how i prepare for entrance exam for MBA

To start preparations for CAT 2018 you need to first focus on mastering the basics of each section.

For quantitative ability, you can start preparing through Arun Sharma book which has a good explanation of the theory and question solutions. Also, it provides a high variety of questions with the different difficulty level.

For Verbal ability, you should start reading lots of good novels written by good authors like Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie, Sydney Sheldon etc. This will help you in improving your English Literature. For improving your vocabulary you should start memorizing 3 words daily with their meaning and correct pronunciation. You should start using these words in your daily life so that you can memorize them in a better way. For Reading Comprehension section you should start reading different passages in different newspaper, magazines etc. and understand the thought process of the author. You need to see what actually he wants to convey through his passage, to who is he targeting and his way of communication. This will help you in solving the maximum questions asked the passage. You should also see the Arun Sharma book to check out and practice the different types of questions asked in the exam.

Along with this, you should start giving lots of online mock test and analyse solutions of each one of the thoroughly which will help you in overcoming your mistakes and come up with a strategy to definitely improve your marks and percentile. It will also help you to know about your strength and weakness which will help you in attempting easy questions first, that will reduce your chance of committing a silly mistake in an easy question or missing out an easy question. Along with this, you will also get enough time to attempt medium level difficult questions which will overall increase your speed with accuracy which leads to increase your percentile.

Testfunda, Oluveboard, hitbullseye, cracku.in, youth4work.com, bschool.careers360.com are some of the sites where you can get online mock test papers for all CAT, SNAP, MAT, CMAT and XAT exam

All the best for your preparations!!

For preparation you can refer to following reference books as per your choice and understanding :

1) How to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT How to prepare for Data Interpretation for the CAT How to prepare for Logical Reasoning for the CAT How to prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT

All by Arun Sharma and Minakshi Upadhyay

2) Pearson Guide to Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Nishit Sinha Pearson Guide to Quantitative Aptitude and Data Intrepretation for CAT by Nishit Sinha Pearson Guide to Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Nishit Sinha There are others books like Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis, High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin etc to help you for your preparation.

There are websites offering free and paid CAT coaching and also there are YouTube channels who can help you regarding the same.

You can also join various coaching institutes like TIME, CL, IMS etc or the online coaching institutes also for concepts and mock tests.

All the best!

a) Firstly one must be clear about MBA Program

You should understand what is it all about, its relevance and then decide about going in for it. MBA is a ‘Masters’ program, which prepares students for various functions and positions in the ‘Business World’. For details read, wikipedia or search internet for acquainting yourself with the program and the business activities.

(b) Why do majority of students join MBA?

• First and foremost for getting a good job with a decent remuneration.
• Since the Business activities sphere is very large and diverse, there are many career options and job opportunities for the job seekers.
• Students with diverse academic backgrounds are eligible for admission and there is no bar for any graduate student, with sound academic credentials.
• A management career appears to be attractive and glamorous.
• Students with specific interest in and passion for self-entrepreneurship can learn a lot about ‘Business Management’ and can arm themselves with sound and relevant education.
• Children and Parents from business families are increasingly seeking professional education before entering the family business.
• It is in vogue and fashionable to acquire and flaunt an M.B.A degree.

(c) Carefully decide your own reasons for choosing MBA program

In any case whatever your rationale may be, management education is very stimulating, useful and rewarding. It is recommended that decision to go in for an MBA degree should be taken much before completion of the graduate degree or in the beginning of your professional career, in case you want to acquire some work experience before seeking admission. You must prepare a list of the Top schools and others also, alongside their eligibility criterion and the type of entrance examination. Most of the good schools require students to appear for CAT and some for GMAT tests.

(d) The essential focus areas in which the students are tested are:

• Command over English language, i.e. expression, vocabulary, precision and grammar.
• Logical and Reasoning ability- this requires basic knowledge of Math and Statistics, besides of course logical thinking in general.
• Knowledge about the National and World affairs, specially the current ‘hot topics’
• Leadership Qualities and Public Speaking, which are mainly tested through Group Discussions

(e) Examination Pattern

• All the written tests are based on multiple-choice type objective questions and are mainly conducted on-line.
• The ratio of the number of questions to be answered and the time allotted is very challenging, e.g. one has to answer 60 questions in 45 minutes.
• You cannot go to the next question before answering the previous one as per the latest pattern. This means that you cannot run through the question paper from top to bottom, solving the problems, which are easy for you and go back to the top again for the more difficult ones.
• The algorithms are continuously redesigned and you cannot predict the positive, neutral and negative marking weightage.
• It essentially boils down to ‘speed’, thorough preparation with an understanding of the subject matter and a cool minded approach.

(f) How to Prepare for MBA Entrance?

• Start working on your language skills and the communication ability. For this you must read a standard National Daily Newspaper and a regular News Magazine on a daily basis, besides any other reading of your choice. This will also increase your awareness about the current affairs.
• For correct vocabulary, spellings and grammatical usage, consult a standard Dictionary and note down what you have checked.
• For better-spoken expression, watch a good T V news program conducted by a news anchor who speaks in an easy and accent free tone. This has to be done everyday (the same program).
• If you are self-conscious, you can practice by reading the newspaper aloud in front of a mirror for 15 minutes everyday.
• Commerce, non-medical and other students who have optional math in school and college MUST take the subject, no matter how difficult they find it to be. Others can start take private coaching from a very early stage.

(g) Maximum number of students who qualify are from engineers

They have a strong math background. The others are well advised not to underestimate this fact and to prepare hard to close the gap.

• Solving puzzles and participating in quiz competitions will enhance your logical ability.
• Invest in good standard CAT and GMAT preparation books and start taking online tests to check / enhance your score.
• Determine your weak areas and work on them for continuous improvement.
• Be prepared and open to ask for guidance and help from parents and friends.
• Join a standard Coaching Program, preferably for TWO years in succession. It should be a physical tutoring program and not a distance learning one for real effectiveness.
• Check with seniors and friends who have earlier got admission to good business schools and note down relevant points out of their experience.

(h) This list obviously is not complete but is meant to give you a clear idea of how-to-go-about-it.

A word of advice-do not be worried or over-confident. Apart from your inherent talents, serious and focused preparation is required by just about every one. Also you have to not only ‘Work Hard’ but also ‘Work Smart’ to get the most out of your efforts