With only a day to go before the NMAT 2007 -- the entrance test of the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies -- you're probably brushing up on your concepts and testing your speed and accuracy by taking various sample tests.
Today, in the concluding part of our three-part series on the NMAT, rediff.com in collaboration with Top Careers & You publishes a set of original questions in the Quantitative ability section, taken from previous years' papers.
Test your quantitative skills
Part I: Verbal ability
Part II: Data Interpretation and reasoning
Top Careers & You has been preparing national and international candidates for high-end tests viz. MBA, MCA, GRE, GMAT and SAT since 1998.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
CAT:10 steps to crack Data Interpretation
Data interpretation (DI) is an integral part of the GRE Quantitative Reasoning section. It is characterised by questions based on line graphs, bar charts, tables, case-lets and numbers. DI questions evaluate the test takers' ability to interpret the given data one way or the other by forcing him to use mathematical calculations to reach the desired result. The questions are calculation-intensive and hence pose a lot of problems for individuals who cannot calculate and approximate the given data fast.
Experts from TCY recommend the following techniques to counter the DI challenge:
1. Read Directions: The first area to work upon in DI is "directions". Students must spend a little time in the beginning of the test to read the directions and understand the information given in the table/ chart or graph.
2. The catch: There are certain traps in the DI questions which one must understand in order to counter them. These are i. Units: Never ignore the units given for the variables (in million dollars, in thousands etc.). Sometimes the answer choices are arranged in such a way that there is always a strong possibility to pick up the wrong one if one does not consider units.
ii. Variable: Don't confuse "change in the value of variable (production /sales /profit etc)" with "percentage change in the variable". You must understand that a change in the value is just the difference between the new and old value; on the other hand percentage change is given by %age change = (Ratio of change in value of the variable with the old value) X 100.
3. Calculations: Instead of wasting time in doing lengthy calculations, you must try to solve the questions using approximations.
4. Short cuts: One must use shortcuts to save time while calculating. For instance, here are two most widely used short cuts in DI:i. Doubling the value of variable is equivalent to an increase of 100 per cent, tripling is equivalent to an increase of 200 per cent, quadrupling to 300 per cent and so on.
ii. A% of B = B% of A i.e. 97.6% of 25 is simply one-fourth of 97.6
Attempt the following 10 questions and see where you stand as regards the Data Interpretation section of GRE Quant. You may call them your 10 step to perfection in Data Interpretation.
Experts from TCY recommend the following techniques to counter the DI challenge:
1. Read Directions: The first area to work upon in DI is "directions". Students must spend a little time in the beginning of the test to read the directions and understand the information given in the table/ chart or graph.
2. The catch: There are certain traps in the DI questions which one must understand in order to counter them. These are i. Units: Never ignore the units given for the variables (in million dollars, in thousands etc.). Sometimes the answer choices are arranged in such a way that there is always a strong possibility to pick up the wrong one if one does not consider units.
ii. Variable: Don't confuse "change in the value of variable (production /sales /profit etc)" with "percentage change in the variable". You must understand that a change in the value is just the difference between the new and old value; on the other hand percentage change is given by %age change = (Ratio of change in value of the variable with the old value) X 100.
3. Calculations: Instead of wasting time in doing lengthy calculations, you must try to solve the questions using approximations.
4. Short cuts: One must use shortcuts to save time while calculating. For instance, here are two most widely used short cuts in DI:i. Doubling the value of variable is equivalent to an increase of 100 per cent, tripling is equivalent to an increase of 200 per cent, quadrupling to 300 per cent and so on.
ii. A% of B = B% of A i.e. 97.6% of 25 is simply one-fourth of 97.6
Attempt the following 10 questions and see where you stand as regards the Data Interpretation section of GRE Quant. You may call them your 10 step to perfection in Data Interpretation.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Good looking people get better jobs
If you are good looking, then you surely have an edge over any other average looking person, especially if the interviewer is of the opposite sex, revealed a study.
According to a study, hiring practices are dramatically influenced by a bias towards attractive interviewees in terms of high and low status job packages offered.
The study was led by Carl Senior and Michael J.R. Butler of the New York Academy of Sciences.
"When someone is viewed as attractive, they are often assumed to have a number of positive social traits and greater intelligence," said Carl Senior and Michael J.R. Butler.
They added: "This is known as the 'halo effect' and it has previously been shown to affect the outcome of job interviews."
The researchers looked at how the halo effect influenced a mock job negotiation scenario where male and female interviewers were made to see pictures of attractive or average looking male and female job applicants.
Interestingly, it was found that the female interviewers assigned attractive looking male interviewees more high status job packages as compared to average looking men. They also preferred attractive men over attractive women and gave them more high status packages.
Similarly, average looking men also got more low status jobs than average looking women.
However, male interviewers were not biased in the number of high or low status job packages that were given to attractive looking interviewees of either sex.
Infact, overall, the male interviewers gave out more status job packages, irrespective of the sex of the interviewee. But, the male interviewers still had their preferences.
EDR, The electrodermal response, a psycho-physiological response measured when emotions are used to make a preferential decision, of the interviewers was calculated.
It is believed that, when emotions are involved in order to make a preferential decision, the anticipatory EDR level increases.
A considerable increase was noticed in the anticipatory EDR when the male interviewers allocated the low status job packages to the attractive female candidates.
However, this difference only occurred while assigning low status job packages, ensuring that the effect had nothing to do with interpersonal attraction, but rather it was driven by emotion.
As female interviewers did not exhibit any significant EDR differences, it was implied that their bias occurs on a cognitive level.
This was the first application of EDR to examine the influential role of beauty, status and sex during job negotiations.
"From a business point-of-view, there is a need for leaders/managers to be aware of their assumptions in decision-making processes, be they strategic or operational, and that they may be prone to emotion and bias," said the authors.
This study, entitled "Interviewing strategies in the face of beauty: A psychophysiological investigation into the job negotiation process," is published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Moving beyond the 4 Ps of an MBA
Ask an MBA aspirant about the four Ps and you will be surprised by the response. In case you were expecting a typical straight-out-of the Kotler reply you will be astounded to hear words like Placements, Package, Profile and Prospects!
As news of summer internships comes in from top campuses and students heading to all corners of the globe, the aspirants can't be blamed.
This makes me ponder -- Is an MBA about just these four Ps?
With names like Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Macquarie, Merrill Lynch, McKinsey doing the rounds in portals of the top campuses, and the sweat and night outs for that day zero slot one cannot deny the all important 'P' factors.
Having said that, one cannot just 'quantify' the output of an MBA course by these factors. In two years of one's campus life, one has the choice of a number of 'take-aways' that are more durable than the first job!
Want an MBA? Test your business awareness
Knowledge: First and foremost, the MBA adds an immense amount of knowledge. Subjects ranging from Quantitative Techniques to Transactional Analysis help widen the domain knowledge. This learning may not be in too much depth, but surely in terms of breath of knowledge you are a know-it-all.
Presentation skills: With myriad class presentations, one is bound to become an expert in not only making PowerPoint presentations but also presenting them in a crisp, confident and professional manner.
Analytic skills: With the help of computer application tools like Excel and SPSS and the knowledge of various statistical and quantitative methods one is surely in command of analysing and number crunching any problem and coming up with an instant solution.
Networking: You end up studying, living, eating with over 200 of your batchmates, each from an different background -- diverse geographies, religions, educational backgrounds, work experience. Thus, an MBA college becomes a melting pot of learning from one another. What is more important is we also leave the campus with so many friends who would be working in various corporates across the globe.
Perspective: This is what B-schools have been known for. By way of case studies and contests -- students develop their own way of thought on a particular situation at hand. This helps future managers to have their own take on various situations/ problems they face in life.
Global MBA -- a post-CAT back-up option
Confidence: Presentations, quizzes, exams, inter-school competitions, simulated games all make one a more confident individual. In today's highly competitive world -- where dog eat dog is the order -- confidence is the most sought after weapon in the corporate jungle.
Team spirit: Well, this is not something that should be brushed aside. Team working skills are essential for success in any endeavour. B-schools ensure this by giving a platform in terms of group assignments and tasks. While working on it one encounters problems like social loafers, managing conflict, ego issues, coming to an agreement etc. This practice thus helps one achieve mastery at managing people.
Self understanding: By far the most important take-away for anyone -- to understand thyself. To understand what your strengths and weaknesses are. And thus work on things that are more 'fitting' them. To understand what motivates, the long term goals and break them into short-term goals is what one can hope to gain.
Thus, a budding MBA aspirant should look forward to an all-round growth and create relationships to last a lifetime from an MBA course to make the time spent here valuable forever. What about placements? As they say, it's just a freebie thrown in at the fag end to have something to look forward to after an MBA!
As news of summer internships comes in from top campuses and students heading to all corners of the globe, the aspirants can't be blamed.
This makes me ponder -- Is an MBA about just these four Ps?
With names like Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Macquarie, Merrill Lynch, McKinsey doing the rounds in portals of the top campuses, and the sweat and night outs for that day zero slot one cannot deny the all important 'P' factors.
Having said that, one cannot just 'quantify' the output of an MBA course by these factors. In two years of one's campus life, one has the choice of a number of 'take-aways' that are more durable than the first job!
Want an MBA? Test your business awareness
Knowledge: First and foremost, the MBA adds an immense amount of knowledge. Subjects ranging from Quantitative Techniques to Transactional Analysis help widen the domain knowledge. This learning may not be in too much depth, but surely in terms of breath of knowledge you are a know-it-all.
Presentation skills: With myriad class presentations, one is bound to become an expert in not only making PowerPoint presentations but also presenting them in a crisp, confident and professional manner.
Analytic skills: With the help of computer application tools like Excel and SPSS and the knowledge of various statistical and quantitative methods one is surely in command of analysing and number crunching any problem and coming up with an instant solution.
Networking: You end up studying, living, eating with over 200 of your batchmates, each from an different background -- diverse geographies, religions, educational backgrounds, work experience. Thus, an MBA college becomes a melting pot of learning from one another. What is more important is we also leave the campus with so many friends who would be working in various corporates across the globe.
Perspective: This is what B-schools have been known for. By way of case studies and contests -- students develop their own way of thought on a particular situation at hand. This helps future managers to have their own take on various situations/ problems they face in life.
Global MBA -- a post-CAT back-up option
Confidence: Presentations, quizzes, exams, inter-school competitions, simulated games all make one a more confident individual. In today's highly competitive world -- where dog eat dog is the order -- confidence is the most sought after weapon in the corporate jungle.
Team spirit: Well, this is not something that should be brushed aside. Team working skills are essential for success in any endeavour. B-schools ensure this by giving a platform in terms of group assignments and tasks. While working on it one encounters problems like social loafers, managing conflict, ego issues, coming to an agreement etc. This practice thus helps one achieve mastery at managing people.
Self understanding: By far the most important take-away for anyone -- to understand thyself. To understand what your strengths and weaknesses are. And thus work on things that are more 'fitting' them. To understand what motivates, the long term goals and break them into short-term goals is what one can hope to gain.
Thus, a budding MBA aspirant should look forward to an all-round growth and create relationships to last a lifetime from an MBA course to make the time spent here valuable forever. What about placements? As they say, it's just a freebie thrown in at the fag end to have something to look forward to after an MBA!
Friday, December 7, 2007
B-schools jostle over rankings
In a country with over 1,500 business schools (B-schools), the decision of which B-schools to apply often depends on the published B-school rankings and becomes a factor of elimination. B-school rankings are generally published every September -- just before the placement seasons begins.
Lack of uniform parameters while ranking them is what irks B-schools the most. It leads to confusion, they say. For instance, at last count, there were at least seven different rankings in print.
These rankings primarily cater to four sets of people: aspiring B-school students, current B-school students, B-schools themselves and the corporates who recruit from them.
A good ranking is expected to give a B-school the credibility to attract better companies. But is it so? Faculty, directors of management schools, and students are divided in the opinion about the rankings.
"Although students and corporates read B-school ratings, their authenticity is usually not the only source students or corporates would depend on while selecting an institute," opines Soma Sur, faculty at Army Institute of Management Kolkata (AIMK), an institute which has been rated among the top 40 B-schools by most rating magazines or agencies this year.
According to Sur, for aspiring management students, what matters most while selecting a management institute are placement reports and word of mouth from seniors.
As for corporates, many of them, like Tata Consultancy Services [Get Quote], conduct their own in-house research before deciding on which B-schools to recruit from and which ones to avoid.
"Moreover, an institute, which was rated 40 in one year, is suddenly 15th the next year, leaves readers completely confused as to what the institute did in one year to move up 25 places," Sur points out.
K T Chacko, Director of IIFT, says B-school ratings could be of significance to new-age management institutes, but does not make much of a difference to the old, established ones, since corporates have already learnt about the latter's reputation. IIFT Delhi has been ranked among the top 15 B-schools by most ranking agencies or magazines.
"For corporates, what matters is the quality of the students in terms of competence and intelligence. For students, what matters is in how much time they are able to get a job that would help them recover the tuition fee they spent on studying management in an institute," Chacko says, adding: "As the ratings were not of much help to us, we were once evaluating the possibility of not participating in the poll, but then decided against it because a lot of students read rankings, after all."
With so many B-schools involved, it may not be feasible for the ranking agency to check up each and every piece of information. The result is false information making its way into the process.
However, the positive consequence from these rankings is perhaps that B-schools try to improve on the parameters they are ranked on.
Lack of uniform parameters while ranking them is what irks B-schools the most. It leads to confusion, they say. For instance, at last count, there were at least seven different rankings in print.
These rankings primarily cater to four sets of people: aspiring B-school students, current B-school students, B-schools themselves and the corporates who recruit from them.
A good ranking is expected to give a B-school the credibility to attract better companies. But is it so? Faculty, directors of management schools, and students are divided in the opinion about the rankings.
"Although students and corporates read B-school ratings, their authenticity is usually not the only source students or corporates would depend on while selecting an institute," opines Soma Sur, faculty at Army Institute of Management Kolkata (AIMK), an institute which has been rated among the top 40 B-schools by most rating magazines or agencies this year.
According to Sur, for aspiring management students, what matters most while selecting a management institute are placement reports and word of mouth from seniors.
As for corporates, many of them, like Tata Consultancy Services [Get Quote], conduct their own in-house research before deciding on which B-schools to recruit from and which ones to avoid.
"Moreover, an institute, which was rated 40 in one year, is suddenly 15th the next year, leaves readers completely confused as to what the institute did in one year to move up 25 places," Sur points out.
K T Chacko, Director of IIFT, says B-school ratings could be of significance to new-age management institutes, but does not make much of a difference to the old, established ones, since corporates have already learnt about the latter's reputation. IIFT Delhi has been ranked among the top 15 B-schools by most ranking agencies or magazines.
"For corporates, what matters is the quality of the students in terms of competence and intelligence. For students, what matters is in how much time they are able to get a job that would help them recover the tuition fee they spent on studying management in an institute," Chacko says, adding: "As the ratings were not of much help to us, we were once evaluating the possibility of not participating in the poll, but then decided against it because a lot of students read rankings, after all."
With so many B-schools involved, it may not be feasible for the ranking agency to check up each and every piece of information. The result is false information making its way into the process.
However, the positive consequence from these rankings is perhaps that B-schools try to improve on the parameters they are ranked on.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Global MBA -- a post-CAT back-up option
You've just taken the CAT. Should you ponder the back-up options at this point in time? Sounds pretty illogical right? Logically, you should focus on the job at hand, the group discussion (GD) and personal interview (PI) stage at the top B-schools in this country. But let me try and give you a different perspective.
One of the aspects of doing well in a competitive scenario is your frame of mind. Exploring back-up options will in fact ease the pressure on you and may actually help you in doing well in the GD/PI round! Imagine, if you figured out that Wharton is a reality for you and you have a great chance of making it to the world's top B-school, your approach to the current GD & PI would be very positive
One of the aspects of doing well in a competitive scenario is your frame of mind. Exploring back-up options will in fact ease the pressure on you and may actually help you in doing well in the GD/PI round! Imagine, if you figured out that Wharton is a reality for you and you have a great chance of making it to the world's top B-school, your approach to the current GD & PI would be very positive
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Prepare yourself for the IIFT 2007 tremors
November 18 has gone by and the year's most awaited exam is over, but the battle is not over yet for most MBA aspirants across the nation.
The CAT is not the only test for admission into a top B-school, in fact it is just the first of the lot. Come November 25 and test takers will sit for another difficult test -- the IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade) Entrance examination.
A look at IIFT 2006 confirms that it was the most difficult and surprising of the entrance tests last year, as test takers experienced more surprises than sections in the test. IIFT 2006 was characrterised by:
About 75 per cent questions with no negative marking but the possibility of more than one correct answer option. (The most unexpected bouncer)
Declaration of sectional cut-offs by the test makers for the first time. (A welcome surprise)
Reduction in the number of sections and answer options from 5 to 4. (Thankfully accepted).
Permission to the test takers to retain the test booklet. (A welcome move)
A tough exam, factually (literally, no one could manage to clear the initial declared cut-offs)
Now, let's talk about what it takes to prepare for the IIFT entrance exam. Most of the concepts are more or less the same and praparation for CAT will be handy here. IIFT has Quant and DI integrated in one section itself, much like the FMA and XAT tests. In addition, if the IIFT 2006 pattern is retained, 25 per cent of the questions will be about 'General Awareness'
The CAT is not the only test for admission into a top B-school, in fact it is just the first of the lot. Come November 25 and test takers will sit for another difficult test -- the IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade) Entrance examination.
A look at IIFT 2006 confirms that it was the most difficult and surprising of the entrance tests last year, as test takers experienced more surprises than sections in the test. IIFT 2006 was characrterised by:
About 75 per cent questions with no negative marking but the possibility of more than one correct answer option. (The most unexpected bouncer)
Declaration of sectional cut-offs by the test makers for the first time. (A welcome surprise)
Reduction in the number of sections and answer options from 5 to 4. (Thankfully accepted).
Permission to the test takers to retain the test booklet. (A welcome move)
A tough exam, factually (literally, no one could manage to clear the initial declared cut-offs)
Now, let's talk about what it takes to prepare for the IIFT entrance exam. Most of the concepts are more or less the same and praparation for CAT will be handy here. IIFT has Quant and DI integrated in one section itself, much like the FMA and XAT tests. In addition, if the IIFT 2006 pattern is retained, 25 per cent of the questions will be about 'General Awareness'
Saturday, November 24, 2007
CAT 2007: Analysis and expected cut-offs
On the whole, the CAT 2007 paper was tough, with no section providing much of a respite to the aspirants. Comparatively speaking, the students would have found Data Interpretation (DI), with a mix of calculations and logic to be on the easier side. Data Sufficiency in its old format reappeared in CAT after a span of three years, more so in two different sections! The emphasis in the DI section was definitely on speed of calculation.
But Quantitative Ability (QA) proved to be mind bogglingly difficult for the average student. However, on a closer look 7-8 questions could have been solved using options without using deeper mathematical knowledge.
Answer key by Career Launcher
In Verbal Ability (VA), the number of Reading Comprehension (RC) passages was more than last year, though they were not lengthy. The number of questions per passage was low, just three each. Though, for a change, there were no abstract questions in RC, however, each passage required meticulous reading. As a section, it is safe to infer that the VA section checked almost all the aspects, including verbal logic, vocabulary and grammar.
The Sentence Correction questions in VA were different in nature to last year's, while the Para jumbles provided a bit of a breather in terms of difficulty level.
Overall, even though the paper did not pose any surprise, pattern wise, with the number of questions remaining 75 as last year, the level of difficulty was increased by at least two to three notches.
In conclusion, even with the best of preparations it would be really tough to score 100 in this paper
But Quantitative Ability (QA) proved to be mind bogglingly difficult for the average student. However, on a closer look 7-8 questions could have been solved using options without using deeper mathematical knowledge.
Answer key by Career Launcher
In Verbal Ability (VA), the number of Reading Comprehension (RC) passages was more than last year, though they were not lengthy. The number of questions per passage was low, just three each. Though, for a change, there were no abstract questions in RC, however, each passage required meticulous reading. As a section, it is safe to infer that the VA section checked almost all the aspects, including verbal logic, vocabulary and grammar.
The Sentence Correction questions in VA were different in nature to last year's, while the Para jumbles provided a bit of a breather in terms of difficulty level.
Overall, even though the paper did not pose any surprise, pattern wise, with the number of questions remaining 75 as last year, the level of difficulty was increased by at least two to three notches.
In conclusion, even with the best of preparations it would be really tough to score 100 in this paper
Saturday, November 17, 2007
CAT :How to survive exam week, checklist
There is no doubt about the fact that CAT is one of the trickiest examinations held in India. With months and months of preparation at stake, the week preceding CAT 2008 can be very stressful. Here are some general tips and a final checklist for keeping your percentiles up and leading.
Surprises to watch out for in CAT 2008!
The final checklistAs November 18 approaches, it becomes very important to have a checklist prepared for C-Day. Here are a few important instructions given by CAT experts at CL:
Remember you are a GENERAL not a SOLDIER. Do not just go to the examination centre and wait for situations like a brave soldier. Recall all the strategies that worked and situations that you managed well in your mocks and AIMCATs. High percentiles in CAT 2008 can be achieved only by a smart thinking, experienced and fast acting General.
Let's begin with something tiny but vital. An out-station candidate must reach the city of the examination centre on November 17 itself. Do visit your center on November 17 and get familiar with the battleground.
Sightseeing is a good way to get rid of stress in any exam but CAT. Keep all this for November 18 evening after the CAT. Instead, just sit back and relax on November 17 evening or involve yourself in reading or watching logical and factual discussions.
Make sure you wear the clothes you feel the most comfortable in. There are no points in CAT for looking smart but there can be a lot of points for thinking smart.
Saving your energy for the CAT is extremely important. Make sure you do not get into any argument with anyone.
Keep the following ready for the C-day:~ 3 sharpened pencils ~ 2 blunt pencils (to fill the ovals on OMR sheet) ~ 1 blue pen ~ 1 black pen ~ 1 eraser ~ 1 pencil sharpener ~ Ear plugs are very handy during exams (cotton balls) to eliminate the possibility of any distraction~ And of course, your handkerchief (Mornings are getting colder in this month)
Lastly, you must keep a check on your Micro-Motions. Remember you are a sprinter who in addition to a strong preparation takes control of his micro-motions during the sprint that waste some micro seconds of time that can have a substantial effect on your percentile. Your micro-motions (time wasted in looking at your wrist watch, transferring of answers to the OMR sheet, sharpening the pencil, using your handkerchief on the cold CAT morning etc) if eliminated can fetch you extra time to attempt 3-4 more questions.
All these considerations help you push your ranking up by a few thousand students.
Free Mock CAT
Surviving exam week1. Be Normal: This is the first and the most neglected thing. For the week before and during exams, life should be as normal as possible and normal habits of sleeping, eating, exercising, etc should be maintained. Get rest. A clear head is important for the efficient taking of exams. Seven to eight hours of sleep are absolutely necessary to remain attentive and think clearly throughout the day. Sleep deprivation can have consequences similar to intoxication.
2. Start rehearsing early: You should start revising your notes at the very onset of the week. That's why trainers recommend you to have a separate listing of formulae, short cuts, important and high frequency words with you. This list comes handy in the last week because revising the complete syllabus is extremely stressful. Trying some speed reading is a very good idea. Do not worry if you have not prepared short notes earlier. You may even download the chapter-wise short notes from www.careerlauncher.com. Make sure you review every section every day. This will help you exercise discipline even in the most stressful times.
3. Schedule breaks between studying: Even your trainers would have told you to take a 10-minute break after studying for 50 minutes, and take a longer break after studying for say 3 hours or more. Another way is to get something to eat (bananas are highly recommended during exams), call a friend, go work out or do something to get your mind off of what you have been studying.
4. Never hesitate to take help: The most common mistake that we commit during last week's preparation is by skipping the problems that we are unable to solve because of time-shortage. Make sure that your have instant access to a knowledge base. Your trainers are the best knowledge base that you have. Call them when ever you want to have the problem solved right away. CL provides you with a wonderful opportunity to share your knowledge and expertise, your questions and answers on any topic. You may also post your query to CAT experts at CLand past IIM students in order to get personalised solutions in these tough times.
5. Confidence survives if stomach is right: During the last week of the exam, students often resort to junk food, but if you really want to maintain your confidence it is extremely important to maintain the right kind of diet. Research shows that eating smaller meals more frequently is vital to maintaining high energy levels. Avoid foods with high sugar and fat - they will make you sluggish. Eat a nutritious breakfast (or meal) before the exam, but do not overeat.
CAT 2008: Consistency and timing are critical
6. Take care of your body: Exercising is always an excellent way to take a break from studying -- it helps to reduce stress and research has shown that it can improve your brain's ability to retain and comprehend information.
7. Vary the subjects you study: What you study one hour directly affects your ability to understand what you are studying the next hour. Review for a difficult section of the CAT first and then look at some simpler topic. It makes studying less tiresome and you'll remember the information better.
Surprises to watch out for in CAT 2008!
The final checklistAs November 18 approaches, it becomes very important to have a checklist prepared for C-Day. Here are a few important instructions given by CAT experts at CL:
Remember you are a GENERAL not a SOLDIER. Do not just go to the examination centre and wait for situations like a brave soldier. Recall all the strategies that worked and situations that you managed well in your mocks and AIMCATs. High percentiles in CAT 2008 can be achieved only by a smart thinking, experienced and fast acting General.
Let's begin with something tiny but vital. An out-station candidate must reach the city of the examination centre on November 17 itself. Do visit your center on November 17 and get familiar with the battleground.
Sightseeing is a good way to get rid of stress in any exam but CAT. Keep all this for November 18 evening after the CAT. Instead, just sit back and relax on November 17 evening or involve yourself in reading or watching logical and factual discussions.
Make sure you wear the clothes you feel the most comfortable in. There are no points in CAT for looking smart but there can be a lot of points for thinking smart.
Saving your energy for the CAT is extremely important. Make sure you do not get into any argument with anyone.
Keep the following ready for the C-day:~ 3 sharpened pencils ~ 2 blunt pencils (to fill the ovals on OMR sheet) ~ 1 blue pen ~ 1 black pen ~ 1 eraser ~ 1 pencil sharpener ~ Ear plugs are very handy during exams (cotton balls) to eliminate the possibility of any distraction~ And of course, your handkerchief (Mornings are getting colder in this month)
Lastly, you must keep a check on your Micro-Motions. Remember you are a sprinter who in addition to a strong preparation takes control of his micro-motions during the sprint that waste some micro seconds of time that can have a substantial effect on your percentile. Your micro-motions (time wasted in looking at your wrist watch, transferring of answers to the OMR sheet, sharpening the pencil, using your handkerchief on the cold CAT morning etc) if eliminated can fetch you extra time to attempt 3-4 more questions.
All these considerations help you push your ranking up by a few thousand students.
Free Mock CAT
Surviving exam week1. Be Normal: This is the first and the most neglected thing. For the week before and during exams, life should be as normal as possible and normal habits of sleeping, eating, exercising, etc should be maintained. Get rest. A clear head is important for the efficient taking of exams. Seven to eight hours of sleep are absolutely necessary to remain attentive and think clearly throughout the day. Sleep deprivation can have consequences similar to intoxication.
2. Start rehearsing early: You should start revising your notes at the very onset of the week. That's why trainers recommend you to have a separate listing of formulae, short cuts, important and high frequency words with you. This list comes handy in the last week because revising the complete syllabus is extremely stressful. Trying some speed reading is a very good idea. Do not worry if you have not prepared short notes earlier. You may even download the chapter-wise short notes from www.careerlauncher.com. Make sure you review every section every day. This will help you exercise discipline even in the most stressful times.
3. Schedule breaks between studying: Even your trainers would have told you to take a 10-minute break after studying for 50 minutes, and take a longer break after studying for say 3 hours or more. Another way is to get something to eat (bananas are highly recommended during exams), call a friend, go work out or do something to get your mind off of what you have been studying.
4. Never hesitate to take help: The most common mistake that we commit during last week's preparation is by skipping the problems that we are unable to solve because of time-shortage. Make sure that your have instant access to a knowledge base. Your trainers are the best knowledge base that you have. Call them when ever you want to have the problem solved right away. CL provides you with a wonderful opportunity to share your knowledge and expertise, your questions and answers on any topic. You may also post your query to CAT experts at CLand past IIM students in order to get personalised solutions in these tough times.
5. Confidence survives if stomach is right: During the last week of the exam, students often resort to junk food, but if you really want to maintain your confidence it is extremely important to maintain the right kind of diet. Research shows that eating smaller meals more frequently is vital to maintaining high energy levels. Avoid foods with high sugar and fat - they will make you sluggish. Eat a nutritious breakfast (or meal) before the exam, but do not overeat.
CAT 2008: Consistency and timing are critical
6. Take care of your body: Exercising is always an excellent way to take a break from studying -- it helps to reduce stress and research has shown that it can improve your brain's ability to retain and comprehend information.
7. Vary the subjects you study: What you study one hour directly affects your ability to understand what you are studying the next hour. Review for a difficult section of the CAT first and then look at some simpler topic. It makes studying less tiresome and you'll remember the information better.
CAT: How to handle the stress and anxiety
How to approach the CAT:
Walk slowly. It will eye you with distrust, but hold its glare. Inch in closer and pet it when it arches its back and bristles. Don't let the hissing get to you, or the claws. There will be plenty of both.
Ha Ha!
But seriously, CAT is no longer far off, somewhere on the horizon. It's right in your face, only a handful of days away!
And now, after months -- in some cases, years -- of preparation, you're starting to panic.
You ask yourself: Is there anything I overlooked? Am I really ready? What if I completely choke on exam day? My future will be ruined!
If you feel this way, you are not alone. About two lakhs of students are busy preparing for CAT. I assure you, all of them feel more or less the same way you do.
The trick then, is not to completely avoid stress. That's impossible. Instead, you must turn your anxiety, stress and concern into positive, productive energy.
Let's take a look:
While some stress and anxiety is expected -- even natural -- excessive stress is bad news. It's bad for your health (stress levels are a strong predictor of life expectancy), bad for your relationships (stress affects your daily interactions with friends and family) and bad for your CAT percentile (research shows that stress negatively impacts performance).
So, let's look at techniques that can help you control stress. Some of them are obvious, some of them are simple. But all of them are important, especially at this time of year.
3 valuable lessons from a CAT aspirant
1. Focus only on what you can controlThis is a tried and true method for lowering stress levels, and it's quite simple. Many students -- and training institutes are partially to blame for this -- focus too much time and energy on the 'what if's?' What if reading comprehension isn't featured this year? What if the quantitative problems exploit my weak points? What if my pencil lead breaks mid-test?
Think of your time as a valuable resource. How you allocate this resource is of the utmost importance. Therefore, instead of worrying about things you can't control, focus on what you can: review and revise each of the major study areas, pack your bag properly and bring all your materials on exam day.
2. Exercise, meditation and yoga
*Simran [Images] Mistry laughs now when she discusses CAT, but she wasn't always so whimsical. Three years ago, she faced the same challenge you face today, CAT preparation. And to hear her tell it, she wasn't doing such a great job:
"I studied hard, went to tuitions for a year and a half, everything. But somewhere around the 60-day mark, I started to freak out! My mock CAT scores were declining and I was losing confidence. Then my uncle, who is heavily involved in yoga, suggested that I start doing some simple breathing exercises with him. Within six weeks, I was practicing full-fledged yoga, something I'd never done before! And believe me, it worked. Where before my mind had been a jumbled mess, now I was clear as crystal! I ended up acing the CAT, and I'm proud to be a student at IIM Bangalore."
But if yoga isn't your cup of tea, try simple exercises such as jogging. Exercise causes your body to release endorphins, the same chemical your body naturally produces to deal with stress. So strap on those jogging shoes, and give nature a shove in the right direction!
3. Keep a proper diet and sleep pattern
"Alcohol: The cause of and solution to all of life's problems," proclaims Homer Simpson. In the case of CAT, however, alcohol and/or other drugs will only negatively affect your performance.
With stress at all-time highs, it might seem like a good idea to treat yourself with a beer or two or a glass of scotch and soda. Be warned, however, that using alcohol to temporarily relieve stress is a counterproductive practice. Science has suggested a strong, direct correlation between anxiety levels and alcohol consumption. Moreover, on average, heavy binge drinkers have five times the stress levels as non-drinkers.
Some students attempt to cram for the test by staying up late at nights, drowning themselves in coffees and Red Bulls. But caffeine consumption has been repeatedly linked to decreased aptitude in exams, especially when paired with sleep deprivation.
So eat fresh fruits, nuts and other healthy foods. Avoid greasy, fried and heavily processed foods. And for god's sake, get some proper rest, eight hours each and every night!
4. Remember what's truly important
Bharat Thakore, a graduate from IIM Lucknow, reminisces on his CAT preparation.
"Oh man, I was setting myself up for a huge failure, and I didn't even know it. I put so much unnecessary stress on myself. Two weeks before the CAT, I even told my mother, 'If I mess this exam up, I don't want to live. I'd rather jump off the balcony and just die.' For her, that was the final straw. She took my books away, cancelled my last minute tuitions and took me to Goa [Images]! I didn't study at all during the final two weeks. Then, the night before the exam, I ate an early dinner at home with my grandparents and went for a movie with friends. I realised, during the end credits of the film, that I hadn't even thought about CAT for some six hours!"
While you needn't doing something as drastic as Bharat's mother, there is an important lesson to be learned: CAT, at the end of the day, is just an exam.
Be thankful you have your family, your friends and your health. Sprinkle some of these happier aspects into your preparation, as it gives you some proper perspective.
And remember, even if you bomb completely, you can always ace CAT in your next life.
Cheers!
Walk slowly. It will eye you with distrust, but hold its glare. Inch in closer and pet it when it arches its back and bristles. Don't let the hissing get to you, or the claws. There will be plenty of both.
Ha Ha!
But seriously, CAT is no longer far off, somewhere on the horizon. It's right in your face, only a handful of days away!
And now, after months -- in some cases, years -- of preparation, you're starting to panic.
You ask yourself: Is there anything I overlooked? Am I really ready? What if I completely choke on exam day? My future will be ruined!
If you feel this way, you are not alone. About two lakhs of students are busy preparing for CAT. I assure you, all of them feel more or less the same way you do.
The trick then, is not to completely avoid stress. That's impossible. Instead, you must turn your anxiety, stress and concern into positive, productive energy.
Let's take a look:
While some stress and anxiety is expected -- even natural -- excessive stress is bad news. It's bad for your health (stress levels are a strong predictor of life expectancy), bad for your relationships (stress affects your daily interactions with friends and family) and bad for your CAT percentile (research shows that stress negatively impacts performance).
So, let's look at techniques that can help you control stress. Some of them are obvious, some of them are simple. But all of them are important, especially at this time of year.
3 valuable lessons from a CAT aspirant
1. Focus only on what you can controlThis is a tried and true method for lowering stress levels, and it's quite simple. Many students -- and training institutes are partially to blame for this -- focus too much time and energy on the 'what if's?' What if reading comprehension isn't featured this year? What if the quantitative problems exploit my weak points? What if my pencil lead breaks mid-test?
Think of your time as a valuable resource. How you allocate this resource is of the utmost importance. Therefore, instead of worrying about things you can't control, focus on what you can: review and revise each of the major study areas, pack your bag properly and bring all your materials on exam day.
2. Exercise, meditation and yoga
*Simran [Images] Mistry laughs now when she discusses CAT, but she wasn't always so whimsical. Three years ago, she faced the same challenge you face today, CAT preparation. And to hear her tell it, she wasn't doing such a great job:
"I studied hard, went to tuitions for a year and a half, everything. But somewhere around the 60-day mark, I started to freak out! My mock CAT scores were declining and I was losing confidence. Then my uncle, who is heavily involved in yoga, suggested that I start doing some simple breathing exercises with him. Within six weeks, I was practicing full-fledged yoga, something I'd never done before! And believe me, it worked. Where before my mind had been a jumbled mess, now I was clear as crystal! I ended up acing the CAT, and I'm proud to be a student at IIM Bangalore."
But if yoga isn't your cup of tea, try simple exercises such as jogging. Exercise causes your body to release endorphins, the same chemical your body naturally produces to deal with stress. So strap on those jogging shoes, and give nature a shove in the right direction!
3. Keep a proper diet and sleep pattern
"Alcohol: The cause of and solution to all of life's problems," proclaims Homer Simpson. In the case of CAT, however, alcohol and/or other drugs will only negatively affect your performance.
With stress at all-time highs, it might seem like a good idea to treat yourself with a beer or two or a glass of scotch and soda. Be warned, however, that using alcohol to temporarily relieve stress is a counterproductive practice. Science has suggested a strong, direct correlation between anxiety levels and alcohol consumption. Moreover, on average, heavy binge drinkers have five times the stress levels as non-drinkers.
Some students attempt to cram for the test by staying up late at nights, drowning themselves in coffees and Red Bulls. But caffeine consumption has been repeatedly linked to decreased aptitude in exams, especially when paired with sleep deprivation.
So eat fresh fruits, nuts and other healthy foods. Avoid greasy, fried and heavily processed foods. And for god's sake, get some proper rest, eight hours each and every night!
4. Remember what's truly important
Bharat Thakore, a graduate from IIM Lucknow, reminisces on his CAT preparation.
"Oh man, I was setting myself up for a huge failure, and I didn't even know it. I put so much unnecessary stress on myself. Two weeks before the CAT, I even told my mother, 'If I mess this exam up, I don't want to live. I'd rather jump off the balcony and just die.' For her, that was the final straw. She took my books away, cancelled my last minute tuitions and took me to Goa [Images]! I didn't study at all during the final two weeks. Then, the night before the exam, I ate an early dinner at home with my grandparents and went for a movie with friends. I realised, during the end credits of the film, that I hadn't even thought about CAT for some six hours!"
While you needn't doing something as drastic as Bharat's mother, there is an important lesson to be learned: CAT, at the end of the day, is just an exam.
Be thankful you have your family, your friends and your health. Sprinkle some of these happier aspects into your preparation, as it gives you some proper perspective.
And remember, even if you bomb completely, you can always ace CAT in your next life.
Cheers!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Books for RC Preparation
Management
Any Edition of Harvard Business Review
Case Studies of Businessworld Magazine
What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School - Mark H. McCormack Physics/Science
Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking
Any work of Isaac Asimov
The Tao of Physics - Fritjof Capra Philosophy
Zen And The Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance
The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand Abstract Topic
Futureshock, Power Shift, Third Wave - Alvin Toffler Literary Works
God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie Business
Made In Japan - Akio Morito Religion
Any book written by Swami VivekanandSports
Idols - Sunil Gavaskar General
Uncommon Wisdom - Fritjof Capra Law
Any of John Grisham's works Medical
Doctors - Erich Segal Anthropology/Sociology
Manwatching
The Naked Ape - Desmond Morris Note: The above list is just an indicative list.
Any Edition of Harvard Business Review
Case Studies of Businessworld Magazine
What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School - Mark H. McCormack Physics/Science
Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking
Any work of Isaac Asimov
The Tao of Physics - Fritjof Capra Philosophy
Zen And The Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance
The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand Abstract Topic
Futureshock, Power Shift, Third Wave - Alvin Toffler Literary Works
God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie Business
Made In Japan - Akio Morito Religion
Any book written by Swami VivekanandSports
Idols - Sunil Gavaskar General
Uncommon Wisdom - Fritjof Capra Law
Any of John Grisham's works Medical
Doctors - Erich Segal Anthropology/Sociology
Manwatching
The Naked Ape - Desmond Morris Note: The above list is just an indicative list.
MBA Institutes & Web Sites
Name of institute
Location
Website
Indian Institute of Management
Ahmedabad
www.iimahd.ernet.in
Indian Institute of Management
Bangalore
www.iimb.ernet.in
Indian Institute of Management
Kolkata
www.iimcal.ac.in
Indian Institute of Management
Kozhikode
www.iimk.ac.in
Indian Institute of Management
Indore
www.iimidr.ac.in
Indian Institute of Management
Lucknow
www.iiml.ac.in
Xavier Labour Research Institute (XLRI)
Jamshedpur
www.xlri.edu
Tata Institute of Social Sciences
Mumbai
www.tiss.edu
Indian School of Business
Hyderabad
www.isb.edu
Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University (FMS)
New Delhi
www.fms.edu
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies
Mumbai
www.jbims.edu
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies
Mumbai
www.nmims.edu
SP Jain Institute of Management & Research
Mumbai
www.spjimr.org
Institute of Management Technology
Ghaziabad (near Delhi)
www.imt.edu
TA Pai Management Institute
Manipal
www.tapmi.org
Management Development Institute
Gurgaon (near Delhi)
www.mdi.ac.in
Xavier Institute of Management
Bhubaneshwar
www.ximb.ac.in
International Management Institute
New Delhi
www.imi.edu
FORE School of Management
New Delhi
www.fsm.ac.in
Symbiosis Institute of Business Management
Pune
www.sibm.edu
Symbiosis Centre for Management and HRD
Pune
www.sibm.edu
Goa Institute of Management
Goa
www.gim.ac.in
Indian Institute of Forest Management
Bhopal
www.iifm.ac.in
Indian Institute of Foreign Trade
New Delhi
www.iift.edu
Tata Institute of Social Sciences
Mumbai
www.tiss.edu
Institute of Rural Management
Anand (Gujarat)
www.irma.ac.in
Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
www.mica-india.net
National Institute of Fashion Technology
New Delhi
www.niftindia.com
National Institute of Industrial Engineering
Mumbai
www.nitie.edu
Indian Institute of Technology department of Management Studies
New Delhi
www.iitdmba.org
Indian Institute of Technology - Vinod gupta school of Management
Kharagpur
www.som.iitkgp.ernet.in
Location
Website
Indian Institute of Management
Ahmedabad
www.iimahd.ernet.in
Indian Institute of Management
Bangalore
www.iimb.ernet.in
Indian Institute of Management
Kolkata
www.iimcal.ac.in
Indian Institute of Management
Kozhikode
www.iimk.ac.in
Indian Institute of Management
Indore
www.iimidr.ac.in
Indian Institute of Management
Lucknow
www.iiml.ac.in
Xavier Labour Research Institute (XLRI)
Jamshedpur
www.xlri.edu
Tata Institute of Social Sciences
Mumbai
www.tiss.edu
Indian School of Business
Hyderabad
www.isb.edu
Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University (FMS)
New Delhi
www.fms.edu
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies
Mumbai
www.jbims.edu
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies
Mumbai
www.nmims.edu
SP Jain Institute of Management & Research
Mumbai
www.spjimr.org
Institute of Management Technology
Ghaziabad (near Delhi)
www.imt.edu
TA Pai Management Institute
Manipal
www.tapmi.org
Management Development Institute
Gurgaon (near Delhi)
www.mdi.ac.in
Xavier Institute of Management
Bhubaneshwar
www.ximb.ac.in
International Management Institute
New Delhi
www.imi.edu
FORE School of Management
New Delhi
www.fsm.ac.in
Symbiosis Institute of Business Management
Pune
www.sibm.edu
Symbiosis Centre for Management and HRD
Pune
www.sibm.edu
Goa Institute of Management
Goa
www.gim.ac.in
Indian Institute of Forest Management
Bhopal
www.iifm.ac.in
Indian Institute of Foreign Trade
New Delhi
www.iift.edu
Tata Institute of Social Sciences
Mumbai
www.tiss.edu
Institute of Rural Management
Anand (Gujarat)
www.irma.ac.in
Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
www.mica-india.net
National Institute of Fashion Technology
New Delhi
www.niftindia.com
National Institute of Industrial Engineering
Mumbai
www.nitie.edu
Indian Institute of Technology department of Management Studies
New Delhi
www.iitdmba.org
Indian Institute of Technology - Vinod gupta school of Management
Kharagpur
www.som.iitkgp.ernet.in
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Frequently asked questions
my advice to students is to understand what can be achieved in this time, and work exclusively towards this goal.
But this is also a stage where a lot of doubts crop up in the minds of students. This article is an attempt to look at some of the common doubts that students face. It is meant for students taking serious preparation and preferably writing any and all India Mock series.
Whichever section I do last suffers and I am not able to get the cut-off for that section. What should I do?
This is a very common occurrence with students. The main cause is poor distribution of time. While we think we are dividing equally, say 50 min each, what happens actually is more like 56 - 55 - 39. So keeping this in mind, plan for some buffer. e.g 45 - 45 - 45 - 10. The last ten minutes are a buffer to make up for lapses in the three sections. It can also be used for topping up the score in your strength area. You'll also notice that about five minutes go to waste in time distribution. So it makes sense to budget for that.
Also, in general, concentration levels are weaker at the end of exam. To develop concentration levels I suggest that during home study, practice should be done in two and a half hour stretches without a break. This to done to condition the mind to work for longer stretches.In the exam, take micro-breaks between sections. For example, close your eyes and count till 60. We all know that our PCs work faster after rebooting, not really sure why, but it works.
My scores keep fluctuating. Some Mocks I get very good percentiles, and in some I get very poor percentiles. What do I do?
In most such cases we see that what is changing is accuracy. Students tend to have a target number of attempts for each section. It is better to spend a fixed amount of time per section and solve as many questions as we can. Trying to attempt the same number of questions per section/ across papers will either spoil your accuracy or your time distribution.
What kind of accuracy should I have in each section of CAT?
Obviously there is no optimal accuracy for each section. What matters is the Return on Time Invested (ROTI). In other words, faster students with higher attempts can afford to have lower accuracy. But, in general, we should look at 80-90% accuracy in QA and DI sections. And in English, based on the last 2 years CAT an accuracy rate of 60-70% would also do, provided you attempt enough questions.
I don't know which DI set to attempt? Whichever I attempt turns out to be the most difficult?
Deciding which set to attempt is critical to getting a god score. But at first glance, all sets look equally easy or difficult. You need to spend two or three minutes before deciding that a problem set is possible. Firstly, try to understand the data given. What exactly does it mean? What all can be calculated from the given data? Then we have brief look at the questions. The minute you read the question, some idea on the approach should come to you. If it doesn't or the idea is very unclear, you should probably skip the question set.
I take too much in the English section and it is affecting the other sections what do I do?
With the kind of questions that are given these days, I would say that verbal questions require 90 seconds to two minutes approximately and RC questions two to two and a half minutes approximately. Now if you have spent 40 minutes attempting 10 questions, it is obvious that each question did not take four minutes to solve. In fact, I would say perhaps eight questions took about two and a half minutes each and the remaining two questions took ten minutes each. This is obviously non-productive, as most of the time is spent agonising over two very close options.
So try to look at a good number of attempts with an accuracy of 60%+ and you should get a decent score in the English usage section. Don't agonise over close choices, either leave it or, if it is 50-50, take a guess and move on.
Now that only 60 days remain, how many mocks should I be taking?
Last week when I had an argument with one of our employees, he reminded me that he had five years of experience. I had corrected him gently that he had 1 year's experience repeated 5 times. A mock CAT is basically a test of your ability. As long as fundamental ability or test strategy does not change, no point is served by taking mocks.
Any mock test has to be analysed for 6-8 hours -- including the solving of all questions -- and it should give at least one good idea on how better you can tackle the next mock. Also you need to understand conceptually a problem and how to tackle it. To put it simply, when you do a problem or a problem set once, you get the answer but the conceptual understanding is not good enough for you to be able to solve variations of the problem. Remember, you don't really expect that CAT 2007 will contain 75 questions selected from the few thousand that you have solved in you preparation? Especially for DI, I would rather you solve good, quality questions multiple times rather than chasing quantity in terms of material, mocks, etc
How should I go about applying to colleges?
The two basic principles of applying to colleges are:
Is the college good in terms of placement, reputation, etc?
What are my chances of getting an interview call, based on my current mock CAT performance?
Please look at applying to at least 10-12 Business schools. Write three or four exams, minimum. One bad day should not affect your chances of getting into a good Business school. If budget is not a constraint, it is always better to apply to more schools rather than less. A successful student never regrets applying to extra Business schools more but an unsuccessful student almost always feels he or she should have applied to a few more schools.
Look at the latest mock performance, do an honest assessment of your chances, take the help of experts and then apply.
All the best.
But this is also a stage where a lot of doubts crop up in the minds of students. This article is an attempt to look at some of the common doubts that students face. It is meant for students taking serious preparation and preferably writing any and all India Mock series.
Whichever section I do last suffers and I am not able to get the cut-off for that section. What should I do?
This is a very common occurrence with students. The main cause is poor distribution of time. While we think we are dividing equally, say 50 min each, what happens actually is more like 56 - 55 - 39. So keeping this in mind, plan for some buffer. e.g 45 - 45 - 45 - 10. The last ten minutes are a buffer to make up for lapses in the three sections. It can also be used for topping up the score in your strength area. You'll also notice that about five minutes go to waste in time distribution. So it makes sense to budget for that.
Also, in general, concentration levels are weaker at the end of exam. To develop concentration levels I suggest that during home study, practice should be done in two and a half hour stretches without a break. This to done to condition the mind to work for longer stretches.In the exam, take micro-breaks between sections. For example, close your eyes and count till 60. We all know that our PCs work faster after rebooting, not really sure why, but it works.
My scores keep fluctuating. Some Mocks I get very good percentiles, and in some I get very poor percentiles. What do I do?
In most such cases we see that what is changing is accuracy. Students tend to have a target number of attempts for each section. It is better to spend a fixed amount of time per section and solve as many questions as we can. Trying to attempt the same number of questions per section/ across papers will either spoil your accuracy or your time distribution.
What kind of accuracy should I have in each section of CAT?
Obviously there is no optimal accuracy for each section. What matters is the Return on Time Invested (ROTI). In other words, faster students with higher attempts can afford to have lower accuracy. But, in general, we should look at 80-90% accuracy in QA and DI sections. And in English, based on the last 2 years CAT an accuracy rate of 60-70% would also do, provided you attempt enough questions.
I don't know which DI set to attempt? Whichever I attempt turns out to be the most difficult?
Deciding which set to attempt is critical to getting a god score. But at first glance, all sets look equally easy or difficult. You need to spend two or three minutes before deciding that a problem set is possible. Firstly, try to understand the data given. What exactly does it mean? What all can be calculated from the given data? Then we have brief look at the questions. The minute you read the question, some idea on the approach should come to you. If it doesn't or the idea is very unclear, you should probably skip the question set.
I take too much in the English section and it is affecting the other sections what do I do?
With the kind of questions that are given these days, I would say that verbal questions require 90 seconds to two minutes approximately and RC questions two to two and a half minutes approximately. Now if you have spent 40 minutes attempting 10 questions, it is obvious that each question did not take four minutes to solve. In fact, I would say perhaps eight questions took about two and a half minutes each and the remaining two questions took ten minutes each. This is obviously non-productive, as most of the time is spent agonising over two very close options.
So try to look at a good number of attempts with an accuracy of 60%+ and you should get a decent score in the English usage section. Don't agonise over close choices, either leave it or, if it is 50-50, take a guess and move on.
Now that only 60 days remain, how many mocks should I be taking?
Last week when I had an argument with one of our employees, he reminded me that he had five years of experience. I had corrected him gently that he had 1 year's experience repeated 5 times. A mock CAT is basically a test of your ability. As long as fundamental ability or test strategy does not change, no point is served by taking mocks.
Any mock test has to be analysed for 6-8 hours -- including the solving of all questions -- and it should give at least one good idea on how better you can tackle the next mock. Also you need to understand conceptually a problem and how to tackle it. To put it simply, when you do a problem or a problem set once, you get the answer but the conceptual understanding is not good enough for you to be able to solve variations of the problem. Remember, you don't really expect that CAT 2007 will contain 75 questions selected from the few thousand that you have solved in you preparation? Especially for DI, I would rather you solve good, quality questions multiple times rather than chasing quantity in terms of material, mocks, etc
How should I go about applying to colleges?
The two basic principles of applying to colleges are:
Is the college good in terms of placement, reputation, etc?
What are my chances of getting an interview call, based on my current mock CAT performance?
Please look at applying to at least 10-12 Business schools. Write three or four exams, minimum. One bad day should not affect your chances of getting into a good Business school. If budget is not a constraint, it is always better to apply to more schools rather than less. A successful student never regrets applying to extra Business schools more but an unsuccessful student almost always feels he or she should have applied to a few more schools.
Look at the latest mock performance, do an honest assessment of your chances, take the help of experts and then apply.
All the best.
Strategy for a perfect blend of Speed, Accuracy and Attempt
Think about yourself and another 2 lakh waiting for November 18.
Possibly, they all have worked with expert trainers, preparing for C-Day. Perhaps they have worked on attaining speed and accuracy for CAT 2007. Perhaps they have access to online resources and AIMCATs by various institutes.
They all have deep knowledge of the previous CATs and know that it is not possible -- and rather self-destructive -- to attempt all the questions in CAT.
Then, what makes you superior to them? How will you be first among the equals? How are you going to reach 99.99 percentile?
The answers for these questions lie in your strategy to ensure a perfect blend of speed, accuracy and attempt on November 18. The ability to calculate faster will not only help you in Quantitative and Data Interpretation sections but also in maintaining the blend of speed and accuracy. Hence, expertise in Quantitative reasoning ability is indispensable for CAT 2007.
Quantitative and Data Interpretation in CAT have consistently been rated as difficult and challenging. Even though there have been times when people find the verbal section extremely difficult, still Quant and DI have always been characterised by 'tricky' and 'logical-input based' questions. This makes it vital to study the nature of Quant and DI in a CAT and recall the most effective strategies to excel in the two sections.
Previous CATs: A micros-analysis of Quantitative and Data Interpretation
While analyzisg the past CAT papers, one can easily find half of the questions, which were either tricky or lengthy. A further division into moderate, easier, very easier can be made by analyzing the question statements. Experts at TCY have categorised the questions of last 3 CATs into 'very easy', 'easy', 'moderate' and 'difficult' on the following basis:
Very easy: These are direct formula or theorem based questions. There seems to be no trap in language or calculation and does not seem to have high level of implementation of logic.
Easy: This is the one that involves a little application of concept and one or more formulae. Questions involving language traps also come in this category.
Moderate: Generally this category consists of the questions from Geometry, Mixture & alligation, time & work, and some sub-topics of number theory. Good observation & analysis, fast pace of calculation and comprehensive understanding of the concept are vital in solving these questions. An example for such type of question from CAT 2006 is given below:
Example Question:
The sum of four consecutive two-digit odd numbers, when divided by 10, becomes a perfect square. Which of the following can be one of these four numbers?
(1) 21 (2) 25 (3) 41 (4) 67 (5) 73
Strategy:
Here the conceptual expertise will be possessed by the one who knows that maximum sum of any four consecutive two digits odd numbers can at most be 389. Now on twisting the question we have to think of a number less than 389 which when divided by 10 will result in a perfect square.
Hence the feasible sum can be 360, 250, 160 or 90. Now let's go with the options as answer should be a number near to � of the sum. 5th option is easily eliminated as � of none of the assumed sum above is near 73. It should be near 90, 63, 40, and 23 and checking further we get numbers 41 as the part of four odd numbers i.e. 37, 39, 41 and 43 as the numbers, that are odd and which add up to 160 thereby satisfying our conditions.
So 41 is the right answer.
Difficult: These are the questions with ambiguous and confusing question-statements. It is recommended to leave these questions unless you are very strong in math and have plenty of time to solve.
The following graph gives an overview of the analysis done by TCY:
The above graph explains that share of 'very easy' questions is increasing since 2004 and year 2006 experienced more than half (52%) of the quant questions were very easy. Similar trend was observed for DI questions (40% were very easy).
Moreover, the share of difficult questions in Quantitative is declining with time which is not the case with Data Interpretation though. Hence, with more and more logical reasoning inputs, Data Intepretation is becoming more challenging than Quantitative
Possibly, they all have worked with expert trainers, preparing for C-Day. Perhaps they have worked on attaining speed and accuracy for CAT 2007. Perhaps they have access to online resources and AIMCATs by various institutes.
They all have deep knowledge of the previous CATs and know that it is not possible -- and rather self-destructive -- to attempt all the questions in CAT.
Then, what makes you superior to them? How will you be first among the equals? How are you going to reach 99.99 percentile?
The answers for these questions lie in your strategy to ensure a perfect blend of speed, accuracy and attempt on November 18. The ability to calculate faster will not only help you in Quantitative and Data Interpretation sections but also in maintaining the blend of speed and accuracy. Hence, expertise in Quantitative reasoning ability is indispensable for CAT 2007.
Quantitative and Data Interpretation in CAT have consistently been rated as difficult and challenging. Even though there have been times when people find the verbal section extremely difficult, still Quant and DI have always been characterised by 'tricky' and 'logical-input based' questions. This makes it vital to study the nature of Quant and DI in a CAT and recall the most effective strategies to excel in the two sections.
Previous CATs: A micros-analysis of Quantitative and Data Interpretation
While analyzisg the past CAT papers, one can easily find half of the questions, which were either tricky or lengthy. A further division into moderate, easier, very easier can be made by analyzing the question statements. Experts at TCY have categorised the questions of last 3 CATs into 'very easy', 'easy', 'moderate' and 'difficult' on the following basis:
Very easy: These are direct formula or theorem based questions. There seems to be no trap in language or calculation and does not seem to have high level of implementation of logic.
Easy: This is the one that involves a little application of concept and one or more formulae. Questions involving language traps also come in this category.
Moderate: Generally this category consists of the questions from Geometry, Mixture & alligation, time & work, and some sub-topics of number theory. Good observation & analysis, fast pace of calculation and comprehensive understanding of the concept are vital in solving these questions. An example for such type of question from CAT 2006 is given below:
Example Question:
The sum of four consecutive two-digit odd numbers, when divided by 10, becomes a perfect square. Which of the following can be one of these four numbers?
(1) 21 (2) 25 (3) 41 (4) 67 (5) 73
Strategy:
Here the conceptual expertise will be possessed by the one who knows that maximum sum of any four consecutive two digits odd numbers can at most be 389. Now on twisting the question we have to think of a number less than 389 which when divided by 10 will result in a perfect square.
Hence the feasible sum can be 360, 250, 160 or 90. Now let's go with the options as answer should be a number near to � of the sum. 5th option is easily eliminated as � of none of the assumed sum above is near 73. It should be near 90, 63, 40, and 23 and checking further we get numbers 41 as the part of four odd numbers i.e. 37, 39, 41 and 43 as the numbers, that are odd and which add up to 160 thereby satisfying our conditions.
So 41 is the right answer.
Difficult: These are the questions with ambiguous and confusing question-statements. It is recommended to leave these questions unless you are very strong in math and have plenty of time to solve.
The following graph gives an overview of the analysis done by TCY:
The above graph explains that share of 'very easy' questions is increasing since 2004 and year 2006 experienced more than half (52%) of the quant questions were very easy. Similar trend was observed for DI questions (40% were very easy).
Moreover, the share of difficult questions in Quantitative is declining with time which is not the case with Data Interpretation though. Hence, with more and more logical reasoning inputs, Data Intepretation is becoming more challenging than Quantitative
Six tips you must remember
Here are six sets of tips aimed to help you at this stage of CAT preparation:
Method(s) of solving questions
You can use any of the four methods to answer the question in Quant or DI section.
Direct or convectional method as you does in your school days going from the question to the answer. This method, however, is least preferable.
Eliminating the options or going with the options. This is always the best and quicker way to reach the required answer.
Substitution of some values in the question. This method is very much useful for Algebra problems
Using direct method and Elimination method simultaneously.
Selection of Questions
While selecting the questions to attempt we have to be very careful. One must remember that in exams other than CAT we have to do complete as many number of questions as we can. On the other hand, in CAT a possible scenario may be the one where the test taker leaves nearly half the questions and still makes it to the top. The ability to select questions with easy statements and not-so-close answer choices can be developed by analyzsng your MOCK CATs regularly at this stage.
Improving speed of calculation
The time spent by a student in Quant and DI section on calculation is about 20% and the rest 80% is spent on comprehending the concept of the question. So beside your basic concepts you should have to work more on your calculations. It is recommended to spend at least 15 minutes daily on doing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Also ability to recall tables, squares & cubes up to 30, and multiplication between some common numbers like 13 x 12, 18 x 24 etc will be handy in getting the best out of the 20% time one spends on calculations.
Accuracy
Since, the time doesn't permit us to solve all the questions. It becomes important to make sure that one solves 50% of questions at an accuracy rate not less than 80% rather than doing 80% of questions with 50% accuracy rate. If the paper is trickier, then an attempt and accuracy can be adjusted to find the optimum balance.
Handling traps in the language of the question
A well prepared student can fall in the traps in a few questions in CAT. You have to clearly see what is being asked in the question. For example, consider the following question:
Question: A student is expecting of getting 90 marks in the math paper and overall 75% marks in five papers but he actually gets only 80. What percentage of the marks he finally gets if the marks in other four papers are same as expected?
Solution: Well the very first answer from majority number of students will be 73% as they themselves imagine the maximum marks of a paper as 100, which is a trap in the question. This happens because in many examinations maximum marks are 100, but this does not hold true in this situation.
So the answer for these questions will be data insufficient or can't be determined.
Preparing for a changed CAT-Quant pattern
Be prepared with every type of permutation and combination for the pattern of CAT 2007. Will it have 5 or 4 options per questions; is it going to be .25 negative or .333 negative for a wrong answer; will the number of question decrease or increase; will the sections have sub-sections and further sub-sub-sections with varying marks per question or not; which topics would be visible more in the CAT 2007; what adjustments should be made in the attempt pattern if there are more questions from an unexpectedly less preferred topic like functions, time and work etc. All these uncertainties should be addressed and discussed with your trainers at this stage only in order to be prepared for the same.
Hence, in order to reach the 99.99 mark it becomes imperative to have familiarity with different ways of managing the attempt and finding the answers to the optimum number of questions. Keeping many sources of questions handy with you (like previous CATs and hundreds of tests and new questions available on http://www.tcyonline.com/) and their continuous analysis are indispensable for CAT preparation at this stage.
All the best.
Method(s) of solving questions
You can use any of the four methods to answer the question in Quant or DI section.
Direct or convectional method as you does in your school days going from the question to the answer. This method, however, is least preferable.
Eliminating the options or going with the options. This is always the best and quicker way to reach the required answer.
Substitution of some values in the question. This method is very much useful for Algebra problems
Using direct method and Elimination method simultaneously.
Selection of Questions
While selecting the questions to attempt we have to be very careful. One must remember that in exams other than CAT we have to do complete as many number of questions as we can. On the other hand, in CAT a possible scenario may be the one where the test taker leaves nearly half the questions and still makes it to the top. The ability to select questions with easy statements and not-so-close answer choices can be developed by analyzsng your MOCK CATs regularly at this stage.
Improving speed of calculation
The time spent by a student in Quant and DI section on calculation is about 20% and the rest 80% is spent on comprehending the concept of the question. So beside your basic concepts you should have to work more on your calculations. It is recommended to spend at least 15 minutes daily on doing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Also ability to recall tables, squares & cubes up to 30, and multiplication between some common numbers like 13 x 12, 18 x 24 etc will be handy in getting the best out of the 20% time one spends on calculations.
Accuracy
Since, the time doesn't permit us to solve all the questions. It becomes important to make sure that one solves 50% of questions at an accuracy rate not less than 80% rather than doing 80% of questions with 50% accuracy rate. If the paper is trickier, then an attempt and accuracy can be adjusted to find the optimum balance.
Handling traps in the language of the question
A well prepared student can fall in the traps in a few questions in CAT. You have to clearly see what is being asked in the question. For example, consider the following question:
Question: A student is expecting of getting 90 marks in the math paper and overall 75% marks in five papers but he actually gets only 80. What percentage of the marks he finally gets if the marks in other four papers are same as expected?
Solution: Well the very first answer from majority number of students will be 73% as they themselves imagine the maximum marks of a paper as 100, which is a trap in the question. This happens because in many examinations maximum marks are 100, but this does not hold true in this situation.
So the answer for these questions will be data insufficient or can't be determined.
Preparing for a changed CAT-Quant pattern
Be prepared with every type of permutation and combination for the pattern of CAT 2007. Will it have 5 or 4 options per questions; is it going to be .25 negative or .333 negative for a wrong answer; will the number of question decrease or increase; will the sections have sub-sections and further sub-sub-sections with varying marks per question or not; which topics would be visible more in the CAT 2007; what adjustments should be made in the attempt pattern if there are more questions from an unexpectedly less preferred topic like functions, time and work etc. All these uncertainties should be addressed and discussed with your trainers at this stage only in order to be prepared for the same.
Hence, in order to reach the 99.99 mark it becomes imperative to have familiarity with different ways of managing the attempt and finding the answers to the optimum number of questions. Keeping many sources of questions handy with you (like previous CATs and hundreds of tests and new questions available on http://www.tcyonline.com/) and their continuous analysis are indispensable for CAT preparation at this stage.
All the best.
Advanced Verbal strategies
Verbal section which can be employed in the final few weeks of preparation.
This discussion presumes that the reader has finished the basics of the three broad categories of questions in CAT Verbal:
~ Vocabulary
~ Grammar
~ Reasoning
There are not many direct vocabulary based questions in CAT. But a strong vocabulary base is an absolute must before reasoning comes into play.
In CAT-2006, there were no questions based on grammar. But this is more likely to be an exception than a rule. Nevertheless, the fact remains that there is an increased emphasis on verbal reasoning. Our winning strategies are:
Reading Comprehension:
You cannot ignore RC. Give it the respect it deserves. The term Reading Comprehension is a misnomer. The term actually does not mean 'read and comprehend', but 'comprehend the main idea and answer'.
There are no marks for reading. Run through the passage once, twice, thrice (in a maximum of two or three minutes); go through the question stems in between; ask yourself whether you have got the main idea and proceed to answer by the Process of Elimination (POE).
~ Speed reading strategies include skimming, scanning, column reading, phrase reading etc. The crux of the argument is that the questions are not based on the passage; they are rather based on the important ideas of the passage.
So learn to read for ideas, not for words. The first reading may be structured. Read the opening couple of sentences, opening sentence of each paragraph, and the concluding couple of sentences. Then have a look at all the question stems to get an idea of what is being asked.
The second reading should have varying speeds. Rush through the less important parts, but slow down where you believe something important is being discussed.
At the end of the second reading (2 min), ask yourself whether you have got the central idea. If you have, proceed to answer the questions. Otherwise have a third look (10-15 sec) for repetitive words. The main idea is likely to repeat itself.
~ Don't look for the right answers. Look for the best, by eliminating the rest.
~ Go through each answer option carefully and find a reason to reject it.
~ It is not the passage that is difficult. Invariably it is the questions that are, since most questions are inference based and there is a very thin line of demarcation between the best and the rest.
~ It is not necessary to attempt all the questions based on a passage. You could skip an odd question that proves too difficult.
~ Always keep the main idea in mind while selecting the right answer. The best answer is more likely to revolve around the main idea.
English Usage
Be ready with strategies for questions based on short passages, like
Case I: What succeeds the passage (CAT 2005 and 2006).
Case II: What precedes the passage?
Case III: What comes in between parenthesis?
The strategies here are not much different from RC strategies; except that the last sentence (Case I); first sentence (Case II); both the preceding and the succeeding sentences (Case III), become more important here.
Have a good look at the question types that have figured in the last few CAT examinations. You may not get the same type of questions, but you will get a fair idea of what type to expect.
Expect the unexpected
To be more specific, think 'old wine in a new bottle'. Remember, CAT 2005, where the sentence completion (gap fill) questions were given in a different format with unknown words (in italics) replacing the blanks? Expect these types of changes.
Who knows? You could find our old friend, parajumbles, in a brand new package where there could be four paragraphs in place of four sentences. A variation of odd-one out could be four or five sentences, in place of four or five words. Also, the concluding assertion type of questions could come in 'Upstream statement, Downstream statement, Supporting statement' format.
Expect questions based on grammar
They could more likely be sentence improvement (GMAT format) rather than sentence correction. Here the key is pinpointing the error and then looking for the answer option that rectifies only that error.
~ For questions based on word usage, look not for an error in grammar or syntax, but an error where the word is not correctly used.
~ For sentence completion questions, try to catch the flow of the sentence and supply the filler yourself, before having a look at the answer options. Same is true of many other question types like parajumbles.
~ For other vocab based questions, don't get put off by words you are not conversant with. Try to split the words, or at least work out the negative positive. This might eliminate certain answer options straightaway.
~ Expect questions based on logical reasoning and critical reasoning. Reasoning based questions essentially have three parts: assumptions, evidence, and conclusion. The right answer need not touch the conclusion. Submit the assumption/evidence to denial test. If the conclusion also gets weakened, you might have found your answer.
~ Above all, if you get the unexpected, don't lose your head. It is more likely to be something you have prepared for, though in a different format. Take time to decide how it is connects with what you have prepared
This discussion presumes that the reader has finished the basics of the three broad categories of questions in CAT Verbal:
~ Vocabulary
~ Grammar
~ Reasoning
There are not many direct vocabulary based questions in CAT. But a strong vocabulary base is an absolute must before reasoning comes into play.
In CAT-2006, there were no questions based on grammar. But this is more likely to be an exception than a rule. Nevertheless, the fact remains that there is an increased emphasis on verbal reasoning. Our winning strategies are:
Reading Comprehension:
You cannot ignore RC. Give it the respect it deserves. The term Reading Comprehension is a misnomer. The term actually does not mean 'read and comprehend', but 'comprehend the main idea and answer'.
There are no marks for reading. Run through the passage once, twice, thrice (in a maximum of two or three minutes); go through the question stems in between; ask yourself whether you have got the main idea and proceed to answer by the Process of Elimination (POE).
~ Speed reading strategies include skimming, scanning, column reading, phrase reading etc. The crux of the argument is that the questions are not based on the passage; they are rather based on the important ideas of the passage.
So learn to read for ideas, not for words. The first reading may be structured. Read the opening couple of sentences, opening sentence of each paragraph, and the concluding couple of sentences. Then have a look at all the question stems to get an idea of what is being asked.
The second reading should have varying speeds. Rush through the less important parts, but slow down where you believe something important is being discussed.
At the end of the second reading (2 min), ask yourself whether you have got the central idea. If you have, proceed to answer the questions. Otherwise have a third look (10-15 sec) for repetitive words. The main idea is likely to repeat itself.
~ Don't look for the right answers. Look for the best, by eliminating the rest.
~ Go through each answer option carefully and find a reason to reject it.
~ It is not the passage that is difficult. Invariably it is the questions that are, since most questions are inference based and there is a very thin line of demarcation between the best and the rest.
~ It is not necessary to attempt all the questions based on a passage. You could skip an odd question that proves too difficult.
~ Always keep the main idea in mind while selecting the right answer. The best answer is more likely to revolve around the main idea.
English Usage
Be ready with strategies for questions based on short passages, like
Case I: What succeeds the passage (CAT 2005 and 2006).
Case II: What precedes the passage?
Case III: What comes in between parenthesis?
The strategies here are not much different from RC strategies; except that the last sentence (Case I); first sentence (Case II); both the preceding and the succeeding sentences (Case III), become more important here.
Have a good look at the question types that have figured in the last few CAT examinations. You may not get the same type of questions, but you will get a fair idea of what type to expect.
Expect the unexpected
To be more specific, think 'old wine in a new bottle'. Remember, CAT 2005, where the sentence completion (gap fill) questions were given in a different format with unknown words (in italics) replacing the blanks? Expect these types of changes.
Who knows? You could find our old friend, parajumbles, in a brand new package where there could be four paragraphs in place of four sentences. A variation of odd-one out could be four or five sentences, in place of four or five words. Also, the concluding assertion type of questions could come in 'Upstream statement, Downstream statement, Supporting statement' format.
Expect questions based on grammar
They could more likely be sentence improvement (GMAT format) rather than sentence correction. Here the key is pinpointing the error and then looking for the answer option that rectifies only that error.
~ For questions based on word usage, look not for an error in grammar or syntax, but an error where the word is not correctly used.
~ For sentence completion questions, try to catch the flow of the sentence and supply the filler yourself, before having a look at the answer options. Same is true of many other question types like parajumbles.
~ For other vocab based questions, don't get put off by words you are not conversant with. Try to split the words, or at least work out the negative positive. This might eliminate certain answer options straightaway.
~ Expect questions based on logical reasoning and critical reasoning. Reasoning based questions essentially have three parts: assumptions, evidence, and conclusion. The right answer need not touch the conclusion. Submit the assumption/evidence to denial test. If the conclusion also gets weakened, you might have found your answer.
~ Above all, if you get the unexpected, don't lose your head. It is more likely to be something you have prepared for, though in a different format. Take time to decide how it is connects with what you have prepared
Monday, September 17, 2007
How 2 prepare 4 Cat 08
Hi frnds.u r here in d world of cat.Cat , v all know abt Cat.Lets have a brief look.Cat is conducted by IIMs every year in third Sunday of November.It consists Verbal Ability,Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation.U know that if one has got 35 questions right out of 75,he will got a call frm IIMs.We have 2 clear sectional cut offs.I m studying in Career Launcher,Patiala.I m appering 4 cat 08.If any one wanna contact me or give me suggestions how 2 prepare , he is welcome at my mail aman.sharma123@yahoo.com.In my view one should read Word Power Made Easy by NORMAN LEWIS 4 vocab.If u know any other,plz refer me.I will b thakful 2 u.4 maths one can follow quant by R.S.Aggarwal.So dis is what i know.If u know something,share it with me.
Regards
Aman Sharma
.
Regards
Aman Sharma
.
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