In the next 40 days of your preparation for CAT 2015, you could turn your cherished dream of getting into IIM A, B, C or L into reality, if you begin utilizing judiciously your time and develop shortcuts to solve the different type of 100 questions divided in 3 sections.
CAT 2015 with an overhauled exam pattern is no doubt a great challenge for the IIM aspirants who have been taking the test with 2 sections and without any type of descriptive questions. But CAT 2015 has not only divided the test into 3 sections but has also added a new feature of Non-MCQ type of questions which will have no answer options.
Without any answer options given, according to Prof S K Agarwal expert on Verbal Ability and Mentor on CAT 2015 preparation, it is very difficult to choose the most appropriate answer, unless you know well how to solve the question. For next 40 days in CAT 2015 preparation journey, the role of time management combined with speed and accuracy without which you may not be able to solve either the MCQs or Non-MCQs is very important.
This year in CAT 2015, you will also not be allowed to switch from one section to other within over all time limit of 3 hours, till the allotted time of 60 minutes to one section is over.
Develop Shortcuts: improve speed
Shortcut is an approach to solve the question and arrive at the right answer option faster than the conventional method of applying formula and moving on step by step. However conceptual clarity on the topic is very much needed, otherwise you will end up either opting for an incorrect answer option or writing a wrong answer on the computer screen for a Non-MCQ.
For example, the thumb rule applicable to modifiers is that it should be placed near to the subject it modifies. You cannot write ‘The soldier picked up the baby who was 5 ft tall’, the correct application is ‘The soldier who was 5 ft tall picked up the baby’. Similarly, shortcuts can be developed for conditionals, relative pronouns, adjectives, RCs, parajumbles among other topics in VRC section.
Quant is most favourite in this process. The questions on Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra, PnC, Trigonometry and other topics can be solved faster with shortcuts.
Time is short
Please remember you need to have a good speed combined with high level of accuracy to arrive at the right answer. In the process you have to coordinate with time factor also. Less than 2 minutes per question to solve in CAT 2015 that too with one-third negative marking means that you have to score higher in comparison to other candidates to get shortlisted by top rated IIMs in 2016. Longer the process to solve a question, fewer will be your attempted questions and lesser will be your score, which may not get you required high sectional percentile.
How to apply short cuts
Short cuts are not meant to be applied when you are feeling easy. Short cuts are innovations which are developed with practice and can be applied even when you are under immense stress. The purpose is to arrive at the answer option in less time than you would have otherwise taken. It is not necessary that you have to begin with the toughest problems and questions to develop this methodology. On the other hand you can begin with such problems as you can solve with little more efforts and move up to more difficult ones.
CAT 2015 will have a changed face and different type of questions can give you trouble in the testing room. Those who study too much and go equipped with conventional methodology to crack CAT, may not sometimes get a high percentile than the aspirants who work steadily on certain tips and tricks along with the meticulous study pattern.
More practice to develop Short cuts needed
Your performance in some of the above areas may or may not be very good. You must find out your strong areas and the areas that will have more questions as they will give you more answer opportunities than the ones, where you find lesser number of questions.
For example- DILR section will have more questions in set form. One problem is followed by around 4 questions. The questions are usually based charts, tables, graphs and go to ask you some or other type of analysis. If you know how to ace the data sufficiency and data analysis type of questions and can solve them fast, you can earn a good score. The best part in DILR section is that even if you answer 1 or 2 out of a set of 4 questions on one problem, they will be considered and evaluated as individual separate answers.
If you have better skill to solve parajumbles and not such a good understanding on error correction problems, practice to form more coherent and meaningful paragraphs out of the jumbled ones. Do not cram your head in solving the error correction questions. If you have strong fundamentals like grammar, you can work on both.
Next 40 days need your time bound preparation
Don’t get depressed or de-motivated till your CAT 2015 is over. If you don’t score high in Mocks, analyse the errors and refrain from committing them again. You can maximise your attempts only if you know how many questions you are able to solve in 60 minutes in one section. Put yourself to solve more questions on m ore and varying topics.
Getting depressed and panicky will lose your calm and the crucial preparation time in the last lag of 40 days to CAT 2015 may get wasted. Remain unbiased in your preparation as regards to number of questions to attempt in the exam. If you know less but can remain cool, you will be able to answer more questions accurately in CAT 2015 than any other one who has lost it. Be composed and calm, it will definitely redefine your ability to attempt the questions and improve your CAT 2015 percentile.
Prepare and target to solve good number of questions in each section while maximising your attempts. This can be achieved if you know the tricks and shortcuts to arrive at the right answer option.
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