Month: September 2015

CAT Preparation: The Natural Talent Myth

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In the previous post, we discussed the various kinds of baggage that people carry around in their heads about their abilities. The heaviest of this is the one that people have about natural talent or rather the importance that people attribute to it. All of us would have a cousin or a friend or a classmate who could always achieve the same or better result with lesser effort. In fact, my best friend, whom I met during CAT Prep (CAT GD-PI actually) — was one of this sort. During my stint at the IIM and during the course of my professional life I have met a few of those individuals whose abilities fall in the outlier category; people who are in a different category as far as pure aptitude goes.

How Many Questions Should I Attempt In CAT?

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This is possibly the most frequently asked question among CAT FAQs. Whether the year be 2005, 2009 or 2015 this question has always been THE ONE question to answer and perhaps rightly so. The simplest answer to this question, as I have always told my students, is — as many as you can. It might seem deceptively simple and quick-witted but at the core of it, is that not the task? But since test-takers are at different abilities you might ask – what is a good “as many as I can” that will fetch me a 99 percentile on CAT 2015?   [title text=”What a 99 percentile meant on the past CATs”] CAT 2014 was possibly the easiest CAT ever — getting a 99 meant correctly answering more than 30 questions in each of the two sections. The extent to which the test was easy is reflected in the fact that there were sixteen 100 percentilers last time! In contrast, CAT 2013 was the toughest of the computer-based CATs so far — answering approximately 16 …

CAT Preparation: Nuggets To Succeed

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[vc_row full_width=”” parallax=”” parallax_image=”” wide=”no”][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]There is a great deal of similarity between being successful at tests and being successful at things involving the demonstration of a skill such as a sport or craft. Both require lot of work not just on becoming proficient technically but also mentally. Most of the time success boils down to the attitude one brings to the table. This quote one from a celebrated & controversial British chef is very relevant to understand what goes into achieving perfection. It is especially relevant in light of this problem called “silly mistakes” that most test-takers fret about. Evaluated in the light of this quote, it will become evident that all the smaller things we take for granted such as reading the question properly go a long way in achieving the high degree of accuracy required to succeed on the CAT. A few of these little things that need to be done right for your CAT preparation to be meaningful are discussed in this previous post. [space size=”” line=”yes” style=”solid”][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

CAT Preparation: Changing The Default Settings

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Every year a lot of young men and women toil away at this thing called CAT preparation. The most sincere and determined ones, come in full of energy and enthusiasm to do whatever it takes to ace this test and get into the hallowed portals of an IIM. But do they come in with a blank mind ready to understand what this test is all about and attune themselves to it? The answer as we all know is, NO. A CAT aspirant beginning his prep will be at the least 20 years old, long enough to start the test with a sizeable psychological baggage — a mental make up that stems from one’s experiences and successes with education & tests throughout school & college.

Why I Teach

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The germ for this post sprouted in the aftermath of the death of Dr.Kalam. In the deluge of Kalam-related information that dominated the media after his death one small bit struck a chord — his love for teaching. Of all the things he was — a teacher, a scientist, an advisor to the government, the President — it was the role of a teacher that he cherished the most. On first meetings, people usually ask, “So what do you do?” The only reply I want to give when faced with this question is — I am a teacher. All the rest, the MBA and the business ownership are built around this core. Teaching at 21 The first paid job that I took up was teaching. I had completed my engineering as mechanically as possible and graduated with a software job, whose joining date got deferred in the bloodbath that followed the dotcom bust. I had taken the CAT in my final year and contrary to all expectations (including my own) I failed to get a call. …