Both the chats saw participation from a large number of CAT 2010 takers and MBA aspirants. They posed several questions to the experts regarding the analysis of the test, what to expect on their test days and what strategies they should follow on the D-Day and during the last minute preparation.
Let us read the excerpts of the Live Expert Chats.
Chat with Byju Raveendran:
Q: MBA: Good afternoon sir, please tell me the analysis of first three days of CAT. I am taking exam on 9th November.
A: I cannot get into the specifics of the paper as it is against the non-disclosure agreement. It more or less follows the patterns and weightages of the previous years’ papers.
Q: Prasanna: Sir, will getting a score of 60 at a higher accuracy rate fetch me a better percentile than a 70 at lower accuracy rates?
A: Getting a higher score is always the priority. If the scores are same, then a better accuracy MAY play a role.
Q: Swati: Can I know a basic trick to tackle the data interpretation questions?
A: To start with, you should know how to interpret various data formats. Tables, line graphs, bar graphs, pie charts, flow diagrams and cumulative frequency tables are some of the data formats that have featured in CAT over the years. But one very important skill you need to develop to crack CAT is understanding percentages. You should have a very good idea of percentage calculations, comparison of fractions (to determine highest/ lowest percentage), average annual growth rates (CAGR) and related concepts like market share by value, market share by volume market share increase and decrease, etc. Approximation is the best tool to arrive at answers quickly but using it is an art, and you will have to learn this through trial-and-error and practice. Often you can arrive at the correct answer by the process of elimination. For some questions you may see that two or three of the given options are quite far-fetched and it is easy to select the right answer. Again, this method needs practice to become perfect.
Q: Sameer Gupta: Sir, for the last three days, the paper has been following the same pattern. Do you think that there will be any surprise element in the coming days?
A: The only thing which you can predict in CAT is its unpredictability, so no one will ever know.
Q: Jyotshna: How to prepare CAT 2010 for upcoming days?
A: What you should do is - Spend time solving and analyzing previous years’ CAT papers. As the date draws closer, relax and take it easy! What you should not do - Don’t listen to rumor mills. Don’t waste time on social networking sites etc. trying to figure out questions. Questions repeating are very rare.
Q: Pooja: CAT 2010 is from 27 Oct to 24 Nov. which will conduct for 20 days. So I want to know what are the 9 off days? Anyone know this? Please reply.
A: The days of the test are: Wednesday, October 27; Friday, October 29; Saturday, October 30; Sunday, October 31; Tuesday, November 2; Wednesday, November 3; Thursday, November 4; Sunday, November 7; Monday, November 8; Tuesday, November 9; Wednesday, November 10; Sunday, November 14; Monday, November 15; Tuesday, November 16; Thursday, November 18; Friday, November 19; Saturday, November 20; Monday, 22; Tuesday, November 23 and Wednesday, November 24, 2010.
Q: Shivaki: Hello Sir, how much percentile will fetch an IIM call? Last time I got 200/450 i.e. 88 percentile. I don't think that 50 will do any good.
A: In CAT, more than the score; the percentile is what makes a difference; i.e. your relative score with respect to others. Hence, never go to the exam with a specific number of question attempts in mind. Aim at maximizing your attempts in every section with a good accuracy in the time you have allotted for that section
Q: Mohini: Hello Sir, what can you say about the difficulty level of cat 2010?
A: General feedback from students based on the first three days is that the difficulty level is just above last year’s CAT but comparable to 2007-2008 CAT papers.
Q: Manju: What are the trends in DI caselets? Shall I concentrate more conventional or LR? What should the the startgey for 2 questions caselets?
A: If you are comfortable with calculation, numbers and percentages; it is better to attempt conventional DI caselet first as you have the flexibility of attempting some of the questions in that caselet and leaving the tougher ones. That is not necessarily the case with LR caselets.
Q: Sivesh: My negativity is too high around one fourth of the questions i attempt are wrong.how to improve it.
A: As there are fewer questions per section, spend time reading each question to avoid silly errors. Avoid making wild guesses. Even if you are guessing, make an intelligent guess after eliminating all options which are not feasible.
The next Live Expert Chat was held with CAT 2010 Convener Prof. Himanshu Rai. The common questions were mainly on the CAT 2010 process, the admission criteria for IIM Lucknow and many more.
Chat with Prof. Himanshu Rai:
Q: Radhika: Thank you sir and congrats for the glitch free CAT. What would be you advice to remaining CAT takers to keep calm.
A: Welcome! And thanks for the wishes! I am glad that things are fine for everyone this time around. I would advice everyone to stick to the basics; work hard, don't pay heed to rumors about toughness levels across slots, visit of your centre, bring required documents to the centre and reach early. Also remember, this is a part of life, not life itself!
Q: Ashish: Sir, there are 40 sets of paper and obviously difficulty will go up and down. What is the procedure of analyzing the performance?
A: The method of equating post-test has been explained in the videos uploaded on catiim website; do watch them for a clear answer to your question!
Q: Debbrata: Sir, now that the CAT 2010 has rolled on smoothly, do you think that there can be any unwanted situation in the coming days?
A: I don't think so, and let’s not even talk about it! Let’s all wish CAT 2010 and all those taking it a great success!
Q: Anand: Sir, I heard that some students are facing problems with computer systems, as skipping to the next questions are taking some time?
A: Not at all! Don't listen to any such rumors; focus on your preparation and then give it your best shot.
Q: Rohit: Good afternoon sir, how do you decide that the pattern of the test remains similar throughout the 20 days of two slots each?
A: Different question papers are constructed from a pool of questions by maintaining similar numbers of questions with a particular difficulty level. Don't worry; we do it to the best of our ability. And to take care of any minor variations that still remain we have a psychometrically robust post-test equating process.
Q: Vikas: Good Afternoon sir! What was the CAT cut-off at IIM Lucknow last year and also what it would be this year?
A: Sorry, I don't have that data in front of me right now. The cutoff for this year will be determined only once we analyze this year's CAT scores. The minimum cut off required has been put up in the admission policy document on IIM Lucknow website.
Q: Shivani: What are those five things that your institute consider while selecting a candidate? (written exam + GD PI)
A: Academic performance, work experience, quality of work performance/graduation. The details are in the admission policy document on IIM Lucknow website.
Muskan: Sir, I am not good in verbal, and average in quant, Data Interpretation is good, how many questions I should attempt to clear cut off. I cannot attempt 30- 35 and get 48 score only in mock test. What should I do?
A: Just practice more, focus harder, and believe in yourself. "Karat karat abhyas ke jadmat hote sujaan"!!
Q: Megha: In order to score a around 95 percentile, how many questions should be attempted?
A: Only a soothsayer would be able to tell you that. Just focus on your preparation and give it your best shot!
Q: Dharmesh: Sir, there are several candidates who belong to the test prep institutes. Don't you think that if the experts take CAT then our chances of getting through is hampered?
A: No. If you are good, you will come through. Stop worrying about things which are not in your control; focus instead on things that you CAN do. And that is to give it your best!
Q: CAT: Sir, I am an average student. I am giving CAT for the first time but I am not very confident. I want to reach at least among top 10 B-schools. What all I have to do?
A: Average is your state of mind. Not you. You can bring out the best in you if you work hard. That is the basic premise. Believe in yourself.
Q: Rani Kumari: Sir, what is the difference between percentage & percentile? How is percentile calculated?
A: It’s a process of normalization which will take an entire statistics class to explain! Stop worrying about that process; suffice to understand that you are being marked with reference to the other candidates. You just do your best.
Q: Pooja: Sir, if I do well in CAT and GDPI but I am not having strong acad background. Will it affect my chances to get into IIMs?
A: Each IIM has its own admission criteria that they have outlined in their policy document available on their websites. They give different weightage, if at all, to past academic performances. You can't erase what you have done. Focus on the present and what is yet to come!
Q: Prasanna: Sir is it worth attending a question when you are clearly able to eliminate 2 answer choices.
A: Only if you wish to take chances with a 50 per cent probability!
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