How to prepare for CAT?

Everyone agrees that there is no clear cut formula of getting through CAT and none but you have to decide your strategy to crack the test.

Believe me, the test is one of the simplest test you can get and there is no rocket-science that goes into it. It just checks an individual on how well he/she can adapt to the new pattern and how good a strategy one can design. Obviously, intelligence does help.

Since I was helping one of my friend to devise his strategy for the test, I thought it would be a good idea to put it over here so that many more can benefit from that.

Some of the tips for cracking CAT:
1. Dont worry at all. The more you worry, the lesser chances you have of getting through. This may not sound good to many but this is true and you will learn it through experience. If you look at it closely, it is just about keeping your cool and nothing else. Sounds simple but practically very difficult. Only practice can help.
2. Identify your strong areas.
3. Identify your weak areas.
4. Analyse your potential. Can you or Can’t you? If you are undecided then the answer is still positive but if you take a while longer than this, the answer might turn negative.
5. Get acquainted to all the types of questions and practise.
6. Do not Overdo.
7. Either make a full-hearted attempt or dont make an effort at all. Half-hearted attempt never pays.
8. Strengthen your strongest area and cover up for weakest area(by strengthening).
9. NEVER MAKE A STRATEGY THAT IS DEPENDENT ON TEST PATTERN. Go Open-minded for the test and devise a strategy there itself.
10. Most Important, Develop a clear understanding of all the concepts. To re-iterate, CAT is no rocket-science test, it is a simple aptitude based test.

My Strategy
Based on my understanding/experience and a bit of intelligence(a bit is all I have), I had developed a strategy which did work for me and might work for you as well. I advise you not to follow it religiously and make appropriate changes to adapt it to your style of working.

First of all you need to answer a few basic questions:
1. Do you know your strong points?
2. Do you know your weak points?
3. Do you know what specifically is wrong with your weak points?
4. Do you have any idea of how you can improve upon that?
5. Do you know how much you can score on a bad day?
6. How long would it take you to clear the 3 sectionals?
7. Who are you competing against? (Others/self/exam paper/person who has set the paper)

Make sure all of the above questions are answered before you make your strategy for the test.

It is important to understand that we are competing against humans and each human has some positives and some negatives. Finally what matters to us is the mean/average of it all.
Considering the sample space to have all average people,
Analyse as how much time would you need to score same number of marks that an average person would score in 50 minutes for each section?(Test time assumed 150 minutes)
This is nothing but a way to set your targets at the cut-off marks for each section.

Consider this example:
Now suppose DI and QA are my strong points and VA is the weaker section.
My analysis indicates that I need 25 min for DI, 30 mins for QA and 75mins for VA to score equivalent to other’s score considering 50 min in each section.
So that would necessarily mean that I clear cut-offs in 25+30+75=130 mins and that leaves me with 20 extra minutes to maximise my score.
Of these 20 extra minutes, I keep 5-7 min as my buffer time for unforeseen happenings/ unanticipated conditions, which would otherwise be spent in weaker section while the rest 13-15 mins is the differentiating factor to me and it is highly suggested that I capitalise it by spending it in my strongest/’most scoring’ section.
Make sure that you dont have to flip amongst the sections very often. Make sure that you don’t have to come back to any section. At max, take up your weakest/strongest section twice and manage your time properly that you do not overshoot time in any section.

One important observation here: It does not matter much whether the test is a high scoring test or low-scoring as what you are comparing with, is other individual’s score in 50 mins. 20 marks in 50 mins or 45marks in 50 mins don’t make a difference, you need same xyz mins in both the cases.

“How do I decide on how much time to give to which section?”
Simple. As per the definition, it must be the time when you are able to score equivalent to other’s score considering 50min for the section. Practically, there is an easier way out. Analyse your performance in AIMCAT/SIMCAT/…and record time that you need to clear the sectional cut-off. You have enough AIMCATs to experiment with this.

I think this post should be of atleast some use to people preparing for CAT.
Suggestions/Alternate strategies/Thank you notes/@#$%^& notes are most welcome.

Disclaimer: I re-iterate, the strategies could work out differently for different people and do not fall in the trap of adopting it as it is. It worked out for me but whether it suits you or not, is totally your call.

~Direct feed from Abhi’s world.
~~For more interesting posts, visit http://abhitaneja.blogspot.com

Thank you

Remembering the good old days – 0.0

This is not an uncommon discussion at any point of time but today somehow we(Rajesh and I) were discussing the days of CAT preparation and recalled how much fancy getting into an IIM looked at that point of time. I still dont deny the fact that it is fancy but it is coz ‘not denying’ is the only option I have now.

It started much earlier but the first milestone was sometime in Ausgust-September 2004, when I decided to start getting coaching for cracking the test. Shwetank Shekhar accompanied. The batch had already started and the faculty suggested us to join in the ‘DA-IICT batch’(2 batches of DA-IICTians were about to start) but we had our reasons of not joining those batches.
Reason 1: Don’t know when it will be started. Likely to be in January.
Reason 2: Wanted to start ASAP coz only regular classes could ensure a regularity.
Reason 3: A diverse batch w.r.t. background etc. helps
Reason 4: In a batch with all friends, u sometimes have to do certain things which u dont like to do but have to do coz friends are pressing u for that e.g. everyone plans to bunk the lecture.
Reason 5: The level of comfort u share with batchees may sometimes hinder the learning process e.g. making fun of faculty sitting at the last seat.
Reason 6: Gujju galz
…

~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~
Main points to be covered:
1. The preparation for CAT-05

• Classes
• AIMCATs and detailed analysis
• Test taking strategies

• When everyone said I was stupid but I knew I wasn’t

2. Benefits of joining non-DAIICT batch
3. CAT 2005 and the answer keys
4. InterraIT joining and CAT 06 test series (Taru Bond act)
5. AIMCATs and carelessness personified
6. CAT 06 and no matching answer keys this time

• Also Lucky Me!! (VA score read 25.00 95.33%le)

7. GD/PI prep and scene @ InterraIT
8. Actual GD/PI(s) and confrontation to Manager
9. GD/PI experiences in brief

• IIM-B GD/PI (1. Yogesh, Anuja and I in same panel 2. Why are you so interested in what I did ages back?)
• IIT-D(DMS) and goof-up (and still a convert!!)
• IIM-K and the stress (Who is the Boss?!!)
• IIM-I and fun (Where were you man? We have been looking for you for years)
• IIM-C and structure (1. Do I look like a travel guide? 2. Decision-making (fortunately went into an extremely comfortable direction))
• IIT-B(SJMSOM) and chaos (How can I perform that pathetic? I underestimated my lower bound of performance)
• IIM-A and chaos (Do I look like a Gujju chef or something?)
• IIM-L and what-an-interview-feel but WTF result!! (If u dont like Ambani(s), you should have told me, I would have talked Tata then)
• MDI and ultimate masti (can never forget this one and cant even say what exactly happened)

10. Last month @ InterraIT
11. “15 days and I will be at IIM-Cal” and proud parents

~Direct feed from Abhi’s world.
~~For more interesting posts, visit http://abhitaneja.blogspot.com

Thank you

Chak de!! India

Although going by the common convention for a civil day it was Independence day yesterday, but I would prefer the more generic definition for civil day(starts at dawn and ends accordingly) this time, considering it to be the 60th Independence day of India.

It is during this time that people, for once in a year, think about their country(atleast I suppose so) and again forget about it the very next day. Our definitions of patriotism have changed. We no longer attend flag hoisting ceremonies and listen to speech about the respected freedom fighters. We feel patriotic by watching patriotic movies and attend the flag hoisting only if laddu-factor appeals to us. We remember 15th August for it is a national holiday. However, on the positive side, atleast we remember this… We know that 15th August is a day of national significance and some break through related to freedom struggle happened on this date…We have a flag as well and is hoisted on this date of the calendar.

I am no different and I accept that. Even if I look at today’s activities… I was sleeping at the time the flag was being hoisted… I dont even know who hoisted it in the college, I just suppose it must have been the Director…then I was playing Diablo-II before leaving for the movie- Chak De India… Not to forget Happy Independence Day status message on GTalk…
This all looked fine then but retrospection gives a kind of guilt feeling that I had spared not even a fraction of a second thinking about the great freedom fighters who made this happen. And if this is my case, I believe it must have been same/similar for a lot many people.

If this is the case with so called Learned people of this country, only God knows where the country might be heading and still we do not hesitate saying “Chak De!! India“

~~Happy Independence Day~~

~Direct feed from Abhi’s world.
~~For more interesting posts, visit http://abhitaneja.blogspot.com

Thank you