(This blog is dedicated to all the MBA aspirants as well as all the bachelor degree holders of any field who wanted to study MBA degree in the near future).
After I scored both the B grades in the last 2 semesters of BCA (5th and 6th), the 3 months (March-June 2010) final semester team project for "tours and travels management" with my classmates Rashmi and Vasanti under the guidance of Roopashree Madam from as well as clearing the pending 2 subjects for the 2nd and 4th semesters, I am thinking of doing my masters in either MCA or MBA at Sikkim Manipal University - Distance Education or in any other college in Bangalore or in Udupi but after I saw Aamir Khan's movie 3 Idiots, I decided to choose MBA over MCA because it is considered to be one of the most popular and the most pursued degrees in each and every college/university all over the world whereas the MCA course is done via correspondence and it will be tougher than the BCA course as it has lot of subjects involving mathematics as well as 6 semesters for the bachelor degree holder of any field of engineering (especially B. tech, B.E., B. sc, B. tech) whereas for the BCA holder, it is 4 semesters each. Meanwhile, the MBA degree is a two year, four semester course and it is open to all the degree holders, regardless of any stream and it consists of so many fields and specializations (finance, economics, global management, marketing, human resources, logistics/operations, healthcare, marketing, information technology/information science, media, events, clothing/textiles/fashion, business etc.,). In India, there are two entrance tests for the bachelors degree holder to pursue the MBA degree; one is the CAT (Common Admission Test) and another one is the most recent CMAT (Common Management Admission Test). But the CAT admission test is the most widely used admission test for the MBA degree and it was mostly recognized by the IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) as well as reputed college/universities and business schools in metro cities; however, the CAT entrance test is not applicable for those who want to pursue the MBA degree via the distance education mode of various colleges/universities but it can be done via learning centres. In case if a bachelor degree holder of any course want to pursue the MBA degree abroad, there are two types of tests; one is the test for the English language for a non - native speaker in order to study, work or immigrate abroad and another one is for the MBA program in a top business school anywhere in the world. They are: -
1. TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (tests for the English speaking course for a non - native speaker for the purpose of study, work and immigration).
2. GMAT/GRE (tests for the MBA degree for studying in the reputed business school/university abroad).
STANDARDIZED TESTS FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND SPEAKING SKILLS
i. TOEFL: - TOEFL is the first standardized test for the English language for the non - native speaker for the purpose of study, work and immigration to countries where English is the dominant language. Its full form is Test of English as a Foreign Language and it was the trademark of the Educational Testing service, the world's largest non - profit testing and assessment organization. It was established in 1964 by the Modern Language Association, a language society associated with language and literature but its first test was conducted a year later, in 1965; it was recognized by more than 11, 000+ universities in more than 130+ countries and it was funded by the Ford and Danforth Foundations. Its total score is between 0 to 120 points whereas its test format was divided into two main formats: -one is the iBT (Internet based test) and the second one is the paper based test as well as 4 sections (reading, writing, speaking and listening) with the time duration of more than 3 hours in each of these two tests.
ii. IELTS: - Like TOEFL, IELTS is also a standardized test for the fluency of the English language for a non - native speaker for the purpose of study, work and immigration to the English - speaking world, particularly in the British Commonwealth (the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland) as well as the USA. Its full name is the International English Language Testing System and it was established in 1980 jointly by the British Council, IDP (International Development Program) Education and Cambridge Assessment English with its first test been conducted 9 years later, in 1989. It is the only English -speaking test to be approved by the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) section of the British Government for those who want to immigrate, study or work in the United Kingdom and it was recognized by more than 10, 000+ colleges, universities and institutions in more than 140 countries. Like TOEFL, its test divided into two parts i.e., the computer-based and paper-based with the total time of 2 hours and 45 minutes. Although it has 4 sections (reading, writing, speaking and listening), its reading and writing sections are divided into 2 parts i.e., the General training (for the purpose of work and immigration) and Academic training (for the purpose of studying abroad).
iii. PTE: - PTE is the most recent test for the fluency of English languages for a non - native speaker for the purpose of study, work and immigration to foreign countries. Its full name is the Pearson Language Test and it was the part of the Pearson PLC group, a multinational publishing and Educational company; unlike TOEFL and IELTS, which are both standardized tests, it is a very simple and quick test with its results is ready within 5 days, its reading and writing sections are together and a computerized test. It is endorsed and supported by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) as well as universities and business schools like London Business School, Harvard Business School, Yale University and many others and it is the only test for the English language to be accepted for study, work and immigration to Australia. Its total duration is 3 hours with 3 sections (reading & writing, listening and speaking) but it is divided into 2 sections : - PTE Academic (for the purpose of studying abroad) and PTE General (for the purpose of work and immigration). It also has a separate test called PTE Young Learners Tests, which was mainly targeted for young children from 7 -12 years old but it consists of mainly four skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening).
STANDARDIZED TESTS FOR THE MBA DEGREE
1. GMAT:- GMAT is one of the most recognized standardized tests for the MBA degree for getting admission to the top business schools globally. Its full name is the Graduate Management Admission Test and it was founded in 1953 by its parent company Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), an international non - profit organizations which was actively committed to providing the art and science of admission to the top business schools/universities in the world as well as offering the first class products and services. It is a multi-choice as well as the computer based and adaptive standardized test which is often recommended by various organizations and educational institutions (colleges/universities/ in order to examine the candidates' analytical, verbal, quantitative (reading and writing) and integrated reasoning skills in written English and it also requires some certain knowledge of a specific grammar as well as mathematical skills such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry. It was recognized and accepted by more than 2,300+ business schools as a part of their criteria for their programs. Its total score is between 0 - 800 with 4 sections each; they are : -
i. analytical writing assessment (0 - 6 points).
ii. integrated reasoning (1 - 8 points).
iii. verbal reasoning (6 - 51 points).
iv. quantitative reasoning (6 -51 points).
2. GRE: - Like GMAT, GRE is a similar as well as the oldest standardized test for the MBA degree for getting admission to the top business schools in the world. Its full name is Graduate Record Examinations and it is owned its parent company The Educational Testing Service, the world's largest non - profit testing and assessment organization which also owns TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) but it was established in 1936 by its original owner, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This test was taken by more than half a million candidates in more than 160+ countries every year as well as being accepted and recognized by more than 1, 200+ top ranking business school and universities around the world, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia. It is a computerized based test which consists of 5 sections each i.e., analytical writing (1), Verbal reasoning (2) and quantitative reasoning (2) and with a total score of more than 340 points.
MY MBA DAYS
The first semester of the MBA degree started on the Monday, September 13th 2010 at 9:30 a.m. with 7 students including me as well as the clerk who is also doing the MBA course but via correspondence and also working in the Tracks India Infotech office. I met and made a lot of new friends, such as Akshay Rao, Asha Mendonca, Movin Pereira, Joylin Inish Corda, Chetana Moolya and Ankitha Shetty but I am surprised that both Joylin and Chetana studied in St. Mary's college in Shirva with my cousin Shaishta as their senior. Before the first subject begins, the students introduces themselves and about their native places, previous courses and even the topic of their choice but I decided to speak about globalization as a topic of my choice. There was another student called Archana Bhat, who joined the MBA course a month later but via lateral entry. The first subject in each and every course is Communication Skills, which is called in the MBA degree as Business Communication. But the Communication Skills or else English language and grammar (in some colleges) of the first semester of any degree is a staple subject of each and every bachelors and masters degree subjects and field, particularly B.E., BBM/B.Com/B.Sc/B.Tech/BCA/BA/M.Tech/MCA and many others. Unlike the Communication Skills subject of the BCA degree, which reminds me of school grammar as well as communication skills like language and communication, reading, writing, listening, sign language, organizational communication etc., It consists of mainly lessons related to workplace communication i.e., business communication, such as various types of communication, listening, sign language, reading skills such as SQ3R (Survey, question, read, recite and review), principles of writing (general and business), types of meeting, internal and external business communication (writing of resumes, CVs, memos, circulars and notices, writing business letter writing), group discussions, debates etc. in addition to that, we also conducted some group discussions as well as debates with our seniors as well and even a group presentation with me, Joylin, Chethana, Ankitha discussing about ITC whereas Akshay, Movin and Asha were discussing about Hindustan Unilever. During break times, we sometimes chat with each other about certain topics like movies, music, hobbies, food etc. but sometimes we discuss about assignments questions and answers of various subjects. However, the first semester subjects such as Human Resources Management and Financial and Management Accounting would later become our respective specializations in the third and fourth semesters respectively.
Unlike my BCA days, my MBA days are of utmost fun as well as enjoyable. One day when we planned to see the movie No Problem at the nearby Aashirwad Theatre, I took my classmates Joylin, Chethana and Ankitha to my home via the autorickshaw; then I introduced them to my mom and she's very happy and delighted. Then I took them to the tour of my house which was then followed by a mouth-watering lunch of idli and sambhar which was then followed by Maggi noodles with peas. After the lunch is over, we then proceed to Aashirwad theatre via a walk whereas Akshay, Asha and Movin already reached there via their own bikes. After we all got the tickets, we all sat together and we enjoyed the movie. This was followed by the 1st semester exams in the month of January, the last ever exams to be written in pen and paper just before the SMU exams go online.
Two months later, the second semester began with a mixed response from me as well as my classmates. It began with 2 subjects i.e., Production and Operations Management and Financial Management but the easiest of them all is Marketing Management, which has lots of interesting business related theories and lessons whereas Operations Research and Management Information Systems being the toughest ones. Although we concentrated on our studies, we also have amazing fun times especially during festivals and birthdays as well as various ups and downs we sometimes face. During breaktimes, we sometimes chat with our seniors as well as discussing various topics like movies, tv shows, games, the stuff we bring from foreign countries, like chocolates, music, mobile phones and even the questions and answers of various subjects for various assignments. The second semester ended with the end semester exams in the month of July - August and it was the last time we were together as classmates of the same degree before being divided into two fields (finance and human resources) instead of marketing and information systems. I scored the highest marks in the toughest subject of the second semester (Operations Research) but I flunked in the Management Information Systems (MIS) which I would later clear it in the November re-examination whereas Archana failed in Operations Research, in which she later cleared in the Spring Examination in February 2012.
The third semester began in September 2011 with 2 non - specialization subjects i.e., Research Methodology and Legal Aspects of Business. After these two subjects are over, our MBA batch was divided into two specializations i.e., Finance (Akshay, Asha and Movin) and Human Resources (Me, Joylin, Chethana, Ankitha and Archana). The only time when we are all together is during Movin's birthday we had lot of fun and enthusiasm. This was soon repeated in the fourth and final semester of the MBA degree which began in the first week of March after the third semester exams are over. This was the last time when we sat together as classmates i.e., is for the 2 non - specialization subjects of International Business Management and Strategic Management and Business Policy. After these two subjects are over, we are divided into the same specializations again. During my birthday, my friends Joylin and Chethana came to my house and they gave me a mug as a birthday present. After the birthday lunch and cake cutting was over, we all went to Aashirwad Theatre to see the Vidya Balan movie Kahaani. Afterwards, we have started our individual project reports for 3 months with a special class for discussing our own projects every Saturday. Unlike my BCA project of "tours and travels management" which are team based, the MBA projects are individually based and it consists of mainly topics that are related to the MBA degree in the finance and human resources specializations with mine being the "Promotion and Reward Policy" in the nearby branch of State Bank of India. After we submitted and presented our individual projects in the last week of June, the teachers appreciated our work we have done for the past 3 months, which was then followed by the final year exams in the month of August 2012. After the last exams of the MBA degree got over, we said goodbye to each other and we are officially MBA graduates 3 months later! And it is also a time my education got over.
For those who miss college days, you must see this video: -
