IRMA
– 2010 Analysis
Exam Snapshot
|
Number
of Questions |
200 |
|
Sections |
4 |
|
Marking
Scheme |
1 |
|
Negative
Marking |
¼ |
|
Number
of Choices |
5 |
|
Duration |
120 Min |
For a
change this year the IRMA test was the second exam of the season after the CAT!
However IRMA 2010 was on the lines of 2008 & 2009 with the similar
distribution of Qs across sections and the areas that were tested. The paper
can be classified as “Easy-Moderate” in terms of the difficulty level and had
no major surprises compared to that of 2008 & 2009. Though students might
feel happy about their performance, the point to be kept in mind is that the
“Relative performance” alone matters which means that unless one gets a better
score than the others, he/she will not be able to get the coveted call from IRMA.
This year again, the score in the ‘Issues of Social Concern’ section will
determine the fate of many a student! However the students who focused on the
kind of areas indicated by IRMA and those who followed the TIME material on GA
carried out in the monthly magazine “Management Education & Careers” would
have found out that their efforts have paid off. The scores in this section
would be low and those who were able to balance their performance in the other
three sections would stand a good chance of securing a call.The ideal number of attempts in this paper
would be around 140+ and this coupled with an accuracy level of 80-85% should
help one get the coveted call.
English Comprehension
No. of Questions: 40
Like last year IRMA
stuck to its traditional pattern in this section with a lot of emphasis on
Vocabulary than on Reasoning or Grammar. To begin with there was a passage on
“Water conservation” which is similar to the kind of passages given by IRMA in
the past few years which focus on social issues and problems facing developing
countries. This passage was based on the World Water Week held in Stockholm
this year where the theme was “Responding to Global Changes: The Water Quality
Challenge”. There were 10 direct Qs from this passage and 5 Qs on Vocabulary
from words highlighted in the passage. The RC Qs though based on the passage
were tricky and at times it was difficult to pick the right options. However
the Qs on Vocab (based on the passage) were quite straight-forward and students
would have been able to score handsomely here. The Qs on Para-Jumble was tricky
and not as easy as the ones seen in past IRMA papers. However by looking at the
5Qs and the options one would have been able to figure out the right sequence
of one of the statements and this would have helped one arrange the other
statements as well. The 5Qs on the ‘Appropriate phrase’ were quite straight
forward and should have been attempted. The hallmark of this section in all
IRMA papers is the ‘Cloze Test’ with 10Qs which focus on issues relevant to
rural management/development. The cloze test was easy on account of the
familiar words and theme. A good time allocation for the RC would be around
12-15 min and that for Verbal would be around 15-20 mins. Overall this was a
Easy-Moderate section and the cut-offs are expected to go up around the same
mark as last year.
The cut-off for this
section is expected to be around 18-22.
A score in the range of 28-30 should be considered to be very good.
|
Area |
Description |
Marks |
Difficulty level |
Expected Score |
Good Score |
|
Verbal
Ability |
Cloze
Test |
10 |
Easy-Moderate |
4 |
8 |
|
Verbal
Ability |
Fill
in the Blanks (2 blanks) |
5 |
Easy-Moderate |
2 |
4 |
|
Verbal
Ability |
Appropriate
phrase in sentence |
5 |
Moderate |
2 |
3-4 |
|
Verbal
Ability |
Para-
Jumbles |
5 |
Easy-Moderate |
2 |
4 |
|
Reading
Comprehension |
Passage
on Water privatisation |
15 |
Moderate |
5-6 |
9-10 |
|
Overall |
|
40 |
Easy-Moderate |
15-16 |
28-30 |
Quantitative Ability
No. of Questions: 50
The Quant section of
IRMA tests students on basic concepts in Arithmetic, Data Interpretation and
Speed Math. Those who are comfortable with quick calculations would have had a
distinct advantage in this section. The questions on Arithmetic were very easy
and were based on the straight forward application of formula and did not call
for any reasoning to be exercised. The DI sets involved fairly simple
calculations and should have been attempted. The Venn diagram set on ‘children
in a school studying three languages’ was the one to be attempted for a high
score in this section. The only limiting factor in getting a huge score in this
section would be time. A good time allocation for this section would be around
30-35 min.
The cut-off score
should be around 22-26. A score in
the range of 3-34 should be considered to be very good.
|
Area |
Description |
Marks |
Difficulty
level |
Expected Score |
Good Score |
|
Speed Maths |
Approximations |
5 |
Easy-Moderate |
2 |
3 |
|
Arithmetic |
Permutations &
Combinations, Probability Percentages, Numbers, PPL,
SI/CI, Partnerships, Ratio Proportion, Mensuration etc. |
14 |
Easy-Moderate |
5-6 |
10-11 |
|
Data Sufficiency |
Arithmetic based |
6 |
Moderate |
2 |
3 |
|
Data Interpretation |
Line Graph (%
increase in Students in Colleges A & B) |
5 |
Easy-Moderate |
6-7 |
12-13 |
|
Bar Graph (Boys
& Girls in 5 Different departments) |
5 |
Moderate |
|||
|
Table (Number of
Cell Phones mfcg. By 6 companies) |
5 |
Moderate |
|||
|
Table (Income &
Foodgrains) |
5 |
Easy |
|||
|
Venn Diagram |
Caselet (Students
studying 3 languages in a school) |
5 |
Moderate-Difficult |
2 |
3 |
|
Overall |
|
50 |
Easy-Moderate |
18-20 |
32-34 |
Analytical Reasoning
No. of Questions: 50
Those not familiar
with the Critical Reasoning variety of Qs would have found this section to be
on the tough side (next only to the Issues of Social Concern section). However,
easy questions were very much present for the students to pick and answer, and
one would be confident with this section only if a strategy of easy questions
first was adopted. There were easy questions in the form of DS (Data
sufficiency questions) which needed basic reasoning. The questions on decision
making (Selection of a candidate) and the logic puzzle pertaining to soft
drinks could have been cracked with basic level of preparation in reasoning.
Similarly the questions on ‘Odd One Out’ were quite straight forward and
involved simple logic and would have helped students attain the cut-off score.
The Critical Reasoning Qs comprised of ‘Course of Action’, ‘Inferences’, ‘Cause
& Effect’ and ‘Statement & Assumption’. Of these the ones on Course of
action were easy and should have been attempted.A good time allocation for this section would
be around 35-40 min and attempts in the range of 30-35 with an accuracy of
around 80% would be considered good. There was only one question on Analogies
and no questions this time on deductions / seating arrangements unlike last
year.
Overall this was a
section on par with the one in the previous years and the cut-offs are expected
to be around 24-26 similar to the 25 marks of last year.
A score of around
34-36 should be considered to be very good.
|
Area |
Description |
Marks |
Difficulty
level |
Expected
Score |
Good
Score |
|
Reasoning |
Miscellaneous (Odd
man Out, Analogies etc.) |
10 |
Easy |
3-4 |
7 |
|
Critical Reasoning |
Courses of Action |
5 |
Moderate |
2 |
3-4 |
|
Critical Reasoning |
Cause & Effect |
5 |
Moderate-Difficult |
1 |
3 |
|
Critical Reasoning |
Statements &
Assumptions |
5 |
Moderate |
2 |
3 |
|
Critical Reasoning |
Definitely
True-Definitely False |
5 |
Moderate-Difficult |
1 |
3 |
|
Data Sufficiency |
Reasoning based |
5 |
Easy |
2-3 |
3-4 |
|
Decision Making |
Selection Criteria |
5 |
Easy-Moderate |
3 |
3-4 |
|
Analytical
Reasoning |
Soft drink &
specialization preferences |
5 |
Easy-Moderate |
2 |
3 |
|
Critical Reasoning |
Inferences from
paragraph on “Prices of Rice” |
5 |
Moderate |
2 |
3 |
|
Overall |
|
50 |
Moderate |
18-20 |
34-36 |
Issues of Social
Concern
No. of Questions: 60
This section always
is the key to determining whether one gets a call from IRMA or not. This year
it wasn’t any different! The Qs in this section can be described as being quite
tough with a focus on ‘schemes’ of the Government and trivia relating to them.
This section can be classified as the toughest amongst the 4 sections of IRMA.
Students would have had the feeling that even with a lot of reading this
section would have been a difficult nut to crack. The questions were very
descriptive and required a lot more reading than a typical General Awareness
question. This was further complicated by the very tricky and difficult answer
choices given. Most questions pertained to Government schemes, definitions of
terms, economics, agriculture and poverty. A good time allocation for this
section would be around 15-20 min.
The cut-off score
could be a tad lower than that of last year, with the paper this year focusing
more on the issues
rather than on trivia, unlike last year. This could have made the paper appear
more difficult for the not-so-well read. The cut off would be around 22-24 and
a score of around 30+ should be considered to be very good.
IRMA Fact file
|
Number
of Seats |
Approximately
120 |
|
Reservation
Status |
NO
(Cut-offs are lower for SC/ST and OBC but no seats are reserved for them) |
|
Fees |
4.17
for both the years (2010-2012) |
|
Average
Salary |
6.13
lacs |
|
Flagship
Program |
PRM
– Rural Management |
IRMA/XIMB Cut-Offs
|
Section |
Actual Cut-Off in 2009 - IRMA |
Actual Cut-Off in 2009 – XIMB -RM |
Expected Cut-Off in 2010 for IRMA |
Expected Cut-Off in 2010 for XIMB –
RM |
|
English
Comprehension |
20 |
12 |
18-22 |
12-14 |
|
Quantitative
Ability |
25 |
17.5 |
22-26 |
16-18 |
|
Analytical
Reasoning |
25 |
15 |
24-26 |
14-16 |
|
Issues
of Social Concern |
24 |
12 |
22-24 |
12-14 |
|
Overall
Cut-off |
110 |
76 |
108-112 |
74-78 |
