CAT 2016: Aiming 99 Percentile; need to join coaching - know why?

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MBAUniverse.com News Desk |
June 20, 2016
Almost all the 99 or 100 percentilers in CAT are those who supplemented their study schedule with one or other good coaching institute
All the changes and surprises were anticipated by good coaching institutes and they followed the same preparation strategy with tips how to answer any moulded type of question coming to the test taker

All the CAT 2016 aspirants who have already started their preparation journey to join club 99 to get entry in one of the top 20 IIMs in 2017 are almost well focused to crack CAT in November this year. While many of them have joined one or other coaching institute off-line or on-line even a higher number is there who believe in the sanctity of self-preparation. But still 99 and 100 percentilers in CAT are those who supplemented their study schedule with one or other good coaching institute. So what is the need to join a coaching to crack CAT 2016 with high percentile. The big question is answered by Prof S K Agarwal, expert on Verbal Ability and mentor on CAT 2016 preparation.

What and What not to study
No doubt nothing can substitute your self-preparation but why then there is need to join a good coaching institute to give wings to your preparation? What do they teach and prepare you for CAT 2016 in Coaching Institute that you cannot study yourself- is a big question with a single line answer–They teach you, what to and what not to study in a time frame. You opt for the coaching to maintain your regularity, to keep away your laziness and to maintain your enthusiasm and inspirational level through-out.

Most of us feel shy of following a tough study schedule unless we are compelled to. It is also a fact that only coaching without follow-up self-study can’t create miracles and as such a CAT 2016 aspirant needs a mix of them- a very good coaching followed by suggested study schedule.

How Coaching helps to score 99

Anticipate the pattern of exam despite changes
Not only CAT 2016 but also all the earlier CAT exams have gone with perceptible changes. Every year the structure and content of CAT is reviewed and the exam pattern is changed bringing more surprises before the aspirants. Moreover, since 2014 CAT has increased number of questions to 100 from 60 and in 2015 the entire test paper was overhauled by carving out new 3rd section instead of earlier 2 sections.

Experts at coaching institutes anticipated what could be going to happen when new ‘Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)’ was introduced. In fact candidates who focused more on Quant or on Verbal used to pay little attention to DILR. Last year CAT convening IIM Ahmedabad sensed this and de-clubbed both the parts and formed a new section. Good coaching institutes who used to conduct fewer classes on DILR increased their frequency on these topics and drove the candidates to pay equal attention to both these parts. Those who did, they got high sectional percentile in DILR, those who did not- despite scoring 99 percentile lagged behind to score even 70 percentile in this section. As a result, no call from any IIM was received by them.

Guess the shape of questions
Another key change CAT has brought about is the introduction of 28 non-MCQs out of 100 questions in the exam. What will be the shape of these Non-MCQs, how to attempt them with accuracy as you don’t find answer options in all of them to score high, are few of the key aspects that prompt a CAT aspirant to join a good coaching consisting of experienced faculty.

CAT since 2014 has resorted to publishing its full length sample test. But the problem is that the sample test is out only a month before the exam whereas earlier the sample test used to be published along with the beginning of registration process in the month of August.

Guessed well what could be scrapped in CAT
Now the candidates are not aware which are the topics, they should focus more. For example in earlier 2 CAT exams no questions on Vocabulary usage were asked and last year CAT exam, the questions on error corrections which were 6 in 2014, were totally scrapped. The candidates who continued mugging vocabulary words, learning the concepts of grammar and tenses got a set back at the eleventh hour when the sample test was out.

On the other hand more RC passages, FIJ questions and critical reasoning questions were present in VARC section. All the changes and surprises were anticipated by good coaching institutes and they followed the same preparation strategy with tips how to answer any moulded type of question coming to the test taker.

You are not aware about the shape and proposed content of CAT 2016 nor you know how to take the fastest route to arrive at the answer. It is there the coaching helps to achieve your aim to join club 99 percentile.

Help to groom as per need of IIMs
In the pursuit of excellence and bid for future growth in this competitive world, corporate sector needs the professionals who think differently, the minds capable of providing quick and the finest solutions to the persisting as well as suddenly come up issues. CAT is the gateway to IIMs who cater to this need by developing the management brains accordingly and coaching institutes make them prepare to perform their level best in the entrance examination to these B-schools.

CAT is the most prestigious entrance examination for exploring admission to MBA in top rated IIMs and other B schools in India. Hundreds of corporate leaders, professors, mentors take CAT to assess where they are. CAT 2016 will award you with the opportunity to get admission in the best B-schools in India. The examination is not going to be a cake walk and would require hard work.

CAT 2016 with 100 or 120 questions?
The Computer based test CAT 2016 is proposed to have 100 questions again. Whether the sections would be 3 or 4 is yet to be decided. In case CAT further increases number of sections from 3 to 4, it may form separate sections- one on Data Interpretation and other on Logical reasoning. Number of questions may further increase from 100 to 120 in case there is increase in sections.

Describing the CAT 2016 preparation strategy, Prof S K Agarwal, mentor and expert on verbal ability, shares that an aspirant needs to know what and how to prepare before moving on the tricky path of CAT preparation module. It is high time that CAT 2016 aspirants should come out of their easy going mode and must fasten their belts to prepare with determination to crack CAT 2016 with high sectional as well as overall percentile.

Common Admission Test (CAT) 2016 will be the mandatory entrance exam for admission to MBA/PGDM 2017-19 in 20 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and top rated Management colleges like FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, NITIE, IMT, JBIMS, TAPMI and many more B schools located across the country.

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