Xat 2008 - Queries and Discussion

[sarsij]

Originally Posted by akil_turbo

hi puys...i as an aspirant wouldnt exactly agree that the preparation of the xat and the cat would differ to a gr8 extent....it is more about jus adapting to a different kind of paper...the RCs in the cat this year were closer to the usual level of the xat...but i have noticed a few things about the xat paper that tend to throw people off their balance in the paper.
1.the double column format used in the xat(like the one used fer editorials)
2.the higher level of the QA section
3.the confusion caused by the RCs..
I half fell asleep going thru the VA/RC section and didnt score well in QA despite my thinking that i had done pretty well.Overall it felt like big wallop.but i hadnt done all that bad...i ended up scoring 98.74 and making it to ximb...sectionals of 97.x,97.x,85(QA)...so to get thru the xat..the basic things i would go fer are...
1.hindu editorial daily(especially the more boring ones)
2.Extremely high accuracy in QA..not necessarily a high attempt...the difference between the 85 that i got in qa and the 99 that my friend got was jus getting two QA questions right and not wrong.
3.Good amount of DI/LR practice as this is the most scoring section in xat.

As fer the GD/PI part of it...this is the link to this year's XIMB interview thread...
http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/other-...-09-gd-pi.html (XIMB 2007-09 GD-PI Experiences)
My ximb gd/pi experience..
http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/other-...tml#post720659
hope this helps.

Hi man,

thanks a lot for starting some serious discussion here. So you are finally joining XIMB. Thats good.
Can you please let us know something about your background and experience level.
And your suggestions are well taken.

Thanks Again

Sarsij

[sarsij]

Originally Posted by madhu_m

hey guys need some help....
can somebody tell me where can i find xat practise papers or previous year's xat question papers??

Hi!

I guess the only thing possible for you is to attempt the CL's XAT practice paper, also IMS and TIME have something close to the actual XAT paper.
and I dont think you will get the actual XAT paper, because XLRI guys dont believe in giving the paper to the candidate after the exam is over. So in this case you will have to ask those people who did attempt XAT in last few years andstill remember the questions (at least a few of the questions).

And in case you are able to get those papers then please do share it with me too.

Thanks in advance

Sarsij

[akil_turbo]

Though the original xat papers of the previous years are not available in the same format...i managed to dig out these documents..a few from old pg posts itself.They contain a few questions of the type of the xat..and will give a idea of how the xat has been changing over the years.

Use these to convince yourself that the xat is not a diffrent beast but only a different species of the same...i also believe that so early in the season u shouldnt be specific towards any exam...get the basics perfect...the good percentiles will follow later.

[bharathraj1]

since XAT papers are not allowed to be taken home, the only way of actually getting a feel of the test is by joining some mockXAT tests.

TIME conducts all india mock XAT somewhere in december.
enroll for that, it is conducted twice and will give a good idea for aspirants



bharath

[madhu_m]

Originally Posted by sarsij

Hi!

I guess the only thing possible for you is to attempt the CL's XAT practice paper, also IMS and TIME have something close to the actual XAT paper.
and I dont think you will get the actual XAT paper, because XLRI guys dont believe in giving the paper to the candidate after the exam is over. So in this case you will have to ask those people who did attempt XAT in last few years andstill remember the questions (at least a few of the questions).

And in case you are able to get those papers then please do share it with me too.

Thanks in advance

Sarsij

Thanks for the infm.... i will see to it..and if i get soem question papers i will let u know bout it..

[intelligent]

Originally Posted by sarsij

Hi man,

thanks a lot for starting some serious discussion here. So you are finally joining XIMB. Thats good.
Can you please let us know something about your background and experience level.
And your suggestions are well taken.

Thanks Again

Sarsij

Hi guys n gals,

Here is a guy frm xlri BM batch 2007-09. I had a 99.77 %ile in xat,99.5 %ile in cat n a genuinely positive interview in xlri.

At 1st let me tel u, u wud b flooded w8 loads n loads of questions frm various sources in this 1 year. dat won't b a problem 4 u. Bt d actual problem lies in channelising ur preparation in d right direction n making perfect strategy keeping in mind ur strong n weak points. 4 these competitive exams, strategy and mental preparation is of as much importance as studying.

D most important strategy comes in time-management n question selection. U shud, frm beforehand, decide how much time u r goin 2 devote in which section in d exam(u'll b making d biggest mistake if u don't realise d importance of sectional cut-offs.). Unless u r a genuine alrounder(n believe me, none is a genuine alrounder; U r bound 2 hav sections in which u r strong), never divide d exam time equally among d 3 sections. Atleast keep 10 minutes extra 4 ur weakest section. Also it helps if u can manage 5-10 minutes of time jus b4 d end of exam 4 d section which went bad.

Regarding question selection, it is perfectly impossible 2 manage time 4 goin thru all d questions n then decide which ones u r gonna attempt. Wat u shud n must do is decide frm beforehand which kind of questions u r gonna attempt 1st(like i used 2 do d logical DI questions b4 calculation-based DI questions as I ws stronger in d previous 1s; also i used 2 do vocab n grammar b4 RC cz they needed less time; these sequences shud b decided by u according 2 ur likings).

Another important thing abt xat is it has had variable negative marking scheme in d last 2 yrs' papers. So guess work is absolutely avoidable specially in quant n d.i. sections. though verbal section ll definitely need u 2 make some educated guesses.(the word educated is important;if u hav 2 take risk do it like adam gilchrist,nt like bhajji).

4 d people who think u hav 2 b an RC-wizard 2 crack XAT, let me tel u here is a guy who scored 97.45 %ile in verbal w8out actually answering a single RC question!

As far as d interview preparation goes, as of nw u can do 3 things.
1.go thru a standard business magazine(my personal view is dat u shud choose a magazine which covers some g.k. other than business also) n newspaper editorials regularly.
2.try 2 knw in depth some of d subjects u studied in u.g. n their applications(n abt ur job of course, if applicable).
3.if u don't hav a hobby of some intellectual importance then choose 1 according 2 ur personal likings(my hobbies were playing chess n solving logical n mathematical puzzles).
D rest of d preparation 4 d interview shud b taken care of after d written exam is over.

Best of luck 2 all of u. Hope 2 hav u all as juniors next year.


At last a bitter truth 2 some of u - do not aim 4 a good B-school if u r nt a wizard in atleast 1 among d 3 sections.

[sarsij]

Originally Posted by intelligent

Hi guys n gals,
Here is a guy frm xlri BM batch 207-09. I had a 99.77 %ile in xat,99.5 %ile in cat n a genuinely positive interview in xlri.
At 1st let me tel u, u wud b flooded w8 loads n loads of questions frm various sources in this 1 year. dat won't b a problem 4 u. Bt d actual problem lies in channelising ur preparation in d right direction n making perfect strategy keeping in mind ur strong n weak points. 4 these competitive exams, strategy and mental preparation is of as much importance as studying.
D most important strategy comes in time-management n question selection. U shud, frm beforehand, decide how much time u r goin 2 devote in which section in d exam(u'll b making d biggest mistake if u don't realise d importance of sectional cut-offs.). Unless u r a genuine alrounder(n believe me, none is a genuine alrounder; U r bound 2 hav sections in which u r strong), never divide d exam time equally among d 3 sections. Atleast keep 10 minutes extra 4 ur weakest section. Also it helps if u can manage 5-10 minutes of time jus b4 d end of exam 4 d section which went bad.
Regarding question selection, it is perfectly impossible 2 manage time 4 goin thru all d questions n then decide which ones u r gonna attempt. Wat u shud n must do is decide frm beforehand which kind of questions u r gonna attempt 1st(like i used 2 do d logical DI questions b4 calculation-based DI questions as I ws stronger in d previous 1s; also i used 2 do vocab n grammar b4 RC cz they needed less time; these sequences shud b decided by u according 2 ur likings).
4 d people who think u hav 2 b an RC-wizard 2 crack XAT, let me tel u here is a guy who scored 97.45 %ile in verbal w8out actually answering a single RC question!
As far as d interview preparation goes, as of nw u can do 3 things.
1.go thru a standard business magazine(my personal view is dat u shud choose a magazine which covers some g.k. other than business also) n newspaper editorials regularly.
2.try 2 knw in depth some of d subjects u studied in u.g. n their applications(n abt ur job of course, if applicable).
3.if u don't hav a hobby of some intellectual importance then choose 1 according 2 ur personal likings(my hobbies were playing chess n solving logical n mathematical puzzles).
D rest of d preparation 4 d interview shud b taken care of after d written exam is over.
At last a bitter truth 2 some of u - do not aim 4 a good B-school if u r nt a wizard in atleast 1 among d 3 sections.

Excellent piece of advice man. I just loved going through it.
Displays a lot of honest opinion, and asks for a reality-check...wonderful.

[ninja_talli]

Nice to see a Xat thread up so early.
Sarsij, your point is quite apt, although cat/xat/jmet written exams do test the same set of skills, each one is quite different from each other.

Although preparation wise, I would suggest to ignore the differences in the papers for now, it's time to hone your basic maths/english/DI skills. As pointed out by Bharat, a few months later, all the coaching classes would come out with XAT specific mocks, that would be the time when you should focus more on the specific differences that XAT has as compared to CAT.

Cheers!

[sarsij]

Originally Posted by ninja_talli

Nice to see a Xat thread up so early.
Sarsij, your point is quite apt, although cat/xat/jmet written exams do test the same set of skills, each one is quite different from each other.

Although preparation wise, I would suggest to ignore the differences in the papers for now, it's time to hone your basic maths/english/DI skills. As pointed out by Bharat, a few months later, all the coaching classes would come out with XAT specific mocks, that would be the time when you should focus more on the specific differences that XAT has as compared to CAT.

Cheers!

Hi
Thanks for you inputs. Actually its the time to build the basic concepts and make them as sound as possible.
But my point here is just to keep giving some special emphasis to XAT exam too. Because what I have come to hear (and experience myself too) that ppl start studying for XAT only after CAT and JMET and IIFT are over, and whatever time is left after these exams ppl devote it to XAT, but that too in a CAT-style. And this is what I am trying to point out.

A poor analogy would be - History and Physics are both written in English, but then to make sense out those two texts, we need a different approach. { spare me if it was a damn poor analogy }
Anyways, the best thing we can do right now would be to go through the basic skills and try to refine them over and over again over a period. And in the mean time not to forget about the two separate exams.

We do a lot of practice for CAT {more because CAT's pattern is disclosed , and hence the study material can be prepared on that basis}, but the story is not the same for XAT, and hence it calls for at least some practice from now {ofcourse with the help of those memory based questions, and some coaching institute material}.

Thanks & Regards

Sarsij

[sarsij]

Hi all,
I have taken this from one of the threads in PG, I thought it would be useful to you all......please go through it and if possible try to write an extract in 3-5 lines.

HIV in India — The Challenges Ahead

Robert Steinbrook, M.D.
On April 1, 2007, India will launch a new phase of its National AIDS Control Program (NACP). Its goals include reducing the number of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections — currently, an estimated 98.5 to 99.5% of India's 1.1 billion people remain uninfected — improving treatment, and providing therapy to more people. The 5-year program, known as NACP-III, has a budget of about $2.6 billion, two thirds of which is earmarked for prevention and one sixth for treatment (with the remainder primarily for management), and represents a substantial increase in the attention to and spending on HIV–AIDS. More than 80% of the funds will come from outside India — from the World Bank and other international organizations, governments, and philanthropies. Most of the funding has already been committed.
When I visited India earlier this year, it was evident that the HIV epidemic was only one of the country's many pressing health problems.1 India must decide whether to commit more of the resources that are fueling its rapid economic growth — and the growth of its private health care industry — to improvements in public health and basic health care.2 In 2003, public expenditure on health represented only 1.2% of India's gross domestic product.3 There are 60 physicians per 100,000 population (as compared with 230 in Britain and 256 in the United States). With regard to HIV, challenges include increasing the number of patients receiving treatment, making additional antiretroviral medications available, improving the monitoring of therapy, training physicians and other health care workers, caring for patients with tuberculosis coinfection (see pages 1198–1199), and reducing stigma and discrimination.
Although prevention will account for a smaller percentage of the total NACP resources than at present, it will remain the focus of India's AIDS control strategy. The components of the strategy are similar to those in other South Asian countries and include intensive prevention efforts directed at the high-risk groups of commercial sex workers, injection-drug users, and men who have sex with men, as well as "bridge populations" such as truckers and migrant workers.4 Avahan (Sanskrit for "a call to action"), the India AIDS initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, addresses gaps in India's national response and aims "to prove that prevention can be done at scale," according to Ashok Alexander, the program's director. The components of India's strategy also include expanded HIV counseling and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, broad communication of information on prevention, promotion of condom use, an increase in the proportion of blood donation that is voluntary (since payment for donation attracts high-risk donors), improved access to safe blood, and expansion of programs for preventing mother-to-child transmission.
Each year, about 28 million children are born in India. Skilled health care personnel attend less than half of all births; infant mortality is about 55 per 1000 live births. In 2004, only an estimated 4% of all pregnant women received HIV counseling and testing, and only about 2% of HIV-positive pregnant women received antiretroviral prophylaxis, usually consisting of a single peripartum dose of nevirapine. Moreover, HIV-positive pregnant women may benefit from antepartum combination antiretroviral treatment for their own health. Under NACP-III, more pregnant women should receive monitoring of their CD4 cell counts, antiretroviral treatment, regimens designed to prevent HIV transmission (including combinations of antiretroviral drugs), and other services.
In scaling up treatment, India's domestic pharmaceutical industry has a critical role. A paradox is that Indian companies have become major suppliers of low-cost generic antiretroviral medications to low- and middle-income countries in Africa and elsewhere at a time when there are still major unmet needs for HIV treatment in India. Cipla, a company based in Mumbai, manufactures the largest range of HIV drugs and has the largest market share. Cipla exports 18 times as much antiretroviral medication as it sells domestically, according to Amar Lulla, its joint managing director. Retail drug prices are higher in India than in Africa, in part because of taxes. Eventually, enhanced patent protection for pharmaceuticals in India, which took effect in January 2005, may lead to higher prices. So far, however, no relevant patents have been issued. Initially, "government activities were not [proceeding] at the speed at which the virus was spreading," according to Suniti Solomon, director of Y.R.G. CARE, a nongovernmental treatment, research, and education facility in Chennai. In April 2004, India launched its public-sector antiretroviral treatment program at eight centers. As of January 31, 2007, about 56,500 patients were receiving treatment at 103 centers (see graph); about 62% were men, 32% women, and 6% children. Perhaps 10,000 to 20,000 additional patients were receiving treatment in the private and nongovernmental sectors. The goal is to have 250 public centers open within 5 years, providing free antiretroviral treatment to 300,000 adults and 40,000 children. However, there is no way to know whether this response will be sufficient.
Patients with HIV infection in India can receive care in the private sector that is indistinguishable from that provided in leading treatment centers around the world. All the relevant medications and laboratory tests are available. In fact, HIV medications, like other drugs, are sold over the counter. Some doctors and pharmacists, however, provide treatments that make no sense — Solomon says she knows of instances in which a patient was told to take ineffective regimens, such as one zidovudine tablet twice a day for 21 days. The provision of ineffective regimens and the development of drug resistance are major concerns.

The national program provides laboratory tests, such as CD4 cell counts, and medications at no charge to the patient. At present, five first-line antiretroviral medications are provided: the nucleoside analogues lamivudine, stavudine, and zidovudine and the nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors efavirenz and nevirapine. More expensive first-line medications (i.e., tenofovir and emtricitabine) are not provided, nor are second-line medications and more expensive laboratory tests, such as measurement of plasma HIV RNA levels. The immediate priorities are to start patients on first-line regimens, to achieve high rates of compliance through supervised therapy and intensive counseling, to build infrastructure, and to ensure that people are not "dying for lack of access to drugs that are available and affordable," according to Sujatha Rao, the director general of India's National AIDS Control Organization.
It seems inevitable that the national program will have to cover additional first-line treatments, second-line treatments, and measurement of plasma HIV RNA levels and that its protocols will eventually reflect the updated recommendations of the World Health Organization.5 Yet the costs of such tests and second-line medications — which, at about $2,000 a year, are about 10 times those of some first-line regimens — remain formidable. According to Rao, a policy of covering additional drugs is "a big responsibility. Once the government says it will provide you with these drugs, it is a commitment forever."
The largest AIDS care center in India is the Government Hospital of Thoracic Medicine, Tambaram Sanatorium, Chennai. Established in 1928 as a 12-bed private tuberculosis sanatorium, it now has extensive outpatient and laboratory facilities as well as 32 inpatient wards, with a total of 776 beds; 8 of the wards are devoted to patients with HIV. Between April 2004 and February 2007, more than 5000 patients began antiretroviral therapy at the hospital. "Every other government and private hospital would just throw the patient out as soon as they found they were HIV-positive," says Soumya Swaminathan, deputy director of the Tuberculosis Research Center in Chennai. "At Tambaram, anyone could walk in at any time. They would be taken care of."
In India, as in much of the world, stigma and discrimination present major barriers to controlling AIDS. In 2005, the HIV–AIDS unit of the Mumbai-based Lawyers Collective, which provides free legal aid, drafted comprehensive antidiscrimination legislation. India's parliament has yet to consider the bill. There are other antidiscrimination efforts, such as a campaign to persuade the courts to overturn, or the parliament to rewrite, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which makes homosexuality illegal and punishable by imprisonment.1 Within the next several months, a more accurate estimate of the number of HIV-infected people in India should be released. Although the estimate is eagerly awaited, its effect, if any, on India's resolve is a matter of conjecture. Regardless of the number, the new phase of the AIDS control program is just beginning, and the challenges remain immense.