CAT, in recent years, has become the antonym of the word "obvious". Still our trainers tell us that it requires sheer common sense to crack CAT. What a 180-degree conflict! If you really analyse the above two statements, there's actually not a conflict. It is rather a difference of perception between the two people who are going to take the CAT. One of them has seen the questions, learnt the speed and accuracy building strategies, implemented them in mocks and succeeded; while the other one has mainly focused on countering the fear and uncertainty attached with the CAT. Hence, the CAT aspirants with thorough and strategic preparation would always be in conflict with the others when they say that CAT 2007 would require sheer common sense. There's no doubt about it.

However, while making strategies, it becomes customary to have taken care of the probable uncertainties. Ways to counter such situations, if learnt, researched and tested well, would lead to a confident attempt in the actual CAT.

• Consistency and timing are critical

Hence, after researching through the past and present scenarios, experts at TCY present before you a raw extrapolation of what to expect from CAT 2007. Something that cannot be expected from the CAT this year will be an altogether new essay section because this will be done with prior notification only. What is the most expected in CAT 2007 though are possible alterations within the three sections of CAT. What else? Let's examine:

• Expect questions with varying weightage: This trend started from CAT 2004 and has been getting more complex since then. What we can now expect in CAT 2007 would be having each set of questions of a different weightage altogether. What would you do if Question 1 to 5 were of 2 marks each and Questions 6 to 12 are of 1 mark each?
• Expect questions with varying negative marking: This, again, is not a weird thing to expect from CAT. Not because it has already occurred in other examinations. Here one set of questions has different penalties for wrong answers from the other set.
• Expect more than one choice to be correct: The quantitative section in CAT has seen the toughest makeovers in the past. What we have not seen, though, is a set of questions wherein one has to mark 2 choices correct as a necessary as well as sufficient condition to secure one mark (or 4 marks based on CAT 2006). This, if happens, will add a new dimension to the difficulty level of CAT this year.
• Expect a logical DI:  It is in fact not over estimating to say that Data Analysis section is highly logical and reasoning oriented as compared to previous CATs. CAT makers have been highly consistent in making the DI section more and more reasoning based since CAT 2004. Most of the test takers could not attempt even 20% the DI section last year. They were all prepared for bars and pies only until they faced logical puzzles and lengthy arrangement based texts in DI 2006.
• CAT 2007: The RIGHT strategy

• Expect logical RCs: We do not want to say that the Reading comprehension topics in previous CATs were not logical. In fact, CAT 2007 may unfold in the form of a highly logical reasoning-oriented examination this year with logical reasoning content appearing even in RCs. CAT has been transforming itself year after year into a reasoning test and it is a fairly reasonable thing to expect in 2007.
• Expect an international touch: In the international paper based examinations, the questions are arranged in the increasing order of their difficulty level. What would be your test-attempting strategy if you find that the total time per question is increased (quite a good piece of news for many) further from 2 minutes in CAT 2006 to 2.5 minutes this time? What if this good news is coupled with increasing difficulty level as we move along the questions? Though it is certainly a welcome situation for the test takers, still one must always attempt the questions from strength areas in round 1 of the attempt.
• Expect no-surprise-as-the-biggest-surprise: Sometimes test takers spend so much time expecting one thing or the other from CAT every year that they are not psychologically ready for a simple and straightforward CAT. That is, they do not believe their eyes when they find that most of the questions are one-liners and the language in RC is not too complex. These are what we call testing times -- a clean ace by the test makers. It's not a bad idea (can never be) to expect the easiest CAT in the last 5 years on November 18. At least your confidence is up and you are psychologically ready for a slightly tougher one too.

Whatever will be the change -- minor or major -- in the CAT 2007 the most effective strategies of attempting the test will remain same and must always be adhered to. These are keeping more than one round of attempt (a strategy that absorbs all the shocks and fluctuations in terms of easy and difficult questions), targeting cut-offs in round 1 (something that is customary in order to get a call), focusing on your strength areas and attempting selectively (I think we all know that there will surely be negative marking -- whether absolute or progressive and this makes it important for you to stick to your strength areas and attempt the questions very selectively) and exercising self-control (if you are in control whatever may be the depth and magnitude of surprise in CAT 2007, you can still manage a decent percentile and good calls).

Therefore, recall all the strategies that worked for you in the various situations in the mock CATs before you do your last preparations for November 18.

We wish you a cool and composed self on C-day.

The writer is a competitive examination experts with Top careers & You. They can be contacted at tcychd@tcyonline.com.

TCY is the premier organization that trains National and International students for high end examinations viz. CAT, GRE, GMAT, SAT, IELTS & TOEFL. Visit http://www.tcyonline.com/ to more about CAT and winning strategies.