The Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad, (IHM-A), set up by two institutions, the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces and the Maulana Azad Educational Trust, is the most sought-after institute of hotel management in Asia today. The curriculum is internationally recognised and reflects the latest trends in the industry.

The notification for the BA (honours) programme in hotel management is published in April. Application forms may be downloaded from the website and are also available at Taj hotels across the country and at select HDFC branches in major locations. A crossed demand draft for Rs 1,000 in favour of the ‘Institute of Hotel Management’, payable at Aurangabad, Maharashtra, should be sent along with the filled-in form to Taj Residency, Rauza Bagh, Aurangabad 431003, Maharashtra. The last date for receipt of completed application forms is in the first week of May.

The institute also offers the following courses: A BA/BA (honours) degree course in hotel management; a BA (honours) degree course in hotel management and tourism; a BA (honours) degree course in hotel management and events; and a BA (honours) degree course in culinary arts. The University of Huddersfield, UK, confers all the degrees.

For details, log on to www.ihma.ac.in or contact the institute directly.

Eligibility

Students who have passed their Plus Two or equivalent examination in any stream, with English as the medium of instruction, can apply. Those appearing for their final exams are also eligible to apply.

Entrance exam

Admission is done through an all-India entrance test conducted by IHM-A.

Pattern of exam

You are required to take a 90-minute objective-type written test, which carries 100 marks. The test is on the following categories: Abstract reasoning, verbal reasoning, reading comprehension, numerical reasoning and general knowledge. You are required to score at least 45 per cent marks in the written test. Candidates shortlisted after the written exam will be required to appear for a 50-mark group discussion (GD) and a 100-mark personal interview (PI). The PI is assessed on the following five criteria: Communication skills, alertness and analytical skills, general awareness, warmth and service orientation and personality.

How to prepare

You can prepare for abstract reasoning from books like Analytical Reasoning by Pandey and Test of Reasoning by E. Thorpe.

Brush up your verbal reasoning from books like English is Easy by Magic Publications and All about Words by Nurenberg.

The GMAT guides of Barron and Princeton are good for comprehension exercises. You could prepare numerical reasoning from books like Quantitative Aptitude by Abhijit Guha and Objective Question Bank (Mathematics) by R.K. Gupta and J.P. Arya.

Brush up your GK from the CSR Yearbook or the Pearson’s guide, as well as from magazines and newspapers.

The aim of PI is to assess your knowledge and depth of understanding, presence of mind, analytical skills, communication skills, confidence and composure. So, prepare accordingly.

sample test paper

Abstract reasoning

• Village M is larger than Village K which is smaller than Village R. If Village N is larger than Village R but smaller than Village M, which of the following villages is the smallest?
a) R b) N c) M d) K

Verbal reasoning

• This question consists of a sentence with four parts underlined. Select the part that is not appropriate as per standard written English.
1. The reason teenagers tend (a) to follow the trend while openly (b) declaring themselves (c) non conformists is because (c) they are insecure.

Numerical ability

• Two cyclists start on a circular track from a given point but in opposite directions with speeds of 7 m/sec and 8 m/sec respectively. If the circumference of the circles is 300 metres, after how much time will they meet at the starting point?
a) 20 seconds b) 100 seconds c) 300 seconds d) 200 seconds

General knowledge

• The Dabhol power plant, which was in the news recently, is located in which of the following states?
a) Delhi b) Karnataka
c) MP d) Maharashtra