Education Junction : MBA, Engineering, Entrance Exams, Top Colleges, Institutes in India

As the general advice is to do the easy questions, students tend to frantically search for easy questions in the paper. If you too are doing it, chances are that you probably will actually miss a lot of questions that are easy. We surely cannot spot all the easy questions by just glancing through the paper and attempting what looks to be easy.

A more effective approach would be to read the problem one by one from the start of the section. After you read and understand a problem, you decide if you think the time you spend on this problem will quickly give you results. If you can’t spot how to do it soon enough, go to the next question.

This way, you let questions come to you and you decide what to attempt and what not to. At the same time, you need to ensure that you go at a steady pace, which will ensure that you read all the questions. This way, you will not miss any easy questions.

by Arvind T.
extrancted from

As only few days are left for the CAT Exam, students have lot of queries in mind. So i have found this article to be very useful.

MBAUniverse.com Aspirant Zone organized a live Expert Chat on 'Countdown to CAT: 30-days Strategy to Crack CAT' on October 18, 2008. The chat was organized to discuss how students should plan for next 30-days of CAT '08, to be held on November 16.
CAT experts from test-prep companies like TIME, Career Launcher and IMS Learning participated in this chat. On the MBAUniverse.com expert chat, Mr Gejo Srinivasan, General Manager, IMS Test Prep answered lots of queries posted by MBA aspirants from around the country on October 18.

While responding to a query on 'How to prepare for last 30 days to CAT', Mr Srinivasan said, "In the last 30 days, mainly concentrate on improving your test taking skills. Do not take too many tests, 7 to 8 tests with a thorough analysis must be sufficient. What is more important is that you should analyse your performance in each and every test and use the learning to improve your performance in the next test. Do not try too many different strategies. Understand that you cannot use someone else's strategy to crack the CAT. You need to build your own strategy based on your strengths and weaknesses."

Mr Srinivasan holds the degree of PGDM from Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta and a B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. At IMS, he has been instrumental in launching ICAP (Interlinked Concepts and Application Based Pedagogy) -- a new approach to learning and taking CAT.

Here is the edited transcript from the students-chat with Mr Gejo Srinivasan on October 18 on MBAUniverse.com:

Gauri: Hello Sir. What is your advice on how to prepare for last 30 days to CAT.? Please elaborate.

Mr Srinivasan: In the last 30 days, mainly concentrate on improving your test taking skills. Do not take too many tests, 7 to 8 tests with a thorough analysis must be sufficient. What is more important is that you should analyse your performance in each and every test and use the learning to improve your performance in the next test. Do not try too many different strategies. Understand that you cannot use someone else's strategy to crack the CAT. You need to build your own strategy based on your strengths and weaknesses.

Rahul: On the basis of last 2-3 years of CAT exam, I wish to know that how would be the difficulty level in each of the sections. Please comment
Mr Srinivasan: The difficulty level of the various sections varies every year. The Quant section of CAT 2006 was relatively easier compared to 2005 or 2007. The verbal section of 2006 was much tougher than that of the previous years. So, do not speculate. Be assured that everyone is taking the same test: so if some section is easy it is so for everyone and if some section is tough it is so for everyone. It is relative performance that finally matters.

Onkar: I'm a 3rd year Engineering student. I have above average skills in most of the areas, I still need practice. As I have 2 yrs for my graduation, what methodologies (plan) will help me to crack CAT?

Mr Srinivasan: I would suggest that you should take the free preliminary test at any of the IMS centres to evaluate where you stand w.r.t competition vis-a-vis CAT. This test is closely based on the CAT and will also give you a fair idea of what it takes to clear the CAT. Your performance in the test can then be used to chart the future course of action.

Raghav: I am in a mindset to give CAT next year. From next year, CAT would be going online. What should one expect on pattern, difficulty level etc... How is IMS planning to offer particular type of preparation for online CAT.? Thanks

Mr Srinivasan: Understand that whether the CAT goes online or not, the skills that will be assessed by the CAT won't change. So the fundamental preparation required to build conceptual clarity does not change. Do not mull over what would be the pattern/difficulty level etc. Leave this thought process to the IIMs. You concentrate on building a strong conceptual base. Test taking skills (paper based or online) can be built in the last stage of preparation, i.e. 3 months before the CAT.

Sambhav: How to improve Quant area in next 4 weeks. Rest I am confident.
Mr Srinivasan: Work on your weak "areas" and "question types" by doing a thorough analysis of the tests you take.. Out of these, concentrate only on topics that occur very frequently (do not practise probability, etc) Then you can fix one of these topics for every day and practise problems on only that type on that day. Solve Qs in sets of 5 Qs and track your progress.

Ritu: Hello sir, what would be your last minute tips on CAT prep. What are the important things one has to keep in mind while attempting the paper...Thanks a lot....

Mr Srinivasan: Following are the tips while attempting the paper:
1. Arrive early for the test (not just CAT, even SimCATs)
2. Choose a spot and ensure that you have enough room to work, maintain a comfortable posture while taking the test, don't "slouch".
3. Remind yourself that you are well-prepared and are going to do well. If you find that you are anxious, take several slow, deep breaths to relax. Don't talk about the test to other students before the test; remember anxiety is contagious.

Sambhav: Sir, should I read/scan the full paper on CAT day, or should I go section by Section. Scan full paper will take 10 minutes or so. Is it worth the investment? Also how much time to give to each question before rejecting it and moving forward?

Mr Srinivasan: As you open the test booklet, first glance through the pages to see if all the pages are printed properly. If not, get the test booklet changed. In the process also note the order of the sections. This should not take more than a minute. Then as per a pre-decided strategy, solve the various sections in your preferred order giving almost equal (if not equal) time to each of them. Whilst solving each section, questions can be solved in any order( Algebra first or one-liners first or DS first) For each question, read what is given, understand what has to be found and ask yourself whether you know the right approach to reach the answer. This should not take more than 40 sec to 1 min per question. Once you are confident that you can solve the question, go ahead and actually solve the question.

Prakash: After CAT, how to work on XAT and FMS Delhi test sir?

Mr Srinivasan: Preparing for any test has three major steps – 1. Know the test 2. Learn the concepts that are assessed in the test 3. Develop good test-taking skills. In terms of areas assessed FMS and XAT are very similar to the CAT. These tests only vary in terms of test structure and difficulty level. So orient yourself to the test structures of these tests and plan a strategy for these tests. You need not take too man practice tests for the other tests if you have prepared well for the CAT. Remember, if you have prepared for the best, you can take any test!!

Dilip: What is the importance of appearing in other MBA entrance exams like XAT, IIFT, FMS etc…while I have am giving CAT as well? How do you see these exams different from CAT?
Mr Srinivasan: It is interesting to note that most of the tests mentioned above assess more or less the same concepts that are tested on the CAT. Hence, you will find that there is really not much difference when it comes to concept building for any of these tests. However, the various tests differ in terms of the test structure, question types and overall difficulty level of the test. Therefore, we only need to understand the test structure, get acclimatized to the different question types and develop specific strategies to ace these tests. More often than not, if you have prepared well enough for the CAT, then there is a high chance that you will perform well in the other tests.

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com Aspirant Zone for more highlights from the expert chats with expert faculty from TIME, IMS Learning and Career Launcher and other leading institutes.

Over the years, CAT has kept on bringing new surprises for test takers. We have witnessed several changes in the CAT pattern since its inception.

The greatest example is the sudden change that was brought in the tradition of giving equal number of questions in each section in CAT 2004 together with the change in the internal weightage of the questions.

This was highly surprising for the test takers who had become accustomed to attempting the CAT with questions carrying equal weightage. They never practised on a new CAT pattern until the C-Day in 2004.

Hence it becomes very important to have an overview of the last CATs before sitting for CAT 2007.

The examination experts at TCY have summarised the last 7 CATs in order to study trend. The summary will help us
evaluate our preparation vis- -vis the different types of CAT that happened in the past.

The Following table sums up the "Surprise" factor that has always made CAT a bit difficult to handle, even though the questions in it may not be that difficult.

An overview of the decreasing number of questions in a CAT on one side and increasing time per question on the other since 2000 shows that the trend is for good. The trend can be extrapolated further to predict that CAT 2007 may be a relief for the test takers as regards the total time they will get to solve a question.

However, the attached table also shows that beyond CAT 2003 all the questions do not carry the same weightage. There had been an introduction and subsequent internal changes in the weightage of the questions in CAT 2004, 2005 and 2006.

This makes it important for the test taker to practise choosing the right questions to attempt in the round one and two of his attempt.

The changing levels of difficulty

Looking at the difficulty level column in table prepared by TCY experts, one finds that CAT 2000 was the most difficult of the lot. Hence analyses of the previous CAT patterns as regards the difficulty level of the sections (and for that matter, the complete test) can be done in a scale of 10 by taking CAT 2000 as the most difficult (Scoring 9). Let's just have a brief review of the same.

Hence the bar graph above shows that barring CAT 2000 and 2004 all the CATs stand at 7 on the scale of 10. It is highly recommended to that CAT aspirants that they must have a look over the two most difficult CATs in order to counter the effects of a difficult CAT pattern.

To sum up it is seen that over the period of time, overall CAT difficulty level in terms of the questions have remained more or less same but it is the Surprise factor which is making students nervous and thus adding to the difficulty level of CAT. Therefore, a review of all the previous CAT (especially CAT 2000 and 2004) is vital to give a finishing touch
to your preparation.

Munish Kumar is an examination expert with Top Careers & You. He can be contacted at tcychd@tcyonline.com.

To gain more from the recommendations of TCY experts on changing patterns of CAT, visit ww.tcyonline.com and attend a Web-Seminar in a virtual classroom atmosphere.

CAT exams are conducted for admission to the six IIM's i.e IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Indore. However, there are also other Management Institutes that accepts your CAT score. Given below is the list of Institutes (in alphabetic order) that accepts CAT scores. (This list is particularly for CAT 2007)

• Academy of Management Studies Bhubaneshwar
• ACCMAN Institute of Management Greater Noida
• Alliance Business Academy Bangalore
• Amrita School of Business Coimbatore
• Apeejay School of Management New Delhi
• Aravali Institute of Management Jodhpur
• Army Institute of Management and Technology Greater Noida
• Army Institute of Management Kolkata
• Asia Pacific Institute of Management New Delhi
• Asian School of Business Management Bhubaneshwar
• Atal Bihari Vajpayee Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management, Gwalior
• Bangalore Management Academy Bangalore
• Bharathidasan Institute of Management Bangalore
• Birla Institute of Management Technology Greater Noida
• Centre for Management Training and Research Kharar Punjab
• College of Agri-Business Management Pantnagar
• Department of Business Administration, University of Lucknow Lucknow
• Department of Business Management, University of Calcutta Kolkata
• Department of Business Management,Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana
• Department of Commerce,University of Calcutta Kolkata
• Department of Management Studies, Indian School of Mines Dhanbad
• Department of Management, Kurukshetra University Kurukshetra
• Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning in Management Kolkata
• Eastern Institute of Management Kolkata
• EMPI Business School New Delhi
• EMPI Institute of Advertising, Communication and Management New Delhi
• Faculty of Management Studies, Banaras Hindu University Varanasi
• Fore School of Management New Delhi
• Fortune Institute of International Business New Delhi
• Gitam Institute of Foreign Trade Visakhapatnam
• Globsyn Business School Kolkata
• Graduate School of Business and Administration Greater Noida
• Heritage Institute of Technology Kolkata
• IILM Institute for Higher Education, Gurgaon
• Indian Business Academy Bangalore
• Indian Institute of e-Business Management Pune
• Indian Institute of Forest Management Bhopal
• Indian Institute of Management Training Pune
• Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management Kolkata
• Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management Gwalior
• Institute for Financial Management & Research Chennai
• Institute for Integrated Learning in Management Greater Noida
• Institute of AgriBusiness Management Rajasthan Agricultural University Bikaner
• Institute of Business Management and Research Bangalore
• Institute of Engineering and Management Kolkata
• Institute of Finance and International Management Bangalore
• Institute of Management Development and Research Pune
• Institute of Management Education Ghaziabad
• Institute of Management Studies Dehradun
• Institute of Management Studies Ghaziabad
• Institute of Management Studies Ghaziabad
• Institute of Management Technology Ghaziabad
• Institute of Management Technology Nagpur
• Institute of Marketing and Management New Delhi
• Institute of Petroleum Management Gandhinagar
• Institute of Productivity and Management Meerut
• Institute of Public Enterprise Hyderabad
• Integrated Academy of Management and Technology Ghaziabad
• International Institute for Special Education Lucknow
• International Management Institute New Delhi
• International School of Management Excellence Bangalore
• Invertis Institute of Management Studies Bareilly
• Ishan Institute of Management and Technology, Greater Noida
• ITM Business School Navi Mumbai
• Jagan Institute of Management Studies New Dehi
• Jaganath International Management, New Delhi
• Jaipuria Institute of Management, Jaipur
• Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow
• Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida
• JIS College of Engineering, Kalyani
• JK Institute of Management New Delhi
• K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research Mumbai
• Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies Harihar
• Kohinoor Business School Pune
• Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management and Technology Bareilly
• Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management New Delhi
• Management Development Institute Gurgaon
• Motilal Nehru Institute of Technology Allahabad
• Mudra Institute of Communication Ahmedabad Ahmedabad
• Narula Institute of Technology,Kolkata
• National Institute of Bank Management Pune
• National Institute of Technology Tiruchirapalli
• National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, Haryana
• National Insurance Academy Pune
• National Power Training Institute MBA (Power Management) Faridabad
• New Delhi Institute of Management New Delhi
• NIILM Centre for Management Studies New Delhi
• Nirma Institute of Management Ahmedabad
• Pailan College of Management and Technology Kolkata
• Pearl School of Business Gurgaon
• PES Institute of Technology Bangalore
• Prince L N Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research Mumbai
• Rakshpal Bahadur Management Institute Bareilly
• School of Management Sciences Varanasi
• School of Management Studies, University of Hyderabad , Hyderabad
• School of Management, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry
• SDM Institute for Management Development Mysore
• Shri Ramswaroop Memorial College of Engineering and Management Lucknow
• Sri Sringeri Sharada Institute of Management New Delhi
• SRM University Kancheepuram
• SSN School of Management & Computer Applications Chennai
• Suryadatta Group of Institutes, Pune
• T A Pai Management Institute Manipal
• University Business School Chandigarh
• Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Co-operative Management Pune
• Vellore Institute of Technology Vellore

CAT is considered to be one of the toughest exam in India and the CAT score is also accepted by many other prestigious B- Schools for admission to their courses (S.P. Jain, MDI, etc)

CAT primarily tests you on English Usage, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation & is an objective paper. However the format of the paper is not constant and one can be sure of surprises in CAT year after year. Number of questions ranges from 75 (in 2006) to 185 (in CAT 1995). Not only are the number of questions varying but also changes can be in the number of sections, presence or absence of time limits for each section, types of questions in a particular section, etc. CAT is held on 3rd Sunday of November.

A very important aspect of CAT is that a student has to clear a sectional cut-off in each section, in addition to an overall cut-off. Thus if a student is good in English and scores 50/50 in English but cannot clear the cut-off in the Math section, he would not be receiving an interview call letter. Thus time management among sections becomes very important, as the goal is not only to maximize score but also clear cut-offs in each section.

The cut-offs in each section vary from year to year depending on the difficulty level. The IIMs do not disclose the cut-offs and hence no one is absolutely sure of the cut-offs. However it has been observed that correctly answering 45% questions in each section has been good enough to clear the cut-offs.

Guessing wildly in CAT would work to your disadvantage as there is negative marking in CAT. CAT marks the beginning of B-School entrance tests. Then onwards, there is a test (sometimes two) almost every Sunday till February 1st Sunday. Preparing for CAT would also mean 90% preparation for other tests.