Speculation is a waste, prepare in depth
“CAT ‘07 is going to be a two and a half hour (150 minutes) test. Will the number of questions increase? Will there be more sections? Will the difficulty level remain the same? What is to be expected -- and what not? For the serious student, speculation is a waste of time. CAT will definitely focus on testing the core aptitude areas of verbal ability, reading comprehension, quantitative ability, reasoning and data interpretation. The best strategy would be to prepare in-depth and maximize your potential to score.”
Two-pronged Strategy
“The two-pronged Strategy is apt for someone who has been preparing for the exam for some time now and has already studied basic concepts in all areas. If you are starting your preparations now, it is advisable to brush up basic concepts of Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Grammar. The only way to tackle the changes and surprises is to get under the skin of the CAT. Know CAT inside out.”
Solve Past CAT papers to strengthen all sections
“From 2000 to 2006, there are 8 papers (including the 2003 retest). Each paper has 3 sections totaling to 24 sections in all. Solve one section every day for the next four weeks (excluding Sundays). Allot 40 minutes to solve the section and spend the next one hour to solve those questions which you may have left or found difficult to solve. Repeat the same process the next day with another section.
For the Quant section, maintain a reference manual. For every question that you solve in the section, record the basic concept or formula used. This manual will be extremely useful for revision a week before the exam. You can be creative – use different colored pens for different concepts, draw mind-maps, make associations and make the reference manual a rich revision resource.
Reading Comprehension (RC) is an important section in CAT. This is because RC questions, as a single chunk, always corners between 40% and 50% of the marks in the Verbal Ability section. There is no scope of getting a decent score in Verbal Ability if you are not comfortable with tackling these questions. If you are not used to the reading habit, spend extra time in solving RC passages. Practice a lot on this area. Solve 1-2 RC passages every day allotting 6-7 minutes per passage.
The objective of the above exercises is to get familiar with the questions actually asked in CAT papers. You will develop a feel for the type of questions asked. You will also understand your abilities better. For example, you may realize that you find questions on functions difficult to solve or questions on numbers easy to solve. This is a good insight into your ability. In solving the reasoning caselets, you will develop a sharpness that will help identify what data to focus on and what data is superfluous. This exercise of solving past CAT papers will develop your ability to navigate through the paper.”
Take a Mock CAT every Sunday
“Every Sunday, plan to take a Mock CAT, either from your coaching institute or on your own. Take the test under exam conditions and exam time. This will blow away the habitual laziness of a Sunday morning and keep you in shape for the exam day.
As you keep taking Mock CATs, your judgments about choice of question types will become refined and your ability to balance score across types and sections will improve. Take these Mock CATs with the intention of refining and polishing your ability rather than competing with fellow candidates.
Take this opportunity to apply your insights into your abilities which you have developed while solving past CAT papers. The objective is to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. Try to score well in all sections. Exercise your judgment on which question types to ignore and which to attempt based on your experience. For example, if you see a question on functions, which you generally find difficult, it is wiser to quietly move ahead to the next one.
If you focus on sharpening your abilities now, the result will take care of itself on the final day.”
Ms Sujata Khanna, Chairperson and Director at Career Forum, holds an MBA degree and has had a stint in the corporate world. Ms Khanna started coaching with seven students for MBA entrance exams in 1988. Now, Career Forum incorporated in 1995, has 15,000 students enrolled this year.
Watch out for third part of this series on ‘Career Forum’s pedagogy and programs for CAT 2007’
