CAT 2008 in India: What You Need to Know?
Common Admission Test (CAT) will take place on 16 November 2008 across 23 cities in India. About 2.5 lakh CAT aspirants (over 2.76 lakh, according to some sources) will sit for this nation-wide exam, hoping to grab one of the alluring 1800 (some say 2000) seats available at the Institutes of Management (IIMs)’s top-B schools. There are over 118 top-B schools across the country and each of the schools has a particular number of seats available for the new batch of students.
Number of Applicants Increased, So does in No. of Seats for CAT 2008
CAT 2008 seems to be more competitive compared the last year as more students are going to appear in the test this year. This year, 3 lakh CAT forms were sold in different states in the country, compared to 2 lakh forms sold for last year’s test.
Timesofindia reported:
However, before the trends, here is what CAT-2008 looks like in numbers in comparison to 2007. In comparison to 2.3 lakh applicants in 2007, 2.85 lakh applicants have been accepted this year. According to Satish Deodhar, member CAT committee, “Close to 3 lakh forms were sold for 2008. While 2 lakh wrote the test last year, it would be 76,000 more this year.”
Seeing larger number of aspiring students for CAT 2008, CAT authority has increased the number of available seats for this year. With number of applicants increased by 25%, CAT authority has increased the number of seats up to 1800 for this year’s exam.
Information about CAT 2008 Exam
I have already mentioned that CAT 2008 exam will be held on 16th November 2008 in different centers across 23 cities in the country. The exam will kick off at 10.30 am. About 2.5 lakh students will compete for about 1800 seats in the exam. That means more than 138 students will vie for each of the seats available in the top-B schools.
So, it would not be an easy task for the students. Last year, questions were very difficult and there is no hope of any alteration this year. There are three sections in the two and half hour long exam. For the last couple of years, there were 75 questions in total and no change of this has been hinted yet for CAT 2008 exam. English section is considered to be the toughest section in the whole test.
As there is only a limited number of seats available, the questions are always very hard in CAT. Experts think, no prediction would work out well for the students as the number of questions has been decreased. Earlier, the test was based on the speed based in which students’ basic knowledge was judged, but now-a-days, the exams are more focused on testing the students’ managerial skills. So, students have to be prepared from every aspects of the subject; rather than only sticking to information and knowledge about the subject matter. Analytical skill will be required to get a seat in the top-B schools.
Number of questions has been steadily decreased since 2002. The 2003 and 2004 exams saw 123 questions, compared to 150 in 2002. In 2005, it was further decreased to 90, and for the last two years (2006 and 2007), the number of questions remained at 75. So, some feel, the number of questions could be further declined this year, even though there is no hint of it as of now.
Business Standard also reported:
CAT 2007 had 75 quest-ions where an analysis by coaching institute Career Launcher showed that stude-nts had found Data Interpretation (DI), with a mix of calculations and logic to be on the easier side.
Data Sufficiency in its old format reappeared in CAT after a span of three years, more so in two different sections. Students say they would not want a repeat of last year where quantitative ability (QA) proved to be difficult. In verbal ability (VA), the number of reading comprehension (RC) passages were more than CAT 2005, though they were not as lengthy.
Students have fear about the negative marking system in which marks will be deducted for each wrong answer. So, no guess-work will work well for the students. Some claim that a student who attempts for 40-45 questions in which 7-10 get wrong could earn a call from a top B school for two-year MBA program.
How to Get the Result of CAT 2008 on 16th November!
Normally, CAT aspirants are to wait up to 4 to 6 weeks to get to know the result of test. The result of CAT 2008 will be officially published on 9 January 2009. However, this year the participating student will be able to know their individual score at 5:30 pm on the same day the test takes place. To know the score, students need to visit TestFunda.com website who offer “The Simulated CAT Percentiler” through which the students will be able to know his or her percentile score. Moreover, the students will also get the answer keys of all the three sections of the test. Experts will also explain each of the sections so that the students will have clear concept about each of the sections.
Testfunda reported:
CAT 2008 Answer Key. Get a dynamically updated answer key for CAT 2008. Live updates every 5 minutes as our experts finalize the answers to questions in the CAT 2008 test paper.
CAT 2008 Interactive Score Card. Punch in your answers and get score updates. Check back in a few minutes to see your updated score according to the latest CAT 2008 Answer Key.
CAT 2008 Percentile Calculator. Get your overall and sectionwise percentile.
CAT 2008 Analysis Report. Get our experts’ analysis on the CAT 2008 test pattern. How did it compare with the previous year’s tests? What kind of cutoff scores will we see?
There is no doubt, you have to have an in-depth knowledge about the subject and a good analytical skill in order to get one of those most-sought-after seats. This is, in fact, one of the toughest public exams in India. So, I think, students should not get nervous, considering the fact that they are competing with some of the best students of the country.
Tata Teleservices Maharashtra Sees 11% Hike in Share Price on Friday
Today (Friday), Tata Teleservices Maharashtra’s share rose as high as nearly 11 percent, upon the announcement of the price of joint offer for up to 20 per cent of Tata Teleservices came from Japanese mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo Inc and Tata. Reports have it that NTT DoCoMo Inc has bought Tata Teleservices’ 26% share worth $2.7 billion.
Economictimes reported:
At 10:39 am, Tata Tele Maharashtra was trading nearly 11 per cent higher at Rs 19.96 on BSE. The stock touched a high of Rs 20.70 in early trade.
The open offer has been priced at Rs 24.70 ($0.50) a share, according to an advertisement.
Share of Tata Teleservices Maharashtra went up by 7.6 per cent to Rs 17.99 on Wednesday. This is definitely good news for Tata Teleservices who are the number 6 in India’s fastest growing telecom industry. India has world’s fastest growing mobile phone market with 9 million new users being added to the total number every month. Still, India’s mobile phone market has not been fully unearthed yet as there is lots of opportunities to continue this growth over the next few years. So, India has become a lucrative market for investment for the global telecom companies.
Noida authority in Google Trends India
I’m a person who loves Google trends a lot. I got said the latest almost every day and sometimes, I go through the lists several times a day. It seems that people in India care for education and entertainment information more than any other thing in Google search. So, I was happy to see that many people are now searching about real estate sector in Google Trends India. Do you know what they’re searching about right now?
noida authority website, noidaauthorityonline.com, noida authority online, noida, noidaauthority
India is a country is where millions of people is to leave in the rural areas. However, in the last few years, things are changing very rapidly and millions of people are now migrating to the cities. So, urban development is a top priority for Indian government and many private companies are now entering the real estate sector. So, what is the big deal about Noida? I am quoting from Wikipedia:
under the UP Industrial Area Development Act.(NOIDA stands for New Okhala Industrial Development Area) It has first-class months, the decision was reversed yet again in 2004 and the city was once again made into a separate district. There were some allegations of political favours through low-priced land deals due to these decisions. Presently, the city is a separate district, called Gautam Budh Nagar, with its administrative HQ at SurajPur, a nearby town. However, the highest government official, the District Magistrate (DM) stays in Noida. The city falls under the Noida-Dadri legislative assembly seat (Vidhan Sabha) and Khurja Parliamentary seat (Lok Sabha).
Noida is situated towards the north of India close to Delhi. it is bound on the west and south-west by the river Yamuna, on the north and north-west by Delhi, on the north-east by Delhi and Ghaziabad and on the north-east, east and south-east by the river Hindon. Noida falls under the catchment area of the Yamuna river and is based on the old river bed. The soil is mainly rich and loamy soil [1]and is suitable for growing seasonal vegetables, grains like wheat and cash crops like sugarcane. With the advent of urbanisation, vegetables and fruits are now the main crops.[citation needed]. The area has dry deciduous tress like Sal, Sheesham and Teak.
I have to tell that I’m not surprised to see that many people are interested about Noida simply because real estate sector in India will only grow for the next one or two decade. Many people are interested to get some property in Noida as the investment of today will bring a lot of benefit tomorrow.
Times of India wrote:
The first phase of the fresh draw of plots, in place of the rigged draw of June 2, 2006, was held on Wednesday without any untoward incident being reported.
The draw, held at the sports stadium, was directly supervised by Uttar Pradesh IAS official GB Patnaik following the High Court order to ensure a fair draw.
India vs Australia First Test 2008 Preview
High-profile test series between India and Australia kicks off tomorrow (9 October 2008) with the first test gets underway at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. After losing two back-to-back series, India is looking to take revenge this time, while Australia will be interested to continue their winning run against India. A lots of things happened even before the series commences. From Delhi’s bomb blast to Sourav Ganguly’s recent announcement of going into retirement at the end of the series, the series has already gone through a number of off-field things. Now, it is turn to deal with on-field matters.
Match: India vs Australia, Border-Gavaskar Series 2008-09
Date: 9 October 2008, Thursday
Venue: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore
Kick off: 09:30 local time (04:00 GMT)
Live on TV: NEO Cricket
Australia clinched a historic test series victory in 2004 in India after many years. However, it is pretty certain that the Aussies would face strong challenge to repeat their success in the series this time around. The situation is totally changed for the Australia now. Last time Australia came India on a test tour, they have the players like Shane Warne, Glen McGrath, Jason Gillespie with them. However, they have lost a number of star players in the last four years and Australian team is going through a crucial transition period at this moment.
Australia has come to India with a relatively inexperienced squad. Particularly, their spin attack seems to be weak in the absence of an experienced spinner. Even none of their pacers- Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark- has the experience of playing test cricket in India. However, all of them have enough experience of playing international cricket for a number of years. In their series victory in India four years back, Australian pacers played an excellent role taking 42 wickets in the four-match series. With a seeming weak spin attack, Australian pacers have to lead their bowling squad.
Australian captain Ricky Ponting have already revealed that Australia will play one spinner for the first test; be it debut for either Cameron White or Jason Krejza. Ponting will also look effective spin support from his deputy Michael Clarke besides Clarke’s batting job. It is pretty sure that there will be three pacers for the first test and they are Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark. For batting, Matthew Hayden and Simon Katich are expected to open for Australia. Ponting, Clarke, Mike Hussey, all rounder Shane Watson and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin will come in the order. All rounder, Watson’s effective medium pace would also assist the front line Australian pacers.
Australia Squad (Probable)
Matthew Hayden, Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Cameron White, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark
In the aftermath of Sourav Ganguly’s announcement to retire after the series, pressure is mounting on Indian’s other seniors players, who failed to shine in Sri Lanka recently. It is now for sure that this is going to be the last test series that feature India’s big five together for the one last time. No doubt, they will be happy to say good buy to their former captain Ganguly on a winning note, but it might not be so easy for the Indian players, even though Australia does not have a formidable spin attack. Statistics would show that most of the Indian batsmen are currently out of form except opening pair Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.
However, there is not doubt; this is the India’s best batting line up at this moment. In the presence of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman as well as the in-from opening pair, India’s batting line up looks formidable. However, what made me more excited about Indian team is their current pace attack in the presence of Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel, who have all been in good form. It is definitely a balanced pace attack with an excellent blend of youth and experience. If India wants to go with four-bowler strategy then Munaf Patel might have to sit out, but I am sure, he is now eager to bowl in the test series again. For spinner, India traditionally has strong spin attack. Especially in the turning Indian wickets, spin is India’s best weapon against any visiting team.
Indian Squad (Probable)
Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Anil Kumble (captain), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma
Venue and Wicket
M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore is not a lucky ground for Indian team as they did not win any test match in this ground for the last 13 years, while Australian team started their historic 2004 series here with a 217-run victory in the opening match in this ground. So, the two sides have two different experiences in this ground. However, wicket is expected to be a typical Indian wicket with spinner getting turn from the third day. However, there is forecast for rain over the next five days and if it rains, then pacers will definitely have some advantages. At this moment, the wicket seems to be hard. So, pacers will find something from the wicket at least for the first two days.
As it is the first test of the series, both sides might start it safely. However, I think, neither side will find it easy to dominate over the opposition in the test. Despite Australia’s inexperienced squad, I would say, Australia has a balanced squad with the presence of both youth and experience. India, on the other hand, have a very strong bowling line up with a seemingly formidable batting line up. So, it is enough to indicate a mouth-watering battle starting from tomorrow at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.
Rcmbusiness: Earning Money or Losing Money?
I noticed in Google Trends in India today that many people are searching about rcmbusiness or RCM Business. So, I became curious and visited their website which is: http://www.rcmbusiness.com and I could find some information about it that it was set up by Fashion Suitings Pvt. Ltd. The website claimed:
In August 2000 RCM Business started at very small scale. Gradually it developed from every aspect and now it stand as biggest multi level marketing company with more than 60 lacs distributors, more than 70 depots, more than 5000 pickup centers and more than 300 products.
What made me more curious about the rcmbusiness (rcm) is that there is hardly anything about it in Internet. If you check in Google search and Google News then you will find hardly anything about rcmbusiness. The things that I found were the ads or promotional activities by the people who are directly or indirectly related to rcm. According to the official website, you can earn money by 4 ways:
Purchases for self requirement.
Purchases by your down liners.
Retailing by you or your down liners.
Business kit purchased by new distributors.
So, you can see that you will have to spend your own money. You have to get money from others in order to make any money with rcmbusiness. So, in order to earn anything from rcmbusiness, you will have to lose (spend) money first. RCM Business has more than 6 million distributors. I am really eager to know that how many of them have achieved financial freedom from this business.
Well, I have to admit that I am skeptical about any kind of multi level marketing (MLM) system. I feel that in multi level marketing system, most people lose their money while a few become richer. You can find more information about MLM in Wikipedia’s entry on Multi-level marketing. Having said that, I have to admit that MLM is not illegal. There are surely some good MLM companies who do business in a good way and people can join them and earn some money. So, if you want to join rcm or any kind of MLM business then I would not like to discourage you. Just be sure that you have enough information about it. Money is a very important thing for every person. So, you should be very careful about it. Secondly, you will have to remember that in MLM, not everyone will earn good money. I would surely recommend you not to promise your friends and relatives that they will become rich or earn a lot of money if they buy any products from you or the MLM company that you are involved with us. Your friends and relatives will only earn money if they can find other people to spend money.
In conclusion, I like to say that I am not an expert on MLM business. I just shared with you my thoughts. You should investigate more and try to talk to some persons who know about MLM business more than you and then decide.
Indian Economic Growth Slowing Down?
I just finished reading this news at Forbes: India’s Economic Miracle Loses Some Zest. It stated that India’s economic growth has fallen below 8% for the first time in about 4 years. Well, I am not too much surprised for this. These days, most people in India do not care for the high economic growth anymore. Inflation is a much bigger issue. Flood is also a bigger issue.
The magical success in technology outsourcing is not enough to sustain high economic growth. Even, there is now some bad news about the outsourcing industry. You know that American economy is suffering from a slowdown and there is even threat of recession. So, the spending of Information Technology is bound to be decreased for the companies. This may damage the outsourcing industry in India.
What should India do now?
New Car Engine Plant from General Motors in India
India is now the second largest mobile phone market in the world. India has similar potential when it comes to the car market. Of course, India is not a rich country but still, the size of middle class population in India is almost the same size of the population of the US. Anyway, India is an important and rapidly growing market for the auto manufactures. General Motors (NYSE:GM) is struggling these days in many parts of the world. GM has taken Indian market seriously.
Reuters wrote:
General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Thursday it would invest more than $200 million in a powertrain plant in India, as the troubled U.S. carmaker aims to double its share of a fast-growing but increasingly competitive market.
The facility, which will be located in Talegaon in western Maharashtra state at the site of GM’s second vehicle plant in India, will have an annual capacity of 160,000 units that can be expanded to 300,000 units, GM said in a statement.
Right now, GM brings the engines for the cars from other countries and then they make cars in India. It will surely cut some expenses for the company in India. Of course, Generally Motors now wants to cut back on every expense possible.
K-Series: New Fuel Efficient Engine from Maruti Suzuki with Lowest Carbon Emission
Maruti Suzuki’s upcoming one-liter petrol engine, K-Series, will be fitted in the upcoming new model ‘A Star’, scheduled to be launched in November. The ‘A Star’ will be manufactured only in India and will be exported to European market. The K-Series engines will be produced in a new manufacturing plant in Gurgaon. K-Series will have lowest carbon emission in the country with high fuel efficiency. Within 3-5 years, K-Series engines will be fitted in all existing and new models.
Sify reported:
This engine is the most superior of all series from Maruti since it complies with the highest emission standards, is lighter and offers more fuel efficiency than any of the others currently being used. A company spokesperson confirmed to DNA Money that over the next 3-5 years, the new engine series would be progressively planted on existing as well as new models. At present, there are five other engine series for various Maruti models with different performance parameters.
Besides K-Series an engine, the company is also planning to design cars from scratch in India and R&D centre are being setting up for this reason. Maruti Suzuki is looking to reach one million sales targets annually by 2010 and aiming to increase its exports units to two lakh units.
Maruti Suzuki to Introduce K-Series Engines in A-Star Car Models
Indian auto maker Maruti Suzuki India is planning to make a new engine named “K-series”. The company aims to fit this engine in all of its cars within three to five years. A complaint with Euro V norm, K-Series engine will offer lowest carbon emission in India. The first Maruti Suzuki car which will feature this new engine will be A-Star, a model expected to be launched in November.
Gradually all other models including existing Zen Estilo, Swift, WagonR as well as upcoming the Splash will feature K-Series engines. Hyundai i10’s 1.1-litre, iRDE engine and the Chevrolet Spark’s 1.0 litre, 4-cylinder SOHC (single overhead camshaft) engines are expected to be the prime competitors of Maruti Suzuki K-Series engines. The company invests Rs 9,000-crore for the K-Series engine project.
Telegraph India reported:
“The K-series engine will be progressively fitted into our existing and new models. It will be compliant with Euro V norms,” a Maruti spokesperson told The Telegraph.
The first K-series engine is a one-litre petrol variant. It is being produced at Manesar in Haryana, initially for the A-Star which is scheduled to be launched in November.
Maruti Suzuki is also planning to create new markets in India. That is why, the company is going to reach smaller towns which has undergone extensive development in the recent years. Maruti Suzuki is aiming to increase its annual sales target to one million by 2010, besides increasing its exports target to 200,000 cars per annum by 2010-2011. The company experienced its highest sales volume of 53,000 cars in the last fiscal year. Even the company saw net profit of Rs 465.9 crore in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, compared to Rs 499.6 crore of the same period of last year. So, you can see that Maruti Suzuki is doing well in India’s ever increasing car market and there is enough logic behind their target to reach one million sales annually by 2010.
Maruti Suzuki Received Satisfactory Response for Dual Fuel Models
Maruti Suzuki has received satisfactory response from the car users for their dual fuel models including WagonR Duo, Omni LPG and Maruti800 Duo. All these three models offer LPG as a fuel besides conventional petrol. Car users have found the LPG fuel option quite useful and worthwhile as it is cheaper, greener and environment friendly fuel. Moreover, the LPG fitment, offered in these three models, also ensures safety as the tanks provide more resistance against a collision.
Maruti Suzuki also provides vehicle warranty for the PLG fitment. In addition, the LPG fitments of WagonR Duo, Omni LPG and Maruti800 Duo models do not occupy the boot area, unlike ordinary fitments.
WagonR Duo provides separate tanks for LPG (22.5 litres) and petrol (35 litres), and in both modes, the tanks pick up quickly. Omni LPG features a LGP cylinder with 60 litre capacity and 5 litre fuel tank. The engine of Omni can produce power of 27 bhp @ 4500 rpm. Maruti800 Duo is a four-wheeler luxury car with an environment friendly fuel system as well as safety assurance.
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A book by CosmoFair founder
A book by CosmoFair founder, Bill Belew, that might change your world
