It’s finally done and I am sure many of you would agree that it was pretty much smooth sailing for the better part of the test. In fact compared to the workout you would have had in the SimCATs, CAT 2015 like CAT 2014 would have been a jog in the park. I know, I know, DI-LR was tough but if even that was easy then we should not call it CAT! Read More
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The CAT 2015 Mock Test – An Analysis
It has been a while since the new CAT 2015 software was put up on the IIM-CAT site (I have to admit I have always found the name a bit cheesy :)). I wanted to wait a while to see how test-takers react to the new pattern in the SimCATs before doling out any sort of advice.
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[title text=”Running out of steam by the Quant section”]
Most of the students I have met have said that by the time they reach the Quant section they are mentally tired. The same would have applied to the Verbal section in the earlier pattern but the Quant section demands more mental energy since you are not entirely choosing between answer options as is the case on Verbal. The best indicators are of course the cut-offs — the Quant cut-off has dropped (marginally) whereas the VA-RC and DI-LR cut-offs have not changed.
It is only going to get tougher on test-day. On test day you will need to report an hour or so before your test starts and since most test centres are not within city-limits you will have to start a good hour in advance to reach the test-centre on time. So in effect you will be spending a total of 4 hours before you hit the Quant section!
How do we deal with this situation? Let’s say the two hours involved in travel and waiting can be equated to 30-minutes of test-taking. Even so it still means an additional 30 minutes worth of mental energy.
On D-day the only thing you want to do is to perform to the best of your abilities — you do not want to under-perform due to lack of stamina or nerves. Unlike for the GMAT, for the CAT you have to wait for a whole year before you can have another crack at it.
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[title text=”Building test-taking stamina to go the distance”]
Sometimes there is nothing better than stories to frame a point of view or argument.
Reasonably keen followers of cricket will be very much aware that the Australian cricket season and summer both start in December and the strength of the sunlight there is very severe. It goes without saying that batting for a whole day or at least three sessions, which by the way is the goal that way top test batsmen set themselves, is as much a test of the body as it is of cricketing skill. In the lead up to the season opening series, Mathew Hayden used to build his stamina by putting weights around his ankles and going running up and down mountains!
Thankfully the task before us is of a different nature — building mental stamina
.
On every practice test that you will take from now on, do not stop at the end of 180 minutes. Add another 30 minutes by doing a QA-DI-LR section test.
At least once try to take two tests back-to-back just to see how far you can go (you can stand up, stretch and take a deep breath in between tests :-)).
It might seem like a challenge but it is something you should be able to do. Just keep telling yourself — what is half an hour more compared to a year!
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[title text=”The Scientific Calculator”]
The scientific calculator seems to be a welcome addition to the test. One of the bog goals that the IIMs have set for themselves is to increase diversity.
I think the scientific calculator is one of the ways of making it easier for non-engineering graduates to perform well on the test. If they have the requisite conceptual knowledge and logical ability, calculation skills should not be the reason for them not making the cut.
It goes without saying that not just the DI-LR section but also the QA section will become easier with the addition of the scientific calculator.
But before that you need to answer a question — is calculation & approximation your forte?
If your answer is YES, then you do not need to make any changes, you will know when to use the calculator and you will not need all the features.
If your answer is NO and you want to rely on the calculator then you need to have a clear idea as to how each of the functions on the calculator works. If you really want to make the most of it you need to ensure that you now how to use all the features it has. For example, how to use MC, MR, MS, M+ and M?
The one thing you should not be doing is using the calculator as well as paper — multiplying two numbers, writing down the value on paper, multiplying another two numbers and then adding this number to that.
Remember that one method is not superior to another, whatever path you choose you should maximize its potential.
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[title text=”Will CAT 2015 follow the same pattern as the Mock Test?”]
The big questions on test-takers’ minds after seeing the Mock Test are:
- Are there going to be so many RCs?
- Will there be no grammar questions?
- What about vocab-based questions?
No one has expressed any doubts about the other two sections!
Most of you would have recognised the RC passages on the Mock Test from old paper-based CATs. Apart from the RCs had only three question types Summary, Jumbled Paragraph and Odd-One Out. I somehow have a feeling that they just wanted to somehow fill in 34 questions! So there will be fewer passages, my guess is 4 passages and about 16-18 questions.
If there is one thing that has been consistent about the CAT over the years, it is the fact that there is always an element of surprise. So do not be surprised if you encounter Grammar and Vocab-based questions on the test.
The best thing you can do to prepare for this eventuality is to revise all Grammar and Vocab-based questions from this year’s proctored SimCATs.
Over the course of the next two weeks I will do separate posts on how to maximize your scores on VA-RC, DI-LR and QA respectively. For this I will be using the sections from the CAT Mock Test. So I want all of you to take the test as a full-length test by Friday. Mark your answers separately on a paper just in case.
Will analyse and give the key to the VA-RC section on Saturday.
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[title text=”Planning for the next phase”]
The first thing to do post-CAT is to analyse how your test went and you know that everything depends on how everyone else did. On CAT Day I will start a thread on Twitter with the # of attempts as soon as I step out of my centre (Dhanalakshmi Engineering College, Morning Slot), all of you can reply with your attempts so that we can get a clear idea of how difficult or easy the test was.
Post-CAT WAT-GD-PI prep will start immediately after CAT. I will be tweeting links to the most relevant articles for the WAT-GD-PI Round. This is important as results will be announced Jan second week and you can have your first interview as early as 2-Feb, IIFT will be earlier.
FB has its limitations since working professionals do not want colleagues to know about their MBA plans. Given the amount of information on FB it is tough to always be sure that the message is getting across to all everyone. It is a bit painful to send messages to so many What’s App groups. In the mean time open an account on Twitter and follow @tonyxavierims. So do this at the earliest.
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In the meantime, if you find the idea of doing two back-to-back tests daunting then read this in-depth article on how Djokovic went from being physically unable to compete beyond the semi-finals of tournaments to becoming possibly the fittest sportsman on the planet — http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/8132800/has-novak-djokovic-become-fittest-athlete-ever-espn-magazine
Post any queries you might have about a post in the comments section, I will quickly get back to you.
Keep Prepping,
All the best!
CAT Quantitative: How to approach a problem
One of the things that weighs constantly on CAT test-takers is how they can increase their speed and accuracy. More often than not test-takers discover the right way to solve a problem mid-way through the problem – after they have spent about 2 minutes following one approach. So what is the best way to increase speed and accuracy?
Identify the right way to approach a problem before you start solving it.
Let us examine how to do this by taking an old SimCAT problem.
Given that f(x) = sec x – tan x. If f(x) = k, then what is the value of cosec x?
- 1-k/1+k
- 1+k2/1-k2
- 1-k2/1+k2
- k2/1+k2
Rule # 1: Do not leave this problem thinking — “It is Functions + Trigonometry!“
As we discussed in a previous post, CAT problems are deliberately designed to be seemingly tough or unapproachable! This problem has nothing to do with functions, it is just a fancy way of saying if sec x – tan x = k then cosec x = ?
Rule # 2: Do not starting to solving the problem hoping something would happen.
Usually those who are not scared by Trigonometry and are know their way around the formulae involved, start by simplifying it into sin and cos. Now once they do this they get (1 – sin x)/cos x (if you are doing this you should do this part done without putting pen on paper!).
They then think about what they CAN do — say multiply and divide numerator and denominator by (1 + sin x) and go ahead and do it. Now as far as the approach goes, there has been no effort to concretely connect it to arriving at the solution or linking it to what is required, cosec x. The steps are carried out more with hope — may be things will get cancelled in the end — rather than with conviction. In short they keep trying what they CAN do and not what they SHOULD do!
You should start taking a particular line of solving only after you have examined where it will lead you.
A better way of thinking/talking your way through the problem is to ask yourself:
- Do I know if in any way the expression sec x – tan x is connected to cosec x?
- I know sec2 x – tan2 x = 1 but that does not really have to do anything with cosec x, does it?
- So if from the question stem, I don’t know which path to take, what should I turn to?
The answer to the last question is obviously not to turn to the next question — you have answer options, remember?
Once you take a look at them you see that 3 out of 4 options revolve around k2. So it makes sense to first see what k2 will turn out to be.
Even for this step do not write the value of k, draw brackets around it and write a 2 in superscript! Straight away expand it in your head and write down the final expansion.
Now see what happens when you do 1 + k2 and when you do 1 – k2. Simplify both of these expressions with your end goal and answer options in view:
- If k =(1 – sin x)/cos x, then when you know you can ignore the denominator since it will get cancelled in all options.
- Since you need cosec x, which is 1/sin x, simplify the numerator to contain only sin x forms by writing all cos x forms that you get in terms of sin x by using sin2 x + cos2 x = 1
Once you do this you will get 1 + k2 = 2 – 2 sin x and 1 – k2 = 2 sin x – 2 sin2 x = sin x (2 – 2 sin x).
From this you can see that to get cosec x, which is 1/sin x, you have to divide the 1 + k2 by 1 – k2. Hence option (2).
To improve speed & accuracy not only should you connect not only your approach but also your solving process to what you need calculate or what the question is asking for. This will ensure that you are optimizing you solving process at every stage to reach the answer in the shortest possible time.
Remember solving a CAT problem is not just about using logic to figure out how to solve it but using logic to optimize the solving process as well.
CAT Quantitative – Identifying the topic of the question
One of the reasons why the CAT seems tough to test-takers is that the questions are deceptively framed. Test-takers tend to expect questions to be neatly classified — areas, topics, concepts — so that the moment they see the problem they know what to do. But the objective of the test is to not to make things so obvious, not to make a question a matter of plugging numbers into to formulas. There are many questions that on the face of it seem to belong to one area but on closer inspection reveal their origins to be in a different area. Read More
CAT Preparation: The Natural Talent Myth
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. Read More
Interview On Chennai Live 104.8
Gave an interview to Chennai Live 104.8 last Wednesday on their show called Metro Mornings; here is a recording of the same.
How Many Questions Should I Attempt In CAT?
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 questions correctly in each section resulted in one of our students getting a percentile of 99.89
On CAT 2011 & 2012 — correctly answering around 17-18 questions in QA-DI and around 21-22 in VA-LR, a total of 40 questions correct guaranteed a percentile well in excess of 99.
Based on my own experiences with the CAT (11 times and counting) and those of others ,we can safely say that on average attempting 55-60 percent of the questions correctly, or a net score that is equal to 55-60 percent of the total score, will get you a percentile in excess of 99. This is something that even our students taking the SimCAT will attest to.
The above 99 percent category is like a 100 metres dash at the Olympics, there will be a Bolt who is way ahead of even his fellow 100 percentilers but barely few questions will separate the rest. So we can say that a 60-65 net percent score will ensure a percentile higher than 99.50.
[title text=”What it might mean on CAT 2015″]
So on CAT 2015 what will be the magic number? A net score of above 150 will ensure a 99 plus percentile. Let us see how this is possible using the data from this year’s SimCATs.
The pattern changed from 2 to 3 sections from SimCAT 5 onwards — a very strong reason why scores dropped on that test. But after that scores quickly returned to normal levels — a score in the 140s consistently fetching a 99 percentile.
Why do scores consistently bunch around this level?
- On a test of moderate difficulty the best possible number of attempts per section in 60 minutes will be around the 20-22 mark
- If we take an accuracy of 80-85 percent as the benchmark then the net score will hover in the 135-145 range
- So just to give a bit of a buffer we can predict that 150 plus will guarantee a 99 percentile on most tests and 120 plus will guarantee a 95 percentile.
[title text=”There is no magic number, so do not go in with a number in mind!”]
Ask yourself this simple question, what happens if CAT 2015 is easier than the previous CATs —CAN YOU attempt 55-60 questions correctly and hope to get a great percentile? What happens if it’s tougher than what we have seen in the last 5 years — WILL YOU BE ABLE to answer 55-60 questions correctly in 180 minutes? In both cases, the answer is NO.
In 2013, a student of ours who was re-taking the CAT finished the QA-DI section only to find that he could attempt fewer questions that he did in CAT 2012. He concluded that he had performed poorly and with that mindset under-perform in the VA-LR section.
When the results came out he found that he had scored only slightly lower than the did in the previous year —the high 98s in 2013 as opposed to the early 99s in 2012— and felt that he could have gotten a much better percentile than he got in 2012, if only he had kept his head together after the Quant section (he is currently in a premier b-school, so all’s well that ends well).
The same is borne out in the SimCAT data as well if we look at the data for SimCAT 8. It was the easiest SimCAT till date and hence students scored about 20-25 marks more across percentile ranges
Such a test is the best indicator of what can wrong if you go in with a number in mind.
You start Quant and after 30 minutes have solved about 10 questions and are pretty happy since you were able to answer more questions and everything is under control. You do not really push the pedal and end the section having solved about 20 questions and pleased with your performance. Only when you get see your percentile will you realize that it was not good enough.
Once you look at the SimCAT 9 percentiles you will see that it is exact opposite of SimCAT 8.
This is a very important thing to remember. So, unless you are like a colleague of mine who always has time to attempt all questions irrespective of the number of questions, there is no precise number of attempts.
There will always be a give & take of 5-7 questions here and there depending on the degree of difficulty of the paper. So you cannot go in with a fixed number.
[title text=”So how many questions should I attempt in CAT 2015?”]
The best way to look most things involving test-prep is from a cricket perspective. How many runs should get when you are going out to bat first?
As many as you can.
If the pitch is easy then 300 might not be enough and if the pitch is tough a 200 might suffice (we are talking ODIs here).
If it is easy for you, it is easy for everyone else as well; if you are having a hard time, every else is as well.
What is important is that under all conditions you MAXIMIZE.
We will deal with this topic in a forthcoming post – how does one maximize under all conditions.
Till then, keep the faith, keep prepping, keep testing.
All the Best.
CAT Preparation: Nuggets To Succeed
[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.
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CAT Preparation: Changing The Default Settings
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. Read More
Why I Teach
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.
I was more than determined to clear it the second time round and was offered the chance to teach Analytical Reasoning to GRE students (back in the day GRE was out of 2400 with Analytical Reasoning being one of the sections) at the institute where I had prepared for the CAT.
The feedback for my classes was good but back then I did not really think much of teaching as a profession. I can distinctly remember thinking that it can become a really monotonous thing — the same sheet, the same problems and the same jokes.
It would take me more than a decade before I really understood what teaching was all about.
Teaching, now
During my first teaching stint while my feedback was good and I had no problem solving questions, there would rarely be students queuing up to ask me doubts or speak to me after class. But since I moved to IMS Chennai in late 2012 and started teaching again, things have been different.
It was around that time that I realized that in the decade that I spent since I first taught, my approach to teaching had changed completely. I realized that at 21, I was only a good problem solver with good communication skills. I was not a teacher.
At 21, I looked at teaching from my own perspective — what is in it for me? Am I getting a kick out of it? I laughed inwardly about the monotony — the same sheet, the same problems and the same jokes.
I failed to see the most important and unique aspect in this whole process — the student.
The sheet might be the same but there is a set of completely new students experiencing those problems for the first time.
Once one sees this, the sheet no longer remains the same; in fact it is no longer about the sheet, it is completely about the student, forging a connection with them and helping them absorb everything to the fullest.
The teacher always gets more in return
I can confidently say that teaching has actually taught me and given me a lot in return. My successful second attempt on CAT, had a lot to do with the clarity of thinking I developed because of taking classes.
I learn to solve better because I learn to teach better. I learn to teach better from the students. There have been many cases when the same problem and the same explanation with the same energy fail to help a particular student understand. You notice a face in the class that has not really understood it.
It is then that you are forced to come up with a more creative way of explaining the problem. It goes without saying there are also cases where students come up with better solutions.
While these are the very specific benefits, there are others that my fellow teachers, mostly freshly-minted MBAs who take time out on weekends to come and teach, have mentioned:
- one says that he has to come and teach after a long working week, just to refresh himself
- another guy says that his wife says she likes him more when he returns home after taking a class at IMS than when he returns from his full-time work place
- yet another guy says that no matter how rotten his day or week might have been all he needs to do is to take a class and he is back to feeling great again
My favourite part
It was around April 2013, the GD-PI results for the first batch of CAT students that I mentored were expected at anytime. One of the students with whom I had spent quite some time called and said — Tony…IIM-B…then a pause…converted! I leapt out of the chair and screamed YES!, my other arm outstretched.
This is always the best part, the moment a student succeeds. Nothing tastes like success, only in this case, it is not your own but somebody else’s.
When I look back, I did not leap and scream years ago, when I came to know of my own result that I had made it!
The world needs great teachers
There was a time in this country and in our culture when being a teacher was a mark of distinction — the word guru itself means the one who dispels darkness; we have hymns equating the guru with all three gods.
Not just in myths with Dronacharya & Arjuna but everywhere there have been legends of great teacher-taught relationships from Chanakya & Chandragupta to Socrates & Plato.
We live in a different world now, a world that talks about technology, inverted classrooms and self-learning. I am more than sure that technology can really make things better but that does not mean that we can do with fewer teachers.
There is something about being in the presence of a great teacher that makes us want to be better than the individuals we are. I have had the privilege of experiencing this a few times.
I hope that more and more youngsters seriously start taking teaching as a profession. It’s a very fulfilling profession and what better day to say it out loud than today — the birth anniversary of another President, another Teacher.
Happy Teachers’ Day my fellow mentors, motivators & guides!
The CAT Writer 