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Senior manager operations & Senior faculty member, T.I.M.E

Sep 20, 2012 | Closed

Cracking the CAT exam

Asim is senior manager operations & one of the senior faculty members at T.I.M.E. and is very closely involved in guiding students on preparations and B-school selection. An expert on B-schools across India, Asim is the man students look up to for any advice.

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is experience imp for taking admission in iim? Asked by: vinit
Not really, if you perform well in CAT/GD/Essay and PI, you will surely realize your dream of studying at one of the IIMs.
What way would you suggest to go forward with preparing for Verbal section of CAT Asked by: Mitesh Desai
One of the first steps to improving in VA is to improve your familiarity with the use of English. You must use all your reading, writing and speaking as practical applications of the grammar and vocab that you learn. Try to write and speak as correctly as possible. As for reading, please read as much as you can and, when you do, pay attention to the language - words used, sentence structure and paragraph structure. Build your vocabulary through your reading and support that with the flash cards and word lists. Once in a while, say, once or twice a week, take one of the larger paragraphs from what you read and treat it as a grammar exercise - examine different aspects of grammar and the role they play in sentence structure - one day look at subjects (whether nouns or noun phrases/clauses), one day at verbs, one day at modifiers, one day at prepositional use, and so on. This will really help, since you'll build familiarity the same way that you do with vocab. You must work on the conceptual clarity in all areas of VA.
Can i apply to foreign countries by score of CAT? Or it requires another exam? Asked by: vinit
Take GMAT, as most of the B-schools abroad admit students based on their performance in GMAT(along with other parameters).
What should be the time allotted to each section in CAT if i start my preparation now for CAT 2013 and i being a working professional as a engineer as i would only get weekends to practise and prepare for CAT Asked by: Mitesh Desai
I am a strong believer that one should not quantify ones quality of preparation in terms of number of hours of study, rather you should look at your preparation in terms of number of topics covered,number of concepts learnt and so on. If you still force me to answer, i would say a minimum of 20 hours per week routine is recommendable, if you are a college student/working class and twice of that if you are neither studying nor working(only focusing on CAT Preparation). You should ensure that you distribute the time among all the areas.The distribution ratio would depend on your comfort level in that area,Make sure that you do not ignore your weaknesses.
how CAT is expected to change in future ? say in time frame of 8-10 yrs Asked by: atul
Right now CAT is a computer based exam.In the long there is a possibility of it becoming a computer adaptive exam(like GMAT).
When does the mock AIMCATS start at T.I.M.E.They proved to be useful last time when i was full time student last year Asked by: Mitesh Desai
It usually starts in the month of May, yes, this is pretty useful for your preparation for CAT, as it properly simulates the CAT entrance exam.
if someone is from technical bckground like engg. then which branch should for MBA? Asked by: vinit
Do not choose a specialization based on other person's advice.You must choose your specialization based on your interest,aptitude and long term career goal. All the specializations(marketing/HRM/Finance/Operations etc) offer very good career growth to the deserving candidates. In case you join a regular MBA/PGDM program, then you will have the advantage of studying the basics of all these subjects in the first year and based on your analysis during this period(of your interest and aptitude), you can choose a specialization of your choice in the beginning of the second year of your course.
Is it all really worth it? Asked by: Varun
Yes, it is! The quality of learning and placements offered by the top notch B-schools is a proof of it.
I am an IT professional having 4 years of experience.Last time I appeared CAT with 89%ile.This time also I am going to appear for it.But I have a poor acedemic recors.78% in 10th,54% in 12th,60%in Bsc and 65% in Msc(Comp sc). Will it impact my chance of selection even though I do very well in the exam?Sir,please guide me. Asked by: Avdesh Pathak
In case you perform well in CAT(both overall and sectionals), GD/Essay and PI, i am sure you will realize your dream of studying at one of the IIMs. At almost all the IIMs the maximum weightage is attached to these parameters. Therefore instead of brooding over your prospects, you must devote your entire energy towards your preparation for CAT-12. Best wishes.
Sir, in the mock tests I have been getting good percentile in VA-LR (>96) without much study or practice, however in QA-DI even after studying my percentile is max. 90. Now, should I just focus on QADI or i need to take a balanced approach? Asked by: Sumit
Analyze your Aimcat(mock cat) performance and figure out areas in Quant/DI that have been troubling you and work on those areas. Let me add here that you should not completely ignore VA/LR preparation as would be pretty risky. Lastly keep taking Mock cats regularly(analyze them properly) so that you stay in the right frame of mind for the "D" day.
I WAS AN AVERAGE SCORER SINCE MY SCHOOL DAYS....EVEN IN COLLEGE..CAN I CRACK cat? Asked by: kartik
If you are willing to work hard, then you will surely realize your dream of studying at a top notch B-school. In order to crack CAT/other management entrance exams, one needs to improve the conceptual clarity of subjects(Quant,DI,Verbal and LR). Prepare a good plan and work hard towards implementing it. In my career i have seen a lot of average(even below average)students gaining admission into some of the top notch B-schools. They could achieve this, only because they worked hard on their preparation for CAT/GD/ESAY and PI.Best wishes.
Which colleges are good for HRM aspirants? Asked by: murty
Apart from the IIMs, XLRI(PMIR prog),TISS(MA in HRM and LR)and MDI-Gurgaon(PGPHRM)are some of the other good options.
With most of the engineers taking up CAT (and getting a investment banking job) fading away after the economic slowdown and current economic crisis, the sheen of MBA has gone down (reported MINT). Do you think CAT aspirants will be more quality than quantity 2012 onward? Asked by: Intekhab
Pursuing MBA from any of the good B-schools can do wonders for ones career. The quality of learning and the placement statistics offered by them bears testimony to this. One must also keep in mind that the economic slowdown is always followed by a robust economic growth and it would be advisable for people to equip themselves with additional knowledge and skill set to reap the benefits of this future growth story and hence pursuing MBA in this period is a pretty good decision.
How long it will take to prepare for CAT, if our basics are strong. Asked by: Padmanabh
In case your basics are strong, then you must practice with questions which are as difficult as those which appear in the CAT entrance exam. The AIMCAT series is the best source for such questions. It simulates the actual CAT environment and offers you an excellent practice for the CAT entrance exam. Around 4-6 months preparation will be sufficient for such students.
How much percentile from each section will result in aggregate percentile of more than 99? Asked by: Sahil
Since your percentile also depends on the relative performance of others, it will not be possible for anyone to accurately predict the required sectional percentiles. I would still recommend you to target 99+ percentile in each of the sections.
How is this exam different from GMAT - I took the GMAT couple of months ago and scored 780 Asked by: David
The GMAT consists of four main sections—Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal. The duration of GMAT is 3 hrs 30 mins, where as the duration of CAT is 2 hrs 20 mins. The CAT consists of 2 sections-Quantitative aptitude and Data Interpretation and Verbal ability/Logical Reasoning.There is sectional time limit of 70 minutes in CAT. Unlike GMAT, CAT does not have questions on Analytical writing assessment, as far as QA is concerned in GMAT most of the questions are based on data sufficiency(which is not the case with CAT). Most of the LR questions in CAT are based on analytical reasoning(puzzles) which is not the case with GMAT. Finally, Your GMAT preparation may not be sufficient for cracking CAT. You will need to prepare for the additional areas required for CAT, take a few mock cats to familiarize yourself with CAT pattern.
being could not complete the preparation,what should be my approach now? Asked by: somnath
First of all work on your basics, while doing so, collect all your doubts and discuss them with a friend or a faculty member. Apart from this, analyze your Aimcat(mock cat) performances(i am assuming you took few of them) and figure out areas that have been troubling you and work on those areas. Keep taking Mock cats regularly so that you stay in the right frame of mind for the "D" day. Finally, do not give up, remember any thing is possible for someone who is ready to work hard.Best wishes.
for experience professional which type of MBA course is relay helpful....to take his carrier on greater high..? Asked by: Ashutosh K Mishra
Do not choose a specialization based on other person's advice.You must choose your specialization based on your interest,aptitude and long term career goal. All the specializations(marketing/HRM/Finance/Operations etc) offer very good career growth to the deserving candidates. In case you join a regular MBA/PGDM program, then you will have the advantage of studying the basics of all these subjects in the first year and based on your analysis during this period(of your interest and aptitude), you can choose a specialization of your choice in the beginning of the second year of your course.
Will Low CGPA in graduation will effect IIM calls for a person even if he has good percentile in CAT? Asked by: anurag
In case you perform well in CAT(both overall and sectionals), GD/Essay and PI, i am sure you will realize your dream of studying at one of the IIMs. At almost all the IIMs the maximum weightage is attached to these parameters. Therefore instead of brooding over your prospects, you must devote your entire energy towards your preparation for CAT-12. Best wishes.
what should be the strategy here on words...? Asked by: Ashutosh K Mishra
One of the first steps to improving in VA is to improve your familiarity with the use of English. You must use all your reading, writing and speaking as practical applications of the grammar and vocab that you learn. Try to write and speak as correctly as possible. As for reading, please read as much as you can and, when you do, pay attention to the language - words used, sentence structure and paragraph structure. Build your vocabulary through your reading and support that with the flash cards and word lists. Apart from this, another good method of improving vocabulary is by learning the root words. Books like Norman Lewis's "word power made easy" is pretty effective in improving ones vocabulary.
What is the shortlisting criteria of FMS? Does it make calls on the basis of CAT score only unlike the IIMS? Asked by: mohit
The GD/PI calls are issued based on your performance in CAT, last year the cutoffs for general category students was 98.73 percentile overall with atleast 50 percentile in each of the sections. For reserved category applicants the overall percentile was lesser than this(the sectional cutoff remained 50 percentile).
as now only 1 month is left..what should be my approach for preparation. ?? Asked by: Kunal verma
Revise your basics, if needed collect all your doubts and discuss them with a friend or a faculty member. Apart from this, analyze your Aimcat(mock cat) performance and figure out areas that have been troubling you and work on those areas. Keep taking Mock cats regularly(analyze them properly) so that you stay in the right frame of mind for the "D" day.
What specialization should i opt for during my MBA?? finance,hr or marketing? Asked by: murty
Do not choose a specialization based on other person's advice.You must choose your specialization based on your interest,aptitude and long term career goal. All the specializations mentioned by you offer good career growth to the deserving candidates. In case you join a regular MBA/PGDM program, then you will have the advantage of studying the basics of all these subjects in the first year and based on your analysis during this period(of your interest and aptitude), you can choose a specialization of your choice towards the beginning of the second year.
Can i carry a calculator to CAT centre? Asked by: murty
No, as per the rules, you are not allowed to carry a calculator.