Has CAT become too trainable? Aparna Krishnkumar poses the question to Kamlesh Sajnani, chief of IMS Learning Resources, India's leading CAT-coach for IIM hopefuls.

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How many students take IMS coaching for CAT every year?

Over 35,000 students train with IMS every year, both correspondence and classroom included.

Having been in the IIM-entrance coaching business since 1977, is there any major trend you've seen over these years?

The paper has moved on from quantity to quality. It has understood what it is trying to test. The test today looks at decisions one could take as a future manager while also testing aptitude for Math and English. In my opinion, CAT is an appropriate and challenging exam for one who wants to be a manager in the future.

How do you respond to the argument that your success in training only exposes CAT's weakness... is it too predictable and 'trainable' as a test?

No. CAT is neither predictable nor trainable. It would not have gained such authenticity had it been otherwise. As a part of the IMS philosophy, we do not go after patterns set in an exam.

Rather, we build competency in a student to be able to solve any question irrespective of the pattern. Students believe they have to study math, data interpretation, reading comprehension and vocabulary for success in CAT, and this is a myth. We say quite the opposite.

If your fundamentals in math are strong, you should be equally comfortable solving a simple arithmetic problem as you would be solving a data interpretation problem. Similarly, if your basics in English are clear, then any kind of reading comprehension or vocabulary related questions should be easy.

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In your view as a test coach, does the CAT need to change as a test? If so, in what way?

In terms of content, CAT is just fine. What needs to change is the frequency and accessibility. More than one lakh students appear every year on one Sunday in just 27 locations across the country. That one day may not be the right day for many of them.

Know how to ace CAT? Write in and let us know. Don't forget to add your name, age, the name of your management institution, the year in which you passed out and where you work now.

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