JMET 2010 'A' Series Solutions

Exam Snapshot

The JMET2010 remained true to form and did not produce any big surprises. As specified in the JMET2010 notification there were 120 Qs over 4 sections with a total time of 180 mins. It was clearly mentioned in the paper that there would be sectional cut-offs and negative marking for wrong answers. Of the four sections, DI and QA sections were relatively simple. The LR section was of medium level difficulty, while the “Verbal Communication” section was very difficult with some treacherous RC passages and some unheard of words that would have caused problems for even the most well prepared of students. Let us now take a look at the individual sections of JMET2010.

Section 1: Verbal Communication

This section tested the candidates’ abilities in Comprehension, Vocabulary (meanings, opposites, relationships, word pairs that cause confusion) and Grammar and Composition (sentence correction, choose the right sequel). This section was the toughest of the four sections and the key to doing well in this section was to not get stuck in the difficult passages but to keep on moving trying to locate the ‘easier’ Qs. The first two RC passages were easy and should have been attempted. The questions from these passages looked at detail, main ideas, implications and inferences. The 3^rd passage (an adaptation of Albert Einstein's article on Bertrand Russell) and the 4^th passage (an excerpt from “The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell) made for difficult reading, not so much for the language as for the unfamiliar thoughts. Those who tried these passages would have found that it took some time. The vocabulary questions were straight from hell and would have been tough nuts to crack for the best of the best. The grammar and composition questions would have taken a little time to answer, but these would count as the easier questions in this section.

The cut off mark in this section is likely to be around 6-8 marks.

Section 2: Logical Reasoning

The Logical Reasoning section of JMET was of medium level difficulty. The section had three questions on para-jumbles, 6 Qs from Critical Reasoning and 21 Qs from Analytical reasoning. The para-jumbles were relatively easy and could have been attempted. In the set “Chandramohan and family”, it is mentioned that Manohar is married to Rita in the family; but the choices mention “Geeta” who is not mentioned anywhere in the set above. This would have troubled many a student who would have lost precious time trying to unravel the Qs. One should do well to remember that management exams are also a test of ones ability to manage such situations and to come out of it without much loss. Though this does not absolve JMET of the mistake it made but students should realise that presence of mind and not crying over spilt milk is required in these exams. The set on “six friends and their marriages” was difficult and should have been avoided. Most of the CR questions were of moderate diffculty; a sound knowledge of basic concepts would have helped one crack these Qs. The question on “MBA entrance exam” was difficult, and should have been solved using the choices. There were some easy questions, including the one on Coding- Decoding, Statements & Conclusions and Logical Connectives which should have been attempted.

The cut off mark in this section is likely to be around 9-10 marks.

Section 3: Quantitative Ability

The Quant section of this year’s JMET had some “sitters”, and students who took the time to scan the paper would have been rewarded. The questions were mostly based on practical scenarios/business problems involving quant concepts, varying from differential calculus and probability distributions to simple equations and percentages. Most of the questions did not require concepts of higher maths, and could be solved using simple concepts only. The set on “Anand and Ben” was quite tricky and required a careful reading. There were a couple of tough problems, including the one on “Placing coins on squares” which were better avoided.

The cut off mark in this section is likely to be around 8-9 marks.

Section 4: Data Interpretation

The Data Interpretation questions were for the most part quite straightforward and could have been solved by simple observation. The set on “World manufacturing exports” had lots of numbers and appeared intimidating; but once the meaning of the numbers was understood, solving the set would have been quite simple. The graph in the set “Chain of stores” wasn’t well constructed which would have made the task of answering the Qs quite tricky as approximations were required and in some cases the answers weren’t close to what was given in the options and one was forced to mark the “closest” choice. Also, in the set “Three MBA programs”, the question on difference between the percentage of experienced male students in the regular program and DLP program did not have any correct answers. However despite these errors there were enough doable Qs and the attempts would be pretty high in this section.

The cut off mark in this section is likely to be around 10-11 marks.

Sectional Scores and Overall Cut-Off

JMET over the years has set low sectional cut-offs and higher overall cut-offs. It gives ranks to ALL those who clear the sectional cut-offs which means that a large number of students (close to around 8-10 thousand) secure ranks but not all of them will be able to secure a call from one of the IITs. Only those who secure a rank in the Top 2500 will have a chance of getting calls from one or more of the IITs for their management programs. JMET is the qualifying exam and as such the sectional cut-offs given are what we estimate is required to secure a rank. It is also possible that each of the IITs could have a different/higher sectional cut-offs depending on their selection process. Our estimate of the overall score required to get a call from different IIT’s is as follows:

Expected Overall Cut-off marks