The reality of CAT "Analysis" by "Experts"

Today, a good friend and colleague, mukti and I were discussing reactions of CAT aspirants to their performance in the CAT-2010. Not surprisingly, the reactions were extreme.

Some (though admittedly only few) feel ecstatic because they have done well and can smell the call; others feel dejecetd to the extent that instinctively they feel like giving in, having decided that they would NOT receive a call. In the words of mukti "there is no one who seems to be in the middle".

Let me be flat on this - both reactions are irrational. Period. 

Yeah !! I can explain. What is the basis of such reactions of ecstacy or dejection. The analysis and judgement provided by so called "CAT experts" including "yours truly". But believe me, this is a very poor basis for making such judgements. Here is why?

How do you think the "experts" analyse and predict the required cutoffs for IIM calls etc. (and I include myself in the list). Well the best of us are making conjuctures. some of us are intelligent, some long time observers, some are self created experts, some are simply limelight seekers, some are commercial opportunists and some simply copy cats. The analytical minded would collect data and do statistical analysis; others more creatively oriented would do objective/subjective and often emotional introspection. Most of us are a mix of all these.

Want advice - dime a dozen

Its like the stock market analysis - every expert worth his/her salt has one and writes with confidence. If you look at all them closely - the sum total is that someone or the other has written about every possibility that exists. So at least some of us will always be accurate. The problem is that none (and I mean, "none") of us have been consistently accurate.

The more sensible out of us (or lets say the smart ones out of us) will offer a broad range of score/attempts which then is useless analysis because one or two questions in CAT will affect your rank by may be thousands.

So what am I saying
There is no sure of way finding out whether you are getting a call and no expert can predict it with any accuracy. In a few weeks you would anyway know - so why create a fuss and feel either ecstatic or dejected - both of which as I said earlier are irrational reactions.

The fact is that every year -

• some of the most hopefuls DO NOT get a call
• some of the most unnoticed GET the calls
• some of the hopefuls GET the calls
• some of the unnoticed DO NOT get the calls

What all these means is that none of us are able to conclusively seperate all the wheat from the chaff.

Don't believe it? OK !! Go ahead and read "The Mess Behind CAT Analysis" that I posted on my personal blog way back in Feb 2007. This was the year when for the first time the IIMs published the answer key of CAT 2006 on their official sites. In one stroke all so called "experts" on CAT were proven to be amateur marketers hungry for eyeballs of their prospective customers. 

In nut shell then I conclude,

• you do not know that you are getting a call and
• you also do not know that you are NOT getting a call

What I know for sure is that you should discard all this analysis and keep working with the same enthusiasm and sincerity as you have been doing till now. We surely do not want to be caught napping when the call eventualy and actually arrives.

Another of my friend and colleague Abbas texted on facebook today

"For some people CAT is over, for many, everything"

and I instinctively responded

"For winners CAT is generally the start"

Ohh!! I ned to remain focussed.



While I responded as an instinct - I now believe it was deep. Yes starting CAT the two months following it are crucial last miles for a really sincere CAT aspirant. It requires self drive to continue. It requires an ability to avoid the mob behaviour (phobia, mania and tirades) and focus on next set of goals. It requires keeping faith in once sincere efforts and to go on without getting affected by half baked analysis. It requires Arjuna's focus on "karma" without worrying about the results.



So friends, its time you get over the ecstacy and/or dejection and simply focus on your next step.

Easier said than done?? Agreed. But did I ever tell you that it would be easy? Wish you all bright future and great success.

P.S.

1. Do let me know what you think about all this. Your queries, feedback and suggestions are welcome. Just click on comment and enter your comments. Feel free to follow this blog by clicking the follow button at the right side panel.

2. I interrupted my series of posts on "GDs & PIs at this time??" for this post. The series continues - stay tunes. :) .

GDs & PIs - at this time?? Part I

At this time every year, I exhort young ambitious MBA aspirants to now increase their focus on Group Discussions/Personal Interviews (GD/PIs) preparations. Every year, I get to hear one of the so many standard reasons for not starting, at least not yet. Sample these and check out if you also tend to agree with one or more of them :  

confused, are you?



• My CAT did not go as well as I had wished - should I not prepare for the other tests that are lined up?
• The weightage of GD/PI in the entrance process is as low as 15-20%. Isn't it logical that I should focus on the written test & not worry about GD/PI so much.
• Whats the point of starting GD/PI preparations so early. Let me receive a call first. What if I do not eve clear the written test?
• Akash, I am so busy - my college exams are lined up. Other MBA tests are also there and then projects/ campus etc. I simply cannot give time to GD/PIs now.

I can already picture some of you smiling (gotcha........). Jokes apart, lets consider each of the question because they are at least not excuses - they are valid questions - I shall write one post for each of the question - so here we go....

First, Your CAT did not go as well as you would wish to and hence you would to prepare with increased focus for other exams?
And by increased focus on other exams, you mean........what? Let me guess - you would want to appear in more mock tests? As if you have not already taken scores of them. Not just at CHEM but may be at 'other' classes as well. So what will tests with increased frequency do to your focus. My take - Nothing!! except may be, making you feel less guilty about your performance.

Let me point to the flaws in the argument. You are assuming two things
one, that CAT did not go well for you
two, the above happened because you did not prepare well
Both the assumptions are faulty. Let me explain

Help me meet someone who cracked the CAT and is surely getting the call. Actually, CAT being a competitive test - one is not able to gauge the extent of one's performance. It is futile to try and judge how you did. Only results will tell you know the date on which results shall be released - don't you?

Now, the second assumption. CAT has happened and your preparations (good, bad or ugly) will reflect in it. However, this is not to say that you do not prepare for other tests. If you have not prepared well in all the months of your preparations before CAT, you cannot make much difference in this one month. And if you have been working in those months - all you need to do currently is to maintain continuity/momentum for the written tests lined up.

But you must take up preparing for GD/PIs in equal earnest for reasons that I am going to discuss in the coming days (so tune in to this space regularly).

P.S. Do let me know what you think about all this. Your queries, feedback and suggestions are welcome. Just click on comment and enter your comments. Feel free to follow this blog by clicking the follow button at the right side panel.

It is planning time!

Now that we have reached halfway mark to CAT, many of us have either taken the CAT or are taking within a week most probably. Now it is time to plan ahead for next level of preparation. There are students who will have their semester exams in this month. They will concentrate on their study but should plan their future course of actions as soon as their exams are over. There are good number of students whose semester exams are over and therefore relaxing a bit from their regular college studies. These students should concentrate on two things: preparing for other entrance exams and preparing for GD and PI.

A call from a reputed B school is good only if it is converted. Just getting a call will not do any good. It is therefore very much necessary to prepare in advance for GD and PI. Fortunately our students need not worry much as they are already a part of India’s most comprehensive and successful GD & PI preparing institute CHEM. So guys, fasten your seat belt and register yourself in one of the most successful program mSuccess in any of the batch to take off to your dream colleges. This program will help you fine tune your preparation at these crucial time.

The others are those who are appearing in other entrance exams to be conducted in Dec or Jan e.g. TISS, JMET, XAT, FMS, SNAP to name a few. In preparing for CAT, you have already gone through most part of the preparation. However, these exams may require some extra topics or skills to prepare. These topics may be portions of higher maths, essay writing, general awareness, etc.

You have already taken some mock tests based on exams you are appearing in. There will be more such mock Tests based on specific exams. The best way to know about the patterns of exams is to appear in these tests and have an idea about the test. It will also help you to know where you stand. With the help of this you can revise and fine tune yourself accordingly. You can also take the help of your experienced faculties.

So guys, relax a bit after your CAT day but at the same time plan ahead to realize your ultimate goals and derams.

Omens of CAT 10

"Do you believe in omens?" came an SMS out of the blue this morning on my phone.
"No" was how I chose to reply it.
"Oh. Well, I think an omen is telling me that I should not solve NATCATs now", he persisted.
"Don't be silly. You are an engineer. Show me some logic. It's ridiculous."
"Believe me. Last night I kept my NATCATs in a bag that I accidentally happened to leave on my veranda. It all got wet. So I felt an omen was trying to influence me."
"Cut it dude. You gotta be kidding me."

This is only one of the several such so-called omens I have been hearing about from students still to take CAT 2010. I remember while Akash was sharing 'The First-hand CAT experience', a student asked if he could take his lucky watch along at the CAT centre. 'Grow up' was how Akash responded to it.

And that's what I have to tell you my dear students. For your own sake people, have faith in your abilities and your potential to perform. You have followed a rigorous and systematic, not to count a logical, process and yet you lose heart at the last minute.. Please do remember this my dear ones that even if you lose momentum for a few seconds before the finishing line, the entire race is lost.

Don't lose it guys. Not yet. There's a battle ahead. Go and win it! You can do that without the omens. Beleive me guys, you don't need them at all because you have worked hard. 

Now give me that winner's expression! 

God Bless 

'tulika -the echo still

TULIKA – My Nick Name

A flame in water
that belies the belief
strange though, it clings
to reality
a presentation in hiding
and truth beneath
what burns is the oil that
surfaces the water
It is to camouflage something
pretty and attractive
and to develop an urge
to search for truth
like a golden sword kept
inside the sheath
but an appreciation deserved
need to be parted with
and there stands TULIKA with
nerve and energy
embedded
and with enthusiasm
reflected in every action.
Parting is heavy for the heart
when built in bondage
as there forms
a vacuum
that pricks the memory
for bondage
gets strengthened
in separation,
longing ever to refresh meetings
frequented more with.

M.S.Kumaran

Reminisces - of parting

The pain persists
as the sting
has penetrated deep
in heart
as, also the sore keeps
reminding
us about the wound.
Memory line of human,
it is said,
may recede with time
but a wound or
a sore create reflections,
reminding us ever.

The breeze that pass
through our hair,
gently as is always-and tender
though it is,
still fluttering vibrant, in musing
with delight-
as if there is fragrance
in air from
the bouquet of roses never
ever should allow
the flower to wither caring
to get replenished
with fresh ones and not to
loose the aroma,
as the tender care is ours.

M.S.Kumaran

Memory

The charm of Night.

Nights normally are dark. Dark is pure. It is not adulterated.
With light flashing in the darkness weans away. Light is only a reflection on the dark surface. Darkness is the static base while light is a flow. The inference leads to the fact that darkness is the father of light. If illumination adds beauty the darkness stays with charm and warmth.
Darkness and light are biological creations and they have to co-exist for the rhythm of life to happen and progress. Stars probably are self-emulated while moons absorb light- reflections. However, these Stars, Moon or Milky Way are bright only in darkness. Without darkness they fail to blink and the sky never becomes bright. There is silence and tranquility in darkness.
The night is soothing and acts as a balm to the body. The silence in darkness makes you soliloquy in conversation – an act of talking to oneself opening the gate for self realization. The thoughts in darkness relieves you out of a restless mind, a sad heart or a troubled soul – yes, it is a peace-maker to the mind. Night is a great companion and listener. If light reveals day, light, colour and gaze but darkness takes you to solitude and deep thoughts and solutions eluded you so far. You may even experience an elevation of mind to hitherto unconquered areas of thought process. They are not actually dreams but certain conscious efforts of the unconscious mind –a real power of ignition and splash. You may be, it is possible, dragged to a world of imagery or even real thoughts. Artists and poets love this state of affair and they procure all their inspirations from darkness and not light. They achieve communion in musings. Scientists explore the astronomical truths in darkness. Their theories are based on light and shade which are manipulations of darkness.
There is innocence in darkness. Darkness is the daughter of nights and is flooded with mysteries which create inquisitiveness and an urge to know what were unraveled - a daughter’s curiosity to explore into the hidden facts. The thought penetrates into the depth in search of the pebbles that shine in darkness. It is an excavation into the source of realization which steps out from darkness. When light is shallow darkness is steadfast.
Light conceals more than what it reveals. Because it corroborates with your visual thoughts which has its limitations and horizon as closed entity. But darkness is beyond that even and enthralls you with imagination, as if springs emanating from closed circuits into a fiesta of garden of flowers and greenery. Your thoughts move in with specific perception as there is nothing to distract you from visibility. You are sensual through the echo and there professes a prowess of wholesomeness. Light reveals every thing what is good or bad but darkness makes up only what is good after a proper distinction and darkness is a good friend which takes you to a good friend because you are more guided and controlled by sensitivity than by the sight and excitement. In darkness you see through the inner eye and use wisdom to choose between the pain of daze of the light and soothing clarity in the calmness of darkness.
Death is an escape into the darkness while birth is the entry into the world of light and confusions. All of us travel with a torch in hand –the life, in search of darkness-the death.

M.S.Kumaran.

W.A.R. Foundation- An NGO (Not-For-Profit)

Warm Greetings to every reader !!

I have recently got associated with CH, & would like to share the project WAR (Walk, Act & Rise Foundation) with all respected faculty peers & our dear students.


WAR Foundation is an rising NGO comprised of all young bodies, who have a common aim of contributing for the welfare of our economy, parallely with our daily rat race schedule.

Kindly spend a few minutes for seeking details by logging on to My Blog- http://indiayouth919.blogspot.com/2009/12/war-foundation-quiet-revolution.html

Thanks all

Regards..

Lets be literates, students!

I took CAT on November 2. I was so disappointed to see quite a few students at Swami Vivekanand College of Engineering running back to the city to get their 'original, unexpired photo IDs'. Imagine the scene: 

There was this guy who brought the laminated copy of his driving license. He was made to go back and get the original one. 

Then there was another who brought a photo ID of his coaching institute. He was posed: Was this kind of ID listed on the CAT voucher or the admit card? He DID NOT have any other ID. He had to go back. 

Then there was a guy whose College Photo ID had expired. (The word 'unexpired' is in the very first line of the Photo ID instructions written on both the CAT voucher and the Admit card) 

People, for once think about your ENTIRE YEAR. Can you take this risk? For once, please atleast consider that those instructions are for your own good and nobody else's. 

We are blessed with litercy. Lets apply some education people. I am so proud of one of CH students who brought an affidavit stating his full name, date of birth along with his latest photograph. 

If he took the pains to save his one year, why don't you? 

God Bless