Referring with the previous year sample papers is a general mode of approach often picked by students at the time of their preparation for an examination. This is because the questions that are asked in those samples papers undoubtedly will help any dedicated student to prepare in a better way after incurring about the type of problems been put forwarded from a particular section. CAT sample papers that are normally found in the solved format of any previous year, have immensely helped and guided the students to prepare in a more comprehensive manner. Such a preparation is honestly imperative for qualifying in the entrance before seeking admission to an MBA program of any prestigious college. On this date there might be countless students who are striving hard to strike their luck and clear the CAT 2011 exam quite successfully. It is not that the students alone are concerned about these entrance exams but even their parents and guardians are found to be in a desperate situation for the same. As it is an unquestionable dream of every parent to find their children get settled in their life with proper education.

There are many students who are intelligent as well as deserving of seek an admission in those CAT colleges that provides teaching material of MBA programs but unfortunately fails in qualifying in the same. This is because time management is also one of the most demanding traits that such individuals should develop as a skill that can undoubtedly help them in cracking these entrance tests. They should always try to stick to some definite pan for managing the time while preparing for such challenging exams that can lift their academic career to unexpected prosperity. While solving these CAT sample papers, every single aspirant should try to analyze his progress of exam preparation on the weekly basis.

Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness and Comprehension Test are the four main topics from which questions are asked in these entrance exams. So every sincere MBA aspirant should try and focus to grab more and more learning details for developing a solid foundation in these basics before appearing to crack such tough entrance tests. In CAT sample papers basically the problems and sums of the previous year are already kept in the solved state to help these dedicated students learn more in less time. Jaipuria Institute of Management (JIM), situated at Jaipur – Rajasthan was established in the year 1995; located in Delhi / NCR – Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning in Management (EIILM) was founded in the year 1995; Welingkars Institute of Management of Mumbai, Maharashtra was established in the year 1977 also affiliated to the All India Council for Technical Education and located in Jalandhar, Punjab, Lovely Professional University are some of the top CAT colleges that confers an MBA degree to deserving students.

In an interesting exercise in synergy, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have decided to abandon their decade-old entrance test for postgraduate management courses and adopt the exam conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).

The move will also ease pressure on aspirants, who are required to appear for an array of tests every year.

The six older IITs at Mumbai, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Chennai and Roorkee have decided to scrap their own joint national management test from next year. The six institutes run two-year, full-time postgraduate management programmes with an intake of about 600 students. The IIMs take in fewer than 3,000 students every year, but charge a substantially higher fee than the IITs.

“Yes, we have decided to do away with our test and will accept CAT (common admission test),” confirmed Deveng V. Khakhar, director at IIT Bombay, ending months of speculation.

The IIT national test is almost similar to CAT, “so there is no point duplicating exams”, he said.

The move has come at a time when the Union government has suggested reducing the number of national-level entrance tests of similar nature to ease the stress on candidates.

Besides CAT, other well-known entrance exams for management education are XAT by the XLRI School of Business and Human Resources, Jamshedpur; MAT (management aptitude test) run by the All India Management Association; NMAT conducted by the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai; the Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad Admission Test; the Symbiosis National Aptitude Test and the Graduate Management Admission Test.

MANAGEMENT APTITUDE TEST (MAT):
This test is conducted by Center for Management Services (CMS) division of All India Management Association (AIMA) for 4 times in a year. It is a comprehensive, credible, and single window test for admissions to different PG management programs. The scores of the candidates are used to apply to various management institutes which accept MAT scores.

Website: www.aima-ind.org

AIMS TEST FOR MANAGEMENT ADMISSIONS (ATMA)
This entrance test has been approved by the Ministry of HRD of the Government of India for admission to the MBA/PGDM, including MCA, on All India basis. There are about 140 MBA institutes which accept ATMA scores for admission to MBA programs.

Website: www.atma-aims.org

COMMON ADMISSION TEST (CAT)
The most lucrative MBA test where the cream of students get admission. Common Admission Test (CAT) is the most popular MBA test. The test is held every year for admission to postgraduate management courses in all the Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) . Some other management institutes besides the IIMs are also included. There are around 2700 seats in various management programs offered by IIMs whereas 165-odd institutes are also there to admit students based on CAT scores. Every year more than two lakh students appear for CAT.

Website: www.catiim.in

IBS APTITUDE TEST (IBSAT)
IBSAT is an aptitude test conducted by the Federation of Universities (FedUni). The test is held all across India in about 100 centres in various cities.

Website: www.ibsat.org

INTEGRATED COMMON ENTRANCE TEST (ICET)
The Integrated Common Entrance Test (ICET) is the common entrance examination for admissions to MCA and MBA by Universities in Andhra Pradesh and the test is conducted by any one University in Andhra Pradesh.

Website: www.icet2010.net

FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES (FMS)
FMS is one of the premier management institutions in India which conducts its own Entrance Test every year.

Website: www.fms.edu

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF FOREIGN TRADE (IIFT)
The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) was set up in 1963 by the Government of India. This institute was established as an autonomous organisation to help professionalize the country’s foreign trade management. It is a prestigious business schools of India today. Last year approximately 63,000 candidates applied for just 180 seats.

Website: www.iift.edu

JOINT MANAGEMENT ENTRANCE TEST (JMET)
Joint Management Entrance Test (JMET) is the test to get admission to the 2 year full-time PG degree management programs offered by the IITs in Mumbai, Kanpur, Delhi, Madras, Kharagpur, Roorkee.

Website: www.web.iitd.ac.in/~gate/jmet

MAHARASHTRA MBA COMMON ENTRANCE TEST (MAH – MBA/MMS CET )
This is Common Entrance Test conducted by DTE, Maharashtra for admission to PG degree in MBA institutes and PGDBM/PGDM courses in Government, University Managed and Unaided institutes of Maharashtra.

Website: www.dte.org.in/mba

NARSEE MONJEE MAT (NMAT )
NMAT is conducted by Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai for admission to various specialised courses in MBA.

Website: www.nmims.edu

SYMBIOSIS NATIONAL APTITUDE TEST (SNAP)
Symbiosis National Aptitude (SNAP) Test is a common written test for the admission to all the Post-Graduate Institutes of Symbiosis International University.

Website: www.snaptest.org

XLRI (XAT )
XLRI has been conducting admission test on all India level for more than 60 years . There are more than 70 plus Management Institutes which use XAT scores for selecting students and the test is conducted in 33 cities. Other prominent institutes which accept XAT are S P Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai, Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneswar, Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, Mumbai, and Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai

Website: www.xlri.net.in

Nevertheless, such programmes could be thought of kinda a distinct branch of distance learning, and are not intended to be the focus of this status. It is the second type of programme that we are concentrating on here, those that are somewhat less democratic. However as good as it sounds, distance learning is not for everyone. It is very difficult to work, study. Pupils need plenty of self-discipline. Where students are expected to have good first degrees and significant work experience.

It is very difficult to juggle work, family and study. Students need must of self-discipline. Choosing a school means considering more than a school’s rights. Does the school keep you engaged? Do that offer value for money? Hopefully this report will be go some way to helping answer those questions.

With MBA rankings of MBA colleges fluctuating year after year it important for every students to get a correct and comprehensive list of the top MBA colleges in India since the reputation of the college has a very big impact when applying for MBA jobs in future. The distance learning MBA programme is mainly for working professionals. It is for a duration of three years and is equivalent to a full-time MBA in terms of the difficulty level of examinations and courses content. They do not have a lot of exposure in the areas of business and finance. In the model that we follow, a Personal Contact Programme is in place. In this programme, classes are held on weekends and this helps students interact with one another and faculty. Case studies are discussed and we also have a facility by which video conferences can be held. In this way, Working executives have limited time. A lot of them wish to upgrade their skills in order to hold higher positions in their organization. These days, an MBA is necessary to achieve this. As far as the value that companies attach to such a programme is concerned, as is the case for a full times programme, there are a large number of institutes which are offering a distance learning programme. The distance learning MBA course helps the aspiring candidates to gain all the skills which they need to push their career to unbelievable heights.

MBA reviews, etc that are available on the internet. These things could provide more information about the online MBA course and other information about the distance learning.

MBA grades are desirable in any job market; an MBA will give you the opportunities you need to advance in business world. Today’s marketplace evolves and becomes increasingly complex; many employers are choosing to balance their need to retain good employees with their need to fill managerial positions with candidates possessing advanced-level knowledge and skills. In the United State alone, there are close to 300,000 MBA aspirants pursuing the MBA degree, in any given year.
While information technology (IT) may have made the world global village, it has also contributed to one culture dominating another weaker one. The Technology changing trend may cause the employee’s downsizing. Internet has made job security a main issue as since technology keeps on changing with each day. This means that one has to be in a constant learning mode, if employees wish for their job to be secure. Here are some reasons that “Why MBA betters then IT?” Business Knowledge The MBA program gives you valuable knowledge about business and all its related aspects. You learn about business strategies and concepts, not on paper, but the training and internship required in an MBA course, teaches you how to use these skills in practical life and in day to day business operations.

Leadership Abilities

MBA degree involves rigorous training, reports, assignments, presentations and group projects; all of which give you the necessary abilities t o handle real-life business situations. This helps you to set you apart from those who do not have such kind of expertise and can make you a leader in your chosen field. Networking The network that you form with your classmates and the alliances that you create is deemed as one of the most important and valuable things that an MBA program can give you.

Career prospects An MBA degree provides you with fabulous career opportunities in various fields. It is especially beneficial to get jobs in high level positions such as executive and managerial level jobs.

The MBA, or Master’s in Business Administration, is the most sought after degree for individuals looking for a career as a business executive. Whether you are going into banking, finance, manufacturing or the service sector, having an MBA can give you an edge as you move up the corporate ladder. A few decades ago, the traditional path to take was to get your Bachelor’s degree in a particular business discipline and then go directly into an MBA program. Today, however, MBA programs are more flexible and can adapt to your work schedule and lifestyle.

Before you decide to pursue an MBA, you should understand just what it is and what you can expect to gain from it. This Master’s degree program is specifically designed to give you skills beyond those you learn at the Bachelor’s degree level in business management. Many people get a Bachelor’s degree in a field such as finance, government or economics, and then pursue their MBA to round out their managerial skills.

Courses you will typically take in an MBA program include finance, leadership skills, organizational dynamics, marketing, sales, management, advanced economics, government and statistics. You may also choose to specialize in a particular area by choosing a “concentration” such as the healthcare or hospitality industries.

The typical MBA program takes about two years to complete, although there are now programs for non-traditional students designed to be completed more quickly. Among these are the Executive MBA programs that have become increasingly popular with successful business men and women who are returning to school for their MBA while working.

These Executive MBA programs usually feature online coursework and special seminars throughout the year that are relatively short in length but very intensive. This way, they can be worked into the schedules of busy executives. These programs also make the most of the experiences and talents of their students by using round table discussions, real world scenarios and interactive projects as parts of the curriculum.

There are some fields in which an MBA is a prerequisite for advancement to the highest levels. In particular, investment banking, management consulting and international finance corporations very much favor MBA’s in the upper levels of their management teams. While it isn’t necessary in other fields, it can certainly give you an edge when you are being considered for a promotion. Keep in mind that salary is also often based on both merit and education, so having an MBA can significantly affect your pay scale as you progress in your career.

Career flexibility is also something to keep in mind. If you are an engineer or scientist, you may enjoy research and development for a number of years but then find that you would like to move into management. Combining a Bachelor’s degree in the sciences with an MBA can make you a rare and valued asset to businesses that are involved in research and healthcare.

A good MBA program is a unique combination of hard knowledge in areas like marketing, finance, and operations. “Soft skills” are also focused upon. It is the soft skills that make an MBA degree so valuable to many businesses. They are the skills related to how to manage people, keep values in place in the workplace, and the factors that go into making a good leader.

If you are interested in pursuing an MBA, whether directly after your Bachelor’s degree or as a returning executive, talk to some executives you know about what programs they recommend. And, be sure to review the curriculum to find one that offers the content you need for your career goals to become a reality.

Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MAH-CET) 2011, the state level MBA entrance exam, conducted by Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), Government of Maharashtra, will be held on Sunday, February 27, 2011.

The application process is completely online and the candidates have to submit the filled up application forms online in the website

Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MAH-CET) 2011, the state level MBA entrance exam, conducted by Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), Government of Maharashtra, will be held on Sunday, February 27, 2011. DTE has announced the start of the application process on January 20, 2011. Some of the top B-schools that consider MAH-CET scores are: JBIMS Mumbai, SPJIMR Mumbai and Sydenham Mumbai.

Eligibility
A candidate should obtain minimum 50 per cent aggregate in graduation from any recognized University. Maharashtra State and Outside Maharashtra State (OMS) candidates who have appeared for the CAT 2010 are considered eligible for admission against the All India Seats subject to the fulfillment of eligibility criteria mentioned in the Information Brochure. Such candidates are also required to procure the Information Brochure along with Application kit and submit & confirm the Online Application form.

Application
The information brochure and Application Kit will be available at identified post offices between January 27, 2011 and February 8, 2011. The application fee for General candidates is Rs. 1150 and that for the backward classes from Maharashtra state only is Rs. 950.

The application process is completely online and the candidates have to submit the filled up application forms online in the website www.dte.org.in/mba. “For the submission and confirmation of the online Application Form the candidates are required to use the Application ID and Password provided in the Application Kit. Candidates are also required to upload his/her photo and signature as per the instructions given in the Application Kit. Candidates are advised to preserve the Application Kit carefully and not to disclose the Application ID & Password to others to avoid impersonation,” says DTE.

Candidates have to confirm the online submitted Application form and take the printout of the online submitted application form and the Hall Ticket for the CET. “Candidates who have appeared for the CAT 2010 and aspiring to claim admission against the All India seats and wanted to appear only for GD&PI are also required to submit the online CET application form. Such Candidates will not be issued the Hall Ticket for the CET; however such candidates are required to register for GD &PI as per schedule so as to get the Call letter for GD &PI,” DTE informs.

At this stage, no documents will be checked. However, candidates have to keep their documents ready for the Document verification stage which is scheduled in the month of May 2011.

Important Dates
The CET Application form will be available from January 27, 20911 to February 8, 2011. The last date to submit the completed application form is February 9, 2011.

MAH-CET 2011 exam will be held on Sunday, February 27, 2011 from 2 pm.

The result of MAH-CET 2011 will be declared on April 11, 2011, at 5 pm.

Registration for GD and PI has to be done between April 19, 2011 and April 30, 2011.

GD PI will be conducted between May 10, 2011 and May 31, 2011.

For more information and detail, check the DTE website:
http://www.dte.org.in/mba/downloads/Notification_of_MBA-MMS__CET_Application_2011-12.pdf

IGNOU is the world-renowned University offering correspondence education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.It is one of the largest universities in the world for distance learning.

MBA is one of the most sought after courses that the university offers.The constant feedback and extensive curriculum make the course very popular. IGNOU has 32 study centres where periodic lectures are held. Quality study, material and assignments are given to the students.

He course is appropriate for the working people as here is no time bar for completion. The fee structure is much less than that in other universities or institutes.

Eligibility:

Any graduate from a recognised institute or university with 3 years of work experience.

Or

A postgraduate course from any recognised university.

Or

Degree in law /accountancy /engineering or medicine.

Admission:

An interested candidate must take an entrance test conducted by IGNOU twice a year in the months of February and August. The test is known as OPENMAT. This is an objective type test.

There are following 4 sections:

• Logical reasoning

• General awareness

• English language and

• Quantitative aptitude

There are 200 questions to be answered in 3 hours. There is no negative marking. People appearing in February exam are eligible for admission to July session whereas those appearing in August can apply for January session the following year.

Fee Structure:

There are 21 courses in MBA. Each course fee is Rs 800.The student is awarded diploma or certificate according to the number of courses he successfully completes. Each courses is allotted 6 credits or 30 hours of stydy. Only the project work has 12 credits.

Prospectus can be obtained from the University office directly also. Students can also look out for important dates in all major national dailies and employment news.

In order to get admission into a Top B-schools or MBA institutes, student has to undergo a selection process which most commonly includes:

1. Written Test
2. Group Discussion
3. Personal Interview
4. Essay Writing
5. Psychometric Test
6. Group Task
7. Management Games

Written Tests usually consists of questions related to:

1. Quantitative Ability
2. Verbal Section
3. Data Interpretation
4. Logical Reasoning/Ability
5. General Awareness

Popular Entrance Exams for MBA/PGDM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management) courses in the India are shown below, some of these exams are preferred by large number of institutes as a part of their admission processes. There are some management institutes which conduct their own entrance exams.

CAT (Common Admission Test):

IIM (Indian Institute of Management) CAT is the first step in order to take admission in the full-time program which is India’s most popular B-school. The IIM institutes are spread in cities like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Indore, Kozhikode and Lucknow which are considered as top B-school which offer MBA programs. CAT is a written examination which is organized by the Indian Institute of Management and is an important and the first part of the selection process. If the student is selected, he or she would then be called for the personal interview and the group discussion.

Sections of CAT Examination

1. The CAT paper is divided into four parts called verbal ability, Problem solving, Reading comprehension, and Data Interpretation.
2. The questions are required to be answered using a HB pencil on a computer coded answer sheet.
3. The negative marks would be given in case of incorrect answers
4. The question paper pattern is changed every year in order to prevent certainty.

CAT 2010 Exam Dates

* Registration for CAT 2010 starts from 30 August to 30 September 2010
* Last date for receipt of completed CAT Application at the IIM: 30 September 2010
* CAT Exam: 27th October to 24th November 2010
* CAT Results: 12th January 2011

MAT (Management Aptitude Test)

MAT is a National Entrance test for qualifying into MBA programs and other equivalent postgraduate programs of the institutes that participate in the test. This test is conducted by the All India Management Aptitude Testing Service (AIMATS), New Delhi. MAT is conducted in almost all the cities of India and also in overseas location.

Sections of MAT

1. MAT is an objective type based test having multiple choice questions
2. The test has 5 segments called the Language comprehension, Mathematical Skills, Data Analysis, Indian and Global Environment, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning.

MAT 2010 Dates

* MAT Entrance Test Date: 5th September 2010, From 10:00 am to 12:30 pm
* Computer based Test Date: From 11th September 2010 onwards

XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test)

XAT (Xavier’s Admission Test) which is conducted by XLRI, Jamshedpur on all India level in order to select the best students for management courses. It has been conducted for 50 years as a gateway to XLRI as well as other affiliated institutes like XIME (Xavier’s Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship) and XIM (Xavier’s Institute of Management). XAT score is considered to choose the students at about 42 more institutes like GIM (Global Institute of Management), LIBA (Loyola Institute of Business Administration) etc. The exam is always held on the first Sunday of January every year.

Sections of XAT Exam

1. Data Interpretation and Quantitative ability
2. Verbal ability, Logical reasoning and Analytical
3. Analytical Reasoning and Decision making
4. Students are expected to write a short essay on topics that have social relevance.

XAT 2011 Dates

* XAT Exam Registration dates: 1st September 2010 to 30th November 2010-09-05
* XAT Exam: 2nd January 2011.

SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test) Exam

SNAP is conducted to take admission in the postgraduate programs offered by Symbiosis University, which is an online exam. It is the first step in the selection process and if selected, students have to undergo other rounds of interview as well. Registrations are done through their website as per the instructions given.

Sections of SNAP Exam

1. General English
2. Quantitative, Data Interpretation and Data sufficiency
3. General awareness, Current Affairs, General Knowledge and Business Scenario
4. Logical and Analytical Reasoning

The first three sections contain 40 marks each and the last section contains 60.
The duration of the test is 2 hours.

SNAP 2010 Dates

* Registration of SNAP Test: Registrations are going on and closes on 26th November 2010-09-05
* SNAP Test: 19th December 2010
* SNAP Test Result: 12th January 2011.

FMS (Faculty of Management Studies) Exam

Faculty of Management Studies Institute, Delhi conduct FMS test in order to select the appropriate students for the management programs that include Full time MBA, MBA in Management of Services. Students can apply for the exam through their website.

Sections of the FMS Exam:

1. Quantitative Aptitude
2. Data Interpretation
3. Analytical Reasoning
4. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

All of the above segments are covered in the 175 questions.

FMS Exam Dates

* FMS 2011 Exam for the MBA regular programs: Sunday, January 9, 2011
* FMS 2011 Exam for the MBA non regular programs: Sunday, January 30, 2011
* Registration for FMS 2011: From Monday, October 4, 2010 to Friday, November 19, 2010
* Results: Tuesday, February 1, 2011

IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade) Exam

IIFT Test is conducted by the Indian Institute of Foreign trade which has campuses in Delhi and Kolkata.

Sections of IIFT Exam

IIFT is a 2 hours test which covers

1. General Knowledge and Awareness
2. English Comprehension
3. Logical reasoning
4. Quantitative Analysis.

Career Forum, a leading institution for providing quality education to the MBA aspirants, is going to organise `MBA Expo 2010′ in association with the Times of India on February 18 at Delegacy (Nirala Art Gallery), Allahabad University from 9 am to 6 pm. The event will bring over 20 top B-schools from various parts of the country under one roof.

All the top B-schools will give presentations before the future managers and give an opportunity to the management aspirants, the freedom to choose the given options. The State Bank of India will also participate in the event so as to simplify and explain the procedure to grant educational loan to the students.