Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi   

Veteran's recipe for cracking CAT

S. Aishwarya

``Do not echo views of editorials''

Padmalatha Suresh.

TIRUCHI: "Cracking the CAT (Common Admission Test) is no big deal. Conceptual clarity and speed are all that one needs while tackling it," says the faculty of Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (IIM-K), Padmalatha Suresh.

Also the Director of DMS Financial Services and a leading financial consultant, Mrs. Suresh owes a major part of her success to her alma mater, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A).

"CAT demands just common sense and ability to connect theories," she continues. "One must have his Maths clear and English right." But she says English is taking a backseat now in written tests as the stress lie on quantitative aptitude and reasoning ability.

Though the filtration continues across three stages — written exam, group discussion and interview, clearing the first stage increases the probability of getting through the process.

On Group Discussion, she advises the students to "get into the habit of lateral thinking." "We need fresh thinkers and not those who echo the view of an editorial."

Synonymous with stress interview, IIMs' interview mainly look for candidates, who project themselves what they are. "We particularly look for honesty and integrity. A company needs ethical managers who can withstand stress and take decisions on the spot."

The IIM culture

In retrospect, she finds it is the culture of the institution that does the trick. "IIM culture grooms the adult in you. One needs four hours of pre-class study and post-class study for a two-hour session. One could see all bleary-eyed faces attending the session but still manage to make the best out of it."

A guest lecturer at Great Lakes Institute of Management, Goa Institute of Management and ICFAI Business School, Mrs. Suresh finds the `IIM-private institutes divide' to be very thin. "No doubt IIMs provide world's best managerial skills for students. But there are also some competent B-schools that offer excellent skill-building programmes."

Also a faculty for `Infrastructure Financing' at IIM-Kozhikode and Indore, she observes that the proportion of south-Indians, especially from tier-II cities, are much higher. "Back in my college days, the Tamil-speaking population at IIM will be so high that we used to call it as `Tamil Nadu Express.' Though the proportion has dwindled over a period of time, the contribution from the South is appreciable." Which is why Chennai is looked upon as a potential place for opening sub-centres of IIM-Bangalore and Kozhikode in a year or so, she adds.

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