R2 and R3 deadlines of US B Schools : Fall 2010

Here is a quick reckoner of the deadlines and admission notification of top 20 odd US Business Schools.

Please check the dates with the university websites. We have made an attempt to make it error free as of publishing it.

Click here for top 20 US B Schools Fall 2010 R2 and R3 deadlines

Still possible to start MBA in 2010

If you have missed the R1 deadlines of US B Schools and have not started your preparation for R2 deadlines of US B Schools and will still like to start your MBA in 2010, then you could look at some of the internationally reputed Business schools in Asia and Europe. Many of these schools have international student application deadlines in the months of March and April 2010.

Here is a snapshot of some of the top schools and their deadlines for the MBA program beginning in Academic year 2010.
European and Asian Business School dealines : 2010

Therefore, there is still a chance to start your MBA in 2010 even if you have not started your prep for the same to date.

Data Sufficiency : A Quick Overview

GMAT Data Sufficiency

I personally love the 'Data Sufficiency' section - because it is fun to solve them ! Broadly two reasons (1) It probably may not involve as much rigorous mathematical solving and (2) Each problem is a field of landmines that the examiner has laid for the student. I have a feeling that even for the test setter, the data sufficiency section is the most fun to set and see students fall for simple traps.

If you are a cynic who wonders if any of the questions asked in GMAT / CAT will make you a better manager, the answer is a loud 'Yes' for the data sufficiency section (apart from a few others). As a manager, you will take decisions and at each stage you will have to make sure if you have all the sufficient data to take the decision. THIS is the section which puts down the basement for your managerial career.

Some things to remember when solving data sufficiency questions:

1. Never assume anything. Just Never. If they say that x is a number - do not assume that x is a natural number; do not assume that x is a whole number; do not assume that x is an integer or that x is rational. x is a number and that is that. x could be any number.

2. If it is a 'True' or 'False' question, the answer cannot be 'May be'. It can be only one of the two. 'True' or 'False'. Simple.

3. Same is the case with 'Yes' or 'No' questions. Unless you are able to say 'Yes' or 'No', one can conclude that the statement(s) is (are) insufficient to answer the question.

4. 'No' is also a valid answer. The point is whether the statement being examined is sufficient to answer the original question. 'Sufficiency' is the core issue.

5. Each of the statement may lead to different conclusions. Consider the simple question:

What is the value of x?
A. x is the an even prime number.
B. x is a prime number greater than 2 and less than 5.

Statement 'A' says that x is 2. Statement 'B' says that x is 3. You can conclude that 'Either of the statements are individually enough to answer the question' - It does not matter that they indicated different values for x.

6. Be super careful about extreme cases. If x has been defined as a whole number - make sure that your conclusion does not change for x = 0. If x has been defined as an integer - make sure that your conclusion does not change even if x is a large positive integer or a large negative integer.

7. Do not spend inordinate time solving equations loosing track of the core issue (which is 'Sufficiency'). Consider the question 'Is x a positive number?'
If statement A leads you to conclude that x = root(3 + root (3)). Should you spend time find out the actual value of x? Get back to the core of the question. 'Sufficiency' is your keyword. Is x a posive number? It could be positive or negative. You do not care as to what the exact value of x is. All you care is whether x is positive.

You can be fairly certain that there will be data sufficiency questions. The examiner is trying to test the following (amongst others): (1) Is the student exhaustive in his thought process? (2) Does the student jump to conclusions at the drop of a hat? (3) Does the student spend inordinate time in mathematical equations when all I want him / her to test is sufficiency of the statements?

All the best !

- 4GMAT Mumbai Desk

GMAT - Some useful percent to fraction conversion

A set of useful percent to fractions that will save a lot of time when attempting problem solving questions in the Quant section of the GMAT test.

Percentages Equivalent Fraction

33.33% 1/3

16.66% or 16.67% 1/6

66.66% or 66.67% 2/3

6.66% or 6.67% 2/30 or 1/15

14.28% 1/7

12.5% 1/8

11.11% 1/9

9.09% 1/11

8.33% 1/12

7.14% 1/14

Let us say you have a question that states that a family spends 66.66% of its income and saves the rest. If its savings is USD 3000, how much did the family spend?

66.66% can be written as 2/3rd. So, the family spends 2/3rds of its income.
The balance that the family saves = 1 - 2/3 = 1/3rd of the income.

Savings = USD 3000 = 1/3rd the income
Hence, income = 3*3000 = USD 9000.

Trying to crack the same question keeping it in percent terms could lead to unsavory calculations.

Right time to catch 2008 deadlines of Asian and European B Schools

R1 deadlines for some US B Schools for Fall 2008 admissions are already over as we are in the first week of November.

R2 deadlines for all US B schools will fall between the first week of January 2008 and the first or second week of Feb 2008. If you plan to catch Round 2 deadlines and have already taken your GMAT then, it still is comfortably possible. However, if you are yet to even start your GMAT Preparation, then it might be a little too late to catch R2 deadlines for Fall 2008 admissions of US Business schools.

However, you still have adequate time if you are planning to catch European and Asian business schools. Most of these schools have their application deadlines between March and June of 2008. So, if you are yet to even commence your GMAT preparation you still should be able to catch these deadlines and be able to start your B School education in the academic year 2008 itself.

Here is a list of some of the top European Business Schools
1. IMD Switzerland
2. INSEAD, France and Singapore
3. Judge Business School
4. Warwick
5. Rotterdam
6. SDA, Bocconi

And a list of some of the top Asian Business Schools
1. National University of Singapore, Singapore
2. NangYang Technical University, Singapore
3. Asian Institute of Management, Manila, Philippines
4. City University of Hong Kong
5. International University of Japan

R1 Deadlines of top US B Schools for Fall 08 admissions

Round 1 deadlines of Top B Schools are just around the corner. Here is a list of some of those deadlines as a ready reckoner.

Stanford Graduate Business School [October 22, 2007]
Harvard Business School [October 2, 2007]
MIT Sloan Management [October 30, 2007]
Hass School of Business, UC, Berkeley [November 5, 2007]
The Fuqua School of Business, Duke Univ [November 20, 2007]
Chicago GSB, Univ of Chicago [October 17, 2007]
Univ of Michigan Business School, Ann Arbor [December 1, 2007]
Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth [October 10, 2007]
New York Univ, Stern School of Business [November 15, 2007]

Round 2 deadlines have been updated for these B Schools at R1 and R2 deadlines of US B Schools

Best wishes for those applying for R2 deadlines.

IIM Calcutta's PGPEX Final Lists out

Final lists of those selected for the one year PGPEX program of IIM Calcutta is out. A total of 40 applicants have been selected from an estimated 400 plus applicants for the batch commencing on Dec 1, 2007.