I have not included any details of the CAT paper in this blog which will give you an idea of how the question paper actually was due to the non-disclosure agreement. But I felt that I should speak out on how the test is getting mis-managed at certain places. My advice to you people is that to go there with an attitude that "whatever happens I don't care. Anyway I will get complete 2.25 hours to complete the paper in a good environment, so whatever happens before that or after that, I don't care."
I reached CMR institute at 7 am as the scheduled appointment required me to report by 8 am. By 7:30 am, we were promptly allowed into the venue. The security and infrastructure arrangements were elaborate. My ID and Admit card were checked at every entrance. "Good start, Prometric is making them worthy of the $40 million they took from IIMs" I thought. At 8, we were allowed to enter our block and asked to wait inside a waiting room. Then started the series of mismanagement. Every now and then, a guy would come and make an announcement in broken English. I didn't quite catch the announcement initially, but then realized that he was calling people for photo and finger print scanning. Anyway I sat and watched the drama where a bunch of people will run towards the entrance whenever an announcement was made and only 5 out of them were allowed in for the photo shoot. There was a poor guy who tried 6 times (yes, I was counting) and was returned back every time. Anyway when my turn came at 9, I realized that there was only a single personal for an entire group of students. (No wonder, you are asked to come at 8).Basically, the whole process of security check and photo-shoot takes only 10 minutes, the 2 hours bracket is only because Prometric don't have enough employees and volunteers to complete the process smoothly.
By 9:15 am, we were done with all the proceedings and all set to take our tests. By 9:45 am, all the students other than people belonging to my room were allowed to check in into their respective rooms and an announcement came that the test in our room will be delayed by 10 - 15 minutes. "Tests are getting canceled right-left-center and he is talking about a 10 minutes delay, no problems" I thought. But I was too optimistic. 10:15 came and went, so did 10:30 and 11:00 am, still no news about our CAT exam.As the prometric people were tightly hunched up inside the testing room, romour mills started churning out various scenarios - Servers are down; we won't be able to take test today. I was lucky to have bumped against 2 of my friends from NITC, didn't get bored at all during that long wait. But I could see people exhibiting a wide array of emotions. Most of them were extremely tense; that is understandable - such a big day in their life is getting marred with unpredictability. Finally the information came from the officials at 11:55 am. The servers are indeed down; none of the people in our block are taking test. All the ones allowed in are just sitting in front of the computer :). We were lucky we could at least sit and chat in the waiting room. The announcement continued "If the servers doesn't come up by 12:30 pm, the tests will be rescheduled". By 12:25 pm, I have almost made plans for the afternoon when the announcement came "The servers are up, take your seats". Within 3 minutes, I was frisked and seated in front of the computer screen. After that, things were smooth (except for the couple of usual windows read only register errors and date mismatch issues) and we completed the exam by 2:45 pm. Please make it a point to take the tutorial on using the computer apparatus; I was unable to do it because an invigilator while trying to fix an issue with the software directly clicked the "start test" icon.
Basically after this, I feel that Prometric has not effectively handled the gigantic volume of nearly 25,000 people a day, may be they were never ready for it. Their other exams such as GRE generally have around 50 - 100 students in a center per session. The metamorphosis of CAT into an online format was an indispensable affair considering the humongous volumes involved and to a very large extent it has been done well. The test interface is pretty good and the guts the IIMs have shown in doing this is commendable. I will aver that everything else are good, except for the way Prometric has managed the full affair - untested processes and under rated servers are marring the success of this fascinating exercise and as far as the IIMs and Prometric are concerned, the issues may be a few technical problems at a minority of their centers, but for every student who went through that time of unpredictability before his crucial test, each and every second seemed like hours of trauma.
Showing posts with label CAT '08. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CAT '08. Show all posts
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
The stone corriders of power
The day began badly with the news that CH has contracted Chicken pox and will not be attending the IIMB interviews. I felt bad and decided to do my best to present his case in front of the IIMB people. So I decided to scrap my original plan of an A/C volvo and instead took an auto to IIMB. I reached there by 8:20 and found a friend from TIME GD/PI batch all tucked up in her business suit. "This is the first one of the innumerable suit clad aspirants I am going to see today" I thought. Of course I expected this when I dressed up myself in a simple formal wear(no tie, no suit). She helped me find our interview room and I found that CH and I am were in the same panel, now that makes it easier. I met the person in charge and told him the situation. Next I went on to meet my panel and found that 3 of the 4 guys in the panel were Arjuns. That was surprising, I always thought my name was not that common. :( Anyways it was a nice group and in a few minutes, we were all engrossed in chit-chat.
Precisely at 9, we were called in for the GD and given a case to read. The case was about how English is getting more priority when it comes to primary education and how vernacular languages are losing out. The various issues leading to the problem etc etc.
I think the GD went pretty well. I started the GD and gave it a direction with some historical examples. ;) Can't help it, somehow or the other history finds me everywhere. We discussed how and why English is more popular and important in the present globalized world. Then we discussed about how this is becoming an economic problem as government is not realizing this and is still going by its dilapidated policies. How it is tough to learn 2 languages if the script and grammar are completely different and how tough it is for people with vernacular language background to cope up with an English language syllabus once they go for professional education. We discussed on and on for full 20 minutes and I found it really tough to summarize the GD. (I hope the faculty were able to decode my summary) :(
Next came the long wait for my interview turn. Actually it was not that long a wait because I was continuously chatting with the people waiting around. Finally my turn came at 11:30 am. I went in and greeted the 2 professors - a lady prof.(P1) and a man(P2) who looked as if he is in his early 40s.
P2: What do you think makes you unique, Arjun?
me: Sir, I have a dream. Told about my dream to set up a loom based industry in Kannur and told him how you won't find a lot of people like me who will be willing to sacrifice a successful career and take such a chance esp. with the notorious name enjoyed by Kannur due to trade union activities. Added that how the dream is not only money oriented but due to the emotional attachment I have with my hometown.
This was a lucky strike because I wanted them to ask me more about these things. So the interview was moving in the direction I wanted.
P2: Define entrepreneurship
me: Initially screwed it up. But patched up some how by saying that starting something new, a new business with the intention to make some money out of it.
P1: Money out of it? Then what is social entrepreneurship
me: I really screwed up the definition here. Came back by bringing in the point of helping people and adding that it is not always money oriented
P1: Ok, then tell me social entrepreneur who made money
me: Mohammed Younus and gave a small description of the concept of Micro finance and how he helped the people in Bangladesh with his Gramin bank. Added that he also made money out of this business
P1 looked convinced
P2: So Arjun, you are an electronics engineer. Why MBA now?
me: Told him CAT 2008 was my 4th attempt elucidating how MBA was always my plan. Again told about my dream company and how I need excellent managerial abilities to make inroads into the matured industy of loom.
P2: Why Rambus and Noesis then (companies I had worked)? How had they helped you? There seems to be a disconnect.
me: Explained how the basic ideas of business never changes. How the B2B marketing will be typically the same in both the industries.
P2: Now that is too much of generalisation. I can related anything to anything in that case.
me: Explained a little about the textile buyers and told him how it is also typically B2B marketing. Explained how at Rambus the business was similar. Talked a bit about what I did at Noesis, explained how it gave me opportunities to innovate and keep an eye for new opportunities.
P2 looked convinced, asked for the certificates
P1: What do you think changed in you after 4 years at NITC?
me: Told how NITC changed me. How it created a completely new person.
P1: What do you think will change in you after 2 years at IIMB?
me: Told her that I am a highly receptive person and I am sure that being with a highly intellectual peer group and faculty will help me figure out the deficiencies in me and will help in correcting them. Added that if you ask me specifically which all new values will be added, I don't know.
P2: Have you thought about your electives.
me: No sir, I tried going through the institute website but found that I will need a good knowledge of almost all the subjects be it Quantitative methods or fin. account to do well as an entrepreneur. So I am keeping my options open until I get a clear idea of these subjects. I am sure that when I learn them in deep, I will understand that which one will be more useful for me.
P2: You want to go into textile industry. But you don't have any experience in the same. How will you contribute to the batch and IIMB?
me: Although I don't have any experience in the industry, I have been seeing the industry from outside and I accept that my knowledge in the same is perfunctionary. Added that I know that IIMB encourages live projects in various industries. Told him how I plan to do my 1st live project on this industry and because I have genuine interset I will gain knowledge fast and hence start contributing to the batch. Also told that I can contribute with my knowledge of semiconductor and education industries where I have experience.
P2: Ok Arjun, any questions for us
me: I was going through your website and an idea hit me. Can I share it with you?
P1 & P2: Sure
me: ok, so IIMB is an institute which gives a lot of emphasis on congenial management and tries to prevent Ivory Tower management. If that is the case, why don't you try to give a course for the top managers of our government. For instance, RAW has been having this problem since decades. And I think you should not even stop with these bureaucrats, you should go and train even the young generation of our politicians like Rahul Gandhi and Yeshodhavaran Schindia
P2: We are already doing it. We have a public policy managment and as part of it, IAS officers and other government managers visit us and undergo trainings. But yes, we have not got an opportunity to interact with Rahul Gandhi or others. What can we do if Rahul Gandhi don't want to interact with us
me: Oh I didn't know that. Sorry for the question then. Why I took the name of Rahul Gandhi was because he, Omar Abdullah and someother politicians attended a Zen teacher's session in parliament. If he is willing to learn from a foreign Zen master, I don't understand why can't he learn from this temple of managment.
P2: yes. I think that is a direction which we should explore.
me: Thank you sir. Thank you madam. It was a great talking to you
And I left. Took an auto and came to office.
Keeping my fingers crossed now for the results.
Precisely at 9, we were called in for the GD and given a case to read. The case was about how English is getting more priority when it comes to primary education and how vernacular languages are losing out. The various issues leading to the problem etc etc.
I think the GD went pretty well. I started the GD and gave it a direction with some historical examples. ;) Can't help it, somehow or the other history finds me everywhere. We discussed how and why English is more popular and important in the present globalized world. Then we discussed about how this is becoming an economic problem as government is not realizing this and is still going by its dilapidated policies. How it is tough to learn 2 languages if the script and grammar are completely different and how tough it is for people with vernacular language background to cope up with an English language syllabus once they go for professional education. We discussed on and on for full 20 minutes and I found it really tough to summarize the GD. (I hope the faculty were able to decode my summary) :(
Next came the long wait for my interview turn. Actually it was not that long a wait because I was continuously chatting with the people waiting around. Finally my turn came at 11:30 am. I went in and greeted the 2 professors - a lady prof.(P1) and a man(P2) who looked as if he is in his early 40s.
P2: What do you think makes you unique, Arjun?
me: Sir, I have a dream. Told about my dream to set up a loom based industry in Kannur and told him how you won't find a lot of people like me who will be willing to sacrifice a successful career and take such a chance esp. with the notorious name enjoyed by Kannur due to trade union activities. Added that how the dream is not only money oriented but due to the emotional attachment I have with my hometown.
This was a lucky strike because I wanted them to ask me more about these things. So the interview was moving in the direction I wanted.
P2: Define entrepreneurship
me: Initially screwed it up. But patched up some how by saying that starting something new, a new business with the intention to make some money out of it.
P1: Money out of it? Then what is social entrepreneurship
me: I really screwed up the definition here. Came back by bringing in the point of helping people and adding that it is not always money oriented
P1: Ok, then tell me social entrepreneur who made money
me
P1 looked convinced
P2: So Arjun, you are an electronics engineer. Why MBA now?
me: Told him CAT 2008 was my 4th attempt elucidating how MBA was always my plan. Again told about my dream company and how I need excellent managerial abilities to make inroads into the matured industy of loom.
P2: Why Rambus and Noesis then (companies I had worked)? How had they helped you? There seems to be a disconnect.
me: Explained how the basic ideas of business never changes. How the B2B marketing will be typically the same in both the industries.
P2
me: Explained a little about the textile buyers and told him how it is also typically B2B marketing. Explained how at Rambus the business was similar. Talked a bit about what I did at Noesis, explained how it gave me opportunities to innovate and keep an eye for new opportunities.
P2 looked convinced, asked for the certificates
P1: What do you think changed in you after 4 years at NITC?
me: Told how NITC changed me. How it created a completely new person.
P1: What do you think will change in you after 2 years at IIMB?
me: Told her that I am a highly receptive person and I am sure that being with a highly intellectual peer group and faculty will help me figure out the deficiencies in me and will help in correcting them. Added that if you ask me specifically which all new values will be added, I don't know.
P2: Have you thought about your electives.
me: No sir, I tried going through the institute website but found that I will need a good knowledge of almost all the subjects be it Quantitative methods or fin. account to do well as an entrepreneur. So I am keeping my options open until I get a clear idea of these subjects. I am sure that when I learn them in deep, I will understand that which one will be more useful for me.
P2: You want to go into textile industry. But you don't have any experience in the same. How will you contribute to the batch and IIMB?
me: Although I don't have any experience in the industry, I have been seeing the industry from outside and I accept that my knowledge in the same is perfunctionary. Added that I know that IIMB encourages live projects in various industries. Told him how I plan to do my 1st live project on this industry and because I have genuine interset I will gain knowledge fast and hence start contributing to the batch. Also told that I can contribute with my knowledge of semiconductor and education industries where I have experience.
P2
me: I was going through your website and an idea hit me. Can I share it with you?
P1 & P2: Sure
me: ok, so IIMB is an institute which gives a lot of emphasis on congenial management and tries to prevent Ivory Tower management. If that is the case, why don't you try to give a course for the top managers of our government. For instance, RAW has been having this problem since decades. And I think you should not even stop with these bureaucrats, you should go and train even the young generation of our politicians like Rahul Gandhi and Yeshodhavaran Schindia
P2: We are already doing it. We have a public policy managment and as part of it, IAS officers and other government managers visit us and undergo trainings. But yes, we have not got an opportunity to interact with Rahul Gandhi or others. What can we do if Rahul Gandhi don't want to interact with us
me: Oh I didn't know that. Sorry for the question then. Why I took the name of Rahul Gandhi was because he, Omar Abdullah and someother politicians attended a Zen teacher's session in parliament. If he is willing to learn from a foreign Zen master, I don't understand why can't he learn from this temple of managment.
P2
me: Thank you sir. Thank you madam. It was a great talking to you
And I left. Took an auto and came to office.
Keeping my fingers crossed now for the results.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Passion and Devotion
I have been hearing about Byju and his unique CAT coaching for an year now. Although I heard raving reviews about his captivating techniques from his students who were my buddies, I had never considered giving it a shot until I attended his intro-workshop. It all started with an ordinary but honest looking ad in hindu urging CAT aspirants to try out this "new kid in the block" and because it was free I decided to try it out.
Next day after I registered, I received a call from a guy who introduced himself as Byju himself. Now that was unique, we had a small chat and he told me that he is also from Kannur( I knew he was from Kannur the minute he started talking in malayalam :) ).
The Jyothy Nivas college auditorium of capacity 1000 people was half full on that sunday morning. Byju introduced himself quite confidently and told us all that he was a 100 percentiler in multiple CATs. I have always thought myself to be a supremely confident person, but the astounding confidence with which Byju went on introducing himself and his venture made me reconsider my guaging metric. Although I was impressed with his confidence alone, that was nothing compared to the high octane Quant class which was going to follow it. Byju flitted from numbers to Permutations & Combinations to Geometry to Speed, Distance and Time with unwavering ease. Each and every word in that session was a value add to a serious CAT aspirant. When it finally drew to close at 12, I suddenly realised that I have lost track of time and this session was unlike any gruelling Quant session I have ever attended and this teacher is someone with a real passion for math. In the end, Byju announced that he will start a CAT batch next week and interested people can lock their seats with a token advance. I really didn't do that, I coughed out the entire amount for I was convinced that this was the teacher I was looking for, if any one could help me get through CAT, it is this man - Byju Raveendran.
Epilogue:
CAT 2008 was my fourth attempt at CAT and I have tried TIME classroom classes in 2005 and 2007. In 2006, I tried IMS Simcats. None of them really helped me in CAT. Ofcourse the Mockcats were a good practice. So as I have already mentioned, I tried Noesis Education a.k.a Byju's CAT classes in 2008 and got calls from IIMB and IIMS. I needn't tell you what was different this year. Byju and Santhosh(VA teacher at Noesis) gave me knowledge, taught me tricks and gave me supreme confidence which culminated in a good performance at CAT.
Next day after I registered, I received a call from a guy who introduced himself as Byju himself. Now that was unique, we had a small chat and he told me that he is also from Kannur( I knew he was from Kannur the minute he started talking in malayalam :) ).
The Jyothy Nivas college auditorium of capacity 1000 people was half full on that sunday morning. Byju introduced himself quite confidently and told us all that he was a 100 percentiler in multiple CATs. I have always thought myself to be a supremely confident person, but the astounding confidence with which Byju went on introducing himself and his venture made me reconsider my guaging metric. Although I was impressed with his confidence alone, that was nothing compared to the high octane Quant class which was going to follow it. Byju flitted from numbers to Permutations & Combinations to Geometry to Speed, Distance and Time with unwavering ease. Each and every word in that session was a value add to a serious CAT aspirant. When it finally drew to close at 12, I suddenly realised that I have lost track of time and this session was unlike any gruelling Quant session I have ever attended and this teacher is someone with a real passion for math. In the end, Byju announced that he will start a CAT batch next week and interested people can lock their seats with a token advance. I really didn't do that, I coughed out the entire amount for I was convinced that this was the teacher I was looking for, if any one could help me get through CAT, it is this man - Byju Raveendran.
Epilogue:
CAT 2008 was my fourth attempt at CAT and I have tried TIME classroom classes in 2005 and 2007. In 2006, I tried IMS Simcats. None of them really helped me in CAT. Ofcourse the Mockcats were a good practice. So as I have already mentioned, I tried Noesis Education a.k.a Byju's CAT classes in 2008 and got calls from IIMB and IIMS. I needn't tell you what was different this year. Byju and Santhosh(VA teacher at Noesis) gave me knowledge, taught me tricks and gave me supreme confidence which culminated in a good performance at CAT.
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