Strategies for CBT-CAT

The other day a student remarked, “All these years I’ve taken so many different exams— subjective and multiple choice, with negative marking and without, in familiar or unfamiliar surroundings— but they were always paper based. We all were made to sit on separate benches in a school or college classroom and there were one or two supervisors to help us and monitor us. As long as I knew the subject, I was always sure I could crack the exam. But, this time it is different. The CAT is going online! I am not sure how I will fare.”

This seems to be a fear in the minds of many students this year. The CAT this year may be your first experience of a real online test; with CAT already being a tough test, it's natural that you are anxious. Let's see what you can expect in the CBT-CAT and try to alleviate this anxiety.

The Test Taking Interface
The test-taking interface will have the questions and their alternatives and you will have to choose an answer by clicking on the correct alternative. Make sure that you practice as many computer based mock CATs as you can.

Sectional time limits have not been seen in the CAT for some time now but the CAT is known for its ability to surprise students -- it's best to be prepared for all eventualities. In case there are sectional time limits, you may not get to jump between sections while attempting the paper.

A timer is a common feature on all computer based tests. Use the timer, but avoid looking at it every now and then, lest it unnerves you.

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The Questions
Conceptual clarity and application skill is required just as much for an online test. But there are a few functional things that can adversely affect your performance in the CBT, if you do not have sufficient practice.

Let us take a look at each of the three sections of the CAT, and the impact that a computer-based format can have.

Quantitative Ability
The questions in the QA section are typically short. So there will be no major difference in the way in which these questions should be attempted. However, instead of doing your rough work on the question paper itself, you need have to practice doing your rough work on separate sheets of paper.

For geometry-based questions you may be used to making notes and marking values on the diagram provided in the question paper itself. But now, you may have to sketch out these diagrams on your rough paper and then work on them. This may take a while if there are a lot of geometry questions – practice making quick sketches of figures in geometry questions.

Your ability to solve questions mentally, rather than by putting pen to paper, will help you a lot. Learn multiplication tables, squares and cubes to 30, all relevant formulae and reciprocal percentages well.

Free Lesson on Quantitative Ability

Data Interpretation
If the tables, charts and caselets are very long, you might spend a lot of time scrolling back and forth. You can work these questions out faster by following these steps:

1.      Read the data and understand it well. Summarise the heads in the data in the rough sheet so that you have a list of what is available for ready reference.

2.      Read all the questions related to the table, chart or caselet to get a clear idea of how the common data is to be processed.

3.      Then go back to the data and extract whatever information is needed. If the data table or chart is small enough, you might even consider copying it on paper.

Free Lesson on Data Interpretation

Verbal Ability
Reading comprehension forms a large part of the Verbal Ability (VA) section of CAT—in the last few years, nearly half the section! It is important to practice reading comprehension, as often as possible, on a computer; many people read slower on a computer monitor than on paper. Regularly read the news and articles online to improve your reading speed.

Scanning a long passage to find that “answer” or that “keyword” that you need for the correct answer option is more difficult on a computer. Practice and work out techniques that help you find information as soon as possible. For example, since you can’t underline text online, try noting down one or two key words for each paragraph on rough paper.

Though other VA questions are generally short, in a CBT it is not as easy to keep track of answer options you have eliminated. Practise questions that require elimination strategy on a computer, while keeping track of answer options on paper.
Free Lesson On Verbal Ability

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Preparing for CAT with Serial CAT 100-Percentiler

Munira Lokhandwala, CAT 2008 100-Percentiler

Hi Everybody,

I am sure that even before you start reading this article, many of you would have already made assumptions about my natural abilities based on my background and my consistent performances in CAT over the years. That is why I would like to tell you a little more about my background. All of us would remember the seventh standard scholarship exam that tested the math, verbal and visual skills of students. In that test I scored 36 out of 100 in Math, 64 in Verbal and 50 in visual reasoning. (Nowhere near to what a typical scholar would have got!!) So you definitely cannot say that I was born with the aptitude of cracking all such examinations.

So the obvious million dollar question: How does someone who is not born with the required aptitude skills go ahead and crack the CAT? Not just once to get into IIMs, but every time with confidence!

Most competent CAT aspirants do realize that the difference in knowledge between them and one of the guys who has made it to the IIMs is not high enough to warrant a massive difference in CAT scores. (Here, by “knowledge” we mean "CAT related knowledge".) Still most aspirants become skeptical about their own abilities during their CAT preparation and start looking at other exams or other institutes. When I was preparing for my CAT, I didn’t even consider taking the other entrance exams for various institutes. Was this misplaced arrogance? Let’s see.

For my CAT 1996, even I had started my preparations in February. Whew! I was in the same boat as most of you are. I was in the second year of my Bachelor’s studies. So I started in Feb, took a break in April for exams, in May for some holidaying and started again in June and continued till the end. Excluding these breaks, I was preparing for the CAT 2-3 hours a day, 6 days of the week, every week. This article is all about this long preparatory period before the CAT right from when you decide to take it to a nice slightly chilly Sunday morning when you are checking your pencils, eraser and admit card. And the result is in front of you: calls from all 4 IIM’s (IIM I and IIM K had just started that year and I hadn’t applied to either).

1. Plan backwards

You will never know exactly when your CAT preparation started, but you will always know when it will end. Did I hear 15^th November? No, it will end on the 13^th of November. The CAT is an exam where presence of mind is essential; studying till the last minute or till the last day leads to an exhausted mind. So it is a good idea to stop preparing on the Friday evening before the CAT. So currently your deadline is 13^th November. The last few months will be spent primarily on taking comprehensive tests. Let’s try and work that out.

Right now is a good time to decide how many comprehensive tests you will take. The main objective behind taking comprehensive tests is to get your test taking strategy in place as you measure your own strengths across different sections. The secondary objective is the relative performance measurement.

I think 30 tests are fairly sufficient as there is no point taking a test everyday or worse still take 2 tests per day. Working with 30 tests will easily take between 70-80 days. This is because if you take a test with feedback on day 1 you will revise and take some section tests on day 2; you may also need 1-2 days break. So assuming 75 days for comprehensive tests takes your deadline to the end of August.

Before you formulate your test taking strategy, you need to measure your performance in individual sections. That is where section tests come into play. So in the last fifteen days of August you should take around 2 section tests at least from each area and spend some time going through the analysis and feedback for the tests. This will be the first time usually when you really start solving with the second hand making a loud noise every second. So get used to the idea before you venture into the comprehensive test territory.

So finally we have come to our first major deadline 15^th August i.e. Independence day. By this date, you would ideally finish learning new concepts. From 15^th August you will be primarily looking at applying what you have learnt and if you have learnt it well, then believe me you will enjoy the process.

2. In-depth Scheduling

With 15^th August as the deadline you should make a list of what is the kind of theory you want to complete till that time. I have made a rudimentary representative list here to work from:

• Reading

• Word List

• Study Material for the following areas

1. Verbal Ability questions

2. Reading Comprehension questions

3. Analytical Reasoning

4. Data Interpretation

5. Math

Your maximum time should be spent doing two major activities: reading and Math.

3. Daily schedule

Make a daily schedule which incorporates all your routines and breaks. If you watch movies a lot then it would be silly to make a schedule which does not consider 3 hours a week on the week-end spent in catching the latest release. Also try to shuffle the subjects so that you do not get bored with one subject. A good time table for 2 days can look like this:

• Day 1:

1. 0.5 hour reading

2. 0.5 hour word list

3. 2 hours math

• Day 2

1. 0.5 reading

2. 0.5 word list

3. 1 hour analytical reasoning / data interpretation

4. 1 hour reading comprehension exercises / verbal ability

4. Reading

For those who read as a hobby, this will not be a major problem. For others, it is essential that you take out anything between 0.5 hour to 1 hour for reading, daily. For the uninitiated reader, you can start by reading fiction but there is no use if you spend 3 months reading one big book; instead pick up any collection of short stories by assorted authors and start reading those. You will get used to various styles and different settings and of course different content. After reading fiction for 1-1.5 months you can graduate to non-fiction. So next time you log onto testfunda start a parallel window where you google on various CAT topics and read articles on them. The advantages are two-fold, firstly you will get used to CAT like passages and secondly you will start gaining some knowledge on these topics so next time you have an RC on the same topic you will not feel completely lost. For these reading sessions never focus on time only; focus on understanding as well, if you read enough your time will automatically decrease.

Reading will not only help you in the verbal section, but also increase your comprehension in the other sections. It is the single most important factor that will help you crack the CAT.

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5. Word List

There are very few questions that directly require knowledge of words. But knowing a lot of good words and improving your vocabulary will never harm but always help you in your CAT preparations. So pick up a good word list and start doing the word list every day or if your vocabulary is already good then every alternate day. Even if you do an alphabet a week you will take around 6 months to complete the word list. Having a good vocabulary also ensures fluency in GDPI. This is the part where students are lazy, but after the CAT if you feel that just knowing one word would have got an extra mark in no time then that should really hurt.

6. Math

Math based on strengths and weakness should be done either every alternate day or every day. Go through the theory, solved examples and then tackle exercises. If you cannot solve a problem do not rush to the explanatory answers, give it some time, think, get your mind to oil those rusted math gears and levers.

• Try solving problems in the head, minimize pen on paper. To achieve this, one should be able to simplify a complex problem situation and should know tables well to do calculations faster.

• Make a note of important relationships in a topic.

• Make a note of innovative approaches.

• Remember writing a lot is very unhealthy for the CAT, but after you solve it in your head, writing the explanation will clear doubts and reinforce learning. So please make good notes.

7. Puzzle Solving

With the increased focus on logical reasoning based Data Interpretation, one should practice solving puzzles from books like George Summers. Puzzle practice helps in developing a logical base and in thinking in diverse directions.

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How to Prepare for CAT with 6 months to go

by Gourav Bhattacharya, CAT 2007 100-Percentiler

The CAT itself should ideally be given with 6 months preparation, as then a student has enough time to space out his preparation and work at a comfortable pace. Also, for working professionals who don’t have as much time on their hands as the college students, and who perhaps have to devote more time to preparation than college students, it is essential to start early. Several steps which are key to giving a good CAT cannot be taken overnight or crammed into a couple of weeks’ time. Starting early enables a student to work out the best possible strategy and implement it effectively. Some measures I believe students should take to enhance their level of preparation are:

1. Identify the time of day when you study the best: If you are starting 6 months before the CAT, you have enough time to plan out your preparation, and don’t need to study for more than two hours a day at this stage. Now is a good time to experiment by studying at different times in the day (whenever possible) to find what time suits you best. When you need to crank up the hours you put in later on, you’ll know exactly when you feel at your freshest and concentrate best. As far as possible, try giving tests on Sundays (or other holidays) at the CAT time (10 in the morning). Try making this a sort of ritual so you get used to giving a CAT-type test every Sunday morning.

Free Mock Tests in the official IIM CBT CAT 2009 Format

2. Subscribe to a daily newspaper and/or a weekly news magazine: 60% of the Verbal Ability section in a typical CAT paper comprises of Reading Comprehension passages. Cultivating the reading habit is therefore essential to your CAT preparation. Indeed, even if you solve only RC with an accuracy of 70% (very achievable), you will comfortably clear your VA cut-offs without even having to touch the dreaded grammar section. Reading a daily newspaper and a weekly news magazine has several purposes. It increases your speed of reading. It also ensures that you are quickly able to pick up the salient points in even abstract passages. Finally, it also broadens your horizons and gives you something to talk about in the Group Discussions and Personal Interviews that come later.

TestFunda MBA Current Affairs & General Knowledge Section

TestFunda Weekly General Knowledge and General Awareness Quizzes

3. Study in bursts: If you are one of those that need to warm-up for an hour before beginning to be able to concentrate and study productively, now is the time to break that habit. The entire CAT evaluation (including GD/PI) is designed for people who can switch on and switch off for short periods of time. You need to be able to start concentrating almost immediately, and don’t need to do the same thing for more than 40-45 minutes. This is why the CAT paper itself has three sections, instead of only one long section. Practice studying in short productive bursts (typically 45-60 minutes) and take breaks in between. It will be hard to start concentrating immediately after a break in the initial stage, but soon you will get used to it.

4. Get your theory right: CAT tests you on the theory that you learnt in school, so there really is no excuse for getting it wrong. If you have lost touch with high school maths, and especially if you are a working professional, it may be a good idea to set a week aside to actually go through maths formulae that you will need as well as a few basic proofs. Again, don’t try to do things that are extremely complicated. Stick to the basics – CAT is designed to identify managers with efficient time allocation, not Math specialists.

Free CAT Lessons

5. Develop a proper test-giving routine: This is the most important part of your CAT preparation. CAT does not ask you complicated Phd level questions. Instead, it puts pressure on you by giving you far less time to solve the paper than is reasonable. It is up to you to develop the best possible test-giving strategy you can, to solve the CAT paper. Therefore, it is essential that you give practice tests seriously. If you join a classroom coaching program you will be given several practice tests. If you don’t want to join a classroom program (which is also perfectly fine), make sure that you get enough practice tests from your friends/colleagues/seniors. Needless to say, attempt to clear EVERY sectional cut-off (and the overall cut-off) in EVERY paper that you give. There is no sense in attempting only one section well in a paper at the cost of the others. It is a complete waste of time and will hamper your preparation. Also, never ever give a practice test without timing yourself. Don’t cheat the clock (or yourself) either.

6. Keep experimenting: Keep changing things – the section you attempt first, the target number of questions you want to attempt, the time you spend on each section etc. Only then will you finally perfect your optimum CAT-solving strategy which strikes just the right balance between speed and accuracy, ensuring that you clear all cut-offs and are well on your way towards that coveted IIM seat.

7. Start doing crosswords, logic puzzles etc.:Solving the daily crossword (and checking the solutions the day after) improves your vocabulary by leaps and bounds. Solving logic puzzles will help you immensely in Logical Reasoning questions which have become an integral part of Data Interpretation sections in recent years. More importantly, CAT-taking is a habit. Once you get into the habit of solving problems, CAT should be a piece of cake.

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8. Develop a hobby: Seriously. It gives you something to do in your free time. After all, you can’t be expected to study 24×7. It gives you perspective. CAT is only an exam, not life-and-death. Finally (and this is planning ahead at its best), if you do crack the CAT, it shows you to be a well-rounded personality and gives you something to talk about during your Personal Interview.

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9. Avoid over-preparation: There is a limit to how much a person can do, and every person has his/her own threshold. The minute the CAT starts getting to be a drag, take a break. Strange though it may sound, you cannot do well on your CAT unless you enjoy it. I even went to the extent (and this is NOT recommended) of not doing anything for the last week, because I wanted to have fun solving the CAT. There’s absolutely no harm in doing nothing for three or four days until you feel like solving CAT questions again. Treat it is as a challenge, not as routine work.

I feel confident that someone who follows these measures can increase his level of performance significantly. The measures are in no particular order, except for the last one which is the most important. Remember, the CAT should be FUN, above all else. I wish anyone reading this the best of luck with CAT.

More CAT and MBA Test Prep Strategies by CAT 100-Percentilers

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