Tips on how to prepare for NMAT by GMAC entrance test
NMAT by GMAC is a computer based test that consists of 120 questions to be answered in 120 minutes. The exam has three sections- Language Skills, Quantitative Skills and Logical Reasoning. The sections are individually timed. The level of difficulty of questions is easy to moderate level of difficulty. The goal of the test-taker should be to maximize the score and not to answer difficult questions. The key to success in an NMAT exam is to be quick in arriving at the right answers. Only practice and conceptual clarity will enhance your speed in the exam. Quantitative Skills: 48 questions in 60mins. Questions are based on basic quantitative aptitude and data interpretation skills. To answer the QA questions, a thorough knowledge of concepts is essential. If you’re not able to arrive at how to begin solving the problem within 15 seconds of reading the question, it is advisable to move on to the next question. A strong conceptual knowledge will sail your boat smoothly.The data interpretation questions are generally calculation intensive, but easy to answer. In the DI set, it is prudent to solve only for the questions that have been asked for. Language Skills: 32 questions in 22mins. The section consists of reading comprehensions, vocabulary & grammar based questions on synonyms, antonyms, para jumbles, fill in the blanks, sentence correction etc. Unlike CAT, the reading comprehensions are less inferential and more knowledge-based. Tricks to ace this section are to learnnew words every single day and to improve your reading speed. Logical Reasoning: 40 questions in 38 minutes. This section will have verbal reasoning questions like statement-assumptions, strong arguments and non-verbal reasoning questions like arrangements, selections, alphanumeric series, symbol based logic etc. Speed and accuracy play a crucial role in answering these questions since you get approximately a minute to answer one question. Any set not understood in the first 25-30 seconds of reading it, should be skipped. Taking mocks: Taking mocks is the most essential part of the preparation. Take as many mocks as you can. It is more important to assess the mocks than to simply attend mock exams. Assessing mocks will provide a clear idea about stronger and weaker sections. Also, within a section, it provides a clear understanding of the concepts that need to be revisited and learnt well. Go back to the chapters and get the basics right. Time management: The order of the sections plays a vital role in the candidate’s performance. It is best to start with the strongest section, followed by the weakest and then the remaining section. Remain calm and keep a track of time during the exam. Schedule your attempts properly so you have ample time for preparation to overcome your shortcomings. Try to get acquainted with the use of plastic notepad and marker before the exam. SDA Bocconi Asia Center accepts NMAT scores .Lot of Top b school in Mumbai accept NMAT. for International Master in Business which is equivalent to a Post graduate program in Mumbai This article is written by By IMB Students “ Apeksha Kothari and JeffinJohnykutty “. Disclaimer: The article is written by SDA Bocconi Asia Center students based on their personal preparation and experience.
Leadership Series Mr. Neeraj Kulshrestha, COO of Bombay Stock exchange
Saturday, 29th July 2017, the students of PGPB6 had an opportunity to meet a person of immense stature in the finance industry. Mr. Neeraj Kulshrestha; he is current COO of Bombay Stock exchange, popularly known as BSE. With over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry ranging from General operations to Stock Exchange operations, Mr. Kulshrestha provided us with some knowledgeable insights on the recent IPO of BSE, Ltd. which analysts predict was seeking to raise as much as ‚¹1,243.40 Crore. He began his session by giving us a little backdrop of BSE. In a country with so many states, everyone wanted access to resources – so at one point almost every state in India had its own Stock Exchange. This made brokers prone to manipulation, said Mr. Kulshrestha in retrospect. BSE is a 142-year-old stock exchange which happens to be the world’s fastest trading platform, with a median trade speed of six microseconds. He also gave insights on the tremendous volume of transactions at BSE on a daily basis; with about 230-250 million orders each day, approximately 15 million converts to transactions. He further explained that in order to overcome certain inefficiencies of the BSE, National Stock Exchange (NSE) was set up in 1992 as the first demutualized electronic exchange which revolutionized trading by introducing a modern, fully automated screen-based electronic trading system. Together, BSE and NSE are the main stock trading platforms in India. Another interesting concept Mr. Kulshrestha touched base upon was the four important factors in the world of stock trading today – People, Technology, Distribution, and Products. While trading is mostly analytical, people play a major role in this field – especially the right kind of people, who ensure transparency. On the topic of technology, he elaborates, Change in technology is the toughest decision to be made as there are too many stakeholders involved. In terms of distribution, he mentioned the need to expand and to have a collaborative future for stock exchanges across the globe. Finally, on the factor of products, he mentioned an intriguing theory of Red Ocean/Blue Ocean the Red Ocean refers to existing products in the market which makes the competition tough as there is a market leader already present, and Blue Ocean, refers to a new area or a green field which is untouched and has plenty of scope. BSE has thoroughly adopted the Blue Ocean strategy. On the topic of the IPO, he mentioned it was a necessary step to be taken after demutualization, as stock brokers had to sell down. To ensure no erroneous activities took place, and since a stock exchange cannot regulate itself, a decision was taken to go public on NSE, on January 23rd, 2017. He also mentioned that insider trading is being curbed by timely regulations through important institutes like SEBI and NSE. To sum up, Mr. Kulshrestha gave the students of PGPB6 a delightful opportunity to learn more about Asia’s largest stock exchange. He left us with food for thought – If you are a leader anywhere, make sure you don’t focus only on the market share. Governance of the company is equally important. Written by Devika Poduval and Miloni Shah | Post Graduate Program in Business Class 2019 Read more: Leadership Series Mr. Suvamoy Roy Choudhury, Director of Human Resources at Vodafone