Newbies Guide to CAT Preparation

gaurav200x

gaurav200x

Gaurav Mittal
With the CAT so near... all of must be following some decisive strategies for preparation. Most of would be having some definite schedule as well. So let us share our thoughts on our preparation and the way in which we do our studies.

As for the preparation, I mainly solve the test papers which i get from the internet and my friends. I try to adopt different strategies each time while solving the paper and changing the environment each time. Some times, i take DI first, sometimes verbal and other times, i start with Quant. I compare my scores each time to see in which section i can score max. Again, i use different ambiences to see how does it affect my scores. So sometimes i would be doing it alone in my room. Sometimes, in the park with the kids playing around.... sometimes on the roof or sometimes while playing the music. You would naturally get different scores everytime, but u have to try to concentrate on the paper despite of the ambience (imagine a shadi band on the street when u're writing a CAT exam... so one must be prepared)

For Maths, i generally make a list of formulae and the different techniques i learn for a particular type of question in my hand book and revise it regularly (like making notes). This way, the formulae would get on my finger tips. Again, i try to give exercise to my brain by doing some simple calculations. Eg. last evening when i was buying some items from the grocer, i looked at the board and saw the rates of different items. I quickly added the items per unit cost to do some exercises and try to do quick addition and trying to apply the different vedic maths trick u learn... eg 56 * 13, or something else. this u can do with anything... eg. when i get bored of studying, i merely hang around on the roof... calculating 87.88% of 7568. It might be dull and monotonous to some, but trust me, in the long run, it would help u a lot. the more work out u give to ur brains, the better u settle down with numbers. I have a passion for numbers, so i really enjoy doing maths (besides the fact that the other subjects i have to study are all cramming only ;) )

Moreover, u can practice DI by checking out some graphs on the internet or newspapers, etc. Just google for some graphs in ur free time and see what all and how many patterns can u notice. Try to see different types of graphs, like pie charts, bars, or any other pattern u can find. Eg. the year with the highest sales, the total sales, the average sales, max rate of increase/decrease, profit/loss. This way, ur brain keeps on getting the lubrication it needs. For this u dont have to study extra, but can do it whilst u r free. So once u start doing it, it becomes a hobby. the bottom line is that u have to see how FAST and ACCURATELY ur brain can accept the numbers, process the information and lets u make adequate choice, from a number of given patterns. and all u need to inculcate in urself is a liking for it... in reality, u should have a raging passion for it... aptitude alone doesnt suffice.

Learning Vedic Maths is a great way to master calculations within few seconds. I felt 'Trachtenberg' as a very nice book for learning it, however there are many other books available on the subject.

Again, u can keep reading current affairs regularly and the same for GK.

For English, the max terror i find is in difficult words. Hundred thousands of difficult words and so little time to study. So, i use babylon dictionary and whenever i find a difficult word i merely click on it and get its meaning, antonym and synonyms. But that is not sufficient. What is rquired is its usuage. So i make mnemonics out of it and try to co-relate it to every day life and try to use these words during conversing with friends. Offcourse, not all maybe versed with such hi-fi words, so naturally, u use synonyms... wheni was going for coaching earlier, my sir advised us to learn few words everyday... every few hours. it should become a ritual for u... to learn it everyday and revise what u learn after every few hours and then repeat them the next day and then again re-repeat them in week ends.... This way, u need to keep repeating them as much as u can, whereever u are... I remember having read that Gandhiji had posted shlokas from Geeta or mahabharata (dont remember which) in his bathroom and he would revise them everyday... while taking a bath and shortly, he was so well versed in them that he had them on his finger tips.

Now i really hate sanskrit,.... but then doing the same with english wont be that bad... ;)

I maintain a small diary in which i generally write the words and their synonyms i encounter. Morever, i have a Nokia 7610 and i have installed a dictionary (3 Mb only) in it and "word flasher" software (which is quite like flash cards). This way, even when i dont have access to my PC, i can look for the meaning of a difficult through my cell, eg in a bus or outside. The best way to learn 5-6 tough words would be to try and make sentences out of it.

Initially, it would be tough but once u make a habit out of it.... You get things easily. For reading, i just try to read everything as fast as i can. When i am reading some engineering books, i need to read almost all the words to understand the concept, but when i am reading something general... I read 2-3 words in one go... It is not necessary to read every word as long as u understand the concept of the line. So, i try to spot the main words which the give the meaning of the paragraph, ignoring words like is, was, and, etc. This way, u can read faster.

This normally takes a lot of time to settle in ur brain initially, but once u make it a habit, like breathing... it comes naturally. You dont have to tell ur brain to breathe, it does it automatically. Later on, u dont have to make an effort to spot those 'main words'. You brain automatically would be able to spot them in due course of reading. I have posted a book on 'how to read faster' in another forum and i found it quite helpful with some good tips.

For the 'time', i am not sure... Due to the lack of time, i have not been able to fix a proper schedule, but i feel 3-4 hours should do, although 5-6 hours maybe required for some. As i remember what hari (haripi2) told me.... It doesnt depend on how much prep u do... You can study 24 hrs a day and still mess up ur CAT. What matters is how well can u compose urself during the D-Day.

One final thing.... for those who are not working and are sitting at home for CAT. Try to do one test paper every alternate day from 10-12:30

This always helps and then taking CAT wont become a big deal, but then keep changing ur ambience and take every test with the utmost seriousness. Just remember guys, CAT is very serious and some tension is reqd, but dont let it cross ur threshold or else, it would cause negative side effects. Do some meditation and try to keep urself focussed. what is important during the 2.5 hrs is that u stay focussed on ur paper even though there is an Earthquake hitting u.

I would like to hear from u guys, as to what and how are u doing ur preparation (and not just wah-wahs :D )

all the best to everybody.

p.s. Abhi gd/pi bahut duur hai... So tips for that laterz.

regards,
gaurav
 
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CAT strategy for individual sections

The Common Admission Test, scheduled for November 19, needs not just a lot of preparation but also a lot of smart thinking. Strategy -- a set of choices you make in terms of your approach -- plays a key role here, because CAT is heavily dependent on time; you need to maximise your overall score, while clearing the cutoffs or qualifying scores in each section.

Although your overall strategy should be unique and custom-made for you, there are some general principles that need to be applied. Keep these in mind.

General tips

You get the question paper at least 10 minutes before the start time of 10.30 am. Use this time to check the paper structure, number of sections and sub-sections, questions in each section/sub-section and any other possible surprises. Now, let's create a strategy assuming the paper is a three-section paper with two sub-sections (1 and 2 marks), which is the most probable pattern.

Divide the available time among all sections. I suggest 45 minutes per section or a combination of 45 minutes for two sections and 50 for one. In both cases, you are keeping some time in reserve -- a buffer time. This buffer is necessary for three reasons.

For one, students invariably have a tendency to overshoot time limits. A buffer ensures that the last section does not suffer. In case of a poor performance in any one section, the buffer allows you to recover some ground and hopefully cross the cut-off. In case all sections are okay and you have some buffer time remaining, you can allocate it to the section that lets you maximise your score. This can be done best at the end since, by then, you have already seen all sections and know where you may get some quick marks.

Start with a section you are good at. A bad start lowers morale and, eventually, sections where you are good also suffer. You may experiment a little with various combinations before deciding what works best for you.

Quantitative Ability

The cutoffs in QA for the last four to five CAT papers may never have exceeded 11-12. It is a low scoring section. Accuracy is generally high in QA as there is no ambiguity (unless you are guessing a lot). This implies that questions worth 15-18 marks well attempted will put you clearly above the cutoff. The key is to pick which questions to attempt.

Going by the CAT 2005 pattern (10 X 1 and 20 X 2 marks), spend a good amount of time, say 20 minutes, on the one-mark area and see if you can pick up 6-8 marks. You then have about 25 minutes to attempt a selected five odd questions from the 20 two-markers available. Do understand that searching for the right question to attempt will take time, but it is well worth the effort. There are some common errors students make, that affect their scores:

1. Not looking at some questions: What you haven't looked at will invariably contain some sitters. So spend a little time to look at all questions.

2. Not giving up a question when you can't solve it: Please do not spend too much time breaking your head over one question. After a minute or so, if it appears that no progress is being made, quit and go for another one.

3. Not using the answer choices: CAT is a paper with four answer choices per question. Use them. According to my friend ARKS Srinivas, TIME director, Mumbai, every CAT paper that he has seen has at least three questions that can be solved by intelligent substitution of the answer choices back into the question. Similarly, substitution of carefully chosen numbers can help you solve a number of questions.

Data Interpretation/Logical Ability

This, again, is a low scoring area, with past cutoffs ranging from 9-12. So, again, it is about choosing questions carefully. The difference, of course, is that DI questions come in sets. Carefully select the sets that appear possible. About two sets in the 1-mark category and one set in the two-mark category can give you the cutoff. Start with the 1-mark questions and get some marks on the scoreboard before you attempt the two-markers. In case things do not work out well in the 2-markers, you can still scrape past the cutoff with six to seven one-mark questions and two to three 2-markers.

However, given the trend of logical DI, these easier sets are not obvious. You may need to spend two minutes carefully reading the problem before deciding whether you should attempt it. You also need to have an exit policy for difficult problem sets. After about five minutes, take stock of the situation. If you find yourself making progress, continue; or else, quit. Do not throw away good time. Also, never make any question an ego issue. Go after other questions in the paper.

Reading Comprehension/Verbal Ability

RC-VA is traditionally an area in which you can score, primarily due to the fact that VA questions take less time. However, over the last couple of years, this section has been toughened up and cutoff scores have decreased.

The key to this section is to remember that, in VA, you need to make a high number of attempts with a good speed. Time is wasted mainly when you try and choose between two close-answer choices; do understand that spending additional time (beyond, say, 1 minute) does not improve your chances of getting the question right. So, mark any one choice and move forward. With 1/3 negative marking, probability is on your side.

So, attempt a maximum number of VA questions in about 20 minutes and you will still have 25-30 minutes for RC. You could attempt two RC passages. If you wish to be conservative, attempt one 1-mark RC and one 2-mark RC.

Accuracy levels in RC/VA will generally be lower. It is very difficult to consistently maintain high accuracy rates like 85-90 per cent. So, compensate with a higher number of attempts. 30 marks attempted at an accuracy of 70 per cent is still a net score of 18, which is pretty good.

In RC, try and gauge your success levels and accuracy rate (past Mock-CAT performance) based on different subjects like economics, art, philosophy, etc. This will help you understand what passages you can best attempt.

The last word: Know your limitations as well as your strengths, plan well and reap the rewards. All the best!

-- The author is an alumnus of IIM-Kolkata. After working with Hindustan Levers and Merck Electronics, he set up TIME's Kolkata branch.

Source : rediff
 
Re: CAT strategy for individual sections

here are some tips 4 stduyin 4 CAT......

Data Interpretation/ Reasoning

In the last few years, these sections have usually featured around seven to 10 sets of data. Each set has around three to five questions on an average. If you have been taking the MOCK CAT regularly, you should have around 15 to 20 MOCKS with you already (not including the ones you will answer in the next few weeks).

These MOCKS have been designed to give you a feel of CAT and bring to you the type of sets that have a chance of appearing in this year's test. If you have 20 of them, you have close to 150 sets to 200 sets of data (with questions) already with you.

As you can see, not all of these sets have different concepts. However, you have never done them on the trot. Besides, each paper had a gap of a week or more between them. This makes it is difficult to relate one set to the other.

What you need to do is become familiar with the concepts and grasp the content of each set without wasting too much time. It is now time for you to pick up these MOCK CAT papers, and original question papers from the earlier CATs, and solve five to eight sets every day. Bear in mind that seeing the solution does not constitute solving it.

If you are unable to understand the concept, by all means see the solution. But, after understanding it, redo the set once again. Solve it again the next day so you do not forget the concept. A common mistake students make: they see the solution and assume they will remember how to solve a similar set if it appears again.

When we are talking about sets, it includes the Reasoning sets too. Hence, there is no need to do them separately. Do these sets every day for at least one hour.

CAT 2006 will have the questions from DI and Reasoning. There is a good chance that the number of sets would range from six to eight. By practising these 150 to 200 sets, you would have effectively covered all the sets that can appear in the paper. Even if there are a couple of sets which seem new, there is no way a CAT paper can appear without involving concepts from among these 150 odd sets you would do in the next few weeks. This way, even if you solve four sets overall in the actual CAT; getting scores close to 15 would be a cinch. It is pertinent to note that the cutoff for DI/ Reasoning section last year was around 11-12 marks ONLY.

Quantitative Ability

This area dreaded by many is not so difficult if you undertake a systematic preparation.

Divide and study

Quant can be divided into four sets of topics so that you can plan your preparation better.

Set I: Numbers, Geometry and Mensuration, Quadratic Equations & Progression and Permutations & Combinations -- these form the most important set of topics for the CAT exam. Over the last two years, close to 50 per cent of the questions were from these areas.

Set II: Equations, Ration Proportion Variation, Percentages & Profit and Loss, Averages and Mixtures, Simple Interest & Compound Interest, Time & Work and Time & Distance -- all these form the core arithmetic topics. The number of marks expected from these areas is close to 15.

Set III: Indices, Logs and Surds, Inequalities, Functions & Graphs, Coordinate geometry -- these form the group of topics that have not come consistently in CAT papers. However, whenever they have featured in CAT, there were close to three to four questions in each topic.

Set IV: All other topics and logic puzzles.

Study tips for Quant

Tackle each topic separately. For instance, in Numbers, list all concepts on a sheet of paper (call this a concept paper). This could take up to an hour. Then, refer to the basic books you have on this topic and check whether you have covered all the concepts listed in your paper. If not, write down the ones you have missed out on and make sure you know these concepts too.

Now, gather all the MOCK papers in your possession, pick all questions in this area and solve them. Once you have solved all questions pertaining to this area, tick them off in the concept paper. Also write down the reference number for each of these questions in your concept paper. Continue until you have solved all concepts, or as many as possible, listed in the paper.

By the time you finish this exercise, you should have done close to 100 to 120 questions in just this one topic. In addition, your concept paper would also have the reference numbers of all questions which have used a particular concept.

This entire exercise can take anything between five to 10 hours, depending on your state of preparedness. By the end of this gruelling session, there will be hardly any concept you don't understand or any question you cannot solve.

If you find you cannot do this in one sitting, spread this exercise over a period of three to four days (two hours each). Similarly, Geometry and Mensuration can also take close to three to four days.

Repeat this exercise for the rest of the topics as well. You should not have to devote more than one day per topic.

In the next 20 to 25 days, you would have revised all concepts from every MOCK paper you've attempted till date. You can revise these concepts once again in the last two weeks before CAT. This time, you will have the concept paper and the reference codes, so it will be much faster.

This is almost a foolproof method to ensure you perfect your knowledge of every concept in Quant. However, you still have to take decisions on which type of questions to attempt and which ones to leave as per the difficulty and length of the question.
 
CAT: Don't waste time on vocab building

You have five weeks left to prepare for the Common Admission Test scheduled on November 19.


On October 11, we suggested tips on how to make the most of your upcoming MOCK CATs as well as how to ace Quant, Data Interpretation and Reasoning.


Here are preparation tips for the remaining two sections -- Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability.



Reading Comprehension
There are two issues to consider here -- your familiarity with the topic and your ability to zero in on the right answer from the similar choices offered to you. Just as there is a pattern in the DI and Quant areas, there is a pattern in the way you can solve RC questions as well.



If you are wondering why you sometimes get marks in an RC passage and sometimes get everything wrong, you must realise it is neither your speed nor comprehension that is the problem. The problem is your failure to recognise the type of questions that appear in RC.


It would be worthwhile to spend time on the CAT papers of the last five years. Observe the format for RC questions and make notes to help you understand the difference between direct questions (the answers can be found in the passage) and inference questions (the answers are not directly stated but must be understood in context of the passage).



Pick all the RC passages you have done and categorise them into various topics such as economics, philosophy, psychology, medicine, biotechnology, management, religion, language and art, sociology, history, science, politics, general topics, etc.
Tackle one area every day. Read at least five passages and answer the questions in that passage. This way, you will become familiar with that area and be comfortable attempting any passage related to this topic.


For instance, if you read five passages pertaining to Biotechnology, you will become familiar with the jargon used in that topic and you will get a basic understanding of that area.


It will take you 15 odd days to do this for all the topics listed above. It would also be better to take an RC test every other day. This way you will be familiar with the various topics, as well as be able to use your familiarity in the passages and see the improvement in this section/ area.


Verbal ability
This can be broadly divided in six types of questions.
1. Grammar
2. Paragraph forming (Para jumbles)
3. Fill-in-the-blanks with words/sentences
4. Summary
5. Critical reasoning
6. Vocabulary


There is no point in wasting time on vocabulary building anymore. The last 40 days should be spent in a thorough revision of these types of questions from the MOCK papers. Ideally, you should take up 10 to 15 questions from each area from the MOCKs that you have already taken (same strategy as DI/ Quant).


However, unlike the Quant and DI areas where extra tests may not give a higher return in terms of marks, it will be prudent to take tests in Verbal area almost every day and thoroughly revise them.


Also, to ensure that Vocabulary is not forgotten, it would be worthwhile to revise the words that appear in the tests/ mocks at least once.


Source : rediff
 
CAT: A 15-day preparation plan

With CAT 2006 just a fortnight away, candidates are probably on tenterhooks. If you are taking the examp, try and stay calm. Also, work on gearing up for the final showdown. The next two weeks may hold the key to consolidating all you have studied so far. It is easy, at this stage, to become nervous or lose concentration � both mistakes that could prove costly.


Do remember that there are more than 1.75 lakh people writing the exam. And only a couple of hundred making it to the IIMs. That clearly means there is no chance of a letup at this stage. You need to keep yourself focused and continue preparations until the last day.


Here, we offer solutions to some recurring or irritating issues that may worry you during the last lap.



​
Should I take a MOCK exam every day until the day of the exam?
No. Make sure you spend enough time revising the areas you have already learnt. Take 3-4 exams over the next 15 days (if possible, two exams on each of the Sundays remaining). At this stage, revising all MOCKs you have already taken is the need of the hour.


I have been able to clear cutoffs for two sections consistently, but haven't been able to clear the cutoff for Quant. What should I do?
There are two possibilities: 1. You are okay at quantitative ability but haven't been able to convert the same into scores.


2. You are neither good at Quant nor have you spent enough time preparing for this area.


One of the problems many students face is time management during the exam. By the time you come to the fifteenth or twentieth question in the Quant area, you have already exhausted the time available. So, you miss out on the easy questions given in the subsequent portion of the paper.


Or, due to time constraints, you skim through the questions and miss out the simple ones, thinking they are difficult. To arrest this problem, it is advisable to take 35-45 minute slip tests everyday for the next 10 days in the Quant area. The objective of taking these tests will be to get the knack of selecting all the easy questions from that section. If you are not very good at Quant and find yourself scoring hardly any marks there, it is advisable that you restrict your preparation to areas you are comfortable in. And, as a strategy, maximise your scores in the other two sections.


Should I take up new areas in Quant or focus on revision?
As mentioned earlier, it depends on how prepared you are at this stage. Areas like clocks and calendars -- which take just about an hour for preparation -- can still be done, whereas areas like coordinate geometry, permutations and combinations, if not already studied, are best left out at this stage. Predominantly, the focus should be on consolidation right now.


I have not been scoring in grammar. What should I do in the next 15 days to get a better score?
This is a typical problem students face. Clearly, the next 15 days are not sufficient to master grammar. However, it is important to understand that we are not trying to become grammar experts at this stage, but just seeking a couple of marks in that area.
You should examine the MOCKs you have already taken, identify all grammar-based questions and make a pool of them. Spend 15 minutes doing about 15-20 questions every day from this pool. That way, you may be able master 300 such questions that you were earlier making errors on, and also become familiar with sentence structure. Though there is no guarantee any of these questions will feature in the exam, you will be able to tackle questions on the patterns you studied, after using this method, without much trouble.


I have always left out the RC portion in the MOCKs, as I get most of them wrong. Is this a good strategy?
One of the reasons for low scores in reading and comprehension may be because you have not taken enough tests. Even now, it would be beneficial to take an RC test every day and ensure that you attempt at least two RC sets in the exam. Please realize that the idea of skipping RC to spend time on the other two sections is flawed. This is because, if you have spent, say, 50 minutes on Quant already, you will have already solved almost all easy questions in that area. Spending extra time there would be unproductive as there wouldn't be many easy questions left. Instead, spending those 12 minutes on RC may get you 3-4 marks.


What is the best strategy for attempting the CAT?
It obviously depends on your strengths and weaknesses. As it is a three-section paper, you should try and sandwich your weak area between two strong areas. Some strategies that can be followed, keeping in mind the total available time of 150 minutes, are:


Strategy I
45 � 45 � 45 � 15: Here, you give 45 minutes to each of the three sections and use the remaining 15 minutes for the section in which you can maximise your score. Also, if you don't perform well in one of the sections, the last 15 minutes can be used to salvage that section.


Strategy II
40 � 40 � 40 � 20 � 10: Here, you give about 40 minutes to each of the three sections. Use the last 30 minutes in propping up your score in two of the three areas by giving 20 and 10 minutes respectively at the end.


Strategy III
60 � 30 � 60: This strategy should be followed by people who are not comfortable in any of the three sections. Here, the basic idea is to maximise your score in two sections and sandwich your weak area between the two strong areas.


What should be done in the last two days before CAT?
We will be back with final tips for CAT by November 15. Please watch this space!


-- AKRS Srinivas is an alumnus of IIM-Calcutta and current director of the CAT course at T.I.M.E. , Hyderabad.


Source : Rediff

 
Taking CAT: It's all in the details

"Read, read, read." This is actor Rahul Bose's advice to those who want to crack competitive exams like CAT, GMAT, GRE, MAT, XAT, etc.


Bose attempted the GMAT in 1988 and scored 680 on 800. He secured admission to the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth in the US, but never pursued his MBA, opting for a career in cinema instead. He attributes his GMAT score to being good at quick mathematics and having decent English skills. His recommendations include a book from the Institute of Management Studies (IMS). For more on what he has to say, read on...


Improving one's English appears to be the order of the day. You could be trying for a job at a BPO, where decent command over spoken English is a must. Or, you could be an IT professional vying for the post of manager, where command over spoken and written English is important while interacting with foreign clients. Or, you could be mugging big words in the hope of cracking the verbal section of a competitive test.


Hence, vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension -- which you thought you'd left behind with your school syllabus -- suddenly become a priority.


According to Bose, reading is the best way to improve your English. He recommends two books: Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything and Nautical Miles, a book compiled by trainers at IMS. Nautical Miles focuses on building vocabulary, but in a rather interesting way -- it is presented in the format of a novel. Like any work of fiction, it has a plot and characters. But, in this case, you don't have to reach for a dictionary every time you stumble upon a difficult word. The meanings are giving at the bottom of every page and you have exercises at the end of each chapter that test you on synonyms, antonyms, etc. If you need a crash-course in English, the book (Rs 150) could be a good bet.


For those attempting CAT on November 19, here are some more tips:


Reading Comprehension
The only way to prepare for this is to develop a good reading habit, which includes topics, subjects, or articles you dislike or are uninterested in. You need to read material you don't usually read because the examiners are not going to set passages according to your likes and dislikes.


Although speed-reading is important, make sure you also comprehend what you read, correctly. Try and achieve a reading speed of 400�500 words a minute with 80- 90 per cent comprehension. Your reading speed is directly proportional to the subject being read. So, if you are in the habit of reading diverse topics, you will be able to read and comprehend the passages faster in the actual test.


RC is relatively time-consuming; even the best students do not attempt all passages. They choose some from among those given. You could choose the passage depending on your likes and dislikes, the yype of questions (direct or indirect), and ratio of length of passage to number of questions.


Verbal Ability
This section can be completed in far less time than, say, a problem-solving section, because the exercises here are not time-consuming. You either know the correct answer at first glance or you don't know it at all. This is where you can achieve highest accuracy in the least amount of time.


Even while taking the test, if you don't know an answer, the wise thing to do is to move on to the next question.


And finally, as they say, the devil lies in the details. I remember enthusiastically telling someone, "I wouldn't mind giving CAT." I was corrected by Charanpreet Singh, an IMS trainer and quizmaster, who said, "You can't give CAT. You take it." He attributed the common error to a literal translation from Hindi or a regional language.
So, will you be giving or taking CAT?


-- With inputs by CAT trainers at the Institute of Management Studies (IMS).


Source : rediff

 
Re: How do you do ?

I received a couple of PMs from some newbies asking me as to how they should go about their CAT preparation, etc.

Well, i am not a pro, but these are my views.

* Join come good coaching class. Although it is not essential to do that, and people have been able to score well despite not joining it, but I felt CAT is not a university exam, which u just crack, but requires a lot of strategy and planning which u learn there. Besides, with the hand-outs they give and the regular tests, i feel that one is able to maintain discipline.

But mind u, i am not advocating u to join it. This is only my personal experience.
Next comes the question of which coaching class to join? Well I would say go for anything (or ask ur friends nearby, which they feel is the best). Ultimately, its the hard work u put at the end.

* Now joining a coaching class doesnt mean a admission ticket to IIM-A. Sufficient hard work should follow. I have seen people to start with great enthu, but it dies down with time. That shud never be the strategy.

Start with a SWOT analysis.... Find out ur strengths and weaknesses.... MOST IMPORTANT !!

Then see, which section u are good at and find interesting. For some it might be verbal or RC and for some, it might be quant or DI. You aim is to find how good u are in ur strong areas and how much you need to improve ur weak areas. If you have 8-10 months, nothing like it. Even if u have 6 months or less, u can work hard and get through.

Once u take the basic SWOT, take a deeper analysis. Find out, which all areas in, say quant u are good and which types of questions u need to improve.

Take it from me, one fourth of the battle is over, once u do this.... bcoz CAT tests how much u know of urself.

Now start with some warm-ups. do a couple of quant and verbal problems everyday, to get into the taste. Read the previous post.... u shud try to make certain habits (This i learnt from my TIME proffs)

Even if u can shell out 1 hr everyday, it is sufficient for the beginning. What is important is the continuity.

So if u work for like 3 hrs everyday and then give it up, for a month, ur hard work become useless. Later on, as the time reduces... start giving more time... I feel when 5-6 months are left even 2-3 hrs are enuff... and when u have completed one chapter, try to take a test in that chapter (at this junction, ur coaching classes are the most helpful in giving u the paper)

Another thing i would advice u is to make a grp with ur intellectual-kind of people, so that one's dedication, enlightens the other. Once u do that, u stay more focussed and dedicated.

That is all I can think for the newbies for the moment.... Keep reading regularly... bcoz the more u read, the more knowledge u gain. Try making CAT prep a hobby..... rather than a study. Trust me, u will enjoy it more... :tea:

PM me if u have more questions....
 
CAT - Taming The Demon

Talk to 10 people about CAT and you will get 10 different opinions and viewpoints on CAT. CAT is just like the legendary myth of “El Dorado”, everybody has his or her own version about it. In the past one year, I have talked to at least 40 odd people about CAT and it really hurts me to accept the fact that most of them have a very poor and over - hyped idea of CAT. Of course CAT is over-hyped and most of us have a set of false notions about it.

In this article, I will try to make you familiar with CAT. This article is comprehensive in its coverage. A modest bit of a disclaimer before I start preaching. The views expressed here are exclusively my own (I did my MBA from IIPM, Delhi). During the course of your preparation, you would find many experts saying many things about how to prepare. My word of caution to you – don’t ask around a lot of people about how to prepare. Everyone has his/her own opinion and it wouldn’t surprise me if some of the opinions run exactly opposite to each other. A lot of suggestions will ultimately get you confused.

First of all CAT is not precisely a test of intelligence. Neither is it a test of your memory. CAT in reality is a GAME. It is just a tricky two hour thirty minutes game where you need to be on the alert, sprightly and unruffled. Believe me, a large part of CAT is a test of your individuality - how rapidly you make decisions, how poised you are in face of extreme tension, how you allot and handle time and how you seek out easy questions among a barrage of difficult ones.

I once had asked one of my friends who is an IIM-A pass out from 2003-2005 batch “What would you have done if you had not made it to the IIM’s? His answer was “You would find me trying to bell the CAT one more time”

That is the kind of passion you need to have to make it to the IIM’s. Nothing should be able to deter your passion for making it to the IIM’s. Before I go on to tell you what to do, what not to do and how to prepare, let me make one thing clear “CAT is not for people who can do without an IIM” If you think IIM’s are where you ever wanted to be, there is a good chance that you will actually land up there. Stay passionate and do smart work and never forget your goal.

Words such as these may sure sound like truism – but let me tell you, problem solving, verbal ability, reading comprehension, reasoning, data interpretation come much later in your preparation for CAT. You start with a passion and that passion single-handedly can see you through the exam. Everything else is just a offshoot, be it confidence, expertise, performance.

There is lot of interesting debate going on about what the changes in CAT mean this year. We all know that the CAT is an unpredictable paper and every year there is something new in the paper. Last year (2006) they went one step further and announced some (not all!) changes in the prospectus itself. We will try to look at the changes and analyze them as logically as we can, but do remember that I am not on the paper setting board. These analysis are logical and most probably should occur but it is not a promise. Let’s look at the changes and what they could mean in 2007.
The paper will now be a two and a half hour paper in 2007 also
The cut- offs for the paper will already be announced for 2007 also
Do you know that there was a student who scored the maximum marks in the English section in CAT 2005. Is this something the IIMs feel happy about? Have you ever wondered why the CAT paper is either difficult with a few questions or if it is easy then the number of questions is substantially high? Why haven’t we heard any student getting 150 out of 150 or 165 out of 165? Are the paper setters mean and sadistic? No, definitely not. Their point of view is logical. If a student gets say, 44 in English, then I know that the level of the student was 44 marks. But if a student gets 50 out of 50 then I will never know the level of that student. In a way the paper was not sufficient for us to zero in on the student’s exact talent. To explain this further, let’s say two students get 50 on 50 in English, now how will we know who is better student, can I assume that both are equally good? Is the case of two students with a 50 the same as two students with a 44? No, again. If I give a 100 mark paper in English to both students will they both get 100 each? Unlikely, right? So we do realize that a student scoring maximum in a section or the paper is not exactly good news.

So what do we deduce from this? If we have the same number of questions the likelihood of somebody maxing the paper is high. So it makes sense for the number of questions to increase. It may go back to 150 questions or perhaps more than 150 questions. Before we wrap this up completely, I want to submit another rationale on why the number of questions will increase.

One of the attributes which the CAT tests and which is important for any good manager is selection. With less number of questions selection is of no relevance. The previous CAT was very knowledge intensive which is great as a one-off test. But as a pattern, if the CAT becomes knowledge intensive then it would no longer be an aptitude test. And selection implies more questions.

The cut-offs for sections at 25 percentile and over all cut-offs at 33.33 percentile (for IIM Ahmedabad). Obviously, all students who got GD-PI calls from IIM-A would have to fulfill these cut-off criteria. So at least 700 students (approximate number of IIM-A interview calls) should clear these cut-offs. If we look at the cut-offs last year as a percentage then for DI and Quant they came to around 20 %. Also we know quite a few students who got calls with scores less than 50 (1/3 of aggregate). Considering that the time for the test has increased, the scores would improve. But for a sizeable number to definitely clear the cut-off, it will require an easier paper.

Consider another feature of last year’s paper, anybody who got 2 to 3 two markers right in Quant or DI will be well on his or her way to clear the cut-off, whereas a student who is unlucky and makes some silly mistakes on the same questions will have quite a handfull of problems. Basically chance/luck can play a role if the cut-off is 10 marks, but to clear cut-offs of 20 marks it will require more than chance or luck. All this points to the fact that the difficulty level will either decrease for this year’s CAT or the paper will be a mix of easy and difficult questions.

Another aspect that deserves some analysis is the sections. Historically speaking the CAT has rarely experimented with the number of sections. A four section test was once changed into a three section test. To explain the change let’s look at the four section test. The four section test had 100 marks for English and 85 marks for Math and DI. As finance and software became large recruiters from the IIMs the focus shifted from communication and presentation skills to analytical and quantitative skills and this was reflected in the CAT paper by giving equal weightages to English, Reasoning and Quant. Of course equal marks to each section need not imply equal weightages. Cryptic isn’t it? Let’s understand how

Till 2003, students who were extremely proficient with english language areas could potentially score anything between 38-43. On the other hand a similarly good student in Math or DI would score 28-35 in the respective sections. This meant that students who were good at English had an advantage towards scoring higher total scores. Hence in some sense English still had a higher weightage. The solution to this occurred in 2004, in that year highest in English was the same as that of Math. Even the distribution of the top percentile was similar. Of course the DI marks distribution was still significantly different from the other two sections. In 2005, all the three sections had the same kind of difficulty level. I think this year too (2007), the difficulty level of the sections would be the same. Also it is unlikely that the number of sections will change.
Remember CAT Aspirants selection of questions will play an important role this November. So focus on your selection of questions. This can only be achieved when you have conceptual clarity & smart thinking capabilities. Remember that whatever happens, the exam is still a relative exam and everyone is facing the same kind of music. Of course the students who do well think the music is some beautiful symphony and the students who get scared think it is some cacophony.All the best for taming the demon called CAT.

(This article has been written by Founder/Director of GENi)

Source - http://genius.managementparadise.com (A Premium Place For Serious MBA Aspirants)
 
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I'm trying to answer some questions i received pertaining to CAT preparation.

RESPECTED MANAGEMENT PARADISE MEMBERS,
NOW I HAVE JOINED FOR ENGINEERING & I WOULD LIKE TO START MY CAT PREPARATION EFFECTIVELY.I NEED PROPER GUIDENCE MEANS

1.WHAT IS THE RIGHT TIME TO START?
2.HOW TO START?
3.WHAT ARE THE METHODS TO BE ADOPTED FROM THE DAY ONE?
4.HOW TO MAKE THE PREPARATION EFFECTIVE?
5.HOW TO JUDGE MYSELF?
6.HOW MUCH COACHING CENTERS HELFUL?
7.USEFULNESS OF MOCK TESTS?
TOTALLY HOW TO WIN?
Click to expand...

Generally CAT preparation takes about 6-8 months... However i think it is advisable to start around Nov/Dec for the next year's CAT to make up a base for yourself.

I have given some tips in the first 2 posts. You can see and try to make it habit.

Constant practice and good guidance can help u make a solid preparation.

You can judge yourself based on accuracy and time. See how much time you are taking to solve problems and what is the level of accuracy u have. Increase both of them slowly.

I feel coaching classes can provide u with a much needed guided-preparation, however it is not mandatory. If u feel u can get a good preparation, study yourself with the sufficient discipline, then you can do it urself, otherwise, better take coaching from a reputed institute.

Mock Tests are very useful. Whether u take coaching classes or not, taking mocks is essential. Many institutes like TIME, IMS, CL, CF etc conduct all India mock tests. They help you to analyse urself at the All-India level competition.
 
THING TO BE LEARN BEFORE TEST
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Tips from a CAT topper


AMIT KUMAR.

Before I talk about group discussions and interviews, I want to share my experience - about taking CAT. I come from an engineering background. As Mathematics was one of my subjects during graduation and Computer Science my area of expertise, I was confident about the QA and DI/LR sections. However, language has been my weak point since my school days (I got a measly 60-plus in English in the CBSE 12th standard exams). Hence, this was the area I was most concerned about.
The most important thing that you need to keep in mind while formulating the CAT strategy is that you need to do equally well in all the sections. If you miss the cut-off in any one section, your chances of getting a call from the IIMs reduces greatly, even if you top the exam. You also need to manage your time properly during the examination. Since QA and LR/DI were my strong areas, I attempted these first, giving roughly 35 minutes to each section to try and clear the cut-offs. I tried to do around 20-22 questions in QA (cut-off is 16-18) and 28-30 questions in LR/DI (cut-off is 23-25). Then I went on to the EU section and tried to attempt 40-plus questions in the remaining 50 minutes, as this was my weak area. The intention was to come back to QA to maximise my gains, if any time remained.
Since I was doing my exam preparations alongside my professional duties, I did not have enough time to put in any extra effort. This was because, after my graduation from IIT Delhi in 2003, I joined UT Starcom, a telecom equipment manufacturer, as software engineer in their Gurgaon centre. So, I focused on the material provided to me by my coaching institute and found that it was more than sufficient. However, despite my best efforts, I was able to finish only 60-70 per cent of the reading and practice material provided to me. However, I made it a habit to read newspapers and books regularly.

Group Discussions

First and foremost, one should always remain calm in a group discussion (GD). It is very easy to get into one-to-one situations with other group members who do not agree with your point of view. However, one must remember that a GD is all about the group. The more you become part of the group and help bring out new, innovative points and perspectives into the topic under discussion, the better chance you have in the GD. Equally important is to listen to what the other members of the group are saying because you may be asked by the panel to summarise the discussion, either orally or on paper. If you are busy thinking about what your next point would be, you might miss the flow of the discussion. Another member of the group might give the topic a whole new dimension and by the time you come back to your senses, you will be totally clueless about the point being discussed.
In my case, the GD at IIM-I was the most challenging. We were given a case study. The case was behavioural in nature and was about a student who had performed well at school but could not handle the pressure of studies and ragging in her college. She belonged to a family of achievers and this, too, implicitly burdened her. She was not able to take the pressure and decided to leave medical school. The case required analysing the root cause of her failure and discussing the various possibilities for her. It was indeed an interesting experience.
Apart from this, the topics at the other GD sessions were standard ones such as energy security and corporate governance. Such topics can be easily handled if one regularly reads newspapers and is well versed in what is happening around the world.

Personal Interview

The personal interviews (PI) at the various institutes were a totally unique experience. The topics on which I was questioned varied widely with each IIM. While the IIM-A panel spent a considerable time testing my creative skills, IIM-B was more focused about my work experience, the IIM-C panel quizzed me about the goings-on in Iraq and we also discussed the functioning of the American democracy in this regard. The IIM-L panel, on the other hand, spent much time on my hobbies. Of course, all the panels asked about my plans for the future and questioned me on my stated technical strengths.

What to Look for in a Coaching Institute?

Go through previous papers and understand the pattern. Then make sure the material provided by your coaching institute is comprehensive and takes care of all the sections. In my case, the PT study material was thorough and comprehensive and I didn't have to look at any other source for theory and exercises.

Interact with faculty members and engage them in helping you identify your strengths and weaknesses. Their personal attention goes a long way in fine-tuning your strategy for the CAT examination.

Check if the institute conducts an adequate number of mock GD-PIs. Spend some time on the feedback given by the faculty, as it will prepare you to confidently face a totally unknown group and panel. In my case, they had one GD and PI recorded so that they could point out my mistakes and suggest improvements to my approach and behaviour.

I am now looking forward to joining IIM-B in the coming weeks. IIM-B has a world-renowned faculty in Systems and Finance. It was an easy choice for me since these are the two fields that I wish to take up as part of my management career

I have one suggestion for students looking to crack CAT this year. You must learn to build upon your strengths and work hard on your weaknesses. You can do this only through persistence. As the saying goes 'practice makes perfect'. Need I say more?

Amit Kumar scored a 100 percentile in the latest CAT exam. He did his coaching at PT Education, Delhi, and is joining IIM-B this year. He completed his B.Tech. in Computer Science from IIT-D in 2003.
 
guys how badly will it reflect on me that i sat back at home n prepared for cat.ie dropped an year.m talking bout da top colleges.
 
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