Education is of prime importance. Management is an important aspect of any industry. MBA as a career option opens many doors for good career prospects in the field of management. MBA helps one to achieve essential skills in managing an organization and running the business effectively. Being a highly valued degree, MBA can really help an individual to climb his or her career growth quickly. This is especially true in case of industries where management skills are required. Depending upon the specializations, MBA provides many jobs in sectors of marketing, finance, human resources, media etc. All these sectors need managers with keen business management and organizational skills. Thus an MBA truly helps in learning the nuances of management.

1. Advance in your current career. A Master of Business Administration prepares you for a managerial role in your current field, whether or not you’re already in the business world. Medical professionals, publishing professionals, real estate agents and tech support specialists are among the many who can benefit from an MBA degree and attain a more rewarding position in their existing career.

2. Change to a new career. The flexibility of today’s MBA programs provides prospective students with a myriad of options, from accounting to project management to international finance. If your current career doesn’t suit your interests and abilities, a graduate business degree can jump-start your job prospects in a new direction and give you valuable and marketable management skills.

3. Start your own business. An MBA program imparts the skills and knowledge necessary to be an entrepreneur and bring a new business to life. If you have the creativity, people skills and drive to start a business, a good graduate program will train you in critical areas like business planning, venture financing and small business management.

4. Grow your networking resources. One of the most valuable benefits to attending business school is the opportunity to network with fellow students, alumni and professors. These professional relationships can serve you well throughout your career, providing essential mentoring and contacts.

5. Increase your job security. The industry-specific knowledge and skills gained via an MBA degree program translate directly to increased job security. An MBA graduate is not only a desirable candidate at entry level, but also possesses the expertise to branch out or advance within an existing career.

The MBA Admissions process can be long and hard, to say the least. Juggling deadlines for the GMAT and school applications can become a full time job, making it hard to attend to work, school and family. While you would be hard-pressed to completely alleviate the pressures of the admissions process, there are many ways to “help it run more smoothly”, culminating in a desirable outcome.

When it comes to applying to business schools, organization is key. Not only will strong organization help you stay on track, it will also reflect positively on you during evaluation by admission board(s). Once you have decided to apply to business school and narrowed your school choices, the first thing to do is contact your choices and get the literature on each school’s application process. This can usually be done over the phone or on the internet. It is important to do this early in the admissions process so that you can develop a schedule that meets the criteria of all your school choices.

This can be harder than it seems given that different schools will have widely varying application processes and deadlines. Naturally, you must pin down all your application deadlines, which can vary greatly if some of your program choices have rolling admissions.

Most business schools will require you to take the GMAT. It is important to properly fit the GMAT into your application schedule. Depending on familiarity with GMAT subjects and material, applicants may need weeks or months to properly prepare for the exam. Consider your time frame and budget. So, if you feel you need to take a GMAT prep course, make sure the class dates will allow you to meet all your deadlines. For instance, if three out of four of your program choices have rolling admissions, it would be easy to be lulled into a false sense of “having time”. However, if just one of your choices has an early, set application date, you will need to adjust your GMAT study schedule and exam date accordingly.

Another important aspect of the MBA admissions process is the admissions interview. Some schools will not hold interviews, however, most will, and some push for them. If a program allows interviews, take the opportunity if at all possible. Depending on the number of schools you are considering and their locations, you most likely will not be able to travel to all of them. Just keep in mind, an interview will most likely be your best chance to differentiate yourself in a sea of impressive GPA’s and GMAT scores.

If you are trying for any sort of financial aid or scholarship, your application process may need to be accelerated. Money is limited and quickly allocated to eligible applicants, so make sure to inquire for each school choice. And remember, a change in one school’s deadline will often affect another.

Whatever path you take to business school, stay organized and keep your end goals and ambitions squarely in sight. Doing so will help keep you on track and motivated during the MBA admissions process as well as during your time as an MBA student.

CAT is the gateway to the cream of management institutes in India, the IIMs. CAT, or the Common Admission Test, is an aptitude test; it is the most popular test among prospective management students because it is accepted by the best institutes. The CAT is one of the world’s ost demanding entrance examinations for any graduate institute.

CAT MBA entrance exam is used as a criteria to shortlist applicants for admissions to the six IIMs-IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Indore, and IIM Kozhikode. Common Admission Test is one of the largest MBA entrance exams conducted in India, anually. The CAT score is also accepted by more than 75 non-IIM institutes across India, some of which are as reputed as the IIMs.

Eligibility for the postgraduate programmes in management at all IIMs and to appear for IIM-CAT is at least a three-year bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university with 50% Marks in graduation. Indian Institute of Management (IIMs), the premier business-schools of the country (and counted among the best in the world) conduct this test for selecting potential students for the next round of admission process (comprising of a personal interview and a group discussion) for their MBA and Fellow-ship programmes.

Those appearing in the final year examination of graduation are also eligible to appear in Common Admission Test. Some People feel that Common Admission Test (CAT) is more of a rejection procedure than a selection process.It rejects those who can’t make their minds work at break neck speed for two and a half hours non-stop.

CAT Exam covers questions in five broad areas such as verbal ability and reasoning, reading comprehension, quantitative skills, data interpretation and logical reasoning.

The number of questions asked in Common Admission Test vary every year and a typical CAT question paper can have anywhere between 75 and 150 questions. Common Admission Test evaluates the candidate’s presence of mind and his ability to perform under pressure. Announcement of the procedure for appearing in the Common Admission Test is made in leading newspapers in August every year for admission to the programme beginning in the second half of June of the following year. The test will be conducted during November.

Usually, CAT tests three of your abilities:- Problem Solving- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. The CAT examination demands competency across all sections of the paper. So, the number of sections in the test don’t really matter; what matters is whether you are competitive and have answered questions in all the sections.

All the questions are of multiple-choice nature with four/five alternate answer choices and the candidate has to choose the best answer for each of the questions and mark it on a special Optical Reader answer sheet. Differential marks are allotted to the questions. The test comprises 150 to 200 objective type questions and is usually divided into three to four sections. The number of questions in the test has been coming down steadily, from nearly 200 in the 1990s to 90 in 2005 and just 75 in 2006.

Very little strategy could be applied in selecting the easiest questions. Cut that down and don’t waste time on questions which are lengthy. One misconception is that you need to slove the whole Question Paper – not at all. If you can solve 38 to 40 per cent of the questions, CORRECTLY, you are through.

The duration of the distance education-mode MBA course conducted by the Institute of Distance Education of Kerala University has been reduced from three years to two years.

The fee has also been reduced from Rs 45,000 to Rs 30,000. Those with 50 percent marks in degree courses can apply for the course. The admission will be on the basis of an entrance examination. The change will come into effect from 2009 admission onwards.

You love business and you love entertainment. Maybe you are experienced in the entertainment industry and looking to further your career. Maybe you have expertise in a different area and want to switch careers. In either case, you are looking at getting a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) to accelerate your career in the world of entertainment.

Do you really need an MBA to work in the entertainment industry? Which schools should you target? What kind of job should you look forward to? Here are three big things to think about as you consider your next career step.

* MBAs are business people…not entertainers. Be 100% honest with yourself on your intentions for being an MBA in entertainment. Understand that MBAs are highly trained business people that specialize in the traditional functions of business. You will most likely work in marketing, strategy, finance, supply-chain management, or a similar function. If your passion is to produce music with the latest music mogul, an MBA is probably not the best path. However, if your passion is to start your own record label and control all distribution…now you are thinking more like an MBA.
* Jobs will come from networking…not on-campus recruiting. With only a few exceptions, entertainment companies do not recruit at MBA schools. Most entertainment companies hire “industry insiders” with relevant experience and contacts. Your main mission during business school will be to become an “industry insider”. This is easiest if you choose an MBA program in a strong media market. Los Angeles and New York are two great places to start looking. These schools will have the most targeted classes and the most connected professors. Still, your success will come from your ability to gain experience, exposure, and new contacts. Leave no stone unturned.
* Opportunities may not come as quickly…but they are there. Companies like Citigroup, Kraft, and Accenture typically have fast track programs to accelerate an MBA’s growth within the company. Companies like Arista Records, Warner Brothers Pictures, and Vibe Magazine typically do not. Your MBA degree alone will not catapult you into the executive ranks. As a matter of fact, you are probably going to have to make a lateral career move in terms of salary and responsibility. Your career will accelerate once you establish your unique niche in the new culture. Be patient, and know that opportunities are everywhere.

MBA Entrance Exam in India is also no cake walk. You need in-depth knowledge, analytical mind, sharp memory and above all, systematic planning and preparation. Needless to say that the candidates cannot and should not attempt preparation for his MBA Entrance Test overnight. Since the competition is amongst the best available talent from all disciplines, meticulous and long term preparation are required to get admitted to the MBA program. Although the syllabi in the admission/entrance test differ from university to university, there are certain common aspects that appear in most of the entrance test, CAT, XAT, MAT, XLRI, SNAP and MBA Entrance Exams conducted by State Universities in one form or the other. These aspects include tests on quantitative aptitude, reasoning, intelligence, comprehension, case analysis, relationships, word power, synonyms, antonyms, general knowledge/awareness, etc. It is therefore, essential that the candidates start preparing well in advance on all the above aspects. If one can get hold of previous year’s papers or at least the pattern, this would go a long way in guiding the candidates to prepare properly for the test.

Here are some tips to prepare on important aspects which are common to most of the MBA entrance examinations in India:

(1) Quantitative Aptitude: A candidate seeking admission to MBA programme is expected to have aptitude for basic and elementary accounting as well as the knack of solving the simple arithmetic problems. This is one of the areas in the admission test which, if properly prepared and practiced, is likely to put the candidate ahead of others, as one can hope to score even 100% marks in this part.

(b) Logical Reasoning: Questions on logical reasoning may be of several types and in several forms. These could include a statement on which the candidates are asked to draw correct interference out of the given choices. There could be questions on series of words and figures, arrangement of alphabets, brain teasers or even such questions as only call for drawing logical inferences. Just like quantitative aptitude test, this portion of admission test also needs special and detailed preparations and practice.

(c) Comprehension Test: Comprehension test is aimed at gauging the understanding of English language by the candidates. Usually, a paragraph is given which the candidates are required to go through carefully and then answer the question by choosing the correct answer. To attempt this part speedily and correctly, the candidates must practice reading with a quick speed and understanding the entire passage.

(d) General Awareness: As the name suggests, the test of general awareness aims to judge the general knowledge of the candidates. Basic facts about all aspects of general knowledge like Science, Geography, History, Economics, Polity, etc are essentially required to be known.

FMS Entrance Test

The Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) is a part of one of the premier universities of the world, the University of Delhi. FMS is one of the pioneer institutes in India offering several management courses. Though FMS accepts CAT and GMAT scores, it conducts its own entrance test (FMS Entrance Test) for admission into various management programmes offered by it.
Courses

* 2-year Full Time MBA
* 2-year Full Time MBA MS (Management of Services)
* 3-year Part Time MBA
* 3-year Part Time MBA HCA (Health Care Administration)

Eligibility

The eligibility criteria are same for both the full-time programmes: MBA & MBA MS:

* Candidates must have pursued 3-year Bachelor’s Degree programme after twelve years of formal schooling in any of the disciplines.
* Candidates should have minimum requisite percentage of marks: Arts, Commerce or Social Sciences- 50%, Sciences- 55%, Mathematics or Statistics- 60%, Medicine, Engineering or Technology- 60% / CGPA of at least 6 on a scale of 10.  OR have a Post Graduate Degree after 10+2+3 scheme, securing at least 60%marks.
* In case of SC/ST/OBC/PH/CW candidates relaxation of 5% marks is allowed.
* Candidates must have attained minimum age of 20 years.
* Candidates in the final year of Bachelor’s Degree/Post-Graduate Degree are eligible to apply for the Entrance Test on condition that they provide evidence of passing the qualifying exam at the time of admission.

Eligibility criteria for Part-Time MBA are as follows:

* Candidates should have passed a bachelor’s degree examination with a minimum of 45% marks in aggregate.
* Relaxation of marks are made for those who scored more than 55% marks in aggregate in their PG degree or at least 60% in a Diploma in Personnel Management, Diploma in Sales & Marketing or Diploma in Administrative Management of Delhi University conducted by FMS in earlier years.
* Candidates should have at least three years experience as an executive or an administrator.
* Candidates must be sponsored by their present employer.

Eligibility criteria for part time MBA HCA are as follows:

* Candidates should have passed a Bachelor’s Degree Examination in Medicine/ equivalent.
* They should have at least five years of experience in Hospital Administration.
* Candidate must be sponsored by their present employer.
* There is no entrance test for this programme and selection is made on the basis of candidate’s eligibility and interview performance.

Examination Pattern

* FMS conducts separate test for its Full-time (MBA & MBA MS) and Part-time (MBA) courses.
* This is a multiple choice objective type tests of 2-hours duration.
* The admission test comprise of basic areas like Quantitative ability, Verbal ability, English comprehension and Analytical ability & Logical Reasoning.
* On the basis of their performance in the test, they will be called for an interview, an ex-tempore and a group discussion.

Contact Address
www.fms.edu

Admission into the seven Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) is based on your performance in the Common Admission Test (CAT). The IIMs conduct a two-year Post graduate Programme in Management (PGPM) and a Fellow Programme in Management (FPM).

PGPM is recognized as equivalent to MBA by Indian and foreign institutes. The fellowship Programme (FPM) is aimed at those interested in research, consultation and teaching. It is recognized as equivalent to Ph.D by the Association of Indian universities.

When is CAT held?

CAT is normally held in the month of November, for the session beginning July next year. Candidates who cross the cut off marks in the written test are told to appear for the Group Discussion and Personal Interview. Final selection is based on one’s performance in the written test, Group Discussion, Personal Interview, Scholastic achievements and work experience. Your mastery over the English language plays a vital role in the selection process.

Eligibility

Candidates who have secured at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST) in any discipline are eligible to appear for CAT. CAT traditionally is a multiple choice examination covering English language skills, logical analysis of data interpretation, and quantitative applications of mathematics, algebra and geometry. You must strive to do well in every section.

The test has the following components.

-Quantitative ability
-Data interpretation
-Data Sufficiency
-Logical reasoning
-Reading comprehension
-Verbal ability
-The test duration is of 2.5 hours.

Preparing for CAT

CAT requires intelligent and innovative preparation both mentally and physically. Maintain poise and composure during the entire length of the test.

Scan the paper once or twice to get a reasonable overview. Answer the easy questions in each section first. Skip what cannot be answered and move on. There is negative marking. So it is better to skip questions than answer them wrongly.

While preparing for general knowledge, you must give due importance to economics, politics, national and international issues. Try and improve your reading speed and comprehension. You should attempt as many mock-CAT tests as is possible. This should give you a feel of the exam as well as improving your confidence.

Punjabi University is conducting State Level Entrance Test on 19th July for admission to MBA and MCA courses in departments, institutes and colleges affiliated to Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar, Punjab Technical University Jalandhar and Punjabi University, Patiala.

MBA/MCA Entrance Test, the prospectus for the same is available from Punjabi University Enquiry Centre and authorised branches of State Bank of Patiala located in Amritsar, Bathinda, Chandigarh, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Moga cities, the details regarding this can also be searched from Punjabi University websitewww.punjabiuniversity.ac.in.  The last date for submitting applications forms is 3rd July without late fees.