CAT: Tips for tough questions

On D-day of the Common Admission Test 2005, you wonder how to tackle difficult questions.

In a chat with CAT aspirants on November 19, this is what CAT trainers ARKS Srinivas and Rahul Reddy had to say: There should be a single point agenda. If the question is easy, do it. If it is taking time, leave it. Don't bother about marks/ cut-offs/ etc. You will make it.

ARKS Srinivas is the director of T.I.M.E, Mumbai, and an alumnus of IIM-Calcutta. He has an engineering degree in Electronics and Communication from Osmania University and has worked with Maruti Udyog Limited in Gurgoan, Delhi and Kolkata before joining T.I.M.E., Hyderabad, as the director of the CAT course. Teaching is his passion and he has been training students in CAT for eight years.

Rahul Reddy is an alumnus of IIM-Calcutta. After working with Hindustan Lever and Merck Electronics, he set up T.I.M.E.'s Kolkata branch.

Here is the transcript:

Part I: Give time to weak sections

jitendra: i am 10+2 and i have 15 year exp in travels trade can you tell gaide me

ARKS Srinivas: Hi Jitendra, you will need a Bachelor's degree to write CAT or such other entrance exams for getting into MBA institutes.

naresh: Shd i apply to SCMHRD/ SIBM/ XIMB keeping in mind i have 2.5 work ex or shd i wait for more experience and then apply to ISB

ARKS Srinivas: Yes. By the way, you should first apply to SNAP. The last date is November 26.

naresh: Shd i apply to SCMHRD/SIBM/XIMB keeping in mind i have 2.5 work ex or shd i wait for more experience and then apply to ISB

rahulreddy: Hi Naresh. If the career including salary prospects in your current job are good (say 2.5-3 lakhs pa +), then SCMHRD, etc, may not be a good bet. Look only for top 15 colleges.

dhiraj: a few good colleges for 85%ile sir

rahulreddy: Hi Dhiraj. TAPMI, IMI, FORE, KJ Somaya, Wellingkar, ISSWBM, etc.

sr: hello sir! how many students does EACH IIM short-list for GD PI's? What is the criterion?

rahulreddy: Hi. Mainly CAT %ile including cut-offs. Some IIMs also consider profile/ work ex. Number of people called varies from IIM to IIM.

dilip: Without CAT/GMAT exams, do I stand a chance for full time MBA programs at top institutes like IIM-A, ISB, Wharton, Harvard etc? Can you please give detailed guidance by email for Industry sponsored seats in full-time mgt programs @ IIM-A, ISB, Harvard/LBS/Wharton?

ARKS Srinivas: I guess NO.

pruthi_: sir i am not able to score more than 2 marks in RC in 20 minutes , so inorder to maximize my score do u suggest thst i divert that time to DI/Quant ( if am not aiming IIMs)bcoz i am comfortable with QA and i score about 12-15 in Verbal

rahulreddy: Hi. At this stage, if it's not working, then don't attempt RC at all.

pin: i have 4 year of work ex and have graduated from iit. will doing at iim-l be a value add ?

rahulreddy: Hi. Why worry now? You might get IIM-A. If such a choice is required in April-May, we will discuss then.

cats: Did the IIT Kgpites require training from U?

rahulreddy: Hi. For CAT 2005, 149 IIT Kharagpur students joined our weekend batch at Kharagpur. See, CAT is no cakewalk even if you're an IITian. 300+ wrote the scholarship test for the CAT 2006 programme at IIT Kharagpur, starting January 2006.

nitinmanore: does mica tapmi mdi spjain iifm look for sectional cut-offs

rahulreddy: Yes for MICA, TAPMI < MDI, SP Jain. Not sure about IIFM.

pruthi_: what score in GMAT is reqd for ISB

ARKS Srinivas: Minimum is 680.

haroon: sir,how is ISB,hydrabad

ARKS Srinivas: VERY GOOD!

good: hello sir what is the eligibility to appear for the cat exam

ARKS Srinivas: Bachelor's degree.

Param: Dear sir.... the problem worrying me is ! I'm average in English.....my perfromance varies from 85% - 99% in english! But.....when da paper is structured in such a way in which there is easy english..I'm just not able tocapitalize on dat! Also...in DI/QA we can have a max advantage of 4-5 marks..whereas in eng..... people good in it can score even 40... and people like m may stuk up wid 20! wat to do????

ARKS Srinivas: Last year, probably 10 students would have scored 40 in CAT. So don't worry. Go with the confidence that you will crack the exam.

haroon: dear sir plz respond me....sir,how is ISB,hydrabadand wht GMAT score they wnt..

ARKS Srinivas: 680+

Kaushik: Sir, I have been getting an average of 95%ile in my mocks. Given that I give the same performance in CAT, is it true that I can expect 98+ ?

ARKS Srinivas: Yes Kaushik. VERY MUCH SO!

nausher: sir i think that i am not ready for CAT, mi brother forceing me to gve the xam, what should i do now?

rahulreddy: Hi. Write the exam. Test yourself and don't worry about the result.

naresh: Is ISB Hyderabad worth the investment?

rahulreddy: Hi, no doubt at all. Look at the benifit over a career of 20 years at least and then you will understand that Rs 14-15 lakhs is not that big an amount.

dhiraj: SIR HOW ANY MAKS SHD ONE GET TO GET 90%ILE.

ARKS Srinivas: Last year 30. This year could go up.

Sreeram: thanks for ur answers... HERE GOES MY OTHER QUESTIONS AGAIN!!! 1)i'm scoring gud in 2 sections but losing out in one. and that one varies btw DI, VA and QA. usu i get almost 100% right in QA. so, how 2 approach the exam? 2)i find that there r questions which look tuff but when attempted is very easy. however, sometimes i jus get stuck up in such a ques. so, how can one find such questions w/o wasting lot of time...

ARKS Srinivas: There should be a single point agenda. If the question is easy, do it. If it is taking time, leave it. Don't bother about marks/ cut-offs/ etc. YOU WOULD MAKE IT.

namita02: Sir, Please suggest institutes which do not go for sectional cut offs? I have not been able to clear QA cut off but do get an overall average score of 50 in mock tests? Which institutes should I aim for?

ARKS Srinivas: There are a lot of them which may not consider sectional scores. MDI, NITIE, MICA, TAPMI are known to take cut-offs.

dilip: thnks a lot both srinivas & Rahul for your repsonse. Can you please give your email id where I can take guidance from you? I 'd really appreciate that... Thanks in anticipation.

rahulreddy: Hi. rahul.reddy@time4education. Incidentally, ARKS and I prepared for CAT '94 together and were classmates at IIM-Calcutta.

YUHI: SIR U HAVENT ANSWERED MY QUESTION THATS WHATS THE CUT OFFS IN IIMS FOR SC CATEGORY.

ARKS Srinivas: Hi YUHI, it can go down to 85 percantile.

maha: Sir i m BA. i m working with GACL from last 3 yrs. now i thought to do mba from IGNUOU ..... is this right decigion

rahulreddy: Hi. For a good start in a management career, go for a two year full-time programme from a good institute.

pinesh: dear sir... i have completed bcom and iwant to study mba online so is there any institute for this

ARKS Srinivas: MBA online? Doubt whether any good institutes have it right now. However, there is a distance learning program available from Symbiosis, IMT and IGNOU.

Nihit: Hi, Hows ITM Mumbai followed by rest ITM as compared to ICFAI Hyd followed by ICFAI-Mumbai, Gurgaon and bangalore.

ARKS Srinivas: ITM Mumbai and ICFAI Hyderabad are both decent.

SyedAnwar: Take ur time in answering my question sir, but pls answer before the chat closes down.. I believe RC passage selection for a lot of people.

ARKS Srinivas: Question is incomplete.

asdasdads: how do you rate IIFT as compared to SP Jain, MDI

ARKS Srinivas: All of them come under the same category. Except that IIFT is also specialisation in Foreign Trade.

kuldeep: i work for hpcl...been 8 months now...should i take up mba this yr or wait for another yr to gain some more leverage on experience and try for lateral palcements?

ARKS Srinivas: If you get a good institute this year, take it up. Otherwise wait for one more year!

Kishore: How would you compare the programme at ISB vis-a-vis the PGPX at IIMA? I have 12+ years of exp.

ARKS Srinivas: PGPX is one year old (rather, it started this year). ISB is four years old. ISB has made a brand name for itself. IIM-A is a brand in itself! Well, frankly, it is very, very difficult to decide. Take the first one that comes.

pin: i am earning 10 Lakh p.a. Does giving cat be a good option given i can expect 15 Lakh p.a in two years

rahulreddy: Hi. Look at only IIM-A, B, C. I think over the long term you would benefit salary-wise as well as quality of job.

Anshul: Hi Sir,What are the general cut-offs for the three sections based on your experience for last 4-5 years?

rahulreddy: Hi. QA 10-12; DI 10-12; RC/VA 15-18; overall for 1 IIM 52-54.

justchill: How would you rate IIT KGP with respect to Delhi and Bombay?

rahulreddy: Mumbai, then Delhi then Kharagpur.

kuldeep: after working for a petroluem company for say 3-4 yrs and then taking up an mba...will i in that case be eligible for lateral placements for say an fmcg firm..or while i narrow down my options

rahulreddy: Hi, laterals in finance would require experience in finance. So lateral in operations/ manufacturing might be more likely. However, go for finance without laterals if your interest is there.

rishi: PETTERN PATTERN PATTERN....SAY SMTHING ABT PATTERN.

ARKS Srinivas: Hi Rishi, very difficult to predict. But the exam could be on similar lines as last year with minor changes.

pruthi_: sir what i need to do if i want to teach QA at TIME after my MBA

ARKS Srinivas: Please contact one of us, we would surely welcome into this fold. Teaching is seriously wonderful!

essbee: When are the results of cat 2005 will be available incase one has to restart preparation for next year ?

ARKS Srinivas: January 6.

Anshul: Thanks for answering!! I'd also like to know at what TOTAL SCORE can one expect at ALL CALLS?

ARKS Srinivas: 60+ (last year). This year - wait and see :-)

Sweta: Sir pls let me know how much is the cutoff for admission in IISWBM.

ARKS Srinivas: Could be upwards of 85 percentile.

sarabloh: Could you please tell me about what time shall i expect the answers to be dislayed on your website?

ARKS Srinivas: 10 pm. November 20.

Menon: Hi! I am currently not preparing for CAT with T.I.M.E. If I get a call, will T.I.M.E. help me with my GD and Interview training. If, so how do I get in touch with you?

rahulreddy: Hi, we have any excllent GD/ Interview programme. Contact the closest T.I.M.E. centre for details.

SyedAnwar: I wrote the question a little while back. Must have skipped your eyes.Anyway, was asking if there is any short method to select 2-3 easy passages out of the given 4-5(say) in RC of the CAT??

rahulreddy: Hi, a quick glance at size of passage (1 or 11/2 page etc) and number of questions and first few lines to see whether you are comfortable with topic.

Anshul: Please also tell what is overall CUT OFF FOR MDI?

rahulreddy: Hi, 97 percentile.

cyril: Hi ia m working in chennai in a MNC. Wana join a course for CAT2006. TIME/IMS which is better. Please dont give a diplomatic answer.

rahulreddy: Hi, T.I.M.E chennai is run by a personal friend called Bala. IIT Madras, IIM A and I can say T.I.M.E. is great in Chennai. No real idea about IMS.

shaheen: hello...sir, i'm presently working as a software pro...now i want pursue an MBA deg...from IIPM...so can u tell me is this a good option or not....as per career wise..

ARKS Srinivas: Check out other options before deciding on IIPM.

Priyanka: Sir please answer my query. I want to score 750+in GMAT,am weak in verbal. I plan to take GMAT in dec 2005.

ARKS Srinivas: Hi Priyanka. Honestly it is easy to get 750 if you prepare well. You need good grammar and RC. Also, there is Critical Reasoning which you need to practise a lot. Take CBTs immediately and check your scores. Then start looking at your weak areas (within the section). ALL THE BEST.

ashis: how is NITIE vis a vis IIMs?

ARKS Srinivas: After IIMs, NITIE will be next best along with XL, FMS, SPJAIN and MDI.

Anshul: I've been getting around 50-55 marks in TIME tests. Do you feel in CAT I should be able to score more?

rahulreddy: A FEW MARKS MORE. SORRY TIME'S UP. ALL THE BEST.

Part I: Give time to weak sections

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CAT: Tips for tough questions

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