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All about BBA - What, Why, Where, When, How of BBA?
BBA is an undergraduate level management programme which a student can pursue after 10+2 exams. Undergraduate management programmes such as Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS), and Bachelor of Business Management (BBM) present lucrative career options in the world of business and corporate management.
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and related programmes at UG level offer a comprehensive understanding of business environment and management functions. These courses also help student to learn leadership qualities and develop their problem solving abilities which are much required in today’s competitive and complex business environment.
There are three kinds of courses at undergraduate level- BBA, BMS, BBM, apart from Integrated Management programme that include BBA+MBA of 5 years.
Why:
If you aspire for a role in corporate world just after your graduation, BBA is the right professional programme for you, as Career Launcher Vice President Gautam Puri says, “BBA is a stepping stone to a rewarding career in business and management provided you have the right aptitude and inclination to do well in the field.”
The BBA programme helps you develop management focused approach from the very beginning of you career. Thus you don’t need to unlearn many things which otherwise you do while pursuing MBA after your graduation from other streams. As a fresher, your capability to learn is also better as you catch everything very quickly. Just after your 12thcourse, it brings you closer to the world of management and helps you grasp knowledge of making business decision like a leader. If you wish to become an entrepreneur, it also helps you think more precisely on different aspects of running a business. It helps you build tactical skills and develop strategic thinking.
Where:
BBA programmes are mainly offered under university affiliations. The top universities in India which offer BBA programmes include University of Delhi, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Mumbai University, Symbiosis International University, NMIMS University to name a few. These universities conduct their own admission test to select students.
IIM-Indore runs a 5-year integrated programme in management at its Indore campus.
The other BBA entrance exams through which BBA admission is sought include Under Graduate Aptitude Test (UGAT) conducted by AIMA and St. Xavier’s College Kolkata BBA Entrance Exam. 56 institutes across India will accept the scores of AIMA UGAT.
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When and How:
Most of the BBA exams are scheduled from April to June. According to the written exam pattern, most of the BBA exams test you on basic knowledge on Quantitative Aptitude, General English, Analytical Reasoning and General Awareness.
BBA entrance exam like CET for DU-BMS, CET for GGSIP-BBA, NMAT (UG) for NMIMS-BBA,
SET -General for Symbiosis BBA, and Aptitude Test (AT) for 5- yr IPM at IIM-Indore are
among the top exams for management programmes at undergraduate level.
While final selection at DU colleges, Symbiosis Institutes and IPM of IIM-Indore give
weightage to other factors that may include Personal Interview and class 12 results,
admission to GGS-IPU colleges and NMIMS is based on merit list prepared on the basis of
written exam performance.
The marking scheme for all the five exams except SET-Symbiosis carries negative marks for
incorrect answers. SET for Symbiosis BBA does not penalize student for wrong answers.
BBA Entrance Preparation Strategy:
According to experts, BBA aspirants should start entrance exam preparation right after their
class 12 exams.
Sharing preparation tips, PT Education Chairman Sandeep Manudhane, says, “First of all a
student needs to decide about how many exams he is writing and what are the exam dates.
There after he should research about exam syllabus, exam patterns, previous year papers
etc. and then he should start preparing each test area in phased planned manner.”
He advises students should start with brushing the basic concept of each test area and then
to practice short cut techniques, and do lot of questions from these areas.
As most of the entrance exams comprise similar sections like Mathematics, English,
Reasoning and General Awareness, experts suggest a common preparation strategy for all
the BBA entrance exams. Career Launcher Vice President Gautam Puri says that generally
the questions asked in BBA entrance exams are of easy level of difficulty and only basic
knowledge of the topics is enough to attempt the questions. “So, focus on the fundamentals
first and make sure that your grasp of the basic concepts is strong. Once you are aware of
the basics, move on to practicing a lot of questions to ensure that you are able to apply the
concepts properly,” he says.
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Since most of these exams including DU BMS CET, GGSIPU CET, NMAT (UG) BBA, IIM Indore
IPM Aptitude Test and SET BBA have a similar pattern, VistaMind CEO Arks Srinivas advises
students to develop a common preparation strategy. But he advises the BBA aspirants to
take regular mock tests for institutes which they want to apply to. Arks Srinivas says that
consistency in preparation is the key to success. “If you are enrolled with a coaching
institute, make sure you take regular mock test after completing your basic section wise
preparation. Try to solve past 5 years question papers to get a hang of the question types.
Devoting 5 to 6 hours per day will be good enough for your initial preparation after which
you can decide your course of action and strategy based on your current preparation
status,” Srinivas says.
Sandeep Manudhane advises that preparation is important but what converts into a good
result is the exam day performance. He suggests students to “strike balance between speed
and accuracy with a little aggression during the exam.”
BBA Admission 2014-15 Key Dates
Now that you have a broad idea about BBA, let’s have a look at the BBA admission schedule for the academic year 2014-15.
Exam Application Window Exam Date Result Date
IIM Indore IPM Aptitude Test 2014
February 2014 – April 4, 2014
May 15, 2014 May 26, 2014
Delhi University BMS CET
May 2014 – June 2014
July 2014 August 2014
GGSIPU CET BBA 2014
February 3, 2014 – April 10, 2014
May 24, 2014 June 3, 2014
SET BBA 2014 February 2014 – April 13, 2014
May 3, 2014 May 19, 2014
NMAT (UG) BBA 2014
March 3, 2014 – April 30, 2014
May 9-10, 2014 June 5, 2014
St. Xavier’s College Mumbai BMS Entrance Exam 2014
May 1, 2014 – June 1, 2014
June 6, 2014 June 16, 2014
BUMAT 2014 February 2014 – May 25, 2014
June 1, 2014 June 18, 2014
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UGAT AIMA 2014 February 2014 – April 30, 2014
May 10, 2014 May end
DU BMS CET 2014 Yet to be announced Yet to be announced Yet to be announced
How to crack BBA Entrance Exams and Admission Process
Careers360 brings you top 5 BBA exam pattern and their respective selection procedure.
According to the written exam pattern for admission year 2013, most of the BBA exams test
you on basic knowledge on Quantitative Aptitude, General English, Analytical Reasoning and
General Awareness.
BBA entrance exam like CET for DU-BMS, CET for GGSIP-BBA, NMAT (UG) for NMIMS-BBA,
SET -General for Symbiosis BBA, and Aptitude Test (AT) for 5- yr IPM at IIM-Indore are
among the top exams for management programmes at undergraduate level.
While final selection at DU colleges, Symbiosis Institutes and IPM of IIM-Indore give
weightage to other factors that may include Personal Interview and class 12 results,
admission to GGS-IPU colleges and NMIMS is based on merit list prepared on the basis of
written exam performance.
The marking scheme for all the five exams except SET-Symbiosis carries negative marks for
incorrect answers. SET for Symbiosis BBA does not penalize student for wrong answers.
The table below brings you details on top BBA exams and their respective Selection Process,
Exam Pattern and Marking scheme.
Selection Process:
Exam Selection process
Eligibility Written Exam Pattern Marking Scheme for Written test
CET for DU-BMS
Written Exam-50%; XII Result-30%; PI-20 %
10+2 Appeared/Cleared; 60% in 4 papers including English and three other subjects*
Total No of Question: 100 Test Duration: 120 Sections: Quantitative Ability; Reasoning and Analytical Ability; General English; Business and General Awareness
+3 for correct answer and -1 for wrong answer
CET for GGSIP-BBA
Written Exam only
10+2 Appeared/Cleared; 50% aggregate & Pass in Eng
Total No of Question: 150 Test Duration: 150 min Sections: English Language & Comprehension (25%); General Awareness-(25%);
+4 for correct answer and -1 for wrong answer
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Logical and Analytical Ability (25%); Aptitude relating to the field of Management and for Communication Skills-(25%).
NMAT (UG) for NMIMS-BBA
Written Exam only
10+2 Appeared/ Cleared in 1st attempt; 50% aggregate; 60% in Math/Stats
Total No of Question: 150 Test Duration:120 min Sections: Proficiency in English Language- 50; Quantitative & Numerical Ability-50; Reasoning & General Intelligence- 50
Full marks for correct answer and - 1/4th of the marks allotted to that question for wrong answer
SET -General for Symbiosis BBA
Written Exam- 150 marks; GD/PI-25 marks
10+2 Appeared/ Cleared; 50% aggregate
Total No of Question: 150 Test Duration: 150 min Sections: General English-40; Quantitative-40; General Awareness -40; Analytical and Logical Reasoning- 30
No negative marking for wrong answers
Aptitude Test (AT) for 5- yr IPM at IIM-Indore
Written Exam-60%; PI-40%
10+2 Appeared/ Cleared; 60% in X & XII or SAT(1) Score of 1600/2400 Age not > 20 yr on 30 June
Total No of Question: 100 Total Duration: 120 min Sections: English- 40; Quantitative Aptitude- 60
+ 4 for correct answer and -1 for wrong answer
The experts share preparation tips with the aspiring managers who are all set to crack the
BBA admissions for the upcoming academic year.
Initial BBA exam preparation should focus more on strengthening fundamentals: Gautam
Puri, Vice Chairman, Career Launcher
In this interview, Gautam Puri, Vice Chairman, Career Launcher shares an in-depth comparative analysis of the top BBA entrance exams and preparation strategy for the same. Excerpts of the interview:
Careers360: When is the right time to start preparing for BBA entrance exams? Gautam Puri: For standard Class XII students, March end (just after their board exams) is an ideal time to start preparing for various BBA entrance exams.
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Students should begin their preparation by studying the pattern of various entrance exams. The initial preparation should focus more on strengthening one’s fundamentals of the subjects.
Careers360: What should be the initial preparation strategy? Gautam Puri: Students should begin their preparation by studying the pattern of various entrance exams. It is advisable to first cover topics that are common to different papers, followed by topics that are typical to any one exam. The initial preparation should focus more on strengthening one’s fundamentals of the subjects.
Careers360: Major BBA entrance exams include DU BMS CET, GGSIPU CET, NMAT (UG) BBA, IIM Indore IPM Aptitude Test and SET BBA. What should be the separate preparation strategies for the mentioned exams? Gautam Puri: It is important to first look at the pattern of various exams to arrive at the right preparation strategies for each one of them. Given below is a brief overview of the same.
DU (BMS) CET:
The pattern of the paper is as given below:
Name of the Section Number of questions Difficulty Level Possible Attempts
General Awareness 25 Moderate 12 – 15
General English 25 Easy - Moderate 16 – 19
Analytical & Logical Reasoning
25 Easy 18 – 21
Quantitative Aptitude 25 Easy - Moderate 15 – 18
General Awareness: This section has majority of questions from Current GK. Questions are mainly asked from Economics and Business Awareness. A couple of questions from Polity, Books and Authors etc. are also asked.
General English: This section is dominated by Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension.
Analytical & Logical Reasoning: This section is a good mix of questions from Logical and Mathematical Reasoning. Questions are asked from Deductive Logic, Statement Assumptions, Analogy, Visual Reasoning, Series, Data Interpretation and Arrangements.
Quantitative Aptitude: This section is dominated by Higher Math. Questions are also asked from the areas like Number System, Arithmetic, Permutations and Combinations, Algebra, Geometry and Probability.
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Preparation Strategy: Two sections, namely, Analytical & Logical Reasoning and General English, are relatively easy in this exam, so students should try to maximize their score in these two sections. It is to be noted that questions from Higher Math are asked only in this entrance exam for BBA. Hence, a student, who is confident of his/her preparation in the remaining topics, may choose not to prepare for Higher Math if he is not particular comfortable in the topic.
IPU CET (BBA): Questions from Aptitude Relating to Management and Communication Skills are asked only in this entrance exam for BBA.
The section wise break-up of the CET IPU 2013 paper is given below in detail.
Section No. of Questions Difficulty Level Possible Attempt
Logical Reasoning 38 Easy 25 - 30
Language Comprehension
38 Moderate
22 - 27
General Awareness 37 Easy - Moderate 24 - 29
Aptitude Relating to Management and Communication Skills
37 Easy
27 - 32
Logical Reasoning: This section is basically very easy. Questions based on Series, Odd man out, Analogy, arrangement, Percentages, Equations, Number System, Time Speed and Distance, Rectangles and Pythagoras Theorem are asked.
Language Comprehension: The difficulty level of this section is moderate. Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary dominate this section. Questions mainly on Synonyms, Antonyms, Cloze Test, Para Jumbles, Sentence Jumbles and Idioms and Phrases are asked in this exam.
General Awareness: Most of the questions are static in nature and almost all the questions are one-liners.
Aptitude Relating to Management and Communication Skills: This section takes the least time to solve because questions asked are based on knowledge of basic communication skills and management aptitude. In 2013, questions based on General Awareness, especially concerned with RBI's monetary policies, Business Awareness etc., was a surprise in this section.
Preparation Strategy: The sections on Logical Reasoning and Aptitude Relating to Management and Communication Skills are relatively easy, so students should focus on these sections to maximize their score. Enough practice for the remaining sections can help them sail through the paper easily.
NMAT (UG): The pattern of the 2013 paper is as follows:
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Section Total Questions
Level of Difficulty
Possible Attempts
Approx. Time Taken (in minutes)
Proficiency in English Language
50 Moderate 35-38 30
Quantitative & Numerical Ability
50 Moderate 34-37 45
Reasoning & General Intelligence
50 Tough 25-28 45
Total 150 94-103 120
Each question has 5 options. In all the sections, 1 mark is awarded for each correct answer while 0.25 marks are deducted for each incorrect answer.
Proficiency in English Language: This section is dominated by Grammar and Vocabulary.
Quantitative & Numerical Ability: The questions in this section require basic knowledge of the subject. It contains Data Interpretation questions also.
Reasoning & General Intelligence: Difficulty level of this section is tough. Preparation Strategy: The topics covered in this exam are similar to most other BBA aptitude tests. The only thing that is typical to this exam is that this is a computer based test, so the students need to practice a good number of CBTs (Computer Based Tests) based on the pattern of the exam to ace this exam.
IIM Indore - IPM: This exam has no questions from Reasoning and General Awareness. It contains only two sections Verbal Ability and Quantitative Ability. The breakup of IIM Indore’s Aptitude Test for IPM (2013) is given below:
Section No. of Questions Maximum Marks Difficulty
Verbal Ability 40 160 Easy
Quantitative Ability 60 240 Difficult
Total 100 400 Moderate
Verbal Ability: Reading Comprehension, Synonyms, Antonyms, Jumbled Sentences, Para Completion, Word Usage, Phrase Replacement and Fill in the Blanks are the main topics that feature in this exam. Since, most of the question types are covered in various other entrance exams, this section doesn’t necessarily require any specific preparation strategy. Quantitative Ability: Questions are asked from varied areas – Number System, Percentages, Profit and Loss, Average, Alligation, Mixture and Solution, Ratio and Proportion, Simple Interest-Compound Interest, Time speed and distance, Time and work, Progressions, Geometry and Mensuration, Inequalities, Logarithms and Graphs. In contrast to the paper of
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2012, the 2013 paper did not feature any questions on Data Interpretation and Analytical Reasoning.
Though most of the questions are based on basic concepts of Arithmetic and Algebra, they are not straightforward and require some time to arrive at the answers. Students should keep in the mind the slight increase in difficulty level of this exam, vis-à-vis other exams, while preparing for the same.
Preparation Strategy: Since there are only two sections in this exam, it is important to not lose track of your preparation and focus only on the topics that are asked in the exam.
SET BBA: The section wise break-up of SET (BBA) 2013 is as given below:
Section No. of Questions Difficulty Level Possible Attempts
Analytical & Logical Reasoning
30 Easy 20 – 23
General English 40 Easy - Moderate 25 – 28
General Awareness 40 Moderate 12 – 15
Quantitative Aptitude 40 Easy - Moderate 25 – 28
Total 150
Analytical and Logical Reasoning: Arrangements, Blood Relations, Series, Coding – Decoding, Cubes, Assumption based questions, Syllogisms and Venn Diagrams, etc. feature in this section of the paper. General English: The section is a mix of Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension. The vocabulary questions are based on synonyms, antonyms, fill in the blanks and analogy. A few questions of grammar based error-spotting are also asked. Reading Comprehension was a new addition in the paper in the year 2013. General Awareness: This section is a good mix of static and current GK questions. The current affairs questions are mainly based on companies and their founders, sports, awards, books and authors and Science. Quantitative Aptitude: This section has quite a lot of easy questions. Majority of the questions are from Arithmetic. The questions from Algebra and Number Systems are a little tricky in nature. Questions based on Permutation Combination and Probability are generally easy. The overall difficulty level can be said to range from easy to moderate.
Preparation Strategy: Since the exam has no negative marking, the students must attempt all the questions in the exam.
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Careers360: As per the pattern of the exams, the common sections/areas include Mathematics, English, Reasoning and General Awareness. What should be the approach for these areas? Gautam Puri: Generally, the questions asked in BBA entrance exams are of easy level of difficulty. Only basic knowledge of the topics is enough to attempt the questions. So, focus on the fundamentals first and make sure that your grasp of the basic concepts is strong. Once you are aware of the basics, move on to practicing a lot of questions to ensure that you are able to apply the concepts properly.
Careers360: How should the preparation strategy change while a student approach nearer to exam date? Gautam Puri: As mentioned before, while beginning to prepare for these exams, start from the basics. Three months before the exam, the students must study the pattern of various exams to know what is asked in which test so as to be able to prepare their preparation strategy accordingly. Once aware of the pattern, the next step is to go through the topics thoroughly so that the students are well acquainted with the fundamentals. It is important to practice similar question types as are asked in the exam to get a feel of the paper. Practice is the keyword during this phase along with speed building and accuracy.
With one month to go for the exams, students by now should be fully comfortable with various question types and should be fast enough to solve a sizeable number of questions in the given time limit. During this one month, students should mainly devote their time on taking mock tests. This will give them enough practice while making sure that they are able to maximize their score in the exam.
During a week prior to the exam, it is advisable to not study any new topic. Rather, the students should take a couple of mock tests. They can also brush up on their General Awareness during this period.
Careers360: What should be the exam taking strategy? Gautam Puri: As mentioned before, various exams differ in their pattern and hence may require different test taking strategies. Students must be thoroughly aware of the exam and should give enough mock tests to be able to know what works for them. Basically, it is always advisable to play to your strengths. Make sure you capitalize on your strong areas and score as high as you can in these.
Careers360: What should be the time management strategy during preparation stage as well as exam day? Gautam Puri: As much as it is important to manage your time well during the exam, it is equally important to manage your preparation also. During the initial phase of your preparation, devote equal time to each subject/area. Do not overlook your weak areas as this is the time that you can work on these. Practice questions within set time limits.
During the exam, it is important to not get stuck on any question or section. For exams such as SET BBA that do not have negative marking, make sure you attempt all questions. Divide your time judiciously across the sections with an aim to maximize your attempts.
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Careers360: What is your advice for the BBA aspirants who are planning to write the exams and enroll in a top BBA institute? Gautam Puri: BBA is a stepping stone to a rewarding career in business and management. It is important to have the right aptitude and inclination to do well in the field. Make sure you prepare well and practice enough to succeed in the exams.
Explore different questions from each area: Sandeep Manudhane, Chairman, PT Education In this Careers360 expert interview, Sandeep Manudhane, Chairman, PT Education shares his insights on the BBA entrance exam preparation. Excerpts from the interview. Careers360: When is the right time to start preparing for BBA entrance exams? Sandeep Manudhane: The right time to start preparing for BBA entrance exams is right after XIIth exam or the 10+2 board exam. By that time you would get free from the board exam pressure and also have a fair idea on the sections. Careers360: What should be the initial preparation strategy? Sandeep Manudhane: First of all a student need to decide about how many exams he is writing and what are the exam dates. There after he should research about exam syllabus, exam patterns, previous year papers etc. and then should start preparing each test area in phased planned manner.
During exam student should strike balance between speed and accuracy. So, a little aggression is required during exam.
Careers360: The major BBA entrance exams include DU BMS CET, GGSIPU CET,NMAT (UG) BBA, IIM Indore IPM Aptitude Test and SET BBA. What should be the separate preparation strategy for the mentioned exams? Sandeep Manudhane: The test areas for above mentioned exams are almost the same, so preparation for that will not be different for all. But patterns for all above exams are different, so student needs to practice for separate Mock tests for each exam. Careers360: As per the pattern of the exams, the common sections/areas include Mathematics, English, Reasoning and General Awareness. What should be the approach for these areas? Sandeep Manudhane: These are the common test areas students should start with preparing/brushing the basic concept of each test area, then practicing short cut techniques, and do lot of questions from these areas.
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Careers360: What should be the basic preparation strategy? Sandeep Manudhane:Before you start the preparation for the BBA entrance exams, remember that the preparation will need at least 30 to 45 days. Allot around 4 to 6 hours daily for the BBA entrance exam preparation. Careers360: What should be the exam taking strategy? Sandeep Manudhane: During exam student should strike balance between speed and accuracy. So, a little aggression is required during exam. Majority of the BBA entrance exams involve negative marking hence accuracy is important. Careers360: What is your advice for the BBA aspirants who are planning to take the exam and enroll in a top BBA institute? Sandeep Manudhane: Advice to BBA aspirant will be that this is very crucial time for your career take it seriously.
Write 3 to 4 mock tests a month prior to the exam: Srinivas Akkapeddi, VistaMind
Education
In this interview, Srinivas Akkapeddi, faculty member of VistaMind Education and an alumnus of IIM Indore shares insights on preparation and exam taking strategy.
Excerpts from the interview.
Careers360: When is the right time to start preparing for BBA entrance exams? Srinivas Akkapeddi: To cover the topics of the BBA entrance exams in a reasonable way and to give a good shot at the exam, 6 months of focused preparation would suffice. During this time, the student is advised to be on top of daily news apart from preparing the other topics. Careers360: What should be the initial preparation strategy for the BBA entrance exams? Srinivas Akkapeddi: The student should first figure out where he stands in the competitive arena by writing a couple of mock BBA exams without any preparation. This will help the students figure out the areas of strengths and weakness. BBA, like any exam should be approached by first understanding one’s weak areas. The students should divide the available time depending upon his analysis of the topics of strengths and weaknesses. Careers360: The major BBA entrance exams include DU BMS CET, GGSIPU CET,NMAT (UG) BBA, IIM Indore IPM Aptitude Test and SET BBA. What should be the separate preparation strategy for the mentioned exams?
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Srinivas Akkapeddi: Most of these exams have a similar pattern. So a general strategy which is mentioned above would be sufficient to cover most part of the exam for the above colleges. However, the students are advised to write mock tests for institutes which they want to apply to. Going through the past few years papers of these institutes is a good way to get an idea about the exam pattern.
1 month prior to the test, there should be more of a revision of the topics. By now most of your preparation should have been completed and you should focus only on problem solving. This complete period should be problem solving and nothing else. Write 3 to 4 mock exams in this period. - Srinivas Akkapeddi, Faculty Member, VistaMind Education
Careers360: What should be the preparation strategy 1 month and 1 week prior to the test? Srinivas Akkapeddi: 1 month prior to the test, there should be more of a revision of the topics. By now most of your preparation should have been completed and you should focus only on problem solving. This complete period should be problem solving and nothing else. Write 3 to 4 mock exams in this period. In the last week before the exam, it is more about having a stable mind set and not panicking. Avoid learning completely new topics at the last moment. Try revising the topics you thoroughly completed. Revise formulae from each chapter. Do not over burden yourself in the last moment – if you did not work for the past few months, the last week anyways won’t help you! Careers360: What should be the exam taking strategy? Srinivas Akkapeddi: Answer the questions that you know very well. Do not attempt questions which you are not sure of. Your preparation level should be to such a level that by looking at a question, you should be able to figure out if you can at least attempt this question or not. This will save you precious time. Divide the overall exam time based on your strategy you developed in writing mocks. The one mistake most students do is this – imagine you spent 3 to 4 minutes on one question but are not anywhere near to solving it. Students think that since they already spent those 3 to 4 minutes, they should spend more time to solve this question else those 3 to 4 minutes will have been wasted. But this is not the right approach. Understand that the time spent is already lost. You are wasting another 5 minutes in solving this question which obviously is not in your grasp at that point in time. The best thing one can do is leave that question and move on. The chance of you solving more questions in the next 5 minutes will be more than you solving the same question in the 5 extra minutes.
Careers360: What should be the time management strategy during preparation stage as well as exam day?
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Srinivas Akkapeddi: The time management strategy should be developed over a period of time and should be the same in the exam as well. The students should write at least 10 mock exams to assess what is the best way to answer the paper. Some students feel starting with your strength is a good thing to do where as some others feel starting with areas of your weakness is good as it takes off a burden from their mind once this section is over. What strategy suits best should be answered perfectly only by you. Remember – no one knows you better than yourself. So use the mock exams judiciously in trying to figure out a strategy which best suits you. Careers360: What is your advice for the BBA aspirants who are planning to take the exam and take admission in a top BBA institute? Srinivas Akkapeddi: There is no such thing as ‘enough preparation’. No matter how much you prepare, there will always be a scope for improvement for students who are writing competitive exams. Students should start preparing as soon as possible. Join an institute to ensure that the preparation tempo is not lost during the preparation. Do not rely only on the coaching. If 100% is the total contribution for the exam, the coaching institutes can give you only 40%. The remaining 60% has to come from your self-effort. Always remember – your success depends on your effort and not on your institute’s effort.