Cracking The New Cat Format

By Author: AndrewLouis
Total Articles: 12
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The Common Admission Test (CAT)—the gateway to pursuing MBA from any of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and several other prestigious institutions—was held from October 22 to November 18 this year. More than 200,000 students registered this time to compete for the 3,000 IIM seats. One of the most difficult competitive exams in India, CAT is attempted every year not only by fresh graduates but also by scores of professionals in pursuit of a better career. Needless to say that the competition is indeed stiff.
The CAT format has gone through some changes this year and MBA aspirants could certainly feel less anxious if they know what those changes exactly are. In the new exam pattern, the CAT paper has only two sections instead of three. The syllabus though has not changed. Earlier, there were three sections with 20 questions each, now there are two with 30 questions each.
Till last year, the paper was divided into (1) Quantitative Ability, (2) Verbal Ability, and (3) Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. In the new pattern, there are two sections: the first section focuses on Quantitative Ability ...
... and Data Interpretation and the second on Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning. These two sections are to be attempted sequentially with separate time limits unlike earlier when students could divide their time between the sections as per their preference. So if you are strong in one section then completing it in less than the allotted time gives you no advantage as you are not allowed to go to the next section. You do not have the choice of spending more time on either of the two sections. Candidates earlier used to plan to spend more time on the section they felt was more difficult. Now you need to be equally good in both sections.
Parasharan Chari, academic head at Endeavour Tutorials in Ahemedabad, told IANS on phone, "Some are strong at mathematical questions, some may be strong in the verbal. Earlier students could divide their time according to their strength. They could save time in quantitative questions and apply it to the verbal section or vice-versa, which is not possible this time." But quite ironically this may relieve the candidate of the anxiety of managing time between sections. In the absence of choice the candidate now needs to focus more on just attempting the questions. Yes, you will still have to manage time, but it is within each of the sections rather than between them.
Experts say that starting out with the right section and scanning the questions before attempting the paper could help you approach more methodically. Start with the section you are strong in, browse through the entire paper to spot questions you are more familiar with, remember that the latter part may have easier ones that you can attempt quickly.
The total time for the exam has been increased from 135 minutes to 140 minutes, giving 70 minutes to each of the two sections. There are several websites that offer free sample papers. It is highly recommended that you practice online to get a feel of the real exam. As a rule a student should spend no more than 2.5 minutes on a question. It is all a matter of preparation. Remember that practice makes perfect. Attempt many samples papers, the more the better, but do keep track of the mistakes you make and work towards not repeating them. not approach the exam with a fixed target in terms of the number of questions you intend solving. The number of questions you solve does not necessarily have a bearing on your success relative to other exam takers. For example, attempting fewer questions could also mean that the exam was tougher, or it could be that you attempted few but answered all of them correctly, thus resulting in a good overall score.
So, good luck in all you preparations for the exam and for the exam itself!