JBIMS Admission

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Hi Friends,

This blog will help you with your queries related to admissions to Jamnalal Bajaj Institue of Managment,one of the premier Managment schools in India.

INDEX/Site Map:

Click here for Tips for Last 10 days and Experiences of CET TOPPERS

Click here for CET/JBIMS FAQ's

Click here for Official JBIMS Site

Click here for Final Placements 2008

Click here for Summer Placements 2008

Click here for Cutoffs for all colleges

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Some useful documents:

Tips-for-calculating-faster

CET-Test-Questions

Answer key to above paper

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Q. What is MH -CET/MH CET?

Ans. Common Entrance Test (CET) is a Entrance Exam conducted for admission to first year of two year full time post graduate degree course in Management namely Master of Business Administration (MBA)/Master of Management Studies (MMS), Post Graduate Diploma Course in Business Management (PGDBM)/ and Post Graduate Diploma Course in Management (PGDM).

Q.What are the sections in CET?
Ans. The CET consists of the following sections
1. Verbal and Reasoning
2. Quantitative aptitude
3. Data Interpretation (DI)

Q. Is it mandatory to have work experience to apply for the course?
Ans. No, its not mandatory for a candidate to have work experience to apply for the MBA/MMS course. However there are additional points for candidates with work experience which are awarded during the GD/PI rounds for work experience.

Q. How many seats are available in JBIMS?

Ans. Total of 120 seats are available in JBIMS for the MMS course.

All the seats in JBIMS are available only through DTE's centralized process.

Q. What’s the split of the seats?

Ans. For the last year (2008) the split was as follows:
Maharashtra Seats: 102
Open: 51__HU: 38_ (SMR: 49)____OHU: 9_ (SMR: 48)____ PH: 4
SC: 13____HU: 11_ (SMR: 1198)__OHU: 2_ (SMR: 1165)
ST: 7_____HU: 06_ (SMR: 3042)__OHU: 1_ (SMR: 9677)
OBC: 19___HU: 16_ (SMR: 395)___OHU: 3_ (SMR: 473)
NT1: 3____HU: 2_ (SMR: 735)____OHU: 1_ (SMR: 2148)
NT2: 4____HU: 3_ (SMR: 1055)___OHU: 1_ (SMR: 525)
NT3: 2____HU: 2_ (SMR: 1074)___OHU: 0
VJNT: 3___HU: 2_ (SMR: 474)____OHU: 9_ (SMR: 874)

SMR: -> Last State Merit Rank which got admission in JBIMS

All India seats: 18 ___AIMR: 25

AIMR: -> Last All India Merit Rank which got admission in JBIMS

Institute seats: 0

Q. Scores of which exams are applicable?

Ans. For Maharashtra Seats(Home University and Other Home University seats) scores of only MH-CET are applicable.

For ALL INDIA SEATS(AI Seats) scores of All India Level Entrance test which include CAT or MAT (Only February-MAT) or ATMA or XAT or JMET given in the current academic year or MH-CET are applicable.

These scores are acceptable by DTE for centralized admissions and give you the option to apply to all colleges under MH-CET which includes JBIMS.

Q. How are CAT, February-MAT, ATMA, XAT, and JMET converted into equivalent CET score?

Ans. There is no coversion formula to convert CAT, February-MAT, ATMA, XAT, and JMET converted into equivalent CET score.
So 96 percentile in CAT = 96 percentile in XAT = 96 percentile in MAT = 96 percentile in ATMA = 96 percentile in JMET = 96 percentile in CET .

Q. I am Maharashtra State candidate and have not appeared for the All India entrance exams [CAT/XAT/JMET/ATMA/MAT (held in Feb.)]. Is it necessary for me to appear at MAH-MBA/MMS-CET 2009?

Ans. Yes, it is necessary. You have to register and appear for MAH-CET 2009 and GD, PI.

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Q. I have appeared for one of the All India entrance exams [CAT/XAT/ JMET/MAT (held in Feb. 2009)/ATMA]. Is it necessary for me to appear at MAH-MBA/MMS-CET 2009?

Ans. No, it is not necessary to appear at MAH-MBA/MMS-CET 2009 if you have appeared for one of the All India entrance exams.
• Your score of All India Entrance will be valid for the admission to ALL INDIA SEATS ONLY, provided the score is more than the cut-off.
• However you have to register both for MAH-MBA/MMSCET 2009 as well as for GD&PI.
• Further it is mandatory to appear for the GD&PI conducted by Competent Authority of State of Maharashtra for seeking admission through CAP.

But if you are Maharashtra candidate and wish to apply for OH or OUH seats than you need to give MH-CET.

The table below should help you:

Q. I am really confused about All India Seats and OHU seats.My home university is Pune/Nagpur/Aurangabad { any other University other than Mumbai University in Maharashtra State}.

So I am a OHU type for Mumbai Univeristy seats.Now if I apply through All India Seats,will I be eligible for All India Seats and OHU seats instead of just OHU seats?

Ans:Since your home university is Pune/Nagpur/Aurangabad { any other University other than Mumbai University in Maharashtra State},for JBIMS you can apply to both the categories i.e. OHU seats and also All India Seats.

But for AI seats you need to mark the option while filling the CAP round forms and also appear for CAT,FEB-MAT,XAT,JMET,ATMA or MH-CET.

Q. Do I need to buy different forms to get into any MH-CETcolleges or JBIMS ?

Ans. No. MH-CET is centralized process,so you do not have to buy different forms for different colleges.

Same holds true for JBIMS.

Even GD/PI are centralized.

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Q. I am an OMS candidate. I have appeared for CAT/XAT/MAT(Feb)/ATMA/JMET and MH-CET. In which merit list will my name appear?

Ans. If you have scores in both MAH-MBACET and All India Entrance test then best of the two scores shall be considered for deciding the merit for ALL India Seats subject to the fulfillment of condition of the cut-off marks. Refer following table

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Q. Do I need to buy different forms to get into any MH-CETcolleges or JBIMS ?
Ans. No. MH-CET is centralized process,so you do not have to buy different forms for different colleges.
Same holds true for JBIMS.
Even GD/PI are centralized.

Q. What is meant by the Cut-off mark in CET?

Ans. The cut-off marks in CET are the minimum score by the candidate which makes the candidate eligible to seek the Admission to MBA/MMS course in the State of Maharashtra. The cut-off mark in MAH-MBA/MMS-CET 2009 is 30 marks out of 200. In case of All India CETs [CAT/XAT/ JMET/MAT(held in Feb. 2009)/ATMA] or GMAT the Cut-off is the percentile in these CETs equivalent to percentile corresponding to 30 marks in MAHMBA/MMS-CET 2009.

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Q. I am a reserved category student. Do I need to provide caste validity certificate?

Ans. Yes, caste validity is compulsory for admission through MAH-CET.
SC,VJ/DT,NT(A),NT(B),NT(C),NT(D), OBC and SBC candidates have to provide caste validity certificate, while ST candidates have to provide tribe validity certificate.

Q. I am a Maharastra Candidate; can I get admission through All India Merit list?

Ans. Yes, but for that you need to have appeared any of All India Entrance test which include CAT, XAT, Feburary MAT, ATMA, JMET.

Q. I am a reserved category student, can I get admission through All India Merit list?

Ans. Yes, but for that you need to have appeared any of All India Entrance test which include CAT, XAT, Feburary MAT, ATMA, JMET.
Provision of reservation for backward class will not be applicable i.e. you will be considered as open category student for All India Merit list.

Q. While filling the MAT form I could not find the name of "JBIMS" in list of MAT colleges ?

Ans. Admissions to JBIMS MMS course is only through DTE centralized admission process.

DTE accepts CAT, XAT, Feburary MAT, ATMA, JMET for All India Seats in all the colleges of MH-CET which includes JBIMS.

While filling the MH-CET admission form you will have an option for applying to All India Seats with scores of any of the above mentioned exams and during the CAP rounds you have option of applying to JBIMS

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Q. How are ranks allotted when two or more candidates have same written marks?
.
Ans: When two or more candidates have same written marks in CET, the criteria used in tie breakers (while allotting ranks) is as follows:
1. Written marks are compared and one with higher marks get the better rank but still if tie continues then
2. PI marks are compared and one with higher marks get the better rank but still if tie continues then
3. GD marks are compared and one with higher marks get the better rank but still if tie continues then
4. 12th std. marks are compared and one with higher marks get the better rank but still if tie continues then
5. 10th std. marks are compared and one with higher marks get the better rank

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There are only few days left for MAH - CET 2009, the Common Entrance Test (CET) for admission of MBA/MMS/PGDBM/PGDBA course for Maharashtra based Management Institutes, will be held on February 15, 2009.

With just a few days to go for MAH - CET, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS) first year student and CET Topper Kachnad Banka shared with MBAUniverse.com how MBA Aspirants can excel in this exam.

Kachnar Bankar secured 200 marks last year in MAH - CET with a Percentile of 99.99. She got first rank in final CET. She is currently pursuing MBA at JBIMS, and is in the first year.

Q&A with Kachnar Banka:

Q: Tell us something about your background...
A: I am a chemical engineer from D.J.Sanghvi College of Engineering, with a year's work experience in a Dyes & Intermediates manufacturing firm.

Q: What is your goal in life and why do you want to pursue Management?
A: My goal in life is to establish a business of my own someday and inching towards this goal I thought it was the right time to get some management skills to complement the strong technical background.

Q: How did you prepare for CET?
A: According to me, CET is all about doing your basics right. It might sound all too simplistic but it is only when you start preparing that most of us realise that it is far too easier said than done. Most of us lack the basic skills required for the quant and verbal sections. With all the prior exams some amount of preparation is in place but what is required for CET is focusing on the specifics. For example, a person can do himself a lot of good if he has invested time in preparing the vocabulary that can earn him crucial points over his competitors and all of them in a matter of few seconds.

Similarly it is important to know your grammar basics which can earn you the key marks but can scar your performance if you neglect it. It is also simultaneously important to get out of CAT mode and quickly get into CET groove which requires command over the basic Maths formulae and quick problem solving techniques. And all of this has to be backed up by a lot of practice through mock exams in order to boost the number of attempts and the accuracy at the same time so as to maximize the score. These are precisely some of the action items that I kept in mind and implemented when preparing for CET.

Q: Please enumerate the difference between CET and other exams management exams
A: CET as an exam is unique in its own way. Unlike most other exams it has a vast pool of questions from diverse areas like quantitative ability, verbal reasoning, English grammar, data interpretation, visual reasoning and a host of different types of questions testing the logical reasoning ability. The main emphasis of the exam is to test the student for consistency across these diverse question sets and all of this under extreme time pressure. So while it is generally thought to be as one of the easier papers to crack, students very easily overlook the fact that it is not being able to answer the question that gets you the admission but the ability to beat your competitors in the race against time that wins you the seat. It is true that CET is more predictable than some of the other exams, but it is the very fine nuances in the level of difficulty each year that becomes the most vital element of surprise and deals a blow to the best of the strategies. This is at most times difficult to deal with as opposed to exams where unpredictability itself is predictable. This is what makes CET challenging.

Q: What is the difficulty level of CET as compared to CAT?
A: CET might not be the most difficult exam paper as CAT is always perceived to be. There are essential differences between the two but they both converge on one issue. Firstly, about the differences - CAT year after year has been placing increasing emphasis on the aptitude of the candidate as opposed to the emphasis laid on the speed as evident by the fewer number of questions being asked in the last 3 yrs or so.

While quant and DI sections have had the typical uncertainties associated with them, there has been a paradigm shift in the Verbal Ability section which is now modeled more on the lines of GMAT. It has been an uncomfortable shift for most and obviously in line with what CAT sets out to achieve. CET on the other hand is more predictable in nature but in no manner subdued in comparison to CAT. It tests a different set of skills and more importantly a diverse one at that like the Analytical Ability, Verbal Reasoning, Vocabulary, Visual Alertness, Logical Reasoning, etc and all of that under severe time pressure that students are subjected to with having to clock more than one question a minute. This is where it differs from CAT; so when CET has relatively less difficult questions it would only be a dream if this could it make it any less difficult an exam. What defines the difficulty is not the paper per se but the competition because at the end of the day, easy or difficult – it's the same for one and all. And when it comes to JBIMS, with applicants -to- seats ratio of more than 600:1 last yr, it is for everyone to see that it makes CET one of the toughest exams to crack.

Q: What were the salient features of your CET preparations during the last 30 days to CET?
A: As I have said before, I spend the last few weeks before the exam focusing on doing some of the basic things and on doing them right. Talking specifically, I had focused on some elementary stuff like school grammar. I spent time reading up stuff from the book authored by Wren and Martin, especially the Correct Usage section of the book. I had also devoted time to revise the word list which I had prepared as a part of my preparation for general MBA entrance exams. Quant demands you to have all the possible formulae right on the tip of your tongue as also doing lot of calculations mentally. Above all, what is the most important part of preparation is taking mock tests which I did all through the two months before CET on a weekly basis and then increasing the frequency to taking a test almost everyday during the last 2 weeks.

Q: What was your strategy for the CET exam day?
A: On the day of the exam the most important key is to be able to hold your nerves. I had a good sleep in the night prior to D-day which allowed me to focus and maintain highest concentration levels during the exam. There is no strategy on the day of the exam - all of the strategizing needs to be done on prior occasions during the mock tests. On the final day, focus is just on the implementation of the strategy that has worked best for you in the past. I took one question at a time, treating it on its merit (deciding whether to attempt it or how much time to allocate) and move on to the next question. All this has to be done in the fastest possible time. This was the consistent strategy I used for the entire paper. Things sometimes don't work as planned and that is when one needs to be calm and not panicky which could be disastrous in an exam like CET. All in all, target should not be to crack the exam but to realize your potential.

Q: CET also involves lot of Speed. Any special strategies for that aspect?
A: CET is certainly one exam that tests your speed. To understand the "Need for Speed", it is not just the ability to solve "X" number of questions but to do so with great amount of accuracy. The strategy that I adopted was simple - practice with the help of lots of mock tests. In each test the target should be to solve more questions and with greater accuracy than the previous paper of similar difficulty. To do so, analysis of each mock test is as important as the mock tests themselves because it allows you to identify areas where you lack and then focus on those particular areas to improve your speed. Your strengths will always be your strengths but you need to work on your weaknesses to improve your performance. So my advice would be to work on this aspect in an incremental manner by taking tests after tests. Also the strategy of scanning through the questions at the start of the paper and then choosing which ones to attempt never worked for me. After all there are 200 questions to choose from. I made it a point to go bang as soon as the bell rang. All the decisions about choices of questions to be attempted happened on the fly. But again a word of caution - choose a strategy that best suits you.

Q: Any change in preparation strategy in hindsight?
A: I do not think that my strategy should have been any different because it was one that was tried and tested many times over and one which had a lot of thought being put behind it.

Q: List the 5 most important preparation points with a few days remaining and some mistakes to avoid.

Focus on the grammar basics and vocabulary. Though, it is not advisable to someone to do the word list if one has never done it before especially if the time left for exam is under 3 weeks. Doing it gives an edge over your competitors to some extent but there is a good possibility of getting away without having done the word-list. In short it is not a must-do. But grammar certainly is.
Go through all the quant concepts and formulae and solve questions on each of the chapters.
Practice visual reasoning questions as those are something that no other exam tests. For someone who gets a hang of them can score in this area. Same applies to other unique types of questions.
Write as many mock tests as possible and work towards bettering your performance each time. Importance of mock tests cannot be overstated.
Form a routine and stick to it religiously. Don't neglect any one type of question.

Mistakes to avoid:

Do not target any particular number of questions to be attempted as many people always do. Level of difficulty of the questions changes each yr and what will be a good attempt/score can't be presumed. Focus on utilizing each minute in the best possible way and that will take care of the required number of attempts to crack the exam.
Do not panic even if things go slightly wrong. There is always a good chance to make a come back as long as you maintain your cool.

Q: How is life at JBIMS?
A: Life at JBIMS is a hectic one which includes a rigorous curriculum, innumerable guest lectures and the best of visiting faculty teaching us. The focus is on practical learning by industrial exposure rather than sticking to text books. Apart from this there are a host of events round the year for an overall personality development.

Q: Among its contemporaries, where do you place JBIMS
A: JBIMS is right up there with the best of the B-Schools in India including the top IIMs, XLRI and FMS. Apart from the top 3 IIMs- A, B & C, not many B-Schools can boast of a legacy that JBIMS has enjoyed over past 4 decades. Its esteemed and distinguished alumni serve as ample evidence of its quality as one of the top B-Schools over the years. CEOs, MDs and leaders of a vast galore of organisations including HUL, McKinsey, ICICI bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Nicholas Piramal, Britannia and many more belong to this tall institution.

Q: How was your experience in the CET Group Discussion and Personal Interview (GD-PI)?
A: GD: There were about 12 people in a group. 2 topics were given out of which we had to choose 1 by consensus. It was roughly an 18 minute discussion. Thankfully it wasn't chaotic. I made points at regular intervals but wasn't able to introduce or conclude which could have earned me more marks.
My interview lasted for about 30 minutes. The questions were based on the form that we had to fill prior to the GDPI, my work details and general awareness.

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Hello friends,

In this section, some of last years CET toppers will share their experiences,how they prepared for CET,their strategies,some pointers, their future plans and about life in JBIMS.

So read it and make maximum use to understand what CET is all about.

Interviews By: Abhishek Pandey,Chetna Patra,Tejas Jasani.

============================================================================

Name: Abhishek Pandey

Marks: 159

Written Percentile: 99.99

GD+PI+PAR score: 13+16+5 (1 work ex)

Final Rank: 4

Current Status: Pursuing MBA @ JBIMS in the First Year

1) Tell us something about your background.

I come from perhaps the most common species of Indian B school aspirants. A BE by graduation and a software engineer by profession.

I have studied and worked in Mumbai all along.

My 10^th and 12^th was in CBSE board. I did my BE in IT from Vivekanand college. I worked with TCS for 2 years.

2) What is your goal in life and why do you want to pursue Management?

My long term goal is to setup an organisation that adds value to everybody involved and the society. Pursuing management is a logical step towards that goal. I wish to develop skills and the attitude required to succeed in the corporate world through an MBA.

3) How did you prepare for CET?

I had prepared for 7 other management exams before CET, so for CET I only focussed on CET specific strategies. I had joined a coaching class for CAT, and for CET I took the mock papers. I also took the mock papers of other classes.

4) Please enumerate the difference between CET and other exams management exams ?

CET is largely a speed test, with the average time to solve one question as 36 seconds! The focus is largely on “endurance”. It has much more variety than its counterparts.

Contrary to popular belief, a high degree of accuracy is required in CET. Of course one cannot rely only on accuracy in this test. Even if you feel you have cracked 100 questions in the first 60 minutes, the race is only half complete!

5) What is the difficulty level of CET as compared to CAT?

These are two entirely different types of tests. CAT tests the candidate’s ability to pick and choose and then doing the chosen questions with complete exactness. Whereas CET is a test of endurance. CAT is divided clearly in the three sections, with the pattern and the number of questions changing practically every year. With roughly 100 seconds to solve one question (even if one attempts all the questions!), the questions should obviously take more time to be finished.

On the other hand, CET is fully focussed on logical reasoning. It tests the candidate’s ability to handle pressure with his analytical and logical skills. Its questions are not so lengthy when viewed individually, but with such a huge variety and no sections, it is surely a test of sound judgement.

6) What were the salient features of your CET preparations during the last 15 days to CET?

Since I had largely seen the results of my other exams I was very much aware of my strengths and weaknesses by then. So my last 15 days went to work on the weaknesses. I also tried to practice as much CET specific questions (Visual reasoning, i/p o/p machine, verbal logic and reasoning specific questions) as possible.

7) What was your strategy for the CET exam day?

No experiments. Just tried to finish what I was comfortable with the first. I was able to finish first 100 questions in the first hour, which comprised mostly of logical reasoning questions.

Fortunately took a break in between to study the remaining questions. Saw that the “close” questions (fill in the blanks) had appeared in the very end. Since that was a very scoring section for me, and very less time consuming as well, I went on to attempt it before the lengthier questions. Then I proceeded to speed quant and verbal logic questions. In the end I was able to attempt 185 questions properly.

8) CET also involves lot of Speed. Any special strategies for that aspect?

There are fundamentally 2 types of CET takers. One is the candidate who has attempted most if not all of the management entrance exams, attempting CET in the end. The other is the one who has focussed exclusively on CET. I fell in the former category. So my strategy and practice for speed was not different from the other exams that I had taken.

The simple way to do it is to practice with improvement intent. One can take an exercise booklet of a particular topic and try to finish the same 25/30 questions of each exercise in lesser and lesser time with more and more accuracy each time.

9) Any change in preparation strategy in hindsight?

Not at a fundamental level. Perhaps one can focus more on CET specific questions if he is not comfortable with them.

10) List the 5 most important preparation points with 15 days remaining and some mistakes to avoid.

1> Keep on building your speed. If you can finish reading a passage at 300 words a minute, move on to 400, if you are already at 400, try getting a 500. There is no limit!

2> If you have material specific to CET, first finish that before trying to master mock papers. If you don’t have it, try to get some from your friends.

3> Analyse your performance at every stage. Whether it is a 25 question exercise or a full length mock paper, don’t lose the focus of improving. Also, getting the same marks in two papers is not necessarily a good indicator. Try to measure the performance in mock papers with respect to others.

4> Finish one class’ mock paper before jumping to other papers.

5> Lastly, keep your cool. It is just an exam; those who clear it find that life at a b school is a different nut to crack.

Mistakes to avoid:

· Don’t judge your performance before the paper is over. The exam is not over till the invigilator collects the paper from you. Don’t lose heart if the paper is different in certain aspects. If it is different for you, it is different for everybody

· Don’t be complacent. If you have got a good rank in one mock cet, it might not necessarily mean that you will get good score in the final. Keep practicing.

· Don’t think that the actual CET paper will be exactly like class X’s mock paper. There will be variations in the difficulty levels and number of questions in the real paper. So try to practice as many papers as you can.

11) How is life at JBIMS?

Active! Hectic! Interesting! Since students get a lot of non-academic exposure along with the academic one right from the word “go”, one gets to improve upon his behavioural tendency and act at a maturity level akin to a corporate.

Within just one semester we have done so much. It has been a roller coaster ride. The opportunity to develop and learn never ceases. To experience more of this phenomenon one has to be inside JBIMS. These words will not do justice to the experience.

12) Among its contemporaries, where do you place JBIMS

I rate JBIMS very highly. In terms of return on investment, the quality of intellectual development and the alumni network it is way ahead of the new IIMs and the likes of FMS and MDI. Perhaps in the recent times IIM A,B,C, have risen in ranks, but JBIMS is fast catching up. It is definitely the place to be if one needs to enter the Indian industry with a comprehensive insight.

13) Can you give an insight of the factors that affected your choice of college

For me, the reputation of the college, quality of faculty, quality of peers and the industry’s view of the b school are very high. It is a bonus if the college is easy on the pocket.

14) Give some advantages which JBIMS enjoys over other colleges in its league?

Location. The top stalwarts in the industry don’t have any difficulty coming to the college, even on working days.

Due to this, industry stalwarts with an inclination towards teaching also find it easy to fulfil their desire to interact with students. This results in practical learning rather than a bookish knowledge.

Dedicated Alumni network. Be it interactive sessions, knowledge sharing or workshops, our alumni works ceaselessly and tirelessly. Even in this short span we have had the privilege to interact with alumni from the first batch of JB.

15) How was your experience in the CET Group Discussion and Personal Interview (GD-PI)?

My GD PI centre was JBIMS only, so I had an added incentive to perform well. Given that I had converted a few other colleges, I had to convince the faculty that I would like to be in Bajaj rather than the other colleges.

The GD was on the topic “Women make better managers”. The group had 4 girls and 5 boys. As expected it turned into a debate, with a few boys making the mistake of generalising women and putting them in bad light based on their personal experiences. I tried to give direction to the GD by focusing the group on the required topic, viz, reasons why women make better managers. I would rate the overall GD as average, as there were not many new points coming and there were a lot of repetitions.

The interview was much better. It was largely based on the form that we were supposed to fill right before the process. The soft copy of the form is available on the DTE website and it is highly recommended to prepare the answers well before the final day. The interviewers commented that I was very “independent” and logical based on my answers.

They asked me all types of personal questions, about my background and work experience. They also asked me “why mba” and other such run-of-the-mill questions. They asked me to justify the event that I had written was the most important in India’s history in the last decade. The interview lasted about 20-25 minutes. In the end, they seemed very satisfied, and said “very good”. Homework paid.

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Name: Chetana Patra

Marks: 160

Written Percentile: 99.99

GD+PI+PAR score: 33

Final Rank : 3

Current Status: Pursuing MBA @ JBIMS in the First Year

1) Tell us something about your background

Answer: I have done my Bachelors in Biotechnology from Ramnarain Ruia College. I am a fresher.

2) What is your goal in life and why do you want to pursue Management?

Answer: I wish to contribute to the best of my capabilities to a respectable firm and be respected for my work.

3) How did you prepare for CET?

Answer: I concentrated a lot on my speed, be it in numericals, logic or verbal ability. I solved numerous mock test papers, timed them and analyzed each one of them in detail.

4) Please enumerate the difference between CET and other exams management exams

Answer: CET is entirely speed based and the questions involve a lot of quick thinking and application of logic on most questions. Grammar and visual reasoning are two aspects that set apart CET exam from other MBA exams.

5) What is the difficulty level of CET as compared to CAT?

Answer: The competition in the CET exam is immense and is an exam wherein you have to maintain a consistently high performance throughout the duration of the exam. Even a single question answered incorrectly can jeopardise your chances of getting into a B-school of your choice.

6) What were the salient features of your CET preparations during the last 15 days to CET?

Answer: Solving more and more mock test papers, analyzing them, being thorough with all formulae and taking adequate rest.

7) What was your strategy for the CET exam day?

Answer: Keeping a cool mind on the D-day, so that I could have high focus and concentration. Believing in myself and my capabilities was the key to boosting my self confidence, which in turn made me perform to the best of my abilities.

8) CET also involves lot of Speed. Any special strategies for that aspect?

Answer: I have always been good at quick thinking, decision-making, calculating, etc. So speed has always come easily to me, I had to focus on improving my accuracy levels. For additional practice, I used to solve a set of 20 sums on a regular basis and check my speed and accuracy and I also reviewed improvements in my performance over time. It gave me the motivation to continue doing so.

9) Any change in preparation strategy in hindsight?

Answer: I do believe that any point of time, I probably should have worked harder, strategy wise, it couldn’t have been better!

10) List the 5 most important preparation points with 15 days remaining and some mistakes to avoid.

Answer:

1. improve speed in simple mathematical problems by practice

2. learn basics of grammar like sentence formation, proper usage of words

3. solve visual reasoning problems and get an idea of the trends in the different questions

4. focus on accuracy, by concentrating hard and thinking clearly

5. rest, rest and rest. Lots n lots of rest will alone give you a clear mind inorder to focus during the exam

11) How is life at JBIMS?

Answer: These past few months have perhaps been the best phase of my life as far as learning is concerned. I have got to learn so much at JBIMS, be it by interacting with peers or people from the industry; the value addition has been immense. Though life becomes hectic, but then you need to put in your 100% to excel in life. The atmosphere is highly competitive but at the same time very friendly. Its learning with a lot of fun.

12) Among its contemporaries, where do you place JBIMS

Answer: JBIMS is definitely in the top league of B-schools in the country. The kind of industry interaction it provides wherein respected professionals from the corporate world share their experience, insight and knowledge with the students is extremely enriching.

13) Can you give an insight of the factors that affected your choice of college

Answer: JBIMS is a well respected college in the industry and it is in a prime location. It is well known for the quality education it provides alongwith the outside-classroom learnings that are extremely important.

14) Any strategies you would like to advice to this year’s aspirants?

Answer: As I said before, focus on lots of accuracy and speed. Preparation for CET requires a lot of practice and dedication.

15) Give some advantages which JBIMS enjoys over other colleges in its league?

Answer: JBIMS is located in the heart of the commercial hub on the country. It makes it a very important factor to be considered while choosing a B-school as there is a lot of corporate interaction and this gives valuable insight into the workings of the industry.

16) How was your experience in the CET Group Discussion and Personal Interview (GD-PI)?

Answer: The group discussion was extremely chilled out with everyone letting others speak and contribute their opinions. The topic was also a simple one. The personal interview also went well, mostly personality based questions and questions on my future plans and aspirations.

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Name: Tejas Jasani
Marks: 158
Written Percentile: 99.99
GD+PI+PAR score: 190
Final Rank: 5
Current Status: Pursuing MBA @ JBIMS in the First Year

1) Tell us something about your background
Answer: My name is Tejas Jasani. I have completed my Electronics engineering from Sardar Patel College of Engg, Mumbai. Post my graduation, I have worked with IBM India Pvt Ltd as an Associate System Engg for 6 months. I have also worked with Career Launcher India Ltd. as an Academic Executive for 6 months. In terms of academics, I have been a consistent performer and have been rewarded with scholarships from Sir JRD Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust. I have also focussed on extracurricular activities during my academic life. I am a Karate Black belt from Shotokan Karate, an art that I have been practising for about 13 yrs. I have been the Finance Incharge of the Electronics Students Association of my college and have offered active participation in intercollegiate festivals. My interests include touring, trekking and teaching.

2) What is your goal in life and why do you want to pursue Management?
Answer: I generally break up this answer into short term, medium term and long term goals. Short term goals are related to knowledge building in the field of finance as well as general management and getting a job in a reputed company. Medium term goals relate to growing with the company and acquiring expertise in varied fields. Long term though not very specific could be starting my own enterprise.
The answer to “Why MBA” is very subjective. I relate it to certain activities in my academic life where I found myself inclined towards finance and management. Also MBA gives me a broader perspective of the business and expands my career opportunities.

3) How did you prepare for CET?
Answer: With MBA in mind, I have started the preparation for CAT in August 2005. I took CAT 06 (96.67 percentile) and CET 07 (99.3 percentile). That was the last year of my engineering and I couldn’t manage to get into a good B-School. Considering my progress, I was offered a job at Career Launcher, where I started by solving doubts with students. This helped me sharpen my basics and as I gained confidence, I also started taking a few lectures for Quant and DI. Once the fundamentals were in place, cracking CET meant developing speed. For that I took a number of Mock tests. More importantly I analysed my strong areas and developed strategies to optimise my scores. With a lot of practice, the right strategies and luck on my side, the 99.99 percentile at CET was possible.

4) Please enumerate the difference between CET and other exams management exams
Answer: CET is different from management exams like CAT and XAT in terms of the difficulty level. While these exams focus on intelligence, CET focuses more on speed, accuracy and quick decision making. Hence, the difficulty level in CET is much lower compared to CAT or XAT. Unlike other exams, CET does not have sections and hence there is only one cut-off (overall). It does not include a general awareness section which is present in a number of management exams. To a large extent it gives equal opportunities to students from different fields to achieve good scores.

5) What is the difficulty level of CET as compared to CAT?
Answer: The difficulty level in CET is quite low as compared to CAT. Having said that, the number of questions is more and accuracy required is higher.

6) What were the salient features of your CET preparations during the last 30 days to CET?
Answer: In the last thirty days, I relied more on practice. I tried to increase my attempts and tried to identify areas where accuracy can be improved. I took 3-4 Mock Tests every week in the last 30 days. Though I had a strategy which was working for me, it is advisable to try out different strategies during practice and figure out which one works the best for you.

7) What was your strategy for the CET exam day?
Answer: On the exam day, I did not solve a single sum, nor did I go through any material. If you haven’t gone through something till the last day, it is anyways not going to fetch you marks in the exam. It may only increase the tension which can be detrimental. I had a good sleep. Got up early, had a healthy breakfast and read the newspaper. I was confident that I will crack the exam. I just had to say myself that if I tried my best for CET, I will get the best results if I am destined to get into JBIMS. I will give it my best shot. Also an important thing, it is very normal to feel nervous on the day (In fact it is also important to some extent). Just accept it and don’t let it affect your focus.

8) CET also involves lot of Speed. Any special strategies for that aspect?
Answer: If a question takes more than 1.5-2 min it is better to guess the answer and move ahead, because even if you get to the answer, the time spent is not worth the marks scored. Identify your weak areas. When I say weak areas, these are questions which take more time to solve. Keep these questions to the end and start solving the paper from start to end. For example, I kept Visual Reasoning, Syllogisms and Series questions to the end in that order. It is not advisable to choose and answer questions. It wastes a lot of time. Going in a sequence is much faster.

9) Any change in preparation strategy in hindsight?
Answer: Not really. A strategy is as important as your belief that it will work for you. Don’t copy strategies blindly. Form your own strategy, because you are the best judge for your strengths and weaknesses.

10) List the 5 most important preparation points with 30 days remaining and some mistakes to avoid.
Answer:
1. Practice
2. Do not over practice
3. Get your fundamentals right
4. Set targets for number of questions to be solved
5. Identify the strategy that works best for you

11) How is life at JBIMS?
Answer: Life at JBIMS is like a lavish buffet. It offers you huge amount of opportunities in all fields. Whether it is
1) Academics
2) Extracurricular activities : Inter and intra collegiate events like “Prayaag” and “Strategym”
3) Industry interaction : Frequent Guest Lectures & “Samanvay”
4) Practical assignments : Summers and Off Summers
If you have a quest to learn JBIMS has a platform for you.

12) Among its contemporaries, where do you place JBIMS
Answer: I would place JBIMS right among the top B- Schools of the country. The reason being it has an excellent intellectual infrastructure with the top 120 students among 75000 odd students appearing for CET. It has one of the best libraries in the country. The faculty at JBIMS are among the most experienced people from the corporate world. It location in the heart of the financial capital gives incredible opportunities for industry interaction.

13) Can you give an insight of the factors that affected your choice of college
Answer
In order of Importance:
1. Reputation
2. Student Quality
3. Placements
4. Location

14) Any strategies you would like to advice to this year’s aspirants?
Answer: Apart from the strategies that I have mentioned, it is important to note that the difficulty level or the pattern may change. It is important to be dynamic, keep your cool and be confident.

15) Give some advantages which JBIMS enjoys over other colleges in its league?
Answer:
1. Location
2. Freedom and responsibility
3. Quality of faculty

16) How was your experience in the CET Group Discussion and Personal Interview (GD-PI)?
Answer: CET GD-PI – Centre PUMBA

GD: 1. Group of 14 students.
2. Three Panellists.
3. Semicircular seating arrangement
4. Topic selected “Management education in India is a luxury”
5. Duration: About 15 min

It was a very calm GD. Everyone had an opportunity to speak though only 4-5 aspirants made substantial points. I introduced a number of new points which were then discussed by others. All in all, I was satisfied by my performance. However, I scored only 13 marks in the GD.

PI: Every candidate is asked to fill up a form giving his personal details. The form is the same each year. Most of the questions in the interview are based on what you right in the form. My interview was a very comfortable experience. It was the first interview of the day. There were no stressful questions. I was allowed to prove my points. Some general questions, like “Why MBA”, “Why Finance”, and some questions based on work experience and academics were asked. I scored 15/17 in the PI. No answer is right or wrong in an interview. It is only your confidence and belief that is tested along with your communication skills and smartness.

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Name: Rohan Jhaveri
Written Marks: 169 (Rank 1)
Written Percentile: 99.99
GD+PI+PAR score: 199
Final Rank: 2
Current Status: Pursuing MBA @ JBIMS in the First Year

Tell us something about your background
Answer: I had done my schooling from St. Xavier’s High School, Borivali, post which I took up Vocational Science at Mithibai College. I was 3rd in Mumbai and 5th in Maharashtra in the Engineering CET. I joined VJTI, Mumbai where I completed my Electronics engineering. Post my graduation, I joined JBIMS.

What is your goal in life and why do you want to pursue Management?
Answer: My immediate goal is to make the most out of my two years at JBIMS by adding value to myself in terms of knowledge building and skill development. In the long run, I would definitely like to start my own enterprise by implementing whatever I learn in my 2 years at JBIMS and perhaps what I learn while working in the company I get into.
The answer to “Why MBA” is highly subjective. My reason for taking up management education was the inclination towards finance and management that I developed during the course of my engineering education. Also MBA gives a broader perspective of business and also helps in developing a holistic approach to life.

How did you prepare for CET?
Answer: I had prepared for other management exams before CET, so for CET I only focussed on CET specific strategies. I had joined a coaching class for CAT and my fundamentals got cleared during the course of preparing for CAT. Once the fundamentals were in place, cracking CET meant developing speed. For that I practised hard by taking up a number of Mock tests. More importantly I identified my strong and weak areas and developed strategies to optimise my scores. My mantra of success in CET is Practice, more and more practice.

Please enumerate the difference between CET and other exams management exams
Answer: CET is different from management exams like CAT and XAT in terms of the difficulty level. In CET, the focus is more on speed, accuracy and quick decision making, precisely what a manager focuses on while facing challenging issues. Hence, the difficulty level in CET is much lower compared to CAT or XAT. Unlike other exams, there are no sections nor any sectional cut-offs in CET. It does not include a general awareness section but what it does include is a Visual Reasoning section which is unique to CET.

What is the difficulty level of CET as compared to CAT?
Answer: The difficulty level in CET is quite low as compared to CAT. Having said that, the number of questions is more and accuracy required is higher. Also, while CAT tests the analytical abilities of an individual, CET is more oriented towards testing one’s common sense because at the end of the day, what you require as a manager while taking business decisions is common sense.

What were the salient features of your CET preparations during the last 15 days to CET?
Answer: In the last 15 days, I concentrated on practice. I tried to increase my attempts as well as my accuracy. I tried to identify those areas where my speed can be improved, perhaps by using a different method to solve those questions, so that the time saved can then be used for those sections which I found comparatively difficult. I took 5-6 Mock Tests every week in the last 15 days. Finally, strategies are highly subjective, they may work for some, may not work for some. What works for you should be your strategy!!

What was your strategy for the CET exam day?
Answer: On the exam day, my only strategy was to relax and be in a calm and composed state of mind. I did not solve a single sum, nor did I go through any material. If you haven’t gone through something till the last day, it is never going to fetch you marks in the exam. I had a very good sleep. I got up that day with in a confident frame of mind with a sole focus of cracking the CET. The idea is to be confident and also keep yourself reminding that this is not the end of the world for you.
CET also involves lot of Speed. Any special strategies for that aspect?
Answer: If a question takes more than 1-1.5 min, it is advisable that we overcome our egos and not try wasting more time on the question!!! The idea is to guess the answer and move ahead, because even if you get the final answer, you would have wasted a lot of time which is not desirable. Identify the areas where you take longer time to solve the questions. Try finding an alternate method to solve those questions which may be time-saving. If not then leave those questions for the end.
Any change in preparation strategy in hindsight?
Answer: Not really. The strategy that I used worked for me and nobody wants to change a match-winning strategy!!!

List the 5 most important preparation points with 15 days remaining and some mistakes to avoid.
Answer:
Practice
Identify the strategy that works best for you
Work on your accuracy in the Mocks
Set targets for number of questions to be solved
Relax and keep your spirits high

How is life at JBIMS?
Answer: The atmosphere at JBIMS is highly competitive and at the same time full of fun. One is involved in a melange of activities like presentations, group studies, inter and intra collegiate events and of course academics. Also, the main highlight of JBIMS is the amount of Industry exposure that one gets through frequent Guest lectures and summers and Off-summers. Also there is a lot of Team work and Team Building involved by working for various Committees

Among its contemporaries, where do you place JBIMS
Answer: I would rate JBIMS right among the top B- Schools of the country. The reason being it has an excellent intellectual infrastructure with the top 120 students among 75000 odd students appearing for CET joining JBIMS. It has a well-equipped library which can be considered among the best libraries in the country. The faculty at JBIMS are among the most experienced people from the industry. Its location in the heart of the financial capital with big corporate houses around, gives incredible opportunities for industry interaction.

Can you give an insight of the factors that affected your choice of college
Answer: In order of Importance:
Reputation
Industry and Practical Exposure
Student Quality
Location
Placements

Anything you would like to advice to this year’s aspirants?
Answer: Be cool and confident while taking the test. An important mantra for success in any exam is ‘Work hard, Practice harder and leave the rest to God’.

Give some advantages which JBIMS enjoys over other colleges in its league?
Answer:
Location
High degree of Industry Exposure
Quality of faculty

How was your experience in the CET Group Discussion and Personal Interview (GD-PI)?
Answer: CET GD-PI – Centre K J Somaiya
GD: 1. Group of 10 students.
2. Two Panellists.
3. Semicircular seating arrangement
4. Topic selected “Excessive display of violence on TV and its effects”
5. Duration: About 15 min
It wasn’t the Ideal GD that we all look forward to. It turned into a so-called ‘Fish Market’. The key to such a GD is to remain calm and not to contribute to the raging debate. Rather one should limit one’s entries but make very good points. The moderator will appreciate the way you handle a chaotic situation like this if you make limited entries but make match-winning points.
PI: Every candidate is asked to fill up a form giving his personal details. Most of the questions in the interview are based on what you write in the form. Be well prepared with some general questions, like “Why MBA”, “Your goals in life”, “Why Finance/Marketing”, etc. Also, at times, some questions based on work experience and academics are also asked; like in my case, I was asked a lot of questions on my Final year engineering project.
At the end of the day, it is only your confidence and self- elief that is tested along with your communication skills and presence of mind.

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