Common Admission Test (CAT)

By Rohit Kumar Mehra

CAT Examination or Common Admission Test is carried out each year by Indian Institute of Managements (IIMs). Common Admission Test ascertains candidate's presence of mind and mental ability to perform during pressure. Success in CAT examination depends majorly upon two important parameters.

• Reducing the number of negatives and managing a strike rate of 85%

• Intelligently choosing questions to answer by picking those, which one is sure about the answers and avoiding the rest .

CAT entrance examination is conducted as criteria to shortlist aspirants who are looking for admission to the six IIMs including

• IIM Ahmedabad

• IIM Bangalore

• IIM Calcutta

• IIM Lucknow

• IIM Indore

• IIM Kozhikode

Apart from the IIMs some of the top management institutes such as Management Development Institute, S.P Jain Institute, Nirma Institute of Management, T.A. PAI and IMT also offer admission to applicants appeared for CAT.

The duration of the examination is of 120 minutes and the number of questions asked in common admission test varies each year. Therefore, a usual CAT examination has questions varying between 75 and 150 . This is an objective based examination and so the aspirant has to choose the best answer for each of the question which is marked at the OMR sheet. Every correct answer is awarded with one mark and every wrong answer faces a deduction of 1/4th of a mark. Differential marks are offered to the questions and therefore questions may be 0.5 mark, 1 mark or 2 marks.

CAT exam is conducted once a year in November/December and those who have graduated with minimum 50% aggregate marks are eligible to sit for it. Additionally those appearing in the final examination of graduation are also eligible for appearing in CAT.

Exam Pattern

Although the exam pattern of CAT is not consistent, usually 75 to 100 numbers of questions are asked in a CAT examination. The marks may also vary from 0.5 mark, 1 mark or 2 marks on a correct answer as well as deduction of 1/4 or 1/3 can be expected on a wrong answer. CAT Examination is conducted to test the ability of the aspirant in following areas which are

• Verbal Ability

• Reading Comprehension

• Problem Solving

• Data Interpretation

• Logical Reasoning

• Data Sufficiency

• Maths Problems

The pattern of this test has often been changed in the past.

2005 exam pattern consisted of:

• Three sections of data interpretation / reasoning, quantitative analysis, and reading, comprehension/verbal ability.

• Duration- 2 hours

• Total number of questions- 90

• Negative marking- 1/3 of mark allotted for a single correct answer

• Total number of questions in DI/Reasoning- 30

• Total number of questions in Qualitative analysis- 30

• Total number of questions in Reading Comprehension/Verbal ability- 30

All three sections carried 50 marks each.

Rohit Mehra is webmaster of http://www.gobskool.com/ - CAT Exam which is a leading online education portal provides a platform where students or MBA aspirants can have online tutorials for competitive exams like Common Admission Test (CAT). The panel will provide online guidance to students appearing for the CAT. The biggest asset of the venture is that it is free, no subscription cost either! This comes as a huge-advantage to the student community who has been craving for personalized help, but could not afford it due to costs or demographics. It also breaks all geographic barriers to bring together some of the best brains in the industry to help nurture the next generation.

Music College Education - Going For a Bachelors Degree

By Lester Lee

With all the talented people in the music world and the influence music has on our culture you think opportunities for musicians would be plentiful. Sadly, this is not true. Although the debate for whether or not a bachelors degree in music will help you get a job is waging right now. This article will just tell you the basics of what you should expect when entering a music college education program to get your bachelors degree.

The beginning of your bachelors degree in music will usually have an introduction to music itself. This means you will be covering many forms of music, mostly classical music in your first year, and the different eras of music. Very rarely will you ever learn about modern music such as jazz, blues, rock, rap, etc. You will just get a basic level of the history of music, not going into that much depth.

Regardless if you are getting your bachelors degree in music you still have to take the other required classes. This means along with your music education you are still going to have to take English, History, Math, Science, etc, as required by the school. The good news is you will usually only have to take a few of these classes.

Now, once you have finished your first year of music college education you will be able to move onto whatever specialty course you are interested in.

If you are going to get into the world of music performance and want to get a bachelors degree on it you must already know an instrument. There are no college classes that will teach you an instrument. This means that you have to be fairly proficient with whatever instrument you play before you are able to take a class on it. In fact, you are usually required to audition to get into the bachelor program.

The other major form of music education is music composition. When majoring in music composition you are going to be required to take many courses on composition. These classes usually start out pretty basic and will eventually get advanced. The early courses will have you just write and read music. As you progress into the advanced courses you will actually have to begin writing your own compositions. Your final independent project before you graduate will usually require you to write a full out sonata or concerto.

This is just some basic information on Music College Education that you should know before you try to get your bachelors degree in music education. Learn more about college education at http://eighttips.com/college_education/.

Universities and College Students Affected by Financial Crisis - Future of Nation at Stake

By Lance Winslow

The financial crisis is severely affecting our colleges and universities. Currently, tuition costs have risen out of control and even if students can get student loans to attend college, it puts them into the workforce under a pile of debt, essentially subjecting them to economic enslavement for decades. In fact, many government agencies are now offering to pay off tuition debts if the graduating students do a rather long stint with government employment.

The Universities have been unable to control costs and due to supply and demand issues, coupled with the easy money of government guaranteed loans to college students. Academia is broken, just like the Health Care System, Banking System and Housing Markets, worse the runaway costs have the taxpayers holding the key. Academia has abused their status like the leaders of the other groups.

The unfortunate thing is that we trust academia to insure the education of the next generation which will lead us. It is critical, unfortunately the system is rotten to the core with agendas and the very thing they accuse the entrepreneurial capitalists is something they themselves are engaged in and yet, they remain immune to the realities of; mostly due to the hijacking of the system and political influences.

The future of our nation's educational system is at stake, whom will run this nation if we cannot give a viable education to the next generation; a countries strength and power can be wiped out in a single generation if education fails. Yet, academia will not come clean. Capitalism has been working in spite the socialist intervention, but the baggage and debris is about to collapse the roof on its house, so one needs to ask; who is really the intellectual strength of our civilization?

Because from where I am standing, it seems rather silly for anyone to insist that our Universities and Colleges are educating our next generation in an efficient matter, academia is broken and if they cannot even run their own domain, I ask; How can we trust them to tell us how to run our civilization? Think on this; open for suggestions and comments.

"Lance Winslow" - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

Definitive Guide to Michigan State University

By J. Vincent Burr

Michigan State University is a major public university located in East Lansing, Michigan. Originally founded in 1855 as the first agricultural college in the United States, it was known as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan and included a mandatory 3 hours of manual labor per day for all students. Since 1964 it's been known as Michigan State University, and has even been included in the revised list of "Public Ivy's".

As one of Michigan's "Big 3" schools, Michigan State recently joined with the University of Michigan and Wayne State University to create the University Research Corridor. The URC was created in an effort to highlight the world-class capabilities of Michigan's three leading research institutions and to hopefully spark a much needed transformation of Michigan's economy away from its dependence on the automotive industry, and towards a more high-tech future.

The massive campus at MSU consists of over 5,000 acres, most of which is undeveloped land with hiking trails. There are over 650 buildings in total, 150 of which are dedicated to the university's roots in agriculture. It's been estimated that there are over 100 miles of sidewalks connecting the campus.

Michigan State has the 8th largest student body in the United States with over 45,000 students (almost 10,000 of which are grad students). MSU is known for a very diverse student body with all 50 states and over 125 countries represented. Michigan State has a student/faculty ratio of about 19:1, and has moderately selective admissions. The study abroad program is the largest of any university (single campus) in the nation, with almost 2,500 students studying abroad in over 60 countries, on all continents (yes, even Antarctica).

Overall, Michigan State University is a very well respected school nationally, with individual programs regularly at or near the top in their field. MSU consists of 17 degree granting colleges and over 200 academic programs. The U.S. News ranks the graduate level Elementary Education, Secondary Education and Industrial & Organizational Psychology programs number one in the nation on a regular basis. Recently, the Supply Chain Management program in the business school was also ranked number one in the nation for the second year in a row. The graduate program in Nuclear Physics is ranked number two in the nation, behind only MIT. The medical school is also highly regarded with The College of Osteopathic Medicine ranked number five, the College of Veterinary Medicine ranked number nine, and the College of Human Medicine ranked number 18 in the United States.

MSU is also well respected in athletics, where its trademark green and white colors have been donned through many championship runs, in several sports. Known as the "Spartans", Michigan State is an NCAA division I-A school in the Big Ten Conference in every sport (except hockey), and is the only college in the nation that has won multiple championships in basketball, football and hockey. Many former Spartans have gone on to play professional sports, with several ending up in their respective Halls-of Fame.

Michigan State University is a great choice for someone serious about their education. If you plan to attend college in Michigan, you can't go wrong with MSU. For more information, including student reviews, check the links below.

About the author: J. Vincent Burr is the creator and chief educational writer for the college reviews site MyNextCollege.com, which contains a ton of useful information about Michigan State University including reviews by actual MSU students.

Definitive Guide to Ferris State University

By J. Vincent Burr

Ferris State University was founded in 1884 in Big Rapids, Michigan. At the time, it was known as Big Rapids Industrial School, and was unique at the time for accepting female students. It was founded by Woodbridge Nathan Ferris who was a governor of the state of Michigan, and went on to become a US Senator. It was this namesake that would lead to the eventual renaming of the school several times incorporating the name Ferris, until it was eventually given its current name of Ferris State University in 1987.

Of particular note is the fact that none of the classes at Ferris State are taught by grad students - you are guaranteed to have contact with the actual professor, and with a 16:1 student to faculty ratio you are assured a fair amount of access to your instructors.

There are over 13,000+ students enrolled at Ferris State, most of which are at the main campus in Big Rapids. The University consists of eight colleges: Technology, Business (the only business school in Michigan to offer a major in Public Relations), Education and Human Services, Allied Health Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Optometry, Pharmacy and The Kendall College of Art and Design. They only grant doctoral degrees through the Optometry and Pharmacy colleges. Kendall College of Art and Design is actually at a satellite campus in nearby Grand Rapids, Michigan and offers over 25 degree programs. Ferris also has a partnership arrangement with Northwestern Michigan College to grant Bachelor degrees to graduates of its Great Lakes Maritime Academy.

The University has come under some criticism for its Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, which consists of an extensive collection of items that promote racial segregation or promulgate racial stereotypes of African Americans. The Ferris State University administration has repeatedly stated that they feel it is important to preserve these items "for the purpose of academic research and education about their cultural influence".

The student government at Ferris State University has gained nationwide notoriety for creating Textbookunion.com, a cost saving initiative for textbook prices that has gained recognition from student bodies across the nation. Created in 2006, textbookunion.com has been presented at state and national student government conferences in an effort to help the initiative gain traction. As of this writing, it currently only feeds textbook information from specific universities in Michigan. However, textbookunion.com is in the process of bringing the program to the national level, and any student may still use its sophisticated search engine to find the lowest price on the internet for a specific textbook.

In athletics, the Ferris State teams are known as the "Bulldogs", and the colors are maroon and gold. Most Ferris State athletic teams are Division II-A. Also of note in its athletic program is that, in conjunction with its Professional Golf Management program, the university manages the Katke Golf Club, which is an 18-hole course next to the main campus in Big Rapids.

Ferris State University is a solid choice if you're interested in attending a smaller school in Michigan. For more information, including reviews from actual students at Ferris State, check out the links below.

About the author: J. Vincent Burr is the creator and chief educational writer for the college review site MyNextCollege.com, which contains a plethora of information about Ferris State University including reviews by actual students.