India's first & only luxury management program

India's first & only luxury management program

Luxury Connect Business School (LCBS) has collaborated with international universities to provide a global perspective to its students. LCBS has introduced a Post Graduate Diploma in Luxury Management from August 2014 onwards. In affiliation with the ‘International University of Monaco’, the program is designed for students to understand not just the nuances of handling luxury in India, but also to achieve an international perspective.


Other top international schools that offer luxury tracks or electives are ESSEC Business School (France), NYU Stern (USA), London Business School (UK), SDA Bocconi (Italy) and University St. Gallen (Switzerland).

From,
The Editor,
Advanc'edge MBA

Video Analysis of SimCAT 2 - for all CAT Aspirants

Dear All,

We are pleased to inform you that we have uploaded a video analysis of SimCAT 2 for the benefit of all IMS students preparing for CAT. 

The video is available on the IMS Youtube Channel: IMS India 

To view this channel visit https://www.youtube.com/user/IMSTestPrep.

This video (a presentation with a voice-over by our Academic Heads) covers the following aspects:

1.       Test-taking approach & Strategy for a SimCAT(…or for that matter the CAT) 

2.       The approach as applied to SimCAT 2

3.       What after SimCAT 2?

We hope that you find this initiative useful and beneficial. 

Best Wishes for your preparation for SimCATs!

CMAT Feb 2013 - Analysis

CMAT Feb 2013 is being conducted over a 5-day test window from 21st Feb to 25th Feb across 2 time slots (9:30 am to 12:30 pm; 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm). Overall, the paper was comparable, in terms of difficulty, with the Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation section compared to the previous CMAT exams. Since there are no sectional timings, one can easily utilise the time saved in the GA section to score more in other sections. Scratch papers for rough work were readily available. The exam is a cakewalk for students preparing for the CAT, except the General Awareness section if they are not familiar with the current trends.

Sectional Feedback:

Quantitative Technique and Data Interpretation

Even though this section can still be rated on a scale of easy to moderate, the average time required to complete the section was more. While in the earlier CMATs, average time for completion of the section for good students was around 25-30 minutes, this time around completion of the Quant section took 40-45 minutes for a lot of students. Like the exam held in September 2012, this section of CMAT had all single questions and no set based ones. A general snapshot is as follows:

Area	No. of Questions	Specifics
Arithmetic	8 to 9	Ratios ,mixtures ,work, averages, Profit & Loss ,simple & compound interest
Numbers	3	No of zeros in the product of a number, Cyclity rule (to find remainder of power of a number), No of Divisors of a Number
Geometry	4	Mensuration, Quadrialterals Co-ordinate Geometry
Modern Maths	5	Permutations and Combinations, Probability, Venn Diagrams, Progressions, Functions
Algebra	3	Algebraic equations, inequalities, Surds
DI	1	Pie Chart

What was interesting is that some questions in this section compared to the previous CMAT were a lot better framed and tested the reasoning skills of the test taker along with the conceptual knowledge. Quite a lot of focus was given to Number Properties (as indicated in the table above). We would advise students to brush up on these. A few of the questions in this section reminded you of the easier questions asked in CAT in the past couple of years. Looking at the test, a test taker needs to have reasonable level of proficiency in almost all areas of Mathematics, and cannot avoid leaving out any topic in his preparation for CMAT.

Logical Reasoning

This section had questions that can again be rated on a scale of easy to moderate. The test taker could have got stuck on some questions. It is critical to keep a tab on time. You might want to mark such questions to be revisited later. Again, single questions only and no set based ones.

A general snapshot is as follows:

Area	No. of Questions	Specifics
Arrangements	6	i.e. Linear, Seating, Sequencing, Arranging with Conditions, Matrix Arrangements, Circular Arrangement
Coding	1
Family tree	2
Logical Puzzles	1
Groups & Conditionalities	1
True/False	2
Series	1
Clocks	1
Directions	2
Calendars	1
Data Sufficiency	3	(1 On arrangements, 1 on Family Tree and 1 on Numerical Puzzle)
Sequential Input-Output	1
Syllogisms	1	6 statements – 3conclusions
Conditional Statements	1

Overall, the section was quite easy, barring 4-5 questions (especially the ones in Arrangements), which were a bit lengthy in terms of data to be read and analysed and hence time consuming. The section was similar in terms of level of difficulty for the September 2012 CMAT.

Language Comprehension (LC)

This section was easy, with a couple of questions in Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning having options that were quite close. It comprised small RC passages (about 10-11) with a single question on the passage. Questions were of the following types: main idea/theme of the passage, tone of the author, title of the passage, etc. In critical reasoning, (5-6 questions) the following were the question types: which of the following weaken/support the argument, what can be safely concluded, what is implied, etc. There were single questions on Complete the sentence, Fact-Inference–Judgement, Similar & Opposite Meanings of words, Find The Grammatical Error, Analogies, Choose the sentence which conveys the meaning most appropriately, Matching the Idiom & Word for Usage and Definition for 4 possibilities given in the Box, etc.

Developing a regular reading habit will significantly better your scores in this section. In verbal reasoning, it is critical to learn the approach to solve the different question types.

 General Awareness (GA)

 The GA section is believed to be the decider section amongst the test takers. This section can be rated on a scale of easy to moderate, with more questions falling on the easier side. If you read newspapers regularly, then you could easily answer around 9-10 questions (which was the total no of questions based on current affairs, and the rest being on Static GK). Even some of the questions on Static (4-5) were sitters. There were several questions related to politics, science and entertainment. Questions from history and sports were also present. The questions seemed quite familiar. However, one has to be careful to not fall into the trap of guess work, since CMAT has negative marking.
To ace this section, read newspapers regularly. Keep your eyes and ears open for latest happenings which could be through TV news as well. Familiarise yourself with important facts across different areas that are generally covered in General knowledge books. There is less emphasis on figures and data, which are generally difficult to remember.

Looking at the overall difficulty level, we would expect the cut off for GD–PI FOR top colleges under CMAT to be around 300-310

(MAT) MANAGEMENT APTITUDE TEST - 1st December 2013

 

Overview:

 

The overall structure of the MAT exam remained the same as that of the previous years’, with 5 sections of 40 questions each, 4 options and a negative marking of 1/4th of the marks allotted for wrong answers. The overall difficulty level of the exam did not vary much from the previous MAT exams. Most of the questions varied from easy to moderate. The best way to maximizing one’s score would have been to select questions judiciously.

 

Section	Subject Area	Number of Questions
Section I	Language Comprehension	40
Section II	Intelligence and Critical Reasoning	40
Section III	Mathematical Skills	40
Section IV	Data Analysis and Sufficiency	40
Section V	Indian and Global Environment	40

 

The analysis of each of the sections is as given below.

 

Language Comprehension:

This section comprised of 20 Verbal Ability and Verbal Reasoning questions and 20 Reading Comprehension questions. In case of the latter, there were 5 passages, all with 4 questions each. The passages themselves were short, and the topics covered involved business/economics, politics and the environment. The questions were direct and very easy, and included two word-based questions.

The VA/VR questions included 3 questions on Antonyms, 3 on choosing the Odd One Out, 3 on identifying the Grammatically Correct Sentence, 3 Double Fill in the Blanks, 4 questions on identifying the Essence/Summary of a Paragraph, and 4 Jumbled Paragraphs. Most of the questions were on the easy side. The question words in the Antonyms and Odd One Out questions were themselves jumbled up, so unscrambling them added a layer of difficulty to otherwise very easy questions.

 

Topics	No of Questions	Level of Difficulty
Reading Comprehension	5 passages with 4 questions each – 20	Easy – Moderate
Fill in the Blanks (double blanks)	3	Easy
Jumbled Paragraphs	4	Easy
Odd Man Out	3	Easy – Moderate
Antonyms	3	Moderate – Difficult
Pick Grammatically Correct Sentence	4	Moderate
Finding the Essence of a Paragraph	3	Moderate

 

A good strategy would have been to allot 35 minutes to this section, and solve as many VA/VR questions as possible, and then use the reaming time to attempt the RC questions. A good attempt would be 22-25 questions, with 85% accuracy.

 

Intelligence and Critical Reasoning: 

As usual, this section included a mixture of Verbal Reasoning and Logical Reasoning questions. The former included 4 Analogies, 3 Cause and Effect questions, 3 Statement Conclusion questions, and 4 Assertion and Reason questions.

The LR questions included 3 Family Tree questions, 2 Calendars questions, 12 Matrix Arrangements questions (4 sets of 3 questions each), 3 questions on Grouping and Conditionality (1 set), a single Arrangement based question, and 5 questions on Alphabet Series which were quite easy. Most of the questions varied from easy to moderate level.

 

Topics	No of Questions	Level of Difficulty
Statement and Conclusions	3	Moderate
Cause and Effect	3	Moderate
Analogies	4	Easy – Moderate
Assertion & Reason	4	Moderate
Family Tree	3	Easy
Calendars	3	Easy
Grouping and Conditionality	3	Easy – Moderate
Alphabet Series	5	Easy
Four sets of Analytical Reasoning based on Matrix arrangements with 3 parameters (height, color of cap worn and place where they stayed)	12	Easy – Moderate

 

A good time allocation for this section would be 30-35 minutes in which 25-27 questions were easily solvable.

 

Mathematical Skills: 

This section was primarily dominated by Arithmetic and Word based problems with a variety of easy to moderate level questions. The major topics covered in this section were Time, Speed and Distance, Time and Work, Mixtures and Alligations, Pipes and Cisterns, Ratio & Proportion, Profit & Loss, Simple & Compound Interest, Percentages, Geometry and Mensuration, Averages and Probability.

 

Topics	No. of questions	Level of difficulty
Time and work	3	Easy
Pipes and cisterns	2	Easy
Speed and distance	7	Easy – Moderate
Simple and compound Interest	2	Moderate
Profit-loss and Partnership	3	Moderate – Difficult
Percentage	5	Easy-Moderate
Ratio and proportions	4	Easy
Mixture and Alligations	2	Moderate – Difficult
Averages and Algebra based	3	Easy
Probability	4	Easy
Geometry and Mensuration	5	Moderate – Difficult

 

A good strategy would be to attempt 23-25 questions in 35-40 minutes with 85% accuracy.

 

Data Analysis and Sufficiency: 

The 5 questions based on Data Sufficiency were on the easier side and should have been attempted. There were 5 questions on Quantitative Comparison where a set of 2 statements were given and students had to  find which quantity was greater using both the statements. These should have been attempted too.

For Data Interpretation, the selection of questions was very critical as a couple of the sets were easy but quite a few were time consuming. The questions were based on Line Graphs, Bar Charts, Pie Charts + Bar Charts, Tables, Caselet based etc.

 

Topics	No. of questions	Level of difficulty
Two Pie charts showing production and expenses on vegetables for six different years.	5	Moderate – Difficult
One line graph showing rate of interest for 3 different banks for different years.	5	Easy
One Caselet study involving modes of transport between cities and the number of people using each mode of transport.	5	Moderate – Difficult
One bar graph showing production of 3 types of ice-creams by a company over different years.	5	Easy – Moderate
One Data Table showing number of students appearing for an exam and the number of students qualifying for the next stage in different zones of a country.	5	Easy
One bar chart and pie chart combination showing the number of adults working night shifts and the percentage of women working night shifts respectively.	5	Moderate
Data sufficiency	5	Easy
Data comparison	5	Easy

 

Around 22-24 attempts with 85% accuracy would have been good for this section.

 

Indian and Global Environment: 

Most of the questions in this section – about 34-35 – were on current events, so anyone who keeps abreast of current economic and political scenarios in India and abroad and regularly reads newspapers would not have found this section too tough. The rest of the questions were static, and were not too difficult either.

This section could easily be attempted in about 15 minutes. A good attempt would be 15-18 questions.

Those who have attempted IMS test pack on MAT (a series of 5 tests) would have found that the level of difficulty and the nature of the questions in these tests, as well as the structure of the paper similar to those asked in the actual MAT EXAM.

Test Q&As : Are you a Brainiac?

In this section, we shall explore several different types of questions from the various areas of entrance exams like the CAT, CET, GMAT, etc, and how to best solve them.

Quant

DIRECTIONS for questions 1: Choose the correct alternative.
1.   At a construction site, if the workers are 6 less than the usual number, the hours required to complete a task are 2 more than the usual but 7 less than what would be required if one-third of the workers were absent. How many hours will be required if there are 20 more workers than the usual?

1] 4 ½                         2] 12                         3] 13½                         4] Cannot be determined
Let 'x' workers take 'h' hours.

So, if one-third are absent, the rest will take 3h/2 hours
So, x – 6 workers take h + 2 hours which is equal to 3h/2 – 7.
So, h/2 = 9. So, h = 18
So, x – 6 workers take 20 hours instead of 18.
So, x / (x – 6) = 20 / 18  x = 60.
So, if 20 more workers are appointed, they will take 18 x 60 / 80 = 27/2 = 13½  hours.
Hence, [3].


2.   Find log 2 + log 3 + log 4 + log 5 … (n terms)
1]  1.5 log (n!)          2] n log {(n+1]!}³          3] log {(3n/2]!}          4] log {(n+1]!}3
log 2 + log 3 + log 4 + log 5 … (n terms)
= log {2^3/2 x 3^3/2 x 4^3/2 x 5^3/2 x ...... ⁽ⁿ⁺¹⁾}
= log { (n+1)! ^3/2 } =  log {(n + 1)!}³. Hence, [4].

3.     
Two circles are drawn inside a third circle, such that they touch each other externally and the large circle internally, such that the points of contact with the outer circle are diametrically opposite. The area of the larger circle is thus divided into 4 parts with areas p, q, r and s as shown in the figure. Then which of the following is true?
1] p + q = r + s                    2] pr = qs                    3] p + r = q + s                    4] p/q = r/s
Let the radii of the two smaller circles be a and b. Hence the radius of the larger circle will be
a + b. p = πa², r = πb² and the total area of the larger circle will be π(a + b)2.
The remaining area q + s = π(a + b)² – πa² – πb² = 2πab. Now, from the symmetry of the figure, q = s = πab. We can see that pr = qs = π²a²b².
Hence, [2].

Verbal

DIRECTIONS: This question has four sentences pertaining to a subject, which may or may not be in sequence. One of the sentences is contextually/logically incorrect. Choose the option corresponding to the sentence that is incorrect or inappropriate.

1. The Zhou centuries were a seminal time for China’s civilization, yet they get short shrift in some history books.
2. The third and the last of the pre-imperial ‘Three Dynasties’ (Xia, Shang, Zhou), the Zhou, supplanted the Shang as the supreme power in the lower Yellow River basin in c. 1045 BC, and would still be there nearly 800 years later.
3. None of China’s subsequent ruling lineages would last more than half as long; in fact the Zhou probably hold the world record for dynastic longevity.
4. In the course of this dynastic marathon, some thirty-nine kings followed one another, mostly in orderly father-to-son succession.

Explanation: Sentences [2], [3] and [4] – which can be arranged in the order [2]-[4]-[3] – all speak about the longevity of the Zhou dynasty, while [1] speaks of the importance of the time period, and its neglect in history books. Therefore, [1] does not fit into the context. Hence, [1].

DIRECTIONS: This question has a paragraph from which the last sentence has been deleted. From the given options, choose the option that completes the paragraph in the most appropriate way.
The idea that our mental terrain decides what information survives in our heads and what gets killed off finds a parallel with a venerable biological theory: Darwin’s theory of natural selection. When we see lions and polar bears, we marvel at how well these animals have adapted themselves to the savannah and the polar ice caps. But no committee of lions sat down and decided that the African savannah would be home. No electoral bear-college voted for a leader who called for polar bears to move to the Arctic.

1. These animals adapt to their environment by instinct, unlike humans, who do so with intelligence.
2. The savannahs and polar regions of our mind exist unknown to us, directing the way we adapt.
3. Our mental terrain has a topography that is as varied as the geography of the Earth, constantly directing us to adapt.
4. These animals did not adapt to their environment; their environment adapted them to it.  

Explanation: The paragraph is about the idea that it is the terrain of our mind that decides what survives inside our head and not we. To support this the author cites the examples of bears and lions and their respective habitats. The author says that the animals did not consciously decide or deliberate over their habitats. Since the main idea is about how our mental terrain or our mental environment decides what information survives, the concluding statement has to be about the animals’ environment and not they themselves deciding or choosing their habitat. Only option (4) does this. Option (1) is incorrect as the author is saying that we might in reality be using our intelligence. Options (2) and (3) make generalizations about human beings adapting and do not capture the specificity of the paragraph, which is the information surviving in our minds. Hence, [4].

How to maximise your CAT scores

Target a score, and work towards it

Q. In the run up to CAT 2014, what should be the strategy for the aspirants in these few remaining months?
For aspirants, success in the CAT can be defined as the achievement of the percentile required to get into their desired list of B-schools. The first step, therefore, would be to find out the cut-off percentiles of various institutes that you are interested in applying to. Based on past data, we have observed that while a 95+ overall percentile (with equal competence across sections) can get you into the IIMs, you would need at least a 75+ overall percentile to get into some of the top 100 B-schools in the country. It is therefore imperative that you define your success benchmark by first shortlisting the B-schools that you aspire to join.
Once you have defined your success benchmark, you should follow an effective and efficient study plan from here on to ensure that you meet your target CAT percentile. Based on the data collected from past CATs and IMS SimCATs, we have an analysis of the number of questions students must attempt and get correct to achieve certain percentiles:

	%ile	Sectional benchmarks
		No of questions	No of attempts	No of correct attempts	Minutes per question
Stage 1	75%ile	30	12	10	5.4
Stage 2	85%ile	30	15	13	4.3
Stage 3	95%ile	30	18	15	3.6
Stage 4	99%ile	30	24	20	2.7

The objective is to reach your target percentiles in a stepwise manner by achieving the benchmark attempts and number of correct answers at each stage as per the above table.

Q. Please share a section-wise strategy for CAT.
The CAT has two sections:

• Section 1:Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, and
• Section 2: Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning.

For Section 1, first target questions that lie in your areas of strength. Give priority to solving the standalone questions and do not devote more than 2.5 minutes for a question, even if you do not get the solution. Do not have a mind block on a particular topic, as there might be some very easy questions from that topic. Read all questions and identify these questions to ensure high scores. One must ensure that all the questions are read by the end of the section.

For Section 2, attempt the vocabulary and usage questions first. They are the least time consuming, as either you know the answer or you do not. Then devote time to your strength areas from among Reading Comprehension, Logical Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning. Ensure all questions are read by the end of the section in the stipulated time. Read all RC questions, as there might be an easy question alongside an apparently difficult RC passage.

Q. CAT candidates generally belong to one of two categories — working professionals and students. Should there be a separate preparation strategy for them?
Ideally, you shouldn’t spend more than four hours a day on studying for the CAT. The manner in which those four hours are utilised depends on the individual student’s strengths and weaknesses. Some may prefer to spend more time on the verbal portion, while others might prefer the DI portion. Ultimately, you must ensure that your progress in each section is equal. This holds greater relevance if you are aiming only for the IIMs, because at these institutes, sectional cut-offs matter. Organise your day in such a way that the hours spent studying are those when your brain is most alert. Working professionals, for example, shouldn’t study at night after a hard day’s work. Preparing for this test is not like preparing for school and college, where you need to spend long hours memorising.

Q. Candidates who take CAT generally also take other different management entrance exams like XAT, SNAP, CMAT, etc. How should the preparation strategies differ between these exams?
Actually, one of the most repeated queries B-school aspirants is “What is the additional preparation that I need to do to crack tests like the IIFT, XAT, SNAP, etc?”
It is interesting to note that most of the tests such as those mentioned above assess more or less the same concepts that are tested on the CAT. Hence, you will find that there is really not much of a difference when it comes to concept building for any of these tests. However, the various tests differ in terms of the test structure, question types and overall difficulty level of the test. Therefore, we only need to understand the test structure, get acclimatised to the different question types and develop specific strategies to crack these tests. More often than not, if you have prepared well enough for the CAT, then there is a high chance that you will perform well in the other tests.
The XAT, for example, additionally assesses Decision Making and General Awareness types of questions. The preparation for the XAT will, therefore, require the student to get oriented to these question types. Additionally, one should take four to five mock tests for the XAT and analyse the same, similar to what is done for the CAT, to thoroughly get acquainted to the test structure and the types of questions.

Q. Since exams like the CAT are time-bound tests, what is the best way to manage the time given?
Time bound sections check the student’s section-wise strengths. If one has prepared the basics for all concepts and is confident of his application skills, time management should not be a difficult issue. One must follow the basics and strictly follow the section-wise strategies to ensure optimum usage of time and ensuring completion of the section in the allotted time. Do not spend more than 2.5 minutes on a question, solve set-based questions in the middle and always keep an eye on the timer. Do not resort to guessing or answering questions in a hurry, as it may cost heavily due to the negative marking scheme of the test.

Q. Please state the importance of mock tests.
To achieve your target percentile, you should take one mock test per week (or a maximum of two tests per week), especially if you are a working professional. For every test you take, as per the above table, you will attempt only the specified number of questions to ascertain your performance. Now, in the post-test analysis and the process of improvement, work on the questions that you got wrong. This is very important since you had more time per question and still got them wrong. It either means either an error of comprehension or a conceptual issue. Next, pick the questions you did not attempt and solve these questions without a time limit. Once again, this exercise will point out your areas of improvement. Doing this process for each test will definitely improve your performance in the next.

Hone your Communications Skills!

Vocab Dose - IV

Men and Money

Let me give you a tip on a clue to men's characters: the man who damns money has obtained it dishonorably; the man who respects it has earned it. Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil. That sentence is the leper’s bell of an approaching looter. So long as men live together on earth and need means to deal with one another – their only substitute, if they abandon money, is the muzzle of a gun. But money demands of you the highest virtues, if you wish to make it or to keep it. Men who have no courage, pride or self-esteem, men who have no moral sense of their right to their money and are not willing to defend it as they defend their life, men who apologize for being rich - will not remain rich for long. They are the natural bait for the swarms of looters that stay under rocks for centuries, but come crawling out at the first smell of a man who begs to be forgiven for the guilt of owning wealth. They will hasten to relieve him of the guilt - and of his life, as he deserves. Then you will see the rise of the men of the double standard - the men who live by force, yet count on those who live by trade to create the value of their looted money – the men who are the hitchhikers of virtue.

An excerpt from Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged

MATCH THE WORDS WITH THEIR MEANINGS

1. Clue – (kloo) (n)   2. Damns – (dams) (v)   3. Dishonorably – (dis-on-er-uh-blee) (adv)   4. Leper’s bell   5. Looter – (loot-er) (n)   6. Means – (meens) (n)   7. Muzzle – (muhz-uhl) (n)   8. Virtues – (vur-chooz) (n)   9. Bait – (beyt) (n) 10. Swarms – (swawrms) (n) 11. Relieve – (ri-leev) (v) 12. Double standard 13. Hitchhikers - (hich-hahyk-urz) (n)

a.   Someone who steals money or valuables, thief b.   The open end of the barrel of a firearm c.   Something intended to entice someone to do something d.   Used ironically to indicate that someone has been deprived of something e.   Criticises strongly f.   A rule or principle which is unfairly applied in different ways to different people or groups g.   In Medieval Europe, lepers were required to carry a bell to identify their presence. The phrase therefore signifies the onset of an approaching danger h.   A fact or idea that serves to reveal something or solve a problem i.   People who travel by getting free lifts in passing vehicles j.   A large number of people or things k.   An action or system by which a result is achieved; a method l.   Behaviour showing high moral standards m.   Bringing shame or disgrace on someone or something, without honour

Answers

1. h	2. e	3. m	4. g	5. a
6. k	7. b	8. l	9. c	10. j
11. d	12. f	13. i

The CAT, I find, is much more scoring

CAT 2013's Rank 2, Suneet Kumbhat, says that he found the CAT easier to solve than the CMAT. In an interview with Puja Shah, he talks about why he feels so, his preparation for the test, his biggest hurdles which he overcame to top the CAT and his future plans.
 

Briefly tell us about yourself.

My schooling was completed in Mumbai, where I was born and brought up. I got my engineering degree from IIT - Delhi, after which I worked for a company in Chennai as a business analyst for a year. For the last couple of years, I have been working on an entrepreneurial venture along with a business partner. 

Why did you decide to pursue an MBA?
I had been trying my hand at the CAT since I graduated graduation. This was my fourth attempt at the test; the previous tries hadn’t been satisfactory for me since I was finding it quite difficult to give my best while working full-time. Finally, I decided to give it my best shot, as I wanted to gain a better insight into the corporate world. I also wanted to get some industry experience, since that would be beneficial in the long-term for my business.
The other reason was the tag of having an MBA degree. I wanted to do it in India specifically, since I have my own venture here. Obviously studying in an international school in another country has its pluses, but since I wanted to be in India for the foreseeable future I thought staying here and studying the business environment here made most sense.

How did you prepare for the test?
I was familiar with the test, and there were certain sections with which I wouldn’t face too many hiccups. On my first attempt, I found that I could handle the quantitative ability, data interpretation and logical reasoning pretty well. I had always been inclined towards quantitative and analytical subjects, and I had an engineering background, which is why I have always scored well in these areas. However, the Verbal analysis portion was difficult for me, and I could never score consistently well in that section. So I kept answering similar questions till I got the accuracy and score I wanted.
I have been practising this since my second attempt and solving the mock tests really helped me.

What was the biggest hurdle in your test preparation and how did you overcome it?
My biggest hurdle was time. I was involved with my business and did not have much time to spare for studies, but I did what I could. Around 10 days before the CAT, I stopped both working and studying. I decided to devote only a couple of hours a day for solving mock tests. I did this every day for those 10 days. My business partner was also very helpful, and took over all my responsibilities during these days.

What's next after topping the CAT?
I have managed to get an admit from IIM-Calcutta - I’ve accepted it and will be going there in a month’s time. My entrepreneurial venture will be functioning while I am studying; my partner will be handling most of the operations while I’ll be involved remotely at the strategic level and not at the operations level. After completing my course, I plan to come back to my business and take it to new heights.

What other exams did you give?
I just gave the CMAT, in September 2013. After the CAT results I didn’t give any further tests.

What made you accept the IIM-C offer?
Well, I got calls only from IIM-C and IIM Lucknow, so that made my decision easy. If I’d received calls from Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta , then yes, I would have had a lot to think about and it would have been a tough decision to make. Obviously IIM A, B and C are said to be at par with each other, followed by the rest.
I must say that I hadn’t thought about my decision beforehand, when I was waiting for the results to be declared. If I had, I would’ve spent a lot of time analysing and speaking to a number of people, but things worked out for the best. This way, I didn’t have to make a tough decision or do any analysis.

MUST Read for CAT Aspirants!

Since you’re planning on doing your MBA, you need to be well read, and not just on current affairs. In this section, we offer you some choices of books that will broaden your perspective, and you will find that you will never be at a loss in a discussion!

Blink Author: Malcolm Gladwell Publisher: Penguin Price: ₹265 Genre: Non-fiction, popular psychology

In this landmark bestseller, journalist, author and speaker Malcolm Gladwell revolutionises the way we understand the world within ourselves. Blink is about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant – in the blink of an eye – that actually aren’t as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others consistently inept? Why do some follow their instincts and win, while others keep stumbling into error? How do our brains really work – in the office, classroom, kitchen, and in the bedroom? And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others? In Blink, we meet the psychologist who has learned to predict whether a marriage will last, based on a few minutes observing a couple; the tennis coach who knows when a player will double-fault before the racket even makes contact with the ball; the antiquities expert who recognises a fake at a glance. Blink reveals that great decision makers aren’t those who process the most information or spend the most time deliberating, but who have perfected the art of “thin-slicing” - filtering the very few factors that matter from an overwhelming number of variables.

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A mandatory addition to the library of everyone who works for a living (or would like to). The Big Bing provides a corporate mole’s-eye view of the society in which we all live and toil, creating one of the most entertaining, thought-provoking, and just plain funny bodies of work. Rules and tools for the business road, sold amusingly but on a depressing foundation of inanity, this collection of pieces grazes wittily upon the workplace’s human dimensions, with all their annoying, grand, and bizarre displays. There is enough fresh, unvarnished, cruel wisdom in these pages to set business students agog and trembling. By the end, readers may feel they are suffocating in lint, but the author would advise them to never let their lips—or their smile—drop below the ever-roiling surface. One of the best examples of the corporate world, but written in a unique way, unlike any other book of the same sort. A must read for those who need to look at the lighter side of life.

The Big Bing Author: Stanley Bing Price: ₹298 Publisher: HarperCollins Genre: : Non-fiction/Business/Humour

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Freakonomics Author: Steven Levitt and Stephen J Dubner Price: ₹173 Publisher: Penguin Genre: Non-fiction

Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? How did the legalisation of abortion affect the rate of violent crime? These are just some of the questions that University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J Dubner try to answer in the enormously successful Freakonomics, a book that melds pop culture with economics. Levitt is both economist and social scientist using the tools of Microeconomics applied to other fields that happen to catch his interest (often having something to do with cheating, corruption, crime, etc.) Even though this may sound dull, it is quite the opposite, as the authors use straightforward analysis to turn conventional wisdom on its head.