Applications invited by Nirma University, Ahmedabad for Master of Business Administration (M.B.A) course commencing in the session 2012. The specializations offered are in Finance ,Marketing, Information Technology, Human Resources Management, International Business, Operations Management and Strategic Management.

Nirma University Eligibility:

Candidates should be graduate in any discipline with at least 50% marks from recognized University.

Selection Procedure for Nirma University:

The selection will be based on CAT score, group discussion and interview.

How to Apply for Nirma University :

* Prospectus and form can be downloaded from website  www.imnu.ac.in
* Duly filled application form along with demand draft for Rs. 1500 in favour of ‘Institute of Management, Nirma University’ payable at Ahmedabad should be submitted to the admission office, Nirma University, S-G Highway, Ahmedabad 382481.

Important Dates for Nirma University :

Last date for submission of application form is December 31, 2011.

For further details and information about eligibility, please visit www.imnu.ac.in

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.

CAT replaced JMET for MBA admissions in IITs, earlier JMET was the entrance test required to be eligible to apply for MBA admissions in IITs. From 2012 onwards one can apply with a valid CAT score, IIT Madras was supposed to conduct JMET in the year 2012.

IIT Madras website notified as ” The Joint Management Entrance Test (JMET) stands discontinued. Admission to the Post Graduate Management Degree Programmes (MBA/M.Mgmt) for 2012 – 2014 in six IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, Roorkee) and IISc (Bengaluru) will be based on CAT 2011 score in place of JMET score. Further details regarding eligible educational qualifications and other criteria will be available in the website of Department of Management Studies IIT Madras.”

IITs being autonomous like the IIMs have the leverage to choose CAT entrance exam as a criteria, however IITs will have their own selection criteria which is independent and IIMs will not play any role in the selection criteria. JMET is replacing CAT in view of reducing burden on the student in taking multiple entrance exams, form filling, application cost etc.

If IITs consider CAT score it will only better the selection process and IITs can compete with IIMs in management education. Over the decades IITs are known for its quality education offerings in technical courses, it’s time IITs are thinking to have a double edge by bringing quality education in management as well.

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.

Education is one sector which never ceases to amaze us. In today’s scenario higher education is slowly but surely becoming a necessity. With the growing demands of the industry, people from all walks of life have started to reckon the importance of Top MBA programs. In today’s cut throat competitive world, business is ensnared with virtually each and every aspect of our lives. From using technologies such as my space or Facebook to planning your vacation online, every transaction we make counts as a business. And achieving success in this business arena requires specific managerial skills which could be learn at business schools.

The graduate business degree from Top B-Schools offers innumerable opportunities in any type of business setting, anywhere in the world. This business degree is earned by completing a graduate business school program, in which students take on traditional as well as modern mix of academic coursework based on real business challenges. The demanding schedule of MBA students entangled with thorough exposure to the real world of business that lasts for a period of a year or two; prepares them for a lifetime of management responsibilities in business world.

For getting into top Business Schools, applicants need to clear GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test). The basic requirements for getting into a graduate business degree program are undergraduate GPA, professional experience and GMAT score.

The GMAT is an exam which tests your quantitative (math), analytical, verbal and writing skills. To make sure you are abreast with the requirements you need to go in for GMAT preparation & GMAT tutorials much before the actual exam. Preparing with all available resources at hand coupled with hard work and dedication plays a major role in one’s chance of clearing these exams with flying colors. Researching about these topics, Googling them, finding relevant study materials, doing group discussions etc, are sure to help an applicant achieve his/her aim of successful entry into a reputed business school.

Many working professionals are also finding usefulness in these business programs. They are reckoning the fact that, endowing themselves with these managerial skills will not only help them develop their skills which will greatly help in elevation of their careers and also help in changing their career field, if required. A MBA degree from Top B – School works wonder when it comes to personal brand promotion and opens the door for networking. A MBA class consists of a group of highly proficient people from a variety of professional and educational background. As they intermingle with one another during the course of their degree, each student can find out from other students how other businesses are run and learn more about better methods and strategies being utilized by other businesses. Hence, a top MBA program provides good experience and wonderful insights to students which help them in long run of their career.

A Masters in Business Administration program helps one hone their potential and latent managerial skills. One gains many invaluable skills with which one manages personnel at work and also the other managerial activities. There are a lot of courses apart from MBA, but a lot of people want to undertake post-graduation in this field because it opens great vistas. One can opt for MBA after graduating in almost any field. If you are willing to take up a lucrative job in the big corporate houses or want to start your own entrepreneurial venture, MBA education is the best bet.

Masters in Business Administration is a course for people who desire a managerial role. This involves decision-making, supervising, motivating employees and other such functions along with the core function the person performs. Core functions may be if a person is a Marketing Manager, he has to market the product or services of the organization and also perform the soft-skill functions. Most of the time, these functions may not come naturally to a person. If this is the case and a high-profile corporate job is desired then MBA education is highly recommended.

There are various fields in MBA. This is so because nearly every field today requires managers and managerial decision-making. One can opt from a number of subjects according to the job he/she wants to take up. This includes MBA in Accounts, Finance, HR, International Business, Retail, Entrepreneurship and a few others. MBA teaches business management primarily focusing on management techniques, business techniques, leadership skills etc.

Apart from choosing the subjects one also needs to decide which type would be better suited to one’s career. This depends on factors whether a person is a student, working full-time or working part-time etc. He/she can opt from the following:

• Executive MBA Programs

• MBA'>Distance Learning MBA Programs

• Online MBA Programs

• Full-Time MBA for 1 Year

• Full-Time MBA for 2 Years

• Part-time MBA Program

MBA from India is mostly a 2-year program. Some colleges and countries offer 1-year MBA programs also. The Executive PGDM or MBA programs are for working individuals. This also gives a boost to the career not only in the country he resides in but also opens doors across the globe. Finding a good MBA College is not a piece of cake. It depends on one’s caliber and willingness to work hard to crack the entrance exams for getting into the top B schools.

After obtaining the PGDM degree one is all set to take up the challenges of the dynamic business world. So what are you waiting for? Get going to seek admission into the Top B-Schools for your MBA education.

IGNOU OPENMAT Exam August 2011

Section – A General Awareness: 30 Questions

In this Section you will find Question related to amazing general knowledge facts and useful information about most popular matters like World, Science, History, Technology, Current Affairs etc.

Section – B English Language: 50 questions

This section consists of two passages followed by questions based on the contents of the passages. Each of these questions consists of a related pair of words in capital letters, followed by four alternative pairs of words. Select the pair that best expresses a relationship similar to that expressed by the pair in the capitalized letters.

Section – C Quantitative Aptitude: 50 questions

This quantitative aptitude test consists of allegations questions which are part of the Quantitative section. One should practice lot of aptitude questions to crack them in the main exam. Aptitude tests measure those skills that you acquire during pursuit of your happiness. The quantitative aptitude test focuses upon your interests in arithmetic. It has been an important part of all screening aptitude tests.

Section – D Reasoning: 70 questions

In this section you will come across questions related to  particular emphasis on studies of reasoning. Whilst the primary focus is on psychological studies of thinking, contributions are welcome from philosophers, artificial intelligence researchers and other cognitive knowledge.  Reasoning Topics like of deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, problem solving, decision making, probability judgment, conceptual thinking and the influence of language and culture on thought.

The All India Management Association (AIMA) has announced the dates for the Management Aptitude Test (MAT) of September 2011, the third MAT exam of the year. The paper pencil based MAT will take place on Sunday, September 4, 2011. The computer based test will be held from Saturday, September 10, 2011 onwards.

Candidates can choose to take the test in either computer based or paper pencil based format. The 2.5 hour test will take place from 10:00 am to 12.30 pm for the paper pencil based test. The computer based test will take place in different time slots.

The sale of MAT September 2011 application forms will begin from Friday, 1 July.

Application Process

Candidates who wish to apply should be graduates or in the final year of their graduation. The last date for sale of Application Forms is Friday, 12 August, 2011. The last date to submit the filled up application forms is Tuesday, 16 August, 2011.

The forms can be obtained from select branches of Bank of Baroda, Axis Bank with application fee of Rs. 1,200 or from Study Centers of AIMA with application fee of Rs. 1,050. Online application can also be done by visiting www.aima-ind.org/matfeb11.

The candidates have to obtain their Admit Cards seven days prior to their tests, with effect from Saturday, August 27, 2011. Registered candidates can download their Admit Cards from the AIMA website, http://www.aima-ind.org/mat_centre.aspx.

* For general candidates: A candidate should have got atleast 50% or equivalent CGPA in Graduation.
* For SC/ST candidates: A candidate should have got atleast 45% or equivalent CGPA in Graduation.
* Final year candidates who will complete their graduation in the current academic year and those who are awaiting their result can also apply.
* Data Interpretation and logical Reasoning
* Quantitative Ability
* Verbal Ability and Comprehension

CAT is of two and half hours duration, having multiple choice questions from the following sections:

Candidates are expected to perform well in all the three sections as there are separate cut-offs for individual sections as well. Each question has five options. A candidate gets four marks for a right answer and one mark is deducted for an incorrect answer.

Students can start preparing for CAT when they are in the pre-final year of graduation so that in the final year they can strike a balance between their MBA preparation and final exam (graduation) preparation. The time taken to prepare varies with the aptitude of the student. Typically 6 to 9 months and 2 to 3 hours per day is good enough. It is important to be focused throughout the preparation. To succeed in CAT, it is imperative that you have a planned approach. To plan, you need to know how much to prepare. To know how much to prepare, you need to know where you stand today.

A MBA is a very useful and flexible graduate degree to those who have a few years worth of experience in the corporate world, even if the experience is considered by those who don’t know any better as “doing low-ranking jobs.” Non-profit organizations or government service also count as valuable to get accepted to an MBA program offered by many reputable schools. Most leading MBA schools require that their students have previous actual work experience. Making an investment in an MBA program will, in the long run, help you gain perspective in how your work relates with those of others in the place where you work.

Most MBA schools try to mold you to become more strategic in thinking, and hopefully tactical when taking actions in most situations in life especially at the work place (or even when you run your own business). The whole point of all the academic subjects you have to digest, read, and even probably write about (alone or with your classmates) is to be able to think through all the information, confusion, anxieties, threats, and still shine out through your strengths you’ve learned to identify, plus the opportunities you may fathom in dark times (so to say). Worry not, as you can do this, just like the others who have finished their MBA degrees.

1) Start by identifying at least 5 schools you’ve heard and believe are reputable as MBA schools in the place where you are currently working (or will eventually move to get a new job). Or your current employer may have in-house training program or advanced study-benefits being provided, which you may avail. Or you may ask around from some people you know have finished their MBA degrees (don’t even bother to ask those who have not finished the degree – they have different views which may not be helpful for you).

2) Check the academic schedules of each of these schools so that you can make plans when to apply. Write down the schedules, gather and collect all the necessary materials for the schools’ requirements, and make sure to submit them on time.

3) If you can visit each of these schools, or attend sessions where you can have a better idea of the process of getting into any of these schools, work it out on your schedule to gain the benefits of doing so. You’ll have a better appreciation on what’s the MBA program is all about, and then subsequently work on your personal goals along advance studies in business administration.

4) Though some don’t advise this, do engage in your MBA studies while you are working – you’ll have better use of your lessons from the classroom while employed at the same time. The topics at school become meaningful and more lasting to your memory when you encounter similar situations when you are at the workplace. For example, there’s not much switching done between vocabularies as most terms you encounter at the MBA school are also used at the workplace, i.e. the jargon is basically the same.

5) Figure out where you’re sourcing funds for your MBA studies – you may get funds from your own savings, different kinds of medium-term loans (as the outcomes of an MBA degree realistically show up usually in the medium term, i.e. 3 to 5 years), relatives’ support, or even from your paycheck now if your budget allows it. These programs are almost always expensive in well-known schools, as there are many students who enroll in these programs. The more famous the school is, the more expensive the costs of the education. Scholarships are also available, but be ready to compete against other students from all over the world, and not only where you are based now.

6) When accepted into the program, even if you’re basically timid or shy, try to do a lot of networking with your classmates, other MBA students, and your teachers. You’ll eventually get the hang of it. Have your business card handy during these networking situations – they can be during campus parties, group study sessions, or any academic activity happening while at school again. It’s up to you whether you’d give out your card without being asked, as it depends on whom are you talking to in each of these occasions.

7) Most, if not all, MBA schools follow the extensive use of case studies in conducting the classes to impart lessons under the confines of the walls of the classroom. A lot of active participation in the class is called for, so make your share of inputs in each class. The case-study method entails a lot of reading and understanding at least 500 case studies before the whole program is over; they’re briefly or extensively longer written materials from textbooks, and other printed sources, on all areas of the science and art of Management as applied in the business world. They can be on Finance, General Management, Logistics, Marketing, Human Resources, and related fields. Of course, you’ll not be able to read and comprehend all these case studies, as some of them are really bewildering to read, and given the high chances that you’d be employed full time while working on your MBA degree. The technique is to partner it out with other reliable students whom you are friendly with, so that the load is distributed, and everyone will have assignments on small parts to cover for each case study.

Learn to become confident in your platform skills. This takes a lot of practice and the readiness to do trial and error if you will. You’ll be asked most often to do presentation of all manner and style imaginable before your classmates, which would almost always be around issues that can be crafted out from the case study assigned. As such, you’ll dissect, discuss and cover the relevant subject matter covered by the case study on hand.

9) Be adept in using the computer and the Internet so that you’ll optimize the use of very helpful tools in working on your studies, both by yourself and with your classmates. Make use of what’s available and used by most number of students on social networking, too, to build a reliable support group who will be around to help you with your studies.

10) For the academic paper which most MBA schools require students to independently write, submit and present as a final requirement before conferred with the degree, plan to come up with a paper that integrates all the major subject matters covered in the MBA school. There would be less work to do towards the end. Depending on the school, this can be a “business plan” or a “business proposal” for a particular company. Connect the relevant contents of all the papers you’ve written for each subject, as an integral part of your final paper at the end of the MBA program. For example, under Finance, your paper for the subject should have focused on a topic that will then relate seamlessly with the other academic subjects like Human Resources, Marketing, Logistics, Operations Management. It’s tactical, too, to spend time writing reports covering the same company for all these academic subjects – towards the end, you’ll collate and relate all in one integrated draft that will serve as your final paper (or some MBA schools call this “thesis”) for defense and submission.