Info on CAT,GRE TOEFL,IELTS,GMAT,PTE Academic

The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) and Singapore Management University ( SMU) have signed an MoU to collaborate on conducting training programs and research relating to international trade and business from an Asian perspective.

Under the partnership, the two institutions will jointly design and launch management development programs as well as offer postgraduate certificate programs in areas related to international trade, business and management.

Both parties also agreed to conduct joint research, case writing in the area of international trade and business, especially related to the Asian region. The MoU also covers student exchanges between the two institutions.

XLRI,which has plans so expand in a big way,both within and outside India,recently organized a Pan-South India alumni meet at Bangalore,with a target to raise Rs 100 crore fund for its ambitious expansion plans.


Amongst the distinguished attendees at the alumni meet were Father E Abraham, an alumnus from the batch of ‘78, and current Director of XLRI, Prof Sharad Sarin, Endowment Fund Chair, Prof Pranabesh Ray, an alumnus from the batch of ‘77, and current Dean, Prof Madhukar Shukla, Prof MG Jomon, Alumni Chair..

XLRI, Jamshedpur, has announced admission for its full time six-month certificate program in Entrepreneurship Administration designed to provide competency-based education to promote entrepreneurship in the country.

The programme - ‘Post-Graduate Programme for Certificate in Entrepreneurship Management (PGP-CEM)’, is targeted to enterprising individuals and those who run their family business. The total fee for the programme is Rs 55,000, and course starts in July,2012. The last date for applying to this programme is May 30, 2012.

Despite increasing number of MBA options available to aspirants, the interest in MBA education has not been much encouraging in India over last few years. This has resulted in most of the MBA colleges, excluding Top 40-50 B-schools, struggling to fill their seats and some even filing for closure of their management programmes.

MBA institutes are coming up with new programmes, innovative admission schemes and big promises. But, none seems to be working in their favour. So what are the corrective measures?

Experts believe that concern over quality of management education has deepened amongst all the stakeholders including Educators, Aspirants and Policymakers.  They feel that promoting the quality of MBA education is the only way to succeed for B-schools in India.

It's good news for MBA graduates this year.Rising from a slumber after the recession, some  79 per cent companies plan to hire fresh management graduates this year, compared to 72 per cent in 2011.

On an average, the number of MBA freshers per firm has also increased from 13 last year to 17 this year, according to a survey by NGO Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) and administrator of GMAT exam.

The regional variations in accordance with the exonomic mood is very much visible though.

ETS, the creator of the TOEFL test, and Hobsons, the leader in recruitment, communication, and student success solutions for colleges and universities, have announced to showcase the much anticipated TOEFL  Search Service, an online tool connecting higher education institutions with prospective international students from around the world at the NAFSA 2012 Annual Conference & Expo as more than 8,000 international education professionals convene in Houston next week,though, TOEFL Search Service will officially be launched only in July 2012.

The TOEFL Search Service is the first tool to tap TOEFL test-taker data for student recruitment purposes.It will offer admissions officials access to an expanding database of more than 200,000 recent TOEFL test takers who have opted in to learn more about higher education opportunities abroad.

From next month, prospective business school aspirants who sit down to take the Graduate Management Admissions Test, or GMAT, may notice something different: Instead of a three-part exam testing verbal and mathematical skills and analytic writing ability, there will be a four-part exam with a new section devoted to integrated reasoning.


The new section is designed to test the ability to evaluate and synthesize data from various sources presented in a number of different formats, and to predict plausible and probable outcomes. It is also partly there for security purposes, as reports of cheating have risen.

We all understand how important it is to score those extra few points on the D-day.
But again,it is also difficult to hide behind your books for months to prepare for your GMAT.
So,here is a list of interesting apps to help you with your GMAT preparation,not books any longer,but iPhone apps,that will certainly change the way you prepare for your GMAT.

1) GMAT Toolkit app: – One of the highly recommended GMAT preparation app, which can help to aim for 700+ score. It’s loaded with hard-hitting questions sufficient for 11 whole tests + 3000 additional questions for free. Built in Timer, you can easily time yourself and see how good you are. An app Supported by one of the biggest companies in preparation, ‘’Kaplan books’’. Available for $24.99, Onetime download, updates all other devices too.

2) GMAT Connect: – What value can I get from this app? Let us give you some of the main features of this application.

British Council, which operates as a division of the British High Commission in India, is launching two new courses in teaching TKT and IELTS ­in Chennai and Hyderabad. Addressing the media Paul Sellers, director, South India, said, “TheTKT course can be used as preparation for the Cambridge TKT (Teaching Knowledge Test) exams or as a standalone teacher training course. It will help those who teach, or would like to teach, English to all age ranges and levels, improve their classroom practice.”
The first course will cover a module on language and background to language learning and teaching for 28 hours over seven weeks. While the second course will cover lesson planning and use of resources for language teaching and selection and use of resources and materials.
The course is a package offer along with the Cambridge TKT exam also administered by the British Council and TKT trainees are given a discounted exam fee. There will be a special launch offer discount on course fee for trainees registering in the first term. The courses start from May 30 in Chennai and Hyderabad. The timing is 5.15 pm to 7.15 pm.

Newcastle University has announced 70 new international postgraduate scholarships for Indian students.

Newcastle University, a research intensive university, offers  postgraduate courses in different disciplines like science, commerce, engineering, computer, science, medicine, management, business, arts etc.

The Newcastle University International Postgraduate Scholarship (NUIPS) 2012 will be awarded to international students applying for postgraduate taught courses in any discipline for the academic session starting in September 2012.

Each NUIPS 2012 scholarship values £1500 per year and is payable towards tuition fee. To be eligible, you should have been offered admission to any postgraduate taught degree programme in Newcastle University.

You should have a first class honours degree and IELTS 7.0. If you have an upper second (2:1) equivalent degree and IELTS 7.0, you will be considered on a competitive basis.

Why choose PTE Academic?

PTE Academic is Pearson’s academic English test which delivers real-life measurement of test taker’s language ability. It is computer based and has test centres worldwide.

✓ Flexible – choose a date to suit you

✓  Fast – results in 5 days

✓  Convenient – one 3 hour test session

✓  Sensible – see your scores before choosing your institutions

Did you know that some test takers have scheduled, taken and sent their scores all within 7 days?

Who accepts the test?

Pearson has announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with the Educational Consultancy Association of Nepal (ECAN) to promote PTE Academic, its secure English language test, throughout the country.  The partnership will ensure that students applying to study abroad have access to a globally accepted, fast and reliable test.

ECAN is Nepal’s largest education association with a membership network of over 300 student recruitment agents and consultants. As part of the collaboration, Pearson will be providing training for all teachers and counsellors of ECAN agents and will be working closely with ECAN to support the promotion of the test through its network and recruitment events. ECAN’s office will act as the liaison office for Pearson Language Testing in Nepal.

Apart from UGAT ,  a national level examination conducted by All India Management Association for admission to various professional courses in leading institutes of the country,KU will also accept CAT/MAT  scores for various programmes offered by it.
 “This is in line with the Vice- Chancellor Prof Talat’s vision to provide a platform to the students wherein they can appear in national level tests so that they are eligible for admission to various prestigious programmes being offered by the renowned institutions of the country,” said a KU statement.
 But UGAT still remains the primary source of admissions to KU,as stated by Director Business School Prof. Shabir A Bhat,who  said this examination was recognised and most of the prestigious institutions across the country take the UGAT score.
 It is pertinent to mention that last week MAT examination was also conducted at the University of Kashmir by AIMA.
 The director said that this year the admission to the MBA/MFC/IMBA programme shall be made on the basis of MAT/CAT/UGAT scores obtained by the students.

Time is of the essence, they say. There are few areas in life in which this cliché is more pertinent than it is to the GRE.

Surely , clever time saving strategies, cannot fill in any deficits of knowledge. However,they can help you perform much better on the anxiety-provoking GRE.

Attempt the easier Questions first:

 Try attempting the easier questions first before diving in for the long passage in the verbal section.

The test taker who has shared his experience,had taken the PTE Academic Test on the 2nd of May,8 A.M.
We have compiled hereunder the detailed suggestions that might be of help to any PTE Academic aspirant:--


Suggestions for the test:

1. Go through the online tutorial for a start - pearsonpte.com/PTEAcademic/Documents/PTEA_Tutorial/PTEA_Tutorial.html

2. PTE Academic Test Taking Strategies give a very good picture of the questions on the real exam.
pearsonpte.com/TestMe/Preparing/Pages/PTEAcademicTestTakingStrategies.aspx

3. Exam tips can be obtained from

A B.tech in electronics and telecommunications, Sujit left his 3 year old TCS job to prepare for MBA entrance exams. He topped CMAT 2012 and also converted NMIMS Mumbai to a final call.
Excerpts from an interview:--

1. Tell us something about yourself—your academic background, work experience etc.
I have done engineering in Electronics and Telecommunication from K J Somaiya College Mumbai. After that I was picked up by TCS during campus placements, which I left after three years in August, 2011 to prepare for MBA entrance exams.

2. What is your CMAT 2012 score?
My CMAT 2012 score is 322 and all India rank is 2.

3. Which college you are looking forward to convert into a final call?

FMS Delhi has declared the cutoffs that they used to shortlisting people for GD/PI.

General category students: 
Seats- 101 
GD/PI calls: 1230 
CAT 2011 cutoffs: 98.73


OBC Category students: 
Seats- 54
GD/PI calls: 651 
CAT 2011 cutoffs: 85.80


SC Category students: 
Seats-30 
GD/PI calls:363 
CAT 2011 cutoffs: 78.81 



ST Category students: 
Seats-15 
GD/PI calls: 188 
CAT 2011 cutoffs: 53.78