Management aspirants who have already appeared for the Common Admission Test, will spend the rest of the weeks preparing for the Group Discussion and Personal Interview rounds.
The results for the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2012 conducted by the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode will be announced on January 9, 2013.
In an online chat with readers on November 23, Rahul Reddy, CMO and Centre Director of VistaMind Education addressed queries related to preparing for GD and PI and offered advice on MBA admissions and more.
For those who missed the live chat, here's the unedited transcript:
Rahul Reddy says, HI Everyone. This is Rahul Reddy, Director VistaMInd. I am IIMC alumnus and have 10 years plus experience training and mentoring students for MBA entrance exams as City Head TIME Kolkata and now as Director VistaMind. Welcome any Qs on IIFT, SNAP, XAT etc or on Bschool Selection, GD Int etc
aabhi asked, are its placements good? sp jain gmba
Rahul Reddy answers, Quite good by International Placements, though a good number of the placements are in India.
crackcat asked, how to prepare for group discussions? what issues to expect
Rahul Reddy answers, Hi GD requires 3 things 1. Good all round knowledge of various issues esp current affairs. Not just knowing facts, but understanding and using facts to make logical arguments 2. Good guidance regarding GD/Int evaluation, do's and dont's etc from an experienced trainer 3. Sufficient practise at least 7-8 sessons before the actual GD
snap asked, which are the other exams i should consider besides CAT and CMAT
Rahul Reddy answers, XAT and SNAP are the most popular other exam, each having 4-6 good Bschools that you can apply for. SNAP is a relatively easy high scoring paper XAT is a tough, logic driven paper
snap asked, how much should i score in cat to get into IIM?
Rahul Reddy answers, Since CAT was conducted across many slots with different levels of paper difficulty, it is very difficult to link score to Percentile You will need 97+ Percentile min overall and for the top 6 probably 98.5+
rk asked, hi rahul.. could you suggest some good fiction/non-fiction books to read to prepare directly/indirectly
Rahul Reddy answers, Books relating to India would help Shashi Tharoor - Pax Indica Nandan Nilekeni - Imagining India Gurcharan Das - Latest The world is Flat - Friedman
crackcat asked, Thank you rahul. Also, this year, what issues would u suggest that i prepare for GD?
Rahul Reddy answers, Lots of them Corruption - Anti corruption movements RTI Allocation of Natural Resources Centre - State relations FDI - Retail Indian Economy Euro Crisis US presidential Election Land Acquistion policy
rk asked, I have a good cv. how do i build up good conversational skills for the interivews
Rahul Reddy answers, We need practice. When i prepared for CAT, i would apply for jobs just to get Interview practice. You can set up appointments with any corporate contacts (through friends and family) so that you get 20-30 min of formal communication practice
raj asked, i am having a score of 570 in gmat , can u temme which coleges i can opt for
Rahul Reddy answers, Score is on the lower side. Would be diff for most top Bschools in India, USA or Europe
aabhi asked, how is great lakes one yr prog and its placements
Rahul Reddy answers, GLIM - Good academic programme. Placements are decent ranging from 7-14 depending upon work exp and performance If you have quality work exp it helps
raj asked, oh yea... so wat shuld my next step .. is ther any good collegfes which in tier two colleges in india
Rahul Reddy answers, Tier 2 India IMT Nagpur, Hyderabad IMI Kolkata, BBSR
aabhi asked, i am a chartered accountant . will i get any benefit in the interviews as comapred to others
Rahul Reddy answers, Yes. Most top bschools give additional points for CA's. It is significant advantage over other students It will also help in placement after MBA
emil asked, If i have written CAT and expect a good score , should i still write XAT and other exams ??
Rahul Reddy answers, At least one more as back up is strongly recommended.
crackcat asked, do you have any advice on what to avoid saying in a group discussion. sometimes opinions can be perceived in the wrong way
Rahul Reddy answers, What not to do or say in GDs 1. Dont take one side of the issue right in the beginning, keep an open mind 2. Dont be eager to correct mistakes of others 3. Dont repeat points either of other or your own 4. Dont use slang or non english languages 5. Dont get personal or show too much emotion
summer asked, hi sir. my cmat score is 215 and rank is 2800. which college will i get a call if i apply
Rahul Reddy answers, The following Bschools should give you a call WE School, Mumbai GIM, Goa KJ Somaiya, TAPMI Manipal
swap asked, I have GMAT score of 720 and work exp of 7yrs in PSU Bank where can i apply in India and abroad
Rahul Reddy answers, In India ISB Hyderabad/Mohali IIM A,B,C, L PGP Ex SP Jain, Mumbai Maybe GLIM Chennai Outside India need to know Budget and other preferences
raj asked, I am gettin an annual salary of 7 L and if i do MBA from these colleges would i get placement on the same pay level or higher .. the main idea to do MBA is to get into a different level
Rahul Reddy answers, Diff Q The primary idea is to get into Mgt because as non Mgr, growth will slow down or stop soon. The colleges suggested will not initially give a big boost to salary but over the long term it should work out. Ideally though if you could get GMAT score above 650+ then it opens up many possibilities
safdsdf asked, hows GIM? my CMAT score is 239.
Rahul Reddy answers, Pretty good worth considering
l asked, is it possible to finnace your study abroad completely by loans
Rahul Reddy answers, For an MBA It is possible but very difficult. Guarantors and Collateral might be required
summer asked, what would be the approximate cut off for sibm pune and banglore, scmhrd and siib
Rahul Reddy answers, Approx Cutoffs SIBM 95+ SCMHRD 90+ SIIB 80+ SIBM Bangalore 75+
l asked, there are some schools in US, which offer 1 year mba. are students allowed to stay and search for jobs in such cases.is it risky from jobs perspective since there is not internship.
Rahul Reddy answers, US Bschools do not have a 100% placement push from the college side that we see in India. So while the Bschool helps, the primary responsibility to getting a job rests with the students Also given Visa tightening the risk is there unless Bschool is top 20
aab asked, how is nmims capital markets course sir
Rahul Reddy answers, Good, NMIMS is great Bschool. Only Issue is Cap Markets course placements are dependent on market conditions (Financial markets) so in case of a big worldwide recession.
Illustration: Dominic Xavier
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'Is work experience important for MBA?'
TULASI asked, It is heard tat in the indian scenario womens are given an uppe habnd in the management studies feild , for example in sib they have took a gal who had 590 as gmat score for their mba curriculum .. is it true ??
Rahul Reddy answers, There are some Bschools who give a few points extra for female candidates but is not much There is a view that good female candidates are easier to place in banks and service industries However the advantage is minor. The student you are referring too may also have other plus points in profile
ponting asked, is work experience of around 2 yrs counted i.e. does it make any difference
Rahul Reddy answers, Yes. Definitely makes a difference. The weightage given differs from school to school
TULASI asked, ISB
Rahul Reddy answers, Are you sure. Because we are in reg touch with ISB and other top Bschools and i have never heard of such a case at 590 They normally take at 700+ For very special cases like Viren Rasquinha India Hockey Captain, they have relaxed the criterion but still it is well above 600
l asked, how is the market response to 1 year mba in US
Rahul Reddy answers, Depends on the Bschool. US has great bschools as well as pathetic ones just like India
TULASI asked, Which all colleges does give prefence to female applicants
Rahul Reddy answers, Some of the IIMs like K & L, SCMHRD etc prefer female applicants
summer asked, pls order these colleges GIM, Liba, we, GLIM
Rahul Reddy answers, GLIM, WE, GIM and LIBA in that order though the difference is not very much
fg asked, how good is Fore School, Delhi??
Rahul Reddy answers, Quite good. After IMI, KJ Somayya on par with WE
SK asked, Whether girls have reservation or priority in selection in all IIMs
Rahul Reddy answers, Not all L, Rohtak, Kashipur
summer asked, some tips for cracking snap gk. Like books or websites etc
Rahul Reddy answers, Manorama Yearbook Back issues of Comp magazines
Rahul Reddy says, Thank you all for participating. Hope I was able to clear some of your doubts. All the best to all of you for your MBA preparation.
Illustration: Dominic Xavier
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