Folks - made it to ISB! My profile:

GMAT - 740
UG - BE EEE - RVCE, Bangalore
Work ex - 5yrs: 3.5 in IT and 1.5 in real estate development

We offer interaction with people from over 20 nationalities as compared to ISB or the IIMs, which have limited opportunities in this respect....

... This year were using different techniques. The application shall first go through a second year student of the same nationality. So if youre Indian, an Indian student would take a look at your application ... We usually make sure that the applicant is interviewed by a person of the same nationality only.

I wonder if they have done this because of language issues. Whichever way, I think it's a little strange for an institute talking of diversity to have candidates being interviewed by folks of their own nationality alone...

Hmm..was expecting a call but didn't get one.
QA 88
VA 98.85
DI 99
Overall - 99.62
Am disappointed but have to take it in my stride. ATB to the call getters!

Flash back to 2004 November - a young man, eager to tame a feline beast with his first slingshot, seeks a weapon with with to do so. Much soul searching and gully searching later, he chances upon an Apsara extra dark. Tries it. Likes it. Uses a combination of his new marker of choice and his trusty steed, a steadler 0.5 mechanical pencil to shade the ovals that promise two years of insomnia.

May 2005 - Weapon malfunction had nothing to do with young man facing a situation of having to shade ovals once again. Aforementioned young man, wiser with experience, waxes eloquent on matters pertaining to weapon selection in public forums.

November 2005 - Young man sees true meaning and sees the maya inherent in the tantalizing choices in selection of weapon to shade ovals. Relegates choice to back of mind and focuses more on material matters such as volumes of Cat material that still need to be devoured.

November 13 2005 - It must be to do with the date. Priests at the high temple of TIME deign to offer prasad of Faber Castel pencils. And eraser. And sharpener. Young man sharpens. Shades. Likes.

And that is how I decided to use Faber Castels for Cat 2005!!
(Disclaimer - I still have last year's Apsaras which I will also be taking with me.)

I think there is a lot to learn from the way Team India is playing cricket these days. My mantra is going to be to stick to the basics and "follow processes" - all I have to do is give my best to each section and let the percentiles take care of themselves.

They say that the CAT is not an aptitude test but a test of your decision taking prowess under fire. All right - with less than 20 days to go, I pose to you, the pagalguy, a question which will test your decision making prowess to the max. A decision which preceeds all those that you must make in those 2 hours must be made soon.

Which pencil are you going to use?

I believe career forum are giving out the last 5 years papers free to all interested.....

A man needs to walk on only one road at a time. But at all times needs to ascertain himself of the route to his final destination.
You will only find out whether you were walking on the right road or whether more roads needed to be taken on reaching your final destination... or after failing to reach it...

And I thought I used to write in hyperbole! Let me extend this metaphor coz its too tempting to pass up!!

Lesson 1: Choose the right road
Each one have a road thats right for us. Some do only mocks, some prep from September, some from LKG and some don't prep at all. The right road is the road thats uniquely right for you.

Lesson 2: Read the Signs
You don't have the luxury of figuring out if you were on the right road before you reach your destination. Change the road if you have to.

Lesson 3: Refuell periodically
Mocks are nodes in the network of CAT prep, refuelling stations that help us figure out where we are and how to get to where we want to be. Refuell as often as needed, and re-orient as much as needed.

Lesson 4: Don't drive long - drive smart
Prep must be oriented towards getting to the destination in the most optimal manner. Working out the same material many times may be better than new material all the time.

Whatever works best I guess - I got a 98.3 last time round and QA pulled me down - got 84 odd there. I'll be working out all the time basic stuff for Q and DI and some stuff in verbal - plan is to start with the section tests asap and do mocks regularly. I felt last time round that lots of section tests helped boost my performance towards the end.....

And here's the link..
http://store.indiatimes.com/book/PlanetMBookDetails.jsp?audbookid=aub00012353

Try doing more section tests. Career launcher have a good book in the market - contains section tests and full length tests + a quick review of Q/V/DI. Cost = 400 odd, 20% discount on indiatimes. CF have a set of section tests - 12 X 3 = 36 tests.