CMAT 2013- A few last minute tips


The Common Management Admission Test is all set to take off from tomorrow (21st February, 2013). The testing window would last for 5 days during which scores of mba aspirants would be taking the test in anticipation of breaking into a good business school and pursuing their MBA.
This is probably too late to give you tips for CMAT, but still here are a few that would definitely boost up your chances of cracking the CMAT.

·         This is not the time to learn anything new, rather focus on all the efforts that you have put into the preparation for this test. Giving the mock test a day before the actual CMAT is not advisable. However, if you do feel that you need some more practice for a particular section, you may do the same without over-stressing yourself.

·         Visit your test centre once before the actual exam especially if you are not familiar with the locality of your test centre. It would also help you understand how much time it would take to reach and thus starting well before time to reach. Sleep well the night before the exam. You do not want to feel tired and drowsy at the test centre

·         Carry your documents; admit card, identity proof and other documents (if applicable). Double check these before you leave for the exam.

·         If you are not taking the test on the first day, there is always the possibility of rumours about the level of difficulty of the test, the questions asked, problems faced and many such things via many sources. During such times, it is important to remain calm and focus on your own preparation and be confident about the same mba in india

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Essential Management Skills for non-MBAs


Management skills are not the copyright of MBAs only. They can be acquired by all and should be indeed! They can be honed anywhere and there are some basic management skills that one should definitely implement in office, whether you are a post graduate management student or not. These skills don’t require you to do an MBA; just simple practices chalked out well and strategized to perfection can bring the same results for you as it would to anyone else in your office. Here is a lowdown on some essential MBA skills we feel that every non-MBA inculcates as a part of their daily habits. 

Communication Concord
Communication is an essential factor guiding your potential to flourish. This communication entails communication with everyone, be it, the boss, the seniors, your reporting boss, or your parallel colleagues. Opening doors to communication with your seniors and duly informing them about each effort taken by you is a strategic way to make them realize you’re at work and you are constantly contributing yourself in some way for the betterment and growth of the organization as well as the adding value to your area of work. Error free and lucid communication channels make way for informed decision making. However, your reputation is at stake unless your communication, whether written, verbal or pictorials is error-free. 

Relationship Building
Your growth and potential can be easily charted keeping your relations in place. Being in the bad books of even one essential entity in your organization can alter your efforts to nil. Thus, make sure to build strong and friendly relations with all. Most of the people in office spaces are not here to make long term friends, so don’t go ahead with those intentions, build relations in the form of give and take. Don’t keep to yourself, share knowledge even if people don’t share it with you. Your strategy here is to build relations for your interest not to calculate if you are getting more or less than you’re giving. 

Opinions Matter, When?
Opinions and judgments matter, but make sure these judgments are not personal judgments, judgments about colleague, their work profile, their salaries and their work. Your opinions should be business related and must be opined when in business meetings and other professional gatherings where you can draw some mileage out of their substance. Opining your thoughts and ideas in a clout of colleagues in a lunch room is not going to get you anywhere.
These are some of the basic and essential skills that should be considered to achieve the best in an office space. Always remember, office spaces are breeding grounds for senseless rumours and tough cutting edge politics that can make or break one's career, hence use these as daily management mantras for the best.

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Is MBA Necessary For Entrepreneurship?

Think rationally, and answer what does an MBA teach you? It teaches you practicality in situations; it teaches you techniques of communications, it teaches new tools of business, practical skills to finding solutions, and approaches to think of new innovations. It hones and fine tunes the raw and edgy businessman in each of the above traits. A careful look at these will make you realize that MBA is not a course that is distant from human common sense and instincts. It bears close resemblance to the curriculum of life in general and the adeptness with which one operates the nitty-gritties of life. Thus, an MBA in India program is not required for entrepreneurship except for the following reasons. 

Comrade Research
Sometimes having a partner to think with a group of people actively opining on your thoughts can make huge difference to how your thinking can be moulded. This camaraderie is available in an MBA class where like-minded students assemble to research together, find news solutions, help friends, learn from others’ experience and absorb the same. This exposure is something that you just don’t get sitting in your family business or the newly found business. 

Guidance
If you are lucky then you may find a mentor, a guide, who can trail you around the techniques, the ups and the downs of business otherwise this is one thing that you will be lacking without an MBA class. A good guide to guide you through the entire process of starting the business, indulging specific research, assessing consumer tastes, preferences and also gauging the market sentiment of the product or service to be launched makes all the difference. 

Understanding Seriousness
This is a fact, students, professionals or individuals in general get affected more with the herd mentality. This is one reason why, when in an MBA college students tend take things more seriously. On the contrary, setting up the business along leads to facing issues alone where one has higher chances of de-motivation vis-à-vis being accompanied by someone who can be a stabilizing and motivating factor. 

Concentration
This is a common complaint heard on behalf of many non-MBA entrepreneurs who complaints about not being able to concentrate and set shop along vis-à-vis someone who has done an MBA. There is no doubt that this is true! The training and the honing of the skills makes one more adept to move around organization and setting up issues faster than one who has not practical edge over business and regulatory aspects.
As we would like to say, it is not necessary for a good entrepreneur to be an MBA but at the same time it is not surprising for a good entrepreneur to be an MBA. 

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Considering a Part-Time MBA? Look out!


MBA has become such an integral part of the journey up the ladder of career success that students and even working professionals sans this title are desperate to seek one. However, in this rat race most often people forget that everything comes with its pros and cons. Professionals with family life and a breaking career opt for a part-time MBA. This is a fantastic step to be taken at point in time during your career however; this too has its own set of disadvantages which are better avoided by pursuing a full time MBA straight after the graduation, if given an opportune chance. MBAupdates strictly warns, especially students, against continuing graduation internships and forsaking and their MBAs in greed on the small stipends. Coming back to the problems faced by part time MBAs read on to know more…

Education Fleecing
Yes, believe it or not, many students and professionals desiring for an MBA land up choosing part-time MBA programs that reflect no ranking of curriculum, university and infrastructure. There is no point in pursuing an MBA that stands no base as it will push none up their career chart. Most of the part time MBAs programs take advantage of the growing desperate situation of student in question and charge bombs for the a sub-standard program. Thus beware of low-quality programs, it can sot you your careers and lifetime’s savings. 

First Impressions Are Difficult To Change
Being a professional you have already made a mark on your seniors in office. Now, when you go out to pursue an MBA many fail to recognise your new found skills in administration as they already know you as a non-MBA employee. Thus, it is better and much easier to make a mark with an MBA from the beginning itself. 

Nil of Academics
It is a known fact that part time MBA programs are designed to suit busy professionals and students pursuing it with another degree or maybe work. Thus, the role of academics and stressing on the same is reduced to nil emphasising only on basic MBA training. This is one aspect that all part time MBAs miss out on, for sure. 

Stress and Forgoing
There is no doubt that if you are working and pursuing an MBA together you ought to sacrifice your family and social life. You probably will be seen having no time for family, no social life and may also see some daily routines and regimes disappearing.
Thus, keeping all this in mind, MBAupdates suggests each and every one of you, starting from a lazy student to a just-woken professional to pursue a full time MBA unless you are willing to forsake the aforementioned points and couldn’t care any lesser.

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Working and Studying Together?

To imagine excelling in work as well as studies at the same time is dream like situation that can be created only as a figment of your imagination. In reality, doing the two together is quite a task. Yes, this is not to demotivate you to strive for the two ordeals together, but to give you the correct cost-benefit analysis of both taking reality and practicality into consideration. MBAupdates shares the real picture with you, straight and upfront. Pick the essentials that are relevant to you and take your decision forward to choose both or either option.

Pros

The first and of course, the biggest attraction factor of studying and working together is to earn that extra buck. This extra money can be used to not only cover your expenses if you are studying away from parental financial aid but can also be used as fees right now or to augment further education. No doubt, for some this could be the inevitable option guiding their education and career goals. MBAupdates thinks this is one of the only real factors that make work and study a good deal. However…

Cons

If you are one of those who do not require this additional moolah and are indulging on both options to gulp more experience, well, you are mistaken. There is no doubt that your performance of at least one of the factors gets affected causing you to lose out. You get lesser time to study as you are working and attending team meetings while at the same time if you are studying you are probably missing a promotion or increment in the current year. Successful corporate life requires one to show some dedication for a quick run on the corporate ladder. By you, expressing your larger concerns with your exam dates and research paper submissions will move the tangent towards carelessness at work translating into effective growth at workspace. Secondly, if you are busy with both and being lucky if you are managing cutting out spaces for both work and study then you must keep in mind that you are probably going to not find time for any social activities, family functions and friends. Forget about your nightlife and movie time. Weekends are going to be tight as well. You are not going to get time to spend the money you are earning. You are neither reaping the fruits of your efforts at work and neither are you able to getting better grades that could make tumultuous difference to your final results and placements while studying.

To Conclude

Thus, MBAupdates has a simple solution on offer for you folks twisting with the idea of working and studying together. Work only if you require the money to fund your current or further education, or else, just concentrate of studying. You will gain much more from better grades than from half-hearted efforts at both tasks.

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