Daily GK Updates - 5th October,2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:
I.GAIL to take 10% stake in TAPI natural gas pipeline project: Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline project was in news as the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) is expected to take 10% stake in the project. The objective of this project is to transport Caspian Sea natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan then to India.
II.Flipkart appointed Sriram Venkataraman as Chief Financial Officer.
III.Ashish Bahuguna given additional charge of chief Executive Officer of FSSAI:  The decision was taken following the shift of Yudhvir Singh Malik to NITI Ayog as an Additional Secretary.
IV.DRDO inaugurated world’s highest Research Centre in Ladakh: It inaugurated an Extreme Altitude Research Centre at Chang La. Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir at 17600 feet above mean sea level. It is the world’s highest terrestrial research and development centre.
V.National Anti-Drug Addiction Day was observed on 2 October: It was observed to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi who condemned the use of drugs.
VI.India and Germany signed 18 MoUs: India and Germany signed a deal to fast track business approvals, an arrangement to make it easier for German companies to operate in Asia’s third largest economy that was announced as Chancellor Angela Merkel visited New Delhi
VII.Mahindra Inter-trade appoints Sumit Issar as MD

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
I.Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone opened to public for the 1st time in 12 years: Iraq’s PM Haider-al-Abadi declared Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone open to the public for the 1st time in 12 years.
II.26th edition of CORPAT between India and Indonesia began in Andaman Sea: 26th edition of the Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) between India and Indonesia began in Andaman Sea. The expanded version of the 18-day long CORPAT that will conclude on 21st October will also see the 1st ever bilateral exercise between the two nations.
III.Ruling Social Democratic Party led coalition won Portuguese general elections: Out of the total votes polled, the PSD and the CDS-People’s Party coalition secured 37% votes out of which the share of the PSD is just over 32%. With this win, incumbent PM Pedro Passos Coelho is set to hold the post for the next four years.
IV.Malaysia ordered shut down of schools due to choking smog: The schools were closed for two days because of possible health risks posed by the thick haze from Indonesian forest fires.
V.Israel banned Palestinians from entering Jerusalem’s Old City: The unprecedented action was taken after two Israelis were stabbed to death by Palestinians.
OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:
I.The World Bank raised the International Poverty Line to 1.90 USD per day from existing 1.25 USD.

SPORTS:
II.Portugal’s Pinto won Asia’s premier Mountain Bike Racing: Luis Leao Pinto of Portugal won Asia’s premier mountain bike race and got the crown of ‘King of the Himalaya’ for the second time.
III.China won 2015 FIBA Asian Basketball Championship: China defeated Philippines by 78-67 in the final and the victory has won the nation a direct qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

AWARDS:
I.Tiruchirapalli City Municipal Corporation won Skoch Award for Effective Solid Waste Management using Information and Communication Technology based solutions.
II.Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015 announced: It was given to jointly to William C Campbell (Ireland) and Satoshi Omura (Japan) for their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites. China’s Youyou Tu got the other half of the prize, who used traditional herbal medicine to find a new kind of antimalarial agent.

OBITUARIES:
I.Noted Telugu film producer Edida Nageswara Rao died at the age of 81.

Bell the CAT in 2014!

While most of the aspirants who have prepared for months for the CAT exam and even those who have not, the most-awaited day has come. CAT 2014 is scheduled for 16^th and 22^nd November, 2014.

This time around there will be two slots of test on each day. The pattern of CAT has changed and this time around we would have two sections comprising of 50 questions each. One noticeable feature of the test is that this time around the test-takers will be allowed move across the sections, unlike the previous year’s test. The test duration has also been increased to 170 minutes.

Here we try to answer a few questions which each aspirant may think of, especially before the actual CAT exam.

Difficult or Easy?

Let us keep it easy. The reason is simple. Most of us like it that way. We believe that if one has prepared well for the exam, he/she will find the exam easy. Moreover, we need to understand that the scores in the CAT exam are relative. That means if the exam turns out to be actually difficult, it will be difficult for most of the students. Accordingly the cut-offs required to get admission-call from various premier institutes will also go down. And vice-versa is also true.

In all aspects, one should stay positive and the exam will definitely seem to be easy.

Which section should be attempted first?

We would suggest that one should go by his/her strengths. We believe that one should attempt those questions first in which he/she is good at. For an example, if I am good at English, I would attempt questions of English first. The reason is simple; one would most probably get a ‘feel good factor’ or a much desired ‘push’. This will create a positive impact on the student and result in positive results too.

What should be the minimum number of attempts?

While there is no minimum standard, going by the history, a score of anything more than 50% of the total score would be good enough to get a call from a reasonably good institute. Considering the fact that we have 100 questions in the exam, an attempt of around 60-70 questions will be considered to be good. If we maintain an accuracy of around 80% then it would result into a considerably good score.

How much time should be allotted to each section?

The answer to this question depends on the competency of the student. If in the Mock CATs a student has been amongst the toppers and has been doing well in both the sections, it is quite obvious, he/she should go by the same strategy which he/she has used in the Mock CATs.

Secondly, we have to keep in the mind the fact that only the topmost MBA institutes of India have a preference for sectional cut-offs. If a student is an average student and has been an average in the Mock CATs too, he/she can prefer investing more time in which he/she is comfortable, just to ensure an overall better score. One should also try to ensure that one does not have a negative score/ considerably low score in any of the sections.

General Tips:

Carry your admit card and take all the required documents to the exam centre. Reach well before the scheduled time. Stay emotionally and mentally balanced.

Bell the CAT in 2014.

We wish you all the best.

Paridhi Trivedi Parikh | Hardik K. Parikh

Building Careers, Shaping Lives!

(Click on "Join this site" tab on the right-hand side of the page and get instant updates)

Disclaimer: The views mentioned above are based on the authors' opinion and experiences. We do not take responsibility for any decision that might be taken, based on these views/ information.

CAT 2014: 14 days plan

CAT 2014: 14 days plan

With 14 days to CAT 2014, the B-school aspirants are on tenterhooks. To hear words like Strategy, Mock CAT, Time Management, et al is very common to them. However, each of those words has its own importance when it comes to making your CAT attempt meaningful.

If you are taking the exam, try and stay calm. Keep working for the final showdown. The next two weeks may hold the key to consolidating all you have studied so far. It is easy, at this stage, to become nervous or lose concentration, and both the mistakes can prove costly. Do not shy away from practice. It is as essential as it was when you probably started your preparation for the CAT.

We have to remember that CAT is taken every year by lakhs of students. One cannot afford to sit back and relax at this moment. You need to keep yourself focussed and continue preparations until the last day.

Here we try to answer a few questions/ notions that trouble most of the CAT aspirants and we present our views on the same.

Mock Tests – Should I take them every day?

Yes. If not until the day of the exam, then atleast for the coming 10 days. Two reasons for that:

1. Get into the groove  – Taking a Mock test regularly will help you get into the groove. Also try and take the test at the time when your actual test is scheduled. This again will help you familiarize with conditions during those hours and make you more comfortable on the actual day.
2. Practice – Mock exams generally tend to provide real good practice and questions are often close to actual exam. A practice of those will help a student be in touch and have a constant practice of commonly asked/ expected questions. Though nothing can be predicted about such competitive exams, a practice of the most probable questions will definitely come handy.

One thing that most of the students tend to forget is to solve each question after taking the exam. This is so because as specified in point 2 above, the questions are important ones, and hence you need to know how to tackle them. So it is very important to solve each and every mock test completely, judge your suitability and move ahead!

New concepts – how many should I learn?

Possibly ZERO. The point is not to focus on what one does not know, but to focus on what one knows!

This one of the most common errors observed among the students. And it is quite understandable too. However, dear friends, please focus on the areas that you are already good at. Try to score maximum out of it. Learning some new concepts may help, but you cannot be sure. A good strategy would be to work upon your strengths and make them stronger. Remember, this is the phase of consolidation.

Math (Quants) – Darr lagta hai! What should I do?

If you are among the ones who are troubled by Math (Quants) and are not able to get to the sectionals, it can possibly mean two things viz.

•  (a) You have not given the required inputs
•  (b) You have worked but are not able identify the correct questions to attempt in the examination

In case (a), we need to practice to whatever extent we can.

In case (b), we need to identify our strengths and work accordingly. What happens with most of the students in the examination is that by the time they solve 15-20 questions, they have already consumed up the time devoted to the Quants section AND they are yet to see the remaining questions in the Quants. Now that can be horrible! We all know that Math is clubbed with Data Interpretation (DI). So if you are not so confident at Math and fancy your chance with DI, then go ahead – attempt DI. Chances of you being successful will be much more.

It is also advisable that you take Sectional test, everyday for the next 10 days in the Quant area. This will help you to develop the ability to select the “made for you” questions from the section.

To put it simply, there is nothing to panic. Analyse the question-pattern carefully, work on your strengths, do not forget we can have DI too and last but not the least, practice. Quants will be managed!

“Grammar” has my hands shivering!

If you are not through with the concepts of Grammar then it is possibly a herculean task right now with just 14 days left. However, if you are aware with the basics of grammar, we would advise that you take tests based on grammar every day. That should help you familiarize. Typically, such tests consist of 20-25 questions each and that would mean you will solve close to 300 questions and that should be good enough a practice. Same goes with solving the mock tests, analyse grammar questions carefully.

Reading Comprehension (RC) – I plan to leave it in any case!

Most of the serious aspirants of CAT must be aware that RC forms a major component of the verbal portion of CAT. We recommend not to leave ALL the RCs.

One can be weak at attempting RC if one has not practised as much. However, a good practice, even in the remaining 14 days can be of really good help. Please note that RCs can be based out of a variety of topics such as philosophical, business, economical, etc. and it is very much possible that we might be comfortable with two or more RCs asked in the examination.

Solve atleast 2-3 RCs every day!

Critical Reasoning (CR) – Any strategy?

CR questions are most commonly seen questions in CAT and other competitive exams. Most of the experts of MBA entrance preparation advise to exercise caution while attempting CR questions, so do we. Questions based on classifying the argument as strong or weak, true or false of questions asking to find out statements that strengthen or weaken the argument, are common. However, a scope of subjectivity is always there in most of the questions. Hence caution should be exercised while attempting such questions.

If you have practised such questions earlier, you can definitely attempt such questions with reasonable ease during the exams.

We hope that the above questions/ notions and the answer to them will help in clarifying doubts of thousands of aspirants of CAT 2014.

A few words without which this post will be incomplete:

• Trust your mentors

With all due respect to your knowledge and competence, we would still advise that trust your mentors. They have been with you all the way through, they know the exam and more importantly they know YOU. Trust them and be successful. It is important to emphasize this as it is very easy for a student to get distracted at the last moment, obviously because of tremendous pressure. In this age of information, it is quite possible to get distracted, but stay focused and be confident about your preparation.

• Stay Positive

Sounds cliché? May be so, but still it is quite important. As cited earlier, in a barrage of information, it is quite important remember and use the positive ones only. You have done quite well till now, you will be successful.

• Stay Healthy

It goes without saying that one has to maintain a good health. Avoid road-side food, junkfood, et al. Sleep well, sleep sufficiently. No need to stay awake for long hours.

What should be the correct strategy of taking CAT? Well, stay tuned to this blog!

All the best for your preparation for CAT 2014!

Paridhi Trivedi Parikh | Hardik K. Parikh

Building Careers, Shaping Lives!

(Click on "Join this site" tab on the right-hand side of the page and get instant updates)

Disclaimer: The views mentioned above are based on the authors' opinion and experiences. We do not take responsibility for any decision that might be taken, based on these views/ information.