IFW Udaipur-Students


- MCA -

	The boom in the software industry has brought in its wake a huge demand for IT man power. Earlier it was only the Engineering graduates with computer science background who could find placement in this sector. However with MCA graduates proving their worth, several IT companies have made MCA almost default qualification for entry level IT jobs. With the growth of the Internet and explosion of new applications like e-business and the recognition of Indian software talent, the demand for Indian IT talent is bound to increase. This means that the career prospects for MCA’s will continue to be bright in the foreseeable future

	Basic Qualification:
	Any 3 year bachelor's degree with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks in all subjects, including languages if any. Along with this, one should have studied Mathematics, Statistics or Computer Science as a subject for two years at the PUC (+2) level.

	The MCA entrance tests are aptitude tests, where a candidate’s general, verbal, mathematical and analytical abilities are evaluated under stress. While testing the command over Mathematics has always been integral to these entrance tests, increasingly more stress is now placed on the candidate’s analytical skills and command over the English language. The proof is in the revision of syllabi and changing patterns of the entrance tests.

	This is a good development. To start with it helps candidates from a variety of backgrounds to now aspire for a career in the software field. Secondly, while a software engineer is expected to have sound technical knowledge, when it comes to the question of designing software it is the analytical skills that are more required. Thirdly, any software would need a client. This interface requires good command over the English language, the default international business language.

	The extremely competitive nature of the Entrance Tests necessitates a focussed preparation, supplemented by sustained practice over a long period of time and under competent guidance. Also keeping in mind that most of the aspirants are already weighed down by academic and co-curricular loads dedicated efforts are required to come out in flying colours in these tests.

	Selection
	Every year, nearly 500,000 candidates appear for the MCA entrance tests. The candidate should either be a graduate, or be in the final year of graduation and must have studied mathematics as one of the major subjects in senior secondary school classes (XI & XII).

	You are allocated different institutes depending upon your performance in the tests, held at the state level. Most of the tests are of the objective type, but some of the tests have subjective-type questions in them also. Generally there is a written objective-type test. Some exams (like that of JNU) have objective as well as subjective-type questions, whereas some others like Roorkee have questions of a mixed kind, such as: objective type, true or false, fill in the blanks, and short-answer (descriptive) types. To most colleges in India, selection is only through the written test. But DU, among others, also conducts a selection interview.

	Preparation
	Identify and understand the exam requirements. The test usually is of 100 questions to be solved in two hours. The components of the syllabus are: * Higher-level maths (of the BSc level) * Lower maths (of the 10th standard level); and * Reasoning

	There is negative marking for questions wrongly answered in almost all the universities. Obviously, the tests require you to work very fast through the questions. On an average, you get one minute per question.

	The questions are generally of the objective type, except in some tests like JNU which has subjective type questions also. The syllabus of each university is clearly defined. The weightage given to various topics also differs from university to university. Some topics are important in some tests, while other topics are important for other tests.

	For the well prepared, time might not be as much of a constraint as the difficulty of questions. So the first step for you is to know exactly what is required to clear the tests that you want to take.

	Identify your strengths and weaknesses, with regard to the test topics. You must work on topics that you dread the most, at the same time strengthening your hold on subjects you are interested in.

	Devise a strategy. Allocate your time according to the weightage of the topics, and rely on focused and structured course material so that you may maximise your output with minimal effort. You should not forget to chart out your daily, weekly, and monthly schedule allocating the targets, so that you can prepare and approach the right topic and subject as per preference and weightage, and within the requisite time.

	To Download syllabus for the MCA Entrance Test, click here


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