Sir Don! Bradman”s 100th birthday

And quiet scored the Sir Don

Apologies for stating some oft-repeated facts, but the fact of the matter is we”re hard-pressed to avoid them.

Born in Cootamundra, New South Wales on August 27, 1908,

Bradman played for Australia for 20 years (52 Tests) and retired with a phenomenal batting average of 99.94.
During his illustrious career, besides scoring 29 centuries,

he survived the Bodyline series in 1932-33 and returned to captain the “Invincibles” after the second World War (1948).

In his final innings, he was dismissed for a duck by English spinner Eric Hollies and,thus, was denied a career average of 100 by just four runs.

The Don was disappointed but understanding.

“I”m very sorry I made a duck,” he said. “I”d have been glad if I”d made those four extra runs to have an average of 100.

I didn”t know it at the time and I don”t think the Englishmen knew it either.

I think if they had known it they may have been generous enough to let me get four.”

After a stupendous innings on the field, Bradman braced for another off it.

And he excelled in that too. And, by that, we imply, as a selector and administrator.

He was, without doubt, the first global figure from Down Under.

The impact he had on Australians, in particular, and the world
in general, is something that is difficult to describe in mere words.

At a public gathering in 1948, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill spotted Don and is believed to have said,

“Isn”t that Don Bradman over there? I would like to be introduced.”

There”s another instance where his son, John, in a bid to avoid the limelight, changed hissurname from Bradman to Bradsen for some time.

Happy birthday, Sir Don!

How to Preparefor CAT

The Common Admission Test (CAT) for admission to IIMs and other management institutes has been announced. In this section we cover some frequently answered questions as to how students should prepare for the exam. This section will be helpful to students who wish to appear in CAT and other management entrance exams.

a) Pattern of the tests

Management entrance tests traditionally have three sections:

Maths, English, and Reasoning.

There are 75 questions with 25 questions in each section. The test is of two and a half hours duration. As nobody can do all the questions in this time, the candidate must have the ability to pick and choose the questions that must be done. You get 4 marks for every correct answer and '1 for every wrong answer, so avoid guesses.

b) When to start?

Start preparation as early as possible. Use your summer vacations to cover up your basics. A high level of logic and reasoning skills must be developed as the questions are not straightforward, at least in CAT. Each question requires some thought, and what may appear to be answer initially, may usually be wrong.

An important thing to keep in mind is the fact that the student must
exhibit proficiency in all sections of the paper. This means that all
sections must be attempted. Usually students make the mistake of
attempting only those areas in which they are good. For example,
engineering students would like to attempt all the questions in maths
section and will not touch verbal, while an arts student may like to
attempt only English and avoid maths. This is not the road to success.

c) Changes in test pattern

IIMs are at liberty to change or modify the test. This is done perhaps to separate the student who rely on mugging up from those who approach the test with an open mind. Hence, no fixed pattern works. In the ultimate analysis, the student who is able to adjust himself to changed time, or number of questions, or any other difference in pattern, will survive. If you have been depending on “magic formulae” as many coaching institutes provide, or are good at mugging up things, chances are that you will be baffled if you see any change in the pattern of the test.

Approach the paper with an open mind and do not get confused with any new element. After all, a manager has to deal with different situations and this test simply puts forth real life situations in a microcosm.

HOW TO PREPARE FIRST STEP:

Do your basics in Maths, English Grammar and Vocabulary, and understand how reasoning sums are to be done. This can be done from class 10 books or from study material or correspondence course of a coaching institute. Do not worry about speed at this stage.

Maths?Must do topics

?Number Systems, Factors,

HCF, LCM, Change of base

?Percentages, Profit and Loss,

Time and Speed, Ratios

?Geometry, Areas and Volumes,

Trigonometry

?Algebra, Quadratic Equations,

Logs, Functions, Graphs,

Series, Inequalities, Venn diagrams

?Less frequently asked or

fewer questions

?Probability, Permutations

and Combinations, Binomial expansion

?Calendars, Clocks, Races,

Stocks, Simple and Compound Interest

Learn tables by heart. Things like fractions and percentages must also be learnt by heart. For instance, if you are to find 37.5% of 88,000 do not do 88000 × 375/1000, which will undoubtedly take a long time. Instead remember that 37.5% is equivalent to 3/8 so the sum boils down to multiplying 88,000 by 3/8, which is mental, and the answer should be 33,000.

Also look for shorter cuts in doing sums. If the sum is a lengthy like: where a person comes and takes 1/3rd sweets from a bowl and another takes 1/4th of the remainder and still another takes ½ of the rest, then how many sweets did we start out with? The shorter way to arrive at answer in such question would be to see the choices and find which of the choices is divided by 3 and 4; the answer will be a multiple of 12. By doing sums like this, a student can arrive at the answers faster than by doing them in the conventional way. In above case it will become a complicated equation if we take x and subtract the sweets taken at each stage.

MANAGEMENT

DI Section

Data Interpretation requires an understanding of graphs and charts. Puzzlesare also frequently asked in this section as also a good amount of reasoning. To prepare for this section, one must be competent in the following areas:

1. Graphs and charts

2. Analytical Reasoning

3. Different reasoning questions,

coding-decoding, series, sets,
and so on.

4. Data Sufficiency

5. Puzzles

English Section

Verbal Ability has always been an integral part of MBA exams. For many people Verbal Ability is a bugbear because long lists of words have to be learnt and then long aragraphs have to be unjumbled. Moreover, the choices are often quite close and one is never sure of the answer. Coaching centres typically do not teach English properly, so one must work on one”s own. Attempts must be made to understand each kind of question that is asked. The broad categories of different questions asked are:

(a) Vocabulary,

(b) Jumbled Paragraphs,

SECOND STEP:

The second step involves developing speed and familiarity. You must do a large number of section tests now.

A section test consists of 25-30 questions on Maths, English or
Reasoning. Each test must be done in 50 minutes exactly, so time
yourself. Do at least three section tests every day, one of each. After
the test, look up the answers and explanations and learn where you made the mistake. The test and the analysis should take you two hours each. Note down the points in a diary. New words you come across should also be written down. A minimum of 10 section tests in each area must be attempted. The more you do, the more speed and understanding you will develop.

THIRD STEP:

In the third step, you must do a number of Mock-Tests. Such tests should have all the three sections with varying number of questions. Do the tests in the requisite time of 2 ½ hours, making sure that all the sections are attempted. Look for tests that change the pattern, so that you are not taken by surprise in the final exam. After each test,
analyze it by going over the answers and explanations. Make notes of where you get stuck. Also keep a record of your scores as you appear in various tests.

Start by doing one Mock-Test every week, increasing it to two tests every week. In November, do one test everyday till November 16th and supplement it with section tests in areas where you are lagging.

Which coaching institute?

Students are often confused as to which institute they should join. High powered advertising and all kinds of claims of coaching institutes tend to confuse the youngster.  Do not believe all that you see in newspapers or on television. Coaching institutes make tall claims and many students are disappointed after paying the fees. For example, choose an institute if you are comfortable with the teachers, not on the basis of claims. Also, take sure that the institute is near your home, otherwise you will waste a lot of time commuting. It is not necessary to join one, if you can study on your own. You can buy the study material and practice on your own.

SOURCE : COMPETITION MASTER

Wish you best luck for your bright future…..

Yesterday

When I was trying to be happy

But I was sad and bad, andI was called selfish

Today

When I sit alone in the night

The glittering stars from

The clear blue sky

Stared at me and smiled at me

That you are happy. I said yes

Hoping I am on the way

Like a honey bee searching blossoms

Because

I love those who hate me

I respect those who never respect me

I smile at those who never smile at me

I am generous and kind to

Those who are strangers to me

The Nice picture of India”s Map created by Indian Air force in the sky.

JAI HIND

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY