MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Why MBA?
Effective management of resources is the key to the success of any company or venture.
As the economy becomes more complex and competitive, the demand for MBA graduates keeps growing
because during the course they imbibe the capability and skills to maximise individual and organisational productivity.
The best brains from all over the world now consider an MBA qualification an asset while taking
up coveted careers in sectors like manufacturing, business, education, healthcare and other service sectors.
What do they teach in MBA courses?
Most MBA programmes have a similar curriculum consisting of (a) Foundation Courses (b) Functional Courses (c)
Courses on Environment Analysis and (d) Integrative Courses.
Foundation Courses include subjects like Economics, Quantitative Methods, Computers, Behavioural Sciences, etc.
Functional Courses include subjects on Finance, Marketing, Production and Human Resources Management. All MBA students should be
familiar with all these functional areas. Depending on the student's interest and aptitude, he/she may choose one or two areas of specialisation in the second year.
Courses on Environment Analysis enable students to comprehend environmental factors in the overall system like political,
economic, social and cultural systems, legal aspects, competition etc., within which all businesses must operate.
Integrative Courses include subjects on Business Policy, Strategic Management, etc., by which students get a total view of
the entire organisation.
What do various Management Institutes offer?
Most Management Institutes extend programmes based on the subjects mentioned above with individual variations.
The unique feature of the IIMs is the flexibility of options in the courses offered in the second year; in most other
institutions, students must choose an area of specialisation and take all the courses offered in that area.
Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur, conducts a two-year postgraduate programme in Personnel Management and
Industrial Relations (PM & IR) as well as a two-year postgraduate programme in Business Management (BMD).
Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), New Delhi, offers a prestigious course highly-rated by the employment market, as are the
courses offered by Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai; Bharatidasan Institute of Management,Trichy etc.
Specialised Institutes: Some Institutes offer specialised courses. Students interested in pursuing such careers can join institutes like:
- Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) - Offers a Master's Programme in International Business.
- Institute of Rural Management (IRMA), Anand - Offers Post Graduate programmes in Rural Management (PGDRM), and Development.
Placement may be in National and International co-operatives, voluntary agencies etc., connected with rural development.
- Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai - Conducts Diploma programmes in Personnel Management and Hospital Administration
which is rated very highly by the industry.
- Post Graduate Programme in Agri-Business Management (PGP-ABM)IIM, Ahmedabad - offers a programme for specialisation in Agri-Business
Management for students interested in rural and agricultural management.
- Post Graduate Diploma in Computer-Aided Management (PGDCM) IIM, Calcutta - offers a specialised course in Computer-Aided Management (PGDCM).
What are the conditions that make a candidate eligible for various management courses?
For Institutes other than the Indian Institutes of Management, the candidate must have:
- At least a three-year bachelor's degree or equivalent in any discipline recognised by the Association of Indian Universities/AICTE as eligible for postgraduate studies.
- Secured a minimum of 50% aggregate in the qualifying degree and also in Standards X or XII.
- SC/ST candidates, however, are eligible if they have a minimum of 45% in the qualifying degree and also in Standards X or XII.
- For some correspondence courses, the prescribed minimum may be lower.
Students appearing for their degree examinations in a particular year can appear for these entrance tests during the same year
beginning with the Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by the IIMs.
These students, if selected, are given provisional admission to the programme upon submission of a certificate by June of that particular year from the
Principal/Registrar of their College/Institute establishing that they have appeared for the examinations (including practicals) in all the subjects required
for obtaining the Bachelor's Degree. However, the marksheet and a certificate of having passed the final year of graduation must be submitted by the second term's
registration date in October of the same year. Non-fulfillment of these requirements consequently results in cancellation of the provisional admission.
Notifications of various MBA entrance exams are published in the media around August/September.
It had been reported in the Press (Times of India - 30/10/2003) that the ministry of HRD has devised a common entrance examination structure for admissions to MBA programmes of State
run and Private colleges. It is likely that the new system will be in two phases - In the first phase (exam in 2004 for 2005 session), the institutes can choose any of the five national
level tests such as CAT, ATMA, XMAT, MAT and JMET. In the second phase (exam in 2005 for 2006 and onwards) there will be only one common test to be designed by a national body.
Purpose and Scope of the Written Test
The purpose of the Written Test is to assess the candidate's aptitude for the Management Course. A good score in the written
test is a prerequisite for the student to be called for the Group Discussion and Personal Interview conducted to assess the
student's personality and demeanour. The final selection is made on the student's overall performance in the Written Test,
Group Discussion and Interview.
The Written Test for admission to Management Courses generally has questions from all or a combination of the following areas:
English - Reading Comprehension, Verbal Ability, Vocabulary.
Problem Solving / Quantitative Ability - Problems involving Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry etc.
Data Interpretation - Data Sufficiency (Mathematics and Logical), Logical Reasoning and Analytical Reasoning.
General Knowledge and Business Awareness are included in some examinations.
Though the various examining bodies do not ordinarily deviate from a set pattern, occasionally they may introduce an
element of surprise in each year's Test papers. It is also possible that some of the areas listed above do not appear at all.
Note: The
Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) is for admission to MBA Programmes in the United States.
GMAT is now administered as a
Computer-Adaptive Test (CAT), in which the computer screen displays one question at a time,
chosen from a large pool of questions categorised by content and difficulty. The first question is always of a medium level
of difficulty. The selection of each subsequent question is determined by the student's response to all previous questions.
The GMAT includes Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical writing questions; Data Sufficiency and Problem-Solving questions are
mixed in throughout the quantitative section to be completed in 75 minutes.
In addition, an Analytical Writing Test gauges the student's writing skills to write on two topics in an hour.
The duration of GMAT is approximately 4 hours and is conducted in India in
January,
March,
June and
October every year.
As is to be expected, these highly competitive Entrance Exams are not easy. They are exacting in nature and are designed
with meticulous care, to assess the candidate's skills in communication, calculation, capacity for analysing situations,
drawing deductions and decision-making. The development of these skills will need all the resources and help that the
aspiring candidate can muster.
Having decided to take the MBA Entrance Examination, it is important that the student is oriented to the expectations of the
various Entrance Tests. Many Institutes follow the pattern of Objective-type questions, a detailed description of which is
given in our study material. These MBA Entrance Exams differ markedly from qualifying examinations because in Entrance Tests,
speed and accuracy play vital roles.
The Tests are usually in the form of objective-type questions, which have largely replaced the conventional essay-type of
questions. The student, therefore, should be precise and quick in answering the maximum number of questions within the given
time frame. Speed and Accuracy are the skills required to get to the top in these kinds of Tests. Academic brilliance alone
is not sufficient; the student must know the format and type of questions asked and develop the specific skills required.
Development of these skills will need all the help and resources that the student can command.
And it is here, that Brilliant Tutorials, with its vast experience and proven expertise in the field of distance education
for competitive examinations, steps in with a helping hand.
MBA:ENTRANCE
Our course offers, in a single package, the entire range of all patterns of Test Papers covering all
the major Institutes as well as the GMAT. Although GMAT is now a computer-interactive test, we provide 3 Test Papers on the GMAT pattern.
It's a proven training ground to perfect numerical, verbal, analytical and decision-making skills.
