Your Counsellor Replies

Your Counsellor RepliesWe are class IX students interested in writing the IIT-JEE exam. Please advise.Filsy S & Krishnapriya R, IdukkiYou still have a long way to go. You have to write the IIT-JEE after class XII or Plus Two (science). However you must start preparing for this exam from class XI onwards.Candidates have to secure at least 60 percent (55 percent for SC/ ST) in their Plus Two board examinations to qualify to write IIT-JEE. The exam comprises three question papers (two-hours duration) in physics, chemistry and mathematics. With effect from this year, candidates will be allowed only two attempts to crack IIT-JEE ‚ once in the year he/ she is writing the class XII board examination and the second after successful completion of the board examination.The formal IIT-JEE notification appears in mainstream newspapers and Employment News every November. The syllabus for the screening test and main examination is common. The examination is held across the country. To help you prepare for the exam, you can opt for a correspondence course with a coaching school. For further information log on to www.iitb.ac.in.I‚m in my final year B.Com and want information about the Common Admission Test (CAT). What‚s the eligibility requirement?Neha Sawant, PuneThe exam notification for CAT, conducted by the highly-reputed Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), is published in prominent newspapers across the country in the month of July. CAT is usually conducted in November, so you could start planning and preparing right now.The minimum qualification for admission into MBA/ MMS/ study programmes is a graduate degree in any stream ‚ arts, science, commerce. Some universities and institutions may stipulate a minimum pass percentage of 45 or 50. The final selection of B-schools is based on performance in a written test (such as CAT), group discussion and personal interview with due weightage given to the candidate‚s academic record, extra-curricular activities and work experience, if any, after graduation.You should apply to institutions recognised by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Campus placements have a direct correlation to the reputation of the management institute you select.Please provide information about GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering). Pankaj Mehta, AhmedabadGATE scores are used for admission into postgrad programmes offered by prominent engineering, technology, architecture, and pharmacy education institutions. Candidates are required to write a single paper of three hours duration. You have to choose the subject paper which makes you eligible for admission into a specific programme/ institute. Visit www.gate.iisc.ernet.in or www.iitb.ac.in/gate to learn details of paper format, syllabuses, examination deadlines etc.The notification is usually published in September-October and the exam is held on the second Sunday of February the following year. You could apply in the final year of engineering or after graduation.I want to pursue the Master of tourism administration programme. Which institutes and universities offer this programme and are career prospects good?Nirmala Ponappa, BangalorePostgraduate courses in tourism administration are of either one or two years duration. The Master of tourism administration (MTA) programme is offered by some business management institutes and also by specialised tourism institutions. Job prospects are usually good. If you are keen on a career in tourism, you could also opt for MBA (tourism) at the School of Management Centre for Tourism Studies, Pondicherry University (www.pondiuni.org) or the two-year postgrad diploma in business administration (travel and tourism) of the Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies, Residency, Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram 695 014 (www.kittstour.org), or its two-year MBA with specialisation in service marketing and tourism management. Moreover personnel and human resource development programmes are offered by the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Govindpuri, Gwalior 474011 (www.iittm.org).I‚m in second year B.Com and want to pursue an MBA in one of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM). Please advise about the admission process and entrance test.Eric D‚Silva, MumbaiAdmission into the postgraduate programme in management at the IIMs is open to graduates. The Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by the IIMs is used for shortlisting applicants for admission into the six IIMs and several other B-schools. Candidates who clear CAT are invited for group discussion and personal interview.Your first chance to write the CAT would be in the final year of undergrad study.I‚m a Plus Two (science) student and want to qualify as a commercial pilot. Please advise.Sudhir Rao, ChennaiCareer prospects for qualified pilots look good with several new airlines competing for airspace. If you are in a position to afford the cost of approximately Rs.15 lakh towards your commercial pilot licence (CPL), this is a great career. After class XII, you could enroll in a B.Sc aviation programme. With several new airlines taking wing, pay packages for pilots are getting fatter. So go for it.I‚m in second year B.Com. When should I start preparing for the CET for admission into an MBA programme?Deepak Rao, ChennaiThis is the time to start preparing for the MBA entrance exam, which you can write in the final year of graduation. Make another attempt after graduation if you don‚t succeed. You can consult guidebooks for MBA entrance tests or enroll in correspondence courses offered by coaching institutes. Coaching helps you formulate a strategy, but hard work and motivation is absolutely necessary for a successful attempt.