New format of IIT entrance exam, 2013 to be held on June 2

 The Advance Joint Entrance Examination 2013, for admission to the undergraduate programme in IITs, under the new format will be held on June 2 after the Mains on April 7.

The Joint Admission Board (JAB) of the IITs, the apex body comprising IIT heads, has approved the dates at a meeting today, officials said.

The exam next year would be conducted by IIT—Delhi and H.C. Gupta would be the chairman of the organising committee.


The JAB had, on August 5, approved the common entrance test for admission to the undergraduate programme for 2013 based on percentile ranking.

The new format adopted by the IIT council comprises a two—tier system —— a main and an advance test. Students clearing the advance test after being screened in the Mains would be considered for admission, provided they are among the top 20 percentile in their boards.

The logistics for both the exam will be conducted by CBSE. The advance exam will be solely conducted by the IIT.

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Apple lists 8 Samsung products it wants banned

Apple Inc. on Monday gave a federal judge a list of eight Samsung Electronics Co. products it wants pulled from shelves and banned from the U.S. market, including popular Galaxy model smartphones.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh asked for the list after a jury in San Jose last week slammed Samsung with a $1.05 billion verdict, finding that the South Korean technology giant had "willfully" copied Apple's iPhone and iPad in creating and marketing the products. Samsung plans an appeal.

The products Apple wants out are all smartphones: Galaxy S 4G, Galaxy S2 AT&T, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S2 T-Mobile, Galaxy S2 Epic 4G, Galaxy S Showcase, Droid Charge and Galaxy Prevail.


Koh on June 26 banned the Galaxy Tab 10.1 from the U.S. market after finding it likely violated a "design patent." Samsung is now asking for that ban to be lifted after the jury found the computer tablet didn't infringe that particular patent, but it did find it infringed three Apple's software patents that cover the popular "bounce-back" and pinch-to-zoom features.

The judge has scheduled a Sept. 20 hearing to discuss Apple's demands for the sales bans. She asked Apple on Friday to submit the list of products its wants removed from U.S. stores after Samsung complained that it doesn't have enough time to prepare for the scheduled hearing.

The judge is deciding whether to reschedule the hearing to give Samsung more time to prepare. Samsung plans to ask the judge to toss out the jury's verdict as unsupported by the evidence. Failing that, the company says it will appeal the verdict to higher courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

In addition to the sales bans, Apple also plans to ask the judge to triple the damages to $3.15 billion because of the jury's finding that Samsung "willfully" copied Apple.

Apple filed its lawsuit in April of last year alleging that 28 Samsung smartphones and computer tablets had "slavishly copied" the iPhones and iPads. Samsung countered with its own claims that Apple used its wireless technology without proper compensation.

A nine-person jury in its verdict Friday unanimously agreed with Apple. Most of the damages were tied to Samsung's smartphones. The jury rejected Samsung's counterclaims.

Most of the Samsung products found to have "infringed' Apple's patent were older devices no longer being sold. The list Apple presented to the court on Monday represent devices it believes are still being sold in U.S. stores, including several versions of the company's popular S2 phones introduced last year. Samsung's newest and hottest selling smartphone, the Galaxy S3, was not part of the lawsuit and is unaffected by the jury's verdict.

The award represents about 1.5 percent of Samsung's annual revenue. Analysts said the embarrassment of the verdict is a bigger blow for Samsung than the financial setback.

Still, the question remains whether Samsung and other Apple competitors will have to redesign their smartphones to avoid infringing Apple's patents. Most analysts agree the verdict sends a threatening message to device makers such as Samsung, which use Google's Android operating system.

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Russia joins WTO after 18 years of talks

 After 18 years of negotiation, Russia, on Wednesday, entered the World Trade Organization (WTO), which restricts import duties and subsidies in an attempt to create a level-playing field for international trade.

Analysts and politicians hope that Russia, which has long proven a formidable market to foreign investors because of its byzantine bureaucracy and protectionist tariffs, would be transformed by its entry into the WTO. Russia is one of the last major global economies to enter the group, which has long included other developing nations such asChina.


While consumers here will benefit from the lower cost of imported goods, some worry that struggling industries long coddled by state subsidies, such as agriculture or the automobile industry, will suffer because of foreign competition.

Russians often complain about the burdensome cost of Western-imported consumer products, which range from refrigerators to jeans. With its entry into the WTO, the country will cut its average import tariff by 5.9 per cent, making those imports cheaper.

M. Video, one of Russia’s largest electronics retailers whose shelves are packed with foreign-made CD players and American movies, said Russia’s entry into the WTO would bring more customers into their stores.

“We believe that (entry into the WTO) is going to be a very good decision for our customers in the future, because they will be able to purchase goods with prices harmonised with other economies,” said Enrique Fernandez, chief commercial officer of the company.

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Apple wins $1 billion in Samsung patent case

 A California jury awarded Apple Inc more than $1.05 billion on Friday in its patent infringement claim that Samsung Electronics Co copied technology used in its iPad and iPhone.

The nine-member jury in a federal court in San Jose, California, found overwhelmingly in Apple’s favour, saying Samsung had infringed on six of seven smartphone patents in question.


The US lawsuit was one of several cases around the world between California-based Apple and South Korean Samsung over technology rights and innovation in the fast-growing mobile computing sector.

Apple sued Samsung in April 2011, and Samsung countersued. The companies have also sued each other in Britain, Australia and South Korea. The California case was the first to go to a US jury.

Apple sought $2.75 billion for its claims that Samsung infringed four design patents and three software patents. Samsung demanded as much as $421.8 million in royalties for claims that Apple infringed five patents.

The complexity of the case was compounded by Apple’s contention that nearly two dozen of Samsung’s devices violated its patents.

The disputes date to 2010 when Samsung released its Galaxy smartphones. Apple immediately suspected that Galaxy phones copied the iPhone, which had been on the market for three years.

Apple and Samsung are the world’s largest makers of handheld devices that blend phone and a computer functionality.

Sales of the iPhone totalled 47 billion dollars in 2011, while iPad sales totaled 20.4 billion dollars, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Together they comprised 62 per cent of Apple’s sales in fiscal 2011.

In smartphone sales, Samsung has a lead over Apple with about 32 per cent of the market to Apple’s 17 per cent, according to technology market researcher IDC.

In a related decision, the US International Trade Commission ruled Friday that Apple did not infringe two patents owned by Google Inc’s Motorola Mobility unit for wireless technologies.

The commission stopped short of resolving their dispute, ordering a trade judge to reconsider Motorola Mobility’s claim that Apple had violated another patent.

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Iran opens NAM Summit condemning West

 Iran on Sunday condemned the West’s policy of intimidation against other nations and sought the Non-Aligned Movement’s support to end tough West-sponsored sanctions against it over its nuclear programme, as officials from 120 countries, including India, gathered in Tehran for the 16th NAM Summit.

“We believe that adopting worn-out policies based on intimidation and humiliation is not only unjust and unjustifiable but also weakens international cooperation for the materialisation of the goals and objectives of the UN charter,” Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said.


In his opening remarks at the meeting of the officials of NAM member states, Mr. Salehi said: “No doubt, those who plan such policies will soon find out that they are doomed to failure,” Fars news agency reported.

Iran is facing a series of tough U.N. and Western economic and financial sanctions crippling its oil and gas industry over its nuclear programme, which it calls peaceful. However, West accuses Iran of attempting to develop nuclear weapons.

He also said that “we take this opportunity to thank the NAM for its support” backing Iran’s “legitimate rights” to nuclear activities.

Referring to the crisis in Syria, the Iranian Minister called for a “national dialogue” as a peaceful solution for internal affairs of countries.

The officials from 120 NAM member states met on Sunday to work on the agenda of the heads-of-state summit to be held on Thursday and Friday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will attend the summit, which will be preceded by crucial bilateral talks with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Also on the sidelines of the meeting, India, Iran and Afghanistan will hold a strategic trilateral meet in which key issues, including regional security and economic situation and best utilisation of Chabahar Port, a significant commercial venture, will be discussed.

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BJP is also responsible for coal scam: Karat

Ridiculing BJP for stalling theproceedings in Parliament, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat on Monday alleged the erstwhile NDA government was no less responsible for the coal scam.

"Along with Congress, (BJP-led) NDA government is also responsible for the Rs. 1.86 crore coal
scam," Karat told reporters in Ranchi.


"BJP is not doing the right thing by stalling Parliament on this issue (CAG report on coal block allotment). It should allow Parliament to function," Karat said.

He said "BJP is alone and not even its allies are with it. The parliamentary system should not be disrupted." He said Left parties had expressed willingness to participate in the debate when the CAG report was placed during the monsoon session itself.

To a question, Karat did not subscribe to BJP's statement that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should not have read out his statement amid din in Parliament on CAG's report on coal block allotment.

"The Prime Minister had no alternative," Karat said.

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How to prepare for Competitive Exams ?

Everyone wants to success. Success in these exams brings immense glory and confidence to the individuals, besides giving them a clear cut break into the career line of their choice. However, seats are limited and not everyone who appears can be selected. This does not mean that those who are not selected do not deserve a training in these courses. It only means that there aren't sufficient seats to accommodate all the deserving candidates.

Self assessment is an important part in the preparation. Practice as many Mock Tests as possible in close to examination environment as possible. Because time management is very important. Don’t try to read the entire question paper first. Try to answer easy questions first with care.

Keeping this background in mind, let us explore what it takes to succeed in these competitive exams particularly at the undergraduate level.

To my mind, the first prerequisite for success in these examinations is determination. The candidate must be quite sure of his level of motivation. Without a high level of motivation, no one can go through the rigorous preparation process. Thus, you must be absolutely determined to give your best efforts in your endeavor.

Once one is sufficiently motivated, one needs to be ready to give sufficient number of hours of his or her time in studies. This is real hard work and involves significant sacrifices on the part of the individual. "All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy". Therefore it is also important that the candidate does take out some time for relaxation either through sports, music or other art forms. Regular exercise ( about 15 - 20 minutes ) every day will help maintain a healthy body which in turn will house a healthy mind.

The third requirement, is selection of the right study material. One should not go for shortcuts. Instead, try to understand the chapters / concepts in detail and practice sufficient number number of questions. Therefore go for standard textbooks, study materials provided, as various correspondence courses and other coaching institutions serve as supplementary and complementary material to the textbook material.

The fourth consideration is an appropriate 'Study Strategy'. A very common question which students ask is, How to balance the school studies with competitive exam study. Think that school studies can be incorporated within the broad framework of one's competitive exams' preparation strategy. One strategy is to look at each chapter as a chapter to be learnt, a material to be mastered; rather than dichotomizing it as school & competitive exam-related study material. Ultimately, if one's clear about the concepts of say, "Current & Electricity", and has practiced sufficient number of questions / numericals ; one can face any examination whether of school or competition. One can use periodical tests in school as an opportunity to master the material that one has collected rather than restricting yourself to the limited knowledge & practice that is needed for doing well in the periodical test itself. Of course, you may not be able to complete all the practice material for one test but clear the concepts. You can us

There is no short cut to success, this is the first thing you should remember. For this reason you have to study well first of all. But the preparations are different for different types of exams, rest of the practice material for revision and self evaluation at a later time. As the examinations come closer, practicing previous years papers is also key to doing well in these examinations.

Also revise the important concepts, facts, problems that you would have marked during during your 1.5 - 2 years of preparation before the examination.The presentation is the major factor that affects your marks. Whatever you studied or prepared your marks will depend on how you present them in the answer sheet. The teachers may not be able to read all what you have written.

On the day of examination, keep your cool and attempt the questions. Remember, if you have given your best during the last 1.5 - 2 years, you need not fear anything. Ultimately, only effort and not the result is in your hand. Which you should do to your maximum capability as outlined above. Rest is your destiny or luck. So go ahead, give your best and leave the rest!

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Way to Success in Competitive Examinations

Analysis of Previous Years' Question Papers

Knowledge of previous years' questions is indispensable for channelising your studies in the right direction. Otherwise, you will simply grope in the dark.

The examiner is given a copy of the preceding years' question papers when he is asked to set the question paper for the current year. If it is important for the examiner, you can appreciate how far more important it should be to you, the examinee. Luckily, previous years' question papers, whether in solved or unsolved form, can be readily had.

In this respect, Competition Success Review and General Knowledge Today can certainly help you.

Once you have assessed the general scope and background of the subject as a whole, the next course to be followed is to analyse it in the light of the questions that have been asked in the past. This will show you the important topics which, perhaps, attract a question every year, alternate year, and so on. In the end, this will help you to determine the importance of topics in the order of priority and to work out a guess paper with reasonable accuracy, based on logical reasoning.

Making Out the Guess Paper

A comprehensive study of the previous years' question papers will give you an idea of the topics that recur.

It will also indicate the priority you should accord to different constituents of the syllabus.

Concentration

Concentration on the subject of your study is extremely essential to get the maximum benefit in the minimum time.

Since you have drawn a time table, you have to make full use of your time by developing the ability to concentrate while you study your books or notes.

Concentration is not an ability we are born with. It can be easily acquired by some effort on your part. It springs from the emotional drive generated when you have an intense and burning desire to achieve something.

In short, it is related to the interest you have developed in the activity on which you wish to concentrate. The more the interest, the greater becomes your concentration. It comes as a by-product of interest.

Once you are interested in something, you can concentrate on it easily. You have, therefore, to find ways to develop and increase interest in the subject of study. Interest, in turn, is closely related to knowledge.

The greater the knowledge, the deeper becomes the interest. You can also develop and sustain interest through theprocess of motivation. Remind yourself often as to why you must succeed at the competitive examination in which you are appearing.

Think of the gains, power, position, prestige and status. Think of the bright and prosperous future you will have. Use your imagination and visualise the benefits. Whenever your interest slackens, obtain a fresh dose of enthusiasm and interest by thinking about your ultimate goal and by imagining how topping the list in this competitive examination is essential and how it will help you to attain that goal.

Isolation, calm and quiet environment help to build up concentration. Try and minimise the distracting factors. Concentration is also made easier with your time table.

If you plan your day and your week and if you perform each activity at the right time, you will find concentration coming to you automatically. Your plan, your daily programme and the habit of doing each task at its appointed hour will soon extend the time during which you can concentrate.

When you concentrate,you can understand and remember faster and better.

Memory

It is important that you remember what you read in order to write the best answers in the competitive examination. A study that leads to no lasting impression on the mind is all wasted.

Memory is, again, principally a question of interest. You will have no difficulty in remembering things which really interest you. You are emotionally involved with them.

Therefore, by various methods discussed here, you must create the necessary interest and involvement in the subjects of your study.

We learn the general rule that the more we know about anything, the more interesting it becomes. The cure for lack of interest is to keep learning more.

As your study develops, your wish to continue it strengthens. Next to interest, your memory depends on understanding.

It is much easier to remember something clearly understood than something which goes over your head. What you understand is easily remembered.

What you don't understand is an intolerable burden on the mind. Finally, concentration itself leads to absorption and retention.

You are likely to remember anything which you have studied with undivided attention or deep concentration.

Word-by-word memorisation is not the right answer, as the material and facts to be remembered are considerable. You should, therefore, remember the points to be covered under each paragraph.

When you think of answering a question, you must know in advance how many pages you are going to write and how many paragraphs are likely to be there.

The length of your answer is conditioned by the time factor and the marks allotted to the question. For the essay-type answers, you must remember the para headings.

In fact, para headings can be selected by you according to the facts you are going to write about in that paragraph.

Then, by arranging the first or second letters of the para headings, you can coin suitable catchwords which could be readily remembered.

For instance, if the first para is "Introduction", the first letter of the catchword can be T. If the title of the second para is "Nationalisation", 'N' becomes the second letter of the catchword.

By this process, you can coin words like "India", etc. In order to ensure that the significance of the catchwords stays in your memory, you must reduce them to writing. Besides, the writing should be repeated as often as possible so that there is no mix-up among many such catchwords you may have coined.

Working to a Timetable

While preparing for a competitive examination you must rigidly follow a time-table. The earlier you begin, the better it is. Start with your difficult subjects first. You can give a total of three months for the entire study.

For intensive study and preparation of guess paper, allot ten days for each subject. Thus, in two months you would have covered all the six subjects. Next, the intensive revision should start.

Now give three days to each subject, which means a total of 18 days. Then the third revision can be done with two days for each subject. Finally, revise each subject before the examination according to the examination schedule.

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How to Prepare for Bank PO Exams ?

This a common question often asked by the students who just started the preparation of bank recruitment exams conducted by reputed public sector banks.

At the beginning of preparation of bank exam focus should be on the basics. Always remember, ignoring the importance of fundamentals may hurt your preparation at later stage so its better to remove dust from the basic concepts of Mathematics, Reasoning, Grammars etc.

        

Start from the Mathematics book of 9th and 10th and quickly remind basics like percentage, profit and loss, Interest rates averages, mensurations, Geometry, Number System etc.

         

For reasoning think about the puzzles you used to love playing during your childhood. Start playing Sudokoo, solve classic puzzles found in different books like relationship puzzles, number arrangement etc. You may think this type of question is irrelevant for bank exam. yes you are right, some of these questions are not relevant but remember it is the primary stage of preparation and your focus is on brushing up your basics. These question will act as a warm up for difficult question. It will create interest and open your mind.

         

For English section go through the grammar books of school days. Make a clear cut concept of basic things and try to find out the common grammatical errors people commit during writing or speaking. This will help you solve the common error questions asked in the English section of exam. Also read as much English as you can, improve your vocabulary by collecting word meanings, their antonyms, synonyms and also try to understand the sentence pattern used in the modern English. All these exercise will help you in the later and more serious stage of  exam preparation.

Remember for the success in the bank recruitment exam there is no alternative of practice. The more you practice the better score will you get. Solve as many question set as you can. Collect question banks of different bank exams and solve them daily. Try a join Mock Test series organized by many coaching institutes to evaluate your progress. Remember you have every thing that a winner have but you need to sharpen your skill to achieve your goal. After all Practice Makes a Perfect. 

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How to prepare for MBA Entrance Exams ?

 

MBA entrance examination need in-depth knowledge, analytical mind, sharp memory and above all, systematic planning and preparations. Needless to say that the candidates cannot and should not attempt the preparations overnight. Since the competition is taken by the best available talent from all disciplines, meticulous and long-run preparations are required to get admitted to the programme. Although the syllabi and contents/papers in the admission/entrance test differ from university to university (and between the Institutes as well), there are certain common aspects that appear in most of the entrance tests/CATs in one form or the other.

Success in MBA Entrance Exam in India is also no cake walk. You need in-depth knowledge, analytical mind, sharp memory and above all, systematic planning and preparation. Needless to say that the candidates cannot and should not attempt preparation for his MBA Entrance Test overnight. Since the competition is amongst the best available talent from all disciplines, meticulous and long term preparation are required to get admitted to the MBA program. Although the syllabi in the admission/entrance test differ from university to university, there are certain common aspects that appear in most of the entrance test, CAT, XAT, MAT, XLRI, SNAP and MBA Entrance Exams conducted by State Universities in one form or the other.

Quantitative Aptitude: A candidate seeking admission to MBA programme is expected to have aptitude for basic and elementary accounting as well as the knack of solving the simple arithmetic problems.

Logical Reasoning: Questions on logical reasoning may be of several types and in several forms. These could include a statement on which the candidates are asked to draw correct interference out of the given choices. There could be questions on series of words and figures, arrangement of alphabets, brain teasers or even such questions as only call for drawing logical inferences.

Comprehension Test: Comprehension test is aimed at gauging the understanding of English language by the candidates. Usually, a paragraph is given which the candidates are required to go through carefully and then answer the question by choosing the correct answer. To attempt this part speedily and correctly, the candidates must practice reading with a quick speed and understanding the entire passage.

General Awareness: As the name suggests, the test of general awareness aims to judge the general knowledge of the candidates. Basic facts about all aspects of general knowledge like Science, Geography, History, Economics, Polity, etc are essentially required to be known. A good knowledge of all branches of general knowledge is essential

Discipline is very important. Plan your preparation, maintain a fixed schedule and stick to it. There are three basic areas which arc tested in the MBA entrance exams.

You should also solve crossword and sudoku puzzles every day as this will improve your accuracy and aptitude. After you gain some confidence with your preparation, you can join lest series so that you get an idea about your current level of preparation.

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How to prepare for Engineering Entrance Exams ?

There are numerous engineering entrance exams that are conducted in our country every year, both at a national and state level.

Very important point is not to get nervous while going for the exam.This will get your hands and brain move faster,quicker and better than those who are nervous!

The important thing the candidates must do is to practice on solved question papers. Doing this will give them the confidence to attend any question. Also, another advantage to this is the candidates will be able to time themselves. A lot of time can be saved by practicing this method. In addition to this, the candidates also must make certain that the books as well as question papers that are chosen are authentic and appropriate.

Choosing the right books for entrance exams is very important.Consult IITians and your teachers about them to make sure that you get your hands on the right ones and don’t waste your time in trying out new books every time.

comprehensive study plan will help the candidates attain their targets to a certain extend. Applying a schedule that the candidates are sure to follow will also help them to manage their time. But the candidates need to ensure that this timetable is in tune to their schedule and daily needs. In addition to this, the candidates must also find out their comfort zones for studying. Be it with friends or studying alone, the candidates must make sure that where ever they are, they have a calm and tranquil atmosphere to prepare for their exams.

The candidates can divide their portions into two categories – the hard part and the easy part. They can complete the easy part first and then tackle the tough part. This method will increase their skills in doing numerical or writing essays.

To crack big papers it is very very important to be able to solve the paper completely.You might know all the questions but not been able to solve them is equivalent to not knowing them.So the golden rule is practice a lot of sample papers and in the exams not to waste time on a single question.

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How to Prepare for an Exam ?

As there are many ways to test people on knowledge, there are equally as many ways to prepare for an exam. People are different and thrive in different preparatory methods. We've designed several different ways for you to ace your exams.

1. Essay Exams
Essays can be some people's favorite or least favorite type of exam. The good part of the essay exam is that you can truly explain your knowledge of the subject matter in many ways. If you forgot a single word, then it will not cause you severe loss of points (as it would in a multiple choice test). Usually, essay exams are difficult to grade because they can be subjective. Therefore, people with better writing skills tend to favor these types of exams, as they know how to structure an essay. If you need help on writing essays, please read our section on How to Write an Essay. The tips below will help you prepare for an essay exam.

2. Multiple Choice
Multiple-choice exams are easy for some and death for others. Some people can sail through on them without studying at all. Others think too hard on each question and miss the obvious answer sitting before them. The beauty of a multiple-choice test is that all the information you will need is given to you. The drawback of a multiple-choice test is that the additional information given to you is designed to confuse you. It takes a specific mindset to excel in this type of testing. See below for tips on how to prepare for a multiple-choice exam. These exams are like sports; they take a lot of practice, but you can master them. True or False questions may also fall into this category, where you will be given a fact and have to choose one or the other. 

3. Matching
Matching exams are rather student friendly exams. They are generally given in high school, infrequently in college, and almost never afterwards. They come in two formats: equal questions and answers, and trick question and answers. When there are equal sets of facts to match up, then you will more than likely excel. However, many tests are designed to truly test your knowledge and will place a few extra categories on one side of the matching plane. When this occurs, you must rely on your factual knowledge and not simply your ability to filter out bad answers. 

4. Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the Blank exams are also more prevalent in high school and earlier. Occasionally you will find this type of exam in college and beyond. If so, you are lucky, for you will increasingly wish you may have this type of exam. In this case, you must know the factual information in order to fit it into the sentence. However, in these tests, you can rely on your context clues of the sentence to see what works. If you have a general enough basis of knowledge on a subject matter, you will more than likely fill in the correct blank. True or False questions may also fall into this category, where you will be given a fact and have to choose one or the other. 

5. Oral Exams
Oral Exams are generally held for graduate school. In law school, students are questioned aloud in class often, and in order to complete a PhD, doctoral students must pass their "Orals." These oral exams, also given in college and high school, are stressful examinations. You are sitting in front of professors who will ask you questions on the spot. You cannot formulate ideas in your head, test them out on paper, and erase. You must come up with ideas and speak fluidly and succinctly. You will have little ways out of answering questions you don't know, aside from honesty. 

Of these six basic testing procedures, we will outline different ways to prepare, depending on your time schedule, your patience, and of course your type. 

1. Essay Exams
• Ask your teacher/professor for a few practice questions
• Time yourself and write a sample essay or two a couple days ahead of time
• Look over old essay questions (if available)
2. Multiple Choice
• Practice practice practice
• Go over several old exams to get used to the format
• Memorize facts using flashcards or group questionnaires
• Do not cram (for you will inevitably forget information)
3. Matching
• Memorize facts using flashcards
• Group question-answer studying
• Try your own matching tests, test yourself
4. Fill in the Blanks
• Test yourself with self-made tests
• Ask your teacher for old tests and practice on those
• Study with flashcards of facts
• Test friends in a study group
5. Oral Exams
• First outline all you plan to say on paper
• Practice it aloud to yourself
• Practice in front of a mirror (to see body language, hand gestures)
• Practice aloud to an audience (of family or friends)

It is important to remember that not all people test alike. You may prefer one type of test to another solely based on your ability to study for it. Regardless of your favorite preparatory habits, you will inevitably be tested in all five of these formats at some point in your life. It is highly advisable to learn how to prepare for them all.

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How to prepare for CA exam By N K Agarwal

Passing the CA exam is not as difficult as it is made out to be. Several students clear it in the first attempt and even secure ranks. Why, then, are others unable to crack it? The reasons are several.

1.Type of the students and their inherent capacity

 There are two streams of students joining CA course

 One that joins after the intermediate or plus-two stage and the other that joins after graduation.

The stage at which one joins the course can be crucial. The inherent ability of a student can be an important factor. A bright student chooses the course by choice and not by chance.

Such students take the CPT examination route.

2.English Medium V/s Other regional medium

A second major contributing factor is the medium of instruction. Those who study in regional-medium schools, face a lot of difficulty in comprehending the subject.

 3.Exposure of Rural and city student

This is the factor number three.

Students from rural and semi-urban areas face difficulty in understanding the subject due to inadequate exposure.

Another drawback could be the lack of access to reading material, non-availability of textbooks, Internet facilities, so on. While these students are sincere, they may lack the right guidance.

Students can overcome the fear of the examination by following a regular and systematic study routine.

How to study

Start preparing for the examination immediately on joining the course.

Study regularly and conscientiously. It does not matter how many hours you study, but how much you understand.

Qualitative study is important. In addition to the student journal, subscribe to the journal of the Institute. It helps to keep you updated. Keep track of the latest in all the subjects: accounting standards (new standards, revision of old ones, interpretations, etc.) auditing and assurance standards, amendments to company law and other laws, Finance Act and Income-Tax law.

Study material

Your study material is the most important. Supplement it with a good standard textbook. A good student does not require tuition. Tuitions certainly are helpful, but only when you have it in you to use them.

For a professional, self-study and getting to the root of the subject is essential.

1 Attitude

Subjects such as law require repeated reading. Candidates often complain of not being able to remember the provisions/sections. Now, this is a matter of attitude. When one can remember film songs, sequences, dialogues, phone numbers, why not the section numbers? Students tend to read out of compulsion. Examinations are imposed on them. If it were not for examinations, would students have studied? Apply the attitude you have towards play to studies. The world will begin look different.

3 Strategies

Follow a strategy of study. Remember, you cannot study accounts independent of company law. Income-tax cannot be studied independent of accounting. Thus, these subjects are inter-related. You have to study all the subjects for the examination. Take, for example, the issue of shares by a company. Read provisions of company law from S. 55 onwards prospectus, contents, liabilities for misstatements, and so on till S.108. You would have grasped the legal requirements. Then work out problems in accounting on issue of shares at par, premium, discount, for consideration in other than cash, etc. Follow it up with audit of issue of share capital, resolutions to be passed, and documents to verify, and so on.

Study the tax provisions for allow ability of share issue expenses, etc. Thus, you would have covered the issue from all points of view. This may look cumbersome in the beginning, but once you get used to it, things become interesting. This way you will have covered a part of company law, a part of income-tax, part of auditing, as well as a part of accounting.

3 Group study

Group study can be helpful too. Form yourselves into groups of six. Thus six friends can cover six subjects. Rotate them among yourselves. Engage in group discussions. Subjects like tax, law, etc., can be tackled better this way. Use a marker to highlight the material items as and when you study it for the first time. When you read the second time, you can concentrate only on the highlighted part. Grammar is, of course, to be built in into the answer.

 3 All subjects are important

 One should realise that the candidate should pass in all subjects and secure 50 per cent in the aggregate to clear the examination. Scoring 90 per cent in one and 10 per cent in another, will lead you nowhere. Distribute time judiciously for all subjects.

Other activities

Each of us has hobbies. Spare some time for that. This will

you unwind. It increases productivity. Develop certain hobbies and pursue them. A light game, for instance, or a crossword puzzle. At the same time, know when to stop. Get your priorities right. A student should be physically fit, spiritually sound and mentally alert. Also, spare some time for fitness. You should be strong enough to withstand the stress and strain of hard work. Endurance is important.

Writing

 Practise writing. What you read will prove futile if you cannot reproduce it on the D-day.

The final charge

Generally, the pressure valve is turned on only after the candidate pays the examination fees.

There is a lot anxiety, nervousness, and tension. If a candidate is well prepared, last minute blues can be avoided. The candidates should learn how to tackle each subject and perform accordingly. One should know which accounts need to be opened and how to reach the goal in the shortest possible route and quickly. Saying that you should pass 36 journal entries for amalgamation, 16 entries for issue of shares, etc., is unjustified. You should learn to play according to the wicket. Passing the CA examination should become a routine, much like other examinations. Passing in the first attempt should be the rule and not an exception.

Notes:

Undertake mock tests-Try doing practical problems in examination conditions.

Try practical problems (solved illustrations) without seeing solutions and then compare answers to evaluate your performance and take steps to remove shortcomings.

Note the important catch points which you think are important on a separate paper or note book to revise at the final revision time before the exams.

Identify some problems which you want to practice on the last day before exam because it is not possible to revise all the problems on the last day.

List out what you want to revise on the last day and make sure to revise them

General Guidelines while attempting the paper to get better results.

Read full question paper before attempting the answers.

Identify & attempt the question which in your opinion can be done comfortably as your first answer which should be your best attempt.. This will give you confidence and good impression to the examiner.

Time management strategy

Divide your time for the questions as per the marks scheme say if the time allotted is 3 hours (i.e 180 minutes) for 100 marks. You need 5-10 minutes to read full question paper, 5-10 minutes to check the answer at the end when you have finished. So time available is say 170-160 minutes for the full paper. So for each mark you have only 1.70 to 1.60 minutes i.e. for 20 marks you have only 34 to 32 minutes. So plan your answers as per time schedule and take care to give each mark its due time. In case you are able to save time on some questions that can be used in other questions

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