Handling CAT Verbal Section and Reading Comprehension

Posted by as cat, cat 2008, gyaan, verbal

For a lot of engineers trying to crack CAT, one of the biggest weak link is tackling the verbal section. Please note the word.. I am using tackling.. And not cracking.. Well, a lot of people struggle to clear cutoff, let alone maximizing the score in verbal.. And I was one such guy.. I struggled […]

Popularity: 3%



July 10, 2008 | Filed Under cat, cat 2008, gyaan, verbal | Comments Off 

‘NO to IIM Bangalore’ - Manas Garg!

Posted by as cat, cat 2008, coffee with experts, gyaan, manas garg, mba

Hi All,
A lots of us want to get into IIM Bangalore.. There is so much about getting to A B or C.. Its a dream!! People slog for it for years… But today, I have a very special guest, Manas Garg! Manas, is also one among 250,000 people who took CAT 2007 with a dream […]

Popularity: 5%



May 11, 2008 | Filed Under cat, cat 2008, coffee with experts, gyaan, manas garg, mba | Comments Off 

IIM Bangalore Interview Experience

Posted by sundarrajan.g.s as Uncategorized, cat, cat 2008, gyaan

One and half months after IIM Indore interview, I was all set to take my favourite IIMB interview. I learnt a lot during these past 1.5 months. I had a much better clarity about what I want to do in life. And ofcourse, Coffee With Sundar has grown from a random crappy blog to a […]

Popularity: 12%



April 3, 2008 | Filed Under Uncategorized, cat, cat 2008, gyaan | Comments Off 

Pawan’s IIM Lucknow Interview Experience

Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as cat 2008, coffee with experts, gyaan, iim l

The following is my friend Pawan’s IIM L interview. He was my batch mate at REC Trichy. He studied Mech Engineering there. He is now working ITC.The following is his interview experience. As written by him.. :-)====================================================================P1: Panelist 1P2: Panelist 2Me: Pawan RaghuveerP1: Tell me about yourself.Me: I started about schooling plus two… so on.. then graduation.. was telling about extracurriculars..P1 interrupted: who is the vice president of india?Me: Mr. Hamid Ansari.P1: Mr. Hamid Ansari??!Me: Yes sir.P1:ContinueMe: Then I told about recruitment with ITC.. my role in the tobacco plant etc…P1: Cigarette is injurios to health! Does your conscious permit you to work for a cigarette major?Me: Cigarette smoking is an adult personal choice,there are no promotions as it is illegal, and moreover the government has allowed it. So its ok as for me..P2: So tommorow if I grow cannabis and sell it will t be ethical?Me: Sir, ethics is what a person derives from his societal and family environment. Our society has always disallowed such products.P2: But its much lesser addictive than tobacco. Do u think that then it is ethical?Me: No sir. Its immediate psychedelic effects are much worse than tobacco and its not favourable to the society.P1: In that case it is similar to alcohol. So should alcohol be banned?Me: It may be harmful but it is a necessity of the society. So again it is a personal choice.P1: What does Raghuveer(my surname) mean?Me: Its another name for Lord RamaP1: Do u think Lord Rama was ethical? In the context where he killed vali from behind and then justified this action.Me: He was unethical sir. Its against the rules of warfare to attack from behind.P2: Everything is fair in war. If we were to follow all rules, we wouldnt be waging wars.Do u think wars are right?Me: Thats a different issue sir. War is not at all good. But they arise out of need for supremacy and greed for more. So it is always justified in the name of something or the other.P1: What is a cold war?Me: (I dint kno properly) It is a competition among nations for supremacy in technology, resources and hold over the world economy.P1: So that is cold war?Me: Yes sir. Thats all I think it isP2: So in that case nowadays also there is a cold war between USA and Japan?Me: There is sir. But it is not explicit.P1: What is a carnot cycle?Me: It is a thermodynamic cycle that defines the most ideal heat engine. No engine can be more efficient than this.(I think i’m right)P2: So you are a mechanical engineer, now threshing tobacco. Tell me how u thresh tobacco.Me: Thresher… rotor.. told properlyP2: So there must be a lot of accidents and injuries?Me: I think most manufacturing companies with maual operations do…P2: Yeah. How is the safety at ITC? How many accidents did u have this year?Me: We set very high standards for safety. Our guidelines are very good and we follow it completely. This year there were no major accident. But some small injuries.P1: There weren’t or u dint report?Me: (smiling) Both sir.P1: What do you do if there is an amputation?Me: We compnsate the victim as stipulated by government.P1: Do you pay more than government requirement?Me: No sir. We pay just as much as stipulated.P2: Ok. You are already a manager getting hands on experience in managment. Why do u wanna do an MBA?Me: Sir. I have always believed that formal education is the only way of laying a strong foundation and no amount of hands on experience can substitue thatP1: And look at your salary. You will probaby get similar after you pass out. Will you still bbe as enthusiastic about studies when you think of this.Me: yes sir. I’m convinced about formal studies and I really don wanna miss this chance.I wanna dedicate this phase of my life to learning and getting the fundamentals right. And moreover with growing responsibility in the organisation I may not be able to attempt this in the future.P2:Thank you Pawan. You are through with us.P1: Which other shortlists?Me: B I LP1: all the best.Me: Thank you sirs.

Popularity: 8%



February 16, 2008 | Filed Under cat 2008, coffee with experts, gyaan, iim l | Comments Off 

IIM Indore Interview Experience

Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as cat 2007, cat 2008, coffee with experts, gyaan, iim i

The indoor net session went off reasonably well I would say! Next is the Big B on April 2nd. :-)Location: IIM BangaloreTIME: 1:50 PMAt 1:50 sharp, they split up a the 30 students assembled there into 3 groups. Each group had their GD. GD was a case study. We had 5 minutes to read the case, 18 minutes to discuss and 5 minutes to write the summary in the IIM Indore interview form.GD was quite good. I gave good points and also summarized the GD.Interview:I was probably 4th or 5th to be interviewed. I was talking my senior and few other people, whom I met there. I didnt bother to ask the previous candidates what they were asking. I overheard one candidate coming out and yelling that they emphasized on acads and he had screwed it.Finally, My name was called out. I went in.There were 3 panelists. A gentleman, who checked my general awerness, Call GA, A silent lady who veried my certificates and asked only one question, call SL and one more gentlemen, who did the bulk of the interview. He mostly asked acads and was trying to stress me. Call him AC.SL: Give me your certificates.I gave them.SL: Whats happening outside.. What are they discussing there? What are we asking other students.Me: Maam, I spoke to one candidate and he told that you were asking acads. I was with my senior all along. I didnt get to interact with other candidates.SL: Oh ok.. You are aware that we are not conducting any campus placement right?Me: Yes maam.. :-) smiled.AC: So, what are you doing now.Me: Sir, I am a software engineer at Google.AC: What is google famous for?Me: Sir, it is the best search engine sir.AC: What is one important thing behind the search engine?Me: Sir, the page rank algorithm.AC: What is a page rank algorithm.Me: I told..AC: Have you studied algorithms.Me: Yes sir.AC: What are the various types of algorithmMe: They can be broadly classified as greedy algorithm..AC: Greedy algorithm???? (looked like he never heard that term)Me: Yes sir Greedy algorith, dynamic programming, back tracking, branch and bound….AC: What is branch and boundMe: I was explaining him. He asked me to write it down. I explained him how it works.Ac: What is a difference between graph and tree.Me: I told that there are no cycles in a tree.AC: Sure?Me: Yes sir. I went on to explain, how we wont continue from the states from which there will no feasible solution etc.AC: Give a branch and bound algorithm for selecting you in this interview?Me: Eh? (Wondering.. What was that!!) Thought for a moment!!.. Sir, it involves a number of criteria sir.Ac: Ok.. You would have attended tution right.. They would have told you what all are important for selection in an interview. Take some 3 criterias.Me: Ok sir.. :-)I explained him with (acads question, extra curricular question, personal questions) as criteria and explained him.(We had some good discussion here.)AC: Ok, Give me one application of branch and bound algorithm.Me: Sir, this can be used in a game of chess.Ac finally convinced and passed on the baton to GA.GA: What is the difference between GDP and GNP.Me: I told the importance of geographic barrier/ nationality considerations in the calculations.GA: What is GDP in the first place?Me: I told him - Sum of the values of Goods/Services generated within the geographical boundary of the country.GA: How do you calculate it?Me: I reiterated the definion. I thought the definition was self explanatory. He probably wanted what are the components of GDP.GA: Who is the vice president of the country.Me: Sir, Mr. Hamid Ansari sir.GA: Ok, you may leave now.I was about to get up.Ac: Who was the former vice president of the country.Me: Thought for 4-5 seconds.. Sir, Mr. Bhairon Singh Shekawat.Ac: Which party did he belong to.Me: Dont know sir.GA/AC: Thank you. You may leave now.SL: Send the next candidate XYZ after 2 minutes.Me: Sure maam. Thank you sirs.It went on for approx 15 - 18 minutes.I thanked God and also Jimmy wales wikipedia :-)On the whole, a good outing I would say.Now, its all in the hands of God!

Popularity: 9%



February 14, 2008 | Filed Under cat 2007, cat 2008, coffee with experts, gyaan, iim i | Comments Off 

What should I go for? MS or Phd or MBA or Work?

Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as career, cat, cat 2008, gyaan, mba, ms, phd, work

This is one of the most common question that people ask me these days.Not that I am an expert in answering this question, but I had an opportunity to do each of the above option. And, I have found an excellent answer for it.But before that, I have to tell a story to you all.My grand father had told this story to me when I was young.Here goes the story..===================================================================================A man and his son were going from City A to City E through cities B, C & D.They also had a donkey, which was made to walk along with them.When they were going from City A to City B, all the people there were looking at them in awe.. They were cursing the man..”Look, he has a donkey and he makes his son walk!”The man thought about it!! Before he entered the city B, he made his son sit on the donkey.. They were walking peacefully.. The man was feeling proud about his decision..Then he realized that people are cursing him again..”Look, he his making his son sit on the donkey…Poor donkey! How much weight can it bear!”The man felt, probably what he had done was wrong..So, before he entered city C, he lifted the donkey and carried it on his shoulder..The proud man walked with his son..Again people cursed him!! :-D”Look at this fool.. He is having a donkey and he is carrying it! Donkey is supposed to carry him.. But he is carrying it!! What an idiot!”Now the man is getting annoyed with himself.. So, before he entered city D, he sat on the donkey.. and walked along with his son…So now what, you would have guessed it right!People cribbed again..He got so annoyed that he threw the donkey and ran away!!====================================================================================Yeah.. Now lets come back to the original question :-DIf you start asking “What you should do?”, people will give so many answers..So many opinions.. Some times, they are so contradicting..So, dont go and ask “what you should do?”..You should decide what you should do.. The answer to this is within you..You can take inputs from others.. Like.. What are the job opportunities, work profile, job satisfactions, how hectic is the work, career growth options, how strong is the alumni network, who will be our peers after the degree etc.. Evaluate your options by weighing various opinions..Finally, “Just do what you are passionate about!”

Popularity: 10%



February 8, 2008 | Filed Under career, cat, cat 2008, gyaan, mba, ms, phd, work | Comments Off 

Gyaan - 2: Handling Quantophobia

Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as cat, cat 2007, cat 2008, gyaan, quants

Continuing my gyaan session from where I left (gyaan - 1) , I want to focus a bit on quants today.Quants is the pet name of Quantitative Aptitude, one of the sections of CAT question paper.The “pet”ting stops just there. It is one of the most dreaded sections in CAT paper. It involves a lot of basic mathematical problems. Most of the concepts are based on high school mathematics. But this section involves a lot of application of knowledge.. Not the “Ratto” typesI was very weak in quants when I started off my CAT preparation. I used to take a lot of time in solving problems. But with a little bit of concentrated effort, I was able to convert it to my strength. I ended up with 99.5x percentile in quants. Ok, now this will give some confidence for you!!Let me tell you what I did. I dont knw if the same method will work for you. I hope it does :-)I accepted the fact that I was weak in quants.I bought Arun Sharma book and worked out quants for 2 months. I completely forgot about the other sections of CAT paper. I did this around (late feb through april).I started off directly with the big chapters.1. Number Theory2. Geometry3. Time Speed and Distance4. Time and Work.After this, I started doing all the chapters in order. I did not do Permutation & Combination, probability etc.. because I was already good at it!Now, what did I do in each chapter:* Studied the theory* Worked out Level 1 questions* Then went on to level 2 & 3.In level 2 & 3, If i didnt get a question beyond 15 minutes, I will mark it for second round.Once I finish 2 or 3 chapters, I will look at all second round questions from those 2 or 3 chapters. If I still didnt get the answer, I will mark it doubt (which I never asked.):-)But once I was done with the process, I got the confidence that I can solve any problem in that chapter. (Which actually wasnt the case, but what you should note is the word confidence)As CAT is a mind game, this was just a confidence building process.. which gave me the mental strength to take the dreaded quants. :-)I hope this advise helps you!If you realized that you have only 3 months to cat and cant allocate 2 months for quants, just do the 4 chapters I mentioned and try to attempt questions from those chapters.More on picking questions later..For the moment, handle Quantophobia.

Popularity: 7%



February 1, 2008 | Filed Under cat, cat 2007, cat 2008, gyaan, quants | Comments Off 

GYAAN - 1

Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as cat, cat 2007, cat 2008, gyaan

CAT(ch) - the actions for 2008.A few guys had asked me how to go about preparing for CAT 2008.Based on my experience of CAT 2007, I just thought I will compile a small FAQ.This is the first in a series of GYAAN sessions, which will feature in my blog.How long does it take to prepare for CAT? When should we start preparing for CAT? Based on my experience, if you are strong in one area (either qunats, verbal or di), then you can prepare for CAT in about 6 - 7 months. Once you have a strong area, you can rally your strategy around that area.When I started my preparation, I was weak in all 3 sections. So, I spent the first 2 monthsonly on quants and made it my strong area. So, overall you require 8 - 9 months of preparation.How do I know how good I am before I start preparing for CAT?If you join a tuition centre, in the first class, you will be given a test paper. Take that paper seriously. Judge how good you are. Else, Take CAT 2007 and compare your scores on pagalguy.com/forum.Should we join a tution centre?I strongly advise that you join. A lot of ppl have given CAT without joining tution centres. But I recommend that you join one. If you dont have time/money (its an expensive deal), try to join atleast the test series. More than the content, you will meet people of similar interests. Also, you will know how you fare among your peers.Which tution centre should we join?TIME & IMS are the standard ones. Career Launcher, Career Forum is also one among the top. But what you should consider is the distance of the place, how easily accessible is the place etc. No tution centre will clear CAT for you. Everything is the same. Dont waste time in travel.Should I follow everything that is taught at class?No. Use that structure for guidance. You can follow your own methods of studying, your own choice of materials etc.Which section should we prepare more?This is too early to judge. There are 2 stragies here. Prepare your strong section and become very strong. Or prepare your weak section and make it strong. Again, I will take up this question some other time.Is it really a mind game?Yes!! It is. It really is.Be mentally prepared. First and foremost, accept the fact that this exam is a tough exam. Toughness need not necessarily because of the level of difficulty of questions.It could be because of sheer competition. so, dont worry! Just be mentally prepared to battle it out!You will find these in my blog: Coffee, Fun, Carnatic Music, Mridangam, Google, Random thoughts, Business ideas, Start ups, Videos, Blogposts, Cricket, India, Philosophy, Real life Experience.. The list goes on…..

Popularity: 6%



January 27, 2008 | Filed Under cat, cat 2007, cat 2008, gyaan | Comments Off 

Coffee With Prem! - A true Underdog

Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as cat, cat 2007, cat 2008, coffee with experts, coffee with people

Hi Guys,Its time for one more guest at Coffee With Sundar! I am extremely happy to have Prem Ravikumar with you all!Prem RaviKumar is a moderator in Pagalguy.com. He also has a blog catajourney.blogspot.com Prem is known for his motivating words among the CAT aspirants. He has inspired a number of young folks (including me) to give a crack at CAT without giving up in the middle!Prem, with almost 1.5 times my age, having a family and a kid, showed us that nothing should block us from going for our dreams! I salute this true underdog, who almost succeeded in CAT last year, and has got calls from XLRI this year!Prem Bhai, its my pleasure to have you here on my blog.Coffee With Prem! - A true Underdog!=====================================================================================Me: Sundar Rajan G S.PB: Prem Bhai.Me: When did you think about doing an MBA and why? Did you think about your age at any point during the thought process?PB: CAT got into my mind as a temporary relief for my frustrating Job in 2002…Though I prepared for the exam, I could not appear for the same in 2002 as well as 2003 due to family issues. By 2004, I had a decent Job & that agony had disappeared but CAT survived in the heart as an unfulfilled dream. By 2005, CAT became a necessity as I lost couple of my Job interviews to IIM guys. By then, I was a father of a 2 year Old kid. But never thought that age or family or Job or ambiance is going to stop, rather they would be an excuse.. Fought hard & got the result in the way I wanted, a call from the best B school of APAC, “IIMA” which I couldn’t covert.Me: How did you manage studying for CAT/XAT along with your job & family? What was your schedule like?PB: Well in 2006, I prepared like any other student, everyday night I used to take my Books after my daughter would go to sleep say at 11 PM & will study till 2 am or so, a systematic approach (But was tormenting myself in this process).. 2007 was extremely different, joined time as a part time faculty & became an expert in QA & DI, so never prepared separately.. I would even say that post CAT, there was not even a day when I had touched book.. Finally I believe that “Believing in yourself is the key”Me: Which were your strong sections and which were the challenging ones?PB: Well, Quant was my forte..But was never comfortable with Permutation & Combination (P & C), Probability, Venn Diagrams etc etc etc… VA was always my nemesis.. By the time CAT was on the cards, I became strong in verbal (CAT 2006- 6%ile, CAT 2007-94%ile) & today I am teaching P&C, Probability, Venn Diagrams as well.. The Key “Nothing is impossible”Me: Was there any really disappointing incident in the whole process? Was there anything that pulled you down?PB: Yes, there were more than 1 instance to quote..I was never good in my Mock CATs, My IIMA result was denied due to OBC reservations, CAT 2007 too betrayed me & that too in my forte.. Learning is “Every failure is a lesson by itself & makes you strong”..Me: What is your advice to the next batch of CAT/XAT aspirants for their preparations?PB: Believe in youself, never never give up… Make your dream, your life & die for it…Me: I know you are moderator in PG. How you advise people to use PG?PB: PG is a very powerful forum & today it’s a part of my life indeed..It not only helps you to prepare for your exam, but gives you so many like minded friends who really turn out to be a friend for your life time….Me: What are your next steps now after clearing XAT?PB: Finally a call from one of the Biggies. I am happy, but not completely …Anyways a call is a call & with due respect to the brand name & the faith they have on me.. Gonna give my heart & blood to convert it…Only one nagging feel is “XXL (IIM) desires, But XL only fits me (If I convert)”……………===================================================================================Thanks a lot Prem for sparing your time and answering my questions. You have my wishes and the wishes from my readers at Coffee With Sundar! All the best!Keep motivating people to accomplish more! :-)Well folks, hope you enjoyed Coffee With Prem! As I said earlier, at Coffee With Sundar I intend to bring people from different walks of life, have a chat over coffee and share the transcript for you to read, learn and enjoy!For earlier episodes of Coffee with Experts, Check out!Coffee With Aditya - A Googler and Blogger!Coffee With Mahesh - A CAT Cracker!You will find these in my blog: Coffee, Fun, Carnatic Music, Mridangam, Google, Random thoughts, Business ideas, Start ups, Videos, Blogposts, Cricket, India, Philosophy, Real life Experience.. The list goes on…..

Popularity: 5%



January 22, 2008 | Filed Under cat, cat 2007, cat 2008, coffee with experts, coffee with people | Comments Off