Before we talk of number system, lets discuss the question which I asked in comment #10 on article 3.

The answer is 10%. Let’s see how to get the answer. After explaining how to get the answer, I will give you the logic. 100-85 = 15, 100-80 = 20, 100-75 = 25, 100-70 = 30. Now 15 + 20 + 25 + 30 = 90. This 90 when subtracted from 100 is 10 which is the answer.
Logic: ————–|————————|———————————|————————————–|————–
Say this line above represents 100% of the girls. The Red ones(upto first ‘|” mark) are the ones who are not fair and therefore the balance i.e. the black ones are fair. Similarly the blue ones(from first ‘|’ mark and upto 2nd ‘|” mark) on the line do not have blue eyes. Therefore the rest i.e. red ones and black ones do have blue eyes. And similarly the yellow ones(from 2nd ‘|’ mark and upto 3rd ‘|” mark) are not tall and therefore the rest i.e. red, blue and black are tall. And similarly the green ones(from 3rd ‘|’ mark and upto 4th ‘|” mark) are not rich and therefore the rest i.e. red, blue and yellow and black, are. See carefully now, these are the black ones who have all the four characteristics. And this will be 10%.

I do not have a solution better than this. Here note that I have kept the ‘Don’t have’ disjoint to arrive at ‘have ‘at least’’. The method is useful only in this type of question. And note that this ques(with diff data) has been asked many times in last 12 CATs and many other exams. Ques: Is this Maths? No. But its common sense.

Number system comprises of rational and irrational numbers, positive and negative numbers, even and odd numbers, prime and composite numbers. It also has Natural numbers, whole numbers, Integers, Perfect numbers, co-prime numbers etc. I am assuming that all of you know all this. If not, then please read any book. Please note you will, almost always find a ques on these in CAT.

So here come a few questions for you. Real CAT type questions.

Q1: 3ab59 = x + y. x and y are natural numbers and x < y. Both x and y are prime. What is x?

Q2: 2^10 = 1024. 1024 = p + q. p and q both are integers. p < q. Both p and q are not even. Both p and q are not odd. None of the two is negative. What is p? What is q?

Q3: How many rational numbers exists between two rational numbers?

Q4: Give one rational number between 1.3333……. and 1.4444…….(Both are recurring decimal numbers).

Q5: How many perfect numbers are there which are greater than 100?

Divisibility rules: If you want to understand divisibility rules of a number, I suggest instead of mugging the things, look into the multiples of a number. You will be able to see a trend/pattern almost always. If you don’t, then keep looking for the pattern, you will for sure find a pattern, almost always. Caution: Not all the numbers have divisibility rules. But these are only few. So few that u could be effected practically. I will talk more about divisibility rules with passage of time and with your feedback.

Q6: If a^b+b^a=100, where a and b are natural numbers, find the number of pairs of (a,b) such that the product a.b is maximum.(Ques by Courtesy of Mr.Rajneesh Tripathi)

Q7. Is X = 42.317317317…….(recurring), a rational number or irrational? If it’s rational, what is it’s p/q form. (Ques by Courtesy of Mr.Rajneesh Tripathi)(I suggest in this ques note the time in which u solved this question).

Q8. X = 0.ababab………(recurring). X is multiplied by Y and the result is an integer. What can Y be?
98 b) 198 c)298 d)398 e) None of these

Q9: 1001 ^ 1001 is expanded and sum of the digits is taken. Now sum of the digits of ‘sum of the digits from previous calculation’ is taken. And so on till we get a single digit. What will be this digit?

Q10. abcde x 4 = edcba. What are a, b, c, d and e respectively. a, b, c, d and e are all distinct.

Only this much for now. I am sure all of you will be able to post the answers within 24 hours. I think that should be enough time for you for you are preparing for a 2.5 hour exam having about 75 questions.

All d best to all of you.

VM (& Rajneesh)

P.S.: Mr.Rajneesh Tripathi is a seasoned CAT trainer, teaching for last 6+ years. He is joining our team now on and will be an invaluable resource to all of you and to us as well.Similar Posts:

• Everything about MBA entrance exams…# 3
• Everything about MBA entrance exams…# 2
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First of all, I thank you all for showing your interest by posting your comments on my 1st post.

As I mentioned in my last post that I will be writing about ‘How to prepare for MBA in long run’, here it comes.

Lets Understand 1 thing first. People(CAT experts) say that CAT is an aptitude test. My ques to that statement is, what kind of aptitude does it check. My ans when I don’t want to ans is, It checks ‘Managerial aptitude’. What I have not told here is, what is managerial aptitude? Now, my suggestion to all is, tell me what do u think is the managerial aptitude?

What is my understanding of managerial aptitude, I will post that soon. Not posting for I want all of you to brain storm about it. BRAIN STORM: thats one of the things which makes managerial aptitude. Hey guys, so if u read all my posts carefully(over a period of time), u will understand what it is, though I will write explicitly what it is.

In this post my focus is on, what to do to develop that managerial aptitude.

So, here I a few things you should do on a regular basis(daily) not till u clear CAT but even in those 2 years and years after that.

1. Start reading DELHI TIMES. Hey, I am marketing TOI for no salary. Most of the CAT teachers will say, be away from DELHI TIMES. Guys, see it from my eyes. There is SUDOKU, KAKURO, SPELLATHON, CROSS WORDS, MIND BLENDER, LOOP THE LOOP etc. in all 7 or 8 such things. I suggest start spending time on these things. Initially you may end up spending 2 to 3 hours on these, but soon, with a little practice your time will come down to 50 minutes approx. As of now, try solving these spendng as much time as you can, per day.

2. Pick up some puzzle books. There are 3 books by Shauntala Devi. They are good. Pls note here that Shakuntala devi has not written these books for CAT and other MBA entrance exams. So many puzzles there, u may not feel that they are useful for CAT. Never mind. Since you do not know what is useful for CAT and what is not, in thise books, I suggest you better concentrate on solving those puzzles. Guys, 3 books taken together, you have to solve just 5 puzzles per day. And beware. Solutions are there at the back. DO NOT, DO NOT for god sake refer to solutions till you have tried solving a puzzle at least 5 times, on 5 different days. Just match your answers.

3. Start reading some novels. U should be an avid reader. U shud have 1 novel going, always. I know some of u hate reading novels. But then a manager has to read many reports he is not interested in. So u will have to develop this habit of reading. To name a few good novels, I will say, ATLAS SHRUGGED, GONE WITH THE WIND, THIRD WAVE, FUTURE SHOCK, POWER SHIFT, MADE IN JAPAN, BUSINESS @ SPEED OF THOUGHT, GOD OF SMALL THINGS, LEE IOCOCCA-An Autobiography, CHICKEN SOUP(all editions), THE TOYOTA WAY, ZEN & ART OF MOTOR CYCLE MAINTENANCE, DAVINCI CODE, SOPHIE’S WORLD, PRIDE & PREJUDICE are some good ones to start. For those who will start reading novels for the first time, 5 POINT SOMEONE, 1 NIGHT @ CALL CENTRE, ALCHEMIST, Books by Sydney Sheldon, TO SIR WITH LOVE, WHO MOVED MY CHEESE, 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE, WHALE DONE, RICH DAD POOR DAD are some of the good ones. Typically 1 novel should be finished in 4 to 10 days, spending about 2 hours a day. For those who don’t have time to read that much, I will suggest use, ‘time of travelling’, ‘time of waiting for ur turn at doctor’s clinic’ etc., to read.

4. Read at least 1 newspaper a day. I like TOI bt for MBA prep I will suggest HINDU as 1st choice, INDIAN EXPRESS as 2nd. I suggest start with any 1.

5. Read a Financial Newspaper, daily, at least Mon to Fri. I like ET, you may start with any other as well.

6. Subscribe EPW, a weekly magazine, Economic & Political Weekly. www.epw.org. If I can recall properly, in 2004 there was a RC which was a part of one of the articles from EPW. Read THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, TIMES MAGAZINE, AND ECONOMISTS. You should read these regularly. A must for your good health.

7. Read a general magazine like Outlook, India today etc. and a business magazine Business world, business today etc. regularly.

8. Play Minesweeper. Play Chess. Play Poker, teen patti of and on.

9. Solve some puzzles on internet, average 10 puzzles a week.

10. For Grammar pick up Raymond Murphy(Beginner) and read 3 chapter a day. And read them 2-3 times till u get everything in your head. U may like to pick Wren & Martin. Ok with me. 1 Chapter a day.

11. Word power made easy – by norman louis. Read a chapter a day and follow the instructions inside. In addition, pick up any tutorials word list and start mugging up 25 words a day. Its a boring exercise. What do you say? Follow my method. Learn 25 new words of A the first day. 2nd day 25 new words of B and revise old words of A. 3rd day 25 new words of C and revise old words of A & B and so on. Revise maximum 4 old alphabets. In additon, you the tricks given here by Bhuvanesh. They are good.

12. And now the last thing, my favorite subject. Maths or Problem Solving as it is called. Don’t worry. This is the easiest subject to learn. U don’t believe me. Ohh i c…

Lets see what are people’s comment abt what i said, that its the most easiest subject to learn.

Guys, I want your feedback, not with respect to what u feel abt what I have written, but with respect to how you feel after following this schedule religiously for at least 5 to 7 days.

Happy START of your preparations…

Wait for the next post for tips on Maths…

Bye. VMSimilar Posts:

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Guys,
Let’s understand one thing. Whatever we are today, we are as a result of ‘torture’ that has been done on us by our teachers in schools, teachers in college, parents, family, society and may be in cases of some of us by our bosses.

What we have been exposed to has made us develop a taste for something, at the same time anti-taste for some other things. In our childhood we have nurtured what we have developed taste for. And in the process we have developed certain skills and certain qualities.

Now, we want to do an MBA, Right.

Let’s understand that theoretically we should try to explore the qualities we possess and should choose a career where we can utilize our qualities. For e.g. I liked explaining things a lot to friends, to people around me, when I was in school. Hence I picked up teaching as a hobby. And when I saw myself excelling in teaching, I thought of making a career in teaching. When I looked more into it, I realized that I like teaching UNCONVENTIONAL ways of solving questions. And so I moved into MBA/CAT teaching and left Engineering entrance exams etc long back.

I hope you are getting an idea of what I am trying to explain.

Now, we have decided to do an MBA, irrespective of the fact our qualities support MBA or not and at the moment we are only interested in designing an answer to ‘Why MBA?’.

So here I go.

Understand this that as a manager you will be required to possess certain qualities, for e.g. present mindedness, time management, perseverance. These are just examples. There are many more, in fact. Now, understand this that MBA will develop certain qualities in us which are important to pursue a career as a manager. But then certain qualities are required to do MBA for e.g Hard work.

Understand this, that till now, I have spoken about 3 phases. What you are now?(Lets call it A) What you expect you will be after MBA?(Lets call it C) and What MBA will imbibe in you? (Lets call it B)

Understand this now. In order to answer the question ‘Why MBA?’ you have to do a mapping of A, B and C. Your answer should look something like this.

‘During my schools days, I use to do this that blah blah blah…And I started developing …..(mention the skills).. When I started thinking about the career during my graduation, I realized that these skills can make me …(Talk of Life as a manager or if you see yourself as an entrepreneur). At this time, I felt the need of doing an MBA because it will develop …(talk of certain skills) and at the same time I think (the skills I possess) will help in doing an MBA and hence an MBA’…

Guys, Note that if you design an answer like this, first of all you will get a better idea as to why you should be doing an MBA. And don’t you think that if you will know better why you want to do an MBA , you will be able to convince them better. Also note one thing, that when you will design first draft of your answer, that may turn out to be a 2-3 page answer.

Never mind, after 3-5 editing your answer will become a perfect answer that too customize to you. And after 3-5 reading/changes/editing you will be able to say it in lesser words as well.

One more thing, when I suggest this method of designing answer, many of my students end up designing a 5-7 minutes answer. You know that they are not going to hear the you for more then 1-2 minutes. Still, I am saying make a long answer, reason being, when you are in an actual interview, I know you will forget a lot of things. So I know by experience that a 5-7 minutes answer will reduce to 3-4 minutes answer after a couple of editing and changes. And in actual interview a 3-4 minute answer will turn out to be a 1 to 1.5 minute answer. I am telling you hardly anyone of you will be able to touch 2 minute or cross that.

All the Best, designing this answer.Similar Posts:

• How to answer “Introduce Yourself” in an Interview…..
• Why MBA?? Why not Something else?
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• SPJain Global Experience

At this juncture, we wish to CONGRATULATE those who have already got  calls and we also wish to take you ahead to the second level of the process of getting into your dream B-Schools. Yes, you are thinking right. We are talking of Group discussion and Personal Interview preparation.

Let me give you a glimpse of ‘What does a GD and a PI check you on’? Answer is straight and simple. Written exam has checked you on your aptitude. Now is the time when you should be checked on your attitude: attitude towards life, attitude towards your career and attitude towards the society as a whole.

Attitude makes your overall persona. How you carry yourself? How you present yourself, especially in a formal group? How you know your own self – Your strengths and weaknesses, your goals, your ambitions, your dreams? How much of the world around you, you know? Do you mean everything you have written in your biodata and/or the IIFT form, for e.g. These are a few things to begin with, which are part of your persona.

Persona is something which cannot be developed or changed in 2 to 3 weeks time (That’s the time you typically get between your calls and actual GD-PI). I am sure, you all with agree with me on this. And therefore, we have specially designed a 2 months course for group discussion and personal interview training. Our GD-PI module answers all the questions above mentioned and many more.

Let me, in short, run through what our GD-PI program is. It’s actually a series of events. It includes close to 40 hours of classroom training and unlimited number of hours of off-the-class training.  I can share with you what is/are covered in in-the-class training. There are minimum of 2 Group discussion orientation lectures and similarly 2 Personal interview orientation lectures. There will be 1 session on Essay writing, specially meant for XAT but not just for XAT. There will be 1 psychometric test session, 1 MET(Mica entrance Test – a test of your creative skills). Most importantly there will be minimum of 12 Group discussions and minimum of 2 PIs(Personal Interview) for all. NOTE that you can have as many PIs as you want, just that you need to bring as many different calls from B-schools as is the number of PIs you want.

In addition, you will have a series of GK Lectures specially focusing the content you may require in a GD or in an interview.

In addition, you will have a mentor allotted to you, who is usually an industry expert. These mentors are our alumni from IIMs, XLRI, FMS, IIFT, MDI, S P Jain and what not.

If I talk of off-the-class sessions, I know I will not be able to do justice with them, in words. To tell you a little, you will have a ZION Ghost behind you almost all the time. We will be discussing and charting out answers to the questions ‘Where do you see yourself 5 years down the line’, ‘Why do you want to do MBA’, ‘If you don’t get selected this year, what should you be doing’ etc etc etc. I hope you have understood that I am talking of the typical cliché questions you may face in real PIs. I hope you will agree with me that answer to these questions are highly personalized and many times you don’t even want them to be shared with other students in class. And so all such sessions are a part of off-the-class training. And so these sessions usually happens over a cup of Tea or coffee. You know ‘a lot can happen over a coffee’ – Café Coffee day. Ohh am I marketing CCD or Barista here!! Never mind.

More importantly, unlike other CAT training institutes, we have very limited seats in GD-PI training module. GD-PI module is so much student-centric that the plethora of Faculty members which we have, that also turns out to be too little. And we specifically do not believe in treating a patient who requires special attention in the same way a patient of cough-cold or viral well be treated. There has to be special treatment of those who have got calls from premiere B-schools or the B-school of his/her choice.

All the best

Vaibhav K Mittal

CEO – Zion Education ServicesSimilar Posts:

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We hope you have already been enjoying the season with lots of exam. At this juncture, we wish to CONGRATULATE those who have already got IIFT calls and we also wish to take you ahead to the second level of the process of getting into your dream B-Schools. Yes, you are thinking right. We are talking of Group discussion and Personal Interview preparation.

Let me give you a glimpse of ‘What does a GD and a PI check you on’? Answer is straight and simple. Written exam has checked you on your aptitude. Now is the time when you should be checked on your attitude: attitude towards life, attitude towards your career and attitude towards the society as a whole.

Attitude makes your overall persona. How you carry yourself? How you present yourself, especially in a formal group? How you know your own self – Your strengths and weaknesses, your goals, your ambitions, your dreams? How much of the world around you, you know? Do you mean everything you have written in your biodata for e.g. these are a few things to begin with, which are part of your persona?

Now we are coming with an exciting series on “How to handle GD-PI”.Today we are going to take one of the most popular question & going to answer it with our experience. So we are coming up with first challenge which students faced when they enter PI room & they are asked to describe themselves. They concoct such a story which lands them in nothing but arrays of questions which they are not expecting. Try to answer this question in such a way that you take examiner where you want to take him.

How to go about the question ‘Tell me something about yourself’

While answering this question you should start with what kind of person you are, what are your special interests or achievements, what you like what you dislike? And you should know what you like – why you like that and similarly what you dislike – why you dislike that, though you won’t say that unless asked for.

Then you should talk about what your ambitions are. And this answer should be supported by ‘What made your ambitions’ Remember there is always a trigger for what your ambitions are at this stage. Any one while in graduation or after should know Why he wants to go for something.

And this should be a good 45 to 60 seconds talk.

Next, you should talk about your strengths and should not talk about weaknesses though you should know them at the same time. Never use words like ‘My strengths are…’ Better say – ‘I am a person who believes in perseverance’ etc etc. Here only you should mention about your academic achievements and also your hobbies.

You should know the difference between Hobby/Interests/Leisure time activities. Don’t say ‘Coin collection’ is your hobby if it wasn’t pursued passionately. If you use to collect coins just as an amateur than say that it was a leisure time activity or something you were deeply interested in.

Understand one thing; choice of right words makes a difference. The meaning of what you say should be crisp to them and they should understand what you want them to understand.

And this should be 30-45 seconds answer.

Last you can talk about the kind of family you belongs to and the value system of your family. This can be 15-30 seconds answer. So all in all you can have an answer ready for 2 minutes to 3 minutes, and that is enough. Usually an interviewer will come up with another question from your first 40-60 seconds answer.

All the best for next phase.

Similar Posts:

• Second level of getting into your dream B-Schools
• How to prepare for the question ‘Why MBA’?
• Group Discussion tips for Freshers
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• Why MBA?? Why not Something else?

First of all, following are the various type of case studies, you may come across:
1. Finance based
2. Marketing based
3. HR based
4. Ethical Dilemma
5. Social issue
6. Legal issue

Most common of all, is the HR case. The reason for that is, that anyone can speak on HR issues without technical knowledge of HR function. And they want to give chance to everyone to speak, because without you guys speaking they won’t be able to judge you.

Now, irrespective of which type of case study has been given to you, following are the steps, I will suggest you should be following:

1. Identify the problem in the case.

If a case study has been given to you, there has to be a problem or concerns which you are suppose to tackle. You need to clearly identify this. Please note, it seems identifying problem is easy. Trust me it is at times not that easy.

Eg: ‘Excessive exposure of female anatomy should be banned in the advertisements’

Think for a minute, before reading further, that in this GD(not case study) topic what is the main concern.

Is it exposure?
Or is it excessive exposure?
Or is it females?
Or is it exposure of females?
Or is it excessive expose of females?
Or the advertisements are the issue?
Or females in advertisements are the issue?
Or is it exposure of females in the advertisements?
Or is it excessive exposure of females in the advertisements?

Trust me it’s neither of the above. When I took this GD topic, in my class a couple of weeks back, almost everyone in the class of 40 said something or other written above.

The problem/concern in the above topic is ‘Banned’ or ‘Banning’. Think over it.

2. Identify the cause of the problem.

Once you have identified the problem, your next step should be identifying the cause of the problem. Note that cause of the problem may or may not be explicitly mentioned in the case. If it is mentioned, nothing like it. If it is not, then you have to take assumptions.

In the above example, following can be the causes:
Exposure is spoiling the society.
Models are ill-respected.
Society heads are raising questions.
Laws does not allow.
Etc.

3. Work on solution.

There are two ways of doing it.
a) Work on the cause. If cause can be well taken care of, then the problem itself is taken care of. In this case develop strategies to address the cause. You should at least develop 2 strategies for this. Once primary and the other secondary.

b) Work on the problem. May be the cause is intrinsic. That means the cause and problem are interlinked, in the sense that solution to one thing gives rise to other. In this case, you will have to work on minimizing the effect of the problem or eliminate the problem working on something else but the cause. Again I will suggest develop at least 2 plans/strategies to work on it.

4. Implementation plan.

This means how are you going to implement the plan you have made. What will be the stages involved. What will be the order in which you will implement it? Etc.

5.Backup plan.

A manager has to be always ready with the backup plan. If the main plan back fires than the back plan has to be used. In a case study discussion you will only mention what is your back up plan. You need not talk of its implementation plan, reason being its implementation comes into picture only when the primary plan fails and that’s something we can’t say in discussion only.

That’s it.

All the best

Vaibhav K Mittal
CEO – Zion Education servicesSimilar Posts:

None Found

Today, I am giving you tips on ‘How to write an effective CV/Resume/Biodata’ to be carried to GD-PI centre of various institutes.

First and foremost, Most of the B-schools give you a check list of what to bring and what not to bring to the GD-PI centre. Most of those institutes which required a biodata from you, will explicitly ask for it. And many won’t. My students ask me if they should be carrying a biodata to the institute which has not asked for it.

Answer to this is quite tricky. See, if you have a lot of credentials which you like boasting about, I will suggest carry your biodata, which carries these achievements, to the GD-PI venue. This is to ensure that they at least get to know the achievements which you have gathered in so many years. And also to invite questions on them.

Second case, if there are things in your life, in your biodata, which you do not want an interviewer to prick you on, I will suggest better don’t carry biodata in that case. I am sure I need not explain it further.

Another case, you don’t have much to write on your biodata, in that case I can say it hardly matters that you carry the biodata or not. My suggestion is better don’t carry. Why will you like someone to see that there is nothing much you can talk about, about yourself, on paper?

Another point, when I am saying above that don’t carry your biodata, Please note I am saying don’t carry it in the folder you are going to show to them. You FOR SURE should carry a biodata in every case, though you may keep it at the back of the folder or in a different file in case it’s not asked for and at the same time you decide not to show-case it.

Now, some important DO’s and DON’t OF WRITING BIODATA:

1.

Always write the biodata in reverse chronology. That means – latest first. For e.g. if you are an engineer with 2.5 years of work ex and 2 companies, you will start your biodata with work experience that too with the current company, followed by the previous company. Then will come your academic profile which will start with engineering, followed by 12th, followed by 10th. Then you will talk of your extra –curricular, that too in reverse chronology i.e. latest first. Then you will talk about the achievements/awards/certificates etc. again in reverse chronology. And lastly you may talk about your hobbies/interests etc. or may be strengths(NO WEAKNESSES in biodata).

2.

Writing a long biodata say 3 to 4 pages is a wonderful way to ensure that no one gives a dam to your biodata. In a way, you make interviewer loose the interest in you. Note that your biodata (assuming, you don’t have more then 3-4 years of work-ex) should not exceed 1 page, whatever come may.

3.

Note that biodata is a SELLING TOOL. Remember you won’t buy Ruffles lays if the packet is torn. Right. So is the case with biodata. Remember to do spell check before taking a print. There should not be any grammatical mistake or spelling mistake for that matter. And yes, you will never fold your biodata. It has to be crisp.

4.

A biodata is like a greeting card for your girl friend. You need to have a separate(customized) card for all of them. You cannot have a generic card for all of them. What I am trying to say is that you may have to do a little shuffling here and there in your biodata, depending on the institute you are going to. E.g. for XLRI-PMIR your biodata may not be 100% same as what it will be for IIMs, though in totto it will be same. What may be different is the sequencing.

This is all in all how you should draft your biodata. Here is one sample CV for your referance:

Resume – Amol 1

I welcome all the individual question you may have. You can post your questions here or can email me at vaibhav.mittal@mbatutes.com

Happy BIODATAing

Vaibhav K Mittal
CEO – Zion EducationSimilar Posts:

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The FEE of this strategy session is: Your SINCERITY, DEDICATION & DETERMINATION towards your own career.

Feel free to contact us for any queries @ 9891638000 or 9990709663 or ceo@zioneducationonline.com or bhuvanesh@zioneducationonline.comSimilar Posts:

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This time I am bringing something very different for all of you. This is especially for those who tried to prepare last year for CAT 2009 but somehow could not. This is also for those who have started their preparation and are facing difficulties in adjusting their preparation into daily routine. This is also for those who want to give up their preparations.

This is how one of my students started preparing for CAT and what all challenges/problems came his way. This will also tell you how he tackled those challenges. This article will also act as a time manager for you.

I have written this article keeping myself in his shoes. So now on where ever you read ‘I’ it’s he actually. He does not want his name to be mentioned here and his friends call him ‘Quiz Master’. So I will also call him Quiz Master.

I am calling this article ‘My Life, My Journey, My CAT preparation’

Enjoy reading it.

Vaibhav K Mittal

CEO – Zion Education Services

‘My Life, My Journey, My CAT preparation’

Majority of us want to live life to the fullest; best job or business, beautiful house, luxurious car, great family and be able to travel to places of our dreams. I was no different when I started working. Being a fresh graduate from an engineering college, I thought that I would take the whole world in my hands. But soon I realized that it was not easy to grow in an organization. Time and again you have to proof your worth to your managers in order to excel. This is when I started to observe my managers to learn from them and be like them. After a few discussions the fact came out that they all had a vast experience of at least 5-7 years before coming to this role. The other fact that also came out was that those who did a post-graduation in finance or with an MBA degree from a reputed institute got placed as managers earlier than those who were just graduates.

This is when I decided to prepare for CAT and pursue MBA; after all it was shortcut to becoming a Manager!! Shortcut? You may ask!! There is no shortcut to success. Yes, everyone knows there is no shortcut to success but doing an MBA from a prestigious college is no shortcut. It requires great hard work pre and post admission into these colleges.

When I started preparing for entrance exams, I faced another challenge. I was almost out of my home for 13 hours working and traveling to work. Coming back from office I was left with no energy to study. However the words of one of my school teacher echoed in my mind who said “We would spend endless number of hours searching for the Gucci T-shirt that SRK wore in DDLJ even on a hot summer day but we would not study in the comfort of our home knowing that one day it will help us earn enough to afford that same T-shirt and many more things”.

This, indeed, is a fact that most of us achieve what we want to if we are passionate about it.

Since I was passionate about preparing for MBA entrance and getting in a good B-school, I started analyzing my time and the way I can utilize it to the maximum.

There after my mornings would start with a prayer and then a quick walk to the park. I prepared cards with word meanings, its synonyms and antonyms, and would read them while having my breakfast. Since I used to travel to office in a company bus, I carried a newspaper and the cards I prepared for vocab, and read both during the journey to office. For those of you who drive yourself to office; you can download some Mark Gorman motivational lessons or David Swartz’s ‘Magic of Thinking Big’ audio-book and play them either in your mobile or your car’s CD player. This would keep you motivated throughout the day. I used to listen to them while coming back from office as there was not enough light to read during my evening journey back home.

Once I was home, I did not waste much time and focused on the main topics of mathematics, data interpretation/sufficiency, logical reasoning and verbal ability. I spent on an average 2 hours a day studying these subjects. I tried studying both Maths and English on a daily basis but on occasions I would study them on alternate days.

Since I was regular with Maths, DI/DS and LR and English including grammar, RC and vocabulary; the only thing that was left was my business aptitude. Since partially it was taken care off by the newspaper readings, to get the complete insight of the business arena I subscribed myself in Business Today Magazine.

During the weekends I would read books of renowned authors, revised the topics I studied during the week and solved some crossword-puzzles and sudoku. These puzzles are important for your mental abilities.

As most management entrance exams test a person’s time management skills; I had to test mine before the D-day. A mock-CAT series is what helped me in trying different strategies for the main exam.

I am sure that this experience of mine will help you in your preparation for CAT exam. I know that people get nervous by just thinking about the exam. All I would like to mention before I sign off is a thought that someone shared with me:

‘It doesn’t matter where and who you are, all that matters is where and who you want to be’.

Courtesy: Quiz Master.

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We do that by a simple fission reaction.
Let us break the bigger set of CAT into two subsets: Math and English.
The two subsets can be further divided into smaller sets.
In case of English, identify the core areas of study followed by the thumb rules and strategies. Once you identify- the ‘whats’ of the core areas, move to the next step- the ‘hows’ of your study plan. Make a day plan-make sure that your hobby is a part of your day plan. If you love playing video games-ensure that playing video games is a part of your day plan.
I suggest that study Math and English everyday because you will not take Math and English exams separately. It is important to allocate few hours to both subjects each day. As for reading, I strongly suggest that you should not read what you love instead you should learn to love what you read. Let us summarize:

1. Break the big set of CAT into subsets and smaller units
2. Identify the core areas
3. List the thumb rules and strategies
4. Progress from the ‘whats’ to the ‘hows’
5. Make a day plan. Don’t forget to include your hobby
6. Study both subjects every day.
7. Don’t read what you love instead learn to love what you read

Dream comes true when passion multiplies!

Cheers!

Neha Sharma
CAT Trainer – Verbal Areas – Zion Education Services.
Learn for CAT; Train for life
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Answer is a plain Yes.

And, now let’s look into what’s that?

1. Speed
2. Focus
3. Consistency

O yes, these are the only things common between 3-idiots and those who crack CAT.

Intelligence, hardwork, High EQ blah blah blah are seriously not what is required to clear CAT.

Let’s understand one thing. They say CAT is an aptitude exam. Question is what kind of aptitude does it checks? And the answer is Plain Vanilla. It checks ‘Managerial Aptitude’. Now the question is what is ‘Managerial Aptitude’?

Answer to this is not plain Vanilla. ‘Managerial Aptitude’ has not got one or two things. It has several things. It includes

- Optimistic nature
- Tough mindedness
- Attitude
- Strategy formulation and using Smart approaches
- Reading between the lines/Looking beyond the obvious
- Believing that no work is big or small
- Vision(Should be 6/6)
- Time management/Time deadlines
- Always being on toes
- Being ready to help others
- Keeping nerves cool under pressure

And may be a few more.

Friends, Believe me or not, after appearing for 14 CATs in a row(1996 – 2009), I can for sure say that CAT checks nothing but what makes ‘Managerial Aptitude’.

I have a question here. Can anyone teach you any of the 11 things, mentioned above? I think NO. These are all intrinsic in nature and cannot be build externally.

But yes these things can be developed, can be polished, given that they exists, if not all, most of them. They can be developed if you guys keep three things in mind: Speed, Focus and Consistency.

You need to understand that completion is tough and so the one who has maximum speed is the one who will win.

Focus here does not mean single mindedness. Absolutely not. It rather means Keeping everything in Mind at the same time. Management means growing two blades of grass where otherwise only one could have been grown. If that is true of management, then managers need to see everything that exists. Growing two blades of grass is not that easy a job. It is possible if manager keeps everything in mind at the same time. It means utilizing all the resources that are available and optimizing their use. It means removing all the obstacles(weaknesses) that may hamper growing two blades of grass. It means doing everything else also and not waiting for two blades of grass to grow up(Do not sacrifice other things which are necessary in your life, for the sake of CAT, whether it be a cup of coffee with your girl friend, or it be watching a movie every alternate weekend with your parents). And remember that even when you are watching movie, you know what is happening to your ‘Grass’.

And doing all(What is important for CAT as well as what is important for life) this regularly is Consistency. Not getting bogged down by obstacles in your way is consistency. Not being low, when either you don’t score 99.9 percentile in Mocks or when your girl friend breaks up with you (God forbid), is consistency.

Will love to hear from you @ ceo@zioneducationonline.com or 9891638000

Vaibhav K Mittal.
CEO – Zion Education ServicesSimilar Posts:

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Here is what we think should be the cut offs of JMET.
Maths: Not less then 12
Eng: 13+
Reas: 10+
DI 14+

Overall, a score of approx 73-74 will be required to target IIT Mumbai or Delhi..

All the Best

Vaibhav K Mittal
CEO – Zion Education ServicesSimilar Posts:

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I havent heard from you guys since long.

I understand that you all are busy with exams. I just wanna share that the IIFT cut-offs which we gave turn out almost 100% true(as per the score cards which IIFT gave this year and when u look into those who have got IIFT call).

All the best for SNAP, FMS, XAT and other exams..

Happy ZIONing and MBATUTEing….

Vaibhav K Mittal
CEO-Zion Education Services.
P.S. Coming up with XAT worskhops soon, ONLINE, on mbatutes and zioneducationonline @ Rs.1000 onlySimilar Posts:

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Sticking to the ‘virus attack’ theory and blaming the pitfalls of using technology, Prof Barua said, “The major reason appeared to be a virus attack. All precautions had been taken for protection against virus attack, but we did not succeed in doing so at a few labs. In some of the other centers, there were hardware problems and replacement took 2 hours.”

“There are always bound to be problems in the first time such a huge exam takes place, especially if it is concerns technology. But we are working very hard to fix all the problems and accommodate all candidates,” he added.

On rescheduling, he said, “We will try to accommodate the rescheduled tests within this week as we have a few empty slots available. But if required, we will stretch the CAT for two extra days on Dec 8 and 9.” He added that the two-day extension would be avoided, as not all of the slots in this week were running on full capacity.

“When we reschedule, the students may not be able to choose a date or slot of their convenience. Their choice will thus get restricted. We’ll try to make sure that the new slots are as convenient as per their initial choice. There would not be a single candidate who will not be able to take the test. But there will be inconvenience caused. Do we recognize and empathize with student? Yes we do. But the inconvenience is a fact of life and we cannot do anything at this stage,” he said.

On some problems reported by candidates of disturbances caused by uncooperative invigilators who continued to use their mobile phones throughout the test, Prof Barua said, “We cannot be responsible if the invigilators talk on phone. The invigilators have moral responsibility too and something like this is possible even in paper based test.”

“We believe that the ambience and environment has improved considerably since today,” he said.

CAT Convenor Satish Deodhar ruled out the IIMs reverting back to the paper-based format and added that the CAT will be continue to be conducted online next year too.

“The preparation to make this online started in April 2007 but it took time to take off because of the tender process. We will continue to go in this direction and it’s been a good beginning so far. Yes, we have somewhat failed, but we are correcting those problems now,” he added.

Asked what sort of drills Prometric had conducted to prepare for the testing, Prometric Chief Operating Officer Charlie Karnan said that they had conducted mock drills at individual centers but not on a large scale. He added that 62% of affected candidates had already been rescheduled.

On problems reported by individual students of computer errors and reboots that gave some people extra time to solve problems, Prof Barua said, “If there is a genuine reason, they should report them to the center head and it would be considered. But if the students were idling their time away while the snag was being repaired then it is not the IIMs’ responsibility.”

Meanwhile, the Union Human Resources Development Ministry asked the IIMs to submit a report on the CAT failure.

If you have faced a serious problem while taking the CAT, please enter your experience in this form and we will try to get the take of the concerned authorities.

You may also like to see a video: Pls see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNx8wVyX8O0

Courtesy www.mbatutes.com and www.zioneducationonline.com

All the Best for what comes out finally

Vaibhav K Mittal

CEO – Zion Education Services and CAT StrategistSimilar Posts:

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I hope many of you have already heard a lot about CAT 2009 today in the first slot.

Let me cover it in more detail.

It was 100% as was predicted by us i.e. 60 Questions in all with 20 Ques in each of the 3 sections.

Going into details of each section:

English: There were 3 RCs with 3 Ques each. + 4 ques on Para Jumbles + 2 FIBs + 2 ques on Grammar(Inappropriate usuage) + 2 Ques on Para completion.

DI/LR: There were 4 ques on DS. + 3 ques on Logical reasoning(Arrangement type) + there were 3 sets each having 3 ques – these were on bar graphs + 3 sets with 2 ques each.

PS: First of all there were quite many ques which were repeat from previous CAT papers. There were all in all 4 ques on functions, 2 on geometry, 2 on P & C, 1 on SI/CI, 1 on TSD, 1 on Averages, 1 on Number system(finding remainder), 1 on Trigo(Height & Distances) etc. All in all it was a very easy Maths sections for most of our students.

Note that CAT doesn’t mentioned what is the marking scheme this year and whats the quantum of negative marking. Though the paper said that wrong question carries negative marks.

We expect on the basis of this test that cut offs should not be less then approx 13-15 questions in PS, about 13-15 ques in DI and about 14+ ques in English. All in all this was a speed paper and this was exactly what we predicted.

We suggest that in a paper like this one should attempt around 45 Ques with not less then 80% accuracy.

Keep visiting Mbatutes.com and zioneducationonline.com for more updates

All the Best

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Flt Iift Mock Paper

Ans- Flt Iift Mock Paper

Note: You can also download this mock from our download box which is towards the right side of this web-page. It is present in the Mock Papers folder.Similar Posts:

• IIFT 2009 Cut-Offs & Analysis
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We all are busy these days in CAT preparation. I understand that you guys have not been in touch lately for your CAT preparations must be going on in full swing.

Same is the case here. My classes(teaching) is going on in full swing. Normal Classes, Strategy classes, Workshops, Doubts clearing, How to improve percentile classes, how to decide what all forms one should fill and what not.

Without wasting much of your time, I want to give you all a taste of our test series. And so I am loading one of our test here.

Oh ya!! I have forgotten(forgetting) loading answers-cum-sloutions here, so as to ensure no one has any temptations to see the solutions before writing the test.

And just for your GK. I will never be loading the answers cum solutions here. Those who will send me the answers(not solutions) at ceo@zioneducationonline.com will receive the answers from my side.

Nat Cat 10 Full

You can also download the file(NATCAT 10 Full) from the ‘Mock Papers’ folder in the download box beside this text.

All the best!!

Happy Testing

Vaibhav K Mittal
CEO – Zion Education Services
www.zioneducationonline.comSimilar Posts:

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Before writing this article I will like to thank Ms.NEHA SHARMA, a leading CAT trainer for Verbal areas and Academic Head – Language, at ZION Education Services, for taking her invaluable time for writing an article for our beloved students.

When I asked her to write something on verbal for our students, She said, Verbal is something any CAT faculty can talk about and there is innumerable knowledge available on net on verbal areas of CAT. She said, She wants to talk about how she(with her 1000 plus eyes: eyes of her students 100s of which make to IIMS and other top 10 B-Schools every year, year after year) sees CAT as. She said she will like to show off the reality as to what CAT thinks it is vis-à-vis what usually a good student thinks about CAT. My mentioning anything else here is History. Lets read the face to face discussion of CAT with NEHA.

||| NEHA and CAT sat for a CHAT

Let me take you back in time-the time when I first set out to discover CAT.

What is CAT? I shrugged the cobwebs of cliched definitions and combined two words as my answer: aspiration simplified. Of all the exams that I experienced including CAT, GMAT, GRE, SAT, IELTS and TOEFL-CAT was the simplest. It is because the experience of taking CAT is synonymous with the experience of studying MBA. Far from the hackneyed ‘Masters in Business Administration’, MBA is –my best attitude.
As I embarked on my journey to acquaint myself with quite an entrancing CAT exam, my mother’s words illuminated and strengthened my purpose. She always told me, ‘Neha, if the world asks for the sun, you ask for the sky.’ I think it was her way of telling me –don’t aim for the big sun, aim for the bigger sky. Consequently-I began to de clutter my mind to create space for my first rendezvous with CAT. Excerpts from the interview:

Neha: I wish to achieve you. Is it possible?
CAT: Achievement and skepticism are not compatible.

Neha: Uh-alright, how do I realize you? You are the synonym of progress, profit and excellence.
CAT: Thanks for the compliment. However, I know that I am lifeless, unless adjectives breathe life into my being.

Neha: Adjectives? Does it mean that I must study grammar to acquire you?
CAT: The logic of grammar rests in the motley crowd of expression. Don’t forget that expression is experience exhaled.

Neha: Logic? Uh- appears intricate. Do you suggest that I learn logical reasoning to attain you?
CAT: The coincidental coexistence of reasoning and grammar is delusive unless conducive. Deconstruction is closure but reconstruction is commencement.

Neha: Uh-mammoth. Do you mean that critical analysis is the only way to reach you?
CAT: Don’t you remember your mother’s words, I am sky not sun. Don’t confine me in words. I am what you will learn from me.

Neha: You are my aspiration. You must tell me the way to arrive at you.
CAT: If I am your aspiration, simplify me. Why scatter me in categories? Unify me as a process.

Neha: Ah! You are elusive, mysterious and therefore desirable. Eureka! You are my mirror. If I reflect simple-you appear simple. If I reflect arduous-you become Herculean. Since MBA is my best attitude-you are my aspiration simplified.

CAT: Ah! The music of thought plays the lyrics of heart. To the attentive-Beethoven to the inattentive- shrill.

Cultivate Skill to invent attitude-my best attitude-MBA. Combine Attitude and Task to crack CAT.

Keep Smiling.
It is still tax free !
Cheers!

Neha Sharma
CAT Trainer & Academic Head – Zion Education Services.
Learn for CAT; Train for life.|||

Cheers to all of you. Hope you learnt some lessons from NEHA SHARMA.

All the best

Vaibhav Mittal(VM)
CEO-Zion Education ServicesSimilar Posts:

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In addition, we will also be giving classroom analysis to students(only for Delhi/NCR Students or those who are willing to come to Delhi for analysis). And we don’t want to boast ourselves but the trainers we have can really give the X-Factor to you to raise your platform from one level to another. In addition, our faculty will keep raising the platform for you.

Now, we don’t want to talk more about ourselves and our test series. We now leave it to you, taste the blood and you will never go back to ordinary. We promise you will be addicted to the brown sugar we have, which may lead you to Ahmedabad, Banglore, Jamshedpur etc.
Now you just need to fill the contact this undermentioned contact form so that we will be able to provide you more details about NAT CAT.

Contact Us to join NATCAT Test Series

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I am back once again. And keeping fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong this time & I keep writing regularly, now on. Please pray to god.

Hope you understood already what I am going to talk about. We all know CAT is going to be an online exam this year. How much successful an exam it will be, I will tell you that on 8th December. Successful in terms of the smoothness in exam being conducted.

Anyways, what shall we prepare and how shall we prepare.
Let’s understand one thing; whether it be an online exam or it be a paper based exam, for sure it checks certain qualities in an examinee. These include managing time, keeping nerves cool under pressure, visualization capabilities (which are checked through a particular set of questions), reading between the lines, looking beyond the obvious, strategy formulation and using smart approaches, optimistic nature, tough mindedness etc.

And believe it or not these are the qualities which are checked and may be some more. Believe it Maths and English are just the means to achieve the end. They are not the end.

Now, Lets understand some things. When you will be writing an online exam you will not have an option of circling the relevant information in the paper, that’s one. Two, you will not be having the facility of crossing the options which you think are for sure wrong. Three, though you will be allowed to move forward and backwards(at least I feel so) still its not convenient to move forward and backwards as much as it is on a paper-therefore your strategies of doing easy first and difficult later may go for a toss. Four, in RC area you are in a habit of underlining a lot, which you will not be able to do in an online test. Etc etc.

The good part is that you will be allowed to use some plain papers as rough sheets(that’s again my thought. How many papers they will allow I will tell you on 8th December). Now here comes the rescue strategy. I suggest as soon as you have rough papers in your hand, make a chart saying question no., option 1, option 2, option 3, option 4 and option 5. Example is here:
Q No. Op 1 Op 2 Op 3 Op 4 Op 5
1
2
3
4
5

Here showing horizontal and vertical lines is really not important till you keep everything vertically straight.

Now, assuming you have done this, u can start the test. But wait. On another sheet write RC 1. Para 1, para 2, Para 3 and so on AND RC2. Para 1, para 2, Para 3 and so on. Example:
RC 1
Para 1
Para 2
Para 3

RC 2
Para 1
Para 2
Para 3

RC 3
Para 1
Para 2
Para 3

Now you are ready to start the test.

How will you use what you have made? See, Sheet 1 will be used to cross the wrong answers whenever you are very sure of. Not just that, it will also act as a record of what’s the answer to which question (in case something goes wrong with the test and you have to restart it, god forbid). Please note I have personally used this sheet in many online tests and have monitored 1000s of my students doing same in many type of online tests including GMAT/GRE. And it reduces a lot of tension of students.

Now the second sheet. See any RC passage will have 4-8 small paragraphs. If you can write the jist of those small paragraphs in a line or less then that nothing like it. If you can’t, then I suggest write the line no. in that para which you think is the most imp. Doing only this will be a good boost up to you when you will actually start solving the questions on DI. One these pointers will help you locate where the answer is. Two they will remind you of the direction in which the RC is flowing. Three you will get a better hang of RC then what you use to get.

This much only for today.

I have a request. If you guys can tell me the topic on which you want me to write next, that will be a great help, as most of my time goes in figuring out what to write on.

All the Best

Vaibhav Mittal(VM)
CEO-Zion Education ServicesSimilar Posts:

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Answers

Hi All.

Good news for all of you is that I am back in India and the bad news associated with it is, BSNL is taking hell lot of time in activating broadband at my home.

Anyways. Here are the long awaited answers. I am not answering individual comments as that will be too long a post for all to read.

Here the answers go.

1. Both x and y are prime. All primes except 2 are odd. 3ab59 is odd. So 1 of x and y has to be even and other odd. The only even prime we know is 2 and thats smallest as well. Since x < y, x has to be 2.

2. Here the ‘click’ point should be ‘None of the 2 is -ve’. If you start from that you can easily figure out that p and q both are non -ve i.e. 0 and +ve. Hence p = 0 and q = 1024.

3. Answer is infinite. Most of you are correct.

4. I am asking what’s your dad’s name. You are telling me how many uncles you have. I am asking you to tell me 1 rational no. between the 2 given rational no. and am not asking how many between the 2. Simplest answer as per me is (1.3333….. + 1.444…..)/2. Yes answers of many are correct. I better suggest revise 9th class NCERT funda of inserting n rational numbers between 2 given rational numbers.
Say 1.333… = a and 1.444… = b and I ask you to tell me 2 rationals between a and b. Then let d = (b-a)/3. 1st rational number will be a + d and 2nd will be a + 2d. I hope this is enough for you to recollect the basics.

5. opinionated and all others, please note only a finite number of perfect numbers are known so far. If i can recall from my ‘getting older’ memory, there are 46 perfect numbers known and 2 of them are less then 100. so the answer should be 44. Howzz that??

6. Its the coolest one. Answer is 2 such pair and those are (1,99) and (99,1). Do u still need an explaination??

7. Ans is (42317-42)/99= 42275/99. Max 3 seconds job after u have read the ques. Please note in short i have also explained the process.

8. Ans is b. See the explaination of 7.

9. Ans is 5. This was a 15 sec question. Logic is 1001 ^ 1001 divided by 9, whatever is the remainder is the answer. Why – because thats the concept. To know more of the concept I need a face to face class cant explain by writing.

10. a= 2, b= 1, c = 9, d = 7 and e = 8. This involves more of logic and less of NUMBERS. All u guys do a little brain storm. Its difficult for me to explain this by writing. By the way this was an old CAT actual question. and there were 5 ques. I solved this in 3 minutes 15 sec. which I think is worth 5 ques.

Here comes a ques based on the last set of questions. Lets see how fast I get a reply.

Q1. 3p5q7 = x + y. x and y are natural numbers and x < y. Both x and y are prime. What is x?

Q2. Give one rational number between 1.9999……. and 2.0.

All d best.
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Vaibhav Mittal

Hello All,

How are you?

First of all I thank you all, for a great response to the last article. And special thanks to Bhuvanesh, Garima and Vipul for contributing towards helping MBA aspirants and my articles. And very special thanks to Mr.Ajay for morale boosting of all of us and his best wishes.

I am not happy, at all, from all the guys who have read the article, for I have asked in the last few lines of the article #2, to let me know how you feel after following the schedule for at least 5-7 days. NONE has so far posted any feedback on that. Shall I assume that all you guys are only interested in reading what to do and how to do and not at all interested in actually doing it. If that is true than guys all my efforts will become just the GYAN, JUST THE GYAN, and I will not be interested in writing any more in that case. Guys, as I mentioned in my post #1 that it is you, who extracts everything out of me, and not me who gives you anything/everything, you will have to start extracting before it’s too late. See, as a manager also, u have to utilize the resources which are available. Resources won’t come to you always, and tell u this is how u can utilize us (resources). Isn’t that true? If yes, then I suggest that you all start acting like managers and not as CLERKS.

Anyways, as I mentioned in the last article, I am devoting this article to Maths section of CAT.

My first question to you all is: are managers supposed to be good at Maths? Personally, I doubt. Look into the roles of Finance, Marketing, HR, IT/Systems, and Production etc managers. What has an HR manager to do of Maths except calculating salary increases? What has a marketing manager to do with Maths except analyzing the data to find out what kind of growth opportunity exists in the market? What has a Finance manager to do with Maths except thinking of ROR, ROI, WACC, and P & L.? If those are the only things required for various managers, why the hell you should study No. System, Time-work, Time-Distance, Perm-Comb, Prob, ratios, Geometry etc etc. What has geometry to do with any function of Management?

Let’s understand 1 thing simple. IIT-JEE asks for P, C, M, why, because these are the subjects which have to do something with every branch of engineering and U will study these subjects in the 1st year as well. CPMT asks P, C, Biology (Botany, Zoology), why, because these are the subject which have to do something with every branch of medicine and U will study these subjects in the 1st year of MBBS, as well. And same is true for all the entrance exams; you talk of CA foundation, Bank PO, Bank Clerical or whatever. Basically, whatever is going to be of some use to you in your future jobs is what is asked in the entrance exams. Right??

So, now the question is what’s going to be of some use as a manager to you? Is it going to be English? I am sure all of you will say, YES, for the simple reason that today business is not restricted to a particular geography or region, it’s rather cross borders and so a common language is required. Fair enough explanation of English being a part of Managerial aptitude. What else is required to be a good manager? THINK. THINK. My answer to that is COMMON SENSE, which is what is the most un-common thing these days. ‘Thanda matlab coca cola’ a simple theme developed by Coke to market their product in India. Do they use it in any other country? No. They understood one simple thing that Indians still calls a cold drink, THANDA. And they exploited this word. Isn’t it common sense? For that matter Pepsi could have been the first to think of it. Where will I invest the 500 crore profit I had in last year? Will I buy stocks, Will I put up a new plant, will I issue dividends, will I let them be idle in banks, will I buy competition (M&A) etc etc. Answer to this is, where ever I think is higher ROR for me, I will put my money there. No doubt, later I can turn out to be wrong sometimes. But then that was my perception/calculation of returns in what I invested my money. Isn’t it common sense? All the financial tools are secondary unless and until we have this basic understanding. Once we have this basic level of understanding then things like Black-Sholes model, Product Life cycle, what motivates People except money will come into picture?

So let’s go back. Should CAT be asking Maths? Answer is a plain NO. And dear friends, I after writing 13 consecutive CATs am telling you a fact that CAT DOES NOT ASKS MATHS at all. WHAT IT ASKS IS PLAIN COMMON SENSE.

Here are some examples.

Q: In rectangle ABCD, Point E and F trisects the base DC. What is ratio of Area (tri AEF) to that of rectangle? CAT 2001(if I can recall well)

Ans: How most of you will do it is: Area AEF/ Area ABCD = ½ x EF x AD / AD x DC = ½ x DC/3 x AD / AD x DC = 1/6, which is the right answer.

Now as per me that’s not Manager-Sense or common sense. How I will approach is: Diagonal AC divides rectangle into 2 equal halves. DE=EF=FC, the 3 triangles ADE, AEF and AFC have to be equal. Therefore, Triangle AEF is 1/3rd of Triangle ADC, which is half of the rectangle. So 1/3rd of half = 1/6th.

See, I have taken more words to explain, but when I am doing it in exam, I will just draw 2 lines, AE and AF and immediately mark the answer. 3 seconds job. What do u say? MANAGER’s job is to visualize. Isn’t it?

Q: In rectangle ABCD, Point E divides DC in the ratio 1:3. If area of triangle ADE is 7 sq cm, find the area of rectangle? CAT2000 (if I can recall well).
a) 28 sq cm b) 42 sq cm c) 56 sq cm d) None

Ans: How most of you will approach is: Area ADE = 7. So ½ x AD x DE = 7. So AD x DE = 14. So AD x DC/3 = 14. So AD x DC = 42. And that’s wrong.

Those of you who are cautious will not write DE = DC/3, which DE is not, rather DE = DC/4. Using that you will get the right answer which is 56 sq cm.

Anyways, this above is a Maths teacher’s approach, and not mine. My approach will be: Triangle ADE is 1/4th of Triangle ADC. So Triangle ADC = 28 and so Rectangle = 56 sq cm. And I will take 4 seconds to do it in exam.

Guys, this is how you will do, after doing the 1st question. In CAT, how actually I did was: A line drawn from E parallel to AD, say touches AB at M. Now Triangle AEM is also 7, so rectangle ADEM is 14, Which stands on 1 unit base(DE), so on 3 unit base(EC) area will be 42, so total area is 56 sq cm. Howz that??

Now, I can keep solving questions here in the same fashion. I can solve almost all the questions of every CAT in the same fashion. Guys, you may believe it or not, I take 15 odd minutes to exhaust the Maths section, typically doing things as explained above.

Now, the more important point. How am I able to do things this way? There are things which by chance, I have been doing since early childhood. I hope all of you remember some problems like A & B went to a book shop, each purchased a book worth Rs 25…………………..Where has 1 Rs.gone? Hope you are able to recollect the old problem. Typically, we after a small effort use to leave that after trying for a while. My problem was, I use to try such problems till I use to find the answer. So what’s the lesson for you? Managers are supposed to keep trying till they have the solution? Right? No, not exactly, that’s how u develops eyesight for what is missing. Once developed, that eye sight pays in long run.

Second, I solved Shakuntala Devi book, when I think, I was in 8th standard. And not like most of my students. I didn’t use to refer to solutions ever, except for the answers. Unless I had tried a question 7-10 times, I didn’t use to refer to solution. Matter of chance, I was able to solve almost 95% of the questions in those many attempts. Typically what happens with my students is, after 1 try or maximum 2, they will rush to see the answers and here u have KILLED an opportunity for ur brain to develop. What can any teacher do now?

Third, even till date, when I am not able to solve a question, I will keep thinking of it, especially while I am driving. And will you believe that formulas like ‘Product of all factors of N=a^m x b^n x c^p………..’ I have derived while driving. Hey guys, I am not suggesting that you think while driving, but then what about the time you spend in Metro or Bus, what about the time when you are waiting for ur turn a doctor’s clinic, what about the time you are waiting for a bus etc.

Fourth, I use to share the best tricks I have made with my friends. We use to debate and ended up many times in fighting and spoiling our moods. But then end of the day, we ended up making lot of shortcuts. I remember many till date, how a particular short cut was derived by us, who ended throwing full cup of tea over whom while discussing (arguing actually)? This on 1 hand helped us gaining knowledge through sharing, on other hand the tricks were memorized because of the incident.

Fifth, I use to carry a diary, full of formulae I have read in a particular class, till that date. And I use to take it out of my pocket whenever I was in bus or at doctor’s place etc.(I missed my turn at doc’s place many times, hope you won’t). This habit made me derive many formulae on my own, of which I have never ever read the proofs or derivation. Imagine if u have derived a formula yourself, can u ever forget it and the concept behind it.

Sixth, since class 9th, I have habit of writing every single penny I have spent. What I use to do was, in morning while getting out of home, I use to count the money I am carrying. And when I was back home, I use to count it again. The difference, u know, is what I have spent. I use to think where have I spent, and I use to think till I can figure out every Rs.1 spent. This made my BODMAS solid, and I bet even today you can’t beat me in calculation, calculator allowed for you, not for me. Understand this guys, CAT won’t make you multiply 3456672 with 21344289. But then u will come across 34 x 47 type of simple calculation quite often. If you know that the answer is a little more then 1200, about 1600, that usually serves the purpose. Difficult na. No, not really, see 30 x 40 is 1200. So answer is more then 1200. Further 4 and 40 is 160 and 30 x 7 is 210. So the answer is 1200+160+210=1570. I hope that suffice to all. To those it does not, they can add 4 x 7 = 28 to 1570 to get 1598. Guys, you may not believe, when I was typing, I asked my friend who was sitting on the next table, to give me 2, two digit numbers. He gave me 34 and 47 and I immediately replied that their product is 1598. He said I am kidding and he checked and was amazed to see that it is correct. So the lesson is, when you like numbers you can be fast @ speed of light. Ok ok, speed of sound. Is that enough for CAT? I believe yes.

Lastly, I can keep giving you such tips to no end. As of now I am stopping for Ansh will say, sir no more space on mbatutes for your future articles. Lolzz… Anyways, don’t start following these tips. And say it’s too much. And be where you are. We all, including me, avoid working by saying it’s too much, just that if we start somewhere, slowly and slowly, with time, we end up doing so much that in the end we wonder if it were we only who has done so much. I, in my research (which is going on) these days, counted the pages which I have studied (of various case studies) in past 10 months and was amazed to find out that I have studied more than 12000 pages. I am wondering that it cannot be me who has read all these cases. But then I can’t deny my hand writing on all these papers.

Will wait for your comments, not on the article but on your progress.

Will also look forward to the suggestions on what next you expect from me.

I am planning of lecturing now, starting next article….so what’s the topic you all want….Vedic maths, number system or what else…

All d Best. VMSimilar Posts:

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I am new to MBA tutes and before I start writing anything, let me introduce myself.

I have been training students for CAT, GMAT and other MBA entrance exams since last 13 years and till date I have trained about 20k students.

I have been associated with some of the universities in Delhi as Guest Faculty, Have also been associated with some CBSE affiliated schools for NTSE classes, have also been associated with a few B schools in Delhi as Guest Faculty and in last 13 years have been associated with alomost all the branded MBA coaching institutes for a decent number of years.

About my academic background, I am M.Sc in Maths + an MBA, currently doing research in management areas. In my days, off course, I had IIM calls, XLRI call, FMS & IIFT + a few more(I don’t remember now..).

O ya, something of your interest, I have appeared myself for last 13 CATs and have scored 99.99 percentile and ya, scored a perfect score in GMAT too, recently…

Why I am here? Interesting question…

Answer is plain vanilla. Been training students for CAT etc., I could not resist my temptation of helping students across India and not just in Delhi, When Ansh asked me to share my experiences, here…

He asked me to share my experiences of teaching students, the difficulties which students usually face when it comes to Maths(PS), English, DI, LR or it be GD-PI preparation..I thought it will be an easy job for me, but Ansh, being a DCEite could not see me happy, made my life difficult by asking me to share my personal experieces since I appear for CAT every year and in addition he asked me to share what goes in my students when they are preparing. What kind of ups and downs they go through, while preparing for CAT, not just that, what happens in those 2.5 hrs, which decides the fate of an individual…

I agree, I have a lot of experience but then I am kinda scared as to explaining everything just by typing, without speaking, without seeing a student….

Teaching in a class, I think is pretty easy job as there are so many students sitting to extract every thing from a teacher. So in a way, I don’t give anything to the class, rather students themselves take what they want, and it just comes out automatically…

Ansh said to this, that here also students are going to extract the same way, except that i won’t be able to see their faces and so will they.

So, here I am, with you all, for you all….

And here is a plan to start with…

Next Post of mine I will talk about ‘How should one prepare for CAT, in long run’. By long run I mean given a 7-10 months preparation time which is what I believe is more then sufficient to crack CAT.

Gradually I will look into How a B.A. English Hons can crack CAT or XAT Maths, How a B.E./B.tech can crack CAT/XAT English…how a person scared of water can learn swimming, ohh sorry, these are not How to swim, tips, these are How to prepare for CAT tips….

I meant that only, one who is scared of Maths, how can he/she learn Maths, same for those who are scared of English…

And trust me, Cracking CAT is a game, just a game, which you can be 100% sure of winning, if you play it with the game spirit. If you take it as an exam, for which tonnes of studies are required, then sorry guys, I won’t be much of help. Let’s play the game. Remember, game is for fun. We play it for we love it. We play it to win, we sometimes play to lose as well. So, if you love it, be ready to understand the rules of the game…

All the best to all

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