Career Launcher | Latest news about SSC, Banks, MBA | Page 189
Page 189

JIGYASA: Daily Current Affairs Quiz of November 20, 2015

0
Daily Current Affairs Quiz
 

Dear Aspirants,

Here is the JIGYASA: Daily Current Affairs Quiz of November 20, 2015 for you!!

  1. Senior JDU leader Nitish Kumar will be sworn-in as Chief Minister of Bihar on 20th November, 2015. He will be the Chief Minister of Bihar for the …. time.
  • Second
  • Third
  • fourth
  • fifth

Answer: 4

 

  1. 46th International Film Festival of India, IFFI will begin on 20th November, 2015 in Panaji, Goa, with the opening film “The Man Who Knew the Infinity”. It is a biopic based on the life of mathematical wizard….
  • Narayana Pandit
  • Srinivas Ramanujan
  • Satyendra Nath Bose
  • Swami Bharati Krishna Tirtha

Answer: 2

 

  1. 7th Pay Commission has submitted its report to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 19th November, 2015. It recommended … percent hike in pay and allowances of government employees.
  • 45
  • 55
  • 55
  • 45

Answer: 3

 

  1. Who among the following is the chairperson of the 7th Pay Commission who has submitted its report to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 19th November, 2015.
  • Vivek Rae
  • AK Mathur
  • Rathin Roy
  • Meena Agarwal

Answer: 2

 

  1. Name the Pakistani-American Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist and 26/11 Mumbai attacks convict who would testify before a TADA court in Mumbai through video conferencing on 10th of December, 2015.
  • Sajid Mir
  • Mazhar Iqbal
  • David Headley
  • ‎Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi

Answer: 3

 

  1. Name the Philosopher whose birth anniversary will be celebrated as Philosopher’s Day from 2016?
  • Ramanuja
  • Chinmayananda
  • Adi Shankaracharya
  • Dayananda Saraswati

Answer: 3

 

  1. World Toilet Day is observed on…
  • 17th November
  • 18th November
  • 19th November
  • 20th November

Answer: 3

 

  1. Who among the following has been appointed as the ambassador to China?
  • Ram Sathe
  • Ashok Kantha
  • Vijay K. Nambiar
  • Vijay Keshav Gokhale

Answer: 4

 

  1. With which of the following countries India has signed a MoU for cooperation in the field of Animal Health in November, 2015?
  • Iraq
  • Russia
  • France
  • Vietnam

Answer: 4

 

  1. Who among the following has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of the country’s largest foreign lender Standard Chartered on 17th November, 2015?
  • Ajay Kanwal
  • Sunil Kaushal
  • Zarin Daruwala
  • Anurag Adlakha

Answer: 3

Happy Reading !

TEAM CL

OXFORD beckons! What it took me to get there

0
 

Is foreign education an investment or an expense? As a law student and then even as a lawyer, I have often pondered over this question many a times. I have also sought advice from those who have had one and from those who have rejected the utility of one and then again from those who aspire to have one. Coming from a premier law school in India (NLIU, Bhopal) gave me an opportunity of knowing and being able to approach so many others who had, previously, pursued higher education outside India or had decided against it. The more experienced people I spoke to, the more perspectives I learnt.

 

The conclusion in all these past years of questioning has been the same. It being that there is no one conclusion. This can affirmatively be considered an apt case for ‘no one size fits all’. While those who have gone ahead for their post graduate studies outside the country believe in its utility in more ways than one, those who have decided against this trend can list its futility in more ways than one. The ones who aspire for it are the ones who are reading this article!

 

I write as a person somewhere in between. I have aspired for it in the past, I am about to embark on this journey in the future, and I am still some way to draw my own conclusion at present.

 

Briefly, my thought-timeline regarding this decision can be broken down thus:

  • First year – The prospect of undertaking education in a foreign land allured me
  • Second, third and fourth year – Worked towards building a comprehensive curriculum vitae
  • Final year – Began considering the ‘what next?’ step
  • Eventually, placement season began and got a job offer which I accepted, thereafter beginning my phase of a working legal professional. Subsequently, that desire of working towards attaining that foreign education was, if not forgotten, put on the back burner.
  • Today – I am an offer-holder of a post-graduate course in Law and Finance at the University of Oxford.

 

My first and the most important task was to shortlist the course of my choice. My course is being offered by the Faculty of Law in conjunction with the Said Business School at the University of Oxford. I was keen on this course because it offered me an opportunity to experience an inter-disciplinary learning while not deviating from my core area of law. Another draw was that, it was a bespoke course designed for lawyers and being offered by a Business School. These sorts of combinations are hard to find within the Indian institutes and even other prestigious educational institutions outside India.

 

The next task was to present my reasons in a convincing manner. My professional background comprised of being an in-house legal counsel and then litigation. I did not possess prior experience in finance. I believe that having some prior experience might count, but having a future vision counts more. And that is what I presented.

 

Another application requirement is the ‘Letters of Recommendations’. There came the problem of plenty. I was fortunate to have a few people from the fraternity happy to recommend me for the course. But it was important to decide the skill set I wanted to be highlighted. That depended on the level of interaction I had with each of the people, I sought recommendation from, the kind of interaction and the type of work I was involved in at the time of interaction.

 

Right from my final year and quite often during my time as a working professional, I was encouraged by my family to apply for higher studies, but I kept putting it off. This year, I finally did. My reasons for not doing it earlier were – procrastination, fear of not getting admission into my dream university (Oxford it had always been) and the investment involved.

 

Through the years of not even applying (for reasons stated above) to applying and now, being on the verge of commencing the course, there has been a great learning experience.

 

  • Foremost lesson learnt: Never defer a dream. There is never a good time for tough decisions. But you need to pick courage and take those decisions.
  • Second lesson: Every career decision involves risk in two ways – the risk of doing it and the risk of not doing it. Either way we take risks in our careers, better to opt for a progressive risk over a stagnant risk!
  • Third lesson: While under-estimating our capabilities, aim should be to prove our belief wrong. While over-estimating our capabilities, aim should be to prove that belief right! But to turn the estimate into an accurate account, attempt needs to be made practically and not theoretically.
  • Final lesson: The regret of ‘not having tried’ is a bigger regret than ‘I could have done it better’.

 

The lessons that were learnt or affirmed during this process of application and selection have been the biggest takeaways for me. I look to expand my worldview and experience based on them.

 

As they say, ‘it is not what opportunities you get but what you make of them that really matters’.

Opting to take this risk of studying outside my comfort zone in a different jurisdiction, to invest another year in formal education, to reduce one year from professional experience are minor matters in comparison to what I want to gain from this experience.

 

While there are no prescribed outcomes and no prescribed rules; what gives me the utmost satisfaction is that this decision is truly mine and that gives me the push to make it worth.

 

While the city of dreaming spires beckons, it is time to focus on the next item on the ‘I dream to do’ list!

 

Let me get started and in a few weeks, I shall write about life at Oxford!

Contributed by: Kritika Aggarwal, NLIU Bhopal alumni pursuing  Law and Finance at the University of Oxford

JIGYASA: Daily Current Affairs Quiz of November 19, 2015

0
Daily Current Affairs Quiz
 

Dear Aspirants,

Here is the JIGYASA: Daily Current Affairs Quiz of November 19, 2015 for you!

  1. Who among the following has been appointed as the 43rd Chief Justice of India in November 2015?

1) Justice K.H Khehar

2) Justice T.S. Thakur

3) Justice Cyriac Joseph

4) Justice Amit Prakash

Answer:2

 

  1. Who among the following is the new vice-chairman and managing director of Philips India appointed in November 2015?

1) Ambumani Dara

2) V Raja

3) Daryadh Siddhi

4) Johnson Varghese

Answer: 2

 

  1. Recently in November 2015 which technology giant announced two new initiatives for the enterprises in India?

1) Facebook

2) Apple

3) Yahoo

4) Google

Answer:4

 

  1. Which among the following is to be China’s first lender formed by an Internet company and a traditional bank announced in November 2015?

1) Baidu and China Citic Bank

2) Alibaba and Baidu

3) Alibaba and China Citic Bank

4) Hainu and Honda

Answer:1

 

  1. Who among the following has started ‘Ek Kadam Unnati Ki Aur’, an initiative aimed at working with the government to create the blueprint for the digitisation of rural India in November 2015?

1) Google

2) Facebook

3) Intel

4) Microsoft

Answer:3

 

  1. In November 2015 Tata Steel commissioned first phase of its Kalinganagar plant. This Plant is located at:

1) Andhra Pradesh

2) Chattisgarh

3) Odisha

4) West Bengal

 

Answer:3

 

  1. In November 2015, a personalized postage stamp featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi was issued in which among the following countries?

1) Spain

2) Turkey

3) USA

4) UK

Answer:2

  1. Recently in November 2015, Which Indian state government says no government jobs for people who are defecating in open?

1) Punjab

2) Madhya Pradesh

3) Haryana

4) Chhattisgarh

Answer:3

  1. World Toilet Day is observed on which among the following date every year?

1) 17 November

2) 18 November

3) 19 November

4) 20 November

Answer:3

 

10.Recently Seven Indian personalities have made it to BBC’s list of 100 most aspirational women. Who among the following is not included in this list?

1) Kamini Kaushal

2) Asha Bhosle

3) Sania Mirza

4) Deepika Pallikal

Answer:4

Happy Reading!!

TEAM CL

Goods and Service Tax (GST) simplified

0
GST simplified
GST simplified

Goods and Service Tax (GST) bill numbered to be the 122nd constitutional amendment bill, is one of the most ambitious reforms of the NDA government in order to promote ease of doing business and the flagship ‘Make in India’ program. The bill aims to collect various indirect taxes of the center as well as the state within its ambit and levy a single uniform tax on most of the goods and services. GST is levied and collected at each stage of sale or purchase of goods or services based on the input tax credit method. As India is a federal republic, GST would be implemented concurrently by the central government and by state governments.

Let’s go through GST Key Features

So, what exactly does this bill do? The GST bill, if passed in the winter session of the parliament will be a single uniform tax charged on all our goods and services. Currently, we pay VAT on goods and a separate 14% service tax on services.

The features of the GST are as follows:

  1. It will subsume various indirect taxes of the central government like:

(a) Service tax

(b) Excise duty (charged on every product that is manufactured in India)

(c) Countervailing duty

And of the state government like:

  • VAT
  • Luxury tax
  • Entertainment tax
  • Octroi tax
  • Entry tax

Note: However this list will be finalized by the GST council only after the bill is passed in the both the houses of the parliament.

  1. It will have two components: CGST (Central Goods and Service Tax) and SGST (State Goods and Service tax).
  2. The bill empowers the center to collect GST in case of inter-state trade, the proceeds of which will be divided between the center and state in accordance with the recommendation of the GST council.
  3. The GST council will be established by the President in accordance with the article 279-A of the constitution and will be chaired by the Finance Minister. It shall have the Minister of state (Finance) and the finance and taxation ministers of all the states as its members.
  4. The council will also decide on the final taxes to be subsumed, exemption list, the principle of distribution of the proceeds collected from inter-state trade, and for dispute settlement.
  5. Both the state and center will have concurrent power to amend the GST. However, the power to levy IGST (Integrated Goods and Service Tax) in case of inter-state trade shall lay with the center, only.
  6. The bill proposes an additional tax not exceeding 1% on inter-state trade in goods, to be levied and collected by the Centre to compensate the states for two years, or as recommended by the GST Council, for losses resulting from its implementation.
  7. Alcohol for human consumption has been kept outside the ambit of the GST. It will apply to five petroleum products at a later date.

What do you think is the need for GST

The main idea of coming up with such a reform is to do away with the cascading effect of various taxes that are charged at every stage of production and sale. The end result of so many taxes is that the product reaches the market at a much higher rate than it was intended to be. With the introduction of the GST, a single tax will be charged on the goods and services, bringing down the tax burden considerably. So, now when you go out to eat, you end up paying 12.5% VAT on food, 20% on beverages and above that an effective service tax of 5.6% on the total bill, after GST, you will only be paying the Goods and Service Tax and that will be all, thus, making it lighter on your pocket.

GST Pros and Cons

Just like a coin has two sides, GST too has both pros and cons. On one hand, it will cover both goods and services, reduce tax terrorism, help in business expansion and as per the finance ministry will even boost the GDP by 1-2%. On the other face of it, it is difficult to negotiate a revenue neutral rate which should neither prove to be too heavy for the consumer nor lead to losses for the state. Also, the government will have to come up with the required ICT (Information Communication Technology) to handle the logistics.

Reason for delay

Coming to the big question now: Why is the implementation being delayed? Introduction of GST in the Indian economy requires an amendment to the constitution which needs to be passed by both the houses of the parliament with at least two-third of the members voting in its favor and later has to be approved by at least fifteen state legislatures.

The bill stands passed in Lok Sabha where the NDA government is in majority but is stuck in the Rajya Sabha because it lacks the number there. The Government in July 2015 accepted the amendments suggested by the standing committee of the Rajya Sabha in order to win over the votes of TMC and BJD. The amendments approved included the decision to finalize the 1% tax over and above the GST rate to compensate the states for the losses incurred instead of the may compensate in the original bill. With the winter session less than ten days away, the NDA government is trying its best to get the bill through so that it can be successfully rolled out on the pre-decided date of 01.04.2016.

JIGYASA: Daily Current Affairs Quiz of November 18,2015

0
Daily Current Affairs Quiz
 

Dear Aspirants,

Here is the JIGYASA: Daily Current Affairs Quiz of November 18,2015.

  1. In November 2015, who among the following has been appointed as the chief executive officer of its India operations by Standard Chartered?

1) Zubin Mehta

2) Dhari Raheja

3) Zarin Daruwalla

4) Rashmi Sardesai

Answer:3

  1. Which among the following has maintained its position as the world’s most powerful supercomputer system for the sixth consecutive time in November 2015?

1) Tianhe-1

2) Tianhe-2

3) Tianhe-3

4) Tianhe-7

Answer:2

  1. Which bank has launched a campaign titled ‘Har Zaroorat Poori Ho Chutki Mein, Bank Aapki Muthi Mein’ aims to make it as a premier digital bank of India?

1) Yes bank

2) ICICI Bank

3) HDFC Bank

4) Axis Bank

Answer: 3

  1. According to a report, India’s Internet user base is to touch ….by December 2015, surpassing U.S.

1) 402 mn

2) 450 mn

3) 540mn

4) 623 mn

Answer:1

 

  1. Payworld launched service to withdraw cash without going to ATM in tie up with which among the following banks in November 2015?

1) Punjab National Bank

2) Canara Bank

3) State Bank of India

4) Corporation Bank

Answer:3

 

  1. In order to graduate with a doctorate degree, one studies five Buddhist texts all based on the teachings of the Buddha over a period of 20 years according to Buddhist philosophy. Doctorate degree when awarded to monks is known as:

1) Fedho

2) Geshe

3) Inshoon

4) Hishto

Answer:2

 

  1. In November 2015 the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is being held in:

1) Bangkok

2) Manila

3) Singapore

4) Jakarta

Answer:2

 

  1. Indian Railways will observe ……….from November 19 to November 26, 2015?

1) National Tolerance Week

2) National Integration Week

3) National Good Hope Week

4) National Disaster Management Week

Answer:2

  1. Under National Digital Literacy Mission, the target is to make how many people digitally literate by year 2017 in India?

1) 23.4 lakh

2) 52.5 lakh

3) 63.2 lakh

4) 93.7 lakh

Answer:2

 

  1. In November 2015, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed penalties of Rs. 258 crore on different airlines companies. Which among the following is not included in this?

1) Jet Airways

2) Indigo

3) Spicejet

4) Go Airways

Answer: 4

Happy Reading!!

TEAM CL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you score a 750 in GMAT? – Abeer Nandrajog

0
 

Can you score a 750 in GMAT? I did, you too can “Abeer Nandanjog, a CL Student (appearing in CAT 2015, an IIM aspirant)”

As you all are aware that the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) is a standard test that evaluates your proficiency in Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning (IR)and Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA). I am just sharing a few things that I learnt on my way to scoring a 750 in GMAT.

The Quantitative Aptitude section seems quite easy but it can be terribly tricky.

Scales score of 51 is 98 percentile and 49 is 78 percentile , so a slip up can be costly.

  • CL sheets of quant are good, in fact an essential practice. There was also a very good pdf given by CL with 700-800 level questions.
  • Though you do OGs, they are not sufficient, so it’s important to practice from other sources as well. VERITAS site and GMAT club are good options.
  • One may have a tendency to skip guides for Quant, but it pays to do the guides for problem areas.
    • We hardly need 2.5 hours to finish a guide. Also, one gets to know the common mistakes on conceptually easy questions.
    • Moreover, each Quant guide has a chapter on tackling Data Sufficiency questions of the topic.
      Useful, may help us be faster and more aware about the common mistakes.
    • The fact that we know most of it means that we can easily breeze through the guide, so it’s a small and worthwhile investment of time.

For Verbal, it’s crucial to be selective of the sources. I felt that the CR and SC of CL sheets and of Veritas site were not in sync with the official material. There was subjectivity. If you have doubts, LEAVE THE MATERIAL. There is no point in getting doubtful about your reasoning skills. Focus on the official material and Manhattan material.

Manhattan Guides:

  • Sentence Correction (Mandatory)
    — Critical Reasoning – Good way to break down CR problems, though one need not write down as they do. Good practice questions.
    — Reading Comprehension
    One can read the strategies to deal with long and short passages, and attempt the practice questions.

Other important learning and insights:

  • Pen paper tests by the GMAC are good practice tests for AWA and Verbal
  • Quant is much easier but again one makes mistakes.
  • I gave 10 such tests. Do as many as possible and do from the screen.
  • The answers are given but there are no explanations, so one can go through the wrong ones and discuss doubts with the faculty.
  • Some questions are found in the OGs but there are other good questions as well.
    Also it helps to practice taking an actual test, though IR is not available.
  • Endurance is a part of the test. It’s best to simulate test taking conditions while practising.

Lastly, people generally find verbal tough and they tend to ignore Quant to a certain extent. That can be problematic because a slip in Quant to anything below the top 51 is a drag on the score. So make sure that you have enough practice to get a 50 if not a 51.

Why you should look at GMAT too

0
 

Why you should look at GMAT too, especially if you are a serious CAT taker (all the more if you have work-ex!)

Many a CAT-taker usually thinks that doing an MBA from overseas is prohibitively expensive. A few do think about a second MBA from an IVY League institution after a few years of experience post MBA in India. Having observed the management education space since 1991, and having mentored MBA aspirants who aimed at B-Schools in India and also those who only wanted to study abroad, I thought I should write a brief note to help every aspirant of MBA.

In Indian context, any entrance exam is competition intensive. Of course, the one who is purposeful, determined and disciplined does manage to compel the IIMs to send across the call letter by virtue of his or her performance in CAT and Interview stage. Still there are many who are very good, but make do with an MBA from not so good an institution. From that perspective, every CAT taker should look at GMAT seriously.

Why study abroad? Does it make any sense? YES, IT DOES…

  • Choice of Courses – The best of the universities abroad offer such a varied choice of flexible programmes wherein you can pick and choose courses / electives not limited to the courses that B-School offers. One can pick courses from varied departments of the university based on your interests.
  • Highly ranked Universities – Most of the universities that you hear about, or will aspire to be in and where many Indian students regularly get admitted to are definitely ranked far higher than any of the Indian Institutions in the global rankings.
  • Exposure to global business environment – Most of these universities are trend-setters in management education – approach and pedagogy; many faculty are bolstered by the sharp intellect that have contributed immensely to paradigm shifts in doing business. The institution-industry engagement hence is of very high standard, there by offering exposure to world class business environment.
  • All round development – Most of the programmes attract students from varied countries, cultures and work experiences; the opportunity such an intense and engaging programme offers is beyond compare from the perspective of personal development.
  • Home to the Best Companies – The best of the business schools are in the vicinity of largest business centres of the world that is home for the best of the Companies. Actually many of these universities have been the craddle for many of these world class companies when they were conceived and nurtured to the extent of the universities even having stakes in these companies.
  • Global Citizen – Most of the graduates, if keen, are gobbled by the corporates to be posted in countries across the world. A few years in any of these corporate makes you a global citizen, looking at every challenge in so many perspectives.
  • Higher Return on Investment – Though the fees that you pay for these programmes are multiple of what you invest for programmes in India, including IIMs, the kind of salaries that are offered to the graduates from these institutions are so huge that a graduate from an Indian institution will take a decade or so to match the salaries offered even at the campus placements of the overseas schools. Your returns are in the range of 3 to 4 multiples of your investment of the programme.

Here is a dekko of Global MBA, Fees Vs Avg Salary– (2014)

B.School Intake Fees Avg Salary Duration (mths)
Harvard, US Sept/Jan/April USD 53500 USD 187223 24
Stanford, US Oct/Jan/April USD 57300 USD 194645 24
LBS, UK Oct/Jan/April GBP 57500 GBP 160988 15-21
INSEAD, Fr Oct/Dec/March Euro 59500 Euro 153992 10

 

Kindly check the WHYGMAT.ppt on the SIS for greater details on fees at top B-schools of the world and the average salary offered at the placements of these institutions.

Advantage GMAT – Why should you take GMAT anyways?

  • B-Schools across the globe look for GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) scores for admission for their programs.
  • When you are preparing for CAT, anyways you have more or less prepared for everything that GMAT tests you on.
  • As your GMAT score is valid for 5 years (the best of the colleges prefer score within last three years) it makes sense to prepare and take GMAT as you take CAT. You may use the scores now or in 3-4 years time if you look towards global career!
  • Also scoring 720+ in GMAT is easier for any hardworking CAT-Taker than scoring a 95%ile in CAT. This score is good enough to open the doors of the best of the world class business schools;
  • Of course many of the top Indian business schools also accept GMAT scores for admissions. So GMAT offers an alternate route to enter even a few of the Indian B-Schools.

Which are the Indian B-Schools that accept GMAT scores?

As per the information published on mba.com on 10th Dec, 2014, the following are a few of the top B-schools in India worth mentioning that accept GMAT scores. For more schools, visit mba.com of GMAC that is the conducting body of GMAT.

Apart from IIMs – Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore, Kozhikode, Ranchi, Rohtak, Shillong, Trichy, Udaipur, Raipur

  • XLRI, Jamshedpur
  • FMS, Delhi
  • IIT-DMS, Delhi, Kanpur, Bombay, Madras, Roorkee & Kharagpur
  • ISB, Hyderabad and Mohali
  • IIFT, Delhi & Kolkata
  • S.P Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai
  • Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai
  • IMT, Ghaziabad, Hyderabad, Nagpur and Dubai
  • MDI, Gurgaon
  • School of Management, NMIMS, Mumbai
  • K.J.Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, Mumbai
  • TAPMI, Manipal
  • XIM, Bhubaneswar
  • Goa Institute of Management, Goa
  • MICA, Ahmedabad
  • TISS, Mumbai
  • IMI, New Delhi, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata
  • NIFT, Delhi
  • Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Gujarat

For more details kindly visit the website of the B-school you are keen on.

Specifics about GMAT Exam?

  • GMAT exam can be given more than once. However it is not recommended more than 2 times.
  • Eligibility – Working Professionals, Graduates and undergraduates.
  • The test is conducted throughout the year, except on Sundays and National Holidays.
  • Passport is mandatory to take GMAT exam.
  • Ideal time to take GMAT is minimum one year prior to intake dates (if you are looking at MBA overseas); If you are looking at admissions in Indian B-Schools then take it by December of the previous year (look for more details on the website of the relevant B-School)
  • Score –
  • a) GMAT score is on 800. (Max)
  • b) Minimum score – 200.
  • Scoring Pattern – The score happens on 10 point increment
  • GMAT good scores considered to be 680 +
  • Average CL student scores – 715; Many have scored 750+ too.

What are the programs overseas that one can apply after taking GMAT?

  • MIM (Masters In Management) : Work-ex 0-2 yrs – mostly in Europe, though a few B.Schools in the US also have started
  • Global MBA : Work-ex 2-7 yrs
  • EMBA (executive MBA) / Sloan Program : Work-ed >8 yrs

Programmes that offer Pre-final college students a guaranteed seat in a future class

  • ISB – Young Leaders Program
  • HBS – 2+2 program
  • YALE – Silver Scholars Program
  • STANFORD GSB – College Seniors program
  • IESE Spain – Young Talent Program

I shall wind up this article by simply advising every CAT taker, unless you are in the 98%ile bracket in mocks, to look at GMAT also as a potential route to get into your dream B-School. Those with work-ex, you should take GMAT and even target the overseas B-schools.

Kindly check the WHYGMAT.ppt in your SIS that has greater details. Get in touch with the counselor at your Career Launcher centre to know about all details of the GMAT Bridge and GRE Bridge programmes for CL CAT Takers. Write to sreeni@careerlauncher.com for more information.

Conquer self, conquer the world.

Best Wishes,

Sreeni

Changes in the IBPS Exam

0

~It is not the strongest of the species that survives neither the most intelligent. It is the one most adaptable to change~ – Charles Darwin

IBPS (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection) conducts an annual exam to fill up vacancies in its participating 23+ Public Sector Banks and financial institutions. The Common Written Examination (CWE) conducted by IBPS is a must for aspirants, who want to take up a job in any public sector and Regional Rural Banks in posts varying from clerk, probationary officer and management trainee. With lakhs of students appearing for it , it proves to be the one stop shop for most of them.

The IBPS, however, has recently changed its selection procedure from a single tier examination to a two tier one. Till 2014, there used to be a single common written examination followed by document verification and personal interview. However, from 2015 onwards there is a marked change, wherein the written exam will be held in two stages: Preliminary Examination and Main Examination followed by document verification and personal interview.

Both the examinations would be online based out of which the preliminary exam shall be of qualifying nature. The Preliminary examination will last for an hour and shall consist of 100 questions weighing 1 mark each. The candidate will be evaluated in the following subjects: English language, Quantitative aptitude, and Reasoning ability. All those successfully qualifying the preliminary cut-off shall be admitted to the main examination. The Main exam will last for 2 hours and will be divided in 5 sections of Reasoning, English language, Quantitative aptitude, General Awareness (with special reference to banking industry) and Computer knowledge. The above tests except the Test of English Language will be available bilingually, i.e. English and Hindi. The number of questions in each section would be different for clerk and PO exam. While for Clerk, each section will have 40 questions; for PO there will be 50 questions each in Reasoning and Quantitative aptitude, 40 each in English language and General awareness and 20 in Computer knowledge. In all, the entire main exam for both Clerk and PO will have 200 questions weighing 1 mark each. For each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate, one fourth or 0.25 of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty to arrive at corrected score. If a question is left blank, i.e. no answer is marked by the candidate, there will be no penalty for that question. The candidates who score above the cut-off will be called for document verification and personal interview. A combined score of Main examination and personal interview shall be used to prepare the final merit list.

Another significant change which was not published in the notification but was communicated to the candidates through the admit card is of an experimental personality test to be conducted immediately after the main examination.  This personality test too, will be an online exam and the candidate will be judged on his ethics, morals and his ability to deal with unusual situations in day to day life of a banker. However, the score of this exam will not be considered at any stage. The questions can be of the following type:

  • A statement will be given and you will be asked to choose from the listed options.

“The manager should focus only on the company goals”

Options: (a) Strongly Disagree

(b) Disagree

(c) Neutral

(d) Agree

(e) Strongly Agree

 

  • A situation will be given and you will be asked to choose the action that you would have taken had you been in that position.

“An old man comes to the bank and asks you to open his account. While going through the formalities you find that some of the papers are forged. What will you do?”

Options: (a) Call the police and hand him over

(b) Report to your manager about the case

(c) Being an old man, you will still open the account

(d) You will request him to bring some other document

 

While attempting such questions, the chosen answer should be the one which portrays you to be a morally upright person with the ability to take decisions clearly in any situation, benefitting both the parties involved.

So, the question that remains unanswered is how should one prepare for this new two level examination? The best way  is to target both the exams from day one as there is hardly a fortnight between the prelims and the main. English language, Quantitative aptitude and Reasoning ability have a considerable overlap in both the exams and hence preparing them once will suffice at both the levels. As far as General knowledge is concerned, it is broadly from the banking awareness and following The Economic Times will serve the purpose, though, it will also have some elements of current affairs too. Computer knowledge testing is limited to basic hardware and operating system terminologies, which are available on the public platform.

With the increase in number of levels for the exam from one to two, the probability of getting selected has also increased in proportion for the ones with the right strategy.

JIGYASA: Daily Current Affairs Quiz of November 17, 2015

0
Daily Current Affairs Quiz
 

Dear Aspirants,

Here is the JIGYASA: Daily Current Affairs Quiz of November 17, 2015 for you!!

  1. Recently in November 2015 the central Government has decided to develop which among the following lake for bird watchers?

1) Duyong lake

2) Totsu Wozhu

3) Sukhna Lake

4) Chilka Lake

Answer: 1

  1. In November 2015 ,the IAF have decided to operate how many Advanced Landing Grounds in Arunachal Pradesh?

1) Five

2) Six

3) Seven

4) Eight

Answer:3

3.What is the name of the the icon of smart city project in Kolkata?

1) Smart Anandababu

2) Smart Ashokababu

3) Smart Akhilbabu

4) Smart Saurabhbabu

Answer: 1

4.In November 2015 which two countries decided to host Syria donor conference in 2016?

1) Germany & France

2) Germany & Britain

3) Spain & Turkey

4) Portugal & Spain

Answer:2

  1. Recently in G-20 Summit of 2015, the world’s largest economies had stuck to a goal of lifting their collective output by an extra …..by 2018.

1) 0.5%

2) 1%

3) 2%

4) 5%

Answer:3

  1. Recently which Indian State government has received $ 75-m World Bank loan for rural inclusive growth project in November 2015?

1) Telangana

2) Andhra Pradesh

3) Odisha

4) Karnataka

Answer: 2

  1. In November 2015 , Apollo Tyres had acquired Germany-based which among the following tyre distributor?

1) Reifencom

2) MRF

3) Jeffrey Bob

4) Kliston

Answer: 1

  1. In November 2015, ICICI Bank, the largest private sector lender in India decided to sell 4 per cent stake in its life insurance arm to which among the following?

1) TCS

2) Kotak Mahindra

3) HDFC

4) Premji Investments

Answer: 4

  1. Which among the following players has clinched a silver medal at the BWF World Junior Championships in November 2015?

1) Anirban Lahiri

2) Ankur Mitra

3) Shashank Dhani

4) Siril Verma

Answer:4

  1. According to a recent report by Accenture in November 2015 banks have …….market opportunity in financial inclusion?

1) $380 bn

2) $420 bn

3) $ 500 bn

4) $ 520 bn

Answer:1

Happy Reading!

TEAM CL

JIGYASA: Daily Current Affairs Quiz of November 16,2015

0
Daily Current Affairs Quiz
 

Dear Aspirants,

Here is the JIGYASA: Daily Current Affairs Quiz of November 16,2015 for you!!

1.Which Indian Bollywood veteran actor has passed away in London, England on 16 November 2015?

1)Manoj Kumar

2) Kartik Murty

3) Saeed Jaffrey

4) Hamid Jaffrey

Answer: 3

2.Recently scientists of which country have developed the world’s first ‘porous’ liquid that can potentially be used to capture harmful carbon emissions to prevent them from entering the Earth’s atmosphere?

1) USA

2) Germany

3) UK

4) Canada

Answer: 3

3.In November 2015 which among the following has been granted the sponsorship to sponsor IPTL for 3 years ?

1) Jet Airways

2) Lufthansa

3) Qatar Airways

4) British Airways

Answer: 3

  1. In November 2015 which bank has launched student GIC programme for students?

1) ICICI Bank Canada

2) HDFC Bank India

3) ICICI Bank China

4) Yes Bank

Answer:1

5.Recently in November 2015, the World Bank signed $250 million deal to upgrade highways of which among the following Asian Country?

1) Pakistan

2) Afghanistan

3) Iran

4) Iraq

Answer: 2

6.Recently which among the following third-largest oil producer of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development submitted a request to join International Energy Agency in November 2015?

1) Peru

2) Bolivia

3) Argentina

4) Mexico

Answer: 4

7.Recently in November 2015 World leaders have vowed to seek a comprehensive climate deal at an upcoming UN conference. The conference is to be held in:

1) London

2) Paris

3) Turkey

4) Bonn

Answer: 2

  1. Recently under Atal Mission for Rejuventation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) action plans for the year 2015-16 .How many cities to invest over Rs 5700 crore in water, sewerage system?

1) 45

2) 50

3) 81

4) 94

Answer: 3

9.Which among the following country is to be the first country to buy Australian uranium without being a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty in November 2015?

1) Pakistan

2) India

3) Bangladesh

4) Canada

Answer: 2

10.Who among the following has been appointed as India’s next Permanent Representative to UN in November 2015?
1) Syed Akbaruddin

2) Vikas Swarup

3) Anand Kataria

4) Alok Ranjan Jha

Answer: 1

Happy Reading!

TEAM CL

Connect with our expert