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How to prepare for different MBA entrance exams?

Praqtise — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 12:21:15 +0000

Anuj is an employee at one of the best IT companies in India. However, he wanted to transition from an engineer’s job to a management job. So, he decided to take up MBA. He spoke to Mahesh, one of his friends, about this. Mahesh’s brother is preparing for MBA entrance exams. Their conversation was as follows:

Anuj: I quit my job a week ago to devote my attention to preparing for entrance exams.

Mahesh: That’s a good decision. It would have been difficult to work and then study.

Anuj: I might have ended in the situation of a jack of all trades, master of none.

Mahesh: So now, for what all exams do you intend to appear?

Anuj: CAT, I guess.

Mahesh: Why just CAT? My brother is appearing for other exams as well.

Anuj: What other exams?

Mahesh: Well, he said, IIFT, SNAP, XAT, CMAT and few others.

Anuj: Oh, I have heard of them. But I don’t know how to prepare for them. Are they any different from CAT?

Most top B-schools in India have their individual testing criterion, while many colleges accept admission based on various standardised tests. But if you are planning to get into one of the top Management Schools then you have to prepare for multiple MBA entrance exams. Though Anuj’s situation may not be the situation for many candidates, but the question remains the same. How to prepare separately yet simultaneously for different MBA entrance exams? We have compiled comprehensive information and tips for various exams in this article. You can use this article as a guide while preparing for exams.

CAT 2016

Common admission test (CAT) is a test conducted by the IIMs each year. Cracking the CAT can get you admission into IIMs and many other top B-schools.

Praqtical Fact file: CAT 2016 exam structure

Section	Number of Questions
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)	34
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DI & LR)	32
Quantitative Ability	34

This year, CAT exam pattern has included non-MCQ questions. This means that the candidates must work strenuously to understand the basic concepts. Since the section duration is 1 hour, students must maintain speed and accuracy. Preparing per section and taking the mock test for CAT could be the best way to prepare for the exam.

Practical Fact file: CAT 2016 exam pattern

Aspects	Details
Duration of the Test	3 hours
Total Number of Sections	3
Sectional Duration	1 hour
Total Number of Questions	100

XAT 2016

XAT is Xavier Aptitude test is conducted by Xavier Association of Management Institutes. This test score is accepted by many B-school across India. Here, along with the standard sections of Quant and DI, VA and LR, you have to focus on the preparation for sections such as Decision Making, Essay Writing, and General Awareness.

Praqtical Fact file: XAT exam structure

Section	No. of question	Duration
Decision making	25	140 min
Verbal and logic ability	30
Quantitative ability and data interpretation	36
Essay and general awareness		35 min

The Decision Making section tests your interpretation skills and logic. These kinds of questions require a logical approach and a clear understanding of the situation. The Decision Making section is a combination of RC and LR, so, proper practice of these two sections might help as well. Solving previous years’ papers can also help.

In the essay writing section, the topics are usually abstract in nature, and you must relate it to a subject of relevance. Reading skills are the best way to prepare for Essay Writing. The more you read, the more you would know the current issues and relate it to your topic. Exercise writing an essay of 200-300 words each day to be familiar with the habit of writing using a pen and paper.

IIFT 2017

IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade) offer numerous programs, especially in International Trade & Business. The exam is held in an offline format. The duration of exam will be 2 hours, but the number of sections may vary. Last year, three sections were incorporated.

English comprehension
General knowledge and awareness
Logical reasoning and quantitative analysis

IIFT is an examination which allocates differential marks per question to each section. There is a penalty of 1/3^rd marks for each wrong answer. This year, the experts are expecting that three sections will be included in IIFT MBA 2017. The English section requires applicants to have good knowledge of the language. The questions may include RC, verbal reasoning, para-jumbles, vocabulary based question, etc. Thus, the thorough practice of the language and different type of questions is necessary.

For the GK and awareness section, an applicant must be abreast with current affairs and static GK. Reading the newspaper regularly along with specialised magazines and blogs can help. The questions can be broadly based on international trade, sports, economy, politics, etc. The QA and logical reasoning section is similar to that of CAT. However, the length and level of difficulty of questions might vary. Conceptual clarity and practice of previous years’ papers might come in handy.

Praqtical fact file: Last year’s IIFT exam pattern

Section	No. of Questions	Marking Scheme
Data Interpretation	19	1
RC	16	0.75
Quantitative Ability	25	1
Logical Reasoning	20	0.75
General awareness	28	0.5
Verbal Ability	20	0.75

SNAP 2016

Symbiosis National Aptitude Test is a national-level test organised by Symbiosis International University. It is 2.5-hour paper-pen based exam.

Praqtise fact file: SNAP 2016 exam pattern

Name of Sections	No. of questions	Total Marks
General English: Reading Comprehension, Verbal Reasoning, Verbal Ability	40	40
Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency	40	40
Current Affairs (of last two years)	30	30
Analytical & Logical Reasoning	40	40
Total	150	150

In SNAP, the candidate gets +1 and -0.25 of the marks for each correct and incorrect answer respectively. The candidates can refer to the previous years’ papers, model papers, practice papers, etc. for getting comfortable with the exam pattern of SNAP. The English section of the paper is like CAT. However, the level of difficulty might vary. Along with this, the candidates must also practice their verbal reasoning and ability skills.

In the Quant, DI, and data sufficiency section, the candidates’ mathematical and data sufficiency skills are tested. This section covers topics such as Arithmetic, Geometry, and Business Mathematics. Thus, the candidates must polish their formulas and concepts to be quick in mental calculations.

For the current affair section, one must be aware of current issues in India and the world. The candidates must follow newspapers and yearbooks to prepare for this section. In SNAP, the Analytical & Logical Reasoning section is the most important one. This section consists of questions that test the candidates’ analytical and logical skills. Thorough knowledge of basic concepts and the practice is the best way to tackle this section.

NMAT

Narsee Monjee Management Aptitude Test is conducted by GMAC. The NMAT test scores are widely accepted in numerous colleges across India. The duration of this test is 2 hours and the total number of questions to be answered is 120. The sectional details of the exam are as follows:

Serial Number	Sections	Number of Questions	Time Allotted (in minutes)
1	Language Skills	32	22
2	Quantitative Skills	48	60
3	Logical Reasoning	40	38
Total		120	120

This test basically aims to assess the basic knowledge of the aspirants and their problem-solving skills. The test has 3 sections. The first section tests the student’s language skills, in other words the fluency, proficiency and reading skills. This section consists of 32 questions to be answered within 22 minutes.

The second section, Quantitative Skills, aims to test the mathematical skills of the candidates. It consists of 48 questions, and the time allotted is 60 minutes. This sections requires the students to mathematically skilled, and to be able to perform calculations without a calculator.

The third section, Logical Reasoning, tests students on their reasoning skills. There are 40 questions in this section, which are to be answered within 38 minutes.

Other MBA Entrance Exams

The other entrance exams, namely CMAT, MAT, ATMA and IBSAT are of a similar pattern. If you are well-prepared for CAT and XAT, you can appear for these tests. Apart from CMAT and MAT, which have sections of General Awareness, the other exams have standard sections of Quant, Verbal Ability and Reasoning. The difficulty level is much lower than CAT or XAT.

Apart from these, most of the states in India conduct state-wise entrance examinations for MBA. These entrance examinations are usually a lot easier than entrance examinations like CAT, XAT, NMAT, etc. For each of these exams, it is a must to have conceptual clarity. You must read a lot as all exams have a dedicated VA section. Take multiple mock tests for getting familiar with the pattern. Taking mock tests help the candidates prepare their strategy for the final examination.

Praqtical look:

As stated above, conceptual clarity, reading and practice are the key to getting a good score in any exam. Apart from these, the candidates’ confidence and dedication can further their chances of securing admission to the best B-school.

Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below.

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MBA Entrance Exams – The need for variety in your preparation to get success.

Praqtise — Sat, 22 Oct 2016 11:08:54 +0000

Let’s take a look at what students think is the best way to tackle MBA entrance exams.

“Guys, I think constant preparation for 6 hours a day, 2 hours for each section for a year will take me to the desired percentile,” Ashish said.

“True, but I think only practice would not be enough. We have to add variety in our preparation such as different approaches to paper solving, balancing between speed and accuracy, etc.” Bhaskar replied.

“According to me, we have to plan our preparation for each section, but if we can maximise our score in our focus area, we can expect the desired result. We should try to identify our strengths and weaknesses and allocate weight accordingly.” Chandresh remarked.

From the above conversation, we can make out that no particular strategy suits all the students for every MBA Exam.

PRAQTISE Fact File:

Exam	General Awareness Weightage
IIFT	23%
SNAP	29%
CMAT	25%
MAT	25%

Preparation for CAT

CAT is one of the most significant MBA exams. You have to plan very systematically for CAT. You have to identify the strongest and the weakest section as difficulty levels may vary from section to section. It may happen that your most substantial section may be the toughest one and the most vulnerable may be the easiest. So, there is a constant need to add variety to your preparation style for success. We have provided a few examples below to add variety to your training.

First, you may fix a weekly schedule. You may provide a fixed number of hours to each section. On the last day of the week, you can revise the topics you prepared throughout the week.

Second, you can prepare one section for a week and another section in the next week. You should not study only one section for a long duration. CAT tests your ability to apply knowledge. The syllabus has interlinked concepts across sections. Something you learn in DI may help you in solving a QA based question. Hence, one should try to have a balanced preparation plan.

You can prepare a chapter or a few number of chapters at a time and take a sectional test to scale your progress. It is necessary to revisit the test once it is over and reattempt the questions that you did not solve.

Third, you can prepare all the topics from all the three sections. Once you have covered the entire CAT syllabus, you can start taking mock tests. You can use various approaches such starting off with a different part of the paper (QA/VA/DI) each time. Please keep in mind that in CAT 2016 you will get only 60 minutes for each section.

Preparation for non-CAT MBA entrance exams

There are many MBA entrance exams other than CAT. These tests differ from CAT in many ways. So, you need to change your preparation style if you are targeting b-schools other than IIMs. Here also, variety in training plays a vital role in success.

First, many MBA entrance exams such as IIFT, MICAT, SNAP, MAT, CMAT have an additional section for General Awareness. It has an average weight of 1/4^th of the total marks which cannot be ignored. G.A. cannot be learned overnight so you have to read every day to be comfortable with it. Hence, you can study the other three subjects, but you must cultivate the habit of reading a daily or a magazine every day. You can take regular sectional tests when you start reading static and business G.A.

Second, as these MBA entrance exams have a different exam pattern, you can take a few mock SNAP, mock MAT, mock IIFT, mock MICAT, etc. Few of these are still pen and paper format tests and so taking such mock tests every month will be helpful.

Third, the difficulty level of the questions of these MBA entrance exams may also vary from CAT. Hence, you can solve the questions from other competitive exams such as IBPS, RRB, RBI, SBI, UPSC, etc. to become comfortable with more diverse types of questions.

Fourth, there are few exams which have specific requirements. For example, XAT has essay writing so students can practice writing an essay every week. Social issues, political issues and any current affairs are ideal points to start practice.

A PRAQTICAL Look: How reading can transform your life?

MBA entrance exams are a great opportunity for one to get into the habit of reading. One does not have to read things from the syllabus, rather it is necessary to relax and do some casual reading.

Reading newspapers, magazines and books enriches your thought process. It is the best way to develop a seasoned and matured perspective. Reading not only enhances your vocabulary but also magnifies your chances of sailing through the RC section.

The only challenge here is to read the right things. While popular novels and mainstream newspapers seem to be an obvious choice, the true objective is to go beyond your comfort zone. Pick out publications that use sophisticated English and provide dense amounts of information. Read novels that talk about serious or abstract topics, subjects that you would generally not read about. Treat it as an opportunity to enhance your understanding of the world.

Have you included reading and general awareness in your preparation plan? Do you think that it helps improve the overall performance? Please let us know in the comments.

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Image sources:

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Top MBA colleges in India that accept scores of multiple MBA entrance exams

Praqtise — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 15:01:11 +0000

“Is CAT the only way to reach my goal?”

Rohit, Pratap and Rahul have been friends since childhood. They have always studied from the same institute, be it school or college. They are doing their graduation right now. Soon, they’ll be in the same boat again, trying to gain entry into one of the top MBA colleges in India.

All three of them wish to end up in the same institute. But Rohit thinks that some entrance tests are too difficult. He wants an exam that is simpler. Pratap, on the other hand, has an issue with performance pressure. He cannot perform well in exams the first time. But if he gets more than one chance, he can do wonders.

Rahul doesn’t have any such issues. He is very confident that he and his friends will land in the same college.

We all know that there are colleges outside India that accept more than scores of multiple entrance exams for MBA. Is it the same in India? Will Rohit, Pratap and Rahul land in the same college in spite of their conditions?

Read on and find out.

Every human being has a different level of intellect and problem-solving ability. CAT exam is considered to be one of the best and toughest entrance exams conducted in India. There are many exams that are different in syllabus and pattern than CAT.

Praqtise Fact File:

There are around 14 national level MBA entrance exams for the top MBA colleges in India. Some of them are CAT, GMAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT, NMAT, etc. Further, there are 11 state level MBA entrance exams for getting into local universities. For example, TANCET is Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test held for the students of Tamil Nadu.

Since there are so many entrance exams to choose from, one shouldn’t get overwhelmed by their number. To be able to decide which exam to appear for, one needs to know the basics of these exams. Let’s take up each exam one by one.

CAT –

Common Aptitude Test is perhaps the most important MBA entrance exam in India. Taking CAT enables you to apply for all the IIMs and over 100 top MBA colleges in India including FMS Delhi, SP Jain Mumbai, MDI, IITs and NITIE. It is a computer based exam which is 3 hours (180 minutes, 60 minutes per section) long and is scheduled to be conducted on 4th December 2016 this year. Around 2 lakh students appear for CAT every year.

GMAT –

General Management Aptitude Test is used by students who wish to study abroad. Some colleges in India do accept GMAT scores. One can attempt GMAT multiple times, with a gap of 1 month between two attempts. GMAT scores are valid for five years.

MAT –

Management Aptitude Test is held by AIMA around four times a year (February, May, September and December; next date- 11th December’16). Sitting for MAT exam allows you to apply for institutes like Christ University, EMPI, NILM, Amity, and EDI. The exam is available in both computer and paper formats. It is around 2 and a half hours long.

CMAT –

Common Management Aptitude Test is held by AICTE once a year (from 2016 onwards) in January. Appearing for CMAT helps you apply for colleges approved by AICTE all over the country. Some of the colleges that accept CMAT scores are Sydenham, Somaiya, Welingkar, Goa Institute of Management, etc. Around 60 to 80 thousand students appear for CMAT every year.

ATMA –

Aims Test for Management Admission is approved by Ministry of HRD of the Government of India. More than 100 colleges all over the country accept the ATMA score. This exam is conducted five times in a year. Some of the colleges that accept the score of ATMA are Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, and Institute of Finance and International Management.

MAHCET –

Maharashtra Common Entrance Test is held by DTE, Maharashtra. The test is 150 minutes long. It generally takes place in February or March. Some of the top MBA colleges in India that accept the score of MAHCET are Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education (SIMSREE), MET’s Institute of Management, Xavier Institute of Management & Research, and S.I.E.S. College of Management Studies.

XAT –

Xaviers Aptitude Test is conducted by XLRI around the month of January (XAT 2017-8th January’17). XAT exam also includes essay writing. Colleges that are a part ofXAMI (Xavier Association of Management Institutes, which includes XLRI Jamshedpur) consider the XAT score. Further, there are XAT associate members such as Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, S P Jain Institute of Management and Research, and Loyola Institute of Business Administration that accept the XAT score.

Other exams like NMAT, SNAP, IIFT and IBSAT are college-centric entrance tests. NMAT is for NMIMS colleges in India; similarly, SNAP is for Symbiosis colleges in India. IIFT- the college which was started by the Government of India to improve India’s foreign trade in 1963, conducts its own exam. Students appearing for IBSAT can apply for IBS colleges spread across India.

Which are the top MBA colleges in India that accept scores of multiple entrance tests?

Many esteemed b-schools accept scores of more than one entrance test. The following table shows some of the top B-schools in India along with their location and the entrance exams that they consider.

Sr. No.	Name of the Institute	Location	Scores accepted
1.	Indian Institute of Management	Ahmedabad	CAT, GMAT
2.	Indian Institute of Management	Bangalore	CAT, GMAT
3.	Indian Institute of Management	Lucknow	CAT, GMAT
4.	Indian Institute of Management	Kozhikode	CAT, GMAT
5.	Indian Institute of Management	Shillong	CAT, GMAT
6.	Indian Institute of Management	Ranchi	CAT, GMAT
7.	Indian Institute of Management	Raipur	CAT, GMAT
8.	Indian Institute of Management	Calcutta	CAT, GMAT
9.	Indian Institute of Technology	Madras	CAT, XAT, MAT GMAT
10.	SP Jain	Mumbai	CAT, XAT, GMAT
11.	Institute of Management Technology	Ghaziabad	CAT, XAT
12.	TA Pai Management Institute	Manipal	CAT, XAT, GMAT, MAT
13.	Xavier Institute of Management	Bhubaneswar	CAT, XAT, GMAT
14.	Great Lakes Institute of Management	Chennai	CAT, XAT, GMAT, MAT, CMAT
15.	Institute of Rural Management	Anand	CAT, IRMA
16.	Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies	Mumbai	CAT, CMAT, MAH CET
17.	Prin. LN Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research	Mumbai	CAT, CMAT, MAH-CET, XAT, ATMA
18.	Goa Institute of Management	Goa	XAT, CMAT, GMAT, CAT, ATMA
19.	Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education	Mumbai	CAT, CMAT, MAH-CET, XAT, ATMA, MAT
20.	Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship	Bangalore	CAT, XAT, MAT, ATMA, CMAT

What do you think is the destiny of Rohit, Pratap and Rahul? Will they make it to the same college despite their preferences and the competition in India? Let us know in the comments below.

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Image Sources:

[1]: http://blog.mytrustedtutor.com/strategies-to-get-high-scores-in-mba-entrance-exams/

[2]: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/cat-exam-how-to-prepare-for-the-two-sections/1/311423.html

[3]: http://www.india.com/education/cat-2016-cat-exam-registrations-to-end-on-22-september-new-initiatives-launched-1488875/

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