In June 2014, after it was announced that CAT will be shifting from Prometric to TCS, I had written an article on how the change would impact CAT 2014 and fortunately what I had expected happened. With CAT 2014 less than 6 months away students have been asking what are my expectations from CAT this year. Which brings us to the questions, should we try and predict in the first place? The answer is both a yes and a no.
No, because CAT is not a standardised test and new team creates the test every year which makes the test somewhat unpredictable and hence one should be prepared for any eventuality. That said one cannot face the battle without setting a basic game plan based on the data available. It has also been noticed that except in 2009 and 2014 when Prometric came and exited the scene respectively, the changes in CAT are minimal on a year to year basis. So yes, basic predictions do help. Also there are many rumours floating around so let me analyse the data to answer the questions that many students are asking.
Will IIMs move CAT away from TCS?
After 5 years of controversy ridden Prometric-CATs, the IIMs with the help of TCS finally managed to deliver an almost controversy free CAT in 2014 thereby re-instilling confidence in the students for CAT. Finally we had a paper and the testing process in which the students did not doubt their scores. In this scenario it will be stupid of IIMs to think of replacing TCS. While strange things have happened in the past but I do not think anyone in the CAT Committee or the IIMs will try to fix something that is not broken.
Will CAT 2015 also be a 2 day 4 slot affair like CAT 2014?
I think that CAT 2015 will be a single day process. In CAT 2014, the students taking the test on day 2 (22nd November) had the advantage of knowing the pattern and degree of difficulty of the paper which allowed them to fine-tune their preparation in the last 6 days. While the normalisation process would have taken care of this but like any other statistical process it is not foolproof.
My feeling is that TCS, with a capacity of conducting a test for over 2,00,000 students in a single slot, would have wanted to conduct CAT 2014 itself on a single day in 1-2 slots but after the not so happy experience with Prometric the IIMs possibly did not want to take any risk and opted for a 2 day 4 slot arrangement. After delivering an almost problem free CAT last year, I am sure TCS will insist on a single day single slot CAT 2015 and hopefully the IIMs will agree because the same test paper to everyone is the best testing process. In the worst case CAT 2015 will be a 1 day 2 slot process.
Will CAT 2015 also have normalisation?
Unlikely!! I am hoping that TCS and IIMs will agree to a single slot CAT 2015 and hence get rid of the dreaded “N” word. Even if CAT is conducted in two slots normalisation will not be something to worry about as the slots will (like last year) be allotted by CAT authorities and will not be chosen by the candidates. Also with about 90,000 candidates in each slot the normalisation process will be more reliable.
When Will CAT be conducted?
CAT notification is usually released around end July and in another 60 days or so we will know the date but since I have been hearing all kinds of dates from mid October to mid December, let me put in my point of view on the issue.
From 2009 to 2013 CAT was scheduled over a period of 40 days because Prometric had capacity constraints and could accommodate only around 5000-6000 (my estimate) candidates in a single slot. What many people have forgotten is that till 2008, CAT was conducted on 3rd Sunday of November. CAT 2014 followed the same time line of 3rd Sunday and 4th Saturday of November and I believe that this would be the case in 2015 as well. Given that almost all Sundays from 4th Sunday of November are used by other MBA entrances, I do not see any reason for the change in date and expect that CAT 2015 will be conducted on 15th November. There is however a possibility of CAT 2015 being conducted on 22nd November if the IIFT admission test is shifted to 29th November – the last Sunday of the month.
Will CAT 2015 be more difficult than CAT 2014?
CAT 2014 was, for all practical purposes, the easiest CAT paper in the last 20 years. While LR and DI did pose certain challenges, QA (34 questions) and the RC passages (16 questions) were a cakewalk for any above average candidate. Keeping in mind, the fact that CAT will be conducted by IIMA this year and the fact that it will be difficult to reduce the level of difficulty of QA and RC my expectations for CAT 2015 are:
- The difficulty level of Section 2 will rise: While I do not expect LR to change a lot, the VA section will surely pose more challenges than it did last year. With IIMA’s penchant to set difficult VA papers the level of RC and Verbal Reasoning could be on the higher side.
- The difficulty level of Section 1 will be similar to last year: With LR and DI already on the tougher side, and a rise in the level of VA, I expect QA to be the saviour once again. Quant should be at par with CAT 2014 or marginally difficult.
- Overall, the LOD will rise: The overall level of the paper would be on the higher side and instead of around 80 attempts required in CAT 2014, an attempt of 70+ could be sufficient in CAT 2015.
- The pattern of CAT 2015 is unlikely to change: I do not expect CAT 2015 to change and feel that CAT will most probably continue as a 100 question in 2 sections with similar question types as in CAT 2014. However the vocabulary based questions and para-completion questions that were missing in CAT 2014 could make a comeback.
The Way forward?
Many students who did well in CAT 2013 experienced lower scores in CAT 2014 because they did not anticipate the change and hence did not modify their test taking style. The difficult papers of CAT 2011-13 required low attempts but almost a 100% accuracy while the lower level of difficulty and less time per question of CAT 2014 required high speed (and hence high attempts) with reasonable accuracy. The students who prepared only for a difficult paper were unable to increase their speed and many, unable to believe that QA could be so easy, kept looking for a catch.
Your test-series should not only expose you to all kinds of papers but also should help build up your speed. A good test series typically has papers of different levels of difficulty and hence will prepare you for all eventualities. A Mock CAT is useful only if it is followed by a detailed analysis of the paper as suggested in the post Things you must-do after every mock you take. Regular revision is the other important tool that will help improve your speed as well as accuracy.
All the best,
GP
Sir I need to know whether CAT score is applicable for the college those approve for CET ??
Jatin, you need to check this on the website of each of the colleges.
Sir,
I gave CAT last year and secured overall 81 percentile (VA 95 and QA 57). I am going to appear for CAT this year also. I request you to please guide me as to how I should strategize my preparation.
Sanjana, Please refer to the article CAT – 150 Day Strategy (Part-1) and CAT – 150 Day Strategy (Part-2) for the way forward.
However your CAT 2014 score suggests that it is QA that you need to focus on. Your preparation plan will be a function of your problem area in QADI – knowledge of concepts or error rate? If it is knowledge then you need to immediately pick up your funda books and get the concept in place but if t is accuracy then practice followed by analysis and revision will be required.
Sr,
the question in an RC saying ”’with which one of the following the author wud agree?”’
is it likely to be answered directly fetching cues from the passage or it’s an inferential one?
Can u pls help me with this?
Nrependra, in such questions the options will give you 4 different scenarios. Based on the arguments made in the passage by the author you need to identify the author’s mentality, keep yourself in his/her shoes and think which option falls in line with the author’s opinion.
There are many cues given in the passage regarding the author’s opinions, like and dislikes. These questions are based around cues.
sir ,
i scored 76% in CAT 2014 : QA 85%ile and VA 50%ile . now i am trying for CAT 2015 . kindly guide me to improve my VA score . When i try VA ques , i dont feel any surity about the option i tick . KIndly tell me how to improve my VA %ile . Also i am from obc quota , tell me %ile requirement to get into a good iim / college .
Anil, the VALR section has three areas – LR, RC and Verbal Logic. LR would hopefully not be a problem since you appear to be decent in QADI. Check out which questions types among the remaining two you have a problem in and work on that area. In the Mocks focus on LR and the VL questions that you are comfortable in.
Also please refer to the articles by Gejo on RC in this blog.
Hello Sir!
Can u please tell me what should my attempt level be to get 99.7%ile or more in CAT?
Nitin, based on CAT’14 your would need a net score of over 220 for a 99.7%ile
Hi sir,
I’ve just started preparing for CAT-15 by joining intensive batch in an institute. Please suggest me with – the number of hours required to prepare for CAT in a day? Appreciate your quick response.
Regards
MIK
Isaac, usually about 35 hours a week are sufficient.
i have completed my b.tech in civil engg this year. is it good option of choosing mba aftr btch in civil engg.?? does crash course and weekly classes help in cracking cat 2015 with high percentile ??
Madhu, MBA usually leads to a faster career growth and is a good option if you are looking at moving out of technical domain and get into Management.
Crash course or weekly classes can help you do well in CAT’15 only if you can commit about 30-35 hours per week towards preparation for MBA entrances.
Sir, please visit
testfunda.com, in the “latest happenings” section the first news says something queer
1. CAT 2015 will be conducted on a single day in two shifts in October 2015,
2. The level of difficulty will increase ,as announced by your blog too.
Sr, how much these changes can effect our way to IIMs.
Nrependra, 1 day test in 1-2 slots and the increased level of difficulty have been discussed in my article above.
I do not see any reason for advancing the test date to October and feel that it is likely to be held in mid November.
Sir, Recent buzz is that Section -1 is going to be very easy and focus would be on Critical Reasoning. How much of that is true? and if that is true what should be our preparation strategy for critical reasoning questions. Please advise
Srrikanth, these are estimates/speculations and we will know the truth only on the day of CAT. With IIMA in-charge of CAT ths year you can expect a more difficult English and hence focus on preparing with slightly more difficult questions in Verbal Logic and RC passages.
sir, i have been preparing for civil services and have given 3 mains with no interview calls..i want to attempt cat 2015…i have basic aptitude knowledge due to CSAT in civil services exam.. I have ST category with no work experience..i want to target primarily FMS..Is it possible to enter any B-school without any work experience and a 4 year gap..how much shall be the target to get admissions in any good B-school…Sections which needs to be targeted to get a decent percentile..i am good in RC and LR and average in quant as per my CSAT preparations..
Nagesh, it is possible to get into FMS and other top B schools despite your 4 year gap. You preparation for CSAT is insufficient as CAT requires higher level of proficiency in Maths as compared to CSAT however it is a good starting point and you can build up on this.
To ensure a final call from FMS your target CAT score should be 95%ile, to know the target score for the IIMs please check the IIM Profilizer.
Please call me at 9811155160 in the evening to work out a preparation plan.
How do I start preparing for CAT exam 2015 right from the basics? What are the important aspects I should focus on when preparing for the same?
Srushti, if you are a repeater then you can go through the link below to start your preparation for CAT 2015.
http://www.gpkafunda.com/?p=3463
If you are taking CAT for the first time then just wait for a week as we shall be releasing a post on the same.
Sir, The institute I am targeting is FMS. I am a General Engineer Male with 81% in grad, 91% in 12th and 85% in 10th and a work experiece of roughly 1 year. What will be the CAT percentile required for me to get a call from FMS?
Sri, a CAT score of over 99.7%ile can ensure a final call from FMS.
Sir,
I am a non CL student.I have been appearing for AIMCATs.
Following are my percentiles in the last 5 mocks:
81.8,80.9,74.8,96.63,95.44.
1. Sir, am I on the right track of my prepration considering the fact that I am still left with 3 chapters in quant which I intend to complete by month end?
2. Also, my attempts are usually around 50-51, with an accuracy of 85-90% in each section. I always feel like pushing myself during mocks, but somehow I am stuck at 50-51 attempts, which is very demoralizing for me. I have been analyzing my mocks as well. Please help me on how to increase my speed so that my attempt at this stage reaches to around 60 question.
3.The marks for work ex that are computed in selection of profile are strictly based on number of months one is in job, or is according to the quality of work that one does.
Thanks
Reply soon sir.
Ayush, I have not seen the AIMCATs and hence will not be able to comment on your performance in the 5 papers.
CAT requires speed as well as accuracy and since AIMCATs are usually much more difficult than CAT they will not help you improve your speed. In CAT’14 an attempt of 75-80 was required and you are at present far away from this number. The way forward is to attempt papers of the right level of difficulty, please remember that “very difficult” or “very easy” papers are both injurious to preparation process.
Marks for work experience is based on the number of months of work experience.
Respected Sir, I got the admission in MBE(south campus,DU), i am also the option to join either MIB/MHRM (DSE,north campus).
kindly provide which course i will take and i am interested in finance.
regards
Nitin bhardwaj
Nitin, MBE is the right program for someone interested in finance. MIB/MHRM will take you towards other specialisations.
I got 75%le in CAT 2013, 69%le in CAT 2014. I want to get into a good bschool(top 15) this year.. i have good profile (10th-90, inter-90, btech-80) and i keep lot of efforts also but i dont know where i m lagging. I m living in Andheri East… Can u suggest me a CL centre there?? i need this .. pls respond
Cat, CL has a center in Andheri West. Gejo is the lead faculty in the center.
Career Launcher
201, 2nd Floor Business Point,
Opposite Andheri Subway
S V Road, Andheri West, Mumbai – 400058.
91-22-42531800, 42531801, 42531802
sir, i am currently a student of 7th sem, b.tech. i had started preparing for CAT last november, but couldn’t continue with my preparations after two months. i have joined a classroom course recently…. Will a well paced preparation from now on be enough to fetch me 99+%ile in CAT? please provide some suggestions….
Sohini, yes consistent effort over the next 4-5 months can get you over 99%ile in CAT. Suggest that you study the topic before the session and also go through it after he session to ensure that no doubts remain. Follow this with MCQs in the Fundabooks and Test Gym, do identify and mark important questions for weekly revision.
Sir,how is the faculty in CL,CP,Delhi?? I want to join classroom prog for 15.
Jyoti, very good faculty at CL CP and with about 5 month to CAT’15 you should start asap. Drop me a mail with your details at go@careerlauncher.com and I’ll have someone connect with you with the details of the program.
Hi GP Sir,
I had never scored even 70 percentile in CLmocks last year. But maybe due to easy nature of the CAT, scored 138/300 (91 percentile).
Did not go for admissions nevertheless and after a gap in studying from Jan, 15 till today, I’ve decided to retake CAT. How should I kickstart my prep again and continue towards scoring >99 percentile this time? Also I am not able to implement the strategy of low/high speed/accuracy to questions.
SJ, many students do better in actual exams than in mocks and you appear to be one of them. Also what this tells you is that you have a good speed and have the ability to attempt/leave the right questions. The only thing that may need to work on is the knowledge base (or concepts) in a few areas. Suggest that you identify the areas (topics or question types) of concern and work to get your fundamentals in place. Given your CAT’14 score I do not think that you need a classroom program, a Test Series + Test Gym or a Smart CAT Cracker Comprehensive would be sufficient for you
Start by revising your last years material (MCQs from all topics). If you enroll for SCC Comprehensive then go through the relevant sessions simultaneously, then move on to Test Gym for topic wise practice and Test Series for practice. A detailed analysis of every test and regular revision of all important questions is a must.
Sir my profile:
10th 85
12th-87
btech(8.0 tiil 6th sem)
sir i am in the 7th semester of my btech in cse by september we would be having our placemnts. also i want to take mba exams nmat ibsat cat etc.
i want to focus on both of them but dont know if it woud be feasible.
also i can easily give 2-3 hours daily for the mba prep in the morning and the rest of the day for the plcmnts prep.
i have started doing basic apti from rs but please suggest me how shoud i prepare for the mba in my above bracket of time mentioned.
nm mumbai and ibs hydrbd is my focus to get in.
also i dont want to leave neither plcmnts nor mba exams .
please suggest me how should i initiate my prep.
Yajur, the good thing about preparing for CAT and other MBA entrances is that you are well prepared for the placement (aptitude) tests of most companies and need to only focus on brushing up your technical fundas. 2-3 hours in the morning on weekdays along with about 6-7 hours on holidays is sufficient to be well prepared for all MBA entrances. For MBA preparation either join a classroom program or enroll for a online/correspondence program as the books available in the market will not be sufficient for preparation.
If you would like to go for self-study then my suggestion will be to go for Smart CAT Cracker Comprehensive as it includes the online sessions, test series and test gym, you can add books and study material also. If you would like to go for a classroom program then let me know the city you are from so that I can connect you to the closest CL center.
In addition to NMAT you should be taking CAT, XAT, SNAP and IIFT also.
I scored 45% in CAT 2014….To reach the cutoff for CAT 2015,what tips would you suggest? …It’d be helpful if you give me a detailed advice….
Kishen, 45%ile is a very low score and indicates that you are poor in concepts in all areas. Suggest that you join a classroom program asap to be well prepared for CAT 2015. To work out a preparation plan you will need to spend time with a faculty, please let me know the city you are from so that I can connect you to a faculty.
Sir
After using test gym adaptive, I came to knew that my Geometry,Profit and Loss and grammar is very weak(not able to go beyond an intermediate level). In geometry, its like I am able to solve half the question and then I get stuck most of the time.
Please tell how should I proceed now ? :\
Priyam, you will have to go back to your fundabook and revise the concepts again or sit with a faculty to get your concepts in place. You an consider going through all the geometry questions that you have done so far, solve them again a couple of times and then revise the difficult ones every week.
Sir,
I am working in cts since 7 months. Practically I haven’t learnt anything except during the trainig. Hence I am utilizing this time to prepare for Cat. Could u please let me know will this act as a hindrance during interviews ?
Also, if I leave my Job around august /september, will it creative negative impact in the interview as the panel expects one to do multitasking since manager will have to do?
Thanks in advance.
Isha, not knowing anything in your job will be a hindrance but can be handled. Ideally you should continue with your job but if you are unable to manage your preparation along with your job then you can consider leaving your job. Gap of a year is not a big issue and can be handled comfortably.
Sir..so what should I do.. Considering the scenario in which I don’t learn much, will it hamper my chances of making it to an IIM.
Lstly, does FMS give weightage to work ex in interviews?
Isha, decision making cannot be outsourced.
FMS does not have any weight for work experience and in any case less than 1 year work ex is likely to give you at best 1 mark in the IIMs.
Sir, I have converted NM and waitlisted at new iim Udaipur and kashipur and most probably I would convert either of them.But I m inclined towards NM due to wider opportunities and I have met some friends who left new iims comfortably and joined NM.I have interacted with some Management professors from my undergraduate university and they suggested me to go to NM.Also I have heard that NM teaches Harvard cases. Please suggest..
Rajesh, my preference is for the new IIMs but if you are more comfortable with NM Mumbai then it is fine. NM does have the advantage of being an older institute and is better located. In terms of salary and career opportunities NM Mumbai and the new IIMs are likely to be similar.
Sir, How many attempts should I target in the ongoing CL Proc Mocks? In the first two Mocks, I have been able to attempt 65-70 questions with an average accuracy of 75%.
Kshitij, this appears to be fine. You can look at improving your accuracy to 80%.
Sir, is there any provision of getting in touch with you via email ?
gp@careerlauncher.com
Hello Sir,
I’ve been following the same order as you’ve suggested (VA -> RC -> LR, which I rarely attempt -> QAR1 -> DI, I end up solving at most 2 -> QAR2) while solving the paper.
Below are my concerns . Pls have a look at it and address them.
1. I take 40 min to solve VA and end up attempting 10-12
2. I attempt 3 RC’s in the next 35 min and attempt 10 here.
3. I sometimes attempt 1 LR and get all 4 correct ( but it rarely happens)
Thus, with 80% accuracy my second section score is awfully stuck at 50-60 .
Pls help me to get higher scores .. Really need your help 🙁
Shreyas, you will need to identify your area in VALR, based on the above all three (VA, LR and RC) need to improve but LR seems to be the weakest.
40 minutes for 10-12 questions of VA is very high and should ideally take not more than 25 minutes. 35 minutes for 3 RC passages could also be reduced by 5 minutes.
In the 10 odd minutes you give to LR attempt of more than 1 set is not possible. The saving grace for you is your reasonably good accuracy.
LR it appears is not your area of interest and hence you avoid it hence my suggestion is to attempt 2 LR set every day to get comfortable with the area. Similarly to improve your speed in VA and RC about 25-30 minutes on test gym are required for VA and RC. Do revise all the difficult data sets and VA questions at least once a week.
Thanks a lot for your reply sir. Every single suggestion of yours has played a key role in uplifting my performance.
I will work on my LR as you suggested.
I need to address my weak links first in relatively strong areas VA and RC.
My bugbears in VA are
1. Odd man out ( as I take nearly 8 min to solve 3 questions and get 2 correct )
2. Sentence correction ( I leave them as quickly as I read them once, as I’ll be having no clue and get 0 out of 3 here)
3. Parajumbles ( I get them all correctly but take 8-10 min to solve 3 questions ).
Ideally , these 3 sections eat up 20 min of my time and get me 6-7 correct answers. Is this a right approach ?
Looking forward to your advice here.
Sir kindly take the SQC session in june in Delhi if possible.
As the SQC session is really motivating..!!
Navnita, will plan for one.
Sir
I good VGSOM this year.
Shall I not join and give CAT next year(currently working in Infosys 1.8 years exp)
Or
Join VGSOM and continue preparing side by side and give CAT, XAT.
My academics are 93.4, 86, 77(10/12/grad) work ex 20 months.
Urmanpreet, VGSOM is a good institute and you can consider joining it. Go for a retake only if you can increase your CAT score to over 98%ile.
Sir
I am joining VGSOM with the idea to continue preparing for CAT 2015 simultaneously.
Does it sounds feasible considering VGSOM has a relaxed curriculum. Have people in the past been able to do a similar exercise?
Urman
Urman, this is possible and students in the past from IIFT, MDI and other top institutes have done the same.
Sir, my QA section is somehow stronger than the VA and as this time VA is going to be little bit tougher, then how do I initially start with it and then how do I prepare to that level of difficulty
Parul, last year VA was very easy so a tougher VA will bring it back to a normal level of difficulty. You do not have to do anything extra, just ensure that your fundamentals are in place and practice regularly. If you are excessively weak in a question type then let us discuss that separately.
I am preparing for CAT’15(self study and online coaching) and for that I have completed the syllabus of Quant. As mentioned in your blog, that in order to do more practice, test gym should be preferred which right now I am using. I started using test gym about a month ago.
The problem I am facing is that I am not able to correct more than 5 (atmost) questions in intermediate level of the Test Gym Adaptive specifically Quant Section and also I am not getting more question(“no more questions”) at Intermediate level in Geometry,Numbers and TSD.
To overcome my problem, I finished the chapters from the booklet again and attempted Test gym and still, my performance remains stagnant.
It will be really helpful if you can provide the cure/solution to this problem.
For now, I am thinking of reseting the module level of above mentioned chapters and try them again.
Thanks
Puneet, missed your message, please call me any day after 730 pm at 9811155160 to discuss.
Sir, When can we get a seminer on smart quant cracker this year?
Arka, likely to be in August.
Hello GP Sir,
Thanks a lot for the wonderful articles sir..
Sir I had given CAT last year & had got a score of 94%tile..
Sir I would be giving the CAT this year also..BUT my scores in CL mock tests have been just horrible to say the least..
1. Sir in the 4 CL mock tests that I have taken so far, my performance in the quants section has been very disappointing ..here are my scores..
MOCK-1…. 28(QUANTS). 62(VA). 85%tile
MOCK-2… 23. 43. 57%tile
MOCK-3. 18. 71. 63%tile
MOCK-4. 30. 57. 68%tile
2. Sir I have practised quiet a lot of maths questions from “ test gym” ..
3. I have tried applying the strategies as given by u in your previous posts “ things u should do after every mock” & also those given by Neil merchant in his last post..
4. Sir there has been a lot of improvement, but somehow it’s not showing in my mock scores..
5. Sir when I analyse a mock, I find that there were at least 9-10 maths questions that could have been done
6. Sir please do suggest me a strategy following which I can improve my score in the quants section
Arjun, missed your query. Please call me at 9811155160 after 8 pm to discuss the way forward.