If you are a mid-level professional and thinking about an MBA from a top US BSchool such as Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, Kellogg etc then perhaps the following questions bother you:

• Can I do an MBA from a top US Bschool?
• What do they look for in applicants?
• What is the process to apply?
• How to study for the GMAT?
• How to finance my education ?
• How easy/hard is it to find a job post-MBA?

Hear it from experts – those who have been there and done that. We present an interactive seminar where we will tackle all the above questions and more.

Register Here!

The seminar will be delivered by our panel of experts:
Rahul Chowdhury
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rahul-chowdhury/6/b3/668

Rahul started his professional career as a Software Engineer working with one of the leading IT companies and with a Fortune 500 Insurance company as client, helped him realize that his interest was more towards the front-end of business. He went back to school, MDI Gurgaon, to further developed his interest in consumer behaviour and marketing. Post this, for the last 6 years he has been with ITC, where he has worked across categories and functions ranging from handling India’s largest FMCG Brand as Assistant Brand Manager to building a distribution network from scratch for ITC’s Personal Care products.

Rahul now aspires to work across the other side of the spectrum – the developed markets. With the intent to move his career forward in International Business and Marketing, Rahul would be joining Kellogg school of Management this summer. He hopes this experience will add critical cross cultural and cross market nuances to his skills as a marketer and aid in establishing him as a marketing professional capable of handling any kind of assignment.

Aruna Prabhakaran
http://www.linkedin.com/in/panchamukhi

Aruna has a decade of entrepreneurial experience in India and in the US. As a student at The Wharton Business School with the Class of 2009, she was awarded the Edward B. Shils/Leonard L. Zeidman Fellowships in Entrepreneurship from the Wharton Entrepreneurial Program for the year 2007-08. She is one of the founding members of CrackVerbal and continues as a strategic advisor on business operations. She spearheads the MBA Application services where she has helped candidates reach to top programs such as Harvard, Stanford, Kellogg, and Darden. She is a perfectionist and coaches applicants on how best to navigate the complex application process. She helps chisel an applicant’s profile, carve out an optimal application strategy, provides exhaustive essay review and helps applicants hone their interview skills for B schools of their choice.

If you are interested to see how Rahul, and Aruna can help you.
Register Here!

Rijul Jain, a student of BITS, Goa spoke to us regarding how he made it to ISB-YLP last year. Rijul will be graduating this year and has successfully secured himself an admit to the batch that will be joining ISB in 2014. Continue reading to learn what he did right to join the elite group of students who shall graduate from ISB in 2015!

Congratulations on securing an admit to the ISB-YLP program, Rijul!
Thanks a lot!

Could you please tell us how you got to know about ISB-YLP? Also, what was your motivation to apply

I came to know about the YLP program through an information session organized by ISB at my university campus. I knew about Harvard’s 2+2 Program and recognized that this was a first for an Indian School.
My primary motivation to apply was the reputation of the school- ISB is an institute of such high repute that I believe one does not need any further motivation to apply. After all, it is a risk-free, win-win situation.
If you make it, great- you’ve ensured yourself an admit in advance. If you don’t, it is still okay- you can always apply again, later.

That’s true! So, tell us a little more about your journey?

Well, the first stage primarily consisted of a video resume for 90 seconds and an essay. The deadline was around the last week of March. We don’t really know the particulars of the selection criterion but I suppose people with good academics, a fairly decent enough profile got through round-1.

Okay, so how did you prepare for round-2 once the shortlist was declared?

We needed to take the GMAT and write 3 essays on the topics provided for round-2. I prepared for around two weeks for the GMAT and scored a 730 on it.
However, this is not an approach for the GMAT that I would recommend as such-I had to take it within a short period of time because I was leaving to INSEAD Business School, France for an internship. My college, BITS, has this “Practice School Program” which makes it compulsory for every final year student to undergo a six month internship at a university or at an organization.I believe my internship played a key role in my admission to the YLP.
So, after taking the GMAT, I concentrated on the essays.I also believe the essays play a very crucial role to the whole process. Not just for round-2, but, also at the final interview.

Oh yes, how did you work on your essays?

I believe the essays, which are primarily regarding one’s strengths and weaknesses, require a decent amount of introspection and brainstorming.
For a couple of days, I thought about what I have done in my college, what my strengths/weaknesses were- basically all my experiences and the takeaways from them.
Based on all this, I created a pretty big list. After doing this activity, I looked at the essay questions and mixed and matched my experiences to suit the nature of the essay question. It is not about very good, flowery English or an extensive vocabulary but more about keeping it simple and clear.
The next thing I did was, to get my essays reviewed by friends with prior experience in writing similar stuff. That really helped me a lot. They helped bring fresh perspective into the essays. This is important because we always have a certain amount of bias towards what we write, so asking different people to review it will bring viewpoints that you might have not considered.

Ah, that is true- how long did you take to complete your essays?

There was no fixed time as such. Different people have different approaches to essay writing. Some think a lot and write a few lines a day. Some do the essays in one shot. I belonged to the latter category. Like I said earlier, I thought about them for a couple of days and wrote them in one go.
However, the re-work I did, based on the feedback I got, took a lot more time. That is because I had to give them time to read the essays and get back to me with their feedback. And I got a LOT of feedback from my reviewers. An important thing that we should remember here is that feedback should be taken as constructive criticism. Overtly worrying about negative feedback is not going to help at all.

I understand that ISB requires applicants to submit two evaluations- who did you get them from?

Typically students applying to the YLP will not have industry exposure as such, so evaluations are usually done by respective college faculty. Both my recommenders were faculty from my college. They are given a form with 3-4 subjective questions and some questions wherein they are asked to rate the applicant on a pre-defined scale.

Interesting! So, what tips would you give aspirants, especially regarding writing their essays?

Well, for starters I’d say this- Do NOT bluff on your essays. Also, do NOT exaggerate either. Remember that the people reading your essays are veterans and can easily see through these things. By doing so, you will be showing yourself in poor light because you are trying to portray something bigger than what it really was and the admission team is quite adept at picking such things.

There is a very good book called “65 Successful Harvard Business School Application Essays”- I’d recommend this book to everyone applying to round-2. The book shows us the way to write good essays- basically, writing your story within the word-limit, showcasing your weakness as a point of strength. I believe this book is important because no one at this level would have had the experience of writing such essays.
Another thing I’d highly recommend is to get 3 or 4 people to review your essays. The feedback they give you will probably help the most in fine-tuning your essays. In fact, I would even suggest that two or three rounds of similar review will help get the essays in the best possible shape.

Alright, how was round-3 of the admissions process?

Round-3 comprised of an interview and a case study analysis. I was in Paris at that time and we were given a link which had the case-study.
The case study was simple enough, required basic common sense to analyse. Applicants were given a situation and posed a question. Within an hour, we had to respond to the question. We could use numerical data to substantiate our claim or even stick to using just the language to do that. The end objective was to prove your point- how you went about doing that was left entirely up to you.

Oh okay, was your interview scheduled for the same day?

No, I had the interview a day later. Those who had gone to ISB’s campus for round-3 had both the case-study and the interview on the same day.

So, tell us about your interview with the ISB panellists? Could you also help our readers by offering your two cents about the interview process?

There were 3 people in the panel. Since none of us had any work-experience, all the questions that MBA panellists usually ask interviewees were not applicable to us.
Almost all the questions were centred on what we had written in our essays. Many people fall into the trap of assuming that starting a club in college, being one of its main office-bearers alone showcases one in good light.
However, in the interview process, the main thing really is – to be able to tell them that you took the initiative to do something, the learning you got from its success/failure, how it changed your attitude and how you would react in a similar situation in the future.
More than anything else, taking the initiative to do something is given due merit.
If you can convince them, that you identified a lacunae in the existing system and you took the initiative to rectify that, then, I believe, you are in a great position to convert!

Those are some great tips! Thank you for talking to us Rijul! And congratulations, once again!

Thanks a lot!

Register for a FREE GMAT & ISB-YLP Essays Webinar
Register NOW!

Hi Yeshvanth, Congratulations on your admit to Purdue!
Thanks a lot!

Would you mind reverting to the time you took the GMAT and give us some gyaan about the same?
Not at all. I had taken the GMAT twice before, but I was not satisfied with my scores. It was at that time that I joined CrackVerbal. My third and final attempt was in December 2011. I scored a 660 and that got me an interview call from Purdue.

Ok, Great! Could you share some tips/ strategies that you believe are important for the GMAT?
I cannot overemphasize the importance of having a study plan and sticking to it. Instead of stretching oneself over an immeasurable time frame, I believe, it is way better to give your preparation more structure and clearly define the time you would spend working on each concept.
Another strategy I’d recommend is to procure all the material you believe you require at the start of your prep and then begin studying. Once you think you have all the material you want, start studying-following your plan. A planned and a disciplined approach along with a proper mind-set is the key to crack this test.
Another strategy that I think is very important is to keep revising the sections you study, repeatedly. The reason I say this is because, you may know that you have studied the concept but there is a high chance that you have forgotten the nuances that were important in that particular concept. I believe that this was one of my mistakes during my earlier attempts at the GMAT.
Thank you for those tips, Yeshvanth.

Is there anything that you wish you had known before the start of your prep?
Well, two things I’d say- The advanced Verbal and Quant documents that CrackVerbal provides its students for each section is a MUST for anyone who wishes to score above 700. The questions in those documents are very challenging and should be worked on completely.
The last month before the actual GMAT,I’d say, people should constantly revise concepts along with extra work on their respective weak areas.

Based on your actual test experience, Yeshvanth, do you have any tips for future-test takers?
Please ensure you take something that is high on sugar because you are going to need all the energy possible to sit through the entire test- given how long it is. Bananas worked for me- Red Bull did not- find out whatever gives you that extra energy boost and go with that! Make sure you don’t try anything new on G-day! You don’t want to be caught unawares J
Also there are a few people, who read out loud, make sure you use ear-plugs to avoid distraction of any kind.

Alright, great tips! Now I’m going to talk like a typical MBA application interviewer and ask you this- why MBA, Yeshvanth?
Initially I was inclined more towards the technology aspect of things, as I am essentially a techie! However I started to realize that I was more interested in the business aspect of everything! I was always looking at ways to understand the business process of everything around me.

What was the rationale behind your selection of Purdue?
First thing was that it is one of the best institutes for Operations and Supply-chain management, which is my personal area of interest.
I asked a lot of people, did a lot of research before narrowing down on Purdue. Location was one other criterion I used to shortlist Purdue. It is close to a couple of the major cities in the US and that also helped me in deciding to apply there.
Also, I wanted to apply to a school that was student-friendly when it came to finances. I had read that Purdue was very generous with its scholarships.

Could you give us some gyaan on the application process, based on your experience?
I think it VERY important that YOU understand WHY you want an MBA. Only if you are convinced, will you be able to convince the admission committee on your MBA aspirations.
I believe I spent a LOT of time over my GMAT and less time than I would have liked to, on the application process. I had to apply to close to 5 colleges in as little time as one month. I realized then that GMAT plays a considerably smaller part in the bigger picture.
Also ensure you take the GMAT well in advance in order to be able to apply to round-1 of the process. I noticed that people with similar scores and background got calls from top-ranked institutes simply by virtue of applying to round-1. If you have a dream school, apply for it during round-1 to avoid disappointments just because you applied a little later.

Okay, who did you take your recommendations from?
I took both my recommendations from my direct managers. I told them, quite frankly, that I am applying for an MBA and that I would resign if I get through. However, I also told them that I would continue at my workplace if I got a ding. I believe this is very crucial as it shows them your commitment to the company. They appreciate and respect this honest answer contrary to popular beliefs.

That is really nice. How was the interview process?
The interview was conducted in a very casual manner. It went on only for 10 minutes. The interviewer asked me questions based on my essays and my resume. It was not a stress interview at all and was totally relaxed. I think going through mock interviews helped me a lot.

Any gyaan on finances? How are you planning to fund your studies? Have you received any scholarship offers?
I have actually been offered a fee waiver of 2/3rd the tuition fees.
Like I mentioned earlier, when I was still deciding on my colleges, I had read on the Business Week about Purdue being quite generous with scholarships. I suggest that students do this check before they decide to apply because not many schools come under this segment.
So, while the school is financing one portion of my fees- I will be financing the rest through savings etc.

Awesome news about the scholarship, Yeshvanth! Congratulations, again! Now, could you tell us how CrackVerbal helped you in your journey to Purdue?
CrackVerbal was like my Google/encyclopaedia for the MBA process- from the GMAT to the last step of interview.
I could always get my doubts clarified by Arun/Shreekala. To tell you the truth, before approaching CrackVerbal, I had approached other institutes too and somehow I found their approach quite bureaucratic. CrackVerbal on the other hand, was much more student-friendly and that helped me a lot. It was so much more personalised. And it is so good to have someone like the team at CrackVerbal, to talk to and get doubts clarified, because they know exactly what they are talking about!

Thank you for those kind words Yeshvanth; it was a pleasure talking to you! And good luck for your MBA at Purdue
Thanks a lot!

But, before that:

The good news:
Not too many new questions in the GMAT Official Guide 13th edition – so that tells us that the GMAT is going to stick to testing similar type of questions as present in the previous avatars of the Official Guide.

The not-so-good-news:
Or the other way to look at it. A fact corroborated by the number of new questions in the 13th edition- 158.
Only 158 questions are new out of the 907 questions in GMAT Official Guide.

Now, we know that is a not-so-good-news for those of you who were expecting a large goody bag of questions from the 13th edition.

However, we recommend that you look at the 13th edition as an additional repository of questions and handle each extra question with as much attention as you would have otherwise.

For the Unique questions from the OG 11 to OG 12th edition , you can view this blog

WHAT are we talking about?

CrackVerbal is conducting a FREE eight-hour seminar on the GMAT spread across two days in Bangalore! The seminar will cover every possible aspect of the GMAT by our panel of experts.
It will focus on all the things you NEED to know to crack the GMAT!

Our experts will take you through the BEST techniques for Critical Reasoning, Sentence Correction and GMAT Quant. These techniques will help you look at a question you thought you knew fairly well with a whole new perspective!

Day 1- 7th April 2012
TIME: 11:00am – 1:00pm — GMAT Critical Reasoning Techniques by Arun Jagannathan (Mystery behind 60% of CR questions on the GMAT unlocked)
02:00pm – 4:00pm — GMAT Quant Tricks and Traps (Data Sufficiency Unplugged)

Day 2-8th April 2012
TIME: 11:00am – 1:00pm — GMAT Sentence Correction by Arun Jagannathan (You don’t have to be a grammar Nazi to solve a 750+ level question)
02:00pm – 4:00pm — GMAT Quant Techniques (Debunking “Permutations and Combination, Probability”)

Venue : Jyoti Nivas College , 2nd Floor , Degree Block , Kormangala

WHO is the seminar for?

-Are you thinking about taking the GMAT in the near future? Are thoughts about taking yet another exam haunting you? YOU NEED to be HERE!
- Are you a self-starter who has been downloading terabytes of information onto your GMAT folder on an almost day-to-day basis? Have you become wary of all the GMAT-centric information available online because you have the unpleasant task of separating the grain from the chaff? YOU NEED to be HERE!
-Have you been preparing for GMAT but feel like you have been stuck in a rut? Do you feel your scores aren’t improving despite your best attempts? YOU NEED to be HERE!

WHEN is the seminar?
Book your seats for 7th April and 8th April at Jyoti Nivas College, 2nd floor, Degree Block, Kormangala.
Register HERE
What ELSE are we offering?

• Those who attend will also be eligible for our GMAT Scholarship, which will give upto 100% off our course fee.
• As a complimentary gesture we will be providing free study material/sample questions, and a GMAT simulation Scratchpad worth Rs.400.
• A free copy of our MBA Success Recipe which contains success secrets from our students who have admits from Harvard, ISB etc.
• Access to over 8+ hours of online videos to sessions such as “GMAT study Strategy”, “MBA Application Game Plan”, and “Advanced SC”
• A personalized study plan after taking our diagnostic test which will give you a week by week plan for 3-months to tackle the GMAT
• A 30-minute profile evaluation session where we will help you with Bschool short-listing, 2013 application planner and profile differentiation tips.

Now, it really doesn’t get better than this, does it?

So, what are you waiting for, seats are limited, hurry and register for the CAMP here!

We look forward to meeting you all there!

                                              Stage 2 – ISB – YLP(Young Leaders Program) Selection Process.

Are you among the elite few undergraduates who have managed to impress the admissions council of the Indian School of Business, more commonly referred to as the ISB?

Congratulations on clearing the first barrier! If you have managed to make the admissions team to sit up and take notice of your profile- a 90 second video and an essay- just imagine the impression you can create with phase-2 of the selection process!

Do I hear some groans? We, at CrackVerbal, believe in making life easier for applicants and so, here is a quick list of all the things you should be doing to gear up for ISB YLP stage-2!

First up, you’ll need to know WHAT EXACTLY level-2 of the ISB YLP selection process entails! We have compiled a possible list of questions that might be playing on an applicant’s mind.

Q: I have been shortlisted for the Stage-2 of the selection process by ISB for the YLP program. So, what happens next?

A: Congratulations once again, on being shortlisted. What lies ahead of you is another frontier to conquer. The official website states that for stage-2, an applicant needs to submit

• GMAT score
• Three essays
• Two evaluations.

Q: You mean I have to take the GMAT? What is the GMAT?

A: Yes, you do. And you have to take it fast- the deadline for submitting your application for stage-2 is August 7^th 2012. This means you need to act fast and book an appointment to take the GMAT asap!

Q: I have to “book” an appointment to take the exam? How do I do this?

A: Don’t you worry, for any queries that you might have regarding booking a date to take the GMAT, read our article which contains a step by step guide to book an appointment for the GMAT. Click here.

Q: Ok, so I can book the appointment now, but, the GMAT is another exam right? What is the GMAT all about?

A: Yes, it is yet another exam. However, it is unlikely that the GMAT is like any other exam you might have had the opportunity to take before! First of all, download our free e-book here! To know about the details of the exam, click here.

 Q: So now I know all about the exams, but, preparing for such an exam is a different ball game altogether, right? Phew, I am just exhausted thinking about it!

A: Don’t be! Again, we have it simplified for you. Preparing for the GMAT is certainly a different ball game, but, we at CrackVerbal have a few time-tested tricks up our sleeve! To know more about the preparation strategy that we recommend for the GMAT, click here.

Q: Alright, so what about material? Where do I go and what do I buy?

A: WAIT! Before you resort to buying (or downloading, as the case may be J ), do take a minute to read what the experts say on the best books for the GMAT!

Q: I guess I got many doubts regarding the GMAT clarified, but, what about evaluations? Whom do I get them from?

A: The admissions committee themselves have said the following, regarding evaluations

“Two evaluations from faculty or people who know about your achievements”

Q: I still have one problem- ESSAYS! I would love to get some feedback on the essays I have written! Do you have any suggestions on that front?

A: Of course, we do! CrackVerbal has a FREE-ESSAY EVALUATION service you can avail of! Call us at (9008166800 / 9008177800) or email us at enquiry@crackverbal.com and we will get back to you within a day!

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is the primary qualification exam essential for pursuing management education in leading business schools across the globe.

GMAT is essentially the first step in your attempt to do an MBA.When you take the GMAT, you become eligible for applying to the MBA program in all the leading b-schools in the world. To give you an idea, here is a geographically sorted list of the top international b-schools which accept GMAT scores for an admission to their management program.

To name a few top B-Schools wrt to the region

The United States of America (USA)
1. Harvard Business School (HBS)
2. Stanford Business School
3. Stern Business School – NYU
4. Wharton School of Business

Europe and Great Britain (UK)
1. INSEAD- Fountainbleu (France)
2. HEC – Paris
3. London Business School
4. ESADE – Barcelona

Asia-Pacific
1. NTU – Singapore
2. CEIBS – China
3. AIM – Manila
4. INSEAD – Singapore

However it will be a misconception that GMAT is only the preserve of foreign b-schools as off-late, even prestigious Indian b-schools are accepting GMAT scores.

The prominent Indian B-schools that accept GMAT scores are
1. ISB Hyderabad
2. Great Lakes, Chennai
3. IIM Bangalore PGPX Program
4. IIM Ahmedabad PGPX Program

What about the existing exams like CAT? Why should I give one more exam?

CAT, or the Common Admission is the qualifying test for admission to the MBA program of the Indian Institutes of Management and other affiliated Indian Institutes. We give you some points to ponder about CAT, and how it stands up to GMAT

Read More about The New GMAT Pattern

Here is the story of three test takers, and an illustration on how the algorithm works.

Something to remember

• You are not allowed to skip or go back to a particular question. As the following question depends on the answer to the question in front of you, it has to be solved
• You can skip a question, but then the GMAT algorithm penalizes you heavily for it. So make an educated guess, but avoid skipping unless absolutely necessary.

Read More about the GMAT Scoring Algorithm

Quant Scores V/S Percentiles

Verbal Scores V/S Percentiles

You have perhaps heard that the GMAT pattern is changing but are not sure what is changing in it. Read on the FAQs for the new GMAT pattern that includes the integrated reasoning section.

At the outset – fear not! The new section is in lieu of one of the AWA (analytical writing assessment) essays – Analysis of an Issue (Analysis of an Argument stays). So, it will not affect your 3-digit GMAT score. The Quant and Verbal sections of the GMAT will remain untouched.

The GMAT exam will continue to be of 3 hours, 30 minutes (four hours if you include the breaks). Immediately after the Analysis of an Argument essay, the Integrated Reasoning section will begin.

Why was the new Integrated Reasoning section introduced on the GMAT?

Here is what is going to happen. Starting June 5, 2012, the GMAT exam will introduce Integrated Reasoning, which GMAC calls as “a new section designed to measure your ability to evaluate information presented in multiple formats from multiple sources”. Essentially the idea is that as an MBA you will be an excel-jockey so how about testing those skills right from the time you take the test to even apply to a bschool!

What GMAC did was that ,it surveyed about 740 faculty members worldwide and asked them what was most important for today’s MBA students. The answer was that today’s MBA students need to interpret data from a variety of different data sources to arrive at decisions. Here is Dave Wilson from GMAC explaining the rationale for the change and talking about the “microcosm of what happens in the MBA classroom”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubNKNkqeJyI&feature=player_embedded

What does the “The New Integrated Reasoning section” include?

Here is a youtube video from GMAC which explains what the Integrated Reasoning section can possibly ask: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5UvUmrc96o

Though over here you see an excel-like structure with a lot of data that you can sort by column, the actual data could be in any format: Table, graph, map, or even simple text. You will be asked questions based on the data. The initial assessment is that Indian students – especial engineers – should not break a sweat as it would be pretty elementary in terms of the analysis required. Heck you even get a online calculator to do your computation (though we suspect you should not bother too much about it since it will perhaps not be required!).

The following are the 4 broad categories of question types that will constitute the  12 questions of the 30-minute Integrated Reasoning section.

1)     Graphics Interpretation: This will involve interpreting a graph such as the one shown below and selecting the correct answer option from a drop-down list.

2)     Two-Part Analysis: This will involve selecting one answer from each column (see below) to solve a problem with a two-part solution.

3)     Table Analysis:This will involve you sorting an Excel-like table to organize the data correctly (or in a manner best understood) so that you can figure out whether certain conditions are met. You need to select one answer for each option – YES/NO, Possible/Not possible etc.

4) Multi-Source Reasoning:For a change this will not include a graph and have just text. There will be different MS-Excel like tabs each containing a set of facts and inferences. You will need to carefully analyze each tab to best answer questions based on them.

How to study for the new Integrated Reasoning Section on the GMAT?

Starting April 2012, GMAC plans to release a variety of different methods to help you with this.

1. The GMATPrep software downloadable from mba.com will be updated to contain the new section. This will have 15 questions from the new integrated reasoning section in a separate free questions section.
2. The Official Guide for GMAT will come out with the 13^th edition. You read it right – 13^th edition as the worthy successor of the current 12^th edition which has done well to serve test-takers loyally from 2009 onwards! This will contain online integrated reasoning practice. How GMAC plans to do this online is perhaps through providing a login on mba.com for everyone who buys the book.

Summary of the new Integrated Reasoning section on the GMAT:

1. The Integrated Reasoning section of the GMAT exam will consist of 12 questions.
2. A single graph/data-set may have multiple questions around it.
3. All answer options for a given question will be shown on the same screen.
4. As with the rest of the GMAT, even over here you cannot return to an earlier question -  you have to answer each question and move onto the next one.
5. The last type i.e. the multi-source reasoning will not be of more than 300 words. So there’s no need to read lengthy passages here.
6. The answer options themselves will be independent of each other i.e. you cannot take information from one question onto another. You need to solve each question independently.

Whew! That was quite a lot of data to digest. Already started in the “integrated reasoning” mode?

Don’t worry; we at CrackVerbal will be watching your back! Starting April 2012 our courses will incorporate the new integrated reasoning section as well. We will make sure you have all the required resources to help you with it.

Here is a quick question – why do you think GMAT is really introducing the new section? Do you think it makes any difference to the test? Let me know your opinion – I am eager to read your feedback.

1. Indian School of Business (Hyderabad)
2. XLRI Jamshedpur
3. IIM PgPx – Ahmedabad
4. IIM PgPx Calcutta
5. IIM PgPx Bangalore
6. S P Jain Institute of Management and Research
7. Great lakes Institute of Management
8. Indian Institute of Foreign Trade ( GMAT for NRIs)
9. IIM PgPx Indore
10. Tata Institute of Social Sciences(For International Students) – For MA. HRM and LR
11. Punjab Technical University, Aryans School of Management
12. NMIMS University, School of Business Management
13. Alliance Business School
14. ICFAI
15. Amity Business School

*This data is not in any order of Ranking

We analyze some important points on the eternal CAT vs GMAT debate, to help you decide

Factor #1:The Number of Aspirants

Over the last five years, both the CAT and GMAT have shown a consistent rise in the number of applicants but for last year. The number of aspirants for both the exams actually declined last year. However, even after considering the decline the number of test takers for CAT is almost three times as much as the number of test takers for GMAT. Here is a brief illustration

What does this mean for you?
Less competition, less pressure which directly leads to More Opportunities!!

Factor #2: The ability to improve the score:
One of the major factors as far as the CAT is concerned, is that it is like a bullet from a gun, once shot it cannot be recalled. Similarly, you only have one shot at the CAT in a given academic year. You have a bad headache or a fight with your girlfriend on the day of your CAT or suffer from Delhi Belly, CAT will just say BhaagBhaag DK Bose..

However, as far as GMAT is concerned, there is no cap on the number of times that you can take the test. In an academic year, you are allowed to take the GMAT five times, with an interval of one month. These repeat attempts do come at a price, but then that critical option to improve your score exists and is used favorably by many candidates

Target CAT/GMAT Score Number of Attempts

What does this mean for you?

This means if you have a bad day or something crops up at work, you can shift your GMAT date to take it when you are ready. Infact you can reschedule your GMAT dates online up to a week before the test date.

Factor #3:The validity of the Score

Your CAT scores are valid only for that particular year. If you take CAT in 2011, you can use the score to apply for programmes starting in 2012 and not after that. However, some institutions do give you the leeway to use your previous CAT scores when applying, but then they are very few and far in between.
On the other hand, GMAT scores are valid for 5 years.

What does this mean for you?

That means, you take your GMAT now and manage to get an awesome score but for some reason do not apply, you can use the same score to apply to any program even when:

• 2012 London Olympics
• 2012 Twenty 20 World Cup
• 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games
• 2014 FIFA World Cup
• 2014 Twenty 20 world Cup
• 2015 Cricket World Cup
• 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics
• 2016 Twenty 20 World Cup

are over

Factor #4:The institutions covered by GMAT

CAT scores in its current form, can be used only for admissions in the IIM’s and other affiliate Indian b-schools. Though it has been conducted for many years, it is still a very Indian test for Indian MBA programs.
Taking the GMAT opens up the gates to the best institutions,both abroad and in India. Harvard Business School, Wharton and Stanford amongst other schools in the USA, INSEAD in France and Singapore, London Business School are ome of the prestigious institutions that consider GMAT scores for admissions to their management program. Top Indian B-schools such as the Indian School of Business (ISB) in Hyderabad, Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM) in Chennai andSP Jain in Mumbai also have started considering GMAT scores for entry to their programmes.

What does this means for you?

Well, we are certainly asking you to “Think beyond the IIMs” . Not in the ponytail way, but know that GMAT will open up a lot more prestigious doors, than what CAT will.

Factor #5: The relative ease of admissions

Acing the CAT is just the first step in what is an arduous and a highly competitive admission process. Group discussions, essays and personal interviews are the next in line before you bag the coveted admit. And worsening your already difficult task is the fact that Each step has a high and arbitrary “cut offs”.You will have meet the daunting sectional cutoffs, 10th marks, 12th marks, Graduation marks ……..phew!before you finally convert it. Also the competition is unbelievably high. For about 1000 seats in the top five IIMs, you are competing with 200,000 people with similar aspirations. And do not forget the ubiquitous reservations!
Simply put, only 0.5 percent of the total number of applicants make it to the IIMs.

Most b-schools abroad have a streamlined system for admissions which is also very subjective. Once you take your GMAT, you would need to send out your essays and recommendation letters, In which there is a lot of scope to explain certain “gaps” in education and experience. Heck, the schools abroad don’t even look at your 10th or 12th standard marks! It is all about how you are as a person – and not just meeting some arbitrary “cutoffs” which in all probability you don’t even know.

The conversion ratio is almost 10 percent for b-schools who consider GMAT.

Conclusion:
Encapsulating the five factors mentioned above, I give you a side by side comparison of CAT and GMAT

All I will say is, YOU DECIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!