Formula oriented approach Vs theoretical approach

Lively responses on my Facebook post validated the fact that the subject topic is of interest to many. I appreciate the responses received, however, some of them are slightly off the topic. Well, they have focused on ways to prepare for campus screening tests, but my post is primarily focused on clearing the tests (Meaning – the psychology at the time of test). Of course, how to prepare is a point of discussion, but, not right now.

I would be trying to classify various approaches to solve problems and then substantiate each type by giving an example.

Many, rather most, are of the opinion that one should solve problems logically.  But, I really do not know what exactly they mean by logical approach. There seldom exists any logical approach to a problem. Prasanna seconds by view by rightly mentioning the term ‘smart’ in his post, which is more appropriate. Some, if not all, problems can be solved by rejecting the inappropriate answers. Most of the times, this works.

Extending the point further, I would rather mention the term ‘sensible approach’ or ‘obvious approach’, where one is expected to apply his common sense. This again works for some, if not all, of the problems.

Coming to the theoretical approach, many argue that this is a more preferably approach. I do not disagree, but when it comes to clearing the test, time available for the test plays a very important role. From my experience, one cannot think of using theoretical approach for more than 10% of the total problems.

Formula oriented approach, seems to be a good choice, when it comes to attempting the test in the given time. I personally prefer this approach the most but would like to make a claim here. Chances of getting a problem correct by theoretical approach is slightly more than by the formula oriented approach. This is possibly because most formulae have few exceptions, which we tend to ignore while solving a problem. On the contrary, in case of theoretical approach, we go low, step by step, in detail, and we rarely end up missing the exceptions.

Giving some examples to substantiate my approaches:

1.      What is the remainder if 4536453663 is divided by 45?

A)  18                B) 48            C) 63            D) 3

From the right theory given to me by Prasanna , if the sum of digits (successive sum) of the dividend and divisor both are 9, the remainder has to be a multiple of 9. Clearly, the correct option is 18

Approach:

Some may confuse this with theoretical approach, but I wouldn’t call it so. I was not knowing the background or derivation of this property, neither had the time to validate that. What I used was an obvious and rejecting options approach.

2.      x^y + y^x  = 46, What is the value of x and y ?

Answer: 1 and 45

Approach:

No doubt this is nothing else than an obvious answer using obvious approach.  

3.      In how many ways can we distribute 10 pencils to 4 students, so that each student gets at least pencil?

Answer: ⁹C₃

Approach:

One possibility is that the student may actually derive something by mentioning various possibilities and counting them. Though time consuming, this may give a correct answer.

However, for the ones, who already know the background, will give the answer in matter of seconds, which I would call a formula oriented approach.

4.      There are five distinct integers a, b, c, d, e in ascending order such that (68-a)(68-b)(68-c)(68-d)(68-e)=725. What is a + b + c + d? 

Answer:

Here, I would say we use and prefer theoretical approach as we need to find the prime factors of 725 and then arrange them according to the question. Factorization of the given number is the only way of coming down to a solution, at least for me, which is nothing but pure theory.

All in all, in case of an aptitude test, important is clearing the test and in the given time. Though we cannot generalise one particular approach for all the questions, we can claim to use one particular approach for majority of the questions. Considering the upsides and downsides of the approaches mentioned so far, I would prefer to use a formula oriented approach for clearing an aptitude test. However, I do not debate that this approach will be helpful only if the student has used a theoretical approach while preparation.

For my final verdict, I would like to take reference of a theoretical approach J. Below are the theoretical claims:

1.    Voter A wins 41 votes, Voter B wins 40 votes, others in total win 19 votes.

Voter A wins, because he is in the majority.

2.    People claim India to be a Hindu country from the fact that 79.8% of India’s population is Hindu

This theory explains us the ‘rule of majority’!

Similarly, if we are solving more than 50% problems from a particular test by the formula oriented approach, we can safely claim that this approach has the thumbs up than all other approaches.

Note: In case you observed, I have used ‘theoretical’ approach for preparing my verdict J

Yakub’s hanging - Closure of something old or the start of something new?

Asaduddin Owaisi, one of the greatest orator/debater on my list, is said to be disappointed by Yakub’s execution. Here are some of his arguments, my take and conclusion (with a question).

Argument one. Owaisi claims that the capital punishment was executed because Yakub lacked political backing. Apparently, President of AIMIM, known for its radical Islamic views, is claiming this. Furthermore, Owaisi studied L.L.B. in London and Barrister-at-Law in England (Refer Asaduddin Owaisi ). Surprised to see this party coming into the picture just recently. More surprised to see Owaisi not fighting for Yakub so far. Watch this video of Owaisi demanding money for Muslims. If he was so bold to demand 2 lakhs in the house, then, why didn’t he stand for Yakub?

Argument Two. One of his prominent argument, a Muslim was hanged (Yakub was hanged because he was a Muslim) and so called Hindu terrorists are still not. He mentioned Godhra, Babri, Sikh riots in Delhi, etc. I disagree to his argument, to some extent. Most of the cases which Owaisi is comparing Yakub’s case to, are still in process.  I agree to his argument, to some extent, for the matter of fact that, I, the citizen of India, do not have much information regarding how a case is treated as ‘rarest of the rare’. We do not really know about a score card, where we can compare Godhra Riots accused to Mumbai blast accused. Say that person A scores 96%, attracts capital punishment and person B has only 80%, attracts life imprisonment.

Argument Three. Owaisi accepts that Yakub is not innocent. He also accepts that he was aware of the conspiracy and even aided it. But, he opines that he was not the main player. More important, he says, was his behaviour subsequent to his escape from India and his role in exposing the Pakistani hand in the blasts. Precisely, let us all accept, Yakub was not the main player. But, this does not necessarily mean that he cannot invite capital punishment. Perhaps it means that the punishment to be given to XYZ, supposedly the main player in the blast, must be more severe than just hanging him. But, unfortunately, neither is the person with India nor the punishment.

Argument Four. He claimed that Yakub surrendered himself to India and helped Indian Authorities in investigations, sharing top secrets of Tiger Memon and gang, for which, India is expected to show some sympathy. I am not sure if I agree. Sympathy? For being one of the main player, in the act of killing hundreds and injuring thousands?

Looking at the above four perspectives, very few will believe that Owaisi is/was really behind Yakub. Owaisi, in a parliamentary committee meeting had questioned "Hindu" names like Agni, Aakash and Arjun for defence weaponry. Seemingly cunning and deceptive, he is nothing but trying to gain political traction from this hanging!

Keep Owaisi aside, watch Yakub Memons only interview . Seems to be very innocent, with a clear conscience and high on morality? An engineer, in my late 20’s, I fear I am not a proper person to decide whether he was guilty or not. And surely nobody, to confront the Indian Law.

All this is bound to have a direct and tangible impact on upcoming Bihar elections. But, if we consider the larger picture, I am hinting towards a really bigger scale. I really do not know if Yakub’s hanging is the closure of something old or the start of something new? 

The 2mins blog

Entered India somewhere in 1980’s, now Amitabh Bacchan to Madhuri Dixit promoting the immensely popular Maggi noodles. This (sudden) ban on Maggi is a bit surprising to me for following reasons:

One: Is this just a drama? Banning a product after allowing it to gain an enormous market share, is an eye catching act of course.

Two: Required business cuts, perhaps, denied or deviated by Nestle?

Three: Is the government even aware regarding food Adulteration happening all over India?

In Mumbai, vegetables are grown near and around the tracks using water from gutter. This has not stopped over years? They will not be banned or this will not be controlled, of course vegetables are good for health. Maggi, widely consumed in cities like Mumbai, contains xyz, which is bad for health, banned. What an irony!

Why was the government not vigilant enough to govern such malpractices, especially in the food industry? They couldn’t spare 2mins? Oh common. You get a plate of hot, sizzling and spicy Maggi, in just 2mins!

Why was the government not vigilant enough to govern the Mid-Day meal scheme? Kids brawled to death in some states. They couldn’t spare 2mins? Oh common. You get a plate of hot, sizzling and spicy Maggi, in just 2mins!

Why was the government not vigilant enough to monitor Maggi samples on an annual basis? At least much frequently than once in a decade. They couldn’t spare 2mins? Oh common. You get a plate of hot, sizzling and spicy Maggi, in just 2mins!

But who will raise the voice? In India, the one who speaks and is listened to, is the one with the Gandhi Printed Paper.

Wait and watch now. 2mins please, and no Maggi this time!

Focus on marks or on co and extracurricular activities?

Many graduating students recently asked me whether one should focus on marks or on extra-curricular activities. Though, this is a very subjective question and every person can have mixed opinions, I will try to share my views.

Grades are important, but not essential

Whether you stay in the library or barely know there is one on the campus, concentrate on getting good marks. Though marks are not everything that you need to go through, but you never know when your academics have bolstered you. If one has five short listed candidates A, B, C, D, E and all other dynamics are reasonably equivalent but for C, who has substantially higher marks. He will generally fair well in the comparatives and get through. When entering the corporate world, one doesn’t have the experience or skills and the organisations will have to train you and wants to ensure that you possess the ability to learn. I personally do not ascribe to the argument, generally talked about, that if a candidate has good marks in his graduation, he absorbs new knowledge easily. Important is the learnability and adaptability, both of which have no direct correlation to what marks you have scored. But, there is certain difference between good and excellent academics. If one has received academic scholarships, awards, recognitions, companies tend to take notice. Not because the award winners are smarter, but they went the extra mile than others. It is an indication about an inner drive which generally reflects in their work as well.

Grades are generally mere numbers. Candidate A has scored an average of 85% as against 75% of B. Yes, we all know, numerically, 85 is greater than 75 or 75 is less than 85. But, what does it really tell? Can we claim that 85% of university A or institute A is better than 75% of university B or institute B? Are we really comparing apple to apple?  Let’s assume that we have maintained parity between two scores from two universities/institutes. But, what if candidate B has taken some core skill certification, organised blood donation camps, is an active member of some college organising committee or whatever. What if the elective B has chosen is more relevant to his skills or likes. Isn’t all this an indication that he takes decisions, instead of going with the herd? Another point worth mentioning is that if you graduate at the top or bottom of your class, you will be noticed. If you are in the middle ground, where pretty much everyone is, you will need other skills to land the job. Sure that I’ll be confronted on this point.

Grades are today, tomorrow but not the day after. Two or three years after your graduation, what will matter, your marks in graduation or what you have put in these years? Of course, the later. There is a saying that ‘You are never again as technically competent as the day you passed your exams’. As time passes by, marks or grades tend to fade away as a predictor of progress or success in your job.

Activities (which give skills), are not only important, but also essential

In business or in the corporate, you need releases from work and you must have developed social skills when dealing with clients. You also need time management skills and multi-tasking abilities. I believe that living in the library seldom promotes these skills. Ask any HR manager on what would he prefers in a candidate and he will not be really interested in selecting the ‘meritorious students’, but wants ‘strong students’ who also had other things going on in their lives. Perhaps, having girlfriend/s J 

Of course, above theory is seldom applicable for job profiles which really asks for merit, studiousness and whatever. Example, articleship.

Some suggestions on extracurricular and/or curricular activities:

·       Activities should be relevant

·       Activities should be excelled at

·       Try to perform/participate in unique activities

Though, I have not talked independently on ‘activities’ at length, I have given reasonable justice in comparing activities and marks in the above paragraph.

Conclusion

Grades/marks are important during the first few years of career. If you want to have a non-scholastic advantage in the hiring process, consider adding relevant, unique and skill giving extracurricular activities to your resume.

Marks are today, tomorrow but not the day after. Skills are today, tomorrow and forever!

MSG – Buy a ticket or not?

I learnt about the film ‘MSG – Messenger of God’ only after it was recently banned and my colleague mentioned this to me. J  This twitched my interest in understanding what was so objectionable in the film and why is it banned.

The film seems to be about a self-styled godmen (like many others in our country), in his 40’s or so. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh heads a Dera and seemingly has lakhs of followers. This fundoo Baba, is active on twitter, performs magic, holds concert where he sings. And now we have a film, produced and directed by him, starring  Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh as MSG (Messenger For God).

Ironically, I learn that he is under scanner for sexually exploiting female devotees and for castration of his followers. Nothing exceptional when we hear of the term godmen in this country. What more is that he runs a ‘Cleanliness Earth Campaign’ .Please do not relate this to the Clean India or Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, he won’t encourage this! J (refer his website/twitter account for more details)

About his movie, it is said to deal with youth-related issues like drug abuse, alcohol addiction, etc. With seven songs in the movie, he does everything, sing, dance, fight, (perhaps flirt as well), etc. But does that mean the film should banned? Absolutely no.

Firstly, I learn that it is banned for being a self-promotional ad film. So what? Don’t we have high profile cricketers and actors in advertisements from fairness creams to inner wears and shoes to condoms? Secondly, point to be argued is about the (practically) impossible stunts that MSG performs in the movie. But, lets avoid discussing on this point when we have (super)heroes like Salman for Dabbang, Shahrukh for Ra One, Hrithik for Krishh 3, to name a few. What is wrong if this man performs some stunts with special effects? Thirdly, some might put across a point that this movie has objectionable content. Just to learn, definition of objectionable content according to Wikipedia: “According to the Information Technology Rules 2011, objectionable content includes anything that “threatens the unity, integrity, defence, security or sovereignty of India, friendly relations with foreign states or public order." This movie doesn’t seem to violate any of the above points, when why the ban?

Is censor board really necessary? The journey and decisions of the censor board so far are not really justifiable or acceptable. (Nearly) blue films being released – reason, to give the new generation actors/actresses a chance and platform. Many pro-religious movies released – reason, to pass encouraging, life changing message to the youth. So, how is MSG to blame? Is it because of the funny acts that the movie seems to have. But, lets be assured that he cannot compete with our ‘Akhiyon Se Goli Maare’ and ‘dost baat maar sakte ha, magar kabhi laat nahi maar sakte’ wala Govinda.  The basic question remains, why to ban MSG? If you want to see it, go buy a ticket. Those who don’t want to see it, need not. Plain and Simple!

Email Writing Guidelines

Two notes before I start:

1. This post is essentially for the students who want some tips on clearing the email writing section companies like TCS.  (I am not saying that this post is not helpful for others! :)

2. This is not an English grammar guide and/or email writing guide which can be mugged up. There are some guidelines, which can be followed (if you are willing)

Happy Reading! :)

You are a criminal if you start banging the keyboard immediately after reading the keywords! Save both, the keyboard and yourself, by taking a minute before you start writing the email!

Please spend a minute to read the keywords, visualize the overall scenario and draft a rough email outline in your mind (in your mother tongue). Following questions can help  you do this: Who is the recipient? Who is the sender? What is the purpose of the email? What is expected from the recipient? What is expected from the sender? What is the tone of the email?

Your mind is now ready with the rough email in your mother tongue. Start typing the final email in English. Below are some ‘General Guidelines’ and ‘Frequently Committed Mistakes’ to clear the TCS Email writing section with ease:

General Guidelines

 Opening the  email:

• The opening of the professional mail should start with a greeting to the client. Generally “Dear John” suits and in some cases “Hi John”. Avoid words like’ Respected’ and ‘Sir’ to be avoided.
• Preferably, you have to use their first name to address them and not their full name like “Dear Mr. John Smith”.
• Put a comma after you address the recipient and then you can start the email from the next line

Body/Content of the email:

• All the keywords from the problem statement should appear in your email. Preferably keep the sequence of the key words intact and make sure you don’t change the tense of the keywords
• The minimum or maximum word count is generally specified, needless to mention that it has to be followed. If not, please ensure that your word count reaches an optimum limit (around 80-100, depending upon the subject and number of keywords). 
• Avoid using unwanted information. Professional email should be short and crisp.
• I am mentioning some selected words which have alternate words, better and more professional. (Sorry – apologies, Unable to do – expecting a delay, Bad – improvements are expected/improvements can be made, working time – office hours, effect from – effective from). Using the alternate words can up your chances of getting through the email section.
• Try to mention the words frequently used in the corporate in your email (e.g., when your email is regarding some project, you can use : We, our team, our, offshore, on-site, office hours, downtime, client, apologies, glad, man hours, etc.
• Please ensure that you give a space after a full stop and the next letter is capitalized.
• I should always be capitalized (I), not 'i'
• Don’t forget to use articles like a, an, the,  etc. wherever necessary and appropriate
• Negative words should not be used openly and the same meaning should be covered under positive words.

Closing the email:

• Try to use the following sentences to close the email. (1) Kindly confirm the meeting (2) Please respond as early as possible (3) Looking forward for your participation/response (4) Hope you will follow the above points rigorously/meticulously (5) Please contact me in case of queries/ Feel free to contact me directly in case of doubts
• End your email with ‘Regards’. Put a comma and mention the sender’s name in the next line. Other options to close the email are Best Regards, Best Wishes, Warm Wishes, etc
• If specified, please ensure to use the sender's name as given in the question

Frequently Committed Mistakes:

1. 'Just' and 'Only'
Be selective while using the words ‘just’ and/or ‘only’. ‘Just’ doesn’t add any real meaning to the sentence and is used as a softener, to add flexibility and politeness. 'Only', on the other hand, is a relatively sharp exclusion. 'Just' also has a wider range of meanings, for instance to denote time.

2. 'Your' and 'You're'
It's the difference between owning something and actually being something
Correct Usage:
You made it around the track in under a minute -- you're fast!
How's your fast going? Are you hungry?

3. Its Vs. It's
"Its" is possessive and "it's" is a contraction of "it is."

4. Affect vs. Effect
When you're talking about the change itself -- the noun -- you'll use "effect."
For example: That movie had a great effect on me.
When you're talking about the act of changing -- the verb -- you'll use "affect."
For example: That movie affected me greatly.

5. Me vs. I
Most confusing words ever!
When you get done with that lab report, can you send it to Bill and I?
Nope, that's wrong. Please try taking Bill out of that sentence -- it sounds weird, right? You
would never ask someone to send something to "I" when he or she is done. The reason it sounds weird is because "I" is the object of that sentence -- and "I" should not be used in objects. In that situation, you'd use "me."

6. Do's and Don'ts
Note that the apostrophes aren't put in the same place in both words.

7. i.e. vs. e.g.
"i.e." roughly means "that is" or "in other words" while "e.g." means "example given" or "for
example." See the difference? One's used to clarify something you've said, while the other adds color to a story through an example.

8. peek vs. peak vs. pique
Peek is taking a quick look at something -- like a sneak peek.
Peak is a sharp point -- like the peak of a mountain.
Pique means to provoke or instigate -- you know, like your interest or feelings.

9. Alot vs. A lot vs. Allot 
"alot" is not a word. If you're trying to say that someone has a vast number of things, you'd say they have a lot of things.
Allot is used when you assign/give/dispense something, like allot money  

10. Who vs. That
When you're describing a person, be sure to use "who." When you're describing an object, use "that.
Examples:
“Rakesh is the one who likes to play cricket
"My mobile is something that overheats, all the time."

11. Into vs. In to
"into" indicates movement (Ginny walked into the office) while "in to" is used in lots of situations because the individual words "to" and "in" are frequently used in other parts of a sentence.
For example, "to" is often used with infinitive verbs (ex: to drive). Or "in" can be used as part of a verb (ex: call in to a meeting). So if you're trying to decide which to use, ask yourself whether
a) either "in" or "to" fits in with another part of the sentence, or 
b) the sentence indicates some sort of movement
If the answers are a) no, then b) yes - you should use into 

Email cautiously, get selected happily ( and Invite for a party, kindheartedly) :)

Best Luck!

Whatsapp- What’s up?

There is no doubt that the instant messaging application WhatsApp has become the rage today because it is so good to use. We can send texts, photos, videos and audio notes to each other at almost zero price (hardly a dollar); we can even create different chat groups and chat with many people in a same message box. All these advantages make WhatsApp become indispensable in our daily life. Some people have already stopped using traditional instant messaging function, which is normally preinstalled in every cell phone, using WhatsApp whenever they want to text their contacts instead.

But are we just ignoring its possible down shots?

Let me be clear: I have nothing against people who use WhatsApp, but I am very concerned about those who allow WhatsApp to use them!

In my profession I come across and interact with many students. I have been closely observing the effect of WhatsApp on a student’s life and I claim that the effect is more adverse and detrimental to one’s career.

Following are my observations:

1. Whatsapp Status:  Most important point worth noting is the WhatsApp 'Status' feature. It is so good that it creates a familiar environment. For Example: Neha is online but not yet responded, Ayan is always online and gives instant response, Arbaaz was last seen on 24/11/2012 at 2:00 AM, John status cannot be seen because he blocked me etc. These are the details which creates a great impact on mind. Even if you are not close to your WhatsApp contact, this virtual interaction has great impact than physical interaction.

2. Text, without feelings: Psychologically, the impact and imagination goes with text. A good text can create huge impact and similarly an irrational text can be disaster. The text becomes the sole means of emotion; you can easily hide your actual feeling and trick people.

3. Emoticons: One of the important feature of watsapp but has the potential to ruin one’s life! This is a grave issue, wherein the one reading at the other ends is hoaxed with texts and wrong emoticons. Imagine a scenario where person A is hanging out with his friends and in parallel, having a watsapp chat with person B. Person A is actually  laughing at the fullest and in parallel sends a crying smiley to person B. Now, visualize the signal sent across to person B and its consequence on the mind. Needless to explain it further.

4. Mobile Screen- our world: Here is another observation. In a party or any sort of gathering, if any of your friend is long sitting in corner operating his cell phone? Well, this is another major issue of this addictive messenger. The impacts are so powerful that users leave the real world interest, their entire emotion is restricted to the app, they get happy or sad depending on the reply they get from other users. WhatsApp users has serious addiction issue, they are hypnotized and controlled by other users. They are so into it that they cannot help themself without constantly chatting, replying and sharing all the time, regardless of the scenario.

5. Instant pleasure: The impacts are serious on regular day to day life. (at college or at work), it offers a pleasure that gives you nothing but constant dependency, you will keep on reading status, replying and sharing. If something goes out of proportion, you will keep fixing it entire day, this way it steals away your productive work and you end up lost your precious time, days and years.

6. Comprehension problems:  If we communicate primarily through the screen, we do not learn the subtleties of real life communication - such as body language, tone of voice, gestures, etc.

7. Instant messenger, instant depression:  After spending a lot of time on watsapp, some become anxious and moody. Also, a vulnerable person may suffer from depression when he reads great things happening to his friends, and his life is not so great in comparison, especially because news sharing is viral on watsapp. Those who experience "Watsapp depression" usually have trouble with social interactions in general.

I’ve been observing the above points for more than couple of years now and here are some free advises (especially for students):

1. Limit your use whatsapp use: Limiting your whatsapp usage to a defined time span will reduce your dependency on the app. Of course this is a personal judgment, around 30minutes in a day sounds fair enough (for a person who is already addicted)!

2. Offline when in college: Preferably, switch off the data connection of your mobile phone when in college. Highly unlikely that you will need a working data connection (for an email or any other purpose) and hence it is suggested that you remain offline. This will drastically increase your productivity when in college and reduce the disturbances caused due to frequent beeps/rings.

3. Cautious usage of emoticons/text: Don’t get bluffed by disastrous texts or false emoticons. This is a critical topic and one needs to be extra cautious in this regards.

4. Last seen, doesn’t matter: Avoid observing the last seen status of a user unless the reply you are expecting is very urgent. Again, a very critical topic and one needs intense control over the self to practice this.

Whatsapp- What’s up? :)