Curricular Activities and I am a good team leader. I want to leverage the leadership skill by being a positive drive force for an organization,” was what Manu answered to the question.

Apart from this he was also asked questions on what he had written on the essay topic. Here a general discussion went on regarding the society, reality shows etc. In the last question, he was asked about his views on the Women Reservation Bill.

“When I answered that it was a good move, they started grilling me! A debate ensued on whether the reservation should be done on the basis of gender or caste,” Manu reflected on his interview. According to him, 10 minutes of the interview was on academics and five minutes each on essay and Women’s Reservation Bill. 

-- Anshul SinghThe essay writing and personal interview round for Anshul Singh was on Wednesday, March 17, 2010. His essay topic was ‘Lay offs can give a new direction.’ Here the advantages of lay offs in an organization had to be discussed.

The interview was pretty generic for him. He was asked questions on his hobby, which is cricket and on his graduation subjects. “My graduation marks were low, so I was asked the reason,” Anshul said. “The interviewers check the practical application and presence of mind,” he cited.  

(.an article from mbauniverse.com )

Rs 5,000-8,000 for an MBA ????

                                                                                                            (A update by dna india)

Despite her anxiety about entering the job market in a few days, Sunitha  is not overtly optimistic. The 23-year-old, who has just completed her engineering degree, has to be content with a modest pay package of Rs 90,000 per annum at a call centre. 



However, Sunitha says she is lucky to have at least got this job, as several of her classmates from her engineering institute in Davangere, about 265 km from Bangalore, are still
scouting left, right and centre for one. 

She says that even though various surveys suggest the job market is improving and hiring is thriving again, the situation in tier III towns and institutes is still gloomy. “There were hardly 4-5 firms this time at my institute who made offers to just a handful of students. Salaries are more or less similar to what I have been offered,” says Sunitha.

Sailing in the same boat is Namit Kumar (name changed), whose MBA institute in Cuttack, Orissa, mostly lay barren as far as placements were concerned. Namit was lucky to have got a sales job in a retail firm as a result of his own job hunt, for a monthly income of Rs 5,500, minuscule compared to what students from reputed institutes get. 

“The entire course fee for two years was nearly Rs 4 lakh, but after spending so much, all I get is peanuts,” complains Kumar. Namit and Sunitha’s story is a grim reality despite talk of jobs and fancy salaries brimming all over again.

Rishi Das, co-founder and CEO of Bangalore-based talent
acquisition firm CareerNet Consulting said that usually, students settle for salaries of Rs 5,000 then work hard, gain whatever experience they can, and start hunting for jobs with bigger organisations.

IIM A mba gets set for new session 2010-12 with 20% increase in students

                                                                                                                                                                     ( A Update by Mba universe)

 IIM Ahmedabad, the apex B School in India too is all set to welcome the next extended 2010-12 batch of MBA Students from Monday, June 21, 2010 onwards.

Unlike the other top B Schools, IIM Ahmedabad has not undergone any change in the curriculum but it has made the room bigger for the IIM  MBA aspirants. 

IIM Ahmedabad makes the room bigger for the students

 This year, the number of seats has been increased in IIM Ahmedabad. Hence, the admission of the number of MBA students has gone up to 385 provisional admissions in 2010 from 312 last year. “For 2010 we have made 385 provisional IIM MBA admissions. In 2009 we took 312 MBA students for our Post Graduate Program in Management,” mentions an official from IIM Ahmedabad.

Contact  Study hours

According to IIM Ahmedabad, for the 2010-12 batch, or the PGP I students, the contact hours is 2040 hours. While the contact hours for the second year MBA students is 1360 hours. “For the PGP I batch, the contact hours is 2040 hours with 25.5 credits and the PGP II batch has 1360 hours of contact hours which give them 17 credits,”  says IIM Ahmedabad.

Visits

There are few courses which requires industry interface. The course itself organizes that industry visit for the MBA students. “There are a few courses for which industry visit is required. For that, the industry visits are organized during the course for the MBA Students,” IIM Ahmedabad says.

What IIM CAT really wants??

The IIM scaling model is as follows:
Section Scores = 0 to 150 Total Exam Score = 0 to 450

Four scaled scores are presented for each candidate: an overall scaled score and three separate scaled scores for each section. As the three sections evaluate three distinct sets of knowledge and skills, scores do not correlate across sections. A high score in one section does not guarantee a high score in another section. Percentile rankings are provided for each individual section as well as for the overall exam score.


The CAT exam was developed to accurately identify top performing candidates and that design makes use of a scaled score range of 0-450.
In order to appropriately identify the top performing candidates, the CAT exam was, by design, very difficult. As would be expected with the more difficult CAT exam, no candidate answered 100% of the items correctly and no candidate achieved the top theoretical score. The exam design accomplished the goal of identifying the top performing candidates who were, indeed, ranked at the top of the list.
If the exam were designed to be substantially easier, it would be theoretically possible for a candidate to achieve a score of 450. However, an exam constructed to be that easy would not serve the distinct purposes of the IIM.

IIM CAT 2009

The IIM MBA CAT examination starting from November 29 to December 7 will be different in more ways than one, with major logistics revamp to suit the new format.

Candidates will get only 15 minutes to familiarise themselves with the new system on how to answer and review the questions before the actual test lasting two hours and 15 minutes begins. The testing sessions will be audio and video recorded. Contingency plans have been put in place in the event of power outage, technical glitches , medical outbreaks, natural calamities and terrorist attacks, according to the guidebook.

An estimated 2.41 lakh candidates are said to have registered for CAT this year as compared to 2.46 lakh who took the test in 2008. MBA CAT is a qualifying test for a management programme at the seven Indian Institutes of Management iim as well as other institutes that accept the CAT scores. It will be held in close to 104 test centres across 32 cities in India. The results will be declared on the CAT website by the end of January.

MBA Carrer opportunities

IIM MBA degree provides you with innumerable career opportunities in various fields .It is especially beneficial to get jobs in high level positions such as managerial and executive level jobs. Whether you are looking to further your career in your existing job or are looking to change your job and start your career afresh, an IIM MBA degree can be very valuable in either scenario.

The job prospects for an IIM MBA student is probably better than for any other career. Most companies today recruit business graduates with an MBA qualification as they have the necessary knowledge and skills for the job ahead of them. Fresh Management graduates are usually recruited on-campus. Corporate organizations, multinationals, foreign banks, foreign financial institutions, and others attempt to woo students from the top management schools with lucrative job offers. Most of the major business schools have also initiated career placement schemes for the benefit of graduating alumni and possibly the best way of judging an institute is by the companies that visit for campus placements.

Industrial houses, manufacturing companies, business corporations, multinational companies, export or trading companies, banks and financial institutions, marketing organizations and public sector enterprises mostly recruit iim MBA for all their management positions. After an initial period of training in an organisation, the newly qualified iim MBA join as executive or assistant managers. Larger development agencies/ non-governmental organisations, and international agencies like the World Bank, UNICEF and other UN bodies, OXFAM, also prefer to recruit MBA.

In recent years, iim MBA graduates are also looking at entrepreneurial ventures, some even giving up lucrative job offers to chart their own business path. Some, after gaining some experience choose to venture into consultancy services planning marketing strategy, providing technological or other expertise, or services to other organisations. In other words, iim MBA can work anywhere, and rise to whatever level they are capable of.

While there are many students who aspire to get into management, it is important to keep in mind that all are not necessarily suited for a career in management. Managers require to have High IQ, strong analytical skills, numeracy; ability to quickly grasp changing business acumen; some entrepreneurial flair, decisiveness and high motivation and achievement orientation. Managers are team leaders, and at all levels must enthuse subordinates into carrying out tasks in a way that they themselves would wish to have done them. They are also expected to ensure that operations run smoothly in their particular field or department. Communication is also one of the most important aspects of management as managers spend 70 per cent of their time talking to people.

There is moreover a lot of scope and promise in the future with the Indian economy growing at such a fast pace, and new areas like retail, lifestyle, housing, real estate among others facing a shortage of qualified managers.So if you have what it takes, and are willing to work the 28 hours a day expected of MBA, then you know which way you are headed.

(extract from leading site)

B school accepting CAT scores

So you fill the cat forms 2008 & now waiting for CAT to come !! Chill guys, do not take tension relax & prepare your best. I know you can do. People asked me about B schools accepting iim CAT scores, so here is a list of institutes accepting iim cat scores for mba



1. Academy of Management Studies, Bhubaneshwar

2. Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore

3. Amrita School of Business, Coimbatore( mba)

4. Apeejay School of Management, New Delhi(MBA)

5. Aravali Institute of Management, Jodhpur

6. Army Institute of Management, Kolkata

7. Army Institute of Management & Technology, Greater Noida

8. Asian School of Business Management, Bhubaneshwar

9. Asia Pacific Institute of Management, New Delhi

10. Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Information Technology & Management, Gwalior

11. Bhartidasan Institute of Management, Tiruchirappali

12. Birla Institute of Management Technology, Greater Noida (MBA)

13. Centre for Management Training & Research, Kharar, Mohali

List of MBA institutes offering correspondence mba

info@rgtuniversity.org

INSTITUTE	CITY NAME	E-MAIL / WEBSITE
New Delhi
All India Management Association - Centre for Management Education	New Delhi	gen-info@aima-ind.org / www.aima-ind.org
Amity School of Distance Learning, Amity University	New Delhi
Argal College	New Delhi	argalcollegein@indiatimes.com
Bharati Vidyapeeth's Institute of Management & Research	New Delhi	www.bharatividyapeethdistance.edu
Delhi Institute of Management & Services	New Delhi	www.bookghar.com
Delhi School of e-Learning	New Delhi	www.dsel.shtr.org
Jagan Institute of Management Studies, Directorate of Distance Learning	Delhi	www.jimsdlp.org
Jagannath International Management School	New Delhi	www.jagannath.org
Jamia Hamdard, Directorate of Open & Distance Learning	New Delhi	www.jamiahamdard.edu
Maharishi University of Management & Technology	Delhi	mumt@mahaemail.com / www.mumt.com
Management Studies Promotion Institute	New Delhi
Modern Institute of Management	New Delhi	nri@ndf.vsnl.net.in / www.mimedu.com
NIILM University	New Delhi	www.niilmuniversity.org
NIME Education	Delhi	nimeducation@yahoo.co.in
Indian Institute of Finance	Delhi	iif@vsnl.com / www.iif.edu
Indian Institute of Technology, Management & Health Sciences	New Delhi	www.iitmhindia.org
Indira Gandhi National Open University	New Delhi	www.ignou.ac.in
Institute of Business Administration and Management	New Delhi	ibamdelhimba@hotmail.com
Rai University	New Delhi	www.ddl.raiuniversity.edu
Rajiv Gandhi Technical University	New Delhi	info@rgtuniversity.org

The above institutes offers distance education in delhi for mba.So if you are not able to crack iim , fms or other mba entrance and decided to work.The above mba instiutes may offer now an option to have mba through correspondence while your work.Although its is highly recommended that you should got for regular mba.

Executive MBA Programme

• It provides an opportunity for experiences professionals to obtain a master’s degree in Business.
  
• Executive MBA (EMBA) students are required to complete their degrees in two years or less.
  
• To ensure optimum benefits to participants of executive MBA and the sponsoring organisations, class size and class structure facilitate close interaction between faculty and participants
  
• Programme costs are modest in comparison to the benefits yielded. In the majority of cases, their employers sponsor students fully, or in part.
  
  
• Courses offered in an Executive MBA programme are normally the same as those taught in traditional MBA programs – accounting, finance, statistics, management, marketing and information systems. However, Executive MBA courses are enhanced by the extensive professional experience of the participants and are uniquely structured to teach a maximum amount of course material in an accelerated timetable. In addition, senior faculty experienced in teaching and consulting are employed as principal instructors. Once all coursework is satisfactorily completed, a Master of Business Administration ( MBA ) degree or equivalent is awarded.
  
• A number of factors are considered in selecting candidates for an Executive MBA programme. In most cases, each applicant is evaluated on his or her own professional performance, academic records, GMAT scores, professional recommendations, and a demonstrated ability to accomplish graduate-level business coursework. Most Executive MBA students enter a programme with ten or more years of professional and/or managerial experience. An undergraduate degree is generally required, though it need not be a degree in business. Evaluation of students for admission to an Executive MBA programme is a very individualised process. While test scores, grade point averages and other objective criteria are all considered, a prospective student’s background, work experience, career goals, desire to succeed and numerous other factors are considered in making an admission decision.
  
  
  
• Over the course of the programme, at least 15-20 hours each week should be allotted for some combination of classroom work, computer and research efforts, and course assignments. Added to the already heavy demands of a business career, the time involved in pursuing an MBA is considerable and requires a high level of motivation and commitment. The burden is eased by the support of other students and by the assistance of the Executive MBA programme staff.

Prepare For CAT

Usually CAT consists of following sections:


Reading Comprehension
D.I. & Data sufficiency
Verbal Ability
Quantitative Ability
Reasoning

The number of questions asked in CAT is normally not fixed & can vary from year to year. The Change in CAT pattern includes the areas covered, type of questions, number of questions, structure of questions etc. There can be changes even in whether in time limit for you CAT exam. Your Preparation should cover basic concepts in various areas, practice in different type of questions that appeared in various entrance exams.

CAT is one of the entrance exam for MBA that is prepared by IIM whose structure changes very rapidly as compared to any entrance exam in the world. Experts says that the competition is much tougher to get entry into IIM MBA then in any other B school MBA program like Stanford, Wharton etc.

Success Strategy for CAT

1:Selection:
It is very important to understand what you have to leave or attempt in your IIM Cat entrance exam. Cat is the game of selection. Success depends lot upon how judiciously one is able to select the questions. It is better that you first attempt all easy question which takes less time of yours & then if you get time move to the difficult ones latter.

2: Speed:
Your speed also matters in your score in your cat exam. It’s better if you understand the basic concepts of formulas. Because many times you see that you does need the direct formula for the questions asked in your cat exam. Your basics should be strong enoughfor your CAT exam. Practice the mental calculations regularly (It saves lot of time). Try to solve the mock CAT question paper with the option given.

3: Strike Rate:
It can be improved with the help of intelligent guessing. Intelligent guessing means guessing a question you are not completely sure off, but having some idea about the question. Your objective is not to solve the question but to choose the correct option. Try to eliminate the choices. If one choice is eliminated chances of your being right is 33%.


Always remember that success for MBA aspirants has three keywords: Speed, Strike rate selection of questions. Try to improve regularly.

IIM MBA is not so far from you. Best of luck for cracking Cat!

Options for MBA aspirant

A lot depends on what options you have here.
If you’ve been toying with the idea of going abroad for an MBA, what are the other options that you have? Would you rather do it from a top-rung Indian institute, like the IIMs? Well, the answer totally depends on your aspirations.
If you’ve cracked the CAT, go for it. The IIMs are among the best in the world. However, if you have to choose between IIM and a top institute like Harvard or London Business School, it makes sense to choose the latter. The exposure and contacts that you’ll get in a top school are simply unmatchable.An M.B.A. from a top-rung B-school will almost certainly propel you in the global job market, and you’ll soon be on your way to the top of the ladder.

If your choice is between a mid-tier B-school abroad and an average Indian institute, it makes IMMENSE sense to go abroad. The mid-tier schools abroad offer much better career prospects. An MBA from a mid-range U.S. B-school also has fairly healthy prospects, given the buoyant state of the US economy in the last few years.
If you have close relatives abroad, who can help you with funds and/or getting you an employment on completion of your MBA, you are in an enviable position. However, make sure you talk to the relatives before you apply.
However, unless you have the ways and means to find yourself an employment, we would not recommend going to just any U.S. B-school that you can get into.