SNAP 2012 Paper Pattern & Test Structure

Symbiosis National Aptitude Test is conducted every year for admission to various MBA programmes offered by Symbiosis International Institute, Pune.

The duration of this objective type test is 120 minutes (2 hours). It is an objective, multiple choice type question. Candidates are required to mark the right answers. Any wrong answer attracts 25% negative marks.

Overall Test Structure:

Sections	Subject Area	No. of Questions	Percentage	Suggested Time
1	General English	40	27%	30 minutes
2	Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation,Data Sufficiency	40	27%	30 minutes
3	General Awareness, General Knowledge, Current Affairs, Business Scenario	40	26%	30 minutes
4	Analytical & Logical Reasoning	30	20%	30 minutes
-	Total	150	100%	120 minutes

Let us discuss each section in details.

1) General English: This section checks candidate's verbal ability and reading comprehension skills. It also checks your grammar, usage of words, reading comprehension. The type of questions asked are identifying the correct sentence, punctuation, converting from active to passive and vice versa, fill in the blanks, synonyms and antonyms, jumbled sentences, etc. The best way to ace this section is to read as many newspapers, magazines and reading material and also practice as much as you can.

2) Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency Section Analysis: Includes questions on the following subjects- Average, Probability, Geometry, Simple Interests, Equations, Statistics, pie charts, data sufficiency and TSD. You can do well in this section by taking as many model test papers as possible.

3) General Knowledge: Questions can be asked on any current affairs or general knowledge with subjects ranging from IT, science, sports, films, business/economy, persons, quotation, history, quotes, etc. Read newspapers, books on current affairs, etc to improve your general knowledge. Also stay informed and know your areas of strengths and weaknesses.

4) Analytical and Logical Reasoning Section Analysis: Topics covered under this are Matrix arrangement, linear arrangement, Visual and critical reasoning, puzzles, family tree and Venn diagram.

Aakash Tablet is now available online

The Aakash Tablet is now available and you can order the tablet online. Also the Ubislate 7 which is a slight better version of the Aakash, is available for pre-order.

The Aakash is available at Rs. 2,500 and can be bought with the option for cash on delivery as well. It features a 366MHz processor, Android 2.2 and a 2100mAh battery. As for the Ubislatec7, pre-orders are up for the tablet and will be available by late January 2012. The Ubislate 7 is available for Rs. 2,990.

So it seems that the tablets will be available before they are sent out at education institutes which was proposed by the Indian Government.

Full specs of the Aakash Tablet:

    7 inch resistive touch-screen
    Android 2.2
    366 MHz processor plus Graphics Accelerator and HD Video Co-processor
    256 MB RAM
    2GB Micro SD card expandable up to 32GB
    2 USB ports (full sized)
    2100mAh battery
    Wi-Fi Enabled
    Inbuilt cellular and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)
 

Head over here to order the tablet online.

GRE vs GMAT: What's Right For You ?

Indian students who aspire to study abroad always face a confusion. Should they take the GMAT or apply for GRE. While both exams are very popular and widely acceptable in foreign universities, you should make the correct choice as your future depends on it.

What is the main difference between the GMAT and GRE ? There are many important factors like format of both tests, graduate schools perceptions behind them, advantages of exam, the preparation behind them and how to score good in these exams.

Generally, the GMAT exam predicts how apt a candidate is for a particular management programme on the other hand the GRE assess your skills for the programmes in science streams, medicine, literature, mathematics and other course except law programmes.

Both the exams GRE and GMAT have been designed for a native English speaker, according to that foreigner is at an immediate disadvantage, mainly in verbal section. The GMAT has for some time been accepted as main admission criteria for securing a seat into any business schools. The GMAT is designed to assess the verbal, mathematical and analytical skills that the candidate has acquired during his/her education and at work place. But the exam does not test some specific knowledge related to business, job skills or subjective qualities such as motivation, creativity and interpersonal skills. In this exam if your maiden language is not English, he or she may still have fair chance to score high in this exam.

The GRE assesses the extent to which undergraduate education has developed a student's verbal and quantitative skills in abstract thinking. For a student who belongs to a non-English speaking country, the GRErequires a far wider knowledge of vocabulary, writing skills and general subjects than the GMAT. Without good English and writing skills it is not possible to score high in GRE exam. So it is advisable for non-English speakers, it always good to take GMAT in place of GRE.

GMAT score is more than just score: Aspirants whose mother language is not English have an upper hand when it comes to scoring a high GMAT scores. Nowadays, business and graduate schools are welcoming students from diverse background, so applicants from countries that have recently joined the European Union, always have fair chance of being accepted by those B-Schools, so do those from smaller countries. There are fair chances of a candidate being selected by a B-School if the institutes finds that applicant is 'special' and the whole application stands out, the school might accept low GMAT score. Women candidates are always given preference and have higher chances to get selected.

Schools are also seeking to increase their appeal amongst candidates from different background. Candidates are still more commonly come from management, finance or accounting backgrounds, but those who have different background are on the top of the list for business schools admissions.

Main Differences between GRE and GMAT

The format of both the exams are different, it requires different style of approach and strategy to crack the exam. The GRE requires candidates to do the arguing, on the other hand in GMAT exam the candidate is expected to analyse what has been already argued. It is expected from the GRE test-takers that the candidates is more abstract and draw conclusion from different sources and factors, where as GMAT is more concrete and analytical in approach. Does a future manager actually have to be able to write his argument or does he just have to be able to recognize a good one? Both the exams are different in approach; GRE is conducted to assess the academic skills and GMAT for future leaders in academic circle.

GRE and GMAT basic format

What aspirants should do?

Before applying for any institute and college abroad, the first and foremost thing is you should know that the schools in which you are applying accept which test. Observe closely at the GMAT and GRE test and see how you feel about the exam. If you have taken the GRE and manage to score high you can always ask the schools if they will consider it or not. One should always remember that now institutes look for overall-package rather than just one section or concentrating on one part. Applying for a business school is not an overnight decision, it gives a new start to your career.

Current Affairs

November 2011

Obama bumped Chinese President Hu Jintao from the No. 1 spot on the magazine’s annual rankings to the third place with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin taking the second position. — Nov 03, Hindustan Times

Pakistan on Friday said it is not taking any “U-turn” on normalising trade relations with India and granting the MFN status is a part of that process. — Nov 04, Hindustan Times

An asteroid larger than an aircraft carrier will dart between the Earth and Moon on Tuesday. It will be the closest encounter by such a huge space rock in 35 years. — Nov 06, Hindustan Times

Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf has said that the country’s nuclear weapons are very hard targets and can never be attacked by the United States. — Nov 07, Hindustan Times

Former Libyan dictator Col Muammar Gaddafi scavenged for food and fled from one abandoned house to another during his desperate final days in his hometown of Sirte, one of his top security officials has revealed. — Nov 08, Hindustan Times

The head of the International Monetary Fund warned on Wednesday that Europe’s debt crisis risked plunging the global economy into a “lost decade” and said it was up to rich nations to shoulder the burden of restoring growth and confidence. — Nov 09, Hindustan Times

Ahead of the two important summits in the Asia Pacific region in the next 10 days, the White House made it intentions clear that US will continue to be a strong power in the region and work with key regional partners in this regard. Manmohan, Obama to meet in Bali — Nov 10, Hindustan Times

China’s campaign to stifle dissenters such as artist Ai Weiwei through secret detentions could come cloaked in a thicker veneer of legality if proposed crime law changes go through, a prominent rights advocacy group said on Thursday. — Nov 11, Hindustan Times

Two Russians and an American on Monday blasted off for the International Space Station (ISS) on a Russian rocket from Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, an AFP correspondent said. — Nov 14, Hindustan Times

British Prime Minister David Cameron has reportedly impersonated the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard during his annual foreign policy speech in London. — Nov 15, Hindustan Times

A salvo of missiles fired by US drones destroyed a Pakistani Taliban base today, killing up to 18 militants in Pakistan’s tribal badlands on the Afghan border, officials said. — Nov 16, Hindustan Times

Julian Assange’s mother has joined protesters in Australia’s capital demanding the government oppose a possible U.S. extradition of her son in a WikiLeaks investigation. — Nov 17, Hindustan Times

US President Barack Obama said today there were “flickers of progress” towards democratic reform in Myanmar and opened the door to a new US relationship with the long-isolated country. — Nov 18, Hindustan Times

The Inter-Services Intelligence agency “conclusively authenticated” the delivery of a secret memorandum purportedly sent by Pakistan’s civilian leadership to the former US military chief before army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani raised the matter with President Asif Ali Zardari. — Nov 19, Hindustan Times

If Pakistan’s telecom regulator has its way, millions of mobile phone users may be unable to send text messages with “offensive” and “obscene” words like crap, damn, hobo, flatulence, gay, lesbian and slime from Monday. — Nov 20, Hindustan Times

Officials say satellite surveillance has shown a recent increase in activity at an Iranian site suspected of secret work on nuclear weapons. — Nov 21, Hindustan Times

The Indian rupee depreciated by 35 paise to a lifetime low of Rs 52.50 per US dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange on Tuesday on sustained demand for the American currency from banks and importers. Dollar gains against other currencies overseas also put pressure on the
Indian rupee. — Nov 22, Hindustan Times

Authorities say a small plane has crashed in eastern Indonesia, killing the Spanish pilot and leaving his co-pilot in critical condition. — Nov 23, Hindustan Times

Arguing that the UN Security Council is no longer reflective of contemporary reality, India has said this poses the “most important challenge” to global peace and security as well as conflict prevention. — Nov 24, Hindustan Times