In my previous article on RCs I discussed about How an RC Question is created. Getting an inisder’s perspective helps you understand what are the things that you should look at while solving an RC question in your CAT mocks.
Every time I see the question- ‘what is the main purpose of the passage?’ follow an RC passage, I’ve felt that there should be an option ‘to confuse the reader’! To ease out some of the confusion, and make your life easier here are 4 cardinal rules you must follow at all times.
Rule 1 : Never be a Lazy Bum
TThe most criminal thing you can do with an RC passage is to be lazy while reading it. For anything to work, you MUST understand the passage to the best of your ability. If that means reading the passage slowly, so be it! Focus on comprehension and not on reading. If you haven’t read it properly, you might as well not read it at all and save yourself time and negative marks.
Rule 2 : Never read the answer choices before you read the passage
You might want to read the question stems before you read the passage to figure out what is it that you have to look for when you read the passage. It is not necessary and I personally do not recommend it, but many find it convenient to have a quick look at the questions before reading the passage. But please DO NOT READ THE OPTIONS before you read the passage. That would set you up for a disaster. Three options are incorrect and you do not want to load yourself with incorrect information before reading a passage.
Look at these four options. Try reading the options first and then the passage and tell me if you are not confused.
 Q. Which of the following conclusions can most properly be drawn, if the statements above are true, about a highly automated nuclear-missile defense system controlled by a complex computer program?
- Within a century after its construction, the system would react inappropriately and might accidentally start a nuclear war.
- It is not certain what the system’s response to the explosion of a large meteorite would be, if its designers did not plan for such a contingency.
- The system would be destroyed if an explosion of a large meteorite occurred in the Earth’s atmosphere.
- It would be impossible for the system to distinguish the explosion of a large meteorite from the explosion of a nuclear weapon.
PASSAGE: Meteorite explosions in the Earth’s atmosphere as large as the one that destroyed forests in Siberia, with approximately the force of a twelve-megaton nuclear blast, occur about once a century. The response of highly automated systems controlled by complex computer programs to unexpected circumstances is unpredictable.
Ok. Now that I have made my point, let me move on.
 Rule 3: Never get stuck on a difficult word… simply move on
One of the biggest hurdles when it comes to RC is when you see an unfamiliar word. Trying to spend time on that word would only make things worse. Simply move on. Imagine watching a movie. It is not that you understand every single scene, but then you figure things out at the end.
Rule 4: Never think that the correct option would come from outside the passage
What is out of scope is never the answer. The right answer has to be completely based on the passage. If it is an inferential question, the answer is something that can be clearly inferred based on the passage. Any of the options that throw you off track are wrong options.
More on RCs and how to apply these rules in my next posts.
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Sir, I am able to comprehend RCs but fail to recollect few key points while solving questions and due to this I sometimes mark the wrong option. So, I refer to RCs again while solving questions, but this hampers my speed greatly. What can be possible solution to this problem?
Kaustav, one way to deal with this could be to read the question and the options first and then scanning the RC passage. Let me know did it help.
Gejo Sir,
As GP Sir suggested that the VA section could be tougher in CAT 2015, I attempted RCs in the previous year TIME mocks but I found them to be lengthier (900-1000 words) and tougher (difficult topics, lots of inferential questions, 5 questions per passage and 5 answer choices per question). Thus, it takes 20 minutes to solve an RC passage! I wanted to ask whether it is worth solving such passages considering the probable increase in the difficulty level of RCs. (FYI, I can’t solve previous year CL mocks because the correct answer choice has already been darkened in the answer choices.) Apart from TGA and current mocks, is there anything else that can be done to improve RC solving skills?
Palash, the first and foremost thing that you should do to invariably increase your understanding and the speed of solving an RC is to start reading. Reading magazines, newspapers and novels would expose you to different styles of writing. You might feel that a certain RC is tough probably because you’re not able to understand it. You must mark the difficult words in an RC and find out its meaning.
TGA is one of the best tools to solve your purpose because it gets you to solve a few RC questions in a short period of time.
Sir, I have a problem answering the questions that ask about the style and tone of the passage.. Please advise me on this aspect..
Navdeep, we would suggest you to brush up your vocabulary. Learn the meanings of the words that describe the tone of the RC. Your problem could possibly be of not being able to understand the options. Go though the similar questions in the previous mocks and list down all the words that have appeared in such questions.
Hi Gejo,
Can we have an article on CRITICAL reasoning question,PC,Summary questions as based on last year’s paper this was a major chunk of the VA section.
Shanky, articles are available on some of these topics and for the others will have them posted.
Sir , Can you tell me if the ROI in XISS Ranchi is good ?
Riki, yes if you are looking at HR program but not for the other specialisations.
Hi Gejo
Lovely article, though strongly disagree with suggestion 2 (that is not read the options before the question. I think the rule is applicable selectively. For example: for the the question you have quoted, it makes sense (verbal guys like us can come up with examples to fit contexts) but if it is a generic purpose, tone or idea question, talking in terms of generalizations, pre-reading the options might actually help you derive the answer in the first read itself. So i guess the advice can be used selectively and in certain cases.
regards
Hi Prashant,
Two verbal guys never agree on certain things, now do they? 🙂
The way in which someone attacks a question largely depends on how one reads the passage. Does he/she read it completely or does he/she skim and scan. I follow the former. Keep it simple. Read the passage completely – gather the main idea/tone/’map’ – answer if the questions are generic – if not, go back look at the relevant information and answer.
So, to the question as to whether one should read options before reading the passage (be in RC or CR), my advise is don’t. Even in case of generic question – tone or idea based. If someone cannot answer idea or tone based question after the first read, then that itself is a huge issue since the outcome of the first read is to understand – the main idea, topic, purpose, author’s bias, tone, style etc.
The point that I highlighted in this case was this – out of the 4 options, 3 are wrong. Why create confusions before even reading the passage. I believe it is better to attack the options with some armor. ‘Guessing answers’ based on what one has read before even looking at options.
Regards,
Gejo
Yup, absolutely, verbal is all about disagreements..:)
But agree with your analysis and the fact that the first read should provide the answers..
i think the beauty of verbal is that it allows each his own method, and gives you the freedom to adopt the method that works for you..:)
Regards
sir . i hv a litle problem in the lr section of nmat.. expecialy the question that relate to what is the nex sequence or find out the odd no among the following .. is there any buk u could recomend .. for me to specifically target that area
Mayur, I am not aware of nay specific book on this area.
Hi sir
Sir I can’t skim effectively and as you yourself say that you don’t skim,I would like to know how do you judge whether you are wasting your time while reading the passage(You figure out the area in out of interest or maybe comprehension problem etc) without wasting much time.I have comprehending issues at times and hence end up wasting time.
Ayush,
Skimming is refined art. Not everyone is good at that. I know I am not!
Have a look at the video wherein I had attempted Mock 13. It will get uploaded in your SiS today. You will get an idea on how I handle RCs. When I read for the first time, I try and gather the following:
1. What is the main idea? – What does the author want to tell me.
2. Is the author taking a stance? -what is his view on the topic that he is discussing : positive, negative or neutral.
3. What is organization of the passage –> i kind of make a map of the passage. (helps me in ‘hunting’ information later)
Regards
sir,
in test gym classic 5 sectional test of each sections are available which contains past cat questions. is it enough to do them rather then doing past cat papers? or i have to them in addition to these tests?
Aayush, these papers have CAT 2003-08 questions and are the bare minimum tht you should do. Ylu should attempt the other CAT papers as well as suggested in the post 4 Weeks to CAT’14 – Ab billi door nahin
GP Sir
On the official website of CAT’14, it has been mentioned that there will be penalty for unanswered questions! You can check it on the “CAT 2014 test day guide” PDF at page no. 8. What kind of penalty it can be? What’s your take on it? What would be your advice?
Nagesh, penalty for unanswered questions is unlikely in CAT 2014 but it cannot be ruled out and if there is a penalty for unanswered questions then you may need to change the way you attempt CAT 2014. There are three possible scenarios that student’s need to consider:
Scenario 1. Penalty for incorrect answers > Penalty for unanswered questions:
There should be no change in your approach, you should leave difficult questions and attempt the easy and less time consuming questions.
Scenario 2. Penalty for incorrect answers = Penalty for unanswered questions:
In this case you should continue with your focus on the easy and less time consuming questions but in the last 10 minutes of the paper you of should mark an answer to all the unanswered questions. In other words you should not have any unanswered question.
Scenario 3. Penalty for incorrect answers < Penalty for unanswered questions: Follow the approach suggested in Scenario 2.
Gejo Sir,
What is answer of the passage, which you have given in rule 2? Is it option 1st.?
Regards.
If you are referring to this question:
PASSAGE: Meteorite explosions in the Earth’s atmosphere as large as the one that destroyed forests in Siberia, with approximately the force of a twelve-megaton nuclear blast, occur about once a century. The response of highly automated systems controlled by complex computer programs to unexpected circumstances is unpredictable.
Which of the following conclusions can most properly be drawn, if the statements above are true, about a highly automated nuclear-missile defense system controlled by a complex computer program?
A. Within a century after its construction, the system would react inappropriately and might accidentally start a nuclear war.
B. It is not certain what the system’s response to the explosion of a large meteorite would be, if its designers did not plan for such a contingency.
C. The system would be destroyed if an explosion of a large meteorite occurred in the Earth’s atmosphere.
D.It would be impossible for the system to distinguish the explosion of a large meteorite from the explosion of a nuclear weapon.
Answer is Option B.
Regards
Yes Sir,
I got it.. how stupid I am, I should mark B.
Thankyou Sir..
sir i m currently preparing for nmat .. and sir my (avg) score are ..
quant :125
lr : 76
ls:62
sir i was reading a news article tht last year 94.709 % was the cut off considering the sectional cutt of told be some other websites stated that a total score of 210 and a sectional score of
74..61 and 55 was required to get into mumbai campus .. sir i m a litle shaken up by this news article .. could you please clear this out .. and with tht.. could u please please tell some key demographics i should focus on .. considering this is the last week of nmat .. btw the news article was frm business standard .. !!
Mayur, I have not understood why these sectional cutoffs have shaken you, after all you are scoring more than these. The NMAT cutoffs for NM Mumbai in the last few years have been:
Quant: 72-76
LR: 61-65
LS: 55
Total: 208-210
With a total of 260+ you would be among the toppers in NMAT.
Sir,I am struggling in inferential and tonal questions in RC.Also it takes me time in reading the passages.Ideally how much time shud b given in reading and the passages.?
In VA-I AM FACING PROBLEM IN CORRECT WORD USAGE especially wen dre are 2 close options and in summary type questions.One more thing Sir,is it worth attempting vocab question when u noe the meaning of the second word nd not the first.?
As as per u wat shud b the minimum correct answers in both the sections-qadi and valr.
Sourav,
This is what happens in my case:
Average time that I take per passage : Around 9 minutes [for 4 question per passage].
Reading & Comprehension : Around 5-6 Minutes
Solving the Questions : Around 3-4 minutes [around 1 minute per question]
You will see a skew of more time in reading the passage (in my case). Many people have different strategy. When I read, I read it completely and analyse the following:
1. What is the main idea – what does the author wants to tell me?
2. Is the author taking any position – Is he positive, negative or neutral towards the topic at hand
3. The broad ‘map’ of the passage – helps me to hunt
[You can have a look at my Video which will be soon uploaded in SiS where I have taken Mock 13. You will see how I go about handling the passage]
Net, I spend close to 35 minutes to handle 4 passages.
With regards, it is always worth ‘trying’ to attempt the question – even if you know only word [Have a look at my video, you will see how I go about it when I dont know the meaning of one word]
You should aim for 25+ attempts (30+ would be great) with 90-95% accuracy.
Regards
Sir,
Though, I am doing vocab from mocks & from previous papers, still there are many words,as I have come across them in further mocks, meaning of which I am not getting, & some how I am not able to make balance between the old vocabs & new words( which I am getting from further mocks). Please suggest a way, what should I do now? Should I keep taking new words?
Gejo Sir,
What should be the approach for question type ‘primary purpose of author & main idea of passage’. Should I look to
a. first 2-3 paragraphs
or
b. first & last-2nd last paragraph?
Please suggest your views sir.
Regards.
Abhilesh,
Purpose/main Idea etc. is something that I figure out when the read the passage the first time. Read the passage completely (the first time) – you will get a clear idea of the primary purpose/main idea. Usually, you will find the ‘thesis sentence’ in either the first or the last paragraph. I WOULD NOT suggest that you only read those two paragraphs. Read the passage completely the first time.
regards
hmm.. okk sir,by reading the whole passage , I will try to get these type of answers, in my next rc .
Thankyou sir..
Sir, what should i do if there is any difficult word in more than one answer choices and because of that i unable to understand the exact meaning of the answer choices and unable to eliminate choices to get final answer.PLEASE tell me how should i cover vocabulary basically for RC in last 20 days to get best score in exam
Yogesh, in this case you should not mark an answer. Do not worry too much about vocabulary in RC since you can possibly understand the meaning from the contxt. In any case you cannot improve your vocabulary in the next 20 days.
Sir,
my LR and Grammar portion is weakest and in RC only 2-3 questions correct out of 4.what should i do to score well in this section? I searched the last year questions of english section but unable to get them.
Please help me
Yogesh,
Weak LR and 50% accurate RC will pull your score down pretty hard. Out of the two, bet on one (my take is RC) and focus the next 10 days and solve RCs. Go back to the basics – understand what mistakes you are making – work on it. If you can move from 50% to 90% accuracy, that will itself give you a huge boost in your score.
Regards
Greetings GP Sir and Gejo Sir 🙂 ,
Verbal is relatively my weak area among all the sections of CAT. With the aim of scoring 98+ in section-2 and bolstering my overall score by scoring high in section 1; I started practising a lot of RC passages and critical reasoning questions. Sir my strategy for section 2 is- Attempt all LR and try to solve 13-14/15, Do critical reasoning,FIB,PC and easy PJ questions (I’m always doubtful about PJ’s !) and then I solve 3 RC’s by attempting 8-10 questions in all.. However, my strategy falters when: 1) LR sets are very difficult (coin based or so)
2) I can’t focus well while working with the 3 RC’s towards the end.. I keep losing my concentration.. Kindly assist.
Thanks,
Rohan.
Anon,
If you want to get 98%+ in Section 2, then you need to hit close to 35 attempts with 90% accuracy.
Let’s take a specific case:
EU – 20 Questions
RC – 15 Questions
LR – 15 Questions
I can see a 35 with the following:
EU – 15-16 Questions
RC – 10 Questions
LR – 8 Questions
To achieve this, you will have to spend:
EU – 25-30 minutes (depending on the composition – if there are CR, Summary questions, you will end up spending more time)
RC – 35 minutes (All RC passages with about 9 minutes/passage to ensure accuracy)
LR – 20 minutes (2 LRs, 10 minutes each. Normally, it becomes difficult to handle all LRs)
This way, even if LR is difficult you can ensure higher attempts because you are trying to attempt ALL RCs.
My suggested order (given your issue of not able to do RCs together:
First 25-30 Minutes: EU [Mark only those you are sure of.. but give every question a genuine try]
Next 9 odd minutes: 1 LR (pick the one you think is the easiest among the lot)
Next 17 odd minutes : 2 RCs (pick the ones that you think you are comfortable with)
Next 8 odd minutes : 1 more LR (the second easier one)
Next 9 odd minutes : 1 more RC
Now you have about 7 to 8 minutes for hitting 80 minutes mark.
Decide you want to do the RC or the LR. Solve the LR if you are sure of it, else hit RC. Yes, it will be a difficult RC. A tough RC is always better than a tough LR.
So, your timeline should look like:
EU —> 1 LR —> 2 RCs —> 1 LR —> Either LR or RC
Do have a look at the video wherein I had attempted Mock 13 (this should get uploaded today in your SiS) – you will get some good ideas 🙂
Also, work on PJ – its not that difficult. You need to have a simple strategy. [Have a look at the video, you will get an idea of how I handle these EU questions]
Hope this helps.
Regards
Gejo
Thank you Sir. I’ll use the strategy of not doing all RC’s together and inserting LR’s in between. But in EU, am decent at Strengthen/weaken arguments,PC’s, Odd sentence and FIBs (if i know the words). However, am not good at grammar and hence leave those. Given this scenario, will it be possible to attempt 15 odd questions from EU itself? Or should I try and work on some other area??
Thanks,
Rohan.
Respected Gejo Sir,
Your methods to solve problems in VA RC section have helped me a lot. Your techniques are spot on and the way you use main idea in RC to solve problems, it becomes so easy to eliminate the wrong choices. By regular practice it has become easier for me to apply these methods fast.
I have seen all the analyses videos of old mock cat papers you have done. They have been of immense help to me in this final stage of preparation. Every video of yours encourages me to solve more and more VA RC problems.
I have, however, a small request to make. It would be very helpful Sir, if we could have your invaluable analyses in the remaining MOCK CATs as well. It would be very helpful in boosting our preparations in this last stage.
Thanks,
Rishabh
Rishabh, Gejo has taken Mock CAT 13 and its recording will be uploaded today, you can go through its writeup at “CAT 2014 – How I Attempted New Pattern Prock Mock 13″ by Gejo
Sir, could you please give me some tips regarding preparation of RC in the last 25 days so that I can clear sectional cutoff.
Arun, Gejo has posted an article on RC today, please go through this and the other RC articles by Gejo.
sir, RC is my very strong area. i do not attempt all the RC in mocks, but when i analyse my mock i am able to do all the RC correctly and that too in time limit..!!also my verbal logic is strong. i want to ask you that should i attempt all the RC? as its rare that i get them wrong moreover i spend more time on verbal section than QADI. and should i attempt RC in round 1 or verbal logic in round 1?
Aayush, of course you should attempt all RC and Verbal Logic. These two areas are likely to contribute 35 questions in VALR and a good performance here will boost your score significantly. You can consider attempting 1 set of LR provided you are comfortable with it and that too after you have attempted RC and VL. You can attempt VL first and then go for RC.
Hello Sir. I’ll be appearing in CAT-2014..Sir I am good in QUAD and LR but my english is very weak. Vocab , comprehension, grammar… everything. I see students reading novels. I have not read a single novel in my whole life as we did not have that exposure in school days. Now I’m using Word Power by Norman. I’ll finish it in 2-3 more months i guess. I have started reading english newspaper too. Can you suggest some other material that can help me in this regard ?
QUANT, DI*
Nishant,
I didnt get your comment. Could you please elaborate.
In the CAT, you get passages from subjects like – philosophy, sociology, culture, arts, literature, business, natural sciences etc. The key is to read a wide variety of articles.
Some websites:
Philosophy – http://plato.stanford.edu/
Science – http://www.sciencemag.org/journals
Business – Any business magazine, http://www.ft.com/home/india
Sir,
I have been reading Project-Syndicate, The Hindu…..should I also include the above mentioned sites(keeping in mind 30 days for CAT)…or are the current ones sufficient…?…
AG,
Since we have less than 30 days, my suggestion would be hit past CAT papers and solve a couple of RCs everyday. It will give you a wide variety of topics. Also, please solve all the RCs in your Unprocs. I am sure you will have lot of them left.
Regards
Hi Sir
Your articles on RC help me alot but i still face problems on articles on sociology and philosophy..Will going through the above mentioned websites be of any help at this stage????
If yes , then how much time should i spend on these??
Prachi,
Now may not be a good time to go and read articles on sociology and philosophy. What you need to do is solve RC passages based on those two areas. By the way, you will find many of those in the past CAT, XAT, IIFT papers – which is available in your SiS.
Regards
Hi Sir,
In inferential type questions we were specifically told that something which is explicitly mentioned in the passage can never be the right option. But in the Mocks I have found that being the case in certain passages. How do I tackle this dichotomy?
Thanks,
Utsav.
Hi Utsav,
Inference is the process of deriving are the conclusions from a set of statements.
Yes, technically speaking, inferences are things that are not explicitly stated. However, do remember that we have to choose the ‘best’ option. Also, please do remember that there can be a hair-line difference between from what is stated and what can be inferred. For instance, if I say that some A are B, then I can infer that some B are A.
I would, therefore, not eliminate options that are ‘explicitly’ stated in the passage. If that particular option is best among the rest, then I would mark that.
hi gejo sir,
just one question here, if there is a question in an RC and out of the options given , one is explicitly stated as it is in the paragraph. so is it likely , that it will NOT be our answer ? as the statement is already stated in the passage ! ALSO, what to do in the case when all other options in that question seem vague or too broad in their sense.
sanjana
I don’t look at whether it is explicitly stated or not. This can be really confusing.
Let us look at this statement:
Kathleen Wynne threatens fall election if opposition doesn’t co-operate.
What can be inferred:
Option: Kathleen Wynne will not threaten fall election if opposition co-operate.
Now, you could say that the above is explicitly stated. But if you take a closer look – the original statement says – if X, then Y. Option says if not Y, then not X. Now that can be inferred.
There can be hair-breadth difference between what is stated in the question and what is stated in the option.
So, I would rather eliminate the options that are vague and broad and go with the one that ‘seem’ explicitly stated.
sir, in rc i am able to make only 1 or 2 correct out of 3 question at this point of time what strategy should i follow in rc
and sir
i have low confidence in sentence correction did i leave it or i work on it ?
Rajeev,
The key is to get above 18+ questions correct in the second section.
If your RC is not all that great, then you must ensure that your LR is good. Between RC & LR, you would need to attempt about 12 questions. In your case it could be all three LR sets and 1 RC sets. That way, you still be able to reach the cut-off score.
With regards to sentence correction, at least learn the standard errors – Modifiers, Subject Verb Agreement, Parallelism, Pronouns etc. CAT is not far away, so I do not know whether there is enough time. If in your CAT, you get 1 question on SC, then there wont be a problem. But you might end up in trouble if there are 3. So, at least learn a bit so that you can at least eliminate a couple of options.
hi gejo sir,
just one question here, if there is a question in an RC and out of the options given , one is explicitly stated as it is in the paragraph. so is it likely , that it will NOT be our answer ? as the statement is already stated in the passage ! ALSO, what to do in the case when all other options in that question seem vague or too broad in their sense.
sanjana
Sanjana,
I would not eliminate the option that which is explicitly stated in the paragraph. There can be a hair-line difference between what is stated an what can be inferred. what to do in the case when all other options in that question seem vague or too broad in their sense – I will mark the one which is ‘explicitly’ stated since that would be the ‘best’ choice.
Good article but sir please get some time out of your busy schedule to share some gyaan with the delhi people.We are all gung ho for the interesting learning sessions to conquer the confusing and deceiving va section.
i try my best to understand RCs but rarely get my answers correct. How to score well, and how i should prepare effectively?
Please help
Hi Suri,
Since we are very close to CAT, let me answer your question from a different angle.
What we need –> 20+ attempt
From LR/DI – 12+ attempts | From VA – 8-10 attempts
Accuracy – High!
So, if your accuracy is low in RC, then you could try and solve all the LR (9 questions), and solve 3 RC questions that you are very sure of. That way you will still be able to attempt 12 questions from RC+LR. So, solve at least a couple of LR sets everyday.
Coming to your question, there are broadly 5 traps that the question setter uses to create options:
1. Too Broad 2. Too Narrow 3. Extremes (using words all, only, never etc.) 4. Alien (things that are not mentioned in the passage) 5. Twists (uses sentences from the passage and twist it around)
While you are practicing RC questions, try and identify the wrong options and eliminate them. Also, analyse your answer carefully. Identify the traps that you are falling into. This would help in improving the RC score.
Hello, i am not able to get the tone queston right, all the time i get it wrong….what to do??how many tone questions can come this year with 3 RC together??
Rahul,
How many questions on tone? That question has a tone of desperation. That is a difficult question to answer. If it comes, one can expect about one question on the same. Tone question are not that difficult to handle, unless if one does not know the meaning of the options given.
sir, one more question…how much time atmost we will alocate for each RC passage???
Rahul,
This is a suggested break up of 70 minutes in Section II. (It is not necessary that you follow exactly what I am suggesting. It will give you an idea as to how to plan the section)
15 | 20 | 20 | 15
15 – Verbal Ability ( 10 questions)
20 minutes – RC ( 2 passages or 6 questions)
20 minutes – LR ( 2 sets or 6 questions)
15 minutes – One extra RC or LR (2 questions)
That would mean about 24 attempts. (about 8-10 minutes per RC)
Sir , How can one solve 10 EU questions in 15 mins when PJ,PC,Grammar easily consume 2-3 min per question.
If 10 EU question take you 25 minutes, then you have about 20 minutes each for RC and LR. That would mean about 6 minutes per RC/LR set (if you attempt all) or 10 minutes per set if you attempt 4 (RC/LR) sets. This is good enough since you will still be able to attempt 22 questions.
Sir,
My question is not related to this article. I want to ask that are rough sheets limited in cat??
Thanks in advance
Why don’t you have a look at your verbal material…..it is worst I have ever seen
Aman, request you to please drop in specific feedback to me at gp@careerlauncher.com
Hello Sir,
While dealing with the passages (online) I simply get lost in the passages as the passages are quite long and many words seem alien to me. Even after spending a good amount of time (10-15 mins per passage) I am unable to score what I expect to score. This not only kills my time but also brings some negative marks with it. I want to score 7-8 correct questions out of 10-12. What should I do?
Please help me out.
Thank You.
Hi Ankit,
While reading the passage , I want to get the main idea. The ‘details’ are not really my focus, since I can go back to the passage any-time. The key is to understand the key elements.
My suggestion is to keep writing(or scribbling or drawing) down the key elements as you read. Since CAT is an online test, it is a challenge most of the time to read a passage on a subject that is alien. So, a good idea would be to keep scribbling things down. This will help us keep track of what is happening.
sir, can u recommend a few books/websites for general awareness for cmat ?
Dear Akshat,
Manorama Yearbook would be more than sufficient for CMAT GK preparation given the nature of questions and the weightage given to Static GK questions. Supplement it with newspapers, http://www.bbc.co.uk & http://www.thehindu.com and you have all the required material to ace the CMAT GK Section. Wish you all the best.
Regards,
Team CL
hello sir, i feel very fortunate to attend your session held in visakhapatnam and really loved the techniques you told us. sir, i would like to know about CMAT. what score according to you is good to get a call from the following colleges. JBIMS, Mumbai
SIMSREE, Mumbai
GIM, Goa
KJ Somaiya, Mumbai.please reply.
regards
ravi
About 300+ is a good score in the CMAT to look at the schools that you have mentioned
Sir,
What are the most common errors in Grammar questions (error identification) ?? I know Subject verb agreement, Modifiers, Pronoun are some..can someone throw some light on what are the other errors which we should always keep in mind ??
It’s good to have a checklist so as to identify errors in a grammar question, isn’t it ?
Thanks,
Vibhor
1. Subject Verb Agreement
2. Verb – Time Sequence
3. Modifiers
4. Comparisons
5. Pronouns
6. Parallelism
7. Idioms
Sir, I really face difficulty in questions which asks about the source of excerpt or about the profession of author can you please tell what should i look for in passage to crack these questions.
You can identify this with three things:
1. Purpose
2. Tone
3. Main Idea
Purpose can be broadly categorized into 4 –>
(1) to explain something
(2) to describe something
(3) to persuade
(4) to entertain
Tone – (1) Positive (2) Negative – ‘Mocking’ eg: sarcastic (3) Negative – ‘In your face’ eg: denigrating (4) Neutral -‘Active’ eg: analytical (5) Neutral – ‘Passive’ eg: descriptive
Once you understand tone/purpose/main idea eliminate options and then evaluate the rest.
Let me take a small example:
On the very last day the Republican-led House of Representatives was in session, the Republican governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, announced it was “why the American people hate Congress.” This was after Speaker John Boehner failed to bring up a bill providing aid to the victims of the mega storm Sandy. Disaster relief joined a long list of bills that the 112th Congress could not get its act together to approve, along with reforming the farm subsidies and rescuing the Postal Service. Those particular pieces of legislation were all written and passed by the Senate, a group that’s generally less proactive than a mummy.
The given passage is most likely to be taken from which of the following sources?
(a) Literary Magazine (b) Editorial
(c) Research Journal (d) Newspaper Report
Tone – The author is active –> check the last line: a group that’s generally less proactive than a mummy… (that has sarcasm)
Purpose – to persuade..
Eliminate –> (a) and (c).
Between Newspaper Report & Editorial, in Editorial the author will be active and in Newspaper report, the authors purpose would be to describe. Hence Newspaper Report can be eliminated.
Hope this clarifies
Hello Sir
I thought RC was my strong area and I didn’t focus on LR sets. this costed me an arm and a leg in this year’s CAT. I attempted all RCs and faced the music when the results came out. I don’t understand what’s going wrong. I tried solving one RC passage daily and analyzed it. Continuing this practice for two months (with gaps in between), I still screwed up on my Exam. Mock CATs didn’t work out well either. Every time I read an RC on a new topic, tend to make mistakes. However, when I tried solving RCs for GRE, I scored 90% on the practice questions. That gave me confidence but CAT questions were tricky. Comprehension was required. I don’t understand what’s going wrong. Practicing an RC a day doesn’t keep the doctors away from me, it kept the IIMs away for sure! Plus, I think my grammar is good and I don’t feel like revising grammar from the TIME booklets. Is there a source where in all rules of grammar and common mistake are mentioned in brief?
How to attack questions where in a word is given and you have to id the correct usage. It is very tempting when you zero down on two options and that’s when I am stumped!
Kindly help. Now I ve started preparing LRs, cuz I believe they are a life savior in this exam. My first attempt at CAT was horrible and I do not want a repeat. Kindly advise me on the best strategy. I am not sure if this is a good place to ask, but how many question should one ideally attempt in VA/LR section?
i.e. for a 97+ in this section?
I have people who have scored 99+ in this section but they say the number of attempts for them were above 25, which is out of my league, as of now.
Let me try and answer your queries in the order in which you have asked.
1. Sentence Correction – a reasonable source would be that of GMAT for sentence correction. Instead of looking at this as Grammar, think of it as Sentence Correction. Broadly, following are the errors that you should know – Subject Verb Agreement, Modifiers, Verb-Time sequence, Parallelism, pronouns, comparisons, idioms.
2. For correct usage, I would suggest that to follow this work order- (a) identify clues in the text which could help understand the context (2) before evaluating the options, make a rough prediction as to what the word could be (3) eliminate options.
To me, the step (2) works really well. If you do step (2), you are in control and your decisions are not based on how an option fit in the blank but based how your prediction fit in an option.
3. For 97%ile, your attempts should be around 20-22 with good accuracy. For the same, from VA – you need to attempt about 9-10 out of the 12 questions; RC+LR – about 12 questions.
My only word of caution with regards to dependence on LR is that there could be LR sets which are really hard and therefore, I suggest that please do not give up hope on RC.
Regards
“Never read the answer choices before you read the passage”
Sir i used to read the whole passages and then i used to go for the options earlier but at that time i used to be a 40 percentiler in va and lr section but i developed a technique of going for the questions first and then i skimmed through passage and the results were wonderful however i got about ( 6 out of 10) correct but i saved a lot time for lr part… nd amazingly i became a 90 percentiler in va section…but after reading this i felt i was following a wrong path but now i m coming back 2 the point from where i started that to before a week of my exam…as i dnt get enough time for the lr part nd i end up with (3 out 10 even worse) after giving so much time to rc …i just want 2 know if this thing varies person 2 person…should i adopt my old technique back again….i m so confused please help…
Hari, while there are general rules suggested by us you should go by what works for you because each one of us is different. The technique or strategy that gives you the best score is the right one for you. Please go back to your old technique.
Logic tells me — If you have skimmed the passage and got 6 out of 10 correct, then if you read the passage you will get more questions correct.
Continue to do what you do since it works for you. May be you give that extra bit of time to read the passage. When I say read the passage, I am not saying word-by-word, but understand the main idea of the passage, the tone etc. That should help you save time while getting to 8 on 10 correct.
When I say, never read the options first, I say that because, there are high chances we will fall into the trap. I would suggest that you analyse the 4 questions that you are getting wrong and see which trap are you falling into. This could help you avoid them in future.
English Va and Lr is a very good section sir ,
its so good that if i score above 40-45 on one instance it will kick me so hard in the second try that i will fall some where are around 28-35 (telling you both lower and upper range:P).
my only problem is this inconsistency which is lately becoming nightmare for the upcoming doomsday .
And thus my only question is how to deal with my problem of dwelling on 2 choices in para completion , para jumble and RC grammar only gets correct once in a blue moon and after taking seminar of GP sir i have started avoiding it ,Now i see enough room for improvement with every day passing by but a very paltry augment in skills, how can i be more sure with answer choices in that 220 min. pressure time .
Hi Sunny,
What I can understand is that you tend to make a mistake when there are two options that you think is very close.
(1) I will still suggest that you try and figure out why you get in wrong whenever you get it wrong. Spend like 30 min on each such questions to get to the cause of the problem.
(2) On the D-Day, assess the situation and then go with a strategy. Two scenarios – Case A : Out of the 25 questions, you faced the above issue only in 3 to 4. In this case, you can avoid taking a risk since you know that the rest of the questions will help you sail through. Case B: Out of the 25 questions, you faced the problem in 12-13 questions. Now in this case you have no choice but to take the risk and mark the answers and hope for the best. Let us hope that it will be Case A.
Regards
Gejo
sir,i am doing very poorly in rc…what should i do in these last few days…i am weak in va too…please help
Hi Joydeep,
First get a quick handle on the kind of mistake that you are making. Just do not keep solving more and more. We don’t want to be an expert in making mistakes 🙂
Let’s do this – solve an RC passage without any time limit. Then look at what type of mistakes you are making. With that understanding solve another RC passage without any time limit. Continue this and when you are fairly comfortable take an RC with time limit. But before you look the solutions, solve it once again without time limit..
Do this for about a week… you will see improvements.
Regards
Gejo
Hi Gejo,
I generally have pretty good comprehension skills…but sometimes in a Philosophical or Literature related passage…I have to read 2-3 times…the whole passage again….Can you suggest anything to counter that…
Can you suggest something to increase my familiarisation with Philosophy and Literature…..
Even in these passages, I have a pretty good accuracy…just that i take more time than normally i would have…Do suggest..!!!
Still waiting for your reply sir…!!
Sorry Narendra. Dont know how I missed your question.
Anyways, the answer to the question is just improve your familiarity with the two subjects. Since CAT is just a corner away, my suggestion is this. Pick up some random passages from the net and then read in leisure. Do a bit of ‘leisure research’ on the topic that you read.
That is the best we can do now.
Regards
Gejo
For me, it’s Philosophy and Science. It might be the difficulty level, too, but I think it’s because of the unfamiliarity of the words and concepts that make those passages uninteresting and dull. I find myself TRYing to focus on the words and that gets me into the 2nd reading of the passages.
Only way out, I believe, is to read random topics. ‘Eclectic’ is what they say.
Hello Sir,
My speed of reading RC is very slow. Can you advice me on how to improve my speed on reading RC or should i leave RC and focus only on other questions of VA-LR section to clear the cut-off.
Hi Deepak,
I am not too worried about the speed of reading. To me, it does not matter. What matters is whether you are able to comprehend what you read. If that is so, then there is no reason to worry.
Since CAT is about 45 days away, let me give you this plan. Let us not worry about speed. But get cracking on improving your comprehension.
I will not advice you to leave RC and focus on VA-LR. Let us give one more chance and if it does not work out then we will leave it. A 15 day plan to see if things will improve.
1. Every day, read the editorials of a national daily. Write down two things – (1) What is the broad idea of the passage and (2) All the things that the author is trying to tell you.
2. Every day, solve at least 1 passage. There are three kinds of questions that you are pretty sure about CAT – RC, DI & LR. Makes sense to solve 1 question of those three everyday.
Regards
Gejo
Hello Sir,
Could u please answer this question?? I m nt able to understand why they have given stat. II as CORRECT CHOICE too??
The following question has a statement, followed by two arguments I and II. Decide which of the arguments is a ‘strong’ argument and which is a ‘weak’ argument.
Mark your answer as:
(a) If neither argument I nor II is strong
(b) If only argument II is strong
(c) If only argument I is strong
(d) If both arguments I and II are strong
Statement:
Should judiciary be independent of the executive?
Arguments:
I. Yes, this would help curb the unlawful activities of the executive.
II. No, the executive would not be able to take bold measures.
No, it cannot be. Only Statement I is strong. Statement II is weak.
Statement II – It seems to suggest that the only way for the executive to take bold decision is not to make judiciary independent.
That is an absurd argument – pretty weak one.
So you are right and they are wrong. Be assured. I will be very interested in seeing the explanation given as to why Statement II is strong – it would be a masterpiece!
I sometimes find the options a direct excerpt from the passage. is that an inference? I mean an inference is to be covert information right? is the direct option correct or should i look for a more inferential option.
TIA. 🙂
While the definitions of inference, assumptions etc. are sacrosanct in Critical Reasoning, in RC you see that there are no strict rules.
So, in RC not go by any pre-decided rule that inferential question has be covert. Yes it must be, but then remember that you have to choose the best answer. If all the inferences are wrong and the only thing that is right is what is picked directly from the passage, then that is the best among the lot.
In inference based questions, you must critically evaluate each option.
Thanks a lot Gejo Sir,
I consider RC to be my strong point & i usually try to attempt all Q’s .
That is great Rahul. I do hope that your accuracy in RC is also high. Just a word of caution – never be over confident and always play the innings like its your first.
Sir Please help in RC
I mostly get RCs wrong.
If I get RCs correct I will definitely crack CAT with high percentile.
This one area is putting me down
What I have given here are broad rules. I will be writing couple of more article on RC wherein I will help you understand how not to fall for the traps set by the question setter.
Gejo Sir, u were earlier associated with edu times na?
I used to be invited by them to be a counselor and handle student queries.
Sir,
Can we straightaway eliminate all those options in an inferential question which contain sentences already stated in the passage?
It is not as simple as that, but yes – Inference is the process of arriving at a conclusing based on ‘stated premises’ or simply put – what one can logically derive from what is stated. So logically, if it is already stated, then it is not infered.
You must be sure that the idea is already stated in the passage before you eliminate..
In my next article, I shall get into the depth of RC and how one can identify incorrect options. That would give you a better idea.
Regards
Gejo
I forgot to ask one thing, I consider English to be my forte amongst other areas, but I fail to score in that.
What do you suggest, should one go serially, or first complete vocab, grammar, sentence-completion questions before dipping in the grueling world of RCs?
Well, the first thing for you to figure out is this – ‘when English is my forte how come I fail to score in that?’ – either it is an issue of speed or it is an issue of accuracy or is it to do with specific areas. Identify these and work on the same.
There is no rule as to how to attempt the VA-LR session of the CAT.
– Some would want to do the RC first since if they keep it for the last, they are basically handling the greuling RC in the the 110th minute of the test. So, they start with RC.
-Some finish the questions that take less time first like the one you suggest Vocab, Grammar etc. and then move to RC.
If you ask me, these are not so important. Engish is your forte – then these are not the kind of question you should ask yourself. Get to the bottom of the problem – start with identifying the root issue.
What is more important is you are able to answer the questions accurately.
Regards
Gejo
Well your point of not reading the answer option was absolutely correct. I committed that blunder during the last mock cat and was surely shown the door by the result. after reading the choices, I had an inception of what might be the passage be, and I understood as what my mind wanted to.
Please keep writing, you are doing a great help for the large masses of people suffering from imbroglio!
Article is really useful.Thank You Sir for your inputs