CRACK MBA CET 2017

         The headline in the newspaper – ‘After a five year lull, demand for MBA courses picks up in Maharashtra’– is an indication of better days for management education institutions in Maharashtra. The candidates, who want to make it big in the world of business and trade, prefer to secure a seat in a reputed B-School to learn the tropes of management. In fact nowadays, MBA has become more of an all-purpose degree in any profession as its knowledge permeates in every aspect of a life.  Though the mainstream MBA careers are in consulting, finance, consumer goods marketing and technology, the management degree opens doors in virtually every industry ranging from various MNCs to the Government sector jobs.

Various MBA entrance examinations are conducted all over India for a variety of management courses, important amongst them being- CAT,MAT,CMAT,XAT,etc. In India, the most popular MBA entrance examination is CAT (Common Aptitude Test) conducted by the Indian Institute of Management. The CAT score is valid for admission to almost all the management institutes of India, save for those conducting in-house entrance tests. However, there are state level examinations too catering to the aspirants of that particular state. Maharashtra MBA/MMS-CET (Common Entrance Test) examination is more popular than rest of them. MBA/MMS-CET conducted by Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra, holds an immense significance as its score is valid for admission to more than 350 Government and private management colleges across the state of Maharashtra. Maharashtra MBA/MMS CET is also attempted by the candidates from rest of India, in view of the admissions for the reputed B schools in Mumbai,Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad and so on.

Maharashtra state held MBA/MMS CET examination conducted by DTE (Directorate of Technical Education) is a single window test for admissions to various management courses in Maharashtra.Any graduate or students in last year of their graduation with the aggregate score of 50% in their graduation can appear for this entrance test. More than 94000 candidates have applied for approximately 25000 seats in various MBA colleges in Maharashtra, to be filled by the State level MBA CET examination to be held on 4^th & 5^th March 2017. It is pertinent to note that the there is a tough competition amongst the aspirants to secure a seat in reputed institutes like Jamanalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai; Welingkar Institute of Management,Mumbai;SIMS,Mumbai; MIT Pune; MGM IOM,Aurangabad, etc. The minimum cut-off for admission varies among colleges, but the average score ranges between 50-60 percentile.

          The pattern of MBA CET examination is of an online objective type of examination. The MBA CET 2017 examination consists of two sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension and Quantitative Aptitude and Logical / Abstract Reasoning. A total of 200 questions have to be attempted by the candidate in 150 minutes. There is no system of negative marking for incorrect answers. The syllabus for MBA CET is as below-

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

• Grammar
• Vocabulary
• Reading Comprehension

Quantitative Aptitude and Logical / Abstract Reasoning

• Algebra
• Arrangements
• Blood Relations
• Coding-Decoding
• Clocks and Calenders
• Data Structures
• Direction Sense
• Geometry and its applications
• Numbers and its applications
• Percentages and its applications
• Puzzles
• Ratio and Its applications
• Series

The preparation strategy of the candidates for MBA CET should focus on an online practice of various question papers related to the syllabus. The difficulty level of questions in the examination is usually easy to moderate and hence the aspirants should focus on speed and accuracy to score the maximum in this examination. The candidates should also focus on use of various short cut methods and tricks to solve the various types of arithmetic sums within the shortest possible time. The tricks learnt though Vedic Maths could be of great help to the candidates to perform mathematical calculations within few seconds. It is also to be noted that the syllabus of MBA CET is similar to that of various other competitive examinations like Banking PO Exams, CSAT paper of UPCS and MPSC examinations and so on. The detailed and systematic preparation of syllabus related to Aptitude Test preparation would be of great help to the candidates in all other type of competitive examinations too.

The twenty first century jobs focus on technology, services sector and the manpower development. The management skills and techniques learnt and developed through a management degree add to the overall profile of a candidate and also play an important role in securing a job as well as promotions in career. Maharashtra MBA CET examination, a single window entry system, for various MBA courses in reputed B- schools provides a golden opportunity to the aspirants to shape their career. So dear aspirants, believe in yourself, prepare systematically and be the winner in this race…

(The author of this article ,Lt Col (Dr) Satish Dhage, is an ex Army officer and has been qualified for IPS (Indian Police Services) through IPS LCE 2012. Presently, he is Director, MGM Institute of Competitive Exams Aurangabad. For any queries or feedback, he can be contacted on email id : drsatishdhage@gmail.com)