Puzzle on Profit and Loss - My friend collects antique stamps...

Question:  My friend collects antique stamps. She purchased two, but found that she needed to raise money urgently. So she sold them for Rs. 8000 each. On one she made 20% and on the other she lost 20%.

How much did she gain or lose in the entire transaction?


Answer:
She lost Rs 666.67

Solution:
Consider the first stamp. She mades 20% on it after selling it for Rs 8000.

So the original price of first stamp is
= (8000 * 100) / 80
= Rs 6666.67

Similarly, consider second stamp. She lost 20% on it after selling it for Rs 8000

So the original price of second stamp is
= (8000 * 100) / 80
= Rs 10000

Total buying price of two stamps
= Rs 6666.67 + Rs 10000
= Rs 16666.67

Total selling price of two stamps
= Rs 8000 + Rs 8000
= Rs 16000

Hence, she lost Rs 666.67

MBA Exams - CAT, CMAT, GMAT, GRE, CLAT Coaching/Preparation Centre

Endeavor Careers is a management coaching institute with presence in multiple cities across India. It was co-founded by alumni of some of the best B schools in the country including IIM-A, IIM-L, S.P Jain to just name a few.

With the core business of "test preparation" for the competitive exams like CAT, GMAT, GRE, CLAT and CMAT students at Endeavor are exposed to the company's in-house copyright material and state-of-art facilities to be most competent in these exams. Regular mentoring from dedicated faculty members ensures students stay focused and motivated through-out the intense preparation module.

Puzzle on Time Speed and DIstance - Mr. Wagle goes to work by a bus

Question:  Mr. Wagle goes to work by a bus. One day he falls asleep when the bus still has twice as far to go as it has already gone.

Halfway through the trip he wakes up as the bus bounces over some bad potholes. When he finally falls asleep again, the bus still has half the distance to go that it has already traveled. Fortunately, Mr. Wagle wakes up at the end of his trip.

What portion of the total trip did Mr. Wagle sleep?


Answer:
Mr. Wagle slept through half his trip.

Solution:
Let's draw a timeline. Picture the bus route on a line showen below:


    ---------------- ________ -------- ________________



  Start            1/3      1/2      2/3             End



--------- shows time for which Mr. Wagle was not sleeping

_____ shows time for which Mr. Wagle was sleeping



When Mr. Wagle fell asleep the first time, the bus sill had twice as far to go as it had already gone, that marks the first third of his trip.

He wake up halfway through the trip i.e slept from 1/3 mark to the 1/2 mark. He fell sleep again when the bus still had half the distance to go that it had already traveled i.e 2/3 mark.

Adding up, all sleeping times,
= (1/2 - 1/3) + (1 - 2/3)
= 1/6 + 1/3
= 1/2

Hence, Mr. Wagle slept through half his trip.

Best Strategic Tips and Tricks for Solving DATA Interpretation

Taking on Data Interpretation

Data Interpretation is an integral part in most of the competitive exams and has changed over the period. From being organized in early 2000’s it shifted to unorganized data in late 2000’s but with the advent of online CAT things have changed radically. The focus on organized data is back but the difficulty level has shifted to a new area i.e. calculation and understanding.

If one is preparing in any of the top MBA coaching classes, then they would be having idea about the in the current scenario a typical CAT paper has approximately 8-10 questions of DI within the quantitative section which is spread across 3-4 sets of 2-3 questions each. This has resulted in two things:

1.    Not much time can be devoted to understanding the set as the overall time allocation is also low.
2.    Difficulty level has moved from understanding the set to solving the set or calculation.

Isn’t it so much easier to solve a DI set on paper by writing the numbers right next to the question and marking things on the graph itself, but with online all this luxury has gone for a toss.

Let us try and understand the questions which are more common in the current scenario and get the challenges solved by reading at - http://endeavorcareers.com/gurus-speak/135-data-interpretation

Puzzle on Logical Reasoning - At the Party there were 9 men and children......

Question: At the Party:

• There were 9 men and children.
• There were 2 more women than children.
• The number of different man-woman couples possible was 24. Note that if there were 7 men and 5 women, then there would have been 35 man-woman couples possible.
•  Also, of the three groups - men, women and children - at the party:
• There were 4 of one group.
• There were 6 of one group.
• There were 8 of one group.

Exactly one of the above 6 statements is false.

Can you tell which one is false? Also, how many men, women and children are there at the party?

Answer:    Statement (4) is false. There are 3 men, 8 women and 6 children.

Solution: 

Assume that Statements (4), (5) and (6) are all true. Then, Statement (1) is false. But then Statement (2) and (3) both can not be true. Thus, contradictory to the fact that exactly one statement is false. So Statement (4) or Statement (5) or Statement (6) is false. Also, Statements (1), (2) and (3) all are true. From (1) and (2), there are 11 men and women. Then from (3), there are 2 possible cases - either there are 8 men and 3 women or there are 3 men and 8 women. If there are 8 men and 3 women, then there is 1 child. Then Statements (4) and (5) both are false, which is not possible. Hence, there are 3 men, 8 women and 6 children. Statement (4) is false.

Strategic Tips on How to Crack GD-PI of Top B-Schools

Most of you would have successfully managed to clear through the maze of several MBA entrance exams such as CAT, XAT, IIFT, CMAT, SNAP and other exams and now staring at a seemingly terrifying session of GD/PI ahead. Yes the process is tough, the panelists are extremely learned people who pick out the best for their college. Though it may be intimidating at first, a little practice and a lot of preparation can take you through. 

Here are 10 points that can make sure that you have a smooth sailing ahead.

1) Know Thyself
The importance of this cannot be stressed enough. Know yourself, your strengths, weakness, specialties and shortcomings and have a reason for any particular answer.


2) Tell about Thyself
Prepare a very solid answer to tell me about myself. Cover things like your family background education, work experience, extra circulars, hobbies and also why an MBA.

Read Complete 10 Points at - http://www.endeavorcareers.com/gurus-speak/505-best-tips-to-crack-gd-pi-of-top-b-schools

Puzzle on Calender - Yesterday in a party, I asked Mr. Shah his birthday.

Question: Yesterday in a party, I asked Mr. Shah his birthday. With a mischievous glint in his eyes he replied. "The day before yesterday I was 83 years old and next year I will be 86."
Can you figure out what is the Date of Birth of Mr. Shah? Assume that the current year is 2000.

Answer:    Mr. Shah's date of birth is 31 December, 1915

Solution: 

Today is 1 January, 2000. The day before yesterday was 30 December, 1999 and Mr. Shah was 83 on that day. Today i.e. 1 January, 2000 - he is 84. On 31 December 2000, he will be 85 and next year i.e. 31 December, 2001 - he will be 86. Hence, the date of birth is 31 December, 1915. Many people do think of Leap year and date of birth as 29th February as 2000 is the Leap year and there is difference of 3 years in Mr. Shah's age. But that is not the answer.

Best Strategy to CRACK CLAT in Last Few Weeks

From the infancy we are taught that HARD WORK IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS, but it’s the time to break the conventional notion and change it to SMART WORK IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS. Especially the students who are targeting to clear their respective competitive examination with one month preparation, it is their survival mantra.

This article mainly deals with how to crack CLAT in less than one month. CLAT is not tough as medical or engineering exams are. But do not take this exam lightly if you are preparing for it during a crash course.

Read Complete Article at - http://www.endeavorcareers.com/gurus-speak/545-last-few-days-before-clat-exam-important-dos-and-dont

Puzzle on Liner Equation - There are four groups of Mangoes, Apples and Bananas

Question:  There are four groups of Mangoes, Apples and Bananas as follows:
Group I : 1 Mango, 1 Apples and 1 Banana
Group II : 1 Mango, 5 Apples and 7 Bananas
Group III : 1 Mango, 7 Apples and 10 Bananas
Group IV : 9 Mango, 23 Apples and 30 Bananas

Group II costs Rs 300 and Group III costs Rs 390.

Can you tell how much does Group I and Group IV cost?

Answer:    Group I costs Rs 120 and Group IV costs Rs 1710

Solution: 

Assume that the values of one mango, one apple and one banana are M, A and B respectively. From Group II : M + 5A + 7B = 300 From Group III : M + 7A + 10B = 390 Subtracting above to equations : 2A + 3B = 90 For Group I : = M + A + B = (M + 5A + 7B) - (4A + 6B) = (M + 5A + 7B) - 2(2A + 3B) = 300 - 2(90) = 300 - 180 = 120 Similarly, for Group IV : = 9M + 23A + 30B = 9(M + 5A + 7B) - (22A + 33B) = 9(M + 5A + 7B) - 11(2A + 3B) = 9(300) - 11(90) = 2700 - 990 = 1710 Thus, Group I costs Rs 120 and Group IV costs Rs 1710.

Why Should One go For LAW Exam and Persue From Top Law Schools

Over the years, the profession of law has evolved and turn out to be one of the most rewarding career options for the youth today. Gone are the times, when it was tagged as the Family’s profession and would be carried forward as a legacy from generations to generations in a family. In today’s time anyone who has a desire and inclination towards law can pursue this profession as a career. One can make this choice right away after higher senior secondary school, with many universities offering 5 year integrated bachelor’s degree in law. 

Read More at - http://clatgurus.com/viewsinglecontent/onlineMaterialDetail/46

Puzzle on Logical Reasoning - Five friends with surname Batliwala, Pocketwala, Talawala, Chunawala and Natakwala have their first name and middle name....

Question:  Five friends with surname Batliwala, Pocketwala, Talawala, Chunawala and Natakwala have their first name and middle name as follow.

Four of them have a first and middle name of Paresh.

Three of them have a first and middle name of Kamlesh.

Two of them have a first and middle name of Naresh.

One of them have a first and middle name of Elesh.

Pocketwala and Talawala, either both are named Kamlesh or neither is named Kamlesh.

Either Batliwala and Pocketwala both are named Naresh or Talawala and Chunawala both are named Naresh.

Chunawala and Natakwala are not both named Paresh.

Who is named Elesh?

Answer:    Pocketwala is named Elesh.

Solution: 

From (1) and (7), it is clear that Batliwala, Pocketwala and Talawala are named Paresh. From (6) and (5), if Pocketwala or Talawala both are named Kamlesh, then either of them will have three names i.e. Paresh, Kamlesh and Naresh. Hence, Pocketwala and Talawala both are not named Kamlesh. It means that Batliwala, Chunawala and Natakwala are named Kamlesh. Now it is clear that Talawala and Chunawala are named Naresh. Also, Pocketwala is named Elesh.

Tips to Write Best Statement of Purpose (SOP) for MBA Admission Interviews

The SOP is the first opportunity to talk directly to the admissions committee, to make you stand out from among a pool of similarly qualified candidates, to convince the committee that you have the spark, the thirst for knowledge that could add value to your class. SOP gives you a wonderful platform to highlight the best in you. When you apply, each of the parameters in the application viz., Letter of recommendations, extra-curricular achievements, and work profile - adds an extra dimension to your personality. But it is the SOP that brings your candidature to life – which is why each essay is read carefully by at least two and often four or five people before a decision is taken on your application.

Understanding SOP:

The Statement of Purpose is your personal statement about who you are, what has influenced your career path so far, what your professional interests are and where you plan to go from here. You are required to highlight your purpose of pursuing management career, reasons of choosing a particular institute you are applying to and skills that you have gained till date. A perfect combination of all these makes an ideal SOP.

How to write a SOP:

a)    Identify the objective: Usually the purpose is to persuade the admissions committee that you are an applicant they should choose. You may want to show that you have the ability and motivation to succeed in life or you may want to show the committee that you are the kind of candidate who will do well in the business management.

b)    Prepare a Structure: Right structure of the SOP will guide your thoughts through out the essay. It makes great sense to prepare a skeleton first and then add the flesh.

c)    Identify your achievements: While highlighting different skills, you should mention your achievements and describe how they have helped you in making the person you are.

d)    Identify the major setbacks in your professional life and the learning from them: Having some setbacks in careers in common, but what you learn from them and how you improve after that is more important.

e)    Make it Unique: The people who read your application have been doing so for years and are skilled at spotting fakes. Your SOP should reflect the real you – so do not borrow it from someone.

The Don’ts:

a)    Do not be verbose: Using jargons may make the panel read your SOP; but getting your ideas right is possibly more important and hence using the right words is crucial.

b)    Do not cross your word limit: If it’s, let’s say, 800 words, keep your SOP around 700 to 830 words.

c)    Do not over praise the institute: Highlight the advantages that the institute provides as compared to another institute of same standard but be sure when to stop.

d)    Do not try to pretend: Do not try to tell the admissions committee what you think they want to hear. Be honest, look inside yourself and do your best.

e)    Do not try to justify your under performances: Rather try to share the learning from your failures.

Preparing ten to twelve drafts over a period is common as writing your Statement of Purpose (SOP) is a long and intensive process. It is necessary to put in this hard work to come up with something that is uniquely yourself, and which convinces the admissions committee that you are right for their school. This is a great opportunity to look inside yourself and be rewarded by a better understanding of who you are and what you want.


By - Hitesh Devalia
Team Endeavor

The author is COO, Endeavor Careers Pvt. Ltd., and a versatile CAT/GMAT trainer.

Puzzle on Number System - What is the remainder left after dividing 1! + 2! + 3! + … + 100! By 7?

Question:  What is the remainder left after dividing 1! + 2! + 3! + … + 100! By 7?

Answer:    After Dividing we Get 5 as remainder

Solution: 

7! onward all terms are divisible by 7 as 7 is one of the factor. So there is no remainder left for those terms i.e. remainder left after dividing 7! + 8! + 9! + ... + 100! is 0.

The only part to be consider is

= 1! + 2! + 3! + 4! + 5! + 6!

= 1 + 2 + 6 + 24 + 120 + 720

= 873

The remainder left after dividing 873 by 7 is 5

Hence, the remainder is 5.