Learn A New Language

It's the age of global placements - you might be studying at IIM Ahmedabad but may end up taking up a job with a Spanish MNC. In such a scenario, if you can learn Spanish beforehand, itre can truly add vital value to your resume making it that much more attractive for potential recruiters.

Transparent Language is one of the world's leading providers of language learning softwares for individual learners as well as instiutions. More than 12,000 schools and colleges (USA) already use products from Transparent. And for good reason - while English has been and is still the world's dominant language of business, a good number of students are finding out that the knowledge of an additional language helps. Chinese, for example is fast gaining popularity because of the rise of China and its increasing clout over the world economy. If you want to do business with the Chinese, it makes a lot of sense then, to learn Chinese . You would stand a much better chance of effectively communicating with the business heads in Beijing, and which corporate house would not like to recruit an executive who can speak fluent Mandarin, or even understand it.

Check out the Transparent website and start with exploring their free resources - maybe you can get initiated by playing 'language games'. For instance, if your objective is to learn Italian, you can begin by checking out the 'Italian Games and Learning' section. Word Seek, for example, is a fun way to build up your Italian vocabulary.

There is lots more - if you are keen, head out to the Transparent site - spend a few minutes exploring the various offerings and features, and take it further from there.

CAT 2008 Cut Offs - Overall & Sectional Cut-Offs

Expected Sectional Cut Offs for CAT 2008

Quant Section - Likely Cut Off: 33-34
Verbal Section - Likely Cut Off: 47-48
DI Section - Likely Cut Off: 29-30

Overall Cut Off for CAT 2008

You can expect an IIM call at a cut-off point of 125 or more, provided you also meet the sectional cut-offs. CAT 2008 candidates with a good academic + work-ex background can expect calls at slightly lower scores in the CAT.

* These are only predicted scores, and the actual cut offs as decided by the individual IIMs may differ, though unlikely to differ by a great margin.

Last Minute Tips for CAT 2008

All ready for the big day? CAT 2008 is less than 72 hours away, and with so much at stake, and the immense competition to face, you might fancy this handy tips - nothing great or earth-shattering about them, but helpful nonetheless.

1. Tell yourself that you can always write CAT 2009 or GMAT or that there is XAT 2009 to follow - it will reduce the pressure, the last thing you want to do is to crumble because of the sheer pressure that you exert upon yourself.

2. If there are sudden surprises, don't panic - Remember that the changes are not for you alone, each one of the about 3 lakh students writing the CAT 2008 will face the same changes. The few thousand who will cope best with the sudden challenges will be the ones getting the calls from the IIMs - give yourself a minute to think over, don't rush into things - plan it out.

[ Note: If there are sudden changes or the paper is abnormally tough, the IIM cut-off as well as other b-school cut-offs are likely to dip. ]

3. If you have been employing a certain way of going about handling the Mock CATs for the last few months and that way has been working for you, don't give up on it suddenly. What has worked for a few months and many times over should work today as well.

4. If you are from an English-medium/convent background, or have been good at English otherwise, listen to your gut-feel in 'Verbal/RC'. Don't forget that you have been a student of the language for over 14-15 years now, and chances are that your 'gut is giving you the right feeling'.

Don't overdo Point no.4 or if you are happy ignoring this point, that is okay.

5. No one knows the cut-off while writing the CAT. The previous cut-off are at best an indicator, which may or may not mean anything. So don't keep chasing an 'unknown' number. Therefore -

"Read the Instructions Carefully" - If it says like it always does, then allott approximately equal time to all sections. If there are some major or minor changes in the instructions, give yourself a minute or two to formulate a plan to go about writing the CAT 2008. Believe me, it will be a minute worth spend.

All the very best,