CAT GYAN # 6
I was browsing through my mail box,came across few mails I use to treasure as a CAT Aspirant.They were posted by Arun (Psycho dementia,if I'm not mistaken?) in the CAT 2k2 group.
These mssgs were posted in June.Heck,jus 2 weeks to go,so I'm posting them here.
Series of CAT Gyan...6 of them.
CAT GYAN #1
When you take CAT, what makes a crucial difference in determining whether you
crack CAT and get into the IIM s or not is how quick you can attempt questions.
One of the key observations that might throw light on CAT cracking methodologies is that - in most cases students spend about 60% of the time in quant and DI section on calculations. If you can make a difference to your calculation speed, even if it is marginal, it will make a substantial difference to your getting into an IIM. After all people make it to the cut off by a margin of 0.25 marks.
We will intersperse our question a day with a fast calculation tip every now and then and about 5 exercise problems for each method. Practice speed calculation whenever you have to calculate anything. Engineers particularly,should try and throw their fx 100 calculators away, at least, for the time being. And commerce graduates do not go anywhere near your calculators for the next 6 months.
These mssgs were posted in June.Heck,jus 2 weeks to go,so I'm posting them here.
Series of CAT Gyan...6 of them.
CAT GYAN #1
When you take CAT, what makes a crucial difference in determining whether you
crack CAT and get into the IIM s or not is how quick you can attempt questions.
One of the key observations that might throw light on CAT cracking methodologies is that - in most cases students spend about 60% of the time in quant and DI section on calculations. If you can make a difference to your calculation speed, even if it is marginal, it will make a substantial difference to your getting into an IIM. After all people make it to the cut off by a margin of 0.25 marks.
We will intersperse our question a day with a fast calculation tip every now and then and about 5 exercise problems for each method. Practice speed calculation whenever you have to calculate anything. Engineers particularly,should try and throw their fx 100 calculators away, at least, for the time being. And commerce graduates do not go anywhere near your calculators for the next 6 months.
CAT GYAN #2
For those of you who are serious about CAT - I think its a 20 week race from this point. A small piece of advice from an old hat
1. Take a day off from your regular schedule this week and take a representative diagnostic test.
2. Check out where you stand -- identify your weak and strong points.
3. Start identifying ways to minimize the impact of your weak points - if its math - work out a chapter by chapter strategy and start cracking them systematically - remember the math in CAT is not one of rocket science. It is eminently crackable - only that it needs some hard and more importantly a lot of smart work.
4. For those of you with little or no reading experience - RC could come a cropper - start reading extensively from today - always carry a book with you - even if it is a thriller or a romantic Mills and Boon - read, read, read...
5. If you are still in college, it might be a good idea to form a small team of 2 to 3 like minded people and have a healthy competition. This small study circle will also help you share work load in cracking techniques in different chapters. While one could find out all short cuts in Percentages, the other person might be able to have the meanings and usages of common Latin and French words. Co-opetition is the latest management buzz word.
6. Unlike semester exams or month end sales targets, CAT needs sustained effort - so start today. It still is not too late. I started my preparation in late August 1991 - CAT was in the second sunday of December then. And I was working for L&T; at Ballard Estate in Bombay and staying in a Chummery acco in Malad (It is a 34 km one way travel everyday - roughly 3 hours in travel). And I managed calls from B, C and L. I could have worked harder - but then I suppose it was short sighted ambition. Do not let that happen to you. Do not come up with excuses such as -- semester exam, project work, no time -- if you have the determination to crack CAT, you will.
7. There are already over 10,000 excuses for not cracking CAT. May be you can add a few more. But remember, the only reason you will be into an IIM is because you badly wanted to be there.
8. Finally, if you do not believe that you have it in you to crack CAT, do not even attempt CAT. Believing that you can make it is the first step to getting there.
I wish you all success in your CAT exam. I hope this forum helps you in achieving your career dreams.
For those of you who are serious about CAT - I think its a 20 week race from this point. A small piece of advice from an old hat
1. Take a day off from your regular schedule this week and take a representative diagnostic test.
2. Check out where you stand -- identify your weak and strong points.
3. Start identifying ways to minimize the impact of your weak points - if its math - work out a chapter by chapter strategy and start cracking them systematically - remember the math in CAT is not one of rocket science. It is eminently crackable - only that it needs some hard and more importantly a lot of smart work.
4. For those of you with little or no reading experience - RC could come a cropper - start reading extensively from today - always carry a book with you - even if it is a thriller or a romantic Mills and Boon - read, read, read...
5. If you are still in college, it might be a good idea to form a small team of 2 to 3 like minded people and have a healthy competition. This small study circle will also help you share work load in cracking techniques in different chapters. While one could find out all short cuts in Percentages, the other person might be able to have the meanings and usages of common Latin and French words. Co-opetition is the latest management buzz word.
6. Unlike semester exams or month end sales targets, CAT needs sustained effort - so start today. It still is not too late. I started my preparation in late August 1991 - CAT was in the second sunday of December then. And I was working for L&T; at Ballard Estate in Bombay and staying in a Chummery acco in Malad (It is a 34 km one way travel everyday - roughly 3 hours in travel). And I managed calls from B, C and L. I could have worked harder - but then I suppose it was short sighted ambition. Do not let that happen to you. Do not come up with excuses such as -- semester exam, project work, no time -- if you have the determination to crack CAT, you will.
7. There are already over 10,000 excuses for not cracking CAT. May be you can add a few more. But remember, the only reason you will be into an IIM is because you badly wanted to be there.
8. Finally, if you do not believe that you have it in you to crack CAT, do not even attempt CAT. Believing that you can make it is the first step to getting there.
I wish you all success in your CAT exam. I hope this forum helps you in achieving your career dreams.
CAT GYAN #3.
Logical problems are generally time consuming. My suggestion is that avoid these problems in the first instance.
Remember, your objective is to score the maximum amount of marks in the
given time. You will not be penalized for having solved all the easy problems problems in the first instance.
Remember, your objective is to score the maximum amount of marks in the
given time. You will not be penalized for having solved all the easy problems in CAT. Neither would you be given special credits for digging out the tough problems. CAT, fortunately, to date, does not have adaptability in difficulty levels as GMAT does.
So, the first lesson in test taking strategy is -- choose your questions smart. It is easier said than done. You gain confidence about the questions that you can attempt adn the ones you have to skip only by continuous practice and scrupulous analysis of your previous test papers. Take each of the tests that you have done to date and
analyse every single question - see how long you took to crack the question - was it out of fluke you got it right? or you actually knew how to do it? Second, check out if you made use of the answer choices to arrive at your choice - if so pat yourself - you are on the right track.
Sometimes, it helps to have some very simple rules.My advice would be to crack only those problems where you can use the answer choice (like substituting them in the question) to arrive at the solution in the first instance. And after solving all of those questions where you can use the answer choice, if you are still left with time on hand, attempt the other questions.
Given all this logic - logical question does not fit in the first or the second go. If you still have time and the only question you have left unanswered is logical question, then try and solve them. To get sufficient practice, get one of the GRE books like Barrons. they have sufficient exercise on these type of arrangement problems.
Draw tables and try and represent whatever data is given to you in either tabular or pictorial form. It helps you to crack the problem effectively.
CAT GYAN #4
One of the key things to note is to have a strategy before you take a Mock CAT.
One thing that I have found to have worked for a lot of people is this.
Whether there is a section wise time limit or not, set a limit for yourself.This year CAT, as mentioned in the brochure, is one where there is going to be no section wise time limit.
So give yourself time limits for each section. Say, Quant 50 minutes, DI 40 minutes and Verbal 30 minutes. The individual section wise limit will vary from person to person. But the above is a reasonably good representative sample. Then attempt questions in each of these sections and move to the next section 5 minutes before the time limit that you have set. That is in 45 minutes for Quant, 35 for DI and 25 for Verbal. At the end of 1 hour 45 minutes take a quick evaluation as to how you have performed in each of the sections. If you feel, you have not done well in say,
DI, spend the remaining 15 minutes on DI. On the contrary, if you think you have done reasonably well in all three sections, spend the last 15 minutes on the section that will give you the maximum returns.
Logical problems are generally time consuming. My suggestion is that avoid these problems in the first instance.
Remember, your objective is to score the maximum amount of marks in the
given time. You will not be penalized for having solved all the easy problems problems in the first instance.
Remember, your objective is to score the maximum amount of marks in the
given time. You will not be penalized for having solved all the easy problems in CAT. Neither would you be given special credits for digging out the tough problems. CAT, fortunately, to date, does not have adaptability in difficulty levels as GMAT does.
So, the first lesson in test taking strategy is -- choose your questions smart. It is easier said than done. You gain confidence about the questions that you can attempt adn the ones you have to skip only by continuous practice and scrupulous analysis of your previous test papers. Take each of the tests that you have done to date and
analyse every single question - see how long you took to crack the question - was it out of fluke you got it right? or you actually knew how to do it? Second, check out if you made use of the answer choices to arrive at your choice - if so pat yourself - you are on the right track.
Sometimes, it helps to have some very simple rules.My advice would be to crack only those problems where you can use the answer choice (like substituting them in the question) to arrive at the solution in the first instance. And after solving all of those questions where you can use the answer choice, if you are still left with time on hand, attempt the other questions.
Given all this logic - logical question does not fit in the first or the second go. If you still have time and the only question you have left unanswered is logical question, then try and solve them. To get sufficient practice, get one of the GRE books like Barrons. they have sufficient exercise on these type of arrangement problems.
Draw tables and try and represent whatever data is given to you in either tabular or pictorial form. It helps you to crack the problem effectively.
CAT GYAN #4
One of the key things to note is to have a strategy before you take a Mock CAT.
One thing that I have found to have worked for a lot of people is this.
Whether there is a section wise time limit or not, set a limit for yourself.This year CAT, as mentioned in the brochure, is one where there is going to be no section wise time limit.
So give yourself time limits for each section. Say, Quant 50 minutes, DI 40 minutes and Verbal 30 minutes. The individual section wise limit will vary from person to person. But the above is a reasonably good representative sample. Then attempt questions in each of these sections and move to the next section 5 minutes before the time limit that you have set. That is in 45 minutes for Quant, 35 for DI and 25 for Verbal. At the end of 1 hour 45 minutes take a quick evaluation as to how you have performed in each of the sections. If you feel, you have not done well in say,
DI, spend the remaining 15 minutes on DI. On the contrary, if you think you have done reasonably well in all three sections, spend the last 15 minutes on the section that will give you the maximum returns.
In all of these, keep one thing in mind. Maintain as much accuracy as possible in the first 1 hour 45 minutes. In the last 15 minutes, make intelligent guesses. For instance, if you can eliminate 2 out of the 4 answer choices and you are not sure which of the other two to tick, take an intelligent guess. This does not mean that you mark anything during the last 15 minutes. Remember, what I said was INTELLIGENT GUESSING and not random ticking.
CAT GYAN # 5
Step one:
"Macro-Picture"
Last few months have gone in addressing every single important issue of your test fundamentals, short-cuts, test taking techniques, simulated tests, etc. Now is the time for us to move away from these important but operational matters and look at the macro-picture ahead of you.
One or two sections are not to the best of your liking. You hate some sub-sections, etc. But forget all that for the next 17 days. Your task is not to solve the entire paper. Re-look at the objective. Do your best in those two hours. Get a minimum score on each section and maximize your overall performance. Worry about CAT as a whole.
Time to freeze your broad strategy with the understanding that it may have to be altered slightly after you face the CAT.
Step 2:
"Match Temperament"
All your hard work and sweat put in single-mindedly (!!!) will be tested in those 2 hours. Just 2 hours!! How can a two-hr test pass a judgment on your ability to make it to an IIM? Is it not too cold? Perhaps even cruel!! No scope for any error.
But this is a reality. And champions are made of stuff that brings out their best when it is needed the most. What you need in you now is match temperament. BIG MATCH TEMPERAMENT (BMT)
We need not travel far to understand what it is - Steve Waugh, Sachin Tendulkar, Glenn McGrath. They are BMT personified. Put them in a difficult situation. One realizes that they have reserved their best for that day. Unshakable self-belief is the virtue of all these champions.
All your brilliance and high scores at home is a waste if you cave in under pressure, under competition. These are excuses invented for lesser mortals called Losers. Pressure and competitions are always in ones mind.
Step Three:
The Ultimate Mantra SELF BELIEF
An average performer overcomes his own limitations with the mantra of Self-Belief and surpasses the benchmark of expectations others set for him. Because his self defined performance standards are much higher than set by others - Sachin, Steve Waugh.
This mantra is hidden somewhere in each of us. The champions have discovered it for themselves. You need to discover it for yourself. This is the best occasion for the discovery.
Work consciously on it. Nobody can do it for you. Not even the most sincere of your well-wishers parents, friends, teachersTell yourself
"ONLY I CAN DO IT. AND I SHALL."
Step one:
"Macro-Picture"
Last few months have gone in addressing every single important issue of your test fundamentals, short-cuts, test taking techniques, simulated tests, etc. Now is the time for us to move away from these important but operational matters and look at the macro-picture ahead of you.
One or two sections are not to the best of your liking. You hate some sub-sections, etc. But forget all that for the next 17 days. Your task is not to solve the entire paper. Re-look at the objective. Do your best in those two hours. Get a minimum score on each section and maximize your overall performance. Worry about CAT as a whole.
Time to freeze your broad strategy with the understanding that it may have to be altered slightly after you face the CAT.
Step 2:
"Match Temperament"
All your hard work and sweat put in single-mindedly (!!!) will be tested in those 2 hours. Just 2 hours!! How can a two-hr test pass a judgment on your ability to make it to an IIM? Is it not too cold? Perhaps even cruel!! No scope for any error.
But this is a reality. And champions are made of stuff that brings out their best when it is needed the most. What you need in you now is match temperament. BIG MATCH TEMPERAMENT (BMT)
We need not travel far to understand what it is - Steve Waugh, Sachin Tendulkar, Glenn McGrath. They are BMT personified. Put them in a difficult situation. One realizes that they have reserved their best for that day. Unshakable self-belief is the virtue of all these champions.
All your brilliance and high scores at home is a waste if you cave in under pressure, under competition. These are excuses invented for lesser mortals called Losers. Pressure and competitions are always in ones mind.
Step Three:
The Ultimate Mantra SELF BELIEF
An average performer overcomes his own limitations with the mantra of Self-Belief and surpasses the benchmark of expectations others set for him. Because his self defined performance standards are much higher than set by others - Sachin, Steve Waugh.
This mantra is hidden somewhere in each of us. The champions have discovered it for themselves. You need to discover it for yourself. This is the best occasion for the discovery.
Work consciously on it. Nobody can do it for you. Not even the most sincere of your well-wishers parents, friends, teachersTell yourself
"ONLY I CAN DO IT. AND I SHALL."
CAT GYAN # 6
*********************************
PART I
Let me begin with the resources on the Web. For starters subscribe to word services. They send an email everyday in your inbox with the meaning, etymology and sample usage of a word. The best and most popular service is run by Anu Garg (featured in Wall Street Journal and Readers Digest among many other newspapers/mags) Anu is an Indian living in the US. Catch him at www.wordsmith.org/award The words are sometimes arcane. However, do not get intimated by them. Easier words come from Merriam Webster by mail everyday. Hit
www.m-w.com
Websites (humble comments by yours truly)
www.coolavenues.com (Annual average salary survey this year published in many magazines. Decent source. Runs another yahoo group called catavenues. It was so voluminous and crappy thats why i started this group. catavenues has 2400+ members)
www.bizkool.com (OK)
www.indiabschools.com (Most pages not in place. Made a survey of
top B schools for Outlook)
Websites of Coaching classes
www.imsindia.com (Good place for initial intros to institutes)
www.cflogic.com (Good place for finding out results. They also have analysis of various papers on their site)
www.careerlauncher.com (They email query handlers generally respond with alacrity. i have had good experience. i mailed them some bouncer math fundas to which they made diagrams in MS Word and replied within a couple of days. Mail
helpme@careerlauncer.com)
Others
www.naukri.com (Good GD/PI tips. already posted on catprep)
www.iimcal.ac.in (Few tips for IIM aspirants. They also have CAT chat with their own students. Most user friendly institute. They sent my friend a CD when he got a call for GD/PI)
www.indiainfoline.com/bisc
Lots of portals have their own education sections where they have covered MBA studies in detail. ex education.sify.com Also check education vortals like egurucool.com and if I may add www.pagalguy.com/cat here now
Also go thru the following links
soyouwanna.com/site/syws/wrerr...
(To avoid writing errors. Will help you in english section)
soyouwanna.com/site/syws/logic...
(Some stuff on logic)
www.grammarbook.com (Decent)
Hit www.excelatexam.com for GD/PI experiences of sucessful
students.
PART II
The debate/discussions on whether to read questions before attempting a passage is like debating whether the chicken came first or the egg. Try both for 10 odd passages each. You'll find out for yourself which is easier.
Familiarity helps a lot. Attempt passages which you are aware of. In case you are an arts student you are better off starting with a passage on psychology than say, NTTDoCoMo.
I had the habit of underlying a few things here and there. I found it helpful. Try whether it works for you.
The biggest myth that I came across while preparing for CAT is the widespread belief that engineers are not good in English and non-engineers are good in English. The opposite holds true for Math. This is to put in one word 'baloney'. Engineers who matter have their English as well Math polished. Stop thinking in terms of engineers and non-engineers.
I was an IMS student. Have studied very little from Career Launcher. But from whatever little i did, i found IMS english at a higher level and hence more suitable for CAT. Math from CL is better. It seems that this times CAT had a couple of sums straight out of CL's preparatory matter. (For the record only - a sum about some water in grapes)
Keep reading editorials. Cannot overemphasize it. Any newspaper - business or non-business. I particularly found Indian Express editorials better than Times and Business Standard editorials better than Economic Times. (This, by the way, is a classic mistake used by paper setters over and over again. The english here is wrong since i am coming editorials of BS to ET rather than editorials of ET) Arguments suggesting that editorials are boring to read and other things are OK are specious at best. Nothing else in a newspaper is worth reading.
Do not spend disproptionate time mugging up words. CAT, unlike GRE, does not ask synonyms or antonyms (Atleast thats what the trend's been) This year they had a new type of question where they checked whether you knew how to use words.
PART III
Caution : Coaching Class preparatory matter have sums that have never ever come in CAT and never will. The clock some is a good example. CAT has never asked "What day was 23rd July 1983?" You can dodge these questions and not waste time studying them. For more info, consult some experienced person.
I started studying in late May. I was studying regularly for CAT. In case you intend to do the same, May-July is a good period to start depending upon your individual abilities. Ideally study less of English from October onwards. English cannot be improved in two months. Maths can. However, keep practicing English passages.
Data Interpretation : Can't write much. Know your reciprocals. And always read footnotes.
PART IV
You could ask your local class for last years paper. They reproduce all papers. This is how they do it. Senior faculty fill CAT forms like you and me. They then sit for the exam and analyse the paper. They do not mark a single answer. Meanwhile, the junior faculty is asked to memorise 5-7 questions with options. These questions are pre-assigned. After the test, the junior faculty then reproduces the paper to the best of their ability. (Obviously English passages cannot be reproduced. )However, the topic and difficulty is noted.
This time the top institutes have emphasized quite a bit on accuracy. Speaking to quite a few students, I realized that there were many students, who had attempted few questions with very good accuracy, who had got calls from IIMs.
-------------------
Tht's it folks! All The Best
*********************************
PART I
Let me begin with the resources on the Web. For starters subscribe to word services. They send an email everyday in your inbox with the meaning, etymology and sample usage of a word. The best and most popular service is run by Anu Garg (featured in Wall Street Journal and Readers Digest among many other newspapers/mags) Anu is an Indian living in the US. Catch him at www.wordsmith.org/award The words are sometimes arcane. However, do not get intimated by them. Easier words come from Merriam Webster by mail everyday. Hit
www.m-w.com
Websites (humble comments by yours truly)
www.coolavenues.com (Annual average salary survey this year published in many magazines. Decent source. Runs another yahoo group called catavenues. It was so voluminous and crappy thats why i started this group. catavenues has 2400+ members)
www.bizkool.com (OK)
www.indiabschools.com (Most pages not in place. Made a survey of
top B schools for Outlook)
Websites of Coaching classes
www.imsindia.com (Good place for initial intros to institutes)
www.cflogic.com (Good place for finding out results. They also have analysis of various papers on their site)
www.careerlauncher.com (They email query handlers generally respond with alacrity. i have had good experience. i mailed them some bouncer math fundas to which they made diagrams in MS Word and replied within a couple of days. Mail
helpme@careerlauncer.com)
Others
www.naukri.com (Good GD/PI tips. already posted on catprep)
www.iimcal.ac.in (Few tips for IIM aspirants. They also have CAT chat with their own students. Most user friendly institute. They sent my friend a CD when he got a call for GD/PI)
www.indiainfoline.com/bisc
Lots of portals have their own education sections where they have covered MBA studies in detail. ex education.sify.com Also check education vortals like egurucool.com and if I may add www.pagalguy.com/cat here now
Also go thru the following links
soyouwanna.com/site/syws/wrerr...
(To avoid writing errors. Will help you in english section)
soyouwanna.com/site/syws/logic...
(Some stuff on logic)
www.grammarbook.com (Decent)
Hit www.excelatexam.com for GD/PI experiences of sucessful
students.
PART II
The debate/discussions on whether to read questions before attempting a passage is like debating whether the chicken came first or the egg. Try both for 10 odd passages each. You'll find out for yourself which is easier.
Familiarity helps a lot. Attempt passages which you are aware of. In case you are an arts student you are better off starting with a passage on psychology than say, NTTDoCoMo.
I had the habit of underlying a few things here and there. I found it helpful. Try whether it works for you.
The biggest myth that I came across while preparing for CAT is the widespread belief that engineers are not good in English and non-engineers are good in English. The opposite holds true for Math. This is to put in one word 'baloney'. Engineers who matter have their English as well Math polished. Stop thinking in terms of engineers and non-engineers.
I was an IMS student. Have studied very little from Career Launcher. But from whatever little i did, i found IMS english at a higher level and hence more suitable for CAT. Math from CL is better. It seems that this times CAT had a couple of sums straight out of CL's preparatory matter. (For the record only - a sum about some water in grapes)
Keep reading editorials. Cannot overemphasize it. Any newspaper - business or non-business. I particularly found Indian Express editorials better than Times and Business Standard editorials better than Economic Times. (This, by the way, is a classic mistake used by paper setters over and over again. The english here is wrong since i am coming editorials of BS to ET rather than editorials of ET) Arguments suggesting that editorials are boring to read and other things are OK are specious at best. Nothing else in a newspaper is worth reading.
Do not spend disproptionate time mugging up words. CAT, unlike GRE, does not ask synonyms or antonyms (Atleast thats what the trend's been) This year they had a new type of question where they checked whether you knew how to use words.
PART III
Caution : Coaching Class preparatory matter have sums that have never ever come in CAT and never will. The clock some is a good example. CAT has never asked "What day was 23rd July 1983?" You can dodge these questions and not waste time studying them. For more info, consult some experienced person.
I started studying in late May. I was studying regularly for CAT. In case you intend to do the same, May-July is a good period to start depending upon your individual abilities. Ideally study less of English from October onwards. English cannot be improved in two months. Maths can. However, keep practicing English passages.
Data Interpretation : Can't write much. Know your reciprocals. And always read footnotes.
PART IV
You could ask your local class for last years paper. They reproduce all papers. This is how they do it. Senior faculty fill CAT forms like you and me. They then sit for the exam and analyse the paper. They do not mark a single answer. Meanwhile, the junior faculty is asked to memorise 5-7 questions with options. These questions are pre-assigned. After the test, the junior faculty then reproduces the paper to the best of their ability. (Obviously English passages cannot be reproduced. )However, the topic and difficulty is noted.
This time the top institutes have emphasized quite a bit on accuracy. Speaking to quite a few students, I realized that there were many students, who had attempted few questions with very good accuracy, who had got calls from IIMs.
-------------------
Tht's it folks! All The Best
Comments
Post a Comment