SNAP 2014 Analysis

SNAP 2014 Analysis

The test was difficult as compared to the previous 2-3 versions. Most of the students went with the mindset that the test would be comparatively easy, as usual, were in for a surprise. We believe, the relaxed mindset of the students must have come handy for most of them. They would have been in a better frame of mind while taking the examination.

Let’s get cracking now...

For the starters, let’s have the pattern:

Section	Marks	No. of Questions
General English	40	40
Math and DI	40	40
General Awareness	40	40
Analytical & Logical Reasoning	60	30
Total	180	150

Taking it section-wise now...

General English:

Students with good vocabulary must have had some definite advantage in this section. Questions in the form of synonyms, antonyms, fill in the blanks (based on vocab) etc. were asked in good numbers and were quite manageable.

A little diversion was the Reading Comprehension area. The RCs were a little bit difficult as compared to the most of its previous versions.

22-24 can be considered as a good attempt in this section.

Math and DI:

The questions were from the usual areas like TSD, Clocks, Percentage, Averages, Probability, Geometry, etc.

A set of DI was asked which contained 5 questions and was manageable.

This section however did not have any question on Data Sufficiency.

An attempt of around 20-22 questions can be considered to be good.

General Awareness:

This was a reasonably difficult one to handle. The range of the questions varied highly. It had questions from awards, history, sports, current affairs, general science, etc. A student with a sound reading habit would have answered some questions easily, such as:

1)     President of Ukraine

2)     E in the acronym EPS stands for…

3)     The author of the book “Wealth of Nations”

8-10 attempts would be considered good for this section.

Analytical and Logical Reasoning:

Questions based on Series, Blood Relations, Critical Reasoning, Logical Data Interpretation, Seating Arrangement were asked among others.

Overall, there was not much of a change in this section as compared to the previous versions, except for the difficulty level.

An attempt of 15-18 questions can be considered good.

To summarise, a good number of attempts will be:

Section	Marks	No. of Questions	Good number of attempts
General English	40	40	22-24
Math and DI	40	40	20-22
General Awareness	40	40	8-10
Analytical & Logical Reasoning	60	30	15-18
Total	180	150	65-74

Expected Cut-Offs:

A score of around 85-90 should be good enough for SIBM and 80-85 for SCMHRD, Pune Campus. The other institutes within purview of SNAP can be arranged accordingly.

The Road Ahead:

A lot will depend on your Personal Interview, Group Exercise and Writing Ability Test (WAT). These three taken together will comprise of 50% of the score and the other 50% will be SNAP score.

Get going folks!

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.

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.

Deendayal Antodaya Yojana - Explained!

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY)

An Introduction

12 Million. Put it in numbers, it is 1,20,00,000. Huge isn’t it? Now take this, statistics say that approximately 12 million Indians join workforce but out of them ONLY 10% are SKILLED. Let’s have some comparisons. In EU the skilled workforce is approximately 70% of the total workforce and in China it is approximately 50%. India has a long way to go.

With an aim to uplift the poor by enhancing livelihood opportunities through SKILL development the Governement announced a Rs 500 crore "Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana".

Government has also sought the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Model to make this scheme more effective. According to estimates, by 2020, the developed nations will have a shortage of 57 million workers and there will be an acute need then to outsource the work. This is where, India, with its skilled workforce can pitch in and it will be a huge potential for the Indians.

Rs 500 crore will be spent on skill development of over five lakh urban poor under the DAY scheme and according to Government sources, to make the dream of “Make in India” come true, development of the required “skills” among the youth will be essential.

The basics of DAY:

Targeted at/ Managed by:

-          Urban People – Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) to take care

-          Rural People – Ministry of Rural Development to take care

Implementation:

-          Urban People – Will start in 2016

-          Rural People – With immediate effect i.e. from Sept 2014.

Task:

Make people industry-ready with help of development of required skills. Hence under this scheme, a major skill development initiative has been started.

For the sake of ease of understanding, let us divide the scheme into two parts viz Rural and Urban.

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (for the development of Rural People).

•  Eligibility:

15 years and above – for the Rural Youth

• Target:

To train 10 lakh rural youth and make them industry-ready by 2017. Special attention will be paid to the disabled persons to make them industry-ready.

• How?

Government will set up training centres in the rural areas. Outreach programmes will help the Government spread the word and make people aware about such scheme and help the rural people take the benefit out of it.

Deendayal Upadhyay Antyodaya Yojana (DAY) (for the development of Urban Poor)

•  Eligibility:

Urban Poor

• Target:

To train 5 lakh Urban Poors every year and make them industry-ready.

• How?

Government will set up training centres in the rural areas. Outreach programmes will help the Government spread the word and make people aware about such scheme and help the rural people take the benefit out of it.

Government to set up “City Livelihood Centres” with Rs.10 lakh grant to train the Urban Poor. It will spend Rs. 15000-18000 on training each of the Urban Poor.

Formation of Urban Self Help Groups (SHGs) has also been envisaged.

On the other side, Govt. has also planned to set up “Vendor Markets”, and give skill training to vendors as well.

Govt. plans the construction of permanent shelters for urban homeless and has also provision to provide essential services to these people.

And Govt. will also help the Urban Poor set up enterprises. For this they will be given a loan at a subsidized rate of 7%.

National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC):

HUPA has tied up with NSDC, which will essentially provide training to the poor through its training centres.

NSDC will also provide certification and will also determine the syllabus for such skill development programmes.

Conclusion:

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY) scheme aims to fill the gap that currently exists between what industry demands and what people have, in terms of skills. The planning has been effectively divided into rural and urban for the better execution of the scheme. Skill development, which is the need of the hour, will help generate employment for a lot of underprivileged people through DAY.

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.