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Patrick

Patrick Dsouza  |1428 Answers  |Ask -

CAT, XAT, CMAT, CET Expert - Answered on May 16, 2024

Patrick Dsouza is the founder of Patrick100.
Along with his wife, Rochelle, he trains students for competitive management entrance exams such as the Common Admission Test, the Xavier Aptitude Test, Common Management Admission Test and the Common Entrance Test.
They also train students for group discussions and interviews.
Patrick has scored in the 100 percentile six times in CAT. He achieved the first rank in XAT twice, in CET thrice and once in the Narsee Monjee Management Aptitude Test.
Apart from coaching students for MBA exams, Patrick and Rochelle have trained aspirants from the IIMs, the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies and the S P Jain Institute of Management Studies and Research for campus placements.
Patrick has been a panellist on the group discussion and panel interview rounds for some of the top management colleges in Mumbai.
He has graduated in mechanical engineering from the Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad. He has completed his masters in management from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai.... more
Asked by Anonymous - May 15, 2024Hindi
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Hey sir, I want some suggestions from you, I did my graduation in 2019 but my grades were not that good but still I decided whether I want to go to a good college or fulfill my dream but Aaj 2024 hai main abhi tk cat ya koi achcha management exam crack nahi kr paya. Now the problem is that I am 27 years old and my family is telling me to do MBA from any college.I have so many reasons for disappointment like my bad graduation marks, no extracurricular activities, gap after graduation but i don't know why i am not want to settle for less. I always wanted to do postgraduation from good place and make a good career but now I don't understand what to do or how to do it. Can you give me some suggestions as to what I can do next. And please reply with full honesty.will i go to some private university for mba and prepare well for placements ,2. Do some certification courses like data or business analytics and start preparing for job with that.

Ans: You can prepare for Management Entrance tests, but would recommend you to take up a job simultaneously during your preparation. Having a large gap after graduation without any work experience will create a problem when you go for placements in your MBA college. Considering your situation, can settle for tier 2 MBA college. But before joining the college check their placements and talk to the students of that college. Should not happen that you are jobless even after doing an MBA.
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Patrick

Patrick Dsouza  |1428 Answers  |Ask -

CAT, XAT, CMAT, CET Expert - Answered on May 07, 2024

Asked by Anonymous - May 02, 2024Hindi
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I am 23years old male living in kolkata and a bcom general graduate with 73.52% in 2022, after that i taken gap years for mba entrance preparation but not able to crack or get desired percentile in any. Currently in 2024 i am repeating again for mba entrances to secure admission in 2025. I have no work or internships experience, no awards or certifications. I got 51.17 in 12th commerce and 54.71 in 10th. I got only a digital marketing beginner certification by google digital garage earlier on 2023. Currently i taken a digital marketing course from udemy of digital marketing to hone and develop the required skills I have been searching and applying for jobs since graduating but not able to get any desired one. Now i want to get into a good mba college tier 2 because may not eligible for tier 1 and 1.5 as per my profile but i will try anyways. So for that i need to make my profile good and need certifications and jobs or internships. I interest in sales, marketing, more but also Hr domain. But nowadays i am only getting Inssurance sales, bpo, telecaller or telemarketer, Kpo, sustomer support type jobs of around avg salary of 150000 pa. Which a 12th pass candidate also getting. I often thinks to get into bpo to gain experience and money to fill my profile and manage preparation expenses but also fear that what if i get stuck in that industry. I wanted to do mba to enchance and start my career in a management role to achieve a leadership role in upcoming years as a professional in sales and marketing industry. I don't know, i think i am stucked and lost in spiral web between situations and aspiration. I also thinking to get into banking or try govt. Exams to secure a job but i also feel that it will distract me more from my real life goals. I was not a great student or person earlier but now i am changed i know my responsibilities and i know my goals but i want a clear view to walk on that path. Please help with your genuine guidance. THANK YOU
Ans: My suggestion would be to work in sales along with your preparation for MBA entrance. Sales experience could help you to get better job during your placements and could also help you in your interview stage during admission process.

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Patrick

Patrick Dsouza  |1428 Answers  |Ask -

CAT, XAT, CMAT, CET Expert - Answered on May 06, 2024

Asked by Anonymous - May 03, 2024Hindi
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Career
I am a bcom general graduate with 73.52% in 2022, after that i taken gap years for mba entrance preparation but not able to crack or get desired percentile in any. Currently in 2024 i am repeating again for mba entrances to secure admission in 2025. I have no work or internships experience, no awards or certifications. I got 51.17 in 12th commerce and 54.71 in 10th. I got only a digital marketing beginner certification by google digital garage earlier on 2023. Currently i taken a digital marketing course from udemy of digital marketing to hone and develop the required skills I have been searching and applying for jobs since graduating but not able to get any desired one. Now i want to get into a good mba college tier 2 because may not eligible for tier 1 and 1.5 as per my profile but i will try anyways. So for that i need to make my profile good and need certifications and jobs or internships. I interest in sales, marketing, more but also Hr domain. But nowadays i am only getting Inssurance sales, bpo, telecaller or telemarketer, Kpo, sustomer support type jobs of around avg salary of 150000 pa. Which a 12th pass candidate also getting. I often thinks to get into bpo to gain experience and money to fill my profile and manage preparation expenses but also fear that what if i get stuck in that industry. I wanted to do mba to enchance and start my career in a management role to achieve a leadership role in upcoming years as a professional in sales and marketing industry. I don't know, i think i am stucked and lost in spiral web between situations and aspiration. I also thinking to get into banking or try govt. Exams to secure a job but i also feel that it will distract me more from my real life goals. I was not a great student or person earlier but now i am changed i know my responsibilities and i know my goals but i want a clear view to walk on that path. Please help with your genuine guidance. THANK YOU
Ans: You can write MBA entrance exams but simultaneously try and get some experience. Even if you do not get job in the area of your interest, try to look for other areas that could interest you where you can get some work ex. Internship usually does not have much value during admission to B schools.

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Nayagam P

Nayagam P P  |10854 Answers  |Ask -

Career Counsellor - Answered on Dec 14, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Dec 12, 2025Hindi
Career
Hello, I am currently in Class 12 and preparing for JEE. I have not yet completed even 50% of the syllabus properly, but I aim to score around '110' marks. Could you suggest an effective strategy to achieve this? I know the target is relatively low, but I have category reservation, so it should be sufficient.
Ans: With category reservation (SC/ST/OBC), a score of 110 marks is absolutely achievable and realistic. Based on 2025 data, SC candidates qualified with approximately 60-65 percentile, and ST candidates with 45-55 percentile. Your target requires scoring just 37-40% marks, which is significantly lower than general category standards. This gives you a genuine advantage. Immediate Action Plan (December 2025 - January 2026): 4-5 Weeks. Week 1-2: High-Weightage Chapter Focus. Stop trying to complete the entire syllabus. Instead, focus exclusively on high-scoring chapters that carry maximum weightage: Physics (Modern Physics, Current Electricity, Work-Power-Energy, Rotation, Magnetism), Chemistry (Chemical Bonding, Thermodynamics, Coordination Compounds, Electrochemistry), and Maths (Integration, Differentiation, Vectors, 3D Geometry, Probability). These chapters alone can yield 80-100+ marks if practiced properly. Ignore topics you haven't studied yet. Week 2-3: Previous Year Questions (PYQs). Solve JEE Main PYQs from the last 10 years (2015-2025) for chapters you're studying. PYQs reveal question patterns and difficulty levels. Focus on understanding why answers are correct, not memorizing solutions. Week 3-4: Mock Tests & Error Analysis. Take 2-3 full-length mock tests weekly under timed conditions. This is crucial because mock tests build exam confidence, reveal time management weaknesses, and error analysis prevents repeated mistakes. Maintain an error notebook documenting every mistake—this becomes your revision guide. Week 4-5: Revision & Formula Consolidation. Create concise formula sheets for each subject. Spend 30 minutes daily reviewing formulas and key concepts. Avoid learning new topics entirely at this stage. Study Schedule (Daily): 7-8 Hours. Morning (5:00-7:30 AM): Physics concepts + 30 PYQs. Break (7:30-8:30 AM): Breakfast & rest. Mid-morning (8:30-11:00): Chemistry concepts + 20 PYQs. Lunch (11:00-1:00 PM): Full break. Afternoon (1:00-3:30 PM): Maths concepts + 30 PYQs. Evening (3:30-5:00 PM): Mock test or error review. Night (7:00-9:00 PM): Formula revision & weak area focus. Strategic Approach for 110 Marks: Attempt only confident questions and avoid negative marking by skipping difficult questions. Do easy questions first—in the exam, attempt all basic-level questions before attempting medium or hard ones. Focus on quality over quantity as 30 well-practiced questions beat 100 random questions. Master NCERT concepts as most JEE questions test NCERT concepts applied smartly. April 2026 Session Advantage. If January doesn't deliver desired results, April gives you a second chance with 3+ months to prepare. Use January as a practice attempt to identify weak areas, then focus intensively on those in February-March. Realistic Timeline: January 2026 target is 95-110 marks (achievable with focused 50% syllabus), while April 2026 target is 120-130 marks (with complete syllabus + experience). Your reservation benefit means you need only approximately 90-105 marks to qualify and secure admission to quality engineering colleges. Stop comparing yourself to general category cutoffs. Most Importantly: Consistency beats perfection. Study 6 focused hours daily rather than 12 distracted hours. Your 110-mark target is realistic—execute this plan with discipline. All the BEST for Your JEE 2026!

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Dr Dipankar

Dr Dipankar Dutta  |1840 Answers  |Ask -

Tech Careers and Skill Development Expert - Answered on Dec 13, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Dec 12, 2025
Career
Dear Sir/Madam, I am currently a 1st year UG student studying engineering in Sairam Engineering College, But there the lack of exposure and strict academics feels so rigid and I don't like it that. It's like they don't gaf about skills but just wants us to memorize things and score a good CGPA, the only skill they want is you to memorize things and pass, there's even special class for students who don't perform well in academics and it is compulsory for them to attend or else the student and his/her parents needs to face authorities who lashes out. My question is when did engineering became something that requires good academics instead of actual learning and skill set. In sairam they provides us a coding platform in which we need to gain the required points for each semester which is ridiculous cuz most of the students here just look at the solution to code instead of actual debugging. I am passionate about engineering so I want to learn and experiment things instead of just memorizing, so I actually consider dropping out and I want to give jee a try and maybe viteee , srmjeee But i heard some people say SRM may provide exposure but not that good in placements. I may not be excellent at studies but my marks are decent. So gimme some insights about SRM and recommend me other colleges/universities which are good at exposure
Ans: First — your frustration is valid

What you are experiencing at Sairam is not engineering, it is rote-based credential production.

“When did engineering become memorizing instead of learning?”

Sadly, this shift happened decades ago in most Tier-3 private colleges in India.

About “coding platforms & points” – your observation is sharp

You are absolutely right:

Mandatory coding points → students copy solutions

Copying ≠ learning

Debugging & thinking are missing

This is pseudo-skill education — it looks modern but produces shallow engineers.

The fact that you noticed this in 1st year already puts you ahead of 80% students.

Should you DROP OUT and prepare for JEE / VITEEE / SRMJEEE?

Although VIT/SRM is better than Sairam Engineering College, but you may face the same problem. You will not face this type of problem only in some top IITs, but getting seat in those IITs will be difficult.
Instead of dropping immediately, consider:

???? Strategy:

Stay enrolled (degree security)

Reduce emotional investment in college rules

Use:

GitHub

Open-source projects

Hackathons

Internships (remote)

Hardware / software self-projects

This way:

College = formality

Learning = self-driven

Risk = minimal

...Read more

DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related document carefully before investing. The securities quoted are for illustration only and are not recommendatory. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information and as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision. RediffGURUS is an intermediary as per India's Information Technology Act.

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