CAT Eligibility

The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s Degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA [45% in case of the candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Differently Abled (DA) (It may also referred to as Persons with Disability (PWD) category)], awarded by any of the Universities incorporated by an act of the central or state legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India.  The percentage of marks obtained by the candidate in the bachelor’s degree would be calculated based on the practice followed by the university/institution from where the candidate has obtained the degree. In case the candidates are awarded grades/CGPA instead of marks, the conversion of grades/CGPA to percentage of marks would be based on the procedure certified by the university/ institution from where they have obtained the bachelor’s degree. In case the university/ institution does not have any scheme for converting CGPA into equivalent marks, the equivalence would be established by dividing the candidate’s CGPA by the maximum possible CGPA and multiplying the result with 100.  Candidates appearing for the final year of bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification examination and those who have completed degree requirements and are awaiting results can also apply.  If selected, such candidates will be allowed to join the programme provisionally, only if he/she submits a certificate latest by June 30, 2013 from the Principal/Registrar of his/her College/Institute (issued on or before June 30, 2013) stating that the candidate has completed all the requirements for obtaining the bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification on the date of the issue of the certificate.  IIMs may verify eligibility at various stages of the selection process, the details of which are provided at the website www.catiim.in. Applicants should note that the mere fulfillment of minimum eligibility criteria will not ensure consideration for shortlisting by IIMs.
Prospective candidates must maintain a valid and unique email account and a phone number throughout the selection process.

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Reservations

As per the Government of India requirements, 15% of the seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and 7½% for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates. 27% of seats are reserved for Other Backward Classes candidates belonging to the “non-creamy” layer (NC-OBC).  

For an updated central list of state-wise OBCs eligible for availing the benefit of reservation and information in respect of the creamy layer visit the website http://www.ncbc.nic.in. In case of NC-OBC category, the castes included in Central List (available at http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Centrallistifobc.html) of NC-OBC by the National Commission of Backward Classes, Government of India as on September 19, 2012 (Last day of registration) will be used. Any subsequent changes will not be effective for CAT2012.
As per the provision under section 39 of the PWD Act, 1995, 3% seats are reserved for Differently Abled (DA) candidates. The three categories of disability are: a) low-vision/blindness, b) hearing impairment, and c) locomotor disability/cerebral palsy. This provision is applicable if the candidate suffers from any of the listed disabilities to the extent of not less than 40%, as certified by a medical authority as prescribed and explained in the said Act.
The candidates belonging to categories for which seats are reserved need to note and read the eligibility requirements carefully before applying. It should be noted that while it is the endeavour of IIMs that the candidates belonging to SC/ST/PWD/Non-Creamy OBC categories join the Programme in proportions mandated by the law, they have to meet the minimum eligibility criteria and a certain minimum level of performance in the admission process. The candidates should read carefully the description of admission process followed by each IIM on their respective websites. No change in the category will be entertained after the closure of registration window; hence, the applicants are advised to give attention while registering.

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Note for SC/ST, NC-OBC, and DA Candidates

If you belong to SC or ST categories, your caste/tribe must be listed in the Government of India schedule. The caste certificate that you send to IIM should be in the Government approved format and should clearly state: (a) Name of your caste/tribe; (b) Whether you belong to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe; (c) District and the State or Union Territory of your ordinary residence; and (d) the appropriate Government of India schedule under which your caste/tribe is approved by it as Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe. A copy of the certificate must be sent to CAT Centre, C/O Admissions Office, Indian Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, IIM Kozhikode Campus P.O., Kunnamangalam, Kozhikode- 673 570, Kerala, INDIA. Mention the Voucher Serial Number on the certificate. Failure to produce a copy of the caste certificate will result in the rejection of your CAT registration.

The caste certificate must be shown and a photocopy enclosed at the time of interviews. Moreover, the caste certificate must be submitted at the time of joining programmes of any of the IIMs.

If you belong to the Non-Creamy Other Backward Classes (NC-OBC), you must produce the NC-OBC certificate duly signed by competent authority and enclose its photocopy at the time of interviews. Moreover, the certificate must be submitted at the time of joining programmes of any of the IIMs. Failure to do so during the post CAT selection process will result in you not being considered under the reserved category.

The DA certificate must be shown and a photocopy enclosed at the time of interviews. Moreover, the DA certificate must be submitted at the time of joining programmes of any of the IIMs.

Spoken English Tips

The following tips helped me improve my spoken English and overcome my hesitation in the language. Hope they are useful for you too.

1. Don’t worry about making mistakes because you will.
    
2. Be patient. This isn’t a one day process.
    
3. Learn certain phrases that can be used in multiple situations.
    
4. Learn how to greet someone properly.
    
5. Talk slowly and carefully. Don’t rush through your sentences.
    
6. Restrict yourself to simple sentences until you gain confidence.
    
7. Watch out for your pronunciation. Many online tools will tell you how to pronounce a word correctly. Check one of them out when you’re in doubt.
    
8. Carefully observe how proficient speakers of the language pronounce words and frame their sentences.
    
9. Ask your friends, relatives and anyone you can to point out your mistakes and correct them.
    
10. Speak to them in English only. Practice is a must.
     
11. Record yourself reading one article aloud every day. Focus on pronunciation, speed, clarity and emphasis.
     
12. Many online sites offer you the opportunity to voice chat with another user. This is an effective way to practice.
     
13. Learn at least one new word every day and use it as a part of your conversation with people. By the end of the week, you should know seven words really well.
     
14. Learn new words everyday
     
15. Read at least one article of your choice aloud every day. 
     
16. Watch English movies with subtitles.
     
17. Watch English shows.
     
18. Read books and magazines.
     
19. Keep a pocket dictionary handy for any word you may need to know the meaning of.
     
20.  When you hear a new word, try to find its usage and its antonyms.

10 Easy tips for speaking in English

Manek, an engineering graduate from Bhopal, said that the following practices helped him when he was learning English:

1.     The first thing I would do after getting up every morning was read the newspaper, front to back. It doesn’t matter which newspaper you subscribe to, as long as it is a major English-language paper, such as The Hindu, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, etc.  While different people have different opinions on the quality of each paper, they are all more or less equally useful in getting to learn the language. It is also not necessary to read every page and article; it is time-consuming and, sometimes, boring. However, you should most definitely look for articles that interest you.

2.     I bought a pocket dictionary. They are cheap, compact and useful. There were many words I came across on a day-to-day basis that I did not know, and carrying a pocket dictionary everywhere allowed me to look up these words immediately so that the matter would not slip off my mind later.

3.     Once learned, I also made a conscious effort to use the words in conversation. This instilled the words in my head and I was able to draw on them whenever required.

4.     I convinced some of my friends to come together and form something of a ‘study group’; we were all interested in learning English, and I figured it would make it easier and more fun for us to do it together. We met twice a week in the evening and discussed the words and phrases we had come across, suggested articles, magazines, and books to each other, etc.

5.     Another thing my group of friends and I kept in mind was the importance oftalking only in English, whenever possible. During our weekly meetings, not a word of Hindi (the only other language any of us spoke) was uttered. This sort of commitment is absolutely necessary if you want to develop fluency.

6.     A couple of weeks into my learning experience, a friend talked about the issue of language of thoughts during one of our meetings. This, too, is an interesting aspect of one’s linguistic foundations: what language do you think in? I realised that I thought in Hindi, and thus whenever I spoke in English, I was, in a way, translating in my head. This made the entire process slower and more laborious. So I decided to start making a conscious effort to think in English. When I spoke in Hindi, I was often trying to figure out beforehand what the phrase would be in English before I said it. This takes some getting used to, but soon you will find it becoming  a second nature; the phrases will come faster and easier then.

7.     I made it a point to pick up at least one English book a month. I cannot stress the importance of this enough; books introduce you to the possibilities of the language, expose you to the various ways in which words can be manipulated and played around with. Your vocabulary of words, phrases, colloquialisms, etc. will increase sharply this way. Also, reading develops thinking, i.e., as you read, you automatically begin to think more in the language that your reading material is written in.

8.     Every night I would watch an English news channel (NDTV, Headlines Today, CNN-IBN, etc.) for at least half an hour. The news anchors and reporters generally speak very crisp and proper English. It is also useful to watch English TV shows.

9.     My friends and I would rent the DVD of an English movie every week,and watch it with the subtitles on. This way, you can always make out what the actors are saying, and the context of the movie helps you understand what unfamiliar phrases might mean.

10.  I developed the habit of paying close attention whenever I was within listening distance of a conversation in English. This may seem like eavesdropping, but when someone is speaking loud enough in public for others to hear him or her, it is unlikely that anything very personal is being discussed. At least, I defended my practice with that rationale, because it helped me pick up common phrases on a daily basis

English learning tips

**RULE 1: Always Study and Review Phrases, Not Individual Words

Never study a single, individual word. Never.

When you find a new word, always write down The Phrase it is in. Always. 

When you review, always review all of the phrase,.. not the word. 

Collect phrases. 

Your speaking and grammar will improve 4-5 times faster. Always write the 

complete phrase. 
Never again study a single word. Never write a single word in your notebook, 

Learn Phrases Only.Phrases are GROUPS of words that naturally go 

together. 

**RULE 2: Don't Study Grammar

Stop studying grammar. 
Stop studying grammar. 

Right now. Stop. Put away your grammar books and textbooks. Grammar rules 

teach you to think about English, you want to speak automatically-- without 

thinking! 

So Rule 2 is: Don't Study Grammar!

**RULE 3: The Most Important Rule-- Listen First

What is the rule that Humberto found? Simple. The rule is listening. 

Listening, listening, listening. 

You must listen to UNDERSTANDABLE English. You must listen to 
English EVERYDAY. Don't read textbooks. Listen to English. 

Its simple. That is the key to your English success. Stop reading textbooks. 

Start listening everyday. 

**Learn With Your Ears, Not Your Eyes

In most schools, you learn English with your eyes. You read textbooks. You 

study grammar rules. 

Spend most of your study time listening- that is the key to great speaking.

**RULE 4: Slow, Deep Learning Is Best

The secret to speaking easily is to learn every word & phrase DEEPLY. 

Its not enough to know a definition. Its not enough to remember for a test. 

You must put the word deep into your brain. 

To speak English easily, you must repeat each lesson many times. 

You must learn English deeply. 

Learn deeply, speak easily.
Learn deeply, speak easily.

How do you learn deeply? Easy-- just repeat all lessons or listening many 

times. For example, if you have an audio book, listen to the first chapter 30 

times before you go to the second chapter. You could listen to the first 

chapter 3 times each day, for 10 days. 

**RULE 5: Use Point Of View Mini-Stories

I call these stories "Point Of View Mini-Stories". They are the most powerful 

way to learn and use English grammar automatically. 

Use Point of View Stories for Automatic Grammar
Use Point of View Stories for Automatic Grammar

You must learn grammar by listening to real English. The best way is to 

listen to the same story... told in different times (points of view): Past, 

Perfect, Present, Future. 

How do you do this? Easy! Find a story or article in the present tense. 

Then ask your native speaker tutor to write it again in the Past, with Perfect 

tenses, and in the Future. Finally, ask him to read and record these stories 

for you. 

Then you can listen to stories with many different kinds of grammar. You 

don't need to know the grammar rules. Just listen to the Point of View 

stories and you will improve grammar automatically!

**RULE 6: Only Use Real English Lessons & Materials

You learn real English if you want to understand native speakers and speak 

easily. Use real magazines, audio articles, TV shows, movies, radio talk 

shows, and audio books. 

Learn Real English, Not Textbook English
Learn Real English, Not Textbook English
To learn real English, you must listen to English that native speakers listen 

to. You must watch what they watch. You must read what they read. 

Listen only to real English
Listen only to real English
Listen only to real English

How do you learn Real English? It's easy. Stop using textbooks. Instead, 

listen only to real English movies, TV shows, audio books, audio articles, 

stories, and talk radio shows. Use real English materials. 

**RULE 7: Listen and Answer, not Listen and Repeat

Use Listen & Answer Mini-Story Lessons
Use Listen & Answer Mini-Story Lessons

In each Mini-Story Lesson, a speaker tells a short simple story. He also asks 

a lot of easy questions. Every time you hear a question, you pause and 

answer it. 

You learn to answer questions quickly-- without thinking. Your English 

becomes automatic. 

How can you use Listen & Answer Stories? Easy! Find a native speaker tutor. 

Ask him to use this method: Ask him to tell a story... and to constantly ask 

you easy questions about it. This will teach you to think quickly in 

English!

You can also find Listen & Answer lessons. They will teach you to think 

quickly in English.

No-Cook Strawberry Ice Cream

•  (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar 
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 (16-ounce) container fresh strawberries or 1 (16-ounce) package thawed frozen strawberries
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Whisk first 4 ingredients in a 2-quart pitcher or large bowl until blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Process strawberries, lemon juice, and salt in a blender or food processor until smooth. Stir into milk mixture.
2. Pour milk mixture into freezer container of a 1-quart electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. (Instructions and times will vary.)
3. Remove container with ice cream from ice-cream maker, and place in freezer 15 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container; freeze until firm, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
4. Note: For testing purposes only, we used a Rival 4-quart Durable Plastic Bucket Ice Cream Maker and a Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker.

50 COMMON INTERVIEW Question & answer

1. Tell me about yourself:
The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short
statement prepared in your mind. Be careful that it does not sound
rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items unless instructed otherwise.
Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that relate to
the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest
back and work up to the present.

2. Why did you leave your last job?Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a major
problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers
or the organization. If you do, you will be the one looking bad. Keep
smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an
opportunity, a chance to do something special or other forward-looking
reasons.

3. What experience do you have in this field?
Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for.
If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.

4. Do you consider yourself successful?
You should always answer yes and briefly explain why. A good
explanation is that you have set goals, and you have met some and are
on track to achieve the others.

5. What do co-workers say about you?Be prepared with a quote or two from co-workers. Either a specific
statement or a paraphrase will work. Jill Clark, a co-worker at Smith
Company, always said I was the hardest workers she had ever known. It
is as powerful as Jill having said it at the interview herself.

6. What do you know about this organization?This question is one reason to do some research on the organization
before the interview. Find out where they have been and where they are
going. What are the current issues and who are the major players?

7. What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year?
Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job. A wide
variety of activities can be mentioned as positive self-improvement.
Have some good ones handy to mention.

8. Are you applying for other jobs?
Be honest but do not spend a lot of time in this area. Keep the focus
on this job and what you can do for this organization. Anything else is
a distraction.

9. Why do you want to work for this organization?
This may take some thought and certainly, should be based on the
research you have done on the organization. Sincerity is extremely
important here and will easily be sensed. Relate it to your long-term
career goals.

10. Do you know anyone who works for us?
Be aware of the policy on relatives working for the organization. This
can affect your answer even though they asked about friends not
relatives. Be careful to mention a friend only if they are well thought
of.

11. What kind of salary do you need?
A loaded question. A nasty little game that you will probably lose if
you answer first. So, do not answer it. Instead, say something like,
That’s a tough question. Can you tell me the range for this position?
In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not,
say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide
range.

12. Are you a team player?You are, of course, a team player. Be sure to have examples ready.
Specifics that show you often perform for the good of the team rather
than for yourself are good evidence of your team attitude. Do not brag,
just say it in a matter-of-fact tone. This is a key point.

13. How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
Specifics here are not good. Something like this should work: I’d like
it to be a long time. Or As long as we both feel I’m doing a good job.

14. Have you ever had to fire anyone? How did you feel about that?This is serious. Do not make light of it or in any way seem like you
like to fire people. At the same time, you will do it when it is the
right thing to do. When it comes to the organization versus the
individual who has created a harmful situation, you will protect the
organization. Remember firing is not the same as layoff or reduction in
force.

15. What is your philosophy towards work?
The interviewer is not looking for a long or flowery dissertation here.
Do you have strong feelings that the job gets done? Yes. That’s the
type of answer that works best here. Short and positive, showing a
benefit to the organization.

16. If you had enough money to retire right now, would you?Answer yes if you would. But since you need to work, this is the type
of work you prefer. Do not say yes if you do not mean it.

17. Have you ever been asked to leave a position?If you have not, say no. If you have, be honest, brief and avoid saying
negative things about the people or organization involved.

18. Explain how you would be an asset to this organization
You should be anxious for this question. It gives you a chance to
highlight your best points as they relate to the position being
discussed. Give a little advance thought to this relationship.

19. Why should we hire you?Point out how your assets meet what the organization needs. Do not
mention any other candidates to make a comparison.

20. Tell me about a suggestion you have madeHave a good one ready. Be sure and use a suggestion that was accepted
and was then considered successful. One related to the type of work
applied for is a real plus.

21. What irritates you about co-workers?This is a trap question. Think real hard but fail to come up with
anything that irritates you. A short statement that you seem to get
along with folks is great.

22. What is your greatest strength?
Numerous answers are good, just stay positive. A few good examples:
Your ability to prioritize, Your problem-solving skills, Your ability
to work under pressure, Your ability to focus on projects, Your
professional expertise, Your leadership skills, Your positive attitude

23. Tell me about your dream job.
Stay away from a specific job. You cannot win. If you say the job you
are contending for is it, you strain credibility. If you say another
job is it, you plant the suspicion that you will be dissatisfied with
this position if hired. The best is to stay genetic and say something
like: A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute and
can’t wait to get to work.

24. Why do you think you would do well at this job?Give several reasons and include skills, experience and interest.

25. What are you looking for in a job?See answer # 23

26. What kind of person would you refuse to work with?Do not be trivial. It would take disloyalty to the organization,
violence or lawbreaking to get you to object. Minor objections will
label you as a whiner.

27. What is more important to you: the money or the work?
Money is always important, but the work is the most important. There is
no better answer.

28. What would your previous supervisor say your strongest point is?
There are numerous good possibilities:
Loyalty, Energy, Positive attitude, Leadership, Team player, Expertise,
Initiative, Patience, Hard work, Creativity, Problem solver

29. Tell me about a problem you had with a supervisor
Biggest trap of all. This is a test to see if you will speak ill of
your boss. If you fall for it and tell about a problem with a former
boss, you may well below the interview right there. Stay positive and
develop a poor memory about any trouble with a supervisor.

30. What has disappointed you about a job?
Don’t get trivial or negative. Safe areas are few but can include:
Not enough of a challenge. You were laid off in a reduction Company did
not win a contract, which would have given you more responsibility.

31. Tell me about your ability to work under pressure.
You may say that you thrive under certain types of pressure. Give an
example that relates to the type of position applied for.

32. Do your skills match this job or another job more closely?
Probably this one. Do not give fuel to the suspicion that you may want
another job more than this one.

33. What motivates you to do your best on the job?
This is a personal trait that only you can say, but good examples are:
Challenge, Achievement, Recognition

34. Are you willing to work overtime? Nights? Weekends?
This is up to you. Be totally honest.

35. How would you know you were successful on this job?
Several ways are good measures:
You set high standards for yourself and meet them. Your outcomes are a
success.Your boss tell you that you are successful

36. Would you be willing to relocate if required?You should be clear on this with your family prior to the interview if
you think there is a chance it may come up. Do not say yes just to get
the job if the real answer is no. This can create a lot of problems
later on in your career. Be honest at this point and save yourself
future grief.

37. Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead ofyour own?This is a straight loyalty and dedication question. Do not worry about
the deep ethical and philosophical implications. Just say yes.

38. Describe your management style.Try to avoid labels. Some of the more common labels, like progressive,
salesman or consensus, can have several meanings or descriptions
depending on which management expert you listen to. The situational
style is safe, because it says you will manage according to the
situation, instead of one size fits all.

39. What have you learned from mistakes on the job?Here you have to come up with something or you strain credibility. Make
it small, well intentioned mistake with a positive lesson learned. An
example would be working too far ahead of colleagues on a project and
thus throwing coordination off.

40. Do you have any blind spots?Trick question. If you know about blind spots, they are no longer blind
spots. Do not reveal any personal areas of concern here. Let them do
their own discovery on your bad points. Do not hand it to them.

41. If you were hiring a person for this job, what would you look for?Be careful to mention traits that are needed and that you have.

42. Do you think you are overqualified for this position?Regardless of your qualifications, state that you are very well
qualified for the position.

43. How do you propose to compensate for your lack of experience?First, if you have experience that the interviewer does not know about,
bring that up: Then, point out (if true) that you are a hard working
quick learner.

44. What qualities do you look for in a boss?
Be generic and positive. Safe qualities are knowledgeable, a sense of
humor, fair, loyal to subordinates and holder of high standards. All
bosses think they have these traits.

45. Tell me about a time when you helped resolve a dispute betweenothers.Pick a specific incident. Concentrate on your problem solving technique
and not the dispute you settled.

46. What position do you prefer on a team working on a project?Be honest. If you are comfortable in different roles, point that out.

47. Describe your work ethic.Emphasize benefits to the organization. Things like, determination to
get the job done and work hard but enjoy your work are good.

48. What has been your biggest professional disappointment?Be sure that you refer to something that was beyond your control. Show
acceptance and no negative feelings.

49. Tell me about the most fun you have had on the job.
Talk about having fun by accomplishing something for the organization.

50. Do you have any questions for me?Always have some questions prepared. Questions prepared where you will be an asset to the organization are good. How soon will I be able to be productive? and What type of projects will I be able to assist on? are
examples.

Healthy Homemade Chocolate

A simple and delicious homemade chocolate that is GAPS, paleo and primal approved (and definitely kid approved!)

Author: Wellness Mama

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 6+

Ingredients

• 1 cup of Cocoa Butter
• 1 cup of Organic Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
• ½ cup Raw Honey (I use Tropical Traditions Brand) or to taste- using half this amount or less will make a bittersweet chocolate
• 1 teaspoon of Real Vanilla Extract or other flavors to taste
• Optional: Toasted chopped almonds, orange or mint extract, etc)

Instructions

1. Melt cocoa butter in a double boiler or a glass bowl on top of a small pan with an inch of water (make sure water isn’t touching bowl) over medium heat.
2. When cocoa butter is completely melted, remove from heat and add cocoa powder, honey, vanilla and other flavor extracts. If using a solid raw honey like Tropical Traditions, melt with the cocoa butter.
3. Make sure all ingredients are well incorporated and smooth. At this point, make sure that no water or liquid gets in to the chocolate as it can cause the texture to get mealy! Be careful even with wet hands or a drop of water in the mold! [Note: I've also just melted all of this on very low heat in a small pan and not had a problem with it, but this isn't as reliable as the double boiler method]
4. Pour the chocolate in to molds or onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a glass pan to harden.
5. Let harden for several hours at room temperature until hardened and remove from molds. You can also stick in the fridge to harden more quickly. Will store for over a week at room temperature or can be kept refrigerated for longer.
6. Enjoy!

Notes

You can also use coconut oil in place of the cocoa butter which will produce a very healthy chocolate, but it will not be as thick or creamy (but still very good!) If you use coconut oil, I recommend hardening in the fridge and storing in the fridge. This is one easy way to add coconut oil and magnesium to your daily diet!   

(source http://wellnessmama.com/6764/chocolate-recipe/)

MANAGING EXAM ‘TIME’

Exams are usually memorable experiences for me. They are sometimes terrifying and unfamiliar, like my first year, and sometimes a bit funny, familiar and tinged with chagrin, like this year.   All of the experiences seem to center around time.  In my first exam year, time to study, time to revise, and time in the exam room was frightening to contemplate.  The material, process, and experience were all unfamiliar. Somehow in the first year I managed the time constraints surrounding all three challenges while reading Renaissance Comedy.  This year, once again, the controlling theme is time.  Yesterday, exam day, it felt like a fairly humorous conspiracy was all centered on time. With four courses, and three exams next week, there really is no wiggle room with respect to time.

Mostly yesterday’s ‘time’ episodes are funny and even familiar.  The funny ones, like accidentally setting the time on my alarm clock one hour ahead, worked in my favor.  I was up at 4 instead of 5 and no worse for wear.  There was a moment of confusion while making espresso and the revealing glance at the kitchen clock. Confusion dissolved into joy at the prospect of an extra hour to prepare.  Jelly Bean, my Collie dog, was in on the morning conspiracy too.  She is definitely not a ‘morning dog.’ At 9:30 my little sleepy head flatly refused a second walk in favor of snoring on the sofa, which meant an extra forty-five minutes.  Fabulous!

It was absolutely fabulous because it meant extra time to engage with texts. High engagement with texts immediately before exams is part of my revising strategy this year. But I cannot say that I used this gift of an extra hour or two to my best advantage. My big, familiar, concern, even a mild panic, was having enough texts prepared. I decided to revise two additional texts on Wednesday night and Thursday morning instead of following my tactical plan.  My tactical plan was to use that time to turn summaries of text analysis, notes, and outlined arguments into thesis and argument support statements on my selected areas of focus.  It felt like time started to work against me.  On a mundane level, while traveling to the exam center my watch battery suddenly stopped working as I was trying to catch my train. I arrived a little later than expected with only forty minutes and no place or time to concentrate on those precious thesis, transition, and concluding statements.

Changing my revising plan effected time management and the quality of my work in the exam room in a very familiar way.    I had enough time to answer all three questions. But, to my chagrin, without the specific statements on topics I worked so hard to research in advance, my arguments were not as precise as they could and should have been.  In the advanced courses exam questions are not as structured as they are in the foundation courses. Using the question as a structure for argument is not really an option. Spending my time developing strong statements for different arguments in advance of exams would have been much more useful than revising texts.  The result was that while my knowledge of texts definitely improved this term my essays do not properly reflect it. Working hard in the exam room and using precious time trying to end my essays effectively felt very frustrating and familiar.

When I got home it was time to debrief my exam experience.  It was a relief to review my answers and feel satisfied that the questions were fully answered and I did not make any factual errors or critical omissions. But precision was lacking because those precious structure and concluding statements were not there.  Structuring and controlling the argument process is the means of controlling time and quality of work in the exam room.  It is that simple. Next week I have three exams on three consecutive days with four days to revise until they begin.  This time, with no time for even a mild panic attack, I am sticking to my original plan.

IIT-JEE; some useful tips

Prepare well to crack IIT-JEE; some useful tips

Indian Institute of Technology- Joint Entrance Exam-IIT-JEE is national level entrance exam conducted for all IITs of the country. Every year a large number of aspirants appear in this exam to test their fate. As the seats are limited and large numbers of students are participating in this exam every year, the level of competition is really high. There are almost 9500 seats in all the IITs across the country, and lakhs of students fight for these limited seats.

To secure a seat in one of the IITs of the country students should be well prepared. All the students should understand the complexity of the exam to excel. IITs are considered to be the top engineering colleges of the nation. They offer world class education to students which are globally acclaimed. To crack this toughest exam here are some useful tips:

• Always start preparing from 'Basics' because it is really important to have a good base for a right foundation.
• Never prefer solutions of questions before giving good attempt to the question. Try to solve the problem till you exhausted, always give a second or third attempt to the problem before moving to solution page.
• Do not leave the question in middle. Never jump from one question to another in hurry. Lots of students practice questions without attempting it fully.
• Always try a question with Conceptual Approach, do not just read the question and start solving it without realising the points that what is being asked in the question.
• Divide your time well for your preparation of boards and for your IIT-JEE. So you will not miss anything. Time management is really important to do well in this exam.
• Always keep the syllabus with you, before preparing the new topic look at the syllabus first.
• Always try to solve 50-60 problems on per topic or chapter, but try to solve the quality problems which need different applications and concepts to solve the problem.
• Make your own strategy to crack the exam, rather then following others.
• Try to learn the fundamentals of the concepts rather then memorising the concepts.
• Always practice previous year's papers; it will give you the idea about the type of questions asked in the exam, and the level of difficulty of the questions.
• Always remember that time is really important factor for every exam. Try to finish your paper well before time, so that you will get time to review your answers.

Common Admission Test (CAT) - Exam Preparation Tips

Common Admission Test (CAT) - Exam Preparation Tips

Few tips from MYWBUT to crack the CAT - 1- If you are doing your Graduation than start preparing from second year of graduation. 2- If you completed Graduation and ready to give the Cat in next coming November, Prepare ar least 10-14 hours daily and seriously. 3- Minimum 10 hours study required before the 6 months of Cat exams. 4- Minimum 10,000 Vocabulary (new databank) required to prepare. 5- Daily two hours required to study newspapers and Editorials. (English) 6- Read at least two magazines, one novel each week. 7- Try for the shortcuts of mathematics. Calculations must be strong. 8- See any type of graph in any where you find, try to interpret that as fast as possible. 9- Change your attitude. Make one decision strictly. And only try for right decision or don’t answer in case of ambiguity. 10- Read whatever you love. But try to read on different subjects articles. 11- Before three months of Cat, Daily solve one set of available question paper. 12- Try to make logical sense everywhere.13- Try to solve calculations mentally.

18 Tips to Handle Any Job Interview Successfully

Interviews have always been a nerve racking experience. A situation where you are judged on your performance for a job. Everybody gets the jitters when it comes to interviews. Relax! Don’t panic. You need to overcome the nervousness.

No matter which career path you want to choose below are the best tips to help you land your dream job.

1. Always do your homework well before walking into an interview. Make sure you have complete knowledge about the company and the role.

2. Know yourself. Remember first impression is the last impression. Demonstrate your capabilities and qualities and how well you can serve them. Don’t be overconfident and aggressive.

3. You should know your competency and transferable skills. Competency skills are the skills matching your job profile and transferable skills which you acquired through other jobs, personal activities.

4. Social networking sites like Facebook, Orkut, Linkedin can be used for work opportunities and conversing with other people improving your interpersonal skills.

5. Be clear about what you want to achieve in life and about your career objective. It will keep you focused. You don’t have to do anything for the heck of it.

6. Your CV is vital for a successful interview. Never bluff, include all your skills and experience to give you a competitive edge.

7. Prepare well for an interview. You can make notes of interview questions which are most likely to be asked. Practice your answers.This will boost your confidence.

8. Work on your communication skills. Remember having a good technical knowledge without effective interpersonal skills will not take you anywhere. Be expressive and a good conversationalist. Dazzle the interviewers with eloquent speech.

9. Make sure you can support your strengths by giving examples. You can prepare before but don’t falter while talking. It will not create a good impression.

10. When asked about your weaknesses acknowledge them. If you are not able to describe, it signifies that you lack self awareness. You can’t be perfect in everything.