Tips for D-Day- Courtesy T.I.M.E
Often repeated stuff , still no harm in refreshing it again
In a nutshell
Two days before D-Day
Work toward reducing the pressure on yourself
No serious preparation
just browse through what you have already worked on
Certainly no taking Mock CATs in the last 2 days
Don't get into any discussion on Mock CAT papers in the last 2 days
If you are not familiar with the centre, make a visit to the test centre the previous day to acquaint yourself with the route
On the day of the CAT
Plan to reach the exam centre at least 30 minutes before the reporting time of 9:45 AM
Carry your Hall Ticket, pencils, sharpener, eraser, pen, and a wrist watch
Do not expect any pattern or cut-offs for the paper
Be prepared for all eventualities
During the exam
Scan the paper and distribute the time over various sections
Don't worry if the paper is difficult
all test-takers are taking the same paper
Do not worry about the difficulty level of the paper
Focus on locating easy questions and answering them
Mark your answers on the OMR sheet for each question as soon as you solve it
Check that you are marking the oval against the correct question
If you are able to eliminate three choices (and are not able to arrive at the final answer), mark as your answer, one of the remaining two choices it is not worth leaving out such a question
Don't spend too much time on any one question
No blind guessing of answers
Keep track of time
Do not lose heart if one section goes bad - it may be the same with everyone else
In a nutshell
Two days before D-Day
Work toward reducing the pressure on yourself
No serious preparation
just browse through what you have already worked on
Certainly no taking Mock CATs in the last 2 days
Don't get into any discussion on Mock CAT papers in the last 2 days
If you are not familiar with the centre, make a visit to the test centre the previous day to acquaint yourself with the route
On the day of the CAT
Plan to reach the exam centre at least 30 minutes before the reporting time of 9:45 AM
Carry your Hall Ticket, pencils, sharpener, eraser, pen, and a wrist watch
Do not expect any pattern or cut-offs for the paper
Be prepared for all eventualities
During the exam
Scan the paper and distribute the time over various sections
Don't worry if the paper is difficult
all test-takers are taking the same paper
Do not worry about the difficulty level of the paper
Focus on locating easy questions and answering them
Mark your answers on the OMR sheet for each question as soon as you solve it
Check that you are marking the oval against the correct question
If you are able to eliminate three choices (and are not able to arrive at the final answer), mark as your answer, one of the remaining two choices it is not worth leaving out such a question
Don't spend too much time on any one question
No blind guessing of answers
Keep track of time
Do not lose heart if one section goes bad - it may be the same with everyone else
Verbal Ability
Verbal Ability holds a lot of weightage in the CAT entrance exam paper. This section consists of Verbal ability, verbal reasoning and reading comprehension. It consists of questions which are vocabulary based, English and grammar usage, verbal reasoning and reading comprehension. Like Quantitative Ability, this section also tests the Basic English language skills.
CAT 2008 exam threw a huge surprise towards the students by increasing the number of questions to 40. The questions were based on grammar, usage and vocabulary concepts. “There were no new types of constructs in VA, while old constructs like fill in the blanks and inappropriate usage made a comeback this year. The only twist in the VA questions was that the grammar-based questions also involved identifying punctuation, spelling and logical errors,” IMS Learning said, while analyzing the Verbal section of CAT 2008 exam. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension consisted of 20 questions each. According to IMS Learning, the passages of the RC were of medium length and easy to understand. “The questions were a mix of inferential and direct questions, with a handful of vocabulary-based questions thrown in,” said IMS Learning. Thus, IMS Learning opined that it was a fairly easy section and had plenty of chances to maximize scores.
CAT 2006 and 2007 exams had 25 questions with four marks each. Of these, 12 to 15 questions were of RC and rest questions were of verbal. While CAT 2004 exam there were 0.5, one and two, marks questions in this section. In CAT 2005 exam, there were one mark and two marks questions in this section.
What is Verbal Ability all about?
The Vocabulary-based questions can comprise of synonyms & antonyms, fill in the blanks, matching words with their appropriate meanings etc. The grammar usage mostly comprises of questions which test your understanding of grammar. It could be questions where you are asked to spot the section of a sentence that is grammatically incorrect or it could be questions where a part of a sentence in underlined and you are provided with four or five alternative choices. You have to select the choice that corrects the error in the underlined part. The verbal reasoning questions could take multiple forms. The most common one is that of rearranging sentences of a paragraph. It could also include paraphrasing what has been said in a paragraph.
This section consists of basic questions of English language. In order to get a decent score in this section, all you need is to be well versed with grammar, words and verbal reasoning. The concepts have to be clear, as well as you should know the right usage of words, sentence construction etc.
Preparation for Verbal Ability
“In order to do well in Verbal Ability you need three things, reading, clarity on English grammar basics and building up your vocabulary,” said Sandeep Anand, CEO, 100percentile. You must start growing a strong reading habit for that. In this way, you can get accustomed to various words as well as get an idea about their usages, sentence construction etc. “It is a very good habit to read newspapers, especially editorial pages. It will help in improving the RC skills as well as general English usage,” said Manish Gulati, Cofounder and CEO, topCATcoaching.com. Gulati also suggested reading newspapers online. That will serve two purposes, it will not only keep you aware of the current affairs and the verbal preparation but it will give you a competitive edge for the computer-based test which CAT entrance exam is introducing this year.
In order to increase wordlists and knowing the meaning, context and usages, Aziz Manva, Content Head, Testfunda.com said, “Find out multiple applications of commonly used words and phrases, if any. While reading, note the context in which words and phrases are used. This helps in tackling a number of Verbal Ability questions. “In order to deal with the Reading Comprehensions, especially the unfamiliar topics, the only way is to broaden your reading and get familiar with various issues. To tackle Reading Comprehension passages about unfamiliar topics, broaden your reading to topics that challenge you,” said Manva.
Though extensive reading on all possible subjects and topics is necessary, to retain your learning is more important. “Read as much as possible. The idea is to read and comprehend. Reading with the aim of retention and building the capability to identify the keywords, clues and signs. The only way to this is read more and more,” said Anand.
Captain Walia, faculty of IMS Learning suggested that knowing the words and their grammars is very important. It is also necessary to associate them properly. He suggested associating an image or a context with a word, in that way one can never forget its meaning. For e.g. associate the word sophistication with Amitabh Bachhan. He finally suggested, “Don’t try to mug up grammar as set of rules. See the meaning and understand the connection.”
“In general, focus on building speed and accuracy, through practice, and careful analysis following practice,” said Manva.
Books and preparation material
By now you must have got the idea that the best material for the Verbal Ability section can be anything from daily newspapers, magazines, basic grammar and work books as well as books of fiction. “First you have to start reading. Start with anything that you like. It can be fiction, nonfiction or any other book. Then gradually you can shift towards more serious books,” said Captain Walia of IMS Learning.
“Intensive reading of newspapers, periodicals and reputed books and novels is paramount to tackle the Verbal Ability Section. It is important to understand whatever you read. The ‘Daily Wordlist’ sent by TestFunda helps them learn new words, their meanings and their usage at a steady pace,” mentioned Manva.
“Use basic English grammar books to learn your fundamentals and there are a large number of books and online resources available which would help you to build your vocabulary, besides learning new words from there try and make an effort to use them in your normal conversation, even at the expense of sounding not your usual self to others and importantly build the capability of contextual comprehension, you cannot and are not expected to memorize the whole dictionary,” suggested Anand.
Manish Saraf, COO, PT Education makes your work easier by giving you an extensive list of books and study materials for the Verbal Ability section of CAT entrance exam. ‘High School English Grammar and Composition’ by Wren and Martin, ‘Word Power Made Easy’ by Norman Lewis, ‘Verbal Ability’ by Arun Sharma, ‘A Communicative Grammar of English’ by Geoffrey Leech, ‘A Word A Day: A Romp through Some of the Most Unusual and Intriguing, Words in English’ by Anu Garg, ‘Business English and Communication’ by Clark Grade C, ‘All about Words’ by Rosenblum and Nurenberg, ‘30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary’ by Wilfred Funk and Norman Lewis, The GRE and GMAT exam preparation books like ‘Kaplan GRE Verbal’, ‘Princeton GRE Verbal’, ‘Princeton GRE Verbal’ and ‘Kaplan GMAT Verbal’.
Saraf also suggested names of some useful newspapers such as The Hindu, The Times of India, Economic Times, and The Statesman. For magazines, he named Business and Management Chronicle’ by Chronicle Publications, ‘Business Line’ by The Hindu Group, ‘Competition Success Review’, ‘Business Today’ by India Today Group, ‘Business World’. There are some must have materials which Saraf mentioned for you: a pocket size dictionary, ‘Chapter-wise 12 Years Solved Paper’ by Disha Publications and ‘CAT Topic-wise 15 year Solved Papers’ by Disha Publication.
Kamlesh Sajnani, Managing Director of IMS Learning suggested that the word list provided by the MBA coaching institute is definitely helpful. Apart from that, he said, “You should read and practice the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension BRM. You may also refer to the word list provided by IMS Learning and books like Nautical Miles, which will enable you to actually strengthen your word power.”
You should also solve previous years’ test papers to get an idea about the question pattern as well as to rate your performance. “All this should necessarily be supplemented by solving examples from previous exams as well as from books or course material developed by experts exclusively for CAT entrance exam,” suggested Manva.
Reading Comprehension
Read critically to tackle Reading Comprehension; Experts opine
Manish Saraf, COO, PT Education describes Reading Comprehension as; “Reading comprehension (RC) is the ability to read and understand unfamiliar materials and to answer questions about them. You will be presented with passages drawn from a variety of subject areas, including humanities, the sciences, latest happenings in society etc. The questions will ask you to analyze what is stated in the passage and to identify underlying assumptions and implications.”
Choosing the RC passages
Among the various passages, you need to select those passages which will be easier for you to answer. Saraf suggests factors which you should keep in mind while choosing the RC passages. “The topic of the passage, whether it is to your liking or not; question patterns, whether they are direct or twisted are some of the important factors. The ratio of the length of the passages and the number of questions is another important factor. A long passage with few questions will pay little dividend in relation to the time one puts in,” says Saraf.
Dealing with long RC passages
Most of you face the question: How to answer the questions of long RC passages in a short span of time. If it is a long passage, everyone else will take time. What you need to do is to comprehend it fast, rather than reading it fast. “Your focus while reading should be NOT to READ fast but to COMPREHEND fast,” says Gejo Sreenivasan, Principal Advisor, Career Launcher.
According to Aziz Manva, Content Head, Testfunda.com, in order to tackle long RC passages, practice is the key. “Try to get more practice in reading, particularly in reading dense materials fast. Learn to look at each question in the exam from first principles,” he says. Saraf suggests timing your reading of the passages. “When you are starting out with your RC preparation, cut out passages, which have a similar style and are more or less of equal length. Determine your reading speed on day one. Let’s say it is 150 words per minute. Read at that speed for sometime, say a week or something and after that, stretch yourself by increasing time constraints, say 150 words per 45 seconds,” explains Saraf.
Solving RCs in Computer Based Tests
Since last year, exams like CAT, NMAT and MAT have become computer based. Those who are concerned about dealing the RCs from the screen instead of paper, experts suggest them ways to handle it. Experts suggest that if you practice reading more articles and news on your computer and take notes in your rough paper (to be provided in the online CAT exam) while reading it, you will be better equipped. Says Vinayak Kudva, Product Head, IMS Learning, “Focus on comprehending the passage and not on speed reading. You may make a note of important points as you read on the rough paper provided. This will help you answer the questions faster and minimize the time required to browse through a passage every time you answer a question. You have to make full use of the highlight option which is provided in the computer based CAT exam.”
Quantitative Aptitude
What is Quant all about?
The Arithmetic sub-section in the CAT entrance exam consists of questions from number systems and theory, percentage, profit and loss, interest, speed time and distance, average, ratio and proportion etc. The Algebra section consists of linear and quadratic equation, logarithm, progression, binomial theorem, inequalities, permutation and combination, probability, function, set theory etc. The Geometry section consists of topics like coordinate geometry, trigonometry, mensuration etc.
This section consists of very basic questions and in order to get a decent score, the basic concepts regarding numbers and mathematics has to be crystal clear, according to experts MBAUniverse.com spoke with. “The Quant section in CAT entrance exam tests fundamentals and application skills. Hence, focus on building basics in Arithmetic, Algebra, Modern Mathematics and Geometry,” Aziz Manva, Content Head of Testfunda.com said.
Preparation for Quant
To start with this section of the CAT entrance exam, you should get yourself accustomed to all possible types of questions of this section. After that you will get a fair idea about your strengths and weaknesses in that particular area. “Based on this, divide your time, but do not let loose your strong fronts while mending the weaker walls,” Manish Gulati, CEO & Co founder, topCATcoaching.com said.
In order to carry on with the preparations, it is necessary to learn all the formulae by heart and keep on revising them. “Learn to apply these formulae in more difficult problems. It will be possible only through practice. Make your own formula sheet – because learning is best done by doing,” Manva said, and added, “Be comfortable with handling calculations. Learn multiplication tables at least up to 30, squares and cubes at least up to 30 and reciprocal percentages by heart.”
Manva explained the importance of focusing on developing estimation and approximation skills and learn intelligent guessing. “Estimation and approximation skills and intelligent guessing are beneficial, though not mandatory, to know speed calculation techniques. Needless to say, all this requires plenty of practice,” he said.
Books & preparation material for Quant
‘Back to Basics’ is the right mantra when you consider preparation strategy for CAT entrance exam’s Quant section. “I would suggest starting preparation with the very basic materials and which you are accustomed with. NCERT arithmetic text books from classes VIII to X are the best in this regard,” Kamelsh Sajnani, Managing Director of IMS Learning, said. Voicing similar advices, Manva, said, “The basic books you can refer are CBSE textbooks for standards VIII, IX and X. They build sound concepts.”
Apart from the NCERT books, Manish Saraf, COO, PT Education suggested books specially written for CAT entrance exam preparation like ‘How To Prepare For Quantitative Aptitude For The CAT’ by Arun Sharma (TATA-McGraw Hill publications), ‘Quantitative Aptitude for CAT’ by Nishit Sinha (Pearson publications), ‘Quantum CAT’ by Sarvesh Kumar Verma (Arihant publication) and ‘Quantitative Aptitude for MBA Entrance Examinations’ by Abhijit Guha (TATA-McGraw Hill publications).
Apart from them, you can also invest on the course materials provided by the leading MBA coaching institutes. They provide comprehensive material for your preparation along with enough practice materials.
How to analyze your learning?
The answer is quite simple – by taking more and more mock tests.
“Test series are an ideal way to gauge one’s preparation level and find out the problem areas,” said Sahil Bansal, CAT 2008 topper with 99.91 percentile and student of IIM Lucknow (2009-11). Another CAT 2008 topper, Glen D’Silva, now a student of IIM Ahmedabad, told MBAUniverse.com, “Try and analyze the mocks. Find the reason you are unable to score in your weaker sections and improve on that.” Glen D’Silva scored 99.83 percentile in CAT entrance exam last year.
Sandeep Anand, CEO, 100Percentile, “Practice, do more and more problems, give number of tests, that is the only way to do well in this section of CAT entrance exam.”
The MBA coaching institutes, both the traditional and the online players, provide sectional mock tests. You can take their mocks for a particular section or a full-length test that covers the area, and you won’t even need to enroll in their MBA coaching institute’s classes for this! These coaching institutes provide such test for a minimal sum these days. And with CAT becoming a computer-based exam from 2009 onwards, taking online/computer-based tests are very important.
