MBA

Increasing popularity of Baseball

2010-10-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

Baseball is one of the most popular sports in the world. For any keen baseball fan, the world baseball classic is the most cherished tournament, since it involves the top teams vying with each other for the coveted title. The tournament where top players from various countries compete against each other takes place every four years and attracts worldwide attention.

The creation of the world baseball classic has been instrumental in increasing the popularity of baseball to further dizzying heights. It is no longer a sport that is confined to the USA. Today there is baseball fans spread throughout the world. The sport is fast spreading in several regions of Asia too. For the game's administrators, Asia forms one of the most important areas, since the continent has a huge population and it is vital for the growth of the game for it to spread in the region.

Also the increasing popularity of the game is because of the accessibility of tickets and one of the websites that helps in the cause is ticketamerica.com. They are the world leaders when it comes to online baseball tickets.Also,they're touted as having the most comprehensive inventory of tickets online, and tickets are sent via FedEx. You might have your favorite team, it may be Philadelphia Phillies or New York Yankees or San Francisco Giants or Texas Rangers, the tickets can easily be be bought from TicketsAmerica.

Best Teams of NFL

2010-10-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

There is still something very special about the NFL football season, though, that no other sport can really touch. Perhaps it is the memory of watching games with my father at our home when I was a child, or the fact that we were all together on Sundays to watch the games as a family, but whenever the fall starts to approach and sports broadcasters start talking about football, I always get so excited.

The NFL football season is a time when sports fans just seem the most enthusiastic. I have a friend who is from the Washington, D.C. area who actually lives down here in Texas. We are very good friends, except for those two occasions each fall when the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins play each other. Then we don't really talk to each other, unless it is to call the other one and tease them if our team wins the game.

Like every football fan, I also have a list of best NFL teams ever of which Dallas Cowboys are at the top because of their balanced offense and well-rounded team.It is followed by Washington Redskins. With excellent running backs such as Clinton Portis, Larry Parker and Willie Parker the Redskins running game is a treat to watch.

Minnesota Vikings is also in the elite league with their superstars such as quarterback Brett Favre, running back Adrian Peterson and defenders Jared Allen & Husain Abdullah.
With Reggie Bush as running back and Marques Colston as receiver, New Orleans Saints are also in the top of the list of the best NFL Teams.

The best thing is that it has become so easy to get tickets to any game and threre is one site which done all this, it is ticketamerica.com.

Basketball is the most popular sport

2010-10-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

Basketball is now one of the most popular sports throughout the entire planet. The difference between basketball and many of the other most popular sports is its relatively early origin. Basketball has a short history, and is a game that was founded, according to Basketball trivia, by Dr. James Naismith.

Basketball has become such a popular professional sport to a large degree because of some of its most famous players. Earlier examples of these stars include players like Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul Jabar. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird could be said to represent the next generation of star players. Currently, players like Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Lebron James keep the game exciting for fans. The most famous basketball player of all time is without a doubt Michael Jordan, and he also has to be given a great deal of credit for the increasing popularity of the game.

Also in America basketball following is growing day by day. Leaving aside other reasons such as the superstars just mentioned above it is the ease of availability of the tickets to see live basketball action and and one of the websites that is increasing baseballs popularity even more is ticketamerica.com. They have the most easy to navigate interface and buying tickets for any stadium and game across America is just a click away.

Also,they're touted as having the most comprehensive inventory of tickets online, and tickets are sent via FedEx. You might have your favorite team, it may be Kansas Jayhawks Mens Basketball or Syracuse Orangemen Mens Basketball or Kentucky Wildcats Mens Basketball or Purdue Boilermakers Mens Basketball the tickets can easily be be bought from TicketsAmerica.

Increasing popularity of American Football

2010-09-30T03:48:00.000-07:00

In most parts of the world, if you say the word "football" people assume you are referring to soccer, the most popular and most widely followed sport in the world. However, American football is starting to spark more interest overseas. The National Football League actively promotes American-style football overseas, sending players as ambassadors and holding pre-season games in Europe, Mexico and Japan. Games are broadcast in many countries and the Super Bowl is broadcast to almost every country in the world.

Also the increasing popularity of American Football is due to the easy accessibility to buy tickets and one of the websites that is helping the American Football do so is ticketamerica.com. They have the most easy to navigate interface and buying tickets for any stadium and game across America is just a click away.
Also,they're touted as having the most comprehensive inventory of tickets online, and tickets are sent via FedEx. You might have your favorite team, it may be Georgia Bulldogs Football or Florida Gators Football or Florida State Seminoles Football or North Carolina Tar Heels Football the tickets can easily be be bought from TicketsAmerica.

Go ahead and support your favorite team and enjoy the sport.

2009-12-21T08:42:00.001-08:00

Every student pursuing graduation goes through this dillema of chosing his/her caree,the right path to success in life .To be more specific and general in my discussion ,more than 70% of students chose MBA as an option just because

1.Everybody is going for it

2.Parents also have this perception that getting an MBA degree is the sole or you can say the best way to attain success in life

3.Some people wants to try at everything (In a way it's good ,but for a long run it's kind of slowing you down to go ahead)

The only point I want to make here is that you have to decide yourself what are your priorties and what do you think is best for you.

Where do you want to see yourself 5 yrs down the line?

What do you love to do and can you transform that in a career?

Do you think all the big guns of our country ,Tatas or Ambanis or Birlas

got an MBA degree before setting up their empire?

What i want to say is that don't go for anything half heartedly or unknowingly.Weigh your options, take a decision and then stand by it,whether good or bad.That is how we are going to learn in life because not all the decisions can be spot on.

But after asking you for your perception it's better that I give you mine first.

1.I think being a techie it will be very hard to go into other fields like banking,finance,marketing etc.MBA gives me an opportunity of elaborating my career prospects my giving me a multi dimesional knowledge of different fields.

2.Secondly in a corporate environment like ours,degrees from top universities will help you a lot to clinch those prestigiouc posts that you wouldn't have dreamt of earlier

3.Thirdly and most of you will agree with me on this,it's all about money here and a lot of it.

I think I have made some very heavy statements so if you have read all of that and still stayed on this page this the perfect place for you because I am going to post a lot of stuff, tutorials , articles I learnt during my MBA preparation(That'll be a revision for me as well).I don't know how much help I would be to you but I think it'll be a good learning for you as well as me.

St. Gabriel Catholic Academy

2008-01-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

The St. Gabriel Catholic Academy is a unique academy as it is a great online home schooling site which provides Catholic homeschool students with skilled Academic Counselors who assist in the teaching process.

The St. Gabriel Catholic Academy homeschool is accredited through the National Private Schools Accreditation Alliance. This academy follows the belief of Christ in spreading love and education amongst all the nations and this is done by providing a quality Catholic homeschool education that will teach homeschoolers more than reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Furthermore, it's believed here that Catholic homeschool parents should have ultimate authority over what their students learn.With The St. Gabriel CatholicAcademy online home education program, Catholic homeschool parents act more as facilitators, motivators, and supervisors than as teachers.

The St. Gabriel Catholic Academy homeschool staff believes that the Bible is the perfect and inspired word of God and should be looked to for answers to every moral question.

Loans and Scholarships

2008-01-05T07:21:00.000-08:00

Getting in to a top B school is tough but not so arranging the money required for it. Gone are the days when one had to borrow money from family members and relatives to peruse MBA. Different kinds of financial aid are available, but the most common amongst MBA aspirants is loan after scholarship.
You'll probably want to look carefully at all of the options listed below. Though getting a loan is not that time consuming but it is always better to be clear about the resource from where you will be taking your money to pay the high fees of b school.

Grants and Scholarships
This is free money, money you don't have to pay back but its not that easy to get. There are many private organizations and charitable foundations which offers scholarship t for MBA education in India. All the top B schools provide some sort of scholarship or prize money to its students. IIMs never forget to mention in their bulletin â€œIt is the endeavour of the Institute that no student be denied opportunity to pursue the post-graduate programmes in Management at IIM for want of adequate financial resources â€œ. ICFAI also provides a good amount of money as scholarship to its students.. The most notable one is IIFM. All the students get a monthly scholarship of Rs. 1600.

Bank Loan
Banks are coming out with innovative loans products to cater this emerging segment of customers. Almost all nationalized banks offer educational loans to students for perusing MBA. These loans are quite easy to get, as they do not require any guarantee. The best part of taking a loan from a bank is that you donâ€™t have to repay the loan until you start working. And the amount of money you take as loan is also considered for Tax relaxation which might not be so important for you right now but it will make a difference once you start earning.

Always go for Nationalized Bank while considering for an education loan. Check out the following links to know more about the terms and condition for applying loan in different nationalized banks.

1. Allahabad Bank
2. SBI
3. Bank of Baroda
4. PNB
5. Canara Bank

Employer Sponsorship
This is more common for executive, part time and distance learning MBA courses, but some employers will sponsor or part-sponsor full time programs.
In India none of the top notch companies are not so generous in sponsoring full time MBA courses though they donâ€™t hesitate to sponsor for Mtech and Phd This is understandable as they know there is always a good chance of the employee to leave the company after fulfilling the bond tenure. The company you work for might fund your MBA program for a reasonable bond but students who make into top B schools never avail this facility as it might prevent them from finding a better job after completing MBA.

Logical Reasoning

2007-10-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Logical Reasoning is always the toughest part of CAT. In CAT LR questions usually comes with 2/3 bits . A paragraph is given with full of information followed by 2/3 questions. You have to read it and use your logic to answer the questions. In 3 sections CAT paper there is no special section on LR but one can expect LR questions to be present in any section.

The main idea behind LR is to is use the information and preconditions to make a conclusion

Most problems give a variety of conditions and you must use an "if"-"then" approach. It's important that you read the whole problem, and choose the best hint or clue before starting to solve the problem. When practicing logic with reasoning making a chart or drawing a picture are good strategies. Before starting any LR problem it s advised to keep few points in mind.

Important Tips for Logical Reasoning

Before you try to answer a few sample questions, here are some general test-taking tips that should help you with the Logical Reasoning section.

1. Study the question carefully. A brief explanation of why each choice is correct or incorrect follows each practice question. If you understand this reasoning for the practice items, you will do well on the actual assessment.
2. NEVER assume or use any information that the question fails to give you. This is NOT an assessment of how much you know about economics in general! Consider ONLY the information given in each reading passage when choosing among the alternative responses.
3. Read both the factual passage and the sentence completion instruction carefully. Both must be considered in making your choice.
4. Be sure to read all the response choices carefully before choosing one.
5. In questions that ask you to select a valid conclusion, always choose the one conclusion that must definitely follow from the information you are given. In questions that ask you to find the invalid alternative, choose the one conclusion that does not definitely follow from the information.
6. Pay special attention to words like "all," "some," or "none" when you read the factual information each question gives you. Other qualifying words such as "other than," "only" or "unless" are important, too. These words can play a critical part in precisely specifying the facts to be used in your reasoning.
7. Pay attention to negative prefixes also, such as non-, un-, or dis-. These can be crucial to specifying the basic facts in the paragraph.
8. "Test-taking" courses or your college instructors may have advised you to avoid any response choices that contain the quantifiers "all" or "none." In both the practice questions here and in the actual economist assessment, these words are NOT signs of incorrect response choices. They will appear in both correct and incorrect response choices.
9. Pay close attention to the word "ONLY" and to the phrase "IF AND ONLY IF." Saying "The door will open IF AND ONLY IF both keys are used" sets up a highly specific condition that must be met. There is exactly one way to open the door-you must use both keys. By contrast, if the sentence says, "The door will open if the key is used," there may be several ways to open the door besides by using the key.
10. The questions in the assessment will vary in difficulty level, and difficult questions will be mixed in with easier ones throughout the assessment. When you encounter a question that is difficult for you, try drawing diagrams or other schematic notes on the "scratch" paper provided to support and confirm your thought processes. Also, bear in mind that you can stop working on a difficult question temporarily and return to it later.

Example1

Q. 1 to 4 are based on the following information:
- Ghosh Babuâ€™s new interest is psychology. He has identified various personality
patterns and given them names. These personality patterns are inter-related as
follows:
- All Alessandras, Belissimas, Cassandras, Desdemonas, Elissimas and Firdauses
are Queens.
- All Alessandras are Belissimas.
- No Belissima that is not an Alessandra is a Firdaus.
- Some Cassandras are Alessandras.
- All Desdemonas are Cassandras.
- Some Cassandras are not Belissimas.
- No Desdemona is an Alessandra.
- All Queens and only Queens that are neither Belissimas nor Cassandras are
Elissimas.

1. Which of the following is true?
(1) All Firdauses are Alessandras.
(2) Some Firdauses are Alessandras.
(3) All Firdauses are either Alessandras, Cassandras or Elissimas.
(4) Some Firdauses are Cassandras.

2. Which of the following is not true?
(1) No Desdemonas are Belissimas.
(2) Some Belissimas are Desdemonas.
(3) Some Firdauses are both Belissimas and Cassandras.
(4) Some Queens are neither Belissimas nor Elissimas.

3. Which of the following cannot be said to be true or false?
I. No Belissima or Cassandra is an Elissima.
II. Some Cassandras are Belissimas but not Alessandras.
III. No Belissima is both an Alessandra and a Desdemona.
(1) I only (2) II only (3) III only (4) I & II

4. Peter is not a Belissima, therefore,
(1) Peter is an Elissima
(2) If Peter is a Queen, he is an Elissima or Cassandra.
(3) If Peter is not an Elissima, he is a Cassandra.
(4) None of the above

ANSWERS: 1. (3) 2. (1) 3. (2) 4. (2)
Example2

DIRECTIONS for questions 5 to 7: Answer the following questions based on the passage below.

A group of three or four has to be selected from seven persons. Among the seven are two women, Fiza and Kavita, and five men: Ram, Shyam, David, Peter and Rahim. Ram would not like to be in the group if Shyam is also selected. Shyam and Rahim want to be selected together in the group. Kavita would like to be in the group only if David is also there. David, if selected, would not like Peter in the group. Ram would like to be in the group only if Peter is also there. David insists that Fiza be selected in case he is there in the group.

5. Which of the following statements is true?
a. Kavita and Ram can be part of a group of four.
b. A group of four can have two women.
c. A group of four can have all four men.
d. None of the above

6. Which of the following is a feasible group of four?
a. Ram, Peter, Fiza, Rahim
b. Shyam, Rahim, Kavita, David
c. Shyam, Rahim, Fiza, David
d. Fiza, David, Ram, Peter

7. Which of the following is a feasible group of three?
a. David, Ram, Rahim
b. Peter, Shyam, Rahim
c. Kavita, David, Shyam
d. Fiza, David, Ram

Answers:
5. d The group of 4 cannot be made, except S + R + F + D.
6. c From the above
7. b In all the other choices we have D, who insist that F be with him.
Example3

Directions for 8 â€“ 10: Mr. Doubt fire has an unique way of attempting the question paper having 50 Qs. He starts from question 1 and attempts all questions which are terms of the A. P with a common difference of 3 in the forward direction and 3 in the reverse direction. If he reaches a stage when he cannot attempt any more question he starts in the reverse direction with the first unanswered question. He repeats the same process and when he reaches a stage when he canâ€™t process any further, he reverses his direction again
starting with the first unanswered question

8. Which is the 20th question he answers?
(A) 50
(b) 48
(c) 47
(d) 44

9. Which is the last question that he answers if he attempts all the 50 questions?
(a) 50
(b) 49
(c) 48
(d) 3

10. How many times does he reverse his direction?
(a) 3
(b) 4
(c) 5
(d) 6

ANSWERS
8. (d)
9. (b)
10. (a)

Correct Word Usage-VIII

2007-10-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

Most / Almost

The adjective most is the superlative form of many or much meaning the largest number or amount.
Ex: Most coffee comes from Brazil.

Almost is an adverb meaning not quite, or very nearly or nearly all.
Ex: Almost all the students are here.
He is almost ready to leave.
He almost won the race.

Plane / Plain

The noun plane usually means airplane.
Ex: His plane arrives in New York at 9:00am.

The adjective plain means simple,not fancy.
Ex: Her dress was very plain.

Principal / Principle

The adjective principal means chief or very important.
The noun principal means chief official.

The principal reason for his failure was lack of support.
I am the principal of this school.
The noun principle means fundamental truth.
He is studying the principles of accounting.

Quiet / Quite

Quiet is an adjective meaning not noisy.
Ex: It was a very quite party.

Quite is an adverb meaning completely or to a degree.
Ex: He is quite upset today.
He is quite short.

Respectfully / Respectively

Respectfully means with respect.
Ex: The audience rose respectfully when the President entered.

Respectively means in the order given.
Ex: The Suttons lived in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York respectively.

So / So that

So is a conjunction joining a clause of result to a main clause.
Ex: It rained a lot last year, so there were lots of wildflowers to enjoy.

So that joins a clause of purpose to a main clause.
We wore raincoats so that we would not get our clothes wet.

Stationary / Stationery

Stationary means in a fixed position.
Ex: The car was stationary parked in the driveway.

Stationery refers to writing supplies.
Ex: That stationery store sells writing paper, envelopes and office supplies.

Their / There / They're

Their is the third-person plural possessive pronoun.
Ex: They sold their car last week.

There is (1) an adverb of place or (2) an expletive that tells of existence.
Ex: Your package is there on the counter.
There are fifty states in United States.

There're is the contraction of they are.
Ex: They're ready to see you now.

To / Too / Two

To is (1) part of the infinitive form or (2) a preposition.
Ex: I like to walk in the snow.
I walked to the park on Saturday.

Too is an adverb indicating an excess.
Ex: It is too cold to go swimming.

Two is a number (2).
Ex: I have two cats kitty and whiskers.

Weather / Whether

Weather is a noun meaning atmospheric conditions.
Ex: The weather was not nice enough to go out.

Whether is a conjunction meaning if.
Ex: I don't know whether he will stay at home or not.

Who's / Whose

Who's is the contraction for who is.
Ex: I don't know who's coming tonight.

Whose is (1) a question word or (2) a possessive relative pronoun.
Whose pen is this
I met the man whose child scored the winning goal.

Correct Word Usage-VII

2007-09-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

Emigrate / Immigrate

To emigrate means, 'to leave one country to live in another.'
Ex: My grandfather emigrated from Europe to the USA in 1864.

To immigrate means, 'to move to a new country'
Many countries are facing difficulties due to the increased number of immigrants living in them.
*It's probably easiest to remember that to emigrate means to leave a country while immigrate means to enter to live.

Farther / Further

Farther means 'towards a more distant point in space' (actual distance)
The beach is a few miles farther away.

Further means towards a more distant point in time, degree, or quantity. (figurative distance)
Ex: Let us consider this problem a bit further. (time)
We should do further research on this matter. (quantity)
Be careful not to excite the children any further. (degree)

Formally / Formerly

Formally means in a formal way.
Ex: He was formally charged with the crime.

Formerly means previously, or at an earlier time.
She was formerly a dancer in a club.

Healthful / Healthy

Healthful means good for ones health.
Ex: Vegetables and fruits are healthful foods.

Healthy means in a good condition of health.
Ex: Due to their outdoor lifestyle, all of his children are healthy.

Illusion / Allusion

An illusion is a false idea or unreal image.
Ex: The magician's illusion convinced the crowd that he was flying.

An allusion is an indirect reference.
Ex: The professor made an allusion to modern art.

Imply / Infer

To imply is to suggest without saying directly.
A speaker or writer can imply.
Susan implied that she was not happy with her studies.

To infer is to to make a conclusion based on evidence not stated.
Only a listener or reader can infer.
I inferred from the report that our taxes would be raised again.

Its / It's

Its is the singular possessive pronoun for things.
The car had its tires stolen last night.

It's is the contraction for it is.
It's a nice day today. (It is a nice day today.)

Leave / Let

To leave means, to go away from.
Ex: He leaves work at five o'clock every day.

To let means, to permit.
Ex: Jane let me borrow her bike.

Loose / Lose

The adjective loose means not tight.
Ex: This shirt is too loose. I need a smaller size.

To lose is a verb meaning to leave (forget) behind by accident.
Ex: I often lose my house keys.

Correct Word Usage-VI

2007-09-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

Altogether / All Together

Altogether is an adverb meaning completely.
Ex: I am altogether upset with you.

All together is an adjective phrase meaning in a group.
Ex: The children sang a song all together.

Besides / Beside

The preposition besides means except.
Ex: Everyone besides Jane went to the party.

The preposition beside means next to.
EX: Jane was standing beside me. (NOT: besides me)

Cloth / Clothes

Cloth is a noun (usually as a non-count noun) that means material or fabric.
Ex: She bought some cloth to make a new dress.

Clothes is a plural count noun meaning 'garments used to cover the body.'
Ex: She bought a lot of clothes in Paris.
I feel nice when I wear new clothes.

Desert / Dessert

A desert is 'a dry area with little vegetation and rainfall.'
Ex: The Sahara desert in Africa is the largest in the world.

A dessert is 'sweet food usually eaten after a meal.'
We had chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert.

Differ from / Differ with

To differ from is 'to be dissimilar.'
Ex: Men differ from women physically.

To differ with is 'to disagree with.'
Ex: I differ with you on this issue. (I disagree with you)

Correct Word Usage-V

2007-09-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

Watch / See

Watch is a transitive verb meaning 'to look at or observe carefully'
Ex: He watched his grand children playing in the yard

See is a transitive verb meaning 'to perceive with the eye'
Ex: He saw the children go into the house.

Accept / Except / Expect

Accept is a verb that means to receive or take or to give a positive answer to a proposition or offer.
Ex: Do you accept travelers checks (receive, take)
Susan accepted his offer of a job. (gave a positive answer)
The club accepted three new members. (received)

Except as a preposition, meaning with the exception of. (Commonly used)
Everybody except John went to the party. (John didn't go)
Except as a verb means, to exclude, to keep out. (Rarely used)
The boys excepted Frank from their club.(They did not accept him)

Expect is a verb that means, waiting for something to happen or 'believed to be the state of something'
Ex: She expected her husband home from work at any minute.
I expect you are hungry after such a long trip

Advice / Advise

(note spelling differences between British English and American English)
Advise is a verb.
Ex: The doctor advised her to quit smoking.

Advice is a noun.
Ex: She gave me some good advice.

All ready / Already

All ready is an adjective phrase meaning completely ready.
Ex: We were all ready to leave at eight o'clock.

Already is an adverb of time meaning by or before a specific time.
Ex: They had already left by three o'clock.
He had already eaten when I arrived. (before I arrived)

Correct Word Usage-IV

2007-08-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

Say / Tell

Say is a transitive verb meaning to express in words
Ex: I said that she should stay home tonight.

Tell is an intransitive verb also meaning to express in words
I told him to stay home but he didn't listen.
(NEVER told to him)

Sit / Set

Sit is an intransitive verb meaning to rest on something.
Ex: Sit on the bench and not on the grass.

Set is a transitive verb meaning to place something.
Ex: She set the soup and spoons on the table.

Speak / Speech

Speak is a verb meaning 'to say out loud'
Ex: Speak louder. I can't hear you!

Speech is a noun meaning 'what is said aloud'
Politicians give the same boring speech over and over again when running for political office.

Than / Then

Than is a conjunction used in comparisons
Ex: She is taller than her sister.

Then as an adjective or adverbial conjunction relates to time
Ex: First we will work; then we will go out for lunch.

Acronyms and initialisms

2007-08-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

According to The Business Writer's Handbook, "An acronym is an abbreviation that is formed by combining the first letter or letters of several words. Acronyms are pronounced as words and are written without periods.
Ex: Radio detecting and ranging/radar Common Business-Oriented Language/ COBOL self-contained underwater breathing apparatus/ scuba

An initialism is an abbreviation that is formed by combining the initial letter of each word in a multiword term. Initialisms are pronounced as separate letters.
Ex: end of month/ e.o.m. cash on delivery/ c.o.d. post meridian/ p.m.
Usage guidelines:

The following are sample guidelines to apply in deciding whether to use acronyms and initialisms:
1. If you must use a multiword term as much as once each paragraph, you should instead use its acronym or initialism. For example, a phrase such as "primary software overlay area" can become tiresome if repeated again and again in one piece of writing; it would be better, therefore, to use PSOA.

2. If something is better known by its acronym or initialism than by its formal term, you should use the abbreviated form. The initialism a.m., for example, is much more common than the formal ante meridiem. If these conditions do not exist, however, always spell out the full term.

3. The first time an acronym or initialism appears in a written work, write the complete term, followed by the abbreviated form in parentheses.

Ex: "The Capital Appropriations Request (CAR) controls the spending of money." Thereafter, you may use the acronym or initialism alone. In a long document, however, you will help the reader greatly by repeating the full term in parentheses at regular intervals so that he or she does not have to search back to the first time the acronym or initialism was used to find its meaning.

4. Write acronyms in capital letters without periods. The only exceptions are those acronyms that have become accepted as common nouns, which are written in lowercase letters.

Ex.: "NASA," "HUD," "laser," "scuba." Initialisms may be written either uppercase or lowercase. Generally, do not use periods when they are uppercase, but use periods when they are lowercase. Two exceptions are geographic names and academic degrees.

Correct Usage -III

2007-08-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

Raise / Rise

Raise is a transitive verb meaning to move to a higher place.
Ex: Tom raised his hand to answer a question.

Rise is an intransitive verb meaning to go up or ascend.
Ex: The sunrises in the morning.

A lot or Alot

A lot should be written as two words. Although a lot is used informally to mean "a large number" or "many," avoid using a lot in formal writing.
Example: "The crook had many (not a lot of) chances to rob the stranger."

Accept or Except

Accept is a verb meaning 'to receive' or 'to approve.'
Example: 'I accept your offer of the book.'

Except is a verb meaning 'to leave out' or 'to exclude.'
Example: He excepted all Corvettes from his list of favorite cars.
Except can also be a preposition meaning excluding or leaving out.
Example: He liked everything on the plate except the liver.

Correct Usage - II

2007-08-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

Every so often / Ever so often

Every so often is an adverb meaning 'occasionally'
Ex: They come every so often. I wish they could come more frequently.

Ever so often is an adverb meaning 'frequently'
Ex: They come ever so often. I wish they would stay home.

First / Former

First as an adjective refers to three or more items
Ex: The first five skiers fell.

Former as an adjective refers to two or fewer items
Ex: The former Secretary of State for the U.S., Colin Powel, was the first black to hold that position.

From / Since / For

From is a preposition followed by a noun or noun phrase.
Ex: As a time marker, it requires to or another preposition.
From now on I will lead the way.
From Monday to Friday, I work like a slave.

Since is a subordinate conjunction followed by a clause.
It expresses the time something began or 'the beginning of time'
Since Wednesday, I have walked 6 miles a day.

For is a preposition followed by a noun or noun phrase.
It expresses ?the length of time (duration) something has lasted.
For two weeks I have walked to work every day.

Lie / Lay

Lie is an intransitive verb meaning 'to recline'
He lies down for a nap after his lunch.

Lay is a transitive verb which means 'to put or place'
He lay the book on the desk and left the room.

A Few / A little

A few means 'some / not many.' Used with countable nouns.
Ex: A few people were standing outside the shop waiting to get in.

A littlemeans 'some / not much.' Used with non-count nouns.
Ex: He gave me a little cheese to eat with my bread.

Passed / Past

Passed is a transitive verb and past participle of the verb pass
Ex: She barely passed the exam.

Past is a preposition or adjective meaning 'by'
Ex: We will keep school open past June.
Ex: She walked past without saying hello.

Correct Words Usage

2007-08-02T10:45:00.000-07:00

Affect / Effect
Affect as a verb means to influence, act upon, or change something.Example: The noise inside the stadium affected his performance.
Effect is usually a noun (thing) meaning to have an impact on something or someone.His smile had a strange effect on me.Effect can also mean "the end result."
Example: The drug has many adverse side effects.Verb. To influenceNoun. The resulting emotionVerb. To cause to happenExample: We were all affected by the drought.The effect of the drought was an increase in food prices.The drought effected an increase in price.

Amount / Number
Amount is a noun referring to non count nouns
Example: Unfortunately, a huge amount of oil leaked out of the tank.

Number is a noun referring to count nouns
Example: Though few in number, judges have much power in Greece.

Complimentary / Complementary
Complimentary is an adjective which means given freely, or giving praise
Example: The teacher was very complimentary about my work.

Complementary is an adjective, which means, supplying needs
Example : The complementary relationship of the bee and the flower is quite remarkable.

Different from / Different than
Different from is a preposition, which precedes a noun phrase
Example: He is different from your average shop owner.
Different than is a preposition which precedes a noun clause
Example: London isdifferent than we had imagined.

RC - Part II

2007-07-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

Writing Technique Questions
All coherent writing has a superstructure or blueprint. When writing, we don't just randomly jot down our thoughts; we organize our ideas and present them in a logical manner. For instance, we may present evidence that builds up to a conclusion but intentionally leave the conclusion unstated, or we may present a position and then contrast it with an opposing position, or we may draw an extended analogy.
There is an endless number of writing techniques that authors use to present their ideas, so we cannot classify every method. However, some techniques are very common to the type of explanatory or opinionated writing found in CAT passages.
A. Compare and contrast two positions.
This technique has a number of variations, but the most common and direct is to develop two ideas or systems (comparing) and then point out why one is better than the other (contrasting).
Writing-technique questions are similar to main idea questions; except that they ask about how the author presents his ideas, not about the ideas themselves. Generally, you will be given only two writing methods to choose from, but each method will have two or more variations.

Example: (Refer to the first passage.)
Which one of the following best describes the organization of the passage?
(A) Two systems of criminal justice are compared and contrasted, and one is deemed to be better than the other.
(B) One system of criminal justice is presented as better than another. Then evidence is offered to support that claim.
(C) Two systems of criminal justice are analyzed, and one specific example is examined in detail.(D) A set of examples is furnished. Then a conclusion is drawn from them.
(E) The inner workings of the criminal justice system are illustrated by using two systems.

Clearly the author is comparing and contrasting two criminal justice systems. Indeed, the opening to paragraph two makes this explicit. The author uses a mixed form of comparison and contrast. He opens the passage by developing (comparing) both systems and then shifts to developing just the adversarial system. He opens the second paragraph by contrasting the two criminal justice systems and then further develops just the inquisitorial system. Finally, he closes by again contrasting the two systems and implying that the inquisitorial system is superior.
Only two answer-choices, (A) and (B), have any real merit. They say essentially the same thing--though in different order. Notice in the passage that the author does not indicate which system is better until the end of paragraph one, and he does not make that certain until paragraph two. This contradicts the order given by (B). Hence the answer is (A). (Note: In (A) the order is not specified and therefore is harder to attack, whereas in (B) the order is definite and therefore is easier to attack. Remember that a measured response is harder to attack and therefore is more likely to be the answer.)
B. Show cause and effect.
In this technique, the author typically shows how a particular cause leads to a certain result or set of results. It is not uncommon for this method to introduce a sequence of causes and effects. A causes B, which causes C, which causes D, and so on. Hence B is both the effect of A and the cause of C.
Example: (Mini-passage)
Thirdly, I worry about the private automobile. It is a dirty, noisy, wasteful, and lonely means of travel. It pollutes the air, ruins the safety and sociability of the street, and exercises upon the individual a discipline which takes away far more freedom than it gives him. It causes an enormous amount of land to be unnecessarily abstracted from nature and from plant life and to become devoid of any natural function. It explodes cities, grievously impairs the whole institution of neighborliness, fragmentizes and destroys communities. It has already spelled the end of our cities as real cultural and social communities, and has made impossible the construction of any others in their place. Together with the airplane, it has crowded out other, more civilized and more convenient means of transport, leaving older people, infirm people, poor people and children in a worse situation than they were a hundred years ago. It continues to lend a terrible element of fragility to our civilization, placing us in a situation where our life would break down completely if anything ever interfered with the oil supply.
George F. Kennan
Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?
(A) A problem is presented and then a possible solution is discussed.
(B) The benefits and demerits of the automobile are compared and contrasted.
(C) A topic is presented and a number of its effects are discussed.
(D) A set of examples is furnished to support a conclusion.
This passage is laden with effects. Kennan introduces the cause, the automobile, in the opening sentence and from there on presents a series of effects--the automobile pollutes, enslaves, and so on. Hence the answer is (C). Note: (D) is the second-best choice; it is disqualified by two flaws. First, in this context, "examples" is not as precise as "effects." Second, the order is wrong: the conclusion, "I worry about the private automobile" is presented first and then the examples: it pollutes, it enslaves, etc.
C. State a position and then give supporting evidence.
This technique is common with opinionated passages. Equally common is the reverse order. That is, the supporting evidence is presented and then the position or conclusion is stated. And sometimes the evidence will be structured to build up to a conclusion which is then left unstated. If this is done skillfully the reader will be more likely to arrive at the same conclusion as the author.

Extension Questions
Extension questions are the most common. They require you to go beyond what is stated in the passage, asking you to draw an inference from the passage, to make a conclusion based on the passage, or to identify one of the author's tacit assumptions.
Since extension questions require you to go beyond the passage, the correct answer must say more than what is said in the passage. Beware of same language traps with these questions: the correct answers will often both paraphrase and extend a statement in the passage, but it will not directly quote it.
"Same Language" traps: For extension questions, any answer-choice that explicitly refers to or repeats a statement in the passage will probably be wrong.
The correct answer to an extension question will not require a quantum leap in thought, but it will add significantly to the ideas presented in the passage.
Example: (Refer to the first passage.)
The author views the prosecution's role in the inquisitorial system as being
(A) an advocate for both society and the defendant
(B) solely responsible for starting a trial
(C) a protector of the legal rule
(D) an investigator only
(E) an aggressive but fair investigator
This is an extension question. So the answer will not be explicitly stated in the passage, but it will be strongly supported by it.
The author states that the prosecutor is duty bound to present any evidence that may prove the defendant innocent and that he must disclose all pretrial evidence (i.e., have no tricks up his sleeve). This is the essence of fair play. The answer is (E).

Application Questions
Application questions differ from extension questions only in degree. Extension questions ask you to apply what you have learned from the passage to derive new information about the same subject, whereas application questions go one step further, asking you to apply what you have learned from the passage to a different or hypothetical situation.
To answer an application question, take the author's perspective. Ask yourself: what am I arguing for? what might make my argument stronger? what might make it weaker?
Example: (Refer to the first passage.)
Based on the information in the passage, it can be inferred that which one of the following would most logically begin a paragraph immediately following the passage?
(A) Because of the inquisitorial system's thoroughness in conducting its pretrial investigation, it can be concluded that a defendant who is innocent would prefer to be tried under the inquisitorial system, whereas a defendant who is guilty would prefer to be tried under the adversarial system.
(B) As the preceding analysis shows, the legal system is in a constant state of flux. For now the inquisitorial system is ascendant, but it will probably be soon replaced by another system.
(C) The accusatorial system begins where the inquisitorial system ends. So it is three steps removed from the system of private vengeance, and therefore historically superior to it.
(D) Because in the inquisitorial system the judge must take an active role in the conduct of the trial, his competency and expertise have become critical.
(E) The criminal justice system has evolved to the point that it no longer seems to be derivative of the system of private vengeance. Modern systems of criminal justice empower all of society with the right to instigate a legal action, and the need for vengeance is satisfied through a surrogate--the public prosecutor.
The author has rather thoroughly presented his position, so the next paragraph would be a natural place for him to summarize it. The passage compares and contrasts two systems of criminal justice, implying that the inquisitorial system is superior. We expect the concluding paragraph to sum up this position. Now all legal theory aside, the system of justice under which an innocent person would choose to be judged would, as a practical matter, pretty much sum up the situation. Hence the answer is (A).

Tone Questions
Tone questions ask you to identify the writer's attitude or perspective. Is the writer's feeling toward the subject positive, negative, or neutral? Does the writer give his own opinion, or does he objectively present the opinions of others?
Before you read the answer-choices, decide whether the writer's tone is positive, negative, or neutral. It is best to do this without referring to the passage.
However, if you did not get a feel for the writer's attitude on the first reading, check the adjectives that he chooses. Adjectives and, to a lesser extent, adverbs express our feelings toward subjects. For instance, if we agree with a person who holds strong feelings about a subject, we may describe his opinions as impassioned. On the other hand, if we disagree with him, we may describe his opinions as excitable, which has the same meaning as "impassioned" but carries a negative connotation.
Example: (Refer to the first passage.)
The author's attitude toward the adversarial system can best be described as
(A) Encouraged that it is far removed from the system of private vengeance
(B) concerned that it does not allow all members of society to instigate legal action
(C) pleased that it does not require the defendant to conduct his own pretrial investigation
(D) hopeful that it will be replaced by the inquisitorial system
(E) doubtful that it is the best vehicle for justice
The author does not reveal his feelings toward the adversarial system until the end of paragraph one. Clearly the clause "the adversarial system of criminal procedure symbolizes and regularizes the punitive combat" indicates that he has a negative attitude toward the system. This is confirmed in the second paragraph when he states that the inquisitorial system is historically superior to the adversarial system. So he feels that the adversarial system is deficient.
The "two-out-of-five" rule is at work here: only choices (D) and (E) have any real merit. Both are good answers. But which one is better? Intuitively, choice (E) is more likely to be the answer because it is more measured. To decide between two choices attack each: the one that survives is the answer. Now a tone question should be answered from what is directly stated in the passage--not from what it implies. Although the author has reservations toward the adversarial system, at no point does he say that he hopes the inquisitorial system will replace it, he may prefer a third system over both. This eliminates (D); the answer therefore is (E).

RC

2007-07-17T14:35:00.001-07:00

THE QUESTIONS

The key to performing well on the passages is not the particular reading technique you use (so long as it's neither speed reading nor pre-reading the questions). Rather the key is to become completely familiar with the question typesâ€”always less than 6/7 and most of the time its Â¾ --so that you can anticipate the questions that might be asked as you read the passage and answer those that are asked more quickly and efficiently. As you become familiar with the questions types, you will gain an intuitive sense for the places from which questions are likely to be drawn. This will give you the same advantage as that claimed by the "pre-reading-the-questions" technique, without the confusion and waste of time. Note, the order in which the questions are asked roughly corresponds to the order in which the main issues are presented in the passage. Early questions should correspond to information given early in the passage, and so on.
The following passage and accompanying questions illustrate the question types.
There are two major systems of criminal procedure in the modern world--the adversarial and the inquisitorial. The former is associated with common law tradition and the latter with civil law tradition. Both systems were historically preceded by the system of private vengeance in which the victim of a crime fashioned his own remedy and administered it privately, either personally or through an agent. The vengeance system was a system of self-help, the essence of which was captured in the slogan "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." The modern adversarial system is only one historical step removed from the private vengeance system and still retains some of its characteristic features. Thus, for example, even though the right to institute criminal action has now been extended to all members of society and even though the police department has taken over the pretrial investigative functions on behalf of the prosecution, the adversarial system still leaves the defendant to conduct his own pretrial investigation. The trial is still viewed as a duel between two adversaries, refereed by a judge who, at the beginning of the trial has no knowledge of the investigative background of the case. In the final analysis the adversarial system of criminal procedure symbolizes and regularizes the punitive combat.
By contrast, the inquisitorial system begins historically where the adversarial system stopped its development. It is two historical steps removed from the system of private vengeance. Therefore, from the standpoint of legal anthropology, it is historically superior to the adversarial system. Under the inquisitorial system the public investigator has the duty to investigate not just on behalf of the prosecutor but also on behalf of the defendant. Additionally, the public prosecutor has the duty to present to the court not only evidence that may lead to the conviction of the defendant but also evidence that may lead to his exoneration. This system mandates that both parties permit full pretrial discovery of the evidence in their possession. Finally, in an effort to make the trial less like a duel between two adversaries, the inquisitorial system mandates that the judge take an active part in the conduct of the trial, with a role that is both directive and protective.
Fact-finding is at the heart of the inquisitorial system. This system operates on the philosophical premise that in a criminal case the crucial factor is not the legal rule but the facts of the case and that the goal of the entire procedure is to experimentally recreate for the court the commission of the alleged crime.

MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS

The main idea is usually stated in the last--occasionally the first--sentence of the first paragraph. If it's not there, it will probably be the last sentence of the entire passage.
Because main idea questions are relatively easy, the CAT writers try to obscure the correct answer by surrounding it with close answer-choices ("detractors") that either overstate or understate the author's main point. Answer-choices that stress specifics tend to understate the main idea; choices that go beyond the scope of the passage tend to overstate the main idea.
The answer to a main idea question will summarize the author's argument, yet be neither too specific nor too broad.
Example: (Refer to the first passage.)
The primary purpose of the passage is to
(A) Explain why the inquisitorial system is the best system of criminal justice(B) explain how the adversarial and the inquisitorial systems of criminal justice both evolved from the system of private vengeance(C) show how the adversarial and inquisitorial systems of criminal justice can both complement and hinder each other's development(D) show how the adversarial and inquisitorial systems of criminal justice are being combined into a new and better system(E) analyze two systems of criminal justice and deduce which one is better
The answer to a main idea question will summarize the passage without going beyond it. (A) Violates these criteria by overstating the scope of the passage. The comparison in the passage is between two specific systems, not between all systems. (A) Would be a good answer if "best" were replaced with "better." Beware of extreme words. (B) Violates the criteria by understating the scope of the passage. Although the evolution of both the adversarial and the inquisitorial systems is discussed in the passage, it is done to show why one is superior to the other. As to (C) and (D), both can be quickly dismissed since neither is mentioned in the passage. Finally, the passage does two things: it presents two systems of criminal justice and shows why one is better than the other. (E) aptly summarizes this, so it is the best answer.

Description Questions

Description questions, as with main idea questions, refer to a point made by the author. However, description questions refer to a minor point or to incidental information, not to the author's main point.
The answer to a description question must refer directly to a statement in the passage, not to something implied by it. However, the correct answer will paraphrase a statement in the passage, not give an exact quote. In fact, exact quotes ("Same language" traps) are often used to bait wrong answers.
Caution: When answering a description question, you must find the point in the passage from which the question is drawn. Don't rely on memory--too many obfuscating tactics are used with these questions.
Not only must the correct answer refer directly to a statement in the passage, it must refer to the relevant statement. The correct answer will be surrounded by wrong choices which refer directly to the passage but don't address the question. These choices can be tempting because they tend to be quite close to the actual answer.
Once you spot the sentence to which the question refers, you still must read a few sentences before and after it, to put the question in context. If a question refers to line 20, the information needed to answer it can occur anywhere from line 15 to 25. Even if you have spotted the answer in line 20, you should still read a couple more lines to make certain you have the proper perspective.
Example: (Refer to the first passage.)
According to the passage, the inquisitorial system differs from the adversarial system in that
(A) it does not make the defendant solely responsible for gathering evidence for his case(B) it does not require the police department to work on behalf of the prosecution(C) it does not allow the victim the satisfaction of private vengeance(D) it requires the prosecution to drop a weak case(E) a defendant who is innocent would prefer to be tried under the inquisitorial system
This is a description question, so the information needed to answer it must be stated in the passage--though not in the same language as in the answer. The needed information is contained in the fourth sentence of Paragraph 3, which states that the public prosecutor has to investigate on behalf of both society and the defendant. Thus, the defendant is not solely responsible for investigating his case. Furthermore, the paragraph's opening implies that this feature is not found in the adversarial system. This illustrates why you must determine the context of the situation before you can safely answer the question. The answer is (A).

How to Improve Reading Comprehension

2007-07-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

The purpose of reading is to connect the ideas on the page to what you already know. If you don't know anything about a subject, then pouring words of text into your mind is like pouring water into your hand. You don't retain much. For example, try reading these numbers:

7516324 This is hard to read and remember.
751-6324 This is easier because of chunking.
123-4567 This is easy to read because of prior knowledge and structure.

Similarly, if you like sports, then reading the sports page is easy. You have a framework in your mind for reading, understanding and storing information.

Improving Comprehension.
Reading comprehension requires motivation, mental frameworks for holding ideas, concentration and good study techniques. Here are some suggestions.

Develop a broad background.
Broaden your background knowledge by reading newspapers, magazines and books. Become interested in world events.

Know the structure of paragraphs.
Good writers construct paragraphs that have a beginning, middle and end. Often, the first sentence will give an overview that helps provide a framework for adding details. Also, look for transitional words, phrases or paragraphs that change the topic.

Identify the type of reasoning.
Does the author use cause and effect reasoning, hypothesis, model building, induction or deduction, systems thinking.

Anticipate and predict.
Really smart readers try to anticipate the author and predict future ideas and questions. If you're right, this reinforces your understanding. If you're wrong, you make adjustments quicker.

Look for the method of organization.
Is the material organized chronologically, serially, logically, functionally, spatially or hierarchical? See section 10 for more examples on organization.

Create motivation and interest.
Preview material, ask questions, discuss ideas with classmates. The stronger your interest, the greater your comprehension.

Pay attention to supporting cues.
Study pictures, graphs and headings. Read the first and last paragraph in a chapter, or the first sentence in each section.

Highlight, summarize and review.
Just reading a book once is not enough. To develop a deeper understanding, you have to highlight, summarize and review important ideas.

Build a good vocabulary.
For most educated people, this is a lifetime project. The best way to improve your vocabulary is to use a dictionary regularly. You might carry around a pocket dictionary and use it to look up new words. Or, you can keep a list of words to look up at the end of the day. Concentrate on roots, prefixes and endings. Going through word-of-the-day of CAT4MBA will definitely help you in this regard.

Use a systematic reading technique like SQR3.
Develop a systematic reading style, like the SQR3 method and make adjustments to it, depending on priorities and purpose. The SQR3 steps include Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review.

Monitor effectiveness.
Good readers monitor their attention, concentration and effectiveness. They quickly recognize if they've missed an idea and backup to reread it.

Should You Vocalize Words? Yes, although it is faster to form words in your mind rather than on your lips or throat. Eye motion is also important. Frequent backtracking slows you down considerably

Percentage

2007-07-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

The term percent comes from Latin and means "for every hundred".
So when you hear a statistic such as "10% of all people are left-handed" that means, for every hundred people, 10 are left-handed.
Percent of change (percent of increase or percent of decrease) can be calculated using the following formula:

Example:
Richard's health insurance premium for last year was $1440. If he paid $1512 this year, what is the percent of increase on his health insurance premium?
Answer:($1512-$1440)/$1440 — 100% = 72/1440 — 100% = 5%
Hence, the percent of increase on the health insurance premium is 5%.
Example:
A T-shirt is sold at 20% off the original price of $32. What is the sales price?
Answer:
Let the sales price be x dollars.
($32-x)/$32 — 100% = 20% ($32-x)/$32 = 0.2 $32 - x = $6.4 x = $25.6
Hence, the sales price of the T-shirt is $25.6.

The percent of a number can be found based on the type of the question asked.

Type 1: x is y percent of n
Translation 1: x = y% — n
Example:
24 is 15% of what number?
Answer: 24 = 15% — n; n = 24 · 15% = 160

Type 2: x percent of y is n
Translation 2: x% — y = n
Example:
11% of 50 is what number?
Answer: 11% — 50 = n; n = 5.5

CATrick What is 320% of 25?

Many of the students will start doing like this:(320/100)*25 , little realizing that 320% of 25 is same as 25% of 320. so the better and faster method is to deal with fractions and this question is best solved like this: (25/100)*320 i.e 1/4th of 320 and hence answer is 80.

A common error when using percentages is to imagine that a percentage increase is cancelled out when followed by the same percentage decrease. A 50% increase from 100 is 100 + 50, or 150. A 50% reduction from 150 is 150 â€“ 75, or 75. The end result is smaller than the 100 we started out with. This phenomenon is due to the change in the "initial" value after the first calculation. In this example, the first initial value is 100, but the second is 150.In general, the net effect is:

(1 + x) (1 - x) = 1 - x²,
that is a net decrease proportional to the square of the percentage change

ExampleIf a quantity increases by 20% and then decreases by 10%, then what is the net increase/decrease?
Answer: If we take the quantity to be x, then the answer will be found as: x(1.2)(0.9) = 1.08x and hence 8% increase. This calculation is more tedious than when quantity chosen is 100.
When quantity is 100, after the 20% increase, the quantity becomes 120 and a decrease of 10% on this will be a decrease of 12 units. Therefore, the quantity becomes 108 and hence 8% increase.

C.Q
If Rama's income is 20% more than Shyama's income, by what percentage is Shyama's income less than Rama's?
Sol.Instead of using x or y, take Shyama's income as Rs 100. Then, Ramâ€™s income = Rs 120. Therefore, Shyama's income is Rs 20 less or 1/6th less or 16.66% less than Rama's income. Similarly, if Ramâ€™s income were less by 20%, then Rama's income would be Rs 80 and hence Shyamâ€™s income would be Rs 20 more or 25% more than Rama's income.
Note that the percentage is changed because of base (though the quantity of increase or decrease of Shyamâ€™s income is same).

Successive Changes
Whenever there is a successive changes of a particular vale , the net change can be expressed as a single percentage
[a + b + (ab/100)]%.
Here a and b are the first change & the second percentage changes in that order

The above formula is applicable when the successive changes are on the same parameter . Ex.

Two successive changes in the price of an item.
The length & breadth of a rectangle changes by a% and b%.
Calculating Percent Change when the Base is a Negative Number

percent change is a meaningless statistic when the underlying quantity can be positive or negative (or zero). The actual change means something, but dividing it by a number that may be zero or of the opposite sign does not convey any meaningful information, because the amount by which a profit changes is not proportional to its previous value. Yet, such a percentage is often requested, and in reasonable cases seems useful. So what do we do?

CATrick:Undoing Percentage Changes

If original amount is A, and the percent increase is p, then the new amount is A' = A(1+p) You want to decrease it by some percentage q, to get back to A. That is, you want to find q such that A = A(1+p)(1-q) 1 = (1+p)(1-q) 1/(1+p) = 1 - q q = 1 - 1/(1+p) = (1 + p - 1)/(1+p) =
p/(1+p)

Let's check this with a simple example. If we increase something by 100%, we should have to decrease it by 50% to get back to where we started: q = 1.0 / 2.0 = 0.5 If we increase something by 1/3, we should have to decrease it by 1/4: q = (1/3) / (4/3) = 1/4 So this seems to work okay. So if p is 2 percent, q would be q = 0.02 / 1.02

Question1
A substance is 99% water. Some water evaporates, leaving a substance that is 98% water. How much of the water evaporated
Answer Let's say we start with W units of water, and S units of other stuff. We originally have 99% water, so
W/ (W+S) = 99/100
Now we want to reduce the water to some fraction, F, of the original amount. And we want to end up with 98% water:
FW/( FW+S) =98/100
We can solve each of these equations for S:
W/ (W+S)= 99/100
100W = 99(W+S)
100W = 99W + 99S
W = 99S
W/99 = S and FW/FW+S =98/100
100FW = 98(FW+S)
100FW = 98FW + 98S
2FW = 98S
2FW/98 = S
Two things equal to the same thing are equal to each other, so
W/99 = 2FW/98
1/99 = 2F/98
98/(99*2) = F
0.495 = F So 49.5% of the water remains, which means that 50.5% evaporated.

2,268 + 8,820 + 1,512 = 12,600
Then we can calculate percentages for each candidate by:
(2,268 Ã· 12,600) Ã— 100 = 18%
(8,820 Ã· 12,600) Ã— 100 = 70%
(1,512 Ã· 12,600) Ã— 100 = 12%

CATrick:population formula:

P_n = P₀ (1 + r/100)ⁿ ,
where, r = rate of growth; n = number of time periods (generally in years); P₀ is the population at the start of the first time period and P_n is the population at the end of the last time period.

Example: If the population today is 10,000 and increases at the rate of 5% per annum, what was the population 4 years ago.
Answer: Note that, in this example, P_n = 10,000, r = 5%, n = 4 years and Po is required to be calculated. Therefore, 10,000 = P₀ (1+5/100)⁴
=>P₀=8227

Naturally, if the population is decreasing, rate of growth will be taken as negative and
P_n = P₀ (1 - r/100)ⁿ ,

Further, if every year, the population increases at a different rate, then
P_n = P₀ (1 + r₁/100)ⁿ(1 + r₂/100)ⁿ (1 + r₃/100)ⁿ .
In case of a decrease in a particular year replace + r_n with -r_n

Example: If a bacteria population increases at the rate of 6% in the first 10 minutes, and then at the rate of 10% in the next 10 minutes, then what is the overall percentage increase in the population?
Answer: 16.6% increase.

Tips for Quant

2007-06-28T11:30:00.001-07:00

Depending upon your mock test scores you should know how much time you should spend on Quant section. Ideally if you are looking for just clearing the cutoff you should give 28-32 minutes and if Quant is your scoring section then you should give 39-45 minutes depending upon your strategies.One-mark questions are usually easier ones so it's a good idea to start with these questions. Before starting any 2 marks question read the question carefully and figure out if you know all the basics required for solving the problem. If you don't feel confident after reading the question then just leave it. Never waste your time in trying a question just because you have read the question.

Geometry figures are drawn proportionately--unless a figure indicates explicitly that it is not drawn to scale. Nevertheless, don't rely on your eye to measure angle sizes, line segment lengths, or areas. Instead, use your knowledge of mathematics along with the numbers provided to solve the problem. Believe me: The test-makers are careful to ensure that no problem can be solved merely by visual measurement or estimation.

NOTE: The one exception involves Data Interpretation questions that require you to interpret bar graphs and line charts; you can (and should) rely on visual estimation for these questions.Â If you're stuck, many questions allow you to work backwards by assuming hypothetically that each answer choice in turn is the correct one, then testing it by "plugging it in." Use pencil and scratch paper for all calculations, and always check your calculations before confirming your response. Remember: Wrong answer choices will anticipate commonly made computational errors, and careless errors are the #1 cause of incorrect answers in GMAT Problem Solving. In handling word problems (math problems cast in a real-world setting), make reasonable real-world assumptions. Don't split hairs by looking for subtle meanings or ambiguous language. The test-makers are not out to trick you in this way.

Preposition combinations

2007-06-23T02:46:00.000-07:00

Preposition combinations appear frequently and must be learned by heart. There is no rule or reason why these words go together , they just do.
In fact, word collocations and preposition combinations are extremely important at the proficiency level of the language. I always

emphasize the importance of collocations and combinations at the proficiency level.

* Again, learning preposition combinations is important!

Learning them will help you in all sections of the exam. The following verb preposition combinations always appear together. It's a

good idea to know them.

* Verb - Preposition Combinations

Agree on (something)

We agree on that issue.

Agree with (a person)

I agree with you in that matter.

Approve of

Betty approves of exercising.

Arrive at OR in

They arrived in Tokyo last night.

Have you arrived at a decision

Complain about

Please do not complain about the color.

Consent to

She consented to her daughter's marriage.

Comment on

She commented on his haircut.

Consist of

Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen.

Depend on

I am depending on you to help me.

Laugh at

We laughed at his silly shirt.

Object to

Do you object to my smoking

Succeed in

He succeeded in making everyone angry.

* Some verb preposition combinations take two objects.

Compare? with OR to

Why compare me with ( OR to) my brother?

Excuse? for

I cannot excuse you for being late.

Prefer? to

She prefers juice to milk.

Remind? of

She reminded me of my appointment.

Thank? for

I thanked him for letting me use his bike.

* Adjective - preposition combinations with to be.

Be afraid of

Jake is afraid of dogs.

Be accustomed to

I was accustomed to seeing her every day.

Be aware of

Are you aware of this problem?

Be bored with

Todd is bored with backgammon.

Be certain of

He cannot be certain of the date.

Be disappointed with

Susan was disappointed with her meal.

Be familiar with

Is Doctor Jones familiar with that new pill?

Be famous for

Michigan is famous for its Great Lakes.

Be frightened by

Don't be frightened by the dog, he won't bite.

Be happy with

The Smith's are very happy with their new car.

Be in favor of

Are you in favor of abortion?

Be interested in

John is interested in anthropology.

Be opposed to

He is really opposed to buying a new car.

Be satisfied with

He is not satisfied with his new school.

Be surprised at (or) by

I was surprised by his behavior.

Be tired of

Maria is tired of working for a living.

Be worried about

Mark is very worried about his sick mother.

* Prepositions in fixed phrases.

According to

According to the news, it will rain tonight.

Along with

Can you take this bottle along with these cans, to the recycle bin?

As well as

I enjoy physics as well as math.

Because of

Because of the strike, there will be no buses today.

By means of

The child entered the yard by means of an open gate.

By way of

John went to Paris by way of London.

In addition to

In addition to studying ballet full-time, Patricia works part-time.

In case of

In case of fire, break glass and pull alarm.

In consideration of

In consideration of all your hard work I would like to take you to dinner.

In contrast to (or) with

In contrast to last summer, this summer is quite cool.

In deference to

In deference to her age, we did not argue with her.

In hopes of

We came here in hopes of meeting the famous musician.

In lieu of

He gave an oral report in lieu of the written exam.

In pursuit of

The business is in pursuit of excellence.

In search of

They went into the cave in search of lost treasure.

In spite of

In spite of his good intentions, he did not study much or do well on the exam.

In the face of

In the face of a severe drought, conservation measures needed to be adopted.

In terms of

He was a good teacher in terms of getting his students to pass thei

Preposition Usage

2007-06-17T02:43:00.000-07:00

Preposition usage is an important part of the English Language, or any language for that matter. So just what is proper preposition usage

Prepositions are generally used to show the relationship between its object and other words in the sentence.
The following show preposition usage and the relationships of prepositions with the other words in the sentences they are in.

Remembering relationships will help you remember which preposition to use.

* Place (in, on, under, over, near, beside, etc.)

Your book is on the table.

* Direction (to, toward, into, through, etc.)

The football player ran through the stadium to the other end.

* Time (in, on, at, etc.)

We can meet at five oclock.

* Agent (by)

This book was written by a famous author.

* Instrument (by, with)

I heard the news by television. (Communication)

She came by bus. (Transportation)

He opened the door with a key.(Instrument or tool)

TIP:

We use by + no article for communication and transportation.

Examples : by phone, by radio, and by bus, by car

* Accompaniment (with)

I like spaghetti with white sauce.

Mrs. Vajiona went to Thassos Island with her husband Georgios.

* Purpose (for)

He went to the store for milk and bread.

TIP:

Never, Never use for + verb + ing to express the purpose of the verb.

Example : He went to the store for buying milk and bread. This is wrong usage and a common mistake!

* Partition / Possession (of)

?They painted the front of the building white and green.

?He broke the top of the table with his fist.

* Measure (by, of)

We buy our olive oil by the 16 kilo container.

Please buy a quart of milk from the market.

* Similarity (like)
* Mary walks like her mother.
* Capacity (as)

Bill worked as a fireman until a year ago.

Now you ve seen some basic preposition usage. Remember, it?s best to know/learn them in combination with other words. The next page deals with preposition combinations.

Adverbs

2007-06-12T10:55:00.001-07:00

Adverbs are words that modify everything but nouns and pronouns. They modify adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. A word is an adverb if it answers how, when, or where. The only adverbs that cause grammatical problems are those that answer the question how, so we will focus on these. Examples He speaks slowly. Answers the question how. He speaks very slowly. Answers the question how slowly.

Rule 1. Generally, if a word answers the question how, it is an adverb. If it can have an ly added to it, place it there. Examples She thinks slow/slowly. She thinks how slowly. She is a slow/slowly thinker. Slow does not answer how so no ly is attached. Slow is an adjective here. She thinks fast/fastly. Fast answers the question how, so it is an adverb. But fast never has an ly attached to it. We performed bad/badly. Badly describes how we performed.

Rule 2. A special ly rule applies when four of the sensestaste, smell, look, feelare the verbs. Do not ask if these senses answer the question how to determine if ly should be attached. Instead, ask if the sense verb is being used actively. If so, use the ly. Examples Roses smell sweet/sweetly. Do the roses actively smell with noses No, so no ly. The woman looked angry/angrily. Did the woman actively look with eyes or are we describing her appearanceWe are only describing appearance, so no ly. The woman looked angry/angrily at the paint splotches. Here the woman did actively look with eyes so the ly was added. She feels bad/badly about the news. She is not feeling with fingers, so no ly.

Rule 3. The word good is an adjective while well is an adverb. Examples You did a good job. Good describes the job. You did the job well. Well answers how. You smell good today. Describes your odor, not how you smell with your nose, so follow with the adjective. You smell well for someone with a cold. You are actively smelling with a nose here so follow with the adverb.

Rule 4. When referring to health, always use well. Examples I do not feel well. You do not look well today.

Rule 5. A common error in using adjectives and adverbs arises from using the wrong form for comparison. For instance, to describe one thing we would say poor, as in, "She is poor." To compare two things, we should say poorer, as in, "She is the poorer of the two women." To compare more than two things, we should say poorest, as in, "She is the poorest of them all." Examples

One -- Two -- Three or More

sweet -- sweeter -- sweetest

bad -- worse -- worst

efficient* -- more efficient* -- most efficient*

*Usually with words of three or more syllables, don't add -er or -est. Use more or most in front of the words.

Rule 6. Never drop the ly from an adverb when using the comparison form. Correct She spoke quickly. She spoke more quickly than he did. Incorrect She spoke quicker than he did. Correct Talk quietly. Talk more quietly. Incorrect Talk quieter.

Rule 7. When this, that, these, and those are followed by nouns, they are adjectives. When they appear without a noun following them, they are pronouns. Examples This house is for sale. This is an adjective here. This is for sale. This is a pronoun here.

Rule 8. This and that are singular, whether they are being used as adjectives or as pronouns. This points to something nearby while that points to something "over there." Examples This dog is mine. That dog is hers. This is mine. That is hers.

Rule 9. These and those are plural, whether they are being used as adjectives or as pronouns. These points to something nearby while those points to something "over there." Examples These babies have been smiling for a long time. These are mine. Those babies have been crying for hours. Those are yours.

Rule 10. Use than to show comparison. Use then to answer the question when. Examples I would rather go skiing than rock climbing. First we went skiing; then we went rock climbing

How to recognize an adverb??
Many adverbs end with the suffix -LY. Most of these are created by adding -LY to the end of an adjective, like this:

Adjective -- Adverb

slow -- slowly

delightful -- delightfully

hopeless -- hopelessly

aggressive -- aggressively

However, this is NOT a reliable way to find out whether a word is an adverb or not, for two reasons: many adverbs do NOT end in -LY (some are the same as the adjective form), and many words which are NOT adverbs DO end in -LY (such as kindly, friendly, elderly and lonely, which are adjectives). Here are some examples of adverbs which are the same as adjectives:

Adjective -- Adverb

fast -- fast

late -- late

early -- early

The best way to tell if a word is an adverb is to try making a question, for which the answer is the word. If the question uses how, where or when, then the word is probably an adverb. Here is an example:

Word in context
Question
Adverb

Junko plays tennis aggressively.
How does Junko play tennis
Yes -- uses HOW.

They have a small house.
What kind of house do they have
No -- uses WHAT KIND OF, so this is an adjective.

Matthew called the police immediately.
When did Matthew call the police
Yes -- uses WHEN.

Making adverbs from adjectives

Adverbs are usually made from adjectives, by adding -LY. However, there are some exceptions. These are the rules:

Adjective ending in...

How to make the adverb

Examples

y

Change Y to I and add -LY

heavy - heavilyhappy - happilylazy - lazily

[anything else]

Just add -LY

warm - warmlynice - nicelyloud - loudly

However, there are some important exceptions:

Adjective -- Adverb

good -- well

late -- late("Lately" means recently.It is not the adverbfrom "late".)

early -- early

fast -- fast

hard --hard("Hardly" means not much.It is not the adverbfrom "hard".)

Avoiding Common Errors

Bad or Badly

When you want to describe how you feel, you should use an adjective (Why Feel is a sense verb;see rule #3 above). So you'd say, "I feel bad." Saying you feel badly would be like saying you play football badly. It would mean that you are unable to feel, as though your hands were partially numb.

Good or Well

Good is an adjective, so you do not do good or live good, but you do well and live well. Remember, though, that an adjective follows sense-verbs and be-verbs, so you also feel good, look good, smell good, are good, have been good, etc. (Refer to rule #3 above for more information about sense verbs and verbs of appearance.)

Confusion can occur because well can function either as an adverb or an adjective. When well is used as an adjective, it means "not sick" or "in good health." For this specific sense of well, it's OK to say you feel well or are well -- for example, after recovering from an illness. When not used in this health-related sense, however, well functions as an adverb; for example, "I did well on my exam."

Double-negatives

Scarcely and hardly are already negative adverbs. To add another negative term is redundant, because in English only one negative is ever used at a time

They found scarcely any animals on the island. (not scarcely no...)Hardly anyone came to the party. (not hardly no one...)

Sure or Surely?

Sure is an adjective, and surely is an adverb. Sure is also used in the idiomatic expression sure to be. Surely can be used as a sentence-adverb. Here are some examples that show different uses of sure and surely. Light blue arrows indicate adjectives and green arrows indicate adverbs.

Here sure is an adjective that modifies the pronoun I.

Here surely is an adverb that modifies the adjective ready.

Here sure to be is an idiomatic phrase that functions as an adjective that modifies the pronoun she.

Preposition Definition

2007-06-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

Learning a preposition definition is as important as learning the definition of any word. The following lists will help you know and recognize the preposition definition used in context with other words.

Remember, it's best to learn prepositions in combination with other words as they often follow set patterns.

Place (in, on, under, over, near, beside, etc.)
Your book is on the table.

Direction (to, toward, into, through, etc.)
The football player ran through the stadium to the other end.

Time (in, on, at, etc.)
We can meet at five o'clock.

Agent (by)
This book was written by a famous author.

Instrument (by, with)
I heard the news by television. (Communication)

She came by bus. (Transportation)

He opened the door with a key. (Instrument or tool)

TIP:

We use by + no article for communication and transportation.

Examples: by phone, by radio, and by bus, by car

Accompaniment (with)
I like spaghetti with white sauce.
Mrs. Vajiona went to Thassos Island with her husband Georgios.

Purpose (for)
He went to the store for milk and bread.

TIP:

Never use for + verb + ing to express the purpose of the verb.

Example: He went to the store for buying milk and bread. This is wrong usage and a common mistake!

Partition / Possession (of)
They painted the front of the building white and green.
He broke the top ofthe table with his fist.

Measure (by, of)
We buy our olive oil by the 16 kilo container.
Please buy a quart of milk from the market.

Similarity (like)
Mary walks like her mother.

Capacity (as)
Bill worked as a fireman until a year ago.

Adjectives

2007-06-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

An adjective modifies a noun. It describes the quality, state or action that a noun refers to.

The good news is that the form of adjectives does not change, it does not matter if the noun being modified is male or female, singular or plural, subject or object.

Some adjectives give us factual information about the noun - age, size colour etc (fact adjectives - can't be argued with). Some adjectives show what somebody thinks about something or somebody - nice, horrid, beautiful etc (opinion adjectives - not everyone may agree).

ADJECTIVE RULES:

i) Adjectives can come before nouns: a new car

ii) Adjectives can come after verbs such as be, become, seem, look, etc.: that car looks fast

iii) They can be modified by adverbs: a very expensive car

iv) They can be used as complements to a noun: the extras make the car expensive
Opinion

Adjectives can be used to give your opinion about something.
good, pretty, right, wrong, funny, light, happy, sad, full, soft, hard etc.

For example:

He was a silly boy.

Size
Adjectives can be used to describe size.
(big, small, little, long, tall, short, same as, etc.)

For example:
* "The big man." or "The big woman".

Age
Adjectives can be used to describe age.

For example:
* "He was an old man." or "She was an old woman."

Shape
Adjectives can be used to describe shape.
(round, circular, triangular, rectangular, square, oval, etc.)

For example:
* "It was a square box." or "They were square boxes."

Colour
Adjectives can be used to describe c o l o u r .
(blue, red, green, brown, yellow, black, white, etc.)

For example:
* "The blue bag." or "The blue bags".

Origin
Adjectives can be used to describe origin.

For example:-
* "It was a German flag." or "They were German flags."

Material
Adjectives can be used to describe material.

* "It was a cotton cushion." or "They were cotton cushions."

Distance
Adjectives can be used to describe distance. l -- o -- n -- g / short
(long, short, far, around, start, high, low, etc.)

For example:
* "She went for a long walk." or "She went for lots of long walks."

Temperature
Adjectives can be used to describe temperature.
(cold, warm, hot, cool, etc.)

For example:
* "It day was hot." or "They days were hot."

Time
Adjectives can be used to describe time.
(late, early, bed, nap, dinner, lunch, day, morning, night, etc.)

For example:
* "She had an early start."

Purpose
Adjectives can be used to describe purpose. (These adjectives often end with "-ing".)

For example:
* "She gave them a sleeping bag." or "She gave them sleeping bags."

!Note - In each case the adjective stays the same, whether it is describing a maculine, feminine, singular or plural noun.

When using more than one adjective to modify a noun, the adjectives may be separated by a conjunction (and) or by commas (,).

For example:
* "Her hair was long and blonde." or "She had long, blonde hair."

More examples:

List Of Adjectives
bad, jittery , purple, tan , better, jolly , quaint , tender , beautiful, kind, quiet, testy ,big ,long, quick, tricky, black ,lazy, quickest, tough ,blue,bright, magnificent magenta, rainy , rare ,ugly, ugliest ,clumsy , many, ratty ,vast , crazy, mighty, red, watery ,dizzy ,mushy, roasted, wasteful , dull, nasty, robust, wide-eyed ,fat, new, round, wonderful, frail, nice, sad, yellow ,friendly ,nosy ,scary ,yummy , funny ,nutty, scrawny, zany ,great, nutritious, short , green ,odd ,silly ,gigantic, orange ,stingy ,gorgeous , ordinary ,strange ,grumpy, pretty ,striped , handsome, precious, spotty ,happy, prickly, tart, horrible , tall ,itchy , tame .

Noun

2007-05-31T11:42:00.000-07:00

A noun is the word that refers to a person, thing or abstract idea. A noun can tell you who or what.

There are several different types of noun:-

* There are common nouns such as dog, car, chair etc.
* Nouns that refer to things which can be counted (can be singular or plural) are countable nouns.
* Nouns that refer to some groups of countable nouns, substances, feelings and types of activity (can only be singular) are uncountable nouns.
* Nouns that refer to a group of people or things are collective nouns.
* Nouns that refer to people, organizations or places are proper nouns, only proper nouns are capitalized.
* Nouns that are made up of two or more words are called compound nouns.
* Nouns that are formed from a verb by adding

Use capital letters in the following ways:
The first words of a sentence

Example: When he tells a joke, he sometimes forgets the punch line.

Examples:
The Patels have moved to the Southwest. Jim's house is two miles north of Otterbein. example: One of Ringo?s favorite books is The Catcher in the Rye.

Example:
The last time I visited Atlanta was several years ago.

Proper nouns(the names of specific people, places, organizations, and sometimes things)

Examples:
Worrill Fabrication Company,Golden Gate Bridge,Supreme Court
Livingston, Missouri,Atlantic Ocean,Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Family relationships(when used as proper names)
Examples:
I sent a thank-you note to Aunt Abigail, but not to my other aunts.
Here is a present I bought for Mother.
Did you buy a present for your mother
The names of God, specific deities, religious figures, and holy books

Examples:
God the Father,The Virgin Mary,The Bible,The Greek gods
Moses,Shiva,Buddha,Zeus

Exception: Do not capitalize the non-specific use of the word "god."

Example: The word "polytheistic" means the worship of more than one god.
Titles preceding names, but not title that follow names

Example:
She worked as the assistant to Mayor Hanolovi.
I was able to interview Miriam Moss, mayor of Littonville.

Directions that are names(North, South, East, and West) when used as sections of the country, but not as compass directions)
The days of the week, the months of the year, and holidays (but not the seasons used generally)

Examples:
Halloween,October,Friday

winter
spring
fall

Exception: Seasons are capitalized when used in a title. example: The Fall 1999 semester
The names of countries, nationalities, and specific languages

Examples:
Costa Rica,Spanish
French,English

The first word in a sentence that is a direct quote

Example:
Emerson once said, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."

The major words in the titles of books, articles, and songs(but not short prepositions or the articles "the," "a," or "an," if they are not the first word of the title)
Members of national, political, racial, social, civic, and athletic groups

Examples:
Green Bay Packers,African-Americans,Anti-Semitic
Democrats,Friends of the Wilderness,Chinese

Periods and events(but not century numbers)
Examples:
Victorian Era,Great Depression
Constitutional Convention,sixteenth century

Trademarks

Examples:
Pepsi,Honda
IBM,Microsoft Word

Words and abbreviations of specific names(but not names of things that came from specific things but are now general types)
Examples:
Freudian,NBC,pasteurize
UN,french fries,italics

Articles

2007-05-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

There are only three articles in English: a , an and the .

There are two types of articles indefinite a and an or definite the .

Their proper use is complex especially when you get into the advanced use of English. Quite often you have to work by what sounds right, which can be frustrating for a learner.

We usually use no article to talk about things in general - the doesn't mean all.

For example:

"Books are expensive." = (All books are expensive.) " The books are expensive." = (Not all books are expensive, just the ones I'm talking about.)

Indefinite articles - a and an (determiners)

A and an are the indefinite articles. They refer to something not specifically known to the person you are communicating with.

A and an are used before nouns that introduce something or someone you have not mentioned before:-

For example:

"I saw an elephant this morning." "I ate a banana for lunch."

A and an are also used when talking about your profession

For example:

"I am an English teacher." "I am a builder."

Note!

You use a when the noun you are referring to begins with a consonant (b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y or z), for example, "a city" and "a factory"

You use an when the noun you are referring to begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u)

Pronunciation changes this rule.If the next word begins with a consonant sound when we say it, for example, "university" then we use a. If the next word begins with a vowel sound when we say it, for example "hour" then we use an.

We say "university" with a "y" sound at the beginning as though it were spelt "youniversity".So, "a university" IS correct.

We say "hour" with a silent h as though it were spelt "our".So, "an hour" IS correct.

Definite Article - the (determiners)

You use the when you know that the listener knows or can work out what particular person/thing you are talking about.

For example:

"The apple you ate was rotten.""Did you lock the car?"

You should also use the when you have already mentioned the thing you are talking about.

For example:

"She's got two children; a girl and a boy. The girl's eight and the boy's fourteen."

We use the to talk about geographical points on the globe.

For example:

the North Pole, the equator

We use the to talk about rivers, oceans and seas

For example:

the Nile, the Pacific, the English channel

We also use the before certain nouns when we know there is only one of a particular thing.

For example:

the rain, the sun, the wind, the world, the earth, the White House etc..

However if you want to describe a particular instance of these you should use a/an.

For example:

"I could hear the wind." / "There's a cold wind blowing."

"What are your plans for the future?" / "She has a promising future ahead of her."

The is also used to say that a particular person or thing being mentioned is the best, most famous, etc. In this use, 'the' is usually given strong pronunciation:

For example:

"Harry's Bar is the place to go."

"You don't mean you met the Tony Blair, do you?"

Do not use the before:

· names of countries (Italy, Mexico, Bolivia) except the Netherlands and the US

· names of cities, towns, or states (Seoul, Manitoba, Miami)

· names of streets (Washington Blvd., Main St.)

· names of lakes and bays (Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie) except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes

· names of mountains (Mount Everest, Mount Fuji) except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn

· names of continents (Asia, Europe)

· names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands

Do use the before:

· names of rivers, oceans and seas (the Nile, the Pacific)

· points on the globe (the Equator, the North Pole)

· geographical areas (the Middle East, the West)

· deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas (the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula)

No article

You do not use an article before nouns when talking in general terms.

For example:

Inflation is rising.

People are worried about rising crime. (Note! People generally, so no article)

You do not use an article when talking about sports.

For example:

My son plays football.

Tennis is expensive.

You do not use an article before uncountable nouns when talking about them generally.

For example:

Information is important to any organisation.

Coffee is bad for you.

You do not use an article before the names of countries except where they contain the words (state(s), kindom, republic, union). Kingdom, state, republic and union are nouns, so they needs an article.

For example:

No article - Italy, Mexico, Bolivia

Use the - the UK, the USA, the Irish Republic

Note! the Netherlands

More Confused Words

2007-04-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

Affect / Effect

Affect as a verb means ?to influence, act upon, or change sth or sme?

The noise inside the stadium affected his performance.

Effect is usually a noun (thing) meaning to have an impact on something or someone.

His smile had a strange effect on me.

Effect can also mean "the end result."

Example: The drug has many adverse side effects.

Verb. To influence

Noun. The resulting emotion

Verb. To cause to happen

We were all affected by the drought.

The effect of the drought was an increase in food prices.

The drought effected an increase in price.

Amount / Number

Amount is a noun referring to non count nouns

Unfortunately, a huge amount of oil leaked out of the tank.

Number is a noun referring to count nouns

Though few in number, judges have much power in Greece.

Complimentary / Complementary

Complimentary is an adjective which means ?given freely, or giving praise?

The teacher was very complimentary about my work.

Complementary is an adjective, which means, ?supplying needs?

The complementary relationship of the bee and the flower is quite remarkable.

Different from / Different than

Different from is a preposition, which precedes a noun phrase

He is different from your average shop owner.

Different than is a preposition which precedes a noun clause

London isdifferent than we had imagined.

Enough

Enough is an adverb, which precedes a noun and follows an adjective

He knows enough English to study in England.

She is fastenough to win the race.

Every so often / Ever so often

Every so often is an adverb meaning ?occasionally?

They come every so often. I wish they could come more frequently.

Ever so often is an adverb meaning ?frequently?

They come ever so often. I wish they would stay home.

First / Former

First as an adjective refers to three or more items

The first five skiers fell.

Former as an adjective refers to two or fewer items

The former Secretary of State for the U.S., Colin Powel, was the first black to hold that position.

From / Since / For

From is a preposition followed by a noun or noun phrase.

As a time marker, it requires to or another preposition.

From now on I will lead the way.

From Monday to Friday, I work like a slave.

Since is a subordinate conjunction followed by a clause.

It expresses ?the time something began? or ?the beginning of time?

Since Wednesday, I have walked 6 miles a day.

For is a preposition followed by a noun or noun phrase.

It expresses ?the length of time (duration) something has lasted.?

For two weeks I have walked to work every day.

Lie / Lay

Lie is an intransitive verb meaning ?to recline?

He lies down for a nap after his lunch.

Lay is a transitive verb which means ?to put or place?

He lay the book on the desk and left the room.

A Few / A little

A few means ?some / not many.? Used with countable nouns.

A few people were standing outside the shop waiting to get in.

A littlemeans ?some / not much.? Used with non-count nouns.

He gave me a little cheese to eat with my bread.

Passed / Past

Passed is a transitive verb and past participle of the verb pass

She barely passed the exam.

Past is a preposition or adjective meaning ?by?

We will keep school open past June.

She walked past without saying hello.

Raise / Rise

Raise is a transitive verb meaning to move to a higher place.

Tom raised his hand to answer a question.

Rise is an intransitive verb meaning to go up or ascend.

The sunrises in the morning.

Say / Tell

Say is a transitive verb meaning to express in words

I said that she should stay home tonight.

Tell is an intransitive verb also meaning to express in words

Itold him to stay home but he didn?t listen.

(Never, never, NEVER told to him)

Sit / Set

Sit is an intransitive verb meaning to rest on something.

Sit on the bench and not on the grass.

Set is a transitive verb meaning to place something.

She set the soup and spoons on the table.

Speak / Speech

Speak is a verb meaning ?to say out loud?

?Speak louder. I can?t hear you!?

Speech is a noun meaning ?what is said aloud?

Politicians give the same boring speech over and over again when running for political office.

Than / Then

Than is a conjunction used in comparisons

She is taller than her sister.

Then as an adjective or adverbial conjunction relates to time

First we will work; then we will go out for lunch.

Watch / See

Watch is a transitive verb meaning ?to look at or observe carefully?

He watched his grand children playing in the yard

See is a transitive verb meaning ?to perceive with the eye?

He saw the children go into the house.

Common Mistakes

2007-04-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

Here we try to rectify the common mistakes we all make while using the English language. This column is aimed at improving your grammar which would then help you in the verbal section and also in your future life.
Now let us see the common mistakes that we make and the correct version of the same sentence. The examples are related to the confusion of subject and object.

•“Between you and I….” - Wrong.
“Between you and me…” - Correct.

•“It’s me.” - Wrong.
“It is I.” - Correct.

•“The person who I saw….” - Wrong.
“The person whom I saw…” - Correct.

•“The man who the policeman arrested…” –Wrong.
“The man whom the policeman arrested…” - Correct.

•“Those are them.”-Wrong.
“Those are they.” - Correct.

•“Who shall I give it to?” -Wrong.
“Whom shall I give it to?” - Correct.

Who is the subject and Whom is the object. The use of whom in the last sentence is wrong because the question is another form of “I shall give it to whom?” The subject is I and a preposition in this case to- is followed by the objective.

5 Important Points about Data Interpretations

2007-04-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

In gleaning data from a chart, graph or table, it's remarkably easy to inadvertently grab your data from the wrong graph, bar, line, etc. This is the #1 cause of incorrect responses in CAT Data Interpretation. To avoid this blunder, point your finger to the data you want; put your finger directly against the computer screen and keep it there until you're sure you're looking at the right part of the right chart or graph.
Check to see if the question asks for an approximation. If so, you can safely estimate numbers by rounding off.

CAUTION: When rounding off fractions, round the numerator and denominator in the same direction (either up or down); otherwise you'll distort the value of the fraction.

Don't confuse percentages with raw numbers. Always ask yourself which type of number the chart or graph is providing, and which type the question is asking for.
It's okay to rely on visual approximations when it comes to reading bar graphs and line charts. The test-makers are not out to test your eyesight. So if two or more answer choices come very, very close to your solution, rest assured that you needn't estimate values more precisely. Instead, go back to square 1; you've made some other mistake along the way.
Take 15-30 seconds right up front to assimilate and make sense of the chart, graph, or table?and be sure to read all the information around it. (You might need to scroll vertically to view all the information.) Get a sense for what the variables are and how they relate to one another?before you tackle the questions

Commonly Confused Words

2007-03-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

Let's face it. Commonly confused words can be difficult. (Yes, even for native speakers) I have included the following commonly confused words because over the years many of my students have found them to be the most confusing. In fact, these words have caused great difficulties to those who don't ever learn them.
They are a must if you intend to succeed on the Michigan Proficiency Exam.
A short description of the word is included as well as a brief example. It might be a good idea for you to print these pages so that you have them to look at whenever you want. I recommend frequent review to clear up any confusion you might have.
If you have any particular words that you find confusing and don't see them included here, why not send me an e-mail so that I can update my list. My goal is to help you pass your exam.
Who knows? maybe you can help someone else pass their exams!
Accept / Except / Expect
Accept is a verb that means to receive or take or to give a positive answer to a proposition or offer.
Do you accept travelers checks (receive, take)
Susan accepted his offer of a job. (gave a positive answer)
The club accepted three new members. (received)
Except as a preposition, meaning with the exception of. (Commonly used)
Everybody except John went to the party. (John didn't go)
Except as a verb means, to exclude, to keep out. (Rarely used)
The boys excepted Frank from their club.
(They did not accept him)
Expect is a verb that means, waiting for sth to happen? or ?believed to be the state of sth
She expected her husband home from work at any minute.
I expect you are hungry after such a long trip
Advice / Advise (note spelling differences between British English and American English)
Advise is a verb.
The doctor advised her to quit smoking.
Advice is a noun.
She gave me some good advice.
All ready / Already
All ready is an adjective phrase meaning completely ready.
We were all ready to leave at eight o'clock.
Already is an adverb of time meaning by or before a specific time.
They had already left by three o'clock.
He had already eaten when I arrived. (before I arrived)
Altogether / All Together
Altogether is an adverb meaning completely.
?I am altogether upset with you.
All together is an adjective phrase meaning in a group.
The children sang a song all together.
Besides / Beside
The preposition besides means except.
Everyone besides Jane went to the party.
The preposition beside means next to.
Jane was standing beside me. (NOT: besides me)
Cloth / Clothes
Cloth is a noun (usually as a non-count noun) that means material or fabric.
She bought some cloth to make a new dress.
Clothes is a plural count noun meaning ?garments used to cover the body.
She bought a lot of clothes in Paris.
I feel nice when I wear new clothes.
Desert / Dessert
A desert is ?a dry area with little vegetation and rainfall.
The Sahara desert in Africa is the largest in the world.
A dessert is ?sweet food usually eaten after a meal.
We had chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert.
Differ from / Differ with
To differ from is ?to be dissimilar.
Men differ from women physically.
To differ with is ?to disagree with.
I differ with you on this issue. (I disagree with you)
Emigrate / Immigrate
To emigrate means, ?to leave one country to live in another.
My grandfather emigrated from Europe to the USA in 1864.
To immigrate means, ?to move to a new country.
Many countries are facing difficulties due to the increased number of immigrants living in them.
*It?s probably easiest to remember that to emigrate means to leave a country while immigrate means to enter to live.
Farther / Further
Farther means ?towards a more distant point in space. (actual distance)
The beach is a few miles farther away.
Further means towards a more distant point in time, degree, or quantity. figurative distance)
Let us consider this problem a bit further. (time)
We should do further research on this matter. (quantity)
Be careful not to excite the children any further. (degree)
Formally / Formerly
Formally means in a formal way.
He was formally charged with the crime.
Formerly means previously, or at an earlier time.
She was formerly a dancer in a club.
Healthful / Healthy
Healthful means good for ones health.
Vegetables and fruits are healthful foods.
Healthy means in a good condition of health.
Due to their outdoor lifestyle, all of his children are healthy.
Illusion / Allusion
An illusion is a false idea or unreal image.
The magician's illusion convinced the crowd that he was flying.
An allusion is an indirect reference.
The professor made an allusion to modern art.
Imply / Infer
To imply is to suggest without saying directly. A speaker or writer can imply.
Susan implied that she was not happy with her studies.
To infer is to to make a conclusion based on evidence not stated.
Only a listener or reader can infer.
I inferred from the report that our taxes would be raised again.
Its / It's
Its is the singular possessive pronoun for things.
The car had its tires stolen last night.
It's is the contraction for it is.
It's a nice day today. (It is a nice day today.)
Leave / Let
To leave means, to go away from.
He leaves work at five o'clock every day.
To let means, to permit.
Jane let me borrow her bike.
Loose / Lose
The adjective loose means not tight.
This shirt is too loose. I need a smaller size.
To lose is a verb meaning to leave (forget) behind by accident
I often lose my house keys.
Most / Almost
The adjective most is the superlative form of many or much meaning the largest number or amount.
Most coffee comes from Brazil.
Almost is an adverb meaning not quite, or very nearly or nearly all
Almost all the students are here.
He is almost ready to leave.
He almost won the race.
Plane / Plain
The noun plane usually means airplane.
His plane arrives in New York at 9:00am.
The adjective plain means simple,not fancy.
Her dress was very plain.
Principal / Principle
The adjective principal means chief or very important.
The noun principal means chief official.
The principal reason for his failure was lack of support.
I am the principal of this school.
The noun principle means fundamental truth.
He is studying the principles of accounting.
Quiet / Quite
Quiet is an adjective meaning not noisy.
It was a very quite party.
Quite is an adverb meaning completely or to a degree.
He is quite upset today.
He is quite short.
Respectfully / Respectively
Respectfully means with respect.
The audience rose respectfully when the President entered.
Respectively means in the order given.
The Suttons lived in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York respectively.
So / So that
So is a conjunction joining a clause of result to a main clause.
It rained a lot last year, so there were lots of wildflowers to enjoy.
(result)
So that joins a clause of purpose to a main clause.
We wore raincoats so that we would not get our clothes wet.
(purpose)
Stationary / Stationery
Stationary means in a fixed position.
The car was stationary parked in the driveway.
Stationery refers to writing supplies.
That stationery store sells writing paper, envelopes and office supplies.
Their / There / They're
Their is the third-person plural possessive pronoun.
They sold their car last week.
There is (1) an adverb of place or (2) an expletive that tells of existence.
Your package is there on the counter.
There are fifty states in United States.
There're is the contraction of they are.
They're ready to see you now.
To / Too / Two
To is (1) part of the infinitive form or (2) a preposition.
I like to walk in the snow.
I walked to the park on Saturday.
Too is an adverb indicating an excess.
It is too cold to go swimming.
Two is a number (2).
I have two cats kitty and whiskers.
Weather / Whether
Weather is a noun meaning atmospheric conditions.
The weather was not nice enough to go out.
Whether is a conjunction meaning if.
I don't know whether he will stay at home or not.
Who's / Whose
Who's is the contraction for who is.
I don't know who's coming tonight.
Whose is (1) a question word or (2) a possessive relative pronoun.
Whose pen is this
I met the man whose child scored the winning goal.

How much time I should spend on CAT preparation?

2007-03-20T10:43:00.001-07:00

This is the most common question asked by many cat takers esp. those who have just started their preparation and it is the most difficult question to give an answer. One can be given the guidance only if all the details of that person are known. To find a standard answer to this question one must consider few parameters. Go through the following lines carefully if are unsure about how much time you should be spending on your preparation, it might help you.

Before starting preparation for CAT you must know your competency level in all the three departments that IIMs assess through CAT. There are very few persons who have the same level of competency in Maths, DI/DS and English. Out of the three, there must be one or two section which you like most and you can easily score high in CAT. The best way to judge it is to take last years CAT paper and give it a try. My advice to all who are just about to start there preparation for CAT – The first thing you need to do is to arrange last years paper and attempt it as if you are appearing the real CAT.

While taking the test, be sure you are true to your self. Take the test for 15 minutes less than the allocated time (2 hours or 2.30 hrs). As it’s your first test you should give equal time to all the sections, during the test even if you feel you have done enough to get a good score in that section continuing with that section (you are giving this test to judge your competency level). After you have done with your test check the answers .Match your results with last year cutoffs section wise.

If you have cleared the cutoffs then its great if not then check by how much marks you missed it. If you missed it by 2-4 marks then with a little bit of preparation you can cross the cut off level. 2 months of preparation with weekly 25-35 hours for the basics, then another 2 months on FLTs and revisions of basics should be sufficient. You should always fix last 2 & ½ months for Mocks.

If your score is in between than 60% - 80% of the cutoff, then you need to do a lot of hard work. It’s not that easy to increase the score in a very sort time span. You need to make a long term plan. I would suggest 4 months to basics. First check out in which area you find yourself comfortable. ( for ex in Number System, Geometry, arithmetic, algebra ,etc ) Select only one section and give a full month or so to it. Start it from the basic and do all the problems in that section. Give few sectional tests without any time constrain and try to achieve 100%. With number of questions reducing & level of difficulty increasing, the importance given to accuracy should increase. When you find most of the questions are familiar to you go to another section.

If you have scored less than 60% ,I ‘ll suggest please forget about IIM and target 2nd tier institutes. Less than 60% means you were not serious in your school and no way one can go to that level to learn the basics. You follow the methods that I have described earlier for 60% - 80% category. But if you feel you have all the basics but you couldn’t score well because of not remembering the formulas or for few silly mistakes then you can hope for IIMs too. In summery If you cleared the cutoff or missed it by 10%-20% then – 2/3 months of preparations + times for mocks should be your total time If you score 60% -80 % of the cutoff marks then – 5/6 months of preparation (with weekly 25-35 hours) + times for mocks should be your total time If you score less than 60% , start preparing now. Give how much time you can spend for your preparation.

How I Cracked CAT? Part-II

2007-03-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

This experience is a bit old i guess,but i think anythng n everything is useful when it comes to education,so may be it would be helpful for some people....

Name: Kalpana Bhat

My background: Associate, JP Morgan Chase & Co, San Francisco - 2000 to present
PGDM IIM Ahmedabad 2000
B.Com Ethiraj College Chennai 1998

My Testing Experience

I decided sometime during my 2nd year of college to give the CAT a shot. So, in May 1997, I borrowed the IMS material from a friend and started "preparing" for the tests. Like a good pupil, I started by following instructions and studying the material but I caught myself nodding off on more than one occasion. So, I decided to can it and dive right into the tests. That is when things got really interesting!! I took about 5 tests and never scored more than 70. That is enough to make you throw your hands up in despair and give up. But, I kept at it doggedly and trusted what people called the "learning curve". After about 10-12 tests, I could safely infer :

what I was good at and what I needed to work on
which questions to pursue and which ones to skip (for want of time)
that it was time to retrieve my 10th and 11th std Math text books, dust it and give it the once-over
that there is only one way to go and that's UP!!!!

To put all of the above in perspective - after the initial disappointment, I did not miraculously grow a brain!!! I just developed the ability to balance the little time I had and pick questions judiciously. It is crucial to know which questions to answer and which ones to re-visit IF you have time later!!! One is not fighting the familiar demons, like math or reading comprehension, but the break-neck speed at which the hands of time are flying! By Nov 1998, I had taken approx 40 tests. I also checked on the internet but unfortunately, there are very few resources offering CAT sample tests. But, GMAT will do. So, once you have exhausted your practice resources, use the sample link : http://www.800score.com/gmat-home.html. Just keep practicing. Try doing at least one test a day leading up to the big day.

My CAT

The year I tested (1997), the test was divided into 2 portions. QA and DA were part of the first half and RC and VA were part of the second. We were given one hour for each portion. After the first hour, we were made to hand in our QA-DA section and then we received the RC-VA section. I think QA-DA had 85-90 questions and RC-VA had 90-95 questions. For me, the DA and VA portions were reasonably challenging while the QA and RC sections were relatively easy. I focussed on attempting the maximum number of questions that I knew I had a shot at getting right. If a question was not of a familiar format or of a format that I knew would take time to solve, I kept it for later. This strategy works for me but it is important to determine what methods of filtering work for you. In Feb 1998, I found out I had calls from all but 1(Kozhikode) of the 6 IIMs.

My GD and Interview Experience

I had not registered with IMS. So, I did not really have a lot of structured GD or interview preparation. I just trusted my luck and common sense. I filled out the form which has the "Why do you want to do an MBA", "Describe one incident where you took on a leadership role" questions honestly. Just be prepared to defend every word you state in that piece of paper. The interviews just whizzed by and I won't dwell on them too much. Suffice to say that the IIM-A GD and interview went really well. Both in the GD and the interview, I took strong stands and stuck to them.

The GD was a case study involving an army driver who decides to break the rule of not using official vehicles for personal purposes. After dropping off his commanding officer very late one night, he is very tired and takes the vehicle home. On the way home, he hits a child and kills him/her. He is obviously guilty of involuntary manslaughter but is he guilty of violating the army code of conduct? Should he be discharged? The case study gave rise to some interesting debate. At the end, we were asked to give a brief written synopsis of the GD.

The interview was very interesting too. A number of questions directed at me were either from my courses (accounting, mostly) or regarding my ethical values. When is the LIFO method of inventory valuation used? What would I do if I saw a corrupt politician in action vis-a-vis a third person? What would I do if I saw the same corrupt politician harming my own family? And more questions in that vein .... What the interviewers are looking for, both in the GD and interview are basically, honesty, strength of conviction and of course, at least a few correct answers! Don't ham when you don't know an answer. Just say you don't know!!!

In April 1998, I found out I had gotten into IIM-A. My 2 years at IIM-A were a roller-coaster ride.. But, I will go into that some other time ...

Until then, good luck and Godspeed!!!

Which MBA program??

2007-03-01T10:24:00.000-08:00

How do you decide where to pursue an MBA? Well, if you base your decision on a program's effectiveness in teaching analytical skills, it's apparently hard to go wrong. Big schools, small schools, well-known schools, and little-known schools - they all produce MBAs who get high marks for analysis and technical competency. In contrast, the concurrent mastery of people-management, leadership and teaming skills - and the opportunity to build cohesive relationships with cohorts - are greater variables in choosing among competing programs.

Analytical Skills: Consistently High Marks
As a young professional contemplating the MBA experience, the choice among programs will not likely yield a measurable difference in the mastery of technical and analytical skills. These skills are the hallmark of virtually every accredited program. In fact, in every "consumer" survey asking employers of MBAs what attributes among graduates they routinely find most developed, analytical skills are always at the top of the "most satisfied with" list.

People Skills: Consistently
Low Marks
If we glean from the same employer surveys the other consistent pattern of responses, then most MBA programs do a lousy job of teaching soft management skills. Interpersonal, people-management and teaming skills consistently rank among those attributes that employers find the least well-developed among MBAs, and these are the skills which employers are least satisfied with when they have hired an MBA.

Curriculum changes over the past decade - and there have been many changes over-sold as "revolutionary" - have begrudgingly nodded to the expressed frustrations with MBAs who can't manage, not to mention lead, fellow employees. But in most of these celebrated curriculum revisions, a nod is all you'll get. The faculty and administration of most graduate business schools are trained to deliver analytical skills, not people skills, and they are not about to retool in soft skills or abandon their tenured posts to those who have those skills.

As it turns out, both faculty and MBA students are more comfortable with the traditional preoccupation with analytical and technical skills training. A majority of MBA candidates have technical backgrounds in fields like engineering, finance, accounting and the sciences. This makes the adoption of soft-skills curricula ever more challenging, since it takes both the consumers and suppliers outside of their comfort zones. What we've been teaching in MBA programs is easy for professional engineers; what we haven't been teaching is not.

So the challenge for an aspiring MBA student is to identify that relatively small set of suppliers who are responding to what the ultimate consumer of MBA talent, the employer, has been telling mostly deaf ears over the past decade.

Whether schools feel comfortable with soft-skills training or not, the failure to effectively help students to develop and strengthen those skills represents a considerable diminution of the value of the MBA curricula. The reality is that as business managers rise in their organizations and take on ever-greater responsibilities, the percentage of their time devoted to "people problems" increases exponentially. The CFO of one of the world's largest soft-drink giants, whose training had been in accounting, once told me that 95 percent of his time was spent dealing with people problems; the financial issues had to be compacted into the remaining 5 percent.

Connections: The Ultimate Enduring Value

Finally, we come to probably the most important and most enduring benefit for those MBAs lucky enough to have acquired it: deep, personal relationships with other MBAs. When I talk with MBA graduates about their various experiences and results, regardless of where and when they studied, those who developed close personal relationships cite these as the primary enduring benefit from their MBA programs. For those whose programs failed to foster a strong sense of connection among their student colleagues, the entire MBA experience is discounted as little more than a "hurdle" to have jumped over in pursuit of greater management responsibility, rather than as a time of personal growth, important learning and life-enhancing relationships.

As important as relationship building is to the MBA experience, few programs make a conscious, energetic effort to facilitate that process. That failure diminishes the value of services rendered to their MBA clients, and accordingly leads to lower retention rates and a diminished sense of alumni loyalty and support once the students finish their programs. In other words, ignoring the relationship-building aspect of an MBA program yields the worst case "lose-lose" outcome: a diminished experience for students, diminished retention rates for the school, diminished levels of alumni support and enthusiasm for the school, a diminished reputation for the program and, ultimately, diminished rates of applications and admissions.

This is a colossal loss for both programs and their students, and it's a needless one. Facilitating connections and relationship building can be and ought to be an objective of every credible MBA program, but it takes more than merely providing lounge space for students to congregate before and after classes, or workspace for student teams to hold team meetings. It takes structured programming that either explicitly, or as a by product of building leadership and teaming skills, brings students together in the kind of intensive work (and play) circumstances that foster the development of strong, enduring personal relationships. Outdoor experiential-based training programs, for example, can be woven into a skills-building course in leadership and team development, ideally offering an extended retreat component that keeps a cohort group in close proximity for several days and nights. The result of this kind of investment: the creation of life-long personal relationships.

Alumni who are five, ten and more years removed from their MBA studies say the quality and quantity of lasting personal relationships are the ultimate enduring values of their MBA experience. Prospective MBA students should expect that - should demand that - from their MBA programs.

More About Group Discussions

2007-02-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

Group discussions are formal, organised discussions conducted with the intention of evaluating a candidate in a peer group situation. The group may either be asked to discuss a topic or they might be given a case study. Lately, some institutes have also been coming up with 'Group Tasks', which involve a cooperative effort from the candidates to achieve a task.

But why have group discussions at all? After all, what do GDs test that is not tested in the written exam or during the personal interview? GDs are held because business management is essentially a group activity; working with groups is perhaps the most important parameter of success as a manager.

While different evaluators have different numbers and names for the parameters, a GD essentially tests four parameters:

1. Content
2. Communication skills
3. Group dynamics
4. Leadership

Content

Content is a combination of knowledge and the ability to create coherent logical arguments on the basis of this knowledge. Memorising facts is pointless. A GD requires an in-depth understanding of the various issues around the topic, as well as the ability to analyse the topic and build arguments.

For example, take the topic, 'Peace talks between India and Pakistan is useless/ useful.'

The candidate should be clearly aware this is not a jingoist test for patriotism. Nor should he forget he is discussing the issue with the purpose of getting into a good B-school (if very fortunate, IIM-C, my alma mater) and that his influence on India's foreign policy is zilch.

So an emotional response like 'Peace and Pakistan do not go together. So let's teach the Pakis a lesson. Nuke them!' would, in all probability, get you disqualified. A balanced response would be, 'While it is a fact that very little has resulted from talks with Pakistan, it is certainly good to see the talks continue. The people-to-people interaction as well as the growing maturity shown by both the leaders clearly shows there is a commitment towards peace.'

Please remember your opinion does not matter. The depth of your knowledge and the logical analysis that you show is critical. Unfortunately, such analytical skills are rarely taught at the school and graduate level. So, it is necessary for you to learn this skill and practise before your GD.

Communication skills

Communication is a two way process, resulting in the transmission of information. You must always keep in mind that the role of the listener is critical.

The listener has his own interpretation of what you say. Unless you listen to him, you cannot figure out whether he/ she has understood you.
Unless you listen, the points you make may not fit in with the points made by others. It is very easy for an experienced evaluator (who is called the moderator) to figure out that you aren't listening.

Active listening apart, you also need to possess the following:

The ability to express your ideas is clear and concise manner
The ability to build on others' points
The ability to sum up the discussion made by the entire group

Group dynamics

A GD, as I mentioned earlier, is a formal peer group situation and tests your behaviour as well as your influence on the group. Formal language and mutual respect are obvious requirements. In addition to the above, you need --

Willingness to listen and discuss various points of view. In fact, you must not take strong views at the beginning, and try to analyse the pros and cons of a situation.
Learn to disagree politely, if required. In fact, it is far better to put forward your point of view (when it conflicts with someone else) without specifically saying 'I disagree' or 'You're wrong.'
Show appreciation for good points made by others. You can make a positive contribution by agreeing to and expanding an argument made by someone else.
Size the opportunity to make a summary towards the end, better still, a part summary -- "Okay, so we have discussed x, y, z points. We agree on these and we are discussing these..." Partial agreement or part consensus is a sign of the group's progress. Complete agreement is nearly impossible in the timeframe allotted.

Leadership

One of the most common misconceptions about leadership is that it is all about controlling the group. However, for the GDs that we are talking about, leadership means giving direction to the group in terms of content. It is about initiating the discussion and giving a path for the group to discuss. A good leader is one who allows others to express their views and channels the discussion to a probable decision or conclusion on the given topic.

Types of GDs

Topic-based

Knowledge intensive: Background knowledge of subject is essential for effective participation here. For example, 'Should India go in for full convertibility of the rupee.'
Non-knowledge intensive: Requires structured thinking, but subject knowledge is not required. For example, 'Women make better managers
Abstract: Requires out of the box thinking, analogy and example-based discussion. For example: 'Money is sweeter than honey' or 'Blue is better than red.'

Case studies

A structured discussion of a specific situation, given as a case.

Role plays

Specific case where each participant is allotted a role to play.

Group tasks

Extension of case studies where specific objectives are to be achieved as a group.

Conducting GDs

While there is a great deal of variety in the methodology of conducting a Group Discussion, let's discuss the methodology commonly used for B-school selections:

Normally 8-10 students are taken as a group, though in some cases, up to 16 people may be included in a group. A time of 10-15 minutes is commonly given for the discussion. For a topic-based GD, two to three minutes of thinking time may be given, though often the group is told to start right away. For case studies, however, about 15 minutes thinking time is given.

The evaluation is done by one to two experts, usually professors from the B-school itself, called moderators. Please remember moderators are experts with a lot of experience and can be counted upon to observe all the details of a GD, however chaotic it may be.

The candidates may be seated in a circle or rectangular arrangement, with or without a table. The seating arrangement may be prefixed or there may be free seating.

The discussion may be stopped at the preset time or even earlier. A conclusion or consensus may be asked for, though that usually does not occur. A written summary or an oral summary may be asked for at the end of the discussion from each of the candidates.

How to prepare

Content:

Develop subject knowledge on current affairs, general awareness and business trends.
Structure arguments on selected topics, considering both sides to the argument.
Plan for short and lucid points.

Practice

GD skills cannot be learned from books. Form/ join practice groups.
Get skilled people to observe and give feedback.
Spend a lot of time analysing each GD performance, and plan specific improvements.

GD training programmes are conducted by various CAT training centres. It would definitely be worth joining one of the programmes, so that practice and expert feedback are ensured.

Are you good at group discussion?

2007-02-08T08:56:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen a football game?

Or been a part of a football team?

These questions might seem awkward and absurd when talking about How to crack a Group Discussion to get into a top B-School.

But they are relevant to understand the nuances of a Group Discussion.

Just reiterating the cliche that a Group discussion, or GD, as it is commonly called, is a group process or a team building exercise does not help students.

As in a football game, where you play like a team, passing the ball to each team member and aim for a common goal, GD is also based on team work, incorporating views of different team members to reach a common goal.

A Group Discussion at a B-School can be defined as a formal discussion involving ten to 12 participants in a group.

They are given a topic. After some time, during which they collect their thoughts, the group is asked to discuss the topic for 20 to 25 minutes.

B-Schools use the GD process to assess a candidate's personality traits.

Here are some of the most important personality traits that a candidate should possess to do well at a GD:

1. Team Player

B-Schools lay great emphasis on this parameter because it is essential for managers to be team players.

The reason: Managers always work in teams.

At the beginning of his career, a manager works as a team member. And, later, as a team leader.

Management aspirants who lack team skills cannot be good managers.

2. Reasoning Ability

Reasoning ability plays an important role while expressing your opinions or ideas at a GD.

For example, an opinion like 'Reduction in IIMs' fees will affect quality' can be better stated by demonstrating your reasoning ability and completing the missing links between fees and quality as:

'Reduction in IIMs' fees will result in less funds being invested on study material, student exchange programmes, research, student development activities, etc.

'Moreover, it costs money to attract good faculty, create good infrastructure and upgrade technology.

'With reduction in fees, less money will be available to perform these ,activities which will lead to deterioration in the quality of IIMs.'

3. Leadership

There are three types of situations that can arise in a GD:

~ A GD where participants are unable to establish a proper rapport and do not speak much.
~ A GD where participants get emotionally charged and the GD gets chaotic.
~ A GD where participants discuss the topic assertively by touching on all its nuances and try to reach the objective.

Here, a leader would be someone who facilitates the third situation at a GD.

A leader would have the following qualities:

~S/he shows direction to the group whenever group moves away from the topic.
~S/he coordinates the effort of the different team members in the GD.
~S/he contributes to the GD at regular intervals with valuable insights.
~S/he also inspires and motivates team members to express their views.

Caution: Being a mere coordinator in a GD does not help, because it is a secondary role.

Contribute to the GD with your ideas and opinions, but also try and steer the conversation towards a goal.

4. Flexibility

You must be open to other ideas as well as to the evaluation of your ideas: That is what flexibility is all about.

But first, remember: Never ever start your GD with a stand or a conclusion.

Say the topic of a GD is, 'Should India go to war with Pakistan?'

Some participants tend to get emotionally attached to the topic and take a stand either in favour or against the topic, ie 'Yes, India should', or, 'No, India should not'.

By taking a stand, you have already given your decision without discussing the topic at hand or listening to the views of your team members.

Also, if you encounter an opposition with a very strong point at the 11th hour, you end up in a typical catch-22 situation:

~If you change your stand, you are seen as a fickle-minded or a whimsical person.
~If you do not change your stand, you are seen as an inflexible, stubborn and obstinate person.

5. Assertiveness

You must put forth your point to the group in a very emphatic, positive and confident manner.

Participants often confuse assertiveness with aggressiveness.

Aggressiveness is all about forcing your point on the other person, and can be a threat to the group. An aggressive person can also demonstrate negative body language, whereas an assertive person displays positive body language.

6. Initiative

A general trend amongst students is to start a GD and get the initial kitty of points earmarked for the initiator.

But that is a high risk-high return strategy.

Initiate a GD only if you are well versed with the topic. If you start and fail to contribute at regular intervals, it gives the impression that you started the GD just for the sake of the initial points.

Also, if you fumble, stammer or misquote facts, it may work against you.

Remember: You never ever get a second chance to create a first impression.

7. Creativity/ Out of the box thinking

An idea or a perspective which opens new horizons for discussion on the GD topic is always highly appreciated.

When you put across a new idea convincingly, such that it is discussed at length by the group, it can only be positive.

You will find yourself in the good books of the examiner.

8. Inspiring ability

A good group discussion should incorporate views of all the team members.

If some team members want to express their ideas but are not getting the opportunity to do so, giving them an opportunity to express their ideas or opinions will be seen as a positive trait.

Caution: If a participant is not willing to speak, you need not necessarily go out of the way to ask him to express his views. This may insult him and hamper the flow of the GD.

9. Listening

Always try and strike a proper balance between expressing your ideas and imbibing ideas.

10. Awareness

You must be well versed with both the micro and macro environment.

Your awareness about your environment helps a lot in your GD content, which carries maximum weightage.

Caution: The content or awareness generally constitutes 40 to 50 percent marks of your GD.

Apart from these qualities, communication skills, confidence and the ability to think on one's feet are also very important.

COMMANDMENTS FOR PERSONAL INTERVIEWS

2007-01-30T10:53:00.000-08:00

To begin with, there are four main focus areas in any personal interview:

1.Personal details
2.Academic details
3.Your background
4.Current affairs

Even after months of preparation, some candidates do not perform well inside the interview room.

The trick is to follow the below commandments practice them during mock interview sessions diligently. You are sure to crack the personal interview.

1. Whenever the interviewer asks any questions, listen carefully. Do not interrupt him midway. Ask for a clarification if the question is not clear. Wait a second or two before you answer. And don't dive into the answer!

2. Speak clearly. Don't speak very slowly. Be loud enough so that the interviewers don't have to strain their ears.

3. Brevity is the hallmark of a good communicator. An over-talkative or verbose person is disliked and misjudged instantly, so keep it short.

4. If you don't know an answer, be honest. The interviewer will respect your integrity and honesty. Never exaggerate.

5. Never boast about your achievements. Don't be overconfident -- it is often misinterpreted by interviewers for arrogance.

6. Don't get into an argument with the interviewer on any topic. Restrain yourself, please!

7. Remember your manners. Project an air of humility and be polite.

8. Project enthusiasm. The interviewer usually pays more attention if you display enthusiasm in whatever you say.

9. Maintain a cheerful disposition throughout the interview, because a pleasant countenance holds the interviewers' interest.

10. Maintain perfect eye contact with all panel members; make sure you address them all. This shows your self-confidence and honesty.

11. Avoid using slang. It may not be understood and will certainly not be appreciated.

12. Avoid frequent use of words and phrases like, 'I mean'; 'You know'; 'I know'; 'Well'; 'As such'; 'Fine'; 'Basically', etc.

13. When questions are asked in English, reply in English only. Do not use Hindi or any other languages. Avoid using Hindi words like matlab, ki, maine, etc.

14. Feel free to ask questions if necessary. It is quite in order and much appreciated by interviewers.

15. Last but not the least, be natural. Many interviewees adopt a stance that is not their natural self. Interviewers find it amusing when a candidate launches into a new accent that s/he cannot sustain consistently through the interview or adopts a mannerism that is inconsistent with their own personality.

It is best to talk naturally. You come across as genuine.

Mind your body language!

1. Do not keep shifting your position.

2. Your posture during the interview adds to or diminishes your personality. Be a little conscious of your posture and gestures. They convey a lot about your personality.

3. Sit straight. Keep your body still. You may, of course, use your hand gestures freely.

4. Avoid these mannerisms at all costs:

Playing with your tie
Theatrical gestures
Shaking legs
Sitting with your arms slung over the back of the adjoining chair

Post interview etiquette

1. Make sure you thank the interviewers as a mark of respect for the time they have spared for you.

2. As you rise and are about to leave, make sure you collect up your pen/ pencil/ all other stationery.

3. After getting up, place your chair in its original position.

The last word

1. Some institutes (like the Faculty of Management Studies) ask you to deliver an extempore speech suddenly while the interview is going on. Be mentally prepared for the same.

2. Competition will be very tough. Every mistake you commit will turn into an advantage for the other candidates. Hence, be very particular about your preparation. Do not leave anything to chance or the last minute.

3. Remember you have to sell yourself in an interview.

4. Be very particular about what you write in your resume. Check and re-check your resume for facts, spelling errors, etc. Ensure that there are no grammatical errors in the descriptive type questions in the sheet.

HOW TO FINANCE YOUR EDUCATION ABROAD

2007-01-19T11:03:00.001-08:00

There are several options available for financing one’s education abroad. But these options can be tough to obtain and sometimes, even misleading in the support they actually render.

Some of the most prominent forms of aid available through universities are :

Fellowship / Scholarship :
In case of a fellowship, the student is offered a complete tuition waiver and a stipend for bearing living expenses/ Fellowships are mostly merit-based, meaning they are based on one’s academic performance, test scores and SOP or application essay. Several but not all US schools offer scholarship and aid to foreign students.

In addition, the student can find out about trusts in their home country that provide merit based scholarship. For example, HSBC India Student scholarships, Jawaharlal Nehru Scholarships for doctoral studies, K. C. Mahindra Education Trust.

Assistantship :
Assistantships require students to provide service to the university and they are paid a stipend for it. In some cases, the tuition is waived while in other cases, the students are put in the in-state category (40%-50%) reduction in tuition) wherein the tuition gets reduced sufficiently.

Graduate Assistantship (GA) :
The positions include computer lab consultants, student helper at the graduate office and library. It helps if the student has specific computing skills and organizational abilities when applying for these positions. Students are also assigned short – term projects like maintaining the college Web page, data entry jobs or data base maintenance.

Teaching Assistantship (TA) :
Two kinds of teaching assistants at the universities, one who are given grading assignments and the other who are given teaching assignments. Schools have on Oral English Proficiency Test for selecting candidates for the teaching position. The students would be expected to have done the same course or a similar course for a teaching position.

Research Assistantship (RA) :
Research assistantship usually requires the students to assist the faculty member in research activities. Some universities have a non thesis option for students, which require only course work as degree requirements. In some schools only students opting for a thesis option are eligible for RA. Normally the student with a thesis option works on the thesis under the person for whom the works as research assistant. The student should contact the concerned departments describing his research interest.

Tuition Waiver :
In this case, the university waives partial tuition fees or full tuition fees. However, general fees (for the use of university facilities like the library, computers, sports and health services) and the living expenses usually have to be borne by the student. Tuition waiver is generally granted along with TA, RA or scholarship.

On campus jobs :
The international student visa permits them to work on campus on a part time basis for 20 hours per week. The positions include student helpers at the university bookstore, campus past office, dining halls, supervisory roles at graduate housing office, etc. The students are paid on an hourly basis and the amount would normally be sufficient to cover one’s living expenses.

Cooperative education:
Universities that are situated in locations with a high concentration of industries offer a cooperative education option to the students. After the first semester or year of study, depending on the student’s grades, the international student’s office issues a practical training card to the student that allows him to work off- campus for up to 20 hours a week. The work, however, has to be related to the chosen field of specialization and the student needs to maintain a certain GPA throughout the rest of the course.

Ph.D. students are preferred for offering scholarships or assistantships since the university would want them to be free of financial obligations and focus completely on their research work.

Also, Ph.D. students are looked upon as a great asset to the school since they would effectively contribute to the school’s resources through their work, hence that bias in funding.

MBA student on the other hand have very few schools offering financial assistance. Assistantships and other such “ working programs” are very rarely awarded to MBA students due to the intensive nature of their program; in fact a lot of universities clearly bar students from taking up any such assignment.

Other sources of funding:

Loans :
Educational loans differ from the usual loans by the fact that they have to be repaid only after the course is complete.

The free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used by US citizens and permanent residents (holder of a “green card”) to apply for financial aid from the US federal and state governments. Colleges and universities also use the information submitted on the FAFSA for computing need –based awards. International students are not eligible for US government aid programmes (Pell Grant, SEPG Grant, Stafford Loan, Perkins Loan, Plus Loan, and Federal Work– Study).

Since the above possibility is ruled out in case of international students, they have only two options left.

Loans from banks in the home Country :
Quite a few banks give educational loans. Students could approach the bank and make provisions for at least part of the funding required. Parents or the working spouse can take personal / educational loan. However, a sizeable collateral is required and the amount is subject to a ceiling of Rs 15 Lakh.

Loans from US banks :
A few US banks offer student loans to international students if the loan is co –signed by a creditworjy US citizen or permanent resident (holder of a “green card”). Loans are very expensive and should be a last resort for foreign students. There are some banks that waive the co-signer requirement for specific schools. One needs to check this information from the school web site. For example, Citibank provides loans to international students admitted to Harvard business school without a co-signer.

How I Cracked CAT?

2007-01-17T11:02:00.000-08:00

I read this article somewhere over the internet n i think it wud be useful for everybody....so im sharing dis guy's experience n his pieces of advice.

Name: Manisha Bhatia

My background: B.A. Corporate, Ethiraj College, Chennai. Ist year NMIMS, Mumbai. Planning to specialize in Finance and Marketing.

With just five months left before Dec 9, 2001, I started my preparations. There were two things which were absolutely clear in my mind. This is, what I have always wanted to do and that there was to be only one chance in which I could prove myself.

When I started going for the coaching classes, I felt unsure, vague and even terrified. I was low on self confidence. The entire batch as I saw had a few brain boxes (u recognise those types on sight) and a few people who had attempted these exams earlier and finally people like me. On a deeper observation, I found that everyone was scared like me....the serious ones, I mean. That is what gave me the impetus to work harder. That was where I started having an edge over others. I prepared for topics in advance. I approached the profs who used to take classes with my doubts. That was none the easier with me. I am a shy person and takes a lot for me to approach someone. But above all, I took everything that was told in the class seriously.

I prepared the way I was told. I read newspapers, magazines, novels......anything which could enrich my vocabulary and add on to my knowledge of current affairs. Eventually confidence started to build up. It only made me work harder. Honestly, there is no substitute for hard work. And the results started to show. I was sharper and more observant. Those moments of self doubt still persisted. It was then that I started planning for the mock exams I took. I experimented and planned my stratergies which suited me. Of course, I needed lot of guidance which I got from a lot of sources. There were many people who stood behind me and many people tried to discourage me. But I was optimistic, cause I firmly believed in my goals.

I really mixed up with a lot of fellow students and the faculty as well. Their experiences brought a few things in a better perspective. Also, I made a definite list of my strengths and weaknesses. This act of spelling out my strengths and weaknesses on paper really helped me a lot. And I put my heart and soul in improving thoses weak areas.

I cleared the written tests of MICA, BIM - Trichy, NMIMS and LIBA. During mock GD and interviews, I consulted a lot of people and built a strong plan for myself. This process is one I felt and put me through a series of difficult and some overpowering emotions. But it is the way you deal with them that helps you clear these exams. And of course, singleminded hard work. I got admissions into MICA, LIBA and NMIMS.

I wish all of you success in your pursuit of an MBA.

Data Interpretation (DI)

2007-01-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

Data Interpretation (DI) - what does it comprise?

Data Interpretation accounted for 50 marks questions in the Common Admissions Tests (CAT) since CAT 2001. CAT 2005 had 30 questions in this section. 10 of the 30 questions were 1 mark questions and the remaining 20 were 2 marks questions.

Data Intrepretation section can be broadly classified as comprising two types of questions.

Data Interpretation (DI)
In these questions data is presented either in the form of a table or a bar chart or a pie chart or a line graph or as a combination of one of these formats. Following each of these data presentations, there will be 4 to 6 questions. You are expected to answer the questions by interpreting the data given in the table or graph. Here is a sample data interpretation question. Click here for sample DI question »
Data Sufficiency (DS)
Every Data Sufficiency problem consists of a question followed by two statements. You have to decide NOT WHAT THE ANSWER IS, BUT WHETHER THE QUESTION CAN BE ANSWERED based on the information given in the two statements.

CAT exams till 2004 had DS questions either as part of the quant section or as part of the DI section. CAT 2005 did not have any DS questions at all. However, one cannot rule out such questions in future CAT exams. Click here for sample DS question »

CAT Quantitative Ability (Quant / Math)

2007-01-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

The Quant (Math) section in CAT accounts for 50 marks worth of questions out of the 150 marks worth of questions that appear in CAT. The quant section in CAT is presumably the toughest section in CAT.

CAT Math comprises the following topics

1) Arithmetic - Click on the links given below for details of each topic and accesing an archive of sample questions from the following topics in Arithmetic.
o Number Systems
o Percentages
o Profit and Loss
o Interest
o Speed, Time and Distance
o Pipes and Cisterns
o Races
o Averages
o Ratio, Proportion
o Mixtures and Alligations

2) Algebra - Click on the links given below for accesing an archive of sample questions from the following topics in Algebra.
o Permutation & Combination
o Probability
o Function
o Logarithm, Progressions, etc...

3) Geometry - Click on the links given below for accesing an archive of sample questions from the following topics in Geometry.
o Geometry
o Trigonometry
o Mensuration

Reading Comprehension

2007-01-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

During the 90s till 1998 the verbal section constituted around 50-60%
of the total questions thereby giving the edge to those with good command over the language especially since a lot of vocabulary based questions were asked.

But from 1999 the trend changed, now all three sections have equal
weightage The pattern and type of questions also showed a distinct change in 2001, stress was more on usage of words while regulars like Para jumbles were dropped. The best way to gather them will be general reading.

Even though all the coaching institutes give word list they serve only a limited purpose as the stress in CAT is on usage of words and phrases rather than on their dictionary meaning.
Another aspect (especially looking at the last year paper) as far as CAT
questions regarding reading comprehension are concerned is that they were relatively easy as far as the length and the subject matter of the
passages were concerned. But the questions were largely essence-centric as opposed to the data-centric questions which were asked in previous CAT examinations.

It could have been cracked with ease provided the reader was used to
reading a wide variety of topics and assimilate new information very fast.
Keeping this in mind the 3 most effective weapons in our hands will be :
Vocabulary with stress on idiomatic usage Extremely fast reading speed
Reading a wide variety of topics

Now let us see how our reading habits can help us achieve all the 3
above-mentioned objectives. We all usually indulge in two distinct
types of
reading, which are performed differently
1. Pleasure reading -- Comics, novels etc.
2. Study / Information reading -- Academic books, Newspapers,
Magazines etc.

But, CAT or any other MBA entrance requires a combination of
'skimming' and
demanding' reading.

For this I would recommend a regular reading of atleast two newspapers
like The Hindu, Economist, Business Standard etc. and atleast one
magazine like Frontline. The input you will receive in terms of
language and content is unbeatable. Specially spend more time on the editorial section.
Those of you who find it difficult to get a copy, can always browse
through the online editions available at www.economist.com, www.hindugrouponnet etc.

Lets start with vocabulary. In addition to reading that is mentioned
above, lots of resources are available on the net like www.yourdictionary.com which sends you a new word with meaning and usage by mail every day for free, so do search for these and similar resources in the web. Another good one is the word power booklets published by Readers Digest. So please ensure that you spend around 2 hours on general reading. By any means possible build a large repertoire of words and be clear as to their usage.

Second is speed-reading which is immensely beneficial for attempting
RC. The good thing about RC is that once you have gone through the passage properly the chances of making mistakes is minimal. In CAT you can expect passages from such diverse topics like psychology and economics to rocket science and medicine, like in 2001 there was a passage from a critique on a Kurosowa film. You can also try some speed reading techniques, which can make a dramatic improvement to your reading speed. Some interesting softwares are available for it too on the net. The search bar on your right can be used to lead you to an invaluable treasure trove of such resources (type in keywords "speed reading techniques".

The third issue is that of diverse reading. As mentioned above, most
of the passages are not what we read in day-to-day life. Whenever we read something with which we are not conversant with, the technical terms and nuances involved prove to be a red herring. They require more understanding than a topic we already know about. A commerce graduate would like a topic on say mutual funds while a software engineer would love a passage on say data storage mechanism. While its agreed that one can not be an expert in all the fields at once, the more diverse once reading habits are, the better are his chances of increasing his comfort level with new topics.

Finally, as a bonus, your general awareness, which is of paramount
importance for GDs as well as Interviews, improve exponentially too.
Remember that one needs to stress more on opinions formed over issues, rather than remember facts and figures. One needs to consciously try and create one's own stand on issues. For this reading editorials would be extremely beneficial, especially sections like Black&White which features on the Sunday Times of India.

Some other Principles which can be used for effective reading for RC are:

1. Make a reading speed check everyday. This means that always
keep an eye on your reading speed and count the number of words you are able to read and understand on a daily basis.

2.Try to push your speed everyday. Comprehension will pick up in due course of time.

3. Read the editorials everyday and try to summarize the main points.
Also time your reading in the editorial.

VERBAL ABILITY - ANTONYMS

2007-01-05T09:34:00.000-08:00

Antonym questions account for about one quarter of the marks on the verbal section of GRE. Antonyms test your vocabulary.

Unlike some of the questions in the other verbal sections, antonyms are simple and quite direct.

You are given one word and then find another word that is most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning.

Sometimes more than one answer is plausible; in these cases you'll be distinguishing shades of meaning.

Directions

Choose the answer key corresponding to the word with a meaning most nearly opposite to the meaning of word in capital letters.
Example:

OBDURATE

(A) amenable
(B) stubborn
(C) rash
(D) vacuous
(E) advanced

The best way to approach these questions depends on how familiar you are with the words in the question.

In essence, antonym questions are a gauge of your vocabulary.

Sometimes, they go after your ability to reason a little, but for the most part, it's vocabulary.

Which means that, beyond learning the strategies we're about to outline, the best thing you can do to help yourself do well is build your vocabulary.

If you're familiar with all the words in the question, then you may not need to think much about how you approach the question. Just jump right in and find the best answer.

You may, however, find yourself in a situation where you thought you were familiar with all the vocabulary, and yet none of the answers quite seems to work.

First off, relax. You recognize the words; you're halfway there.

Next, remind yourself that the best choice is a specific and exact antonym.

Then give yourself a minute to really think about what the question word could mean.

Occasionally, you'll find that the first word has more than one meaning, and the test-makers are trying to see if you recognize its less common usage or form.

If you don't know all the words, there are a couple of different ways for you to go.

One way is to try and unpack the meaning yourself. This means getting at the core or root of the word.

Begin by stripping off any prefixes or suffixes. These include parts like "-ing," "un-," "pre-," "-in", "-able" and so forth.

What are you left with? You can often guess the meaning once you've arrived at the root, the core of the word.

Verbal Ability & Reasoning

2007-01-04T10:35:00.000-08:00

Verbal ability and reasoning section contains 25 to 30 marks questions in the verbal section and the reamining 20 to 25 marks questions are Reading comprehension questions.

In CAT 2004 there were 0.5, 1 and 2 marks questions in the verbal section and in CAT 2005 there were 1 mark and 2 marks questions in the verbal section.

The questions that typically appear in the verbal section can be classified in one of the following types

Vocabulary Based
Questions that appear on vocabulary could be plain vanilla "synonym - antonym" questions as it appeared in CAT 2001, CAT 2002. Alternatively, the questions on vocabulary may appear as fill in the blank with the appropriate word as it appeared in the 0.5 marks section of CAT 2004 or as part of the 2 marks section in CAT 2005.

There have been interesting variations to this question as in CAT 2001 and CAT 2002 where a simple word was given. Four alternate usages for the word was given and four different shades of meaning for the word was given. One had to match the usage with the appropriate meaning. A sample of such a question is given if you follow the link at the bottom of the page.

However, please note that the emphasis on vocabulary has been on the decline and the need to memorize meanings of words such as "pleonasm" or "pterodactyl" is not essential to crack such questions in CAT.
English Usage / Grammar
Sentence correction or Grammar based questions appear in different flavours in the CAT verbal section. It could be questions where you are asked to spot the section of a sentence that is gramatically incorrect or it could be questions where a part of a sentence in underlined and you are provided with four alternative choices to correct the underlined part.

More recently in CAT 2005, questions on grammar included those where a set of 4 sentences were given and you had to find out how many out of the 4 sentences were gramatically correct.

A good understanding of the basics of English grammar coupled with adequate exercises on the different types of common errors that appear in CAT will help you sail through these kinds of questions.
Verbal Reasoning
These questions could take multiple forms. The most common one is that of rearranging sentences of a paragraph. It could also include paraphrasing what has been said in a paragraph. In some CAT papers questions similar to the ones that appear in the Critical Reasoning section of GMAT have been tested.

Click here for a Sample Test Paper

What is CAT all about ??

2007-01-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

The Common Admission Test or CAT as it is popularly known, is a multiple choice written exam designed to test a candidate’s ability & aptitude, under a time constraint. Held by the IIMs, CAT has now become the entrance examination for several other leading institutes.CAT tests your skills in five broad areas viz.

1. Verbal ability and reasoning
2. Reading Comprehension
3. Quantitative skills
4. Data Interpretation
5. Analytical and Logical reasoning.

The test comprised 90 questions divided into 3 sections in the year 2005. Typically this test can be expected to comprise between 75 to 150 objective type questions and is usually divided into three to four sections. Each question has a question statement followed by four alternate answer choices and the candidate has to choose the best answer for each of the questions and mark it on a special Optical Reader answer sheet.
Over the years, the number of questions being asked in CAT has been decreasing steadily. While the early 90s witnessed 180 to 200 questions, the late 90s, specifically CAT 1999 and CAT 2000 had 165 questions each. CAT 2001, CAT 2002 and CAT 2003 had only 150 questions each and these 150 questions were divided into three sections of 50 questions each. There were 123 questions in CAT 2004 and only 90 in CAT 2005. CAT 2004 and CAT 2005 both had differential marks to questions. There were 0.5 marks, 1 mark and 2 marks questions.

The duration of the test is of 120 minutes. This literally translates to answering a CAT question in 48 seconds. Most successful aspirants do not attempt anything more than 120 plus questions. And quite a lot of them attempt between 70 and 90 marks worth of questions. The key to success, therefore, lies in two important parameters

1. The accuracy or strike rate
While each correct answer carries 0.5 or 1 or 2 positive mark, each incorrect question carries 1/3rd of the marks allocated to it as negative marks. Hence, it is important to get a strike rate of over 85% - that is reduce the number of negatives.

2. Smart Selection
As it is clear that you will not be generally able to attempt all 150 marks question, and you skip between 60 to 80 questions, key to success lies in selecting questions properly. Hence, there are no kudos, nobel prizes or awards waiting for attempting the tough questions. Be smart to choose, the easiest of the questions and the ones that you have practised a lot and smash them. Do not venture into unsafe territories or to questions which you only have a vague idea.

CAT and entrance tests of other top B Schools are a unique breed of entrance exams. They focus on testing some of the basic qualities essential for managers - the grit to work hard, smartness to choose the best alternative, quick thinking and above all perseverance.

Exams like IIT JEE test the depth of your knowledge, while the Civil Services exams test your width of knowledge. CAT evaluates your presence of mind and the ability to perform under pressure. You cannot prepare for CAT during the last 10 days, as one generally does for semester exams. A minimum of 3 to 9 months of regular preparation is essential.

Main Examinations 'n' Admission Process

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These are some of the main examinations for admissions to Indian B-schools --

Common Admission Test (CAT)
Common Entrance Test (CET)
Joint Management Entrance Test (JMET)
Management Aptitude Test (MAT)
Xavier Admission Test (XAT)
AIMS Test for Management Admissions (ATMA)
Symbiosis National Aptitude Test (SNAP)
Faculty of Management Studies, New Delhi (FMS)
Narsee Monjee, Mumbai (NMAT)
Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi (IIFT)
ICFAI university (IBSAT)

Admission Requirements-
Eligibility:
The minimum requirements for almost all institutes to seek admission to their Master’s Degree / Post-Graduate Diploma in Management are : ·

A Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent) in any discipline, with at least 50% aggregate marks
(45% for reserved categories)
OR
Appearing at the final-year examination of a post 10+2 course. of minimum three years’ duration, leading to an award of a Bachelor’s Degree, in any discipline of a statutory university in India (so recognised by the Association of Indian Universities)
OR
Post-Graduate applicants having at least 50% marks (45% for reserved categories) in either their Bachelor’s or Post-Graduate Degrees.

Note : Some institutes also require that applicants have 50% at 10th and/or 12th level. Some also have higher eligibility percentages (55-60%) at graduation level.

Prospectus and Application Forms

Most institutes advertise in all leading newspapers, indicating where, when and how interested candidates may apply for prospectus and application forms. On receipt of duly filled application forms, the institutes issue test admit cards which entitles the candidate to take the entrance test.
The Prospectus for various institutes are priced anywhere between Rs. 300/- to Rs. 1000/-. Most of the institutes include the examination fee in this price. However some may ask for additional amount as examination fee. Considering the high cost of appearing for an entrance test, it is advised that students must plan out in advance about which exams they would like to take up seriously and fill up only those forms.

Written Test

The first phase of selection of candidates for admission to the Masters / Post-Graduate Diploma in Management is on the basis of their performance in a Written Test. This seeks to test the aptitude of the candidates in four major areas - Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Ability and Business Data Interpretation.
Some institutes also ask Business and General Awareness questions while some may include an essay writing section.

Group Discussion & Interview

After the entrance exam every institute shortlists candidates for qualitative assessment which mainly includes two stages.
1)Group Discussion.
2)Personal Interview.

IIM Bangalore also has a test on essay writing.
SP Jain Mumbai has a Group Interview.
XLRI Jamshedpur only has an Interview and no GD.
FMS Delhi also has an extempore speech as part of the selection process.

Leadership abilities, good grasp, analytical thought process, communication skills and other personality attributes are assessed via this stage of selection.

Final selection is based on assessment based on marks in the written exam, the Group Discussions and Personal Interview. Work experience is given additional weightage at most of the institutes.

M.B.A. Overview

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Students entering business school to earn their MBA degree will need varied skills and have basic proficiency in certain areas. The level of math skills necessary in business school will vary depending on the program. Many Master of Business Administration programs require statistics, algebra, and most likely, calculus. You may want to refresh your skills if they are in question before entering an MBA program. Most business schools require the use of personal computers throughout your MBA program. Many schools will require that you have your own laptop. Though the extent to which you use a computer will vary, you should be comfortable with word processing, spreadsheets and databases. Each school will give you their minimum basic requirements for computer skills and hardware/software needs.

Schools today attempt to mimic the business environment in their academic programs by using student teams. As corporations have increasingly turned to teams to work on projects and to solve problems, MBA programs have transformed a larger portion of course work from individual work to teamwork. Many master of business administration programs now include teambuilding training as team building workshops, or as a subject in organizational behavior courses. Teams may be formed for the purpose of one project in one course or they may remain together for months, working on multiple courses. In the competitive setting of MBA programs, the cooperation of students in teambuilding exercises is often difficult. Students that participate in team activities find that working with others takes up a lot of academic time.

The fundamentals of business are taught in every MBA program. Economics, finance, accounting, organizational behavior, marketing, and statistics are in the basic repertoire for master of business administration programs. In business school these subjects are considered a core group of courses required of every student. These core courses make up the first year of study in a two-year full-time program. In some programs, students who have a prior background in business can bypass some or all of the core courses on the basis of either a special examination or an evaluation of the undergraduate transcript.

MBA

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Correct Word Usage-VI

Correct Word Usage-V

Correct Word Usage-IV

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Correct Usage -III

Correct Usage - II

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RC

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VERBAL ABILITY - ANTONYMS

Choose the answer key corresponding to the word with a meaning most nearly opposite to the meaning of word in capital letters.Example:

The best way to approach these questions depends on how familiar you are with the words in the question.

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Main Examinations 'n' Admission Process

M.B.A. Overview

Choose the answer key corresponding to the word with a meaning most nearly opposite to the meaning of word in capital letters.
Example: