ENTRANCE MANTRA

MANAGEMENT ENTRANCE MANTRA
Bulbul Gupta, FMS, Delhi.

Since the time salaries in management soared, the rat race for getting into the top B-schools has become difficult to get one’s teeth into……. Tougher than it ever was!!!

Today the selection ratios themselves are the proof of the situation. For example, in FMS this year (2002), out of every 550 candidates taking the written test one candidate reaches the final list of MBA wannabes. To guarantee one’s seat in one of the top 10 B-schools, therefore, it is imperative to put lots of effort into quality preparation in the right direction.

The common areas in which candidates are tested in these entrance exams are:

  1. Quantitative aptitude
  2. Reading Comprehension
  3. Verbal ability
  4. Data Interpretation
  5. Analytical Reasoning
  6. Business / General awareness (FMS, XAT, IIFT)

To be quick and well versed in Quantitative aptitude, it is important to be thorough with multiplication tables (at least till 30), squares and cubes (till 35), square roots and cube roots (till 10).

One can get hold of a good MBA entrance guide like Modern MBA Entrance Guide, Modern Publishers or study material from a good coaching institute like Career Launcher, IMS, PT-India, Career Forum, Time, Career Makers, Erudite, Career  Plan etc. and do the basic fundamentals properly. For those who are not confident in Mathematics or are not in touch with it, it’ll do good to join regular coaching in any of the good institutes mentioned above. Career Launcher is very popular in North India, mainly Delhi, PT-India in Jaipur and Chandigarh, IMS in Bombay and other parts of southern India, as well as in Delhi now.

 To increase speed in problem solving, get basics right and for short-cut techniques Magical Book on Quicker Mathematics is a good source. And friends, above all the mantra is: Practice! Practice! Practice!
Quantitative (or Quant) is generally regarded as the deciding factor in the entrance tests like CAT, where every section has a minimum cut-off one needs to clear. However, I would say that most important thing is perfection in English, good RC (Reading Comprehension) skills, exhaustive vocabulary and knowledge of grammar rules. These are the things that require consistent effort and lots of time. I am sure, even people otherwise having exceptionally good English speaking and writing skills get blown over here.

To become comfortable with passages of the level that come in CAT, it is advisable to do heavy quality reading, like Ayn Rand, Bertrand Russell, Stephen Hawking, Peter Drucker. Also, reading the editorials of one daily and one pink newspaper everyday and timing yourself will be useful. Most of the tests have clean 5-10 questions on direct vocabulary and if one is good at it, it’s a steal. And it hardly takes any time to mark the correct synonym of a word you already very well know!
So, I would suggest: Do not ignore Vocabulary. Start with-

    * ‘All about Words’ by Nurnberg & Rosenblum

    * ‘Word Power Made Easy’ by Norman Lewis

Also, do the GRE wordlist thoroughly; if you can then nothing like it!! You’ll have such words in tests like FMS where you wouldn’t find at all even in some dictionaries. So do not take it lightly!

The best part in the test is Data Interpretation & is easiest to crack. All that is needed is a fast brain & quick mental calculations. Just practice variety of data sets. For group questions & puzzles, Shakuntala Devi’s  puzzles and ‘The Great Book of Puzzles & Teasers’ by George J. Summers are a good bet.

CAT last year had 3 sections- Quant, Verbal Ability/RC, & DI; so did XAT, which had sections on Quant/DI, Verbal Ability/RC, & General Awareness.

Reading Economic Times/Business Standard/Financial Express/Business Line and Times of India/Hindustan Times/The Hindu/The Statesman everyday, along with one business magazine & one political magazine shall take care of Business/General Awareness sections, especially for the Business Awareness section in the FMS entrance test where this is really the differentiating factor. You can also refer to ‘General Knowledge at a Glance’ (CSR) or ‘Manorama Year Book’ before specific tests like FMS, XAT, & NMIMS. It is also a good idea to keep noting down important points from these in one place for quick & easy reference at the time of GD/PI.

In the end, I feel, anyone and everyone can master these tests, and those who already have good reading habits & strong maths have an advantage. At this crucial time it will be intelligent to be restricted to quality material and mastering what you are doing, rather than trying to do everything possible. Just a consistent & continued effort on your side will surely take you   places!! Enjoy preparing for MBA entrances….

All the very best!