success tips for CAT

Common Admission Test (CAT) is one amongst the largest MBA entrance exams conducted by Indian Institute of Management every year. Through this examination, prospective management students are shortlisted by six IIMs - IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Indore, and IIM Kozhikode. Besides these IIMs, the score card of this examination is also accepted by more than 102 other institutes. Cracking CAT examination is one of the biggest dreams of MBA aspirants and to make it true one has to do a lot of efforts. Jagranjosh.com has jot down some tips on how to prepare for CAT exam:

• Be focussed on Exam Pattern:  As the test will consist of two sections - (a) Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation (b) Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning, the candidates must focus on these two sections only. Aspirants must not go beyond these sections while preparing for CAT examination.
• Set a Time Table: The first step to start the preparation must be setting a time table as it will help the candidates to devote proper time in the daily routine jobs along with the study. Not only setting a time table will help but the aspirants must follow the same to get some fine results.
• Systematic and meticulous study: Candidates must ensure that they are very systematic in their approach as it will help them to wind up their topics according to their time table. The best way to furnish this is to choose a topic first and decide the required number of days for concluding that topic. Try to resolve all your confusions regarding various concepts, formulae and reasoning on that topic within the stipulated time period decided by you.
• Know your strength and weaknesses: Candidate must thoroughly study the syllabus of the examination and do smart work rather than hard work. In CAT examination, the candidates are judged on conceptualized knowledge, analytical skills and decision making capabilities. So, try to know your weaknesses and work hard on that and brush up your strengths to excel in examination.
• Practise Mock test papers to develop speed and accuracy: As there will be 30 questions in each section and time allotted to each section will be 1 hour and 10 minutes (that is 70 minutes), so the candidates must practise mock test papers to develop speed and accuracy. It will also help them to know their pitfalls and mistakes by the time to overcome that.
• Healthy Diet and Proper Sleep: Just study, study and study will not lead a student to crack the exam but the healthy diet and right amount of sleep along with the study will show the good results. Both are very necessary to keep the mind fresh and to improve concentration power.
• Revise before the big Day: On the Examination day, aspirants should remain calm. Revision of the studied topics is very necessary. One should not start studying new topics on the examination day.

MUST WATCH MOVIE FOR A MANAGEMENT STUDENT #5

Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) 

The story of Preston Tucker, the maverick car designer and his ill-fated challenge to the auto industry with his revolutionary car concept. (110 mins.)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Stars: Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin Landau, Frederic Forrest

MAT MBA Books

Some of the books that can prove handy in cracking the MAT MBA and may be reach the merit list-

• Barron's
• 501 Word Analogy Questions
• Kaplan
• Princeton Review

All in all if you are appearing for CAT and MAT both as is usually the case and are well prepared for CAT, MAT will not prove out to be such a tough task as the MAT paper is easier as compared to the CAT.

analysis of Previous Years' CAT Questions:

With respect to the number of questions asked, CAT follows a dynamic pattern. The section based distribution of the number of questions in the previous years' CAT is represented below:



Section	CAT 2003	CAT 2004	CAT 2005	CAT 2006	CAT 2007	CAT 2008
Quantitative Ability	50	35	30	25	25	25
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning	50	38	30	25	25	25
Verbal Ability	50	50	30	25	25	40
Total Questions	150	123	90	75	75	90



 

Topic Based Distribution of Previous Years' CAT Questions: 

Section	CAT 2003	CAT 2004	CAT 2005	CAT 2006	CAT 2007	CAT 2008
Arithmetic	17	11	12	12	8	12
Algebra	8	5	3	5	4	5
Geometry	14	10	8	6	3	5
Word Problems	1	8	4	2	9	1
Miscellaneous	7	0	3	0	1	2
Data Interpretation	34	32	30	25	21	27
Logical Reasoning	16	6	0	10	4	5
Reading Comprehension	25	21	12	15	12	20
Verbal Logic	12	9	7	10	7	4
Vocabulary	13	13	7	0	3	11
Grammar (Sentence Correction)	0	6	4	0	3	5

TOP 100 MBA SCHOOLS IN INDIA

Below is the list of top 100 MBA colleges in India for the year 2012. The list of Indian B Schools below is sorted in order of ranking from 1 to 100. This list would surely be helpful to candidates aspiring to pursue MBA in coming years. 

1. (IIM Ahmedabad) Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad
2. (IIM Calcutta) Indian Institute of Management – Calcutta, Kolkata
3. (IIM Bangalore) Indian Institute of Management – Bangalore, Bangalore
4. (ISB Hyderabad) Indian School of Business, Hyderabad
5. (XLRI Jamshedpur) Xavier’s Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur
6. (IIM Lucknow) Indian Institute of Management – Lucknow, Lucknow
7. (FMS Delhi) Faculty of Management Studies – University of Delhi, Delhi
8. (IIM Indore) Indian Institute of Management – Indore, Indore
9. (IIM Kozhikode) Indian Institute of Management – Kozhikode, Kozhikode
10. (SPJIMR Mumbai) SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai
11. (IIFT Delhi & Kolkata) Indian Institute of Foreign Trade – Delhi & Kolkata, Delhi
12. (JBIMS Mumbai) Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai
13. (MDI Gurgaon) Management Development Institute, Gurgaon
14. (NITIE Mumbai) National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai
15. (SJMSoM IIT Bombay) Shailesh J Mehta School of Management – IIT Bombay, Mumbai
16. (SIBM Pune) Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune
17. (NMIMS Mumbai) Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai
18. (DMS IIT Delhi) Department of Management Studies – IIT Delhi, Delhi
19. (IMT Ghaziabad) Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad
20. (XIM Bhubhaneswar) Xavier’s Institute of Management, Bhubhaneswar
21. (MICA Ahmedabad) Mudra Institute of Communication, Ahmedabad
22. (TISS Mumbai) Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
23. (SCMHRD Pune) Symbiosis Center for Management and Human Resources Development, Pune
24. (VGSoM IIT Kharagpur) Vinod Gupta School of Management – IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur
25. (IIM Shillong) Indian Institute of Management – Shillong, Shillong
26. (IIT Kanpur MBA) Industrial and Management Engineering – IIT Kanpur, Kanpur
27. (IRMA Anand) Institute of Rural Management, Anand
28. (IIM Trichy) Indian Institute of Management – Trichy, Trichy
29. (Great Lakes, Chennai) Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai
30. (IIM Ranchi) Indian Institute of Management – Ranchi, Ranchi
31. (IIM Raipur) Indian Institute of Management – Raipur, Raipur
32. (TAPMI Manipal) TA Pai Management Institute, Manipal
33. (SIMSR Mumbai) KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai
34. (IMI Delhi) International Management Institute, Delhi
35. (SIIB Pune) Symbiosis Institute of International Business, Pune
36. (GIM Goa) Goa Institute of Management, Goa
37. (IIM Rohtak) Indian Institute of Management – Rohtak, Rohtak
38. (IIM Udaipur) Indian Institute of Management – Udaipur, Udaipur
39. (DMS IIT Madras) Department of Management Studies – IIT Madras, Chennai
40. (SIBM Bangalore) Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Bangalore
41. (IMNU, Nirma University) Institute of Management – Nirma University, Ahmedabad
42. (XIME Bangalore) Xavier’s Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship, Bangalore
43. (LIBA Chennai) Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai
44. (SIMS Pune) Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies, Pune
45. (LBSIM Delhi) Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Delhi
46. (We School, Mumbai) Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, Mumbai
47. (FSM Delhi) FORE School of Management, Delhi
48. (ICFAI Hyderabad) ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad
49. (BITS Pilani MBA) Management Group, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani
50. (MIB &  MHROD, Delhi University) MIB & MHROD – Delhi School of Economics, Delhi 

51. (DMS IIT Roorkee) Department of Management Studies – IIT Roorkee, Roorkee 

52. (MBE, Delhi University) Master of Business Economics – University of Delhi, Delhi 

52. (MFC, Delhi University) Master of Finance and Control – University of Delhi, Delhi 

54. (SIMC Pune) Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune 

55. (BIM Trichy) Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Trichy 

56. (IMT Nagpur) Institute of Management Technology, Nagpur 

56. (XISS Ranchi) Xavier’s Institute of Social Service, Ranchi 

58. (FMS-BHU, Varanasi) Faculty of Management Studies – Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 

58. (DMS NIT Trichy) Department of Management Studies – NIT Trichy, Trichy 

60. (IIFM Bhopal) Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal 

61. (SRCC GBO, Delhi University) Sri Ram College of Commerce (Global Business Operations), Delhi 

62. (Great Lakes IEMR, Gurgaon) Great Lakes Institute of Energy Management and Research, Gurgaon 

63. (UBS Chandigarh) University Business School, Chandigarh 

64. (VIT Vellore) Vellore Institute of Technology University, Vellore 

65. (IFMR Chennai) Institute for Financial Management and Research, Chennai 

66. (ICFAI Mumbai) ICFAI Business School, Mumbai 

66. (SIOM Nasik) Symbiosis Institute of Operations Management, Nasik 

68. (SITM Pune) Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management, Pune 

69. (SIMSREE Mumbai) Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education, Mumbai 

70. (SCIT Pune) Symbiosis Center for Information Technology, Pune 

71. (DMS IISc Bangalore) Department of Management Studies – IISc Bangalore, Bangalore 

72. (IIM Kashipur) Indian Institute of Management – Kashipur, Kashipur 

73. (DSM DTU Delhi) Delhi School of Management – Delhi Technological University, Delhi 

73. (DMS NIT Durgapur) Department of Management Studies – NIT Durgapur, Durgapur 

75. (BIMTECH Noida) Birla Institute of Management and Technology, Noida 

76. (IMT Hyderabad) Institute of Management Technology, Hyderabad 

77. (Alliance University, Bangalore) Alliance University School of Business, Bangalore 

78. (NIT Suratkhal MBA) Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Management - NIT Suratkhal 

78. (IISWBM Kolkata) Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Kolkata 

78. (ISBM Pune) International School of Business and Media, Pune 

81. (Amity, Noida) Amity Business School, Noida 

82. (AIM Kolkata) Army Institute of Management, Kolkata 

83. (Christ College MBA) Department of Management Studies – Christ College, Bangalore 

84. (IMI Bhubhaneswar) International Management Institute, Bhubhaneswar 

86. (ITM Navi Mumbai) Institute for Technology and Management, Navi Mumbai 

87. (IMI Kolkata) International Management Institute, Kolkata 

88. (NIBM Pune) National Institute of Bank Management, Pune 

89. (NL Dalmia, Mumbai) NL Dalmia Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai 

90. (PUMBA Pune) Pune University MBA – Pune 

91. (ISME Bangalore) International School of Management Excellence, Bangalore 

91. (SDMIMD Mysore) SDM Institute for Management Development, Mysore 

93. (IPE Hyderabad) Institute of Public Enterprise, Hyderabad 

94. (Osmania University MBA) Osmania University College of Business Management, Hyderabad 

94. (SPM Gandhinagar) School of Petroleum Management, Gandhinagar 

96. (Pondicherry University MBA) Department of Management Studies – Pondicherry University, Pondicherry 

97. (SIES, Navi Mumbai) SIES College of Management Studies, Navi Mumbai 

98. (NIA Pune) National Insurance Academy School of Management, Pune 

99. (KIAMS Harihar) Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies, Harihar 

100. (IMS Indore) Institute of Management Studies – Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalala, Indore

Admission Procedure to the IIMs & Top B Schools in India

Most top India Business Schools have an admission process similar to that of the IIMs

1. CAT - The Written Test / Entrance Exam

All B-Schools in India have a written aptitude test as the first stage of screening applicants. The six IIMs conduct a Common Admission Test (CAT), usually on the third Sunday of every November. S.P. Jain Mumbai, Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon, NITIE Bombay and many other business schools and MBA colleges base their selection on CAT scores. Other popular written tests in India include the XAT (Xavier Admission Test) conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur conducts and this score is a criterion for admission to XIM Bhubaneswar, BIM Trichy, LIBA Chennai, XIME Bangalore, Goa Institute of Management Goa and score of other business schools. FMS Delhi, IIFT Delhi and the Schools of Management, IIT (Joint Management Entrance Test or JMET) have their own respective tests. 

The written test, the first stage of elimination, tests a student's ability to perform under pressure. The areas of testing include basic mathematics taught till Class X, English taught during the first year of graduation and analytical & logical reasoning. The written test is the most difficult step in getting into a top B-School in India. Most of the elimination takes place at this stage. 

About 210,000 students took CAT in 2006. Around 1600 students get admission into one of the IIMs each year. 

2. B School Application Essays and Reference Letters

Application Essays are an integral part of most top B Schools selection process. While only those shortlisted based on their written scores in CAT are expected to write these essays in the case of the IIMs, some other top management institutes in India such as the SP Jain ask you to write many essays at the first stage itself. In the case of SP Jain, your application essays play a crucial role in getting shortlisted for the next round - viz., group interviews. However, in the case of the IIMs, they could form the basis for the interview process. IIM Bangalore, in the recent past, requires those aspirants who have cleared CAT and been shortlisted for the GD-PI to produce three letters of reference. So, if you are planning to apply to these places, meet one of your friends who has applied to these schools in the past and get his applications to get an idea of what is generally asked. 

3. Group Discussions / Personal Interviews - GD / PI

Based on the performance in the written test, students are short listed for a Group Discussion and Personal Interview. At the IIMs, anyone who is shortlisted for the GD PI process attends both the group discussion and the personal interview. GD is not an elimination stage at the IIMs. However, other b schools could have the GD as an elimination process.

4. Admission

Admission is usually offered based on the cumulative scores of written test, GD / PIs, and work experience (in some cases). Admission notification from top B Schools start from the second week of March and continue till the end of April. Many of the management institutes also have a waitlist of candidates which gets updated based on the number of students in the first list who accept offers made to them. 

Quantitative Aptitude Tricks for CAT

Divisibility by 2

-> A number is divisible by 2 if and only if the last digit is divisible by 2.
Example: Not required :)
Divisibility by 3
-> A number is divisible by 3 if and only if the sum of the digits is divisible by 3.
Example: 
Which of the following two numbers is/are fully divisible by 3: 97533222 or 97533322?
Answer:  97533222
Reason:
Sum of digits for 97533222 =   33 / 3 = 11
Sum of digits for  97533322 =   34 / 3 = 11.33  

Divisibility by 4
-> A number is divisible by 4 if and only if the last 2 digits is a number divisible by 4.
Example: 
Which of the following two number is fully divisible by 4: 5555444446 or 5555444448 ?
Answer:  5555444448
Reason:
Last 2 digits for  5555444446  are 46, 46 is not fully divisible by 4 (46/4 = 11.5)

Last 2 digits for  5555444448  are 48, 48 is fully divisible by 4  (48/4 = 12)

Divisibility by 5
-> A number is divisible by 5 if and only if the last digit is divisible by 5.
Example: If a number ends in 5 or 0 then it would be divisible by 5. Such as 777995, 13170

Divisibility by 6
-> A number is divisible by 6 if and only if it is divisible by 2 and 3.
Example: 
Which of the following numbers is/are fully divisible by 3: 97533222, 97533322, 97533225, 97533228?
Answer:  97533222 and 97533228
Reason:

For a number to be fully divisible by 6 it should satisfy following two conditions:

1. It must be a even number (which means out of 4 options we can decide that 97533225 is surely not divisible by 6 as it is not an even number)

2. It must be divisible by 3(sum of all digits of particular even number should be divisible by 3)

Sum of digits for 97533222 = 33 (fully divisible by 3)

Sum of digits for 97533322 = 34 (not fully divisible by 3)

Sum of digits for 97533228 = 39 (fully divisible by 3)

Divisibility by 7

-> To find out if a number is divisible by seven, take the last digit, double it, and subtract it from the rest of the number, if the resulting number is divisible by 7 then original number is divisible by 7. If you don't know the new number's divisibility, you can apply the rule again.

Example: 
Which of the following numbers is/are fully divisible by 7:  203, 3192, 3197, 38241?

Answer : 203, 3192, 38241

Reason:

For 203, you would double the last digit to get six, and subtract that from 20 to get 14. Hence 203 is divisible by 7.

Applying the same rule to check if 3192 is divisible by 7:

3192 => 319 - 2*2 = 315 => 31 - 2*5 = 21, 21 is divisible by 7  hence 3192 is divisible by 7

Applying the same rule to check if 3197 is divisible by 7:

3197 => 319-2*7 = 305 => 30 -2*5 = 20, 20 is not divisible by 7 hence 3197 is not divisible by 7

Applying the same rule to check if 38241 is divisible by 7:

38241 => 3824 -2*1 = 3822 => 382 - 2*2 = 378 => 37 -2*8 = 21, 21 is divisible by 7  hence  38241  is divisible by 7

Divisibility by 8
-> A number is divisible by 8 if and only if the last 3 digits of a number divisible by 8.
Example: 
Which of the following numbers is/are fully divisible by 8: 97533224, 97533328, 97533222, 97533228?
Answer:  97533224 and 97533328
Reason: 224 and 328 are divisible by 8 whereas 222 and 228 are not divisible  by 8.



Divisibility by 9
-> A number is divisible by 9 if and only if the sum of the digits is divisible by 9.
Example: 
Which of the following numbers is/are fully divisible by 9: 111111111, 111222, 2222244, 66669 699999?
Answer:   111111111, 111222  and 2222244
Reason: Sum of digits for 111111111, 111222  and 2222244 are 9, 9 and 18 respectively all of which are divisible by 9. Whereas sum of digits for 66669 & 699999 are 33 & 51 respectively both of which are not divisible by 9. 


Divisibility by 10
-> A number is divisible by 10 if and only if the number ends in n zeros.Example: If a number ends in 0 then it would be divisible by 5. Such as 111110, 876543200  
Divisibility by 11
-> A number is divisible by 11 if the difference of the sum of digits at odd places and the sum of its digits at even places, is either 0 or divisible by 11, then clearly the number is divisible by 11.

Example: 
Which of the following numbers is/are fully divisible by 11:  6050, 3035362, 90002, 900002?
Answer:   6050, 3035362, 90002
Reason:   Sum of digits at even place in 6050 = 11 and sum of digits at odd place is 0. Difference between odd and even = 11. Hence 6050 is divisible by 11.
Similarly sum of digits at even place in 3035362 = 11 and sum of digits at odd place is 11. Difference between odd and even = 0. Hence 3035362 is divisible by 11.
Similarly Difference between odd and even digits for 90002 is 11 whereas for 900002 difference between odd and even digits is 7. Hence 90002 is divisible by 11 but 900002 is not.


Divisibility by 12
-> A number is divisible by 12 if the number is divisible by both 3 and 4
Example: 
Which of the following two numbers is/are divisible by 12: 22584 and 22756?
Answer: 22584
Reason: 22584 is divisible by 3 because sum of all digits =21 which is divisible by 3 and 22584 is also divisible by 4 because last 2 digits of 22584 i.e. 84 is divisible by 4. Hence 22584 is divisible by 12
22756 is not divisible 3 as sum of digits are 22 which is not divisible by 3.


Divisibility by 13
-> To find out if a number is divisible by 13 take the last digit of number and multiple it by 4 and add it to number formed with remaining digits check if the resultant number is divisible by 13. In case resultant number is big repeat process of multiplying last digit by 4 and adding it to number formed by remaining digits.
Example: 
Which of the following numbers is/are divisible by 13: 11013, 110006, 110026 ?
Answer: 110006
Reason: Applying the rule above of multiplying last digits by 4 and adding it to number formed by remaining digit we get : 1100+4*4= 11024
Continuing the same way with resultant number we get : 1102+4*4= 1118
=> 1118 = 111+8*4 = 143
=> 14+3*4 = 26. 26 is divisible by 13. Hence 110006 is divisible by 13
11013 is not divisible by 13 as per results below:
11013= 1101+3*4 = 1113 => 1113 = 111+3*4 = 123 => 123 = 12+3*4 =24
24 is not divisible 13 hence 11013 is not divisible by 13.

-> If n is even , n(n+1)(n+2) is divisible by 24