CAT 2015: Old wine in a new bottle

CAT 2015 has been announced, as expected it has been scheduled for end November. The press release by the convener says:

  1. Duration of the examination has been increased to 180 minutes instead of 170 minutes.
  2. There will be three sections in CAT 2015, ‘Quantitative Aptitude (QA)’, ‘Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)’ and ‘Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC)’.
  3. QA and VRC will have 34 questions each, and DILR will have 32 questions.
  4. Some questions in each section may not be of multiple choice type. Instead, direct answers are to be typed on the screen. The tutorials will clearly explain this change.
  5. Also, we will allow use of basic on-screen calculator for computation.
  6. Candidates will be allotted exactly 60 minutes for answering questions in each section and they cannot switch from one section to another while answering questions in a section.

The above changes announced for CAT 2015 may make it appear that this edition of CAT will be significantly different from CAT 2014 but in reality most of the changes are superficial and will not impact a well prepared student at all. Let us look at each of the above to understand their impact:

Structure – Number of sections

Let us first compare CAT 2014 structure with the proposed CAT 2015 structure to understand its impact:

  • CAT 2014
    • Section 1: QA 34 questions and DI 16 questions
    • Section 2: VRC 34 questions and LR 16 questions
  • CAT 2015
    • Section 1: QA 34 questions
    • Section 2: DI 16 questions & LR 16 questions
    • Section 3: VRC 34 questions

Hence CAT 2015 pattern is just a case of taking DI of section 1 and LR of section 2 from CAT 2014 paper and put them together in a 3rd section.

Structure – Time limits in CAT 2015

The introduction of sectional time limits (60 minutes for each section) in CAT 2015 has both a positive and negative implications for the students. The good thing is that they now need not worry about how much time to be given to a section and can just focus on maximizing their attempts in each of the three sections in 60 minutes. On the flip side it will now not be possible for students save time in one section and use it in another. However given that most students are poor at time management across sections, this will work in their favour.

The other implication of this change is that till CAT 2014 one could have cleared the VALR with low or no attempts of VRC but this will not be possible in CAT 2015. Hence students who have been avoiding RC passages and some Verbal questions will need to rework their preparation plans.

Structure – non-MCQ questions

This is a new question type for CAT but such questions have been a regular feature of SAT and GRE. The only thing different in this question is the way you mark the answer, the process of solving the question does not change. The absence of choices could be inconvenient for some students but usually these questions are not difficult.

In GRE and SAT only QA has this question type and most probably this will be the case for CAT also. However I do not rule out the possibility of this question type in DILR and VRC (fill in the blanks – article/preposition) also. Out of the 34 QA questions I would expect about 5-6 such questions.

On screen calculator

This, I am sure will be welcomed by almost all the candidates. A basic on screen calculator is provided in GRE also and in SAT too students are allowed to use a basic calculator. However the on screen calculator is inconvenient and unless the calculations are difficult or lengthy it is easier and faster to calculate orally or by writing down the calculation.

While many students might interpret that the provision of calculator will mean that questions will be more calculation intensive but that is unlikely. CAT has over the years transformed itself to a logic (and not calculation) based paper and that is unlikely to change. In DI too the calculations are not difficult, what to calculate is usually the problem and this cannot be solved by a calculator.

Question Types – CAT 2015

The most important thing about CAT (and almost all other aptitude based entrances) is that the Content or the types of questions that are asked in the paper usually does not change or changes marginally. Thus the students should continue working on the same topics and question types. The questions from all the old Mocks and practice exercises are still relevant and they should be revised regularly.

Attempts and Cut-offs – CAT 2015

This kind of paper can lead to higher attempts and higher errors. The students however need to be careful and not over attempt (especially in VRC) just because of availability of time as it would lead to high errors. Assuming CAT 2015 to be similar to CAT 2014 in terms of degree, I feel that the optimum attempts will be:

  • Section 1 (QA): 25 -30 question
  • Section 2 (DILR): 20-25 questions (6 out of 8 data sets)
  • Section 3 (VRC): 25 questions (2-3 RC passages and 12-15 Verbal)

If one looks at the CAT 1999-2008 papers most of which were similar to CAT 2015 pattern, the sectional cutoff was in the range of 33% to 40% and I expect the same would happen in CAT 2015 also. Thus around 12-14 net correct answers would be sufficient to clear the sectional cutoffs.

In this kind of paper with sectional time limits the overall cutoff tends to fall because students cannot use the time saved in one section in another one. Hence while In CAT 2014 a score of around 190 was required for 99%ile, my estimate for CAT 2015 will be around 175.

408 Comments

  1. Hello Sir, I am a student in CL preparing for CAT’16. I had given MBA PERSONALIZED TEST which was conducted few days back. I couldn’t make to get through the cutoff, i got 24 and the cutoff was 27. I got 11 in VA, 13 IN LRDI and a zero in QA (sectional cutoff was 8 for each). Sir i really do need your guidance, I want to know how can i improve my maths and other subjects as well. Sir i have been upset since then. I really want your suggestions to improve. Can i call u if u permit me ?

  4. With around 50 in verbal , 45 in DILR and around 75+ in quant , slot 2 , CAT 2015 , what percentile can i expect considering scores to be normalized in my slot’s favour ?

  5. Hello Sir

    My Cl percentile indicator shows the expected percentile to be 83.45 percent. On basis of the estimate, what are the colleges that I should apply to?

  6. Sir , I have attempted 52 question in CAT 2015 slot1,and 33 correct , what my expected overall percentile? thanks in advance.

  7. Sir I gave the CAT 2015 in the 1st Slot and according to the Career Launcher site, I should have a raw score of around 135-139. What percentile could I be looking at?

  8. Sir I checked with Career Launcher and my raw score is coming close to 135-139. What percentile could I be looking at?

  10. Hello Sir

    I gave Slot 1 of the CAT 2015 but I couldnt attemp a lot of questions. Overall I did 43 ques with 90% +accuracy. Sectionally I did 26 in VA, 10 in LRDI and 7 in QA. My score ranges between 98-101. What percentile can I expect? Also, will the low attempt in QA effect my overall percentile?

    • Garima, QA is very low and has reduced your score and hence the percentile. A score of 100 is likely to be around 80%ile.

  11. Hii…sir i want to score 75 percentile in cat 2015 exam..can u guide that how many questions should I attend and how many should be net correct answers..please tel me

  13. Hello sir,
    What would be the estimate of the overall score required for getting 90+ percentile in CAT ’15 in each section?

  15. would attemptng wrong question can affect our percentile? and how many questions one needs to attend to get 70 percentile in cat 2015?

    • Neha, a 70%ile should be possible at a score of around 90, but are you not aiming a bit low?
      Accuracy is not a factor in percentile calculation or in normalization hence wrong non-MCQs will not adversely impact your CAT percentile.

  16. HELLO SIR,
    my graduation completed in 2014 with 65% and i have no work experience since i was doing ca course. as i m giving cat 15 exam so what to do now because almost all mba institute requires work experience?
    moreover, my class 10 and 12 results are 70% & 75%. so which b-schools do i prefer? please help me sir. and give me some advice for scoring 95%ile since mocks are not going well.

  17. HELLO TEAM CL.
    sir, my mocks are not going well. even very bad. just able to score 65%ile.
    my verbal and QA sections are very weak. please help me sir. how to prepare for above 90%ile.
    what are tricks and way to clear every section.
    thank you

    • Gaurav, you need to analyze each and every mock that you take. Mark the difficult questions and revise them regularly. Also, please give more and more sectional tests as CAT 2015 is more like a string of 3 sectional tests.

    • Thank you Sir advise.
      Sir . I completed my graduation in 2014. And I have no work experience as I was doing CA course. So is it really very important to arrange work experience certificate? Otherwise you pleade suggests what to do?

  18. Hi Gp,

    I have given CAT twice,scored 89 and 90%ile both times.
    Can u speculate the net scores in each section for 90-95 and 95-100%ile

    • Sam,

      Assuming the same level of difficulty as CAT 2014, the estimate for the score required for a 99%ile in CAT 2015 is:

      QA – net score of 70-75
      DILR – net score of 65-70
      VRC – net score of 55-60
      Overall – net score of around 175

  19. Sir, i was used to score very well in verbal section and my percentile was used to be above 90 in this section but all of a sudden all my strategies seem to fail and i am unable score even 50 percentile now. So is it the matter that cl mocks have been made tougher from earlier or the matter is something else with me ?
    thanks in advance.

    • Esha, there has not been a drastic change in the difficulty level of the mocks. It would be insightful to know whether this decrease in percentile happened exactly after the change in CAT format or not.

  20. Sir
    Apart from CAT, I will be appearing in IIFT, XAT , and TISS. I want to strengthen my GK. Both static and current. Which ones would be right sources so that this area can be maximized?

    • Hi Snigdha,
      Thanks for sending in the query. For Static GK you can refer to Pearson’s Concise GK Manual and for current you can refer to SIS having Gyandhara, Daily GK Update , and Manthan also , I hope following them diligently will surely resolve your concerns.
      Thanks
      TEAM CL

  21. Hi,

    I am not able to book a proc mock from my sis account and I have been transferred from bhubaneshwar center to delhi one and my base location is still showing bhubaneshwar in prock mock booking.Kindly guide me for the same.

    Thanx
    Manpreet

  22. Sir,

    As per the speculations, the Quant questions in CAT ’15 are expected be to a bit easier so I wished to know, what level of questions should I practice from the Test Gym i.e till Expert level or Advance level questions would do? Also, are you coming up with some more sectional tests?

    Thanking you in anticipation!

    • Rohit, you must go through the Intermediate and Advanced Levels of the Test Gym. We have already come up with 24 sectional tests based on the new pattern of CAT.

  23. Sir I was considering myself good in lrdi section but now I am scoring pathetic in mock test even I am unable to crack to sets with 100% accuracy. Plz help

    • Alok, you must start practicing Intermediate and Advanced level sets on the Test Gym. You must also take sufficient sectional tests.

  24. Hello sir
    My profile is 10th and 12th – 87.4%
    Average of the first 4 semesters is 60.5% in economics honours
    The last CL mock I gave i scored 93 percentile only.
    Do I have a chance to get through IIMA ?

  25. Sir this is my 3rd attempt in CAT. I have been scoring around 105 marks in mock cat.. Can you please tell how to improve further so that i can touch around 135, as that will only ensure getting 99 percentile in CAT15. Please tell the number of questions which i need to attempt in each section everytime in mocks to hit my 99 percentile target..

    In addition to this, Can you please tell whether it is necessary to devote 45 minutes in reading articles from different sources to be more stronger in VA section. though i read The Hindu newspaper daily( Covering their articles). Or should i devote my time in practising questions of verbal section completely? Will this help better? Please advise.

    • Mayank, in this last phase of preparation consider following our Strategy for CAT.
      You need to move up from 135 to reach to about 150+ to ensure a great percentile. Take as many mock tests as you can. Yes, that much reading would be sufficient. It will also help your prepare for the WAT-PI.

  26. Hi Team CL,

    I’m enrolled with CL. How do we access the SQC? Where do we get the registration pin that is required?

    • Suhitha, the Smart CAT Cracker is not complimentary along with the classroom program. To access the SCC, you need to purchase it separately unless you’ve already purchased it along with the classroom program.

      • Sir,
        My academics are 61% and 60% in 10th ,12th respectively.
        My bachelor’s is with 6.1 and i m a fresher for cat though i belong to Scheduled Caste.
        Do i have chance getting a call from iims and if yes whats the threshold for percentile that must be scored anyhow .

  27. Hello sir,
    This is my profile:
    10th: 89.3%
    12th: 89.6%
    Graduation: 77.1%
    I belong to OBC-NC.
    I would like to know how much percentile do I need to get A, B, C calls.

    Thanks

    P.S. The profiler is giving some error while I’m trying to register.

  28. Respected Gp sir,
    I m a Cl student…Please add a video of gp sir solving modern fundabook in elib of sis account as there is no vid of that..Sorry if i m not posting on the appropriate place….But plz consider my request…

  29. sir,
    I want to ask you about verbal sections .. and doing ok in other two sections scoring in the range of 50-60 but I am unable to score more than 25-30 in verbal..
    what should i do as of now.. as few day days to go for the D-day

    • Priyanka, you must immediately begin with taking QA Sectional Tests. Analyze all the mocks that you have appeared for. Notice the type of questions that are consistently getting wrong. Go back to the basics in each of these topics and practice the Test Gym questions. This will help you solve a certain number of questions in a given time limit.
      Mark all the questions that you find difficult and revise them at least once a week. Try to apply the SQC techniques wherever possible. This will considerably increase your QA score.

        • Priyanka, you must immediately begin with taking Sectional Tests. This way you would be dealing with your section of difficulty, VA, more closely. This way you will also be able to develop a proper approach of attempting questions in the VRC questions. Also, you must start reading newspapers, editorials, magazines. This will not help you in the RCs but exposure to new styles of writing will also give you a better understanding of grammar. A student aspiring for the top IIMs should ideally be attempting 25 questions in VRC in 60 minutes.

  30. Sir,
    Request you to please upload SQC workshop in our SIS. This well help CL students from cities where SQC is not being held in accessing it and at the same time others who have missed it due to some unavoidable situation.
    Also for such an important thing we wouldn’t want to be dependent on Youtube videos.
    Thanks

  31. Hi Sir,

    Can you please tell how many marks do we need to clear the sectional cut offs in each section(CAT 2015 pattern)? And how many marks should we get approximately in each section and over all to hit 99 percentile?

    • Suhita, the only relevant paper for a CAT 2015 aspirant is the CAT 2014 paper and as per which the approximate marks required for 90%ile were:

      QADI – 75 marks (25 net correct answers)
      VALR – 66 marks (22 net correct answers)
      Overall – 133 marks

  32. Helo Sir,

    I am very confused as to the preparation strategy. i am almost done with my funda books, what should i do next? should i now completely focus on test gym and sectional tests?

    • Sakshi, Test Gym, Sectional Tests, Mocks and analysis of all of these will help you further apply the concepts that you’ve learn’t.

  33. Dear Sir
    I joined CL Chandigarh in july for CAT 2016 . How should i start preparing for the exam to get a very good percentile ? Since i have 15 months i am confused about how to start the preparation ? Sir time management is a huge issue for me i always start studying at the last hour.
    Following is my academic profile
    class 10 -93.1%
    class 12 -92.2%
    graduation -75% ( B COM )
    According to my profile what are my chances of getting into IIM A without any work experience ?
    Thank you Sir!!

    • Shubhreet,

      A 12-15 month period is usually good enough time for CAT preparation, hence, you can start formal preparation for CAT 2016 any time between August and November depending upon your requirements and your college schedule, the earlier the better. Irrespective of when you start your CAT preparation you should start the following immediately:

      Develop a reading habit, read books by different authors and of different genre @ at least 1 per month. A daily newspaper (The Hindu or Indian Express) along with current affairs weekly will help build your general awareness, reading comprehension, vocabulary and sentence correction all of which will be helpful in your MBA entrance process.
      Solve puzzles that come in newspapers and fro other sources and also get in the habit of mental/oral calculations (outside your college).
      Go through class 9-10 NCERT Maths books as it will cover almost the entire QA syllabus of CAT and other MBA entrances. This should be over in the next 2 months.
      Do not ignore your engineering classes, low marks in graduation could make you in-eligible for some of the IIMs, also in the interview your knowledge of engineering will be tested. Your summer internship and B.Tech projects and/or terms papers etc will all be important in the interview.

      With your profile, your are eligible for almost all the IIMs. Please confirm it using the IIM Profilizer.

      • Thank you so much sir for your valuable advice . Ill make sure that I start preparing for the exam from today itself . And sir im pursuing B .com and not B .tech , so will this reduce my chances of getting into IIM A since i am from a commerce background and they usually prefer engineers ?
        Thank you.

        • Shubhreet, this is a myth that IIMs prefer engineers. Many IIMs have extra marks for graduation diversity. Please refer to the B-school eligibility criteria by clicking here.

  34. Hi GP sir

    I am a student of CL CP new Delhi I want to talk to you regarding my course and it is really important. If possible please share your contact details

  35. Dear sir,’
    I am constantly scoring above 95%ile in VARC and LR-DI sections but quant isn’t upto the mark with %ile within the 65-70 range.
    Kindly suggest a way out to ace the quant section.

    regards ,
    Sahil

    • Sahil, you must immediately begin with taking QA Sectional Tests. We are coming up with 24 sectional tests based on the new pattern of CAT. Analyze all the mocks that you have appeared for. Notice the type of questions that are consistently getting wrong. Go back to the basics in each of these topics and practice the Test Gym questions. This will help you solve a certain number of questions in a given time limit.
      Mark all the questions that you find difficult and revise them at least once a week. Try to apply the SQC techniques wherever possible. This will considerably increase your QA score.

  36. Sir,
    I am enrolled at CL and after the pattern has changed my score in mock has fallen. I am not good at maths but I am good at english but I am not able to complete the english section in 1 hour please give me some tips to get better at this so I can get good score in mocks as I am very much tensed after giving mock 10. Please help! Thanks.

    • AT, you must immediately start taking sectional tests. This way you’ll tackle your area of difficulty more closely. This will also give your the practice of tackling a section within the stipulated time. Let me know if this works for you.

  37. Hello Sir,
    Im writing one mock each week but my scores are wavering like once I score very well in quant and least in verbal and the other time viceversa.I do spend time identifying my mistakes in the previous mocks and try to rectify them in the next mock but don’t know where the actual fault lies.Please guide me how to maintain consistency and improve my scores.And also guide me how to prepare for each section .
    Thankyou

    • Nishita, a good way to solidify your preparation in each of the three sections is by taking sectional tests. With sectional tests you can deal with your area of difficulty more closely. Your aim should be to maximize the marks in each of the sections. Gradually, your marks will stabilize.

  38. hi sir,
    After completing engineering, as i was selected in campus placements, took training in the it company in which i was selected and after completing the training, i have left the company for cat preparation. I have taken training from April to july, Can this be treated as work experience?

    • Sindhu, your time in the company from the date of joining to the date of relieving is considered as a work experience.

  39. Sir,
    I decided to take CAT 2015 during the month of June 2015 and have started practising questions from the books by Arun Sharma and taking mocks from CL. Still my percentile is bound to a mere 70 percentile. Please suggest any methods for fast improvements. I have to crack this exam with at least a 98 percentile this year.

    • Raya, needless to mention that analyzing each and every mock is very important.
      Each practice test and Mock CAT should be analyzed in detail to ascertain what worked or did not work for you. During this introspection you will realize which type of questions you are comfortable with. The analysis process is explained in my blogpost Things you must-do after every mock you take. Next mock onwards always go for these questions first. Please follow the R1, R2, R3 strategy.

      You must immediately begin with taking Sectional Tests. This way you would be dealing with each section more closely. If you realize that there is a problem with your basics, solve more and more Test Gym questions from the topics that trouble you.

  40. HI GP sir,

    In IIM-calcutta’s admission policy, they mentioned managerial experience only would be considered.

    Does my 3+ years IT/Software experience considered?

    Some FB posts are saying that only managers get the advantage.

    Please clarify.

    Thanks.

  41. sir i have 91% in 10th, 88% in 12th and 59.5% in b.com….is there any way i can be in top iims..my score in cat 14 was 95 percentile…thanks in advance

  42. Sir, presently i am planning to appear for cat15 and my problem is my academic records, 80%in 10th 50.5 in +2 on 2009, and i joined for engg on 2011 but i got year back and doing final year now. as i have 72% marks in BE is there any chance of getting into an iim..

    • Banty, the poor academic performance will not be an issue as long as you have a genuine and logical explanation for it. Please confirm your eligibility for various IIMs using the IIM Profilizer.

  43. Sir,presently i am preparing for CAT15 and what i am nervous about is that i scored only 50.5% in +2 and 80% in 10th (both CBSE) . On 2009 i passed out +2 and joined engg on 2011..i got an year back at 2nd year and now i am doing my final year in BE.i have failry good marks in BE (72%) but have an arrear on 5th sem which i can clear on coming november. and my question is that is there any chance of getting into any of the iims with this pathetic academic records…

  44. Hello Sir ,
    Can you please tell me what could be the equivalent number of CL mocks to get over 93%ile in CAT15 . In mock 10 , I got 135 , before that I was in 100-110 section and in mock 9 , donno how I scored 21 , so I did reset and scored 126. Can you please tell me the equivalent CL marks in mocks to get approximately 93%ile in cat15?

    • Hello sir
      I have 80% in 10th 65% in 12th and 62.2 % in b.tech and have also got placed with an IT firm so need to know how to start my preparations as have filled da bond with an company for 2 years.
      And sir also wana know my chances to get placed with top 20 MBA colleges

  45. I have been preparing for CAT for the past few months, and I have been taking regular mocks.
    I tend to solve the fundabook questions with ease, However, my mock scores have been going
    down or static. Infact, my best performance was my 1st mock. I feel I am hitting a roadblock sometimes. I have left my job for this, and It tends to become frustrating when there is no improvement in the past few mocks. I am good in English. LR and DI is a decent one, and I am
    trying to improve in the quants section. After a failed mock attempt, I would have to wait for a week
    more to get the solution, This is not doing any good for my preparations- As, I tend to be
    demoralised for the next 1-2 days.. What should be my renewed strategy?. My mock scores have been ranging from 60-85( CL-Mocks)- This is plain poor. Please help. I have no option but to
    crack IIMs.

    • ANkit, missed your message, apologies for the same. I hope you’ve coped up, have gained momentum and are scoring well in your mocks. My suggestion to you at this point of time would be to revise everything you’ve done till now, including the mock questions. Continue taking a few more mocks. Your marks of the mocks should not bog you down. In case you have something to discuss regarding your preparation please feel free to contact me at 9811155160

  46. Hello Sir,
    Can I write about my work-ex in CAT form if I had left the job in the middle of my bond period due to which I don’t have my experience letter. I have my offer letter and pay-slip’s though.
    Thanks

  48. Hello sir,
    I had a doubt in filling up the cat form.
    I got cgpa as part of my class-10 final result,so what should i enter in total percentage/total marks obtained field.
    My cgpa is 9.8 , so as per the cbse rules , should my percentage be entered as 9.5 *9.8=93.1 and marks obtained as 93.1*6=559.(5 subjects)

    • Shubham, by now you must have already filled the form. But in case you haven’t it will be better if you confirm this from the CAT authorities.

  49. Hello sir, I am taking CAT 2015. I am not enrolled in a classroom course and using Arun sharma book for preparation. I am able to do LOD I and LOD II questions easily but I am not able to solve all the LOD III questions. Infact my accuracy in LOD is not at all good. What should I do??
    Please Help Sir…

    • Kushagra, to solve any question in quant, your basics should be clear and you should be smart enough to understand whether the questions can be solved with completely solving them.

      Try to understand the solutions given in the mocks and develop an understanding of solving the difficult questions.

  50. Sir,
    i hv bad academics
    10 68.4
    12 62.33
    graduation bba 69.42

    can i make to good iims like iim c
    plz help
    i feel mptivated forr cat
    my academics worries me . will academics affect my future job
    plz help sir.

    • Mayank, old IIMs may not be possible with your percentile. Please confirm it using the IIM Profilizer.
      Poor academics will not be problem for you once you get into a good B-school.

  51. sir ….can you please tell me what all courses can i apply with work experience of one month.

    can i apply all courses statng with pgp like ….

    PGP EM, PGP PM, PGP ABM, PGP HRM, PGP PGDM, PGPSM, PGPWE, PGPEX, PGPBM,

    also like EPGPM, EPGP,

    please reply

    • Sravani, you can apply to almost all the PGP courses of your interest. EPGP are executive programmes that require 2 – 2.5 years of work experience.

  52. Hello Sir,
    I have got 92% in 10th grade, 97% in 12th grade but in engineering, i got only 68%. At the end of 2015, i will have a work experience of 6 months in a start-up.
    I am weak at quants section. please give me some tips to crack CAT? And what are the chances of me getting into IIM’s with my profile? Am interested in getting into marketing/advertising domains. So what are the colleges i should choose? Thanks in advance sir.

    • SS, you are eligible for all the IIMs. Please confirm it using the IIM Profilizer.

      For marketing and advertising, IIM-A is one of the best B-schools follwoed by IIM-C and B.

      For the preperation of QA, you must immediately begin with taking QA Sectional Tests. We are coming up with 24 sectional tests based on the new pattern of CAT. Analyze all the mocks that you have appeared for. Notice the type of questions that are consistently getting wrong. Go back to the basics in each of these topics and practice the Test Gym questions. This will help you solve a certain number of questions in a given time limit.
      Mark all the questions that you find difficult and revise them at least once a week. Try to apply the SQC techniques wherever possible. This will considerably increase your QA score.

  53. hello sir,

    my verbal section is weak,i always made mistake in solving RC,PJ,i never get 100% accuracy. i have enrolled for CL smart cracker,testgym+mock, i have given few mock but performance in VA is below 50 percentile, so shall i stop giving mock and work on weak areas or continue with what i am doing? pl suggest something for VA?(my study time 8-12 pm as i m working profession i only get this much time and weekdays)
    My daily VA plan as follows
    1. 5 pj,5pc 5sc and 2 rc ( source: past CAT papers, testgym, online material)
    2. reading Hindu article/IE
    3. i made my own word list which i encounter during my preparation so revising before sleeping
    4. one mock/week

    • Sagar, the plan you’ve made is good enough to get you a good percentile. Reading newspapers will expose you to various writing styles which will help you in RC and PJs. You must immediately begin with taking Sectional Tests. This way you would be dealing with your section of difficulty, VA, more closely. A student aspiring for the top IIMs should ideally be attempting 25 questions in VRC in 60 minutes.

  54. Sir I gave CAT in 2013 & 2015 and both times I scored 96 Percentile. In CL test series my average percentile of the last 6 or 7 test is around 99 percentile but when it comes to main exam i am not able to score good. What should I do this Year!!

    • Sagar, your test taking strategy and concepts by and large seem to be in place. You need to analyze your mocks really well in order to find where do you lose your marks. Revise those topics where you find difficulty in solving the questions.

  55. Sir, i am constantly getting only 80-85 percentile in mocks. With 85 to 90 percentile in Quant and 60-70 in Verbal. How to increase this? And the most important thing is that i am unable to solve a single RC.Please help.

  56. Hello sir,

    My accuracy in VA. is very low(50-60%) and with TITA questions it is even getting worse. I score 95+ in other two sections but VA takes the crap out of me. We still have 3 months for CAT15 so please advise me something to increase my score in VA. What should ve my plan of action for the next three months?

  57. Sir, i m jignesh Recently i m studying mechanical engineering
    N i want to appear in Cat 2017
    n I belongs to St Then What I hv to do to take addmission In IIM?
    n Can i Get Addmission IN IIM?
    Recently I m IN 5th Sem.
    Pls Sir Tell me What can I do???

    • Vasavaj, A 2 year period is more than enough time for CAT preparation, hence, you can start formal preparation for CAT 2017 any time between August and November depending upon your requirements and your college schedule, the earlier the better. Irrespective of when you start your CAT preparation you should start the following immediately:

      Develop a reading habit, read books by different authors and of different genre @ at least 1 per month. A daily newspaper (The Hindu or Indian Express) along with current affairs weekly will help build your general awareness, reading comprehension, vocabulary and sentence correction all of which will be helpful in your MBA entrance process.
      Solve puzzles that come in newspapers and fro other sources and also get in the habit of mental/oral calculations (outside your college).
      Go through class 9-10 NCERT Maths books as it will cover almost the entire QA syllabus of CAT and other MBA entrances. This should be over in the next 2 months.
      Do not ignore your engineering classes, low marks in graduation could make you in-eligible for some of the IIMs, also in the interview your knowledge of engineering will be tested. Your summer internship and B.Tech projects and/or terms papers etc will all be important in the interview.

  58. sir
    i am a passed out of 2010 batch(engineering)after that i work for 9 months and left job for pursue MBA from one of our best B school .and still not found good one so not join any one this year again prepare for cat. SIR i want to know a gap of (2011-15).can affect my career to to take admission in top B schools. i work for first 9 months in permanent basis and after left work for contract basis(not permanent).

    • Anupam, contract basis is also considered as work experience if you have the required documents like pay slips, joining letter and a copy of the contract. The gap will not be a problem only if you come up with a logical reason for it.

  59. Hi Sir, I have been following your blog avidly and it has helped my preparations immensely. Thank you so much.
    I have a qn:
    I understand last year’s CAT was the easiest in quite a long time. Keeping in mind that IIM A is going to be conducting this year’s exam, what do you think the level of difficulty is gonna be section-wise this time around?

    • Sri, this year’s CAT is likely to be more difficult as compared to last yera’s CAT. But the baiscs don’t change, you need to have your basics in place.

  60. Hi sir,
    My 10th, 12th and B.tech(IT) percent are 82.6,81.4 and 68.
    I have 1.6 years of experience as Associate analyst in a MNC.
    I took a weekend course from CL last year and scored 90 percentile in cat. converted newer proposed new IIM Amritsar,Bihar and 2 more and was in waiting in IIM Rohtak Udaipur and kashipur.(OBC category)
    I am very good in DI and RC and my basics of quant is also strong but i am not good in solving advance quant questions.
    can you help me
    1. how and from where i can learn short cuts for quant. (need a smarter strategy for quant)
    2. what should be my strategy to improve LR
    3. to improve Other parts of verbal other than RC.
    4. Is 3 hours per day and 7 to 8 hours sufficient
    I am not planning to join any Course this year but would be joining a CL Test Series.
    is that fine or should i join some course and are CL material of last year is sufficient ?
    And also according to my profile, is there any chances of getting into TOP 6 IIM’s.

    Thanks in Advance (your blogs are always insightful, helpful and motivating)

    • Sumit, missed your message, extremely sorry for that. I hope you were able to devise a solid strategy for you and have been able to generate confidence to crack the top IIMs this year. In case you need to discuss anything about your preparation right now, please feel free to reach me at 9811155160

  61. Sir, I am confused about pursuing my job and building work ex for an year or so, or giving cat seriously this year. I am a new joinee in a Big 4 company. Pls suggest if my work ex in one of the big 4s will add an xtra advantage over others.

    • Arka, for the 2 year PGP/PGDM/MBA programs, work ex. is not considered at most of the B-schools. Even at the B-schools where it is considered, its weightage is extremely low.

      For the 2 year program there is no point accumulating work ex. as it won’t matter much. Yes, with 3-4 years of work ex. you can go for the 1 year executive MBA programs.

      • Sir
        I dont have the work ex certificate of my former company but i have the pay slips and offer letter, wanted to know whether it will suffice or i cannot fill the application form with work ex on these documents.

    • Sir,

      I dont have the work ex certificate of my former company, whether i can fill it as a work ex in application form or not. I have pay slips and offer letter with me.
      Please guide..

      • Bharat, you should have with you the pay slips of the first month and the last month. These pay slips along with the offer letter should suffice. Work ex certificate if asked by the B-school can be submitted within the first 6 months of joining the B-school.

  62. Hi,
    I scored 10 CGPA in 10th, 95% in 12th and my cumulative college marks till now are 82% ( I am in my final year).
    I am scoring around 99 percentile in section 3 but very low in the other 2 sections, especially QA. I am worried I will get a good percentile but will not clear the sectional cut off.
    Please advise regarding this. Many thanks.

    • Sanjana, you must immediately begin with taking QA and DILR Sectional Tests. We are coming up with 24 sectional tests based on the new pattern of CAT. Analyze all the mocks that you have appeared for. Notice the type of questions that are consistently getting wrong. Go back to the basics in each of these topics and practice the Test Gym questions. This will help you solve a certain number of questions in a given time limit.
      Mark all the questions that you find difficult and revise them at least once a week. Try to apply the SQC techniques wherever possible. This will considerably increase your QA and DILR scores.

  63. Sir,
    I can solve almost all the questions from the DI LR section at home, but unable to solve more than 3 sets during the Mocks.
    Also, in the Quants section I can not solve more then 14 questions.

    Being a working professional I get upto 5.5 hrs to study daily with percentile ranging from 76 to 87percentile in the Mocks.

    Can you please advise me how I can improve my score upto the 90+bracket in the next three months, also suggest me strong strategy…

    waiting for your reply…

    • Saranya, that analyzing each and every mock is very important.
      Each practice test and Mock CAT should be analyzed in detail to ascertain what worked or did not work for you. During this introspection you will realize which type of questions you are comfortable with. The analysis process is explained in my blogpost Things you must-do after every mock you take. Next mock onwards always go for these questions first. Please follow the R1, R2, R3 strategy.

      You must immediately begin with taking Sectional Tests. This way you would be dealing with each section more closely. If you realize that there is a problem with your basics, solve more and more Test Gym questions from the topics that trouble you.

      • Thanks CL,
        In the English section I have a high number of attempts , but make mistakes in 7 to 9 of them pulling my scores down to almost half in the English section. Is it good to go for lesser no of questions in English ?
        I consider it to be my forte until this new pattern came up( I could be wrong –really confused)

        Can u please advise ?

        Regards,
        Saranya

        • Saranya, as per the new pattern, an attempt of 24-26 with 80-85% accuracy will fetch you a really good score.

  64. Hello GP sir,
    I am appearing for CAT 2015 and all other bschool entrances but I have a very poor academic records:
    Class 10 (CBSE): 66.7%
    Class 12 (CBSE): Overall: 58.6%, Best 4: 65%
    Graduation (BCom Hons): Final Year with average more than 55%
    Do I have chances for top 30 bschools?

  65. in academics section of cat 2015 form, I submitted 12th marks on the basis of five subjects that I opted..didn’t include the sixth subject(physical education) marks, which was my additional subject..I have submitted the cat 2015 form and have made the payment as well..what should I do now as I can’t make changes in the form now. ( % on the basis of five subjects- 95.80 , % on the basis of six subjects – 94.17 ) should I re-register ?

    • Shivam, CAT authorities may or may not allow applicants to make changes to form. Please confirm it by calling at the CAT helpline.

  66. hello sir

    sir i am having problem in solving QA section as i am afraid of maths , and i am very uncomfortable with this section . since i
    didnt have maths as one of my subjects since last 2 years it is very defficult for me to recall all the bsic concepts… sir i need your help… please tell me what can i do to improve my QA……

    • Pranav, you must immediately begin with taking QA Sectional Tests. We have come up with 24 sectional tests based on the new pattern of CAT. Analyze all the mocks that you have appeared for. Notice the type of questions that are consistently getting wrong. Go back to the basics in each of these topics and practice the Test Gym questions. This will help you solve a certain number of questions in a given time limit.
      Mark all the questions that you find difficult and revise them at least once a week. Try to apply the SQC techniques wherever possible. This will considerably increase your QA score.

  67. Hello Sir,
    I am able to solve QA questions in Test Gym approx at all levels,but facing difficulties doing the same in mocks…..
    Where am I supposedly making mistakes?
    P.S: I have gone through all the basics in QA

    • Dushyant, this is an extremely common problem. You must immediately begin with taking QA Sectional Tests. We have come up with 24 sectional tests based on the new pattern of CAT. Analyze all the mocks that you have appeared for. Notice the type of questions that are consistently getting wrong. Go back to the basics in each of these topics and practice the Test Gym questions. This will help you solve a certain number of questions in a given time limit.
      Mark all the questions that you find difficult and revise them at least once a week. Try to apply the SQC techniques wherever possible. This will considerably increase your QA score.

  68. Hello Sir,

    i have completed my B.Tech (Biotechnology) in 2011.after that i worked in IT company for about 10 months but then i had to leave job without completion of probation period due to some family problems.i have 10th-83%,Intermediate-12%,B tech-7.6 CGPA.attemped CAT in 2013 and got 89 percentile(QA-39 and VA/LR-98.7),NMAT -206.I am working in Food corporation of india since september 2014.what are my chances of landing into good MBA college? and what are my chances in TISS and IRMA?i am mostly interested in specialized MBA and HR.

    • Rashmi, please check the marks you’ve written above. Your 10th marks and B.Tech CGPA are good enough to get you a call from most of the IIMs. Please confirm it using the IIM Profilizer.

      TISS and IRMA are certainly possible. You should also try for XLRI by taking the XAT exam. To more about the top B-schools, click here.

  69. Hello sir ,
    What is your view on the recently released IIMA selection criteria , especially the 78% cutoff for engineering ?

    • Ayush, this is the 5th-6th change in criteria of IIM-A in the last 9 years. IIM-A seems to be confused about what kind of students does it want.

      • IIM A has revised its criteria for PGP 2016-18

        In criteria C2 in stage 2, what does ‘P’ stand for? Does it mean ‘average of 10th and 12th’ standard percentage or does it mean ‘percentage obtained in 12th standard only’? I am asking as it has not been mentioned explicitly what P stands for in stage 2 selection.

  70. Hello Sir,
    I am able to solve QA questions in Test Gym at approx all levels, but facing difficulties doing the same in mocks.
    Where am I doing wrong?
    P.S: I have gone through all the basics in QA

    • Dushyant, test taking is a different game. It’s about time that you start taking sectional tests. This will develop your temperament of giving mocks.Your scores should increase. In-depth analysis of these mocks is a must.

  71. Sir, i am very week in QA section and also facing difficulties in solving DI.. There are approximately 4 months with me for my preparation.. How can i overcome these difficulties????

    • Soumaya, you must immediately begin with taking QA Sectional Tests. We are coming up with 24 sectional tests based on the new pattern of CAT. Analyze all the mocks that you have appeared for. Notice the type of questions that are consistently getting wrong. Go back to the basics in each of these topics and practice the Test Gym questions. This will help you solve a certain number of questions in a given time limit.
      Mark all the questions that you find difficult and revise them at least once a week. Try to apply the SQC techniques wherever possible. This will considerably increase your QA score.

  72. Sir, I have started my CAT prep recently, since 2-3 days. Kindly guide me how should I plan my studies for next 3.5 months in order to score 99+. Also, from when should I start taking sectional tests and mock tests and how many mock tests should I target and at what intervals month wise?
    This is my 1st attempt.

    TIA..

    • Ibad, if you are enrolled in a classroom program, it is important to always stay ahead of the class. Take a couple of weeks to go through your classroom and coaching material. Go through the concepts to ensure that you are thorough with all the basic formulae & techniques of solving different question types by August end. Practice all the Level-1 and Level-2 MCQs. Avoid the very difficult questions as this year too CAT is expected to be easy-moderate level of difficulty.

      2 weeks into your preparation, start taking 1 Mock CAT per week. Each practice test and Mock CAT should be analyzed in detail to ascertain what worked or did not work for you. Spot the important questions that appeared in the mock. These important questions should be revised once a week.
      The analysis process is explained in my blogpost Things you must-do after every mock you take.
      Effective mid-September you should move to 2 Mock CATs per week and once you finish your practice material start attempting CAT 1990-2008 papers.
      In addition to the above you should be reading the editorial, business and international pages of an e-paper daily (Indian Express or The Hindu).

  73. Sir, have you gone through the IIMA criteria for 2016-18? Shortly, minimum criteria 80% average of 10tha nd 12th marks, 78 % in graduation. Failing any one of the above, no admission. Isn’t it more pathetic than ever before?Can the 80% average be relaxed to 75 due to lack of candidates post cat results?

    • Bharath, as per the new eligibility criteria, average of 10th and 12th should be 80%. The 78% in graduation requirement has been removed.

  74. Does the TEST GYM CLASSIC AND ADAPTIVE use the same set of questions and which one is better for practicing… And when will TEST GYM CLASSIC be made as per the new format.. ?

    • Shashank, Test Gym Adaptive (TGA) and Test Gym Classic (TGC) do not use the same set of questions.
      TGA has topic wise 15 minutes tests, where as TGC has sectional tests. Yes, TGC has been updated as per the new format.

  75. Hello sir,
    I am facing a problem in “marks %awarded by university/Institute ” field of CAT form.
    My consolidated marksheet has a CPI(Cumulative Performance Index) that takes a weighted average of marks obtained based on the credits assigned to each subject. My CPI is stated as 77.74.

  76. Hello Sir,
    Sir the problem with me is that I am not improving my score in CL mocks. Consistently I have been getting around 75-80 percentile.
    The foremost point that I have noticed is lack of consistency in all sections(QA,LR,VA). Though the new pattern surely will help me out as it removes time management in paper.

    Sir how could I improve my overall consistency in all three sections?

    And sir thanks for your wonderful & efficient seminar on QA .

    • Rohit, that analyzing each and every mock is very important.
      Each practice test and Mock CAT should be analyzed in detail to ascertain what worked or did not work for you. During this introspection you will realize which type of questions you are comfortable with. The analysis process is explained in my blogpost Things you must-do after every mock you take. Next mock onwards always go for these questions first. Please follow the R1, R2, R3 strategy.

      You must immediately begin with taking Sectional Tests. This way you would be dealing with each section more closely. If you realize that there is a problem with your basics, solve more and more Test Gym questions from the topics that trouble you.

  77. Hi Sir,

    For the cities not having an SQC session, can an online session be arranged or the video uploaded on youtube? the previous 8 mocks which will be converted to sectional tests of 1 hour each, will the questions be new ones or will the same questions be categorised into the 3 sections? also will the MASTER SERIES be converted to the new pattern and sir it wd be great if you, Gejo sir or Niraj Sir attempt each of the remaining mocks so that we can benefit from the way you attempt mocks

    • Abhinav, an online SQC hasn’t been planned yet. We can forward your request.
      The 24 sectional tests will have the same questions as the 8 mocks. The Master Series is also being converted and will be available to you in the second week of August.

  79. Sir,
    As you know that we are left out with very less time for CAT and i am very weak with QA section.
    Please guide how to proceed with the same , so that to clear the required cut-off.

    Should i skip some off??

    • Ashwani, you must immediately begin with taking QA Sectional Tests. We are coming up with 24 sectional tests based on the new pattern of CAT. Analyze all the mocks that you have appeared for. Notice the type of questions that are consistently getting wrong. Go back to the basics in each of these topics and practice the Test Gym questions. This will help you solve a certain number of questions in a given time limit.
      Mark all the questions that you find difficult and revise them at least once a week. Try to apply the SQC techniques wherever possible. This will considerably increase your QA score.

  80. HOW TO START PREPARING FOR IBSAT SNAP AND CAT IF I START NOW ONWARDS…TIME TO STUDY DAILY AND EVERYTHING ELSE .
    I KNOW CAT IS LESS WITH TIME .BUT HOW SHOULD I START FOR IBS SNAP…

    • Puneet, if you are enrolled in a classroom program, it is important to always stay ahead of the class. Take a couple of weeks to go through your classroom and coaching material. Go through the concepts to ensure that you are thorough with all the basic formulae & techniques of solving different question types by August end. Practice all the Level-1 and Level-2 MCQs. Avoid the very difficult questions as this year too CAT is expected to be easy-moderate level of difficulty.

      2 weeks into your preparation, start taking 1 Mock CAT per week. Each practice test and Mock CAT should be analyzed in detail to ascertain what worked or did not work for you. Spot the important questions that appeared in the mock. These important questions should be revised once a week.
      The analysis process is explained in my blogpost Things you must-do after every mock you take.
      Effective mid-September you should move to 2 Mock CATs per week and once you finish your practice material start attempting CAT 1990-2008 papers.
      In addition to the above you should be reading the editorial, business and international pages of an e-paper daily (Indian Express or The Hindu).

      If you are working, 2 hours each day during the weekdays and at least 8 hours each day over the weekends should be devoted.

  81. Hello Sir,
    Thanks for your valuable analysis. Sir i have been facing problem in my verbal section , could you please guide me how to utilize my coming months for my verbal section in a more effective way. Actually i am a working professional so i dont have that much time. So could you please guide accordingly.
    One more question sir, i have worked for 11 months in a company of which i dont have an experience or a relieving certificate. I do have a salary slip and a offer letter. Will it be enough to show as an experience. For the past 2 years i have been working with another company of which i would be having everything to show up as an experience. So please let me whether i should do while filling up the experience column in any form.

    Thank You

    • Hasan, practicing the frequently asked question types such as Parajumbles, Paracompletion, Summary, FIB, Critical Reasoning could be done through the Test Gym. It is more than important to go through each and every mock that you’ve given. Mark out the difficult words from the RC, learn their meaning and their usage in the context. Since you are working, 2 hrs should be devoted each day on working days. On the weekends try and devote 6-8 hours.

      You can submit the relieving letter within 3-6 months of joining the institute.
      You must go through the following articles as well:
      7 Rules to Excel in CAT VA
      The Art of Solving RC Passages
      4 Rules to Master Paracompletion
      This should considerably improve your scores.

  82. Hello

    Are 100 days enough to crack CAT? My percentile is currently in the range of 70 only. Please guide.

    • Shivani, 100 days are enough to get a 99% in CAT provided that you utilize this time diligently.

      You must immediately begin with taking Sectional Tests. This way you would be dealing with each section more closely. If you realize that there is a problem with your basics, solve more and more Test Gym questions from the topics that trouble you. start taking 1 Mock CAT per week. Each practice test and Mock CAT should be analyzed in detail to ascertain what worked or did not work for you. Spot the important questions that appeared in the mock. These important questions should be revised once a week.
      The analysis process is explained in my blogpost Things you must-do after every mock you take.
      Effective mid-September you should move to 2 Mock CATs per week and once you finish your practice material start attempting CAT 1990-2008 papers.
      In addition to the above you should be reading the editorial, business and international pages of an e-paper daily (Indian Express or The Hindu).

      You could go for the CAT Score Booster in which GP, Gejo and Neeraj demonstrate the test taking strategies during the CAT exam.

  83. sir,

    I am facing a peculiar problem, I am basically good at solving RC and has been my strong area, I usually solve them in the beginning of the exam when I am completely fresh, but now in the changed pattern I am finding it difficult to concentrate on the passages in RC after 2 hours. kindly advise how to come over this fatigue and be able to concentrate till the end of the exam(mainly to solve RC).

    • Sarat, this will go away only with more and more match practice (i.e. appearing for mocks). What you can also do is, immediately after appearing for a mock take a 20 minute Test Gym test. Eventually this will prolong your attention span and you won’t feel lethargic in the last hour of the mock.

  84. Sir
    I had newly enrolled myself for the CL test series couple of weeks back. how do i access the proctored mocks 1-8 which are already over? as i need to see the videos of how you take the mock.
    Thank you in advance

    • Rohan, the first 8 mocks have currently been disabled. You’ll be able to view them in the first week of August.

  85. Sir,

    I have been preparing diligently since 1.5 years. Still I don’t see much improvement in the Verbal Section. My accuracy in VR is around 50%. In RC, around 50-70%.
    I went through all the videos of SCC. I also followed all the tricks on this blog. I am in dire straits.
    But my accuracy in para summary type questions is almost 100%.

    I am reading The Indian Express and the Economist magazine. Sometimes, I also read non-fiction books mostly on psychology.

    Any insight on improving is welcome. Thanks.

    • Hitesh, you must begin with taking Test Gym tests of VR and RC and the other areas of weakness. Practicing frequently asked question types such as Parajumbles, Paracompletion, Summary, FIB, Critical Reasoning could be done through the Test Gym. It is more than important to go through each and every mock that you’ve given. Mark out the difficult words from the RC, learn their meaning and their usage in the context.

      You must continue the habit of reading as it will expose you to new styles of writing which will invariably help your understanding of various questions in the VRC section.

  86. Dear Sir

    Ten days back I’ve started preparing for CAT through SCC and TG. Request you to please clear few doubts:

    1. When should I target to complete my syllabus to have sufficient time for revision and give more MOCKs ?

    2. Keeping in mind the new format, which past year CAT papers should I refer for practice for different sections ? Also Is it advisable to refer any book with topic wise past CAT papers with solution ?

    3. Other than TGA, from where all should I prepare for LR-DI section (Any particular book or sectional test of past CAT papers) ?

    4. 24 Sectional test that will be added in our SIS will be new tests or questions of past mocks in different sections with time limit ?

    • Yash, the following piece of advice will be beneficial.

      1. Ideally you should get done with studying the basics by the end of August. Even if it extends till the first week of September it’ll not be an issue. During this period, take 1 mock per week.

      2. Although there are many books by Arun Sharma, Sarvesh Verma etc., none of the books are up to date and sufficient to crack CAT. It is advisable that you go for the study material of a good coaching institute. Even without that SCC will be really helpful.

      3. TGA and the sectional tests on your SIS are more than sufficient for LR-DI section. The SCC videos will give you a good idea about how to solve LR and DI.

      4. The 24 new sectional tests will be made out of our previous mock tests.

  87. GP Sir,

    I have a problem in tackling LR; I am unable to identify which sets to attempt and which ones should be left. It happens frequently that I spend 10+ mins on a particular set and am unable to crack it, thus leading to wastage of time which could be spent on other sets. Also, I find the tournament based sets pretty time consuming.

    How to tackle these problems? Please help.

    • Satyam, this judgement will come with more and more practice. As you will analyze your previous mocks you’ll get an understanding of which type of sets you are comfortable with and which ones trouble you. Also, it is advisable that you attempt more and more LR Test Gym tests. This will give you exposure to different types of LR sets. Gradually, your problem solving techniques and the judgement would improve.

      We have many Smart LR Cracker videos in the Smart CAT Cracker. Out of these we have specific videos on Tournament Based LRs.

  88. Sir,my friend want to join cl for 2016 cat as he has a back in 6th sem in du maths h. . .
    can he apply for 2015 and is there any scope for him to get selected if he gets a good percentile this year in cat 2015. . .?

    • Akshay, your friend should not have any pending back papers at the time of the interview. Irrespective of your CAT score, this will lead to rejection.

  90. Hello Sir,

    Sir i want to know how i should plan my studies for the next 3 months , i am having problem with the verbal section. Now as this section is totally isolated from the LR then i think i have to put in some extra efforts. Can you please guide me how i should plan my verbal section. And how much time would be needed for it per day.
    Sir one more query :
    I have worked with a firm for 11 months after my graduation and now i am working another firm firm for the past 2 years . I don’t have any experience certificate apart from my offer letter , salary slip.
    What should i do in this case. Please Guide me.

    Thank You

    • Laraib, practicing the frequently asked question types such as Parajumbles, Paracompletion, Summary, FIB, Critical Reasoning could be done through the Test Gym. It is more than important to go through each and every mock that you’ve given. Mark out the difficult words from the RC, learn their meaning and their usage in the context. Since you are working, 2 hrs should be devoted each day on working days. On the weekends try and devote 6-8 hours.
      You must go through the following articles as well:
      7 Rules to Excel in CAT VA
      The Art of Solving RC Passages
      4 Rules to Master Paracompletion
      This should considerably improve your scores.

      Offer Letter and Salary slips will suffice along with the date of leaving the job.

  92. sir,
    academic qualifications:
    X- 81%
    XII- 96%
    Graduation (b.com hnrs)SRCC – 80%
    post graduation(m.com) Delhi School Of Economics- currently pursuing.
    i have been working too hard for QADI. i have already given 2 CAT attempts ( CAT’13: qadi: 65 percentile, valr: 90 percentile, overall: 76, CAT’14: qadi 63 percentile, valr 94.4 percentile, overall: 84). My QADI part, rather than improving has shown a downward trend that too after constant labor of 3-4 mnths. sir, i study everyday for 9-10 hrs but it is not making any difference. should i drop the idea of giving CAT altogether? although i dont want to give it up but there are no positive results to keep me going.
    i have gone through my funda books twice or thrice. i think iam not able to make a good strategy plus i keep on trying a question thinking that i will be able to get to the answer ( which happens seldom).
    iam ready to put in whatever it takes. i need some guidance though.
    thankyou sir!

    • Richa, make sure that you analyze each and every mock carefully to identify exactly which are your weak areas. After that you must solve more Test Gym questions from the areas that trouble you. Even while revising never get stuck on a question for too much time. In the first attempt solve all the questions that you can. Then in the second iteration try to solve the other questions.

      You must begin with solving more sectional tests of QA. You can utilize the CAT Booster to witness how GP, Gejo and Neeraj attempt these mocks. For smarter techniques of solving Quant and DI problems you could have a look at the Smart CAT Cracker.

  93. Hi sir. I’ve solved around 14 section test of quant.
    When will the new ones come also will they contain new questions or the same ones in 1hr form?

    • Vk, the 24 new sectional tests coming up in a few days are not the same as the previous sectional tests. The first few mocks of our sought after test series are being converted into the sectional tests according to the new format.

  94. Hi Sir,
    I’m a fresher to CAT. Was just curious about knowing if I could get into IIMs. It would be great help if you could respond to my query. 10th-70% .. 12th- 55% .. An engineer with 66% overall n I belong to SC.
    Thank you.

    • Arjun, while IIM Ahmedabad is certainly possible with your profile, IIM Calcutta and Bangalore might not be possible. The New IIMs are also possible. Please confirm it using the IIM Profilizer.

  95. Hi Sir,

    I just checked the Profilizer and according to it I can get calls from all the IIMs, provided I have a good score.
    Here is my profile:
    10th: 93%
    12th: 89%
    Grad: 7.49 (BITS Pilani)

    Here are my queries:
    1. I have been preparing for civil services and have no job ex. How much of detriment will a 3 gap be?
    2. How can I make up for it?
    3. What colleges should I realistically aim for?

    • Kevin, considering your profile all the IIMs are possible. Please confirm it using the IIM Profilizer.

      A 3 year gap will not be an issue and the only thing that you need to do is to come up with a logical explanation for the 3 year gap. Prepare well, aim for the top IIMs.

  96. sir when will our sis get updated? I mean sectional tests with 1hr duration..??

    I’m a retaker sir.. facing too much problems..not able to score in mocks..what should I do?
    I am done with the basics..Pls help!

    Will taking 1 hr sectional test will help?

    • CAT aspirant, needless to mention, analyzing each and every mock is very important.
      Each practice test and Mock CAT should be analyzed in detail to ascertain what worked or did not work for you. During this introspection you will realize which type of questions you are comfortable with. The analysis process is explained in my blogpost Things you must-do after every mock you take. Next mock onwards always go for these questions first. Please follow the R1, R2, R3 strategy.

      You must immediately begin with taking Sectional Tests. This way you would be dealing with each section more closely. If you realize that there is a problem with your basics, solve more and more Test Gym questions from the topics that trouble you.

      CAT Booster might be of great help to you.

  97. Sir
    I panic a lot whenever i sit for the mock. With the clock ticking and everything, too much pressure gets built up. As a result i end up not being able to solve questions which i would otherwise on some other day. i also keep jumping to and fro from different questions. The sitters also end up taking more time than usual. I know it is one of the aspects on which CAT tests us, but how do I deal with it?
    Thank You in advance.

    • Rohan, you should strictly follow the R1, R2, R3 strategy.
      In Round 1 (R1) attempt only those questions that you are extremely sure of. Then moving on to R2, attempt those questions which you are certainly sure that you can solve but it will take some time and effort to crack them. Finally, if you still have time left, try to solve a few more. This will be your R3.

      This way you will ensure that you aren’t missing out on sitters and you are optimizing your marks.

  98. Hi
    Can you please tell me what should I read to prepare GK for IIFT.
    I am following newspapers everyday and the daily GK update of SIS.
    What else do I need to study as this does not seem to be sufficient.

    • Dev, your SIS has sufficient resources to help you tackle the GK section. The GK Compendiums & Question Banks, GK videos of IIFT/SNAP/XAT are more than sufficient for the preparation of this section.

      For the exams it would be advisable for you to go through the latest happenings of the last 4-5 months. If time permits, you can also pick up some good magazines like The Frontline, Outlook, Business Today. These will give you a perspective and will help you form an opinion about issues which will eventually be advantageous in the WAT/GD/PI stage.

  99. Hello Sir,

    I am a very silent reader of your blog.When you wrote “how a pathetic student made into iim B”, I was highly motivated and happy becoz i have (62% in X) and (59 in XII), and (71 in graduation(B tech)),I decided to work hard but then i read that IIM’s will call on the basis of CAT percentile,but select students for AWT and PI on the basis of academics,I mean if i do hard work i wouldn’t be able to show becoz they will never select me for AWT and PI. Is that how IIMA or IIMs works?? Am I aiming at a wrong target? plz help ,,i know this is not a time for me to be demotivated. NEED YOUR HELP. what should i do?? and if there is only a 1% chance for me..just say it once!!

    • Pragya, IIM Ahemdabad is possible with your profile. New IIMs are also possible. Please confirm this using the IIM Profilizer.

      IIMB gives a direct interview call to all candidates who get a 100%ile in a section or overall.
      FMS on the other hand, like many other MBA institutes, does not consider past acads and its interview calls are based on CAT score only. Also with a 85% weight for CAT score final selection is almost confirmed if you get a CAT score of over 99.6%ile.

  100. Sir,

    I have been solving geometry questions with SQC techniques and have found them to be very fruitful but with introduction of TITA questions where value has to be entered I am worried about geometry as my concepts of geometry are not that strong. What should I do??

    • Shivam, it is advisable to be well-versed with the most important theorems of Geometry. The non-MCQ questions of Geometry won’t have complex answers and would most probably be solvable using the most basic theorems.

      Please note that the non-MCQ questions do not have any negative marking and you should not be too worried about getting them wrong.

  101. Hello Sir
    Sir I had started preparing for CAT about six months ago (or perhaps more). My percentile remains steady in the bracket of 85-90, occasionally trickling down to the lower 80s. I would be highly grateful if you could suggest me a proper way to plan my preparation (ideally, helping me allocate my preparation into the seven days of a week) to help me achieve 95+ consistency (or at least 90+). Discipline is my guarantee.
    I would also appreciate if you could guide me with regards to the preparation for NON-CAT exams, since their test series is also round the corner and I haven’t really given their particular preparation any attention so far.
    Thanks

    • Akshit, you must immediately begin with taking Sectional Tests. Analyze all the mocks that you have appeared for. Notice the type of questions that are consistently getting wrong. Go back to the basics in each of these topics and practice the Test Gym questions. This will help you solve a certain number of questions in a given time limit.

      We are coming up with an article on the strategy needed to be followed in the next 3 months for the NMAT and the IIFT exams. The article will cover all the concerns about the test taking strategies.

  102. Hello GP Sir,
    Its a big help to regularly follow your blog and advices.
    As the NMAT is approaching in 2 months, Will you please tell us how to prepare for the test in the last 60 days and the test taking strategy. I have attempted nmat 2014, and was very confident because of its lesser LOD, but somehow I was not able to qualify, mainly because I did not take the test properly. It would be nice if you could help..
    Thank you
    Regards,

    • Kushagra, we are coming up with an article on the strategy needed to be followed in the next 3 months for the NMAT and the IIFT exam. The article will cover all the concerns about the test taking strategies.

  103. SIRT PLZ HELP ME OUT
    10 -7.2 CGPA
    12-70 PERCENT
    GRADUATION- 62 PERCENT
    ANY CHANCES OF IIM’S

  104. GP sir,
    iam in final year of my graduation(b.tech).i have an aggregate of 69.52% as of now…shud i mention the exact aggregate in cat application form or can i round it off as 70%(because candidates whose percentages are >=70 get four grade points as academic weightage)
    thnk you ,sir.waiting for A quick reply.

    • Pavan, you must mention your percentage as it is. Any rounding of that maybe required would be done by the CAT authorities. The percentage you mention in the application form should be exactly the same as given on your marksheet.

  105. Hi Sir,
    I attended your “CAT smartquant cracker Class” held this July in Bangalore. Your way of solving question were fantastic & fast, as I had chance to attend the session only for few hours, I missed some of your methods. I even searched everywhere for your video of that class but I didnt find that anywhere.
    I am Career Launcher student, I have seen your approach of solving mock CAT papers but in that video I didnt find those methods which you used in smartquant session.

    Is there any hope or any way that I get your video.

    Thanks in advance

    • Aadesh, currently there are no plans of coming up with a video of the SQC events being conducted in many cities. However, not just smart Quant techniques but smart DI, LR, RC and VA techniques can be learnt using the Smart CAT Cracker.

      Also, the CAT Booster has videos which can help you understand how GP, Gejo and Neeraj attempt a full length mock.

  106. Details about my Academic profile :

    1.Secondary Examination (West Bengal Board of Secondary Education) : 84.37%
    2.Higher Secondary Examination (West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education) : 86% Subjects- English,Bengali,Economics,Statistics,Mathematics,Computer Application.
    3.Graduation: B.Sc Economics Honours (from St.Xavier’s College, Kolkata) – 62.33% , Pass Subjects (Statistics,Mathematics,Environmental Science,Bengali and English) + Honours = 58.75%
    4.Pursuing M.Sc Economics from University of Calcutta.

    I will appear for CAT 2015.Owing to the tremendous academic pressure of post graduation studies I find it very difficult to prepare daily for CAT.So if things don’t work out for me this time I shall again appear for CAT next year.Also I have been attending the ‘CL Classroom coaching program for CAT’15’ since July 2014.These are my questions for you :

    -Could you please suggest a list of Standard b-schools where I can take admission?
    -With only four months left ,on an average how much time should I spend on preparing for this examination ?
    -So far I have taken only one Mock Test for CAT. Before writing the mock test I covered Algebra (I managed to solve almost all the sums from the CL study material on this particular topic) and LR level 1 problems only.Here’s the summary :

    QA-LR-DI: Mock percentile : 38.2; CAT percentile: 54.5
    VA-RC : Mock Percentile : 46.9; CAT percentile: 64.2
    CL CAT’15 percentile predictor : 59.62 ; Mock percentile :38.79 ; Score :51
    Based on the information given above I would like to know which areas I should lay emphasis on.

    -How many mock examinations do I need to take in order to improve my performance?
    -When solving problems on a particular topic from the CL study material,although I can solve Level 1 and Level 2 problems very easily ,I find level 3 and level 4 exercises very difficult (for obvious reasons).I can only solve 40 % of the problems in a particular exercise (with 100% accuracy) belonging to those levels. Is this something I should worry about?Does this mean I am not fit for CAT?
    -If I can manage to secure first class in my masters do i get any extra advantage in the interview board (during admission in a b-school and also during campus recruitment)?

    • Ronit, first of all you must have a look at the list of the top 20 B-schools and their info here.

      Your situation of limited time is similar to that of a working professional. We’d suggest that you should look to spend 2 hours daily on weekdays and at least 8 hours each day on the weekends. While solving the fundabooks you should not be bothered about the Level 4 problems. Try to solve all the problems till Level 3.

      Start by taking 1 Mock CAT per week. Each practice test and Mock CAT should be analyzed in detail to ascertain what worked or did not work for you. Spot the important questions that appeared in the mock. These important questions should be revised once a week. Effective mid-September you should move to 2 Mock CATs per week and once you finish your practice material start attempting CAT 1990-2008 papers.

      Please refer to the IIM Profilizer to check your eligibility for various IIMs.
      Please make sure that you write your post graduation details in the profilizer as well.

  107. dear gp sir,
    I live in bangalore, when can I get a session of the samrt quant cracker here and how will I get to know about it? I am a cl mock series student

    • Navjot, a student aspiring for the top IIMs should ideally be attempting 25 questions in VRC in 60 minutes as given below:
      RC – Attempt 3 out of 4 RC passages in 30 minutes
      Verbal – Attempt 12-14 questions in 30 minutes

      Obviously in VRC you can maximize the attempts in your stronger area but cannot ignore the other one.

  109. Sir,

    My accuracy in Fact, Inference, Judgement is pretty low. Could you please write an article to alienate the same.

    • Sanjay, the best solution to tackle this is to go through the FIJs that have appeared in the mocks that you have taken. This much introspection will help you a lot in realizing exactly what aspects you must keep in mind while answering FIJ’s.
      Take previous year exam papers and solve the FIJs. Check whether you are comfortable with the level of questions or not. This would by and large solve your issue. Though, CAT does not ask many FIJ questions and you need not worry about it much.

  110. Sir my SSC CGL exam is on 16th august. The only problem that I am facing is for GK. As I have prepared for CAT my Quant , Reasoning and English sections are good but I lack in GK. So I need your guidance to prepare for GK. I have around 15 days left. Please tell me how I prepare for GK in these days.

    • With 15 days in hand, it would be advisable for you to go through the latest happenings of the last 4-5 months. Your SIS has sufficient resources to help you tackle this section. The GK Compendiums & Question Banks, GK videos of IIFT/SNAP/XAT are more than sufficient for the preparation of this section. Consider quickly going through the Daily GK Update, in the SIS, of the last few months to be abreast with the latest issues and developments in the world.

      • Rishabh, the validity of the Test Gym and thereby of the SIS is only till the target exam year (in your case, till CAT 2014). In order to reactivate the account, purchase a new CL product like the Test Gym, Smart CAT Cracker or the Test Series. Please note that the content of the Test Gym will be the same as it was last year.
        We would suggest you to go for the CL Test Series as appearing for more number of mocks is really important in order to crack any MBA entrance exam.

  111. Dear GP

    I am having an work ex around 2 years and while joining the B schools next year I will be having an work ex around 3 years. So going for CAT would be beneficial or shall I give a shot to GMAT. Currently I am preparing for CAT but if I want to give GMAT how much change in preparation would be required?

    • Manish, Upto 4 years work experience is not a problem for a 2 year MBA program from IIMs or any other top MBA institutes. However taking GMAT is a good option as it will allow you to apply to the 1 year program of ISB Hyderabad. The preparation for the two is almost the same in terms of concepts and knowledge but since GMAT is an adaptive test, in test taking there is a significant difference. Also GMAT has a difficult Verbal section as compared to CAT.

  112. sir,
    i belongs in DA categorie my VA section is very week what minimum percentile require to get iim A

  113. Sir,
    i am 25 yr old and my profile is 10th-59%12th-60% graduation-50% p.g-62% .in campus placement can i face difficulties because of my past academies.

    • Raj, your past academic record will not decide your fate in the campus selection at a B-school. It is your performance in the MBA program that would matter during the recruitment process. There is no reason for you to feel skeptical about this.

      You must focus on the preparation of the MBA entrance exams and make sure that you get into one of the top B-schools. Once you make it to a top B-school, you can even use your academic record to substantiate how you became more serious about your studies later on because of which you were able to make it to a top B-school.

  114. Hello GP Sir,
    i am a student of CL, i just need some quant question solutions coz i am not able to understand the solutions provided in the book
    so sir can i get your email id to have a conversation about the same
    Thanks

  115. Sir i am student of CL-classroom BankPO course.I want to give CAT this year…please provide me detail about is it possible for me as now starting….i have joined BANKPO 3 months ago and had my basics clear….please tell me how should i do

    • Manjot, the best way to go about this is to start attempting CAT 1990-2008 papers. Start taking 1 Mock CAT per week. Each practice test and Mock CAT should be analyzed in detail to ascertain what worked or did not work for you. Spot the important questions that appeared in the mock. These important questions should be revised once a week. In addition to the above you should be reading the editorial, business and international pages of an e-paper daily (Indian Express or The Hindu).

  116. Dear Sir,

    I want to register for nmat 2016. I am working in my family business since 1st july, 2015. Its full time and i graduated in 2015 only. Should i put it as work ex? Will it even make a difference because the work ex will be around 6 months only as on 31/6/2015. Please guide.

    • Jayesh, you should certainly mention it as work experience. Though during the interview, work experience in family business is taken with a pinch of salt. Moreover, mentioning your work experience will give you a lot of substance to talk about in the interview. You must be prepared with solid answers about almost everything regarding your family business.

  117. Sir, I recently enrolled for the CAT test series and I haven’t attempted any CL mocks so far. I want to know whether the tests I’ve missed so far will be changed as per the new pattern or not? Also, what about the Master test series?

    • Nitish, the mocks that you have missed will be available to you as Sectional Tests. These will be as per the new format.
      Also, full 180 minute videos will be uploaded for 3 out of the 13 new mocks coming up. Through these videos GP, Gejo and Neeraj will enlighten you about the new test taking strategy.

      • What about the Master Series tests I’ve missed? Can’t they be converted according to the new pattern?

          • Instead of converting the old mocks into sectional tests, It would be really helpful if you convert them into new pattern full length mocks. Can’t this be done?

          • Nitish, they are being converted into sectional tests so that the students who wish to practice a specific section can utilize these sectional tests. The students can also take 3 sectional tests back-to-back to simulate a full length test.

  118. Sir,
    Will there be any negetive marking for non MCQ questions? What If I have written the correct value till 1 decimal but not beyond that, in that case will I be considered as incorrect.
    Please clarify

    • Saikat, as given on the CAT 2015 website, there will be no negative marking for the non-MCQ questions.

      Secondly, it is highly unlikely that such an acute situation would arise in the CAT exam. Most probably, the answers to the non-MCQ questions will not have a decimal part. Even if they do, be rest assured that sufficient cushion will be provided. Nothing unfair or unreasonable will happen.

  119. Dear Sir,

    In CAT 14, I attempted the paper in 3rd slot. I got a scaled score of 87.06(94.6%) In QA, 77.43(94.8%) in VA and 162.33(96.3%) overall . Since CAT does not give detailed score card. I want to know the general idea of my unscaled score so that I can understand how many of questions I marked were wrong. Please help sir.

  120. Hello Sir,
    My grammar is not improving,
    I am always doing many questions wrong,
    I already went through basics before attempting topic tests,
    please what should be the right strategy along with specific timetable for the coming days…
    Thank you !

    • Soni, you should begin with reading books or magazines. This will expose you to various styles of writing and improve your instinctive error detection. This is very important for the spot the error type of questions.
      Other than this, you must analyze all of your previously attempted mocks. Go through the solutions and understand the explanations given there. A great deal of learning can be done this way. Start solving more Test Gym questions on Grammar. This should considerably increase your VA score by improving your Grammar.

    • Shyam, in your case the dilemma would be whether to go for a one-year executive MBA or a full time two-year MBA. Considering your work experience it will be advisable for you to go for a one year executive MBA from a top institute. These programs are specifically created to target the needs of seasoned professionals like you.

      At this point you should be channelizing your forces towards GMAT. The top IIMs (A/B/C) accept the GMAT scores for their PGPEX programmes. Needless to say ISB Hyderabad should be your primary target along with these IIMs.

      CAT can still be given for practice sake.

      • So I can now focus only on GMAT and try get into 1 year executive MBA course.
        Do I have chance of getting into TISS HR management course?

        • Shyam, you certainly have a chance of getting into the M.A. in HRM & Labour Relations program at TISS. You need to appear for the TISSNET exam.

          Please go through these links for more details regarding TISS and the TISSNET exam.
          About TISS
          About TISSNET

  122. sir,i want to know that,my past score is
    10th : 49%
    12th: 66%
    B.com:59%
    so,for which collage i am eligible ? is it all depend on cat percentile ?

    • Gaurav, most of the IIMs will not be possible with your profile due to the class 10th marks. Some work ex under your belt will certainly be useful. IIMB gives a direct interview call to all candidates who get a 100%ile in a section or overall.
      FMS on the other hand, like many other MBA institutes, does not consider past acads and its interview calls are based on CAT score only. Also with a 85% weight for CAT score final selection is almost confirmed if you get a CAT score of over 99.6%ile.

    • Arjun, the first and the foremost thing you should begin with is reading. Read newspapers, editorials, magazines. Make it a habit to talk to your family and friends in English. Apart from this, it is extremely important for you to go through the basics of Grammar. The Wren & Martin book along with the CL material would be a good way to go about this.

      Practicing frequently asked question types such as Parajumbles, Paracompletion, Summary, FIB, Critical Reasoning could be done through the Test Gym. It is more than important to go through each and every mock that you’ve given. Mark out the difficult words from the RC, learn their meaning and their usage in the context.

      You must go through the following articles as well:
      7 Rules to Excel in CAT VA
      The Art of Solving RC Passages
      4 Rules to Master Paracompletion

      This should considerably improve your scores.

  124. Sir,
    Please put up something on how to go about quants!!! I’m weak in quants….like Verbal sections pls come up wid something in quants!

  125. Sir,
    I’ve checked the my profile in IIM profilizer , it is matched with some IIMs except IIM Banglore , IIM Indore and IIM Lucknow. I’m trying to understand the formula of composite score but it is not defined clearly.
    My previous performance is:
    10th : 71%(U.P. Board)
    12th : 78.6% (U.P.Board)
    B.Tech : 63.1% (NIT Allahabad)
    Experience : 18 months

    Please help me out.

  126. sir, i m performing okk in QA DI section uptill now as my scores r between 54-80 in cl mocks and there,s a scope of improvement too but in VA LR sir my scores r very bad as from 25-45 my overall performance is going between 82-106. Sir i m doing regular analysis of my mocks because of that my QA DI scores r improving but not VA LR scores. Sir please suggest how can i improve my score in VA LR.
    Sir new pattern is also of concern for me as they have made a separate section for VARC sir i m not able to figure out how can i perform well in that section.

    • Manvendra, the mere restructuring of the sections should not bother you. Please keep in mind that the weightage of your area of concern, VA & RC, still remains the same as it was before. In any case, to score a 98-99 percentile you have to be good across all sections, change of pattern won’t change that fact.

      We’d suggest you to start taking Sectional tests of VRC every 2-3 days, with proper analysis of it the next day. When you spot the specific areas of weakness, solve more test gym questions from that area. We’re coming up with 24 sectional tests based on the new pattern to give you thorough practice of the new format.

      You must go through the following articles as well:
      7 Rules to Excel in CAT VA
      The Art of Solving RC Passages
      4 Rules to Master Paracompletion

      You should witness a substantial jump in the verbal score with this strategy.

  127. Sir,
    please find below my profile details:
    X-85.8%
    XII-77.6%
    Btech- 95.2
    category-OBC-NC
    2015 passout

    i would like to know the percentiles needed to convert for the following B-schools,
    IIM-A,B,C,L,I
    New IIM
    FMS

    Also,i got a job in software firm,would it be advantageous for me to join a bschool after 2-3 years of experience

    with regards,
    Aditya kumar

    • Aditya, for the 2015-17 batch, the cutoffs for NC-OBC category for the top two IIMs were – IIM-A: 96.42%ile, IIM-B: 81.48%ile. For the 2014-16 batch, the cutoff at FMS was 90.6%ile. This should give you some perspective about cutoffs at other leading B-schools.

      You will be eligible for almost all the IIMs, do check the IIM Profilizer to confirm.

      With 2-3 years of work experience you have an option of going for a one-year executive MBA instead of the standard two-year programme. 2-3 years of work experience will not help much in expediting the process of getting into one of the top B-schools as the weightage of work experience is really low in the assessment process.

      So it is either a two-year programme right now or an executive programme after 2-3 years of work experience. In my view, going for an MBA right now would be a better option.

  128. Hello GP,

    For the direct answers, will be be allowed to change our answers? For the MCQs we could mark an option for a question and then come back to change our choice. Can we enter a different direct answer to a question if we realize that the previously entered answer was incorrect?

    Regards,
    Ayan.

    • Ayan, as far as we are aware you will be allowed to change the answer. Please wait for the tutorial about the exam format to be released by CAT authorities on 15th October which might clarify this doubt of yours.

  129. Hello gp sir
    How many mock cat on new pattern I can get if I enroll for the same now.as you mentioned 13 mock cat on new patter.will it be sufficient for a good score in cat15.

    Thanks

    • Baijnath, from this point of time we have 13 CAT mocks, which are on the new pattern, lined up till November (please check the new schedule in your SIS). Apart from the 13 mocks, there will be 24 sectional tests based on the new pattern. Taking all of these 13 mocks and 24 sectional tests along with rigorous daily practice on the Test Gym will be sufficient to get a great score in CAT ’15.

  130. Hello Sir,

    I am a CL student and have been regularly taking MOCK tests, but my scores are stuck between 80-90. What would be the preparation strategy you would suggest for me to score 99+% in CAT 2015 specially with the new formats? I am good with DI and LR and RC, but not so strong at QA section.

    • Isha, you must start taking Sectional Tests. This way you would be dealing with the QA section more closely. To clear your basics, solve more and more Test Gym questions from the topics that trouble you. Do read our article on ‘7 Rules to Excel in QA‘ to get more insight about strengthening the QA section.

      Each practice test and Mock CAT should be analyzed in detail to ascertain what worked or did not work for you. During this introspection you will realize which type of questions you are comfortable with. The analysis process is explained in my blogpost Things you must-do after every mock you take

  131. Sir,
    Is it probable that CAT 2015 will put more emphasis on vocab than CAT 2014 since the non mcq type questions have been introduced and CAT 2014 has almost eliminated direct vocab related questions?

    • Shuvrajit, the introduction of the non-MCQ type questions does not imply that more emphasis will be on Vocab. Also, non-appearance of the vocab questions in CAT ’14 doesn’t imply that there won’t be any in CAT ’15 as well.
      It is certainly possible that there could be vocab questions this year but nothing can be said about it assertively. Though, in order to keep you prepared for any situation, we might include vocab questions in our new mocks.

      Also, make full use of the Vocab Zone on your SIS and the mSIS mobile app.

  132. Sir, will the sectional tests on our student home page change accordingly? Can you please suggest a plan for practising DILR .

    • Ashi, we will be coming up with 24 sectional tests based on the new CAT pattern. Along with that, the 13 mocks coming up will also be based on the new pattern.

      You will get sufficient practice for DI and LR by taking each of these mocks and sectional tests. DI and LR must be practiced daily. You must be thorough with the concepts of Percentages in order to crack most of the DI sets. Make it a point to solve one test each of both the topics, DI and LR, from the Test Gym. Eventually, you will get acquainted with various types of DI and LR.

  133. Sir
    I’m 2014 passout and currently working in Accenture. I never prepared for CAT. I started preparing for CAT-16. For 2015 which colleges should I apply in? I wanted to do MBA in HR.
    My past performance is
    10th: 79% (state board)
    12th: 73% (state board)
    B.tech: 73% (ECE)

    Please help me out.

    • Priya, decent acads and hence you can possibly get a call fromm all IIMs, please check the IIM Profilizer to confirm.
      With 4 months to CAT’15 you have sufficient time to prepare and should give it you best shot. For MBA HR you should apply to SIBM Pune, SCMHRD, TISS, XLRI and IIM Ranchi (PGDHRM).

  134. As we know that basic Calculator is allowed this time in CAT so is it possible that this time we will not see questions from number system, specially question from reminder theorem/ last two digit/ divibility rules ? What can be most probable change we can predict because of this calculator ?

  135. Sir ,

    Could you suggest me how to improve the verbal part specially the Rc’s so that i would be able to solve maximum questions in it. and in quant geometry is an area of concern i feel afraid to solve it even though i know the concepts.

  136. Good evening sir,
    Sir can you please provide a rough esmitate about marks vs percentile for this new pattern.
    Thankyou

  137. Sir can you please provide a table giving us information about expected marks vs percentile for this new pattern paper.it will surely help alot in reducing the mental pressure

  138. Sir,I’m been carrying this dilemma since long time ,I’m an engineering student perusing my final year I got 7.4 in 10 ,71% in 12,nd in b.tech Frm past 3 yrs I had nearly 9 backlogs nd I have cleared all of them I wud like to kno would that be major drawback while selection in a bschool

  139. Sir , I am giving CL mocks and I am scoring around 100-108 , but where I was getting most marks out of QA/DI section(around 55-60) and from earlier VRC/LR section(in LR only) , with this new pattern I am sure to do well in QA and DI/LR section , but the thing is I dont know what to do with my VRC section , how can I improve there , as I am fearing with this new pattern I may not even cross cut-off in VRC section.
    [Currently in 4th year of CSE , X- 76.75% , XII-77.30% ]

    • Kallol, with a dedicated 60 minutes for RC and Verbal you could surprise yourself. Most of the students who were not doing well in Verbal were either not giving it sufficient time or just rushing through the RC passages and Verbal questions. Look at attempting 2 passages of RC and about 10-12 questions of verbal reasoning.

  140. Sir i sent you 2 mails regarding my query and hasn’t received anything from you. Please reply.

    • Venkatesh, there can be minor modifications but by and large it will be the same. The next Mock CAT starting on 31st July will be as per the new pattern and will also have the non-MCQ questions.

  142. Thanks for your analysis sir. But one thing is not clear to me in this new structure of the paper. Will we be able to choose the order of attempting the sections? I always feel comfortable in doing VARC first and then QA.
    Another question is whether the SQC techniques will be of any use this time because it may be possible that the questions in which options checking helps will be direct answer type.

    • Nandita, the aspect of sequence of sections has not been clarified by CAT but my guess is that it will be the same sequence for all candidates and is likely to be QA, DILR and VRC.
      The non-MCQ questions are likely to be around 5 and hence SQC techniques will be useful in the remaining 30 odd QA questions and also in the DILR section.

  143. Dear Sir, what implications do these changes have, in terms of those who are good at a particular section. Earlier since QA & DI were clubbed together one could concentrate on attempting minimum QA and doing well in DI. Do these changes spell doom for students from a non-engineering/mathematical background since sections have been separated and time limits per section has been introduced?

    • SMF, the changes incorporated in CAT 2015 paper means that you have to be reasonably good in all areas and do not spell doom for non-mathematical candidates. It is an advantage for you because most engineers will not be comfortable with VRC section.

    • shobit, yes the next Mock CAT scheduled for 31st July will be as per the new pattern and include the non-MCQs.

  146. Sir,
    i am a little perturbed by the introduction of three sections..as it throws me completely off guard..i hv bn gettin around 101-122 in cl mocks..with my percentile howering around 85 %-97%ile..i am not very quick at solving di and lr and am thus concerned..though vrc is my strength as i hv consistently scored above 94%ile in the valr section,primarily attempting 40 quests on va n rc..sir ,what could be my ideal approach for cat 15?

    • Saoumya, attempting 5 sets in 60 minutes of the DILR section is llikely to be sufficnet and with 4 months to CAT with practice and revision you can definitely improve in this section. Also with LR (the time consuming part) removed from VALR you will be able to justice to your area of strength – Verbal and RC and should target 25+ questions in VRC in 60 minutes.

  148. A good review of the revised CAT format for 2015, thank you.
    My points of concern starts with the introduction of time limits in the various sections and hence the strategy of using the time saved at my strong section in the weaker sections has gone defunct.

    Second point and a feared one is that of the introduction of calculator. GP, I hope your presumptions, “the general trend of CAT turning to logical than calculation intensive will be continued in 2015 too” turns out to be correct.

    I appreciate you mentioning on the sectional cut-off and the net correct answers needed to make it to sectional cut-off. I would request you to elaborate on other strategies that could be used in wake of the revised CAT-2015 format.

    • Jithin, in most of the “open book” tests the books are useless and the same is likely to be true for the calculator also, especially if we consider the example of SAT and GRE. The sectional and overall cutoffs mentioned are based on the level of difficulty of CAT 2014 and if the paper is slightly more difficult then the cutofs could fall by another 2-3 questions in each section.
      Will be be coming out with strategies for CAT 2015 shortly.

  149. Sir, blog is really helpful.
    Since the pattern has changed. what level of difficulty to be expected?

  150. Sir ,I want to know about normalisation process in cat2015.please explain about not multiple choice question whether it effect or not in normalisation?

    • Vinay, the papers that will be conducted in the two slots cannot be identical or of the same level of difficulty hence to ensure that students with the difficult paper are not disadvantaged, the score of the candidates in the two slots will be adjusted using statistical techniques. normalisation is done on the basis of net score after accounting for negative marking.

  151. sir, i would like to know that how much should I score in C.L. mocks to be sure for CAT?? I mean I wanna know the marks I need to score in mocks which will be equivalent to 99+% in CAT’15. Just to be sure on my part. I hope I am pretty clear….

  153. Hello GP Sir,

    I have enrolled for CL mock CATs and I’m an ex CL classroom student. LR and DI have always been my weak areas. Now that this is a separate section altogether, how should I start preparing for LRDI cos my present condition is pretty bad in this section.

    What should be my approach from now on??

    • Pawan, a couple of DI and LR sets should be practiced daily. These should be analysed and the difficult sets/questions should be revised weekly.

  154. Hi GP sir,
    Thank you for the analysis. Please help me with the following.

    1) The allotted time of each section has been fixed. What can be said about the order of the three sections ? Fixed or Flexible
    2) The modifications appears to attract more non-engineers, taking away the edge of calculations from engineers by introducing an on-screen calculator . Whats your say ?
    3) Since IIM A is preparing the paper what can be said about the level of difficulty of Verbal and RCs?
    4) How many questions from Vocabulary do you expect for CAT 2015 ?
    5) Most importantly when can we expect CL to incorporate new pattern in their Mocks ?

    Regards,
    Imtiyaz

    • Imtiyaz,
      1. The sequence has not been defined but is likely to be the same for all candidates and will most probably be QA, DILR, VRC.
      2. CAT was never about calculations, it was about logic. Using calculators is cumbersome and mental calculations are faster.
      3. wrt CAT 2014, the LOD of RC is likely to be higher while that of Verbal is likely to be the same.
      4. I do not expect any vocabulary questions except fill in the blanks.
      5. The next Mock scheduled for 31st July will be as per the new pattern and will also include the non-MCQ questions.

  155. Sir, I request you apart from mocks please introduce changes in Test classic gym pattern also. So that by more and more practice we can adapt to the changes in CAT 2015 pattern.

  156. Sir, Will there be come back of Vocabulary based questions in VA RC ? Should we devote time for this ?

    • Jatin, the papers that will be conducted in the two slots cannot be identical or of the same level of difficulty hence to ensure that students with the difficult paper are not disadvantaged, the score of the candidates in the two slots will be adjusted using statistical techniques. normalisation is done on the basis of net score after accounting for negative marking.

  158. dear sir ,
    your predictions came out to be true last year and i am hoping that it would turn out true this year also and i am gonna prepare considering your suggestions.

    will we get non mcq parajumble ? if so how to tackle the same.

    also i wanted to join CL test series but there is no CL test center in my city .so i want to take all the mocks online at home, is this possible? .and how many new pattern mocks will i get if i buy now?

    • Rohit, non MCQ parajumbles are possible however any new question type that is introduced in CAT usually has easy questions hence I am not be worried about the non-MCQs. For these questions I will read the statements once (max twice), try identifying the mandatory pairs and thus the complete sequence, if not sure leave the questions un-attempted.
      You can enrol for the online test series wherein you can take the tests at home. Please drop me an email at gp@careerlauncher and I’ll have someone call you. 13 new pattern Mocks will be available if you enrol now for the test series.

  161. Thank you sir, blog made things much clear.
    Can we expect Level of difficulty of questions to become easier since their is a change in pattern ?

    • Anirudh, This is not a change but a minor modification of the pattern. Compared to CAT 2014, I expect CAT 2015 to have similar DI, LR & Verbal while the level of difficulty of QA and RC could go up.

  162. Hi Sir,

    Hope you’re doing well.

    The changes, as stated above, are out. To me it seemed and still is a 360 degree kind of change since this is my first attempt at any competitive management exam. Keeping the above pattern specs in mind, how do you see the overall level of difficulty? How easy/hard would it be score between 85-90%ile?

    Many Thanks for your answer,
    Shivam Kapoor

    • Shivam, Compared to CAT 2014, I expect CAT 2015 to have similar DI, LR & Verbal while the level of difficulty of QA and RC could go up. By an large the Mocks have so far been more difficult than CAT 2014. A 90%ile is not difficult and I estimate would need a score of around 115 in CAT 2015 which should be possible for anyone scoring about 90 marks at present.

  163. Hi GP sir, What about the sectional tests available @ Test Gym? even those are structured in QA/DI and VA/LR sections. SO, will CL be splitting all the content in 3 separate sections?

  164. GP Sir,
    I had a few doubts regarding my CAT prep:

    1. Do you expect the QA difficulty level to be similar to CAT 2014? If so, does it make sense to practise a variety of tough and time-consuming questions or focus only on concept-based questions?

    2. Even after having an on-screen calculator, does it make sense to develop and practise calculation shortcuts/techniques?

    3. I take more time to solve an LR set. Apart from practice, is there any other way of improving LR skills?

    4. You had earlier suggested that the VA section could be tougher in CAT 2015. Do you still agree? If so, does it make sense to solve tough RCs (difficult topics, lengthy passage, lots of inferential questions, 5 answer choices per question)? Also, can we expect a lot of vocab and grammar questions in CAT 2015?

    • Palash, CAT 2014 had easy QA and RC while the others were medium to difficult hence you sgould definitely practice medium level of difficulty questions.
      In CAT the difficulty is not in calculation but in what to calculate and I am sure that calculator will not be of much use. Also for simple calculations you will find calculator to be inconvenient.
      Apart from practice you should also revise the LR and DI sets.
      Given that IIM A is setting the paper I expect VRC to be difficult. Length of the passages may not go up but the level of difficulty in terms of understanding and close choices is possible. I do not expect too many vocab and grammar questions.

  165. Thanks for ur insight GP sir.

    I want to know about any imminent schedule for SQC in Patna (bihar) ??

    TIA 🙂 🙂

  166. Hi Gautam sir,

    I have two questions:

    1) I have enrolled for CAT Score Booster. Is CL going to provide another set of videos based on the newly announced pattern?
    2) Should I continue taking the older mocks because as mentioned in the article, we will be provided with just 12 tests on the new pattern. Also, what could be some good online sources for tests on the new pattern.

    Thanks.

    • Lalam, yes another set of videos based on the CAT 2015 pattern Mocks will be provided.
      he older Mocks will also be reconfigured and you can take them as Mocks (in the new pattern) or as 60 minute section tests.

  167. Dear Sir,

    Please upload some “How I attempted Mock CAT xx” in the new model as it will be very helpful for us.

    Also, most of us have difficulty is solving “summary questions” as a lot of the answers look very similar, Hence Please upload an article to help us solve these types of questions.

    Thank you in advance sir.

    • Roshan, How I attempted Mock CAT xx” in the AT 2015 pattern will be uploaded along with the analysis of the new pattern Mocks.
      Check out the articles by Gejo on Tc and Inferential questions, they should help you in the summary questions.

  168. Sir will there be any change in type of DI questions given… And in quant section i make use of options most number of times specially in algebra.. So will there be a disadvantage due to introduction of subjective questions…

    • Shashank, I do not expect more than 5 subjective questions in QA and hence elimination of choices will work in the remaining.

  169. Sir since CAT will provide calculator so is there any need to work on calculations or solving calculation based DIs?

    • Arpit, not really but a calculator should be used for difficult calculations, for simple calculations it will be wastage of time.

  170. Hello GP Sir
    I am very confused for my career. I want to go for Management course but I have not good academics.
    Category – General
    Class X – 72 %
    Class XII – 61 %
    Gap after XII – 2 year gap after (12th)
    B-Tech (ECE) – 58 %
    Experience – NO (0)
    Sir, will it be possible for me to crack any IIM or best B-Schools of India if I score better percentile in CAT entrance. Should I go for CAT Preparation or not?
    Please sir Reply m waiting..

    • Rakesh, purely from the point of view of CAT and other MBA entrances your not being good in academics is not an issue because CAT tests your knowledge of class X Maths and English. However poor performance in X, XII & graduation implies that you would not be eligible for some of the IIMs. Please check the IIM Profilizer to check which IIMs you are eligible for and the score required for a call. Fortunately most of the non IIMs have no/low weight for past academics and will not be a problem. Start yur CAT preparation immediately, with 4 months available for CAT’15 you should immediately start your preparation, please connect with your closest CL centre asap.

    • Arun, Mock 9 starting on 31st July goes as per the schedule, it will be as per the new pattern and will also include the non-MCQs. However there might be a minor tweaking in the schedule since IIFT is scheduled for 22nd November.

  172. Sir,I used to devote around 1hr 30min. for the VA/LR section and most of the time ended up attempting around 27-28 questions with decent accuracy as LR is my forte.But now since the pattern has changed,solving 34 VA questions including the RCs in 1 hour is looking quite a daunting task to me!
    Sir,how should I strategize my VA section as to attempt more with decent enough accuracy to clear the cut-offs.Do I need to work hard on areas such as grammar more now in which I am not comfortable enough?
    Thanks in Advance!

    • Kshitij, your initial target should be to attempt a couple of RC passages and 12-14 Verbal questions in 60 minutes leading to an attempt of 20 in VRC. With 4 months to go you can definitely improve your attempts to around 25 in 60 minutes.

  174. SIR ,
    as time alloted is 60 for each section then how is it possible to have 2 sections in the paper . kindly make it clear for me.

    • Anil, it is 3 sections of 60 minutes each.
      Section 1 – QA 34 questions
      Section 2 – DILR 32 questions
      Section 3 – VRC 34 questions

  175. Sir I have sone queries regarding dis pattern. Please help
    1) What do you think about the question paper difficulty this time around? Will it be same as 2014 or tougher?
    2) DI and LR as a section will require to solve atleast 2 di and 3 lr or vice versa to get good percentile in this section. So will d question be easier than last time as DI and LR in 2014 were the toughest aspect of question.
    3) What about the verbal ability part will it be same as last time with no questions from word uses and less questions from grammar or will that change too.

    • Shivam, it is expected that VA section would be of a good level whereas QA could be slightly easy.
      1. As usual the changes in CAT are in the structure and the content or the kind of questions that will be asked has not changed but with the sectional time limits, the free-ing VALR section of LR, free-ing QADI section of DI and creating anew section of DILR means that the good in Maths cannot hide behind LR and will have to do well in RC and Verbal to make it to the next stage. Similarly those good in language cannot ignore DI or LR.

      2. In DILR, 24 questions should be attempted from 6 data sets in 60 minutes as given below
      DI – Attempt 3 out of 4 DI sets in 30 minutes
      LR – Attempt 3 out of 4 LR sets in 30 minutes

      3. Considering that only the structure of the paper has changed, it will be a little to much to predict what kind of questions will and will not come. Be rest assured, we will be incorporating all kinds of questions, which usually appear in the VA section, in our mocks to give you a good practice.

  176. Hello air,
    What can we expect about the difficulty level of the questions compared to 2014? Can we expect some vocab based questions in VARC?

    • Akash, Compared to CAT 2014, I expect CAT 2015 to have similar DI, LR & Verbal while the level of difficulty of QA and RC could go up. I do not expect vocab based questions in CAT 2015.

  177. Sir, i have been poorly performing in the mocks even after knowing the topics. I would like to talk to you regarding that. I am aiming only top colleges. Please help.

  178. Sir I think it again goging back to its original form
    Any tips from you to score above 99% in cat 2015

    • Anurag, since DILR will be a seperate section, students strong in Maths cannot hide behind LR and will have to do well in RC and Verbal to make it to the next stage. Similarly those good in language cannot ignore DI or LR.
      The right approach hence is not to ignore any area and regularly practice all question types. RC and DI which are routinely ignored will now become important and should be practiced daily. In CAT 2014 99%ie was at 190 marks and we expect this to fall to around 175 in CAT 2015. Sectional cutoffs could be in the range of 35-40 marks depending upon the section and its degree of difficulty.
      An overall attempt of 75 with around 25 in each section should be sufficient.

  179. sir, as it might look like the most rhetoric question but sir if u can help by answering this. around 100 days are remaining for the exam, so what one must do to make his/her verbal ability at par with cat level if he/she is at intermediate level in gym adaptive. thank you !

    • Vikash, intermediate level indicates that the knowledge is in place but possibly practice and revision are missing and that is what you may need to focus on.

  180. Sir, will we get to choose the order in which the 3 sections would appear as is the case with NMAT exam ?

  181. Thank you sir for clearing the doubts new pattern. There was so much chaos around it and you cleared effectively.

  182. Sir,
    Considering IIMs want Cat to be a level playing field, can we expect critical reason questions in good number in VRC section?

  183. Thank you for your analysis sir. But I have a question with respect to the new structure of the paper. Will we be allowed to choose the order of attempting the sections? I always feel comfortable in attempting VARC first and then QADI.

    • Nandita, you are unlikely to be allowed to choose your section sequence. My feeling is that IIMs will give QA and the first section followed by DILR and VRC in the end.

    • Shubham, you are unlikely to be allowed to choose your section sequence. My feeling is that IIMs will give QA ans the first section followed by DILR and VRC in the end.

  185. Hi

    What will be the sequence in which the sections will appear?
    Also, what functions are going to be provided in the onscreen-calculator?

    Regards,

    John

    • John, you are unlikely to be allowed to choose your section sequence. My feeling is that IIMs will give QA ans the first section followed by DILR and VRC in the end.
      It is likely to be a simple calculator with mathematical operators (+, -, X and /), sqrt and 1/x

  186. Sir,
    Will there be significant change in the level of difficulty of questions? Also is different weightage going to be given to different sections?

    • Rachna, expect QA and RC to go up slightly in terms of degree of difficulty but the degree of difficulty of other areas would be similar to that of CAT 2014.

  187. That was nicely written sir.

    However, we had observed the scores and attempts in 2014 to be abnormally high for several students. So, doesn’t it indicate a shift from the 1999-2008 era w.r.t the overall of majority preparation? Thus keeping that in mind, what would be your take on the cut-offs or rather the general trend that you get to see each year!

    • Sach, CAT 2014 had abnormally easy QA and RC and hence the higher scores. In CAT 2015 I expect that these two sections will be slightly more difficult and hence expect the scores to be somewhat lower this time. The introduction of the non-MCQs could also reduce the overall attempts and scores.

  189. Dear GP,

    With a separate section for VERBAL, we can expect more grammar and vocab based questions in addition to Verbal Reasoning and RC’s. So, what is the preparation strategy for those? And what material is better for grammar rules? I am having Test Gym and Test Series of CL. Assuming I am at LEVEL 0 in grammar rules, what should be my move with limited amount of time in hand?

    • Sarat, the number of questions in VRC (34 questions) is the same as last year so one cannot assume that the number of vocab and grammar questions will go up. Practice grammar and vocab questions from Test Gym and also from old CAT papers.

  190. Sir,the limit is increasing by 10 minutes.So will the level of difficulty be increased?
    And how should one go about solving the non mcq type questions.?

    • Akshita, increase of 10 minutes in 170 minutes is not an indicator of level of difficulty. This was done so that every section is for 60 minutes, else it would have been for 56.66 minutes.

      • IIM A admission criteria has been revised for PGP 2016-18.

        Does p in Stage 2 (category wise selection) in criteria C2 mean ‘avaerage of percentage in 10th and 12th standard’ or does it imply’ percentage obtained in 12th standard only’. I am confused as what P stands for has not been mentioned implicitly in the stage 2 selection.

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