The NEW CAT 2014 Decoded – Our Insights

Has CAT changed its stripes again? Along with my esteemed colleagues, with a cumulative experience of over 200 years of facilitating thousands of aspirants (many of who are CXOs now) reach the portals of IIMs in the last 20 years, analyzed the various ‘avtaars’ of CAT that have appeared during this period to come out with the incisive insights encapsulated in this presentation.

Kindly go through this presentation attentively, make your own notes of what you need to do, how and when; work steadfastly, build your assault and conquer CAT 2014. Await my note too here, that will appear in a day or two.


Wishing you the very best.
Team CL

320 Comments

  1. sir ,
    i have attempted 19 in QA with 90% accuracy and 36 in VA with 85+% accuracy. how much percentile will it make ??
    my 10th – 83% 12th – 88% grad – 70% . will i be able to get a call from any IIM ??? i am very much worried about the sectional cutoff thing. Please guide me.
    P.S – please tell me in true words whether i will get a call from old IIM’s or do i need to prepare for one more year ???

    • Devvrat, with an expected net score of 49 in QADI you may not be able to clear the sectional cutoff. For your overall percentile please enter your data in the Percentile Predictor for an estimate, it will also give you the list of B schools that you should apply to.

  2. sir my profile was,
    10th – 94%
    12th – 96%
    BE – 75%only
    now am doin BE. no work experiece.how many percentile do i need to get to get IIMA,IIMB,IIMC,IIM kozhlikudu,IIM thrichi and Jamshedpure.

    • shivaharimanikandan, with a good academic profile, as a general category candidate you would need over 99.5%ile for IIM A, B & C, over 99%ile for the other old IIMs and over 97.5%ile for the new IIMs.

  3. Hello sir,
    I started my prep in May this year. 6 months was enough time for me to get in the right prep. I was really doing good in the old pattern. But as you said in that the new pattern would just not suit some student, i am really one of those. Since august my graph has stayed where it was. I am not able to score more. If I was attempting 40 ques in all back then, I am still at the same level.
    Rest go into negative marking or stay unattempted. Even my strong areas do not help me give an attempt of 100% accuracy.
    Time pressure nullifies all my strengths.

    • Romila, if you are more comfortable with the old pattern then treat the new pattern as an old pattern paper with two sections of 85 minutes each. Look at attempting only 25 questions in each section and hopefully things will fall in place. Call me at 9811155160 to discuss the issue.

    • Sameera, a sectional score of around 58-60 and an overall score of around 115-120 is likely to be over 95%ile in CAT’14.

  5. sir..i want to get above 95 percent in cat..so how many questions in each sections should i attempt..please suggest.my accuracy will be above 75% all the time..please give a detailed description..

  6. Hello Sir

    Following is my academic profile :
    10th – 85.8 %
    12th – 88.4 %
    B.Tech – 70.3 %
    Work-Ex – expected to be 35 months by end of May 2015

    I want to know is is possible for me to get a call from IIM – A,B,C with this profile ?? I am specially asking this as over last 2 years I have seen people getting 99.4 + percentile in CAT and having almost similar acad profile as mine but still they did not get call from any of the older IIMs except IIM Shillong. they only got calls from new IIMs. I am aware of at least 3 such cases myself. So I am apprehensive if it is possible at all to get a call from A,B,C with this average profile despite scoring 99 + percentile in CAT. If it is possible can you tell me what percentile should I target to get calls from IIM-A,B,C. Also please tell me the target percentile for other older IIMs like IIM-K,I,L.

    Thanks

    • Amit, your profile is not an issue for a call from all the IIMs. IIM A has relaxed the academic criteria this year and anyone with 65-70% in X, XII & graduation can get a call. IIM C considers only X and XII marks and has a weight of only 23%. IIMB would need more than 80% in acads but your work experience will compensate for your less than 80% in graduation. Your target score should be:
      1. over 99.5%ile for IIM A and C
      2. over 99%ile for IIMB and other old IIMs, FMS and IIT Mumbai
      3. over 97.5%ile for the new IIMs, other IITs, MDI and NITIE.

      • Thanks a lot, GP Sir. That indeed, pumps-in some hope into me. But I want to give you some more info regarding my profile :
        I have a one year gap b/w 12th and B.Tech.My B.Tech is from a private engineering college in U.P. Also, I don’t have much of Extra Curricular accomplishments at any level. My work-ex is with a french IT company which does not figure in top 10 indian IT companies.So with this profile and the scores that you’ve suggested, are these enough for giving me a realistic chance of converting these calls, if I get them. Also, I have heard that in top b-schools, candidates with average profile(if they somehow make it there) do not get placements on Day 0 as they are not considered by the top companies in presence of high-profile candidates from IITs and other tier-I colleges and have to settle for inferior companies due to their profiles. Is it true? With this profile, will I also not be considered by the top companies , if I somehow make it?

        P.S. Sir, I am working very hard this year for CAT and scoring good percentile in mocks but I want to be well-informed to avoid disappointments in future.

        • Amit, there is nothing wrong with dropping a year or with a B.Tech from not so well known engineering college or working with a French IT company or with no extra curricular activities. It is your CAT score that is important for admission, similarly it is your performance in MBA that will determine your placement prospects after MBA. The name of the college is helpful only if you do well in MBA.

  7. Sir from where can i find last few years CAT papers. i cant find these in E lib in Sis account.
    And when SQC will be conducted in Punjab or Chd?

  8. The analysis which was made available for proc. mock cat 3 erroneously disappeared from my sis.
    I started my analysis of it today.Is the system server down or will it be made available later again?

  9. Respected Sir,
    what %ile should I score in CAT to secure a seat in any of the IIMs/IITs.
    10th: 88%
    12th: 70%
    BTech: 79%
    Gen Cat. 42 months tcs wrk ex.

    Being a CL Kolkata Student, eager to meet u on 30th.

    Thanks,
    Chandan

    • Dear Chandan, You have a good academic profile and also have very good work experience. You should aim for the top IIMs. Target 99.5 percentile+ in CAT to maximise your chances of making it to one of the top IIMs.

  10. Dear Sir,

    I have taken 3 mocks on the new pattern.I wanted to share my scoring in these 3 mocks.And,also wanted a brief idea as to what my test taking strategies( in brief) for the upcoming mocks.

    Mock 1 ( based on new pattern)
    I scored a 56 with 46 in verbal and 10 in quant( number of attempts in quant was 6 with 2 incorrect)

    Mock 2
    I scored a 73 with 40 in verbal and 33 in quant( 15 questions with 3 incorrect)

    Mock 3
    I scored a 87 with 46 in verbal and 41 in quant( 19 questions with 4 incorrect)

    My take in the test has been starting with verbal.Finishing of VA and RC questions ( along with grammar).
    Shifting to quant and attempting at least 2 DI sets with the required problem solving and data sufficiency questions.
    Shifting to LR and spending remaining time in cracking 2 sets of LR.
    Then finally getting back and covering missed questions or partial attempts of DI.

    Topics such as geometry,probability and p&c still have not been covered in my class.So i end up leaving questions on them unless it is a very simple one and that too only attempting from probability( without p&c case)

    Regards,
    Abheek

    • Dear Abheek,

      Your performance in the mocks has been improving steadily and that is a good sign. Try to gradually increase your number of attempts. Over the next two to three mocks, you should target reaching 25 attempts in both QA+DI and VA+LR.

  11. Hi Sir

    I have another query.
    Took couple of mocks. Got around 94 percentile and 91 CL percentile in 2 of them.
    What should i focus/improve on?I find it difficult to leave QADI sec and move to second after 80 minutes. 🙁
    2. I have completed 2 years working in Nomura financial services. Is it true that more no of work experience years hamper your chances later?
    Acads-96.8 (10th CBSE) 94.4 ( 12thCBSE) Gras- (82% Btech)
    Thanks,
    Tusheer.

    • Dear Tusheer,
      You should focus on building up your problem-solving speed. This will ensure that you are able to attempt more problems and improve your percentile. Also, analyse your mocks thoroughly and identify if there are any areas where you are consistently making mistakes. Your overall profile is quite good. Some b-schools give less points for work experience if a candidate has more than three years of work-experience. Apart from this, more work experience will not negatively impact your candidature.

  12. Sir,

    Your suggestions are invaluable to us. I have been following your blog since last year. I did attend your Smart Quant Cracker workshop last year and found it extremely useful. I would request you to please keep one of your workshops in Delhi on a weekend so that it is easier for the working ones to attend it because of scarcity of leaves from office.

    Thanks and Regards

  13. Hi Sir,

    Could you also provide a link to download the whole ppt, it will be easier for us as we wont have to see the videos again and again to go through the whole thing.

    Regards,
    Rahul

    • Dear Rahul,

      I believe it is possible to skip parts of a video on youtube. That should take care of this issue.

      • But having the ppt will make the work easier and more user friendly . I dont see any harm in using the ppt instead of the video

  14. Sir,
    Am a student of CL-B’lore and my Enroll Id-10084226. When I try to open the ‘Video ‘Analysis’ of New Proc Mock-1, an error pops up saying “Video will be available on august-18th”. I’ve mailed the Tech team about this, but the error still persists. Kindly let me know whom I should contact to get this rectified as I find video analysis really helpful. Thank You.

  15. Hi Sir ,

    I finished all the RCs from the test Gym classic last year and have an accuracy between 75 – 80 in RC . I want to do an RC daily as a part of my strategy . Please tell me a source for doing one RC a day .

    Thanks and regards,
    Rahul

  16. Hello sir,
    I am an ex- CL student re-appearing for CAT. Will IIFT require preparation separately or will the CAT prep be enough to appear for IIFT?

    • Dear Manish,

      The IIFT GK portion would certainly require separate preparation. For the rest of the paper, CAT preparation should suffice.

  17. Sir,
    I am taking CL Classes for CAT 2014 in CP Centre, am a CA and being a working professional, finding it very difficult to maintain regularity during classes. Moreover, being a commerce student, I am finding myself in QA on backfoot (esp Algebra and other like topics). So basically i just want to know, to maximize my score in CAT 2014, what should be my strategy in Quants ?

    Sincerely Yours.

    • Dear Abhimanyu,

      You still have nearly 3 months left before CAT. Use this time sincerely and ensure that you are strong in Quant as well. Most good b-schools consider sectional cutoffs. Hence, it is essential to perform well in both sections. Go through the basics of all topics in QA and practice as many problems as you can. This will ensure that you do not have any further difficulty in QA.

  18. Hi Sir ,

    The test given in the test gym classic V2.0 are having a duration of 40 min each . In my opinion , the tests should be of the duration of 170/2 minutes as 170 minutes is the duration of the test . What are your opinions on this ??

    Regards,
    Rahul

    • Dear Rahul,

      You may take two or more tests back to back for 80 minutes of practice. The new sectional tests have been designed in order to ensure that you are well prepared for your actual test. In your actual test, you will have to sit for nearly 3 hours for the exam. Hence, some fatigue is bound to creep in. Therefore, it is advisable to practice with more stringent time limits so that you can build up more speed.

  19. Sir,
    The new sectional tests have 40 mins for 30 qns. Can we expect it to change to 85 mins for 50 qns i.e as per CAT pattern.

    • Dear Pakshaal,

      The new sectional tests have been designed in order to ensure that you are well prepared for your actual test. In your actual test, you will have to sit for nearly 3 hours for the exam. Hence, some fatigue is bound to creep in. Therefore, it is advisable to practice with more stringent time limits.

  20. Hi Sir,
    i have 86% in class 10..88% in class 12 and 8.5 in engg…I also have 1+ year of exp now..
    I want to study in only the top most B schools.. Can u give me list of colleges or exams i should target..
    n how would u rate IITs with SIBM or NMIMS..

    • Dear Akshay,

      The IIMs, FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, TISS, IIFT, NITIE, IITs, IRMA, XLRI, SIBM, NMIMS are recommended for you. IIT Bombay and NITIE rank above SIBM and NMIMS. The other IITs rank below these two institutes.

  21. Sir,
    What kind of LR Questions can be expected in CAT ’14? Earlier only arrangement(circular,linear,series etc) used to come. Can we see Games/Tournaments, Binary logic(Truth teller-liar), Routes or other such new kind of (difficult) questions?

    • Dear Pallavi,

      It is likely that some of the question types that had appeared in CAT 2008 and earlier may make a comeback in 2014. Accordingly, CL mocks will provide you a good mix of question types so that you are fully prepared for the actual CAT.

  22. Greetings Sir,
    Is it possible that we get un-proctered mocks faster then it is now. The thing is me and my friends are getting a lot of buffer time in between mocks even after revision. If we get more nos. of mocks sooner , we can utilize this time effectively. Also in the new format, is their any way to mark an option and then go to some another question w/o clicking save and next tab. ?? Sometime during mocks i want to navigate backwards but i read the answer marked will not be saved unless we click “save and next” button.. Kindly look into it

  23. My,credential are as follow 10th 84%
    12th-71%
    grad 66% b com g
    but I have one essetial repeat in,one subject dis,yr.. Am,I,eligible for cat2014.. ??
    I ll clear dis subject in dis,coming Nov only.. By the time I ll get admission in any colg I will get my provisional nd marksheet etc.. Am I,eligible for CAT 2014??

    • Dear Akanksha,

      It is advisable that you contact the CAT helpline or IIMs directly and seek their clarification regarding this issue.

  24. Hi sir.. i recently took Proc 1.. i attemtped 75 questions but only got 97 marks.. 47 in VA..50 in QA.. m very hopeless going forward.. please suggest something to improve accuracy..

    • Dear Ankit,

      It is quite good that you were able to attempt 75 questions. It is possible that your accuracy suffered because you went through the questions very fast. For your next mock, set a target of just 60-65 attempts – 30 to 32 in each section. This will ensure that you have more time per question and will help your accuracy. If you are left with spare time after attempting these many questions, then revise the questions that you have already attempted. Go back to those questions where you had some doubts about the option that you had selected. In this manner, work on your accuracy. As your accuracy improves, you can then increase your target attempts per test.

  25. Sir,

    I am putting my efforts to solve LR sets, but I am running out of my time. My present approach-
    1.Read, understand the condition and situation of question.
    2.Imagine the possible cases
    3.Note down all the points & form the given information in story form
    4. Thinking and relating the conditions with each other
    5.Figure out the valid cases/conditions/ situation after analysis of the all given conditions
    6.Then, going with the questions given(in that also, taking 5 min.)
    Maximum time, with this process, I am able to come up with the answers, but actually taking too much of time. Sir, Please suggest me some most required approach so that I can solve same LR in less time.

    • Dear Karn,

      Steps 2 and 3 (in the sequence you have given) should be done away with. Read the case and understand it. Then, as you go through the pieces of information given, build the valid case on the basis of that information. Do not try to think of all cases. That would certainly waste time. Further, rewriting the whole case in story form will definitely waste a lot of time without helping you solve the question.

  26. Sir,
    I am a CL, CP student.
    Sir, it has been so long that you have not taken any workshop at any of the CL centres. Your workshops have helped a lot and I want to gain more and do well in other topics too. Please tell me that when will be your next workshop with us. The last workshop which you took was of Ratios and Proportions.
    Thank you

  27. Good evening Sir! I am done with the basics and solved many problems on each section! My target is to do 20 past year C.A.T.’s and IIFT papers by Sept.15 and then start taking Mocks (1 every 3rd day).While I am practicing a lot, I am failing to revise things! Suggest a weekly plan so that I can reap max.benefits from CAT Papers, Sectional Tests and Mock Tests(Your way of PRACTICE+ANALYSE+REVISION) Also, if you see a flaw in my plan please tell me! I’ll be highly grateful to you!

    • Dear Karan,

      Ideally, you should take 1 Mock Test every week. This will ensure that you are able to fine-tune your test-taking strategy and are well prepared for the actual exam. Past years’ papers are based on different patterns and hence are less relevant than the mocks. Take 1 mock per week, analyse it thoroughly, revise topics in which you have difficulties and take sectional tests to build up your speed and accuracy. Between all this, you can attempt some past years’ papers. But do not make past years’ papers the foundation of your preparation. Nor should you keep your mocks for the end.

  28. sir,
    I am CL (c.p.) student. I have 2 questions.

    1) I want to know whether 20 mocks would be sufficient to formulate the strategy for actual cat-14 exam?

    2) Whether it will be advisable to give mocks daily for last 15 days before (say 1-nov to14-nov) before cat-14 exam so that we become habitual of giving mocks for new test pattern?

    Thanks sir
    Its a privilege to have ur guidiance.

    • Dear Vikash,

      Yes, 20 Mocks should be good enough for you. Do ensure that you do not miss any mock. Taking 15 mocks one after the other with no break in between will not give you any time to analyze and improve your performance. Stick to the mock schedule that we have provided.

  29. Hello Sir.. I find it very difficult to sit through the exam and also I get pressurized by seeing 100 questions and little time.. Due to this I commit silly mistakes and lose a lot of marks.. Kindly assist on what should be my strategy to adapt to the new pattern. Thanks.

    • Dear Rohan,

      Do not think of the test as a 100 question exam. Instead, think of it as a two-section test with 50 questions in each section. Before taking the test, decide which section you wish to attempt first and how much time you would allocate to this section. If you have prepared a proper test-taking strategy beforehand, you will not get stressed when you appear for the test.

      • Sir I have decided to allot 90 + 80 mins to QA and VA respectively.. I’m giving mocks regularly and scoring around 97-99%ile but I know I can score in an excess of 99.5… When I analyse the test, I find that in QA (my strong area); I’ve committed silly mistakes and lost marks and also missed on a couple of easy questions while in VA (my weaker area); I perform decently by getting most LR questions and critical reasoning questions correct. It’s just a little disheartening to not be able to ace in QA despite being good at it.. Sorry to have types out such a long response.. Just wanted to make my position clear. If possible, could you help me customize my strategy for mocks and any other inputs are also welcome.. 🙂
        Thanks in advance.

        -Rohan.

        • Dear Rohan,

          Congrats on your good performance. Keep up the hard work. You may set a strict target for yourself regarding your number of attempts. Instead of attempting too many questions in QA, try to set a target at two or three questions less than your current number of attempts. Use the additional time available to solve questions more carefully and accurately. At the end of your test, if you have some spare time, you may also try to recheck those questions in QA where you were slightly unsure of the answer that you had marked. See how all this impacts your scores. Your problem solving speed should increase as you practice more and more. Right now, you are at a very strong level. Build it up further as you continue your preparation. You are on the right track.

          • Thank you Sir. I’ll continue practising and improve on my accurcy by answering selected questions.. I’ll keep you updated ! 🙂

  30. greetings sir,
    i had a request to make …
    sir please provide the mock question paper in pdf with unlighted answers.. and no solution with it .. provide us two pdfs .. one with all the questions and another with the solution sheet ..!! this will help us to rewrite the mock again in unproctored way after giving the mock in the proctored way .. it will help us to spot our exam taking deficiencies in a more better way .. with highlighted solutions , it becomes very difficult for me not to focus on the answer before we are able to solve it .. thank u ..!!
    hope u will help me in this regard …!!

      • thanks …
        please look to this as a serious problem .. as i and some of my cl mates face the same problem .. due to which we can not take the full advantage of the analyzing part ..!!

  31. dear sir, i just enrolled for smart cat cracker comprehensive and sir i also gave cat last year i scored 65.5%ile and MAT with 701 composite score sir as i have completed my graduation this year only in EN branch with 63.9%
    xth 78.9 punjab board
    xiith 75.6 punjab board
    sir i want to know the schedule i should follow for the preparation and the way i should work with the enrolled program my questions are
    1. As my english and di is weak so the way ishould work with these areas .
    2. how much time i should devote for the smart cat cracker and how should i work with it along with how many lectures should i attend.
    3. which areas i should focus on.
    4. the name of exams i should apply for.
    5. how much percentile i should target to.
    sir, please reply soon .

    • Dear Rahul,

      Do not miss any lectures. Keep using Smart CAT cracker along with your lectures. To improve your English, read as much as you can. This will help you with vocab as well as with RC. For DI, learn multiplication tables, squares, cubes, square roots, cube roots, reciprocals, etc. Also, practice as many problems as possible. Do not ignore any topics. Ensure that you are equally strong across topics. The important exams that you should definitely attempt are CAT, XAT, NMAT, SNAP, IIFT. Ideally, you should target around 99 percentile and upwards (for general category) in CAT.

  32. Hello Sir,

    I am not able to perform good in both the sections simultaneously in the last 2 mocks I’ve given. I managed a Overall Score of 102(QADI-71 & VALR-31) in the New ProcMock-1. Accuracy was very poor though: 66 Attempts and 42 Correct.
    In another mock i managed 106(QADI-38 & VALR-68) , accuracy was a bit better in this one, but still my sectional scores have been varying a lot. My time distribution is approximately 90 minutes to QADI and 80 minutes to VALR.
    Please suggest what should I do to get good sectional scores in both sections.

    • Dear Vaibhav,

      Assuming that both the tests were comparable, it appears that you need to work on your accuracy. Revise your basic concepts across sections/topics. Practice more problems (with time limits) so that you are able to solve problems quickly and accurately on a consistent basis. Test Gym Adaptive and Sectional Tests will be very helpful for you. Also, analyse the two mocks thoroughly and identify particular topics and types of problems that you struggled with.

  33. Sir,
    I am confused between the application forms of examinations other than CAT.
    Please tell me that which forms other than CAT should I fill so that If I would not
    score well in CAT I could get admission in a good college by the scores of those
    other exams.
    Thank you.

    • Brijesh, in addition to CAT you should appear for IIFT, XAT (for XLRI, XIMB, GIM), SNAP (for SIBM Pune/Blr, SCMHRD, SIIB) and NMAT (for NM Mumbai and Blr)

      • Thanks a lot sir.
        Sir,
        What are your views about other exams like CMAT, MAT and IBSAT ? Should I appear for these exams too ?

        • Brajesh, CMAT is not necessary but you can consider Feb’15 MAT as it will make you eligible for MMS program JBIMS and other MBA institutes in Mumbai.

  34. Sir, I just have one query. Earlier, attempting more RC questions in the VALR section as opposed to the other questions(grammar primarily) shifted the balance in our favour, will it be the same this year, or can we just skip RCs, if we feel we have less time left on the clock and it is better to attempt more questions, rather than spending time on reading a passage and answering just 3 questions?

    • Dear Ravish,

      In the last few years, RC has comprised nearly 30-33% of one section of CAT. It would be inadvisable to ignore such an important area. Focus on building up your speed in order to attempt more questions.

  35. Greetings Sir,
    Regarding new section tests in SIS / Test gym i don’t think sectional test as per new format will add much value . Here i am talking about those 70 min sectional tests being replaced by 170/2 min sectional test, if thats the plan. Reason being this new pattern. As now sectional time limit is revoked , i think we need a revamped tests which give give more emphasis on speed . I have gone through some maths based app which simulate quick calculations. what i like that in those cases , the questions were time bounded and not the entire test. Can we have such test in TEST GYM where quant , LR , DI etc have time boundation w.r.t. questions. ? Considering higher speed requirement now with this new pattern, I think that will add more value in comparison to traditional section test.

  36. Hi Sir ,
    Kindly put some posts on ” how I attempted mock X/Y/Z ” like you used to put till last year . It would really be helpful given the fact that CAT has completely changed its pattern .

    Thanks and regards ,
    Rahul

  37. Sir,
    I got 92 in the new proc mock 1. my sectional scores were 50 and 42….so in which section do you think I need to work hard more?
    Also, have you analyzed the data and come up with the raw score-percentile relation for CAT’14?

  38. Hi Sir,
    Your analysis provided an excellent insight in to the New Cat Pattern.However,I am seeing that the difficulty level in the Proc Mocks have gone down(as I could sees from New Sample CAT Mock and Proc Mock 1).Is the actual Cat going to be of the same level?

    Also Sir I am good in VA/LR and RC and generally score around 89-90 percentile in that setion.But I have problem with QA.Nomater howmuch I practice from workbooks and Test Gym and also from past cat papers I generally get stuck in Algebra questions and tend to spend unnecessary time in solving questions and my attempts decrease and also my accuaracy because most of the time they turn out to be wong.But I am strong in Arithmetic and Geometry portions and also generally get 2,3 DI s fully correct.
    So request you to please guide at to what to do for quants so that I can increase my score to atleast a 90 percentile in the 1st few mocks?How do i strategise quants? Shall i leave out algebra toatlly?Will only Arith,Di and Geo-Mensu and Number System help me in any way?

    • Dear Neel,

      At this stage, do not ignore Algebra. Prepare fully on this topic as well and try building your speed and accuracy in this area as well. Develop a suitable test-taking strategy as well. In your mocks, attempt the remaining questions (non-algebra questions) from Section I in one shot. Then, at the end of the test, try to take out 15 to 20 mins for algebra questions and try and maximize your attempts during these 15 to 20 mins as well.

      Yes, your actual CAT is likely to be of a lower difficulty level than last few years’ CATs.

      • Okay Sir.I’ll try to do that.But could you tell me what should be our attempt rate in order to get around 90-95 percentile in both the sections?Will someone having 85 percentile in QA and 96 percentile in VA have the same overall percentile as the one scoring 96 percentile in QA and 85 percentile in VA?And also how many unprocks should one give in a week ?Also let me know when should one start pratcising previous cat papers.I was hoping to buy your GK publications book.Please help Sir.

        • Dear Neel,

          By the end of October, you should be able to attempt about 30 questions in each section, with 80% accuracy. This should be good enough for 90-95 percentile in either section. As regards your second question, if the aggregate score of both the candidates is the same then their overall percentile will be similar. But if one of the candidates has a higher aggregate score, then obviously that candidate would have a higher percentile. Do try to give at least one mock (either proctored or unproctored) every week at this stage. Along with this, you should also attempt one or two past years’ papers every week.

  39. Hello Sir,
    I am working with a Govt. Organisation for 3 years (since 2011). In first year, there was only training program. For the training, they have also given PG Diploma in Engg. from recognized university.
    Now I want to count that as a higher education for maximizing work ex points. But as the diploma is of one year, I am not able to fit into CAT form.
    Please help me in this, Sir. Thank you.

    • Narendra, only a PG Diploma which is considered equivalent to a degree will be acceptable but since you were employed with the Govt Organisation you will get the benefit of work experience. You should claim work experience for the full period starting from 2011.

  40. Hi GP,
    I have a query on Ex-MBA. I’m a software engineer having nearly 5 years of experience. Could you please give me some idea on B-Schools for full time ex-mba except ISB and IIMs. Though I have decent academic profile, but not confident enough to crack those colleges as I have to manage my job and family simultaneously (got married recently). Also I would like to know whether it is possible to shift my career from IT to HR through ex-mba?
    Kindly help me sir.
    Regards,
    Laxmi

    • Laxmi, apologise for the delay in responding to your query.
      You can shift from IT to HR via the 1 year MBA programs of most institutes but it is usually easier to get back into the same functional area.
      You can consider the following 1 year MBA programs but it is best to restrict yourself to the top ones.
      Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
      Indian School of Business, Hyderabad & Mohali
      Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore
      Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta
      Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow
      Indian Institute of Management, Indore
      Indian Institute of Management, Shillong
      XLRI, Jamshedpur
      Great Lakes, Chennai
      MDI Gurgaon
      S P Jain, Mumbai
      S P Jain Global, DUBAI

  41. Sir,considering I am targeting JUST a good overall percentile and that I have a strong hold in Sec 2, can I answer more questions from sec 2. I mean if I score 30 correct in Sec 2 and 8 in sec 1, will my OVERALL percentile be same as one who has scored 19 correct in Sec 1 and 19 in SEC 2.The OVERALL percentile depends on JUST the overall marks right sir.

    • Shaunak, yes your overall percentile will be the same in both cases but with only 8 correct answers in Section 1 you will not be able to clear the cutoff for QADI. Suggest that you target a minimum of 15 correct answers in QADI to have a chance of clearing the cutoff.

  42. Sir
    10=55%(ICSE)
    12=71%(ISC)

    B.com (62%)
    I have completed CA but dont have work experience

    Am I even eligibile to get admitted in top B-schools for MBA through CAT , FMS , SNAP OR IBSAT .. because my 10th and 12th grades are very poor … please give your valuable suggestions ..

    and please tell that 12th or 10th grades matter in MBA admissions

    • Shlok, given that you are professionally qualified and are a non-engineer you have a good chance of getting a call from most of the IIMs despite a not so good score in X & Graduation.Also most of the institutes outside the IIMs have a low/no weight for past academics and hence would not be a problem for you.

  43. sir … as the no of questions has increased and i take a lot of time to read and solve the rcs ..please help me build my strategy.. can i follow this strategy:: focus on lr and va part and choosing the best rc i.e short and simple and solving only that one rc ..??
    this will give me enough time to attempt 9-12 lr questions .. and 20 va questions with those 3 questions of one rc .. …!!

    • Sav-9, total attempt of 30-32 questions in VALR is sufficient and attempting only one RC passage is not a problem.

  44. GOOD DAY SIR

    If possible can you mention the category wise cutoff for every mock prock and unproc, it would help us to know where we stand category wise.

    Thanx in advance

  46. sir my acad are as follows…
    10th——89%
    12th——87%
    btech(ME)—-78%
    sir i have been working in a bpo since last one year.so is bpo experience counted for admission in top mba colleges..

    • Manish, BPO experience is also given weightage by MBA institutes and with your good academic performance you have a good chance top institutes.

    • Pakshaal, two new pattern Unproc Mocks have been released – a free/sample Mock and Unproc 1 on Friday. Additionally the Proc Mock 1 also is as per the new pattern. Sectional tests in the new format will be available by 16th Aug.

  48. Dear Sir,

    I am appearing in CAT 2014, I am final year student. so do i need to upload the final year certificate(prescribed in website) while filling the form or it will be required on exam day/ interview.

    And if i have my address proof or valid ID do i need to fill and upload candidate identity affidavit ?

    • Kunal, these will be required when you go for the interview. With a valid ID proof you will not need the Candidate Identity Certificate.

  49. Hi sir,
    My acad- 54% in ssc, 68.5 in hsc and 60.2 in btech(till 6th sem).
    How much %ile will be required to get
    1)IMT G
    2)MDI G
    3)IIFT D&K
    4)XLRI
    5)FMS

    • Himanshu, these institutes by and large do not consider past academics and give interview calls only on the basis of your CAT/XAT/IIFT scores. Score at which you can comfortably get calls from of these institutes is:
      1)IMT G – 95%ile
      2)MDI G – 97.5%ile
      3)IIFT D&K – 50 marks
      4)XLRI – 95%ile
      5)FMS – 99%ile

  50. Sir,
    QA 20/50 [16 correct] … VA 20/50 [13 Correct] Attempt
    In This Proctored Mock Cat 1 ,I tried doing
    1. VA (Pjumbles, Sentence Completion,para completion)
    2. QA Round 1 questions
    3. (At this point I had 1 hour left)- I returned to LR then DI.
    4. At the end RC

    Sir, going by this scheme of things , The problem I met was I didn’t got time to return to the Round 2 questions of QA which were quite doable ,cuz DI & LR took time .

    What should I do then .. This new pattern really freaks me out sir, I was able to score 85-88%ile in previous mock pattern.

    Kindly suggest a way out .

    • Koustav, in QADI you have low attempts but in VALR both attempts and accuracy are low. If the paper structure is confusing you then consider this to be a 2 section paper with 85 min for each section treating it like the old pattern paper with section time limits. Take a couple of papers in this manner and then look at graduating to moving across sections.

  51. Sir,

    As per the new CAT pattern is the final percentile calculated on basis of the total score only or do we have have to get a good percentile in both the sections to get a high score.
    Suppose we are good in one section and not so good in other one is it worth to try and maximise our score in that section while not wasting our time in the section we are not good at ?

    • Nishant, you need a minimum score in each section and a good overall score. A 90%ile is usually more than the sectional cutoff so while you should look at maximising your overall score do ensure that the weak section does not fall below 90%ile.

  52. Sir ,

    I have completed my b tech course this year.
    10th – 94.4%
    12th – 85.8%
    CGPA – 7.62

    General category

    Sir what are my realistic chances of getting a call fro IIM A or C .. Percentile wise ?

    • sir I took the first two mocks of the new pattern. scored 132 in the proc one and the unproc one got auto submitted with some 50 minutes to go. I am a little depressed with these low scores

      • Raj, 132 is a good score in Proc 1 and is likely to be over 99%ile so you should not be depressed with this score.

        • Sir, if you can help me out with the percentile query.

          I have completed my b tech course this year.
          10th – 94.4%
          12th – 85.8%
          CGPA – 7.62

          General category

          Sir what are my realistic chances of getting a call fro IIM A or C .. Percentile wise ?

          • Raj, you have very good chance of a call from all IIMs, Calcutta does not consider graduation marks, IIMA has relaxed its academic criteria this year and IIMB has a normalisation process for different boards. For a call from these three you should target over 99.5%ile, other old IIMs, FMS and IIT Mumbai will need over 99%ile.

  53. sir,

    this is regarding the updated sis..
    The links of all the unproctored mocks and the analysis of the proctored ones have been taken off the student information pages.
    I understand the circumstances were unforeseen for you and so were for all for us.
    i had saved the unproctored mocks for taking during september- october but now those being removed from has left me quite perturbed. I had paid the same amount as those of my friends who took the unproctored mocks early. On that basis , it is unfair. Even if not in the current pattern the questions would have been of immense help.
    I have also written to support department but they have refused to help and said that the links wont be uploaded back.

    Sir please help! will be really grateful ..

    • Avni, the old Mocks that you had taken will be made available along with the analysis for your revision purpose and the others will be reconfigured as per the new pattern and will also be made available to you.

    • Shaunak, for someone who is weak in QA Smart CAT Cracker may not be a good option. Suggest that you consider a classroom program.

    • Prateek, you should apply to the PGP of all IIMs, PGP-ABM of IIM A and L, PGDHRM of IIM Ranchi and to the proposed new IIMs.

  56. hello sir…
    I am a CL student and right now studying in BBA 5th sem..I will be giving CAT 2014
    my acads-
    X- 93%
    XII- 88%
    Grad- 83% (avg. of first 4 sems)
    i will soon be filling the form….. n enter my grad score as 83%
    so do I need to focus now on 5th n 6th sems much ???
    as now i wish to dedicate my time to CAT’s preparation, so would a lower score (say 70%) in 5th sem have much significance on my SELECTION ???
    Thanks in advance 🙂

  57. Sir
    I recently appeared for Prock Mock 1.
    My score has been as follows:
    QA : Attempt:26 Correct:19 Wrong:7 Score:50 %ile:88.33
    VA: Attempt:24 Correct:16 Wrong:8 Score:40 %ile:80.23
    OA: Attempt:50 Correct:35 Wrong:15 Score:90 ile87.56%

    Please guide me how to improve?
    I have been analysing & practicing on daily basis.Unable to crack where am i lacking.

    I will be grateful to you.
    Regards.

    • Shivi, attempts of 26 and 24 in the two sections is acceptable at this stage but your accuracy is a bit on the lower side. Go through the paper again and check out:
      1. which are the questions that you attempted but should not have.
      2. which are the questions that you did not attempt but should have.
      This will help you identify if you have missed out on any easy questions or if you have unnecessarily attempted difficult questions and help you improve your selection of questions. This will improve both your accuracy and also your attempts.

  58. thanku sir
    one more ques in order to get 90 percentile how much ques i hav to attempt with 90% accuracy according to this new format of cat 2014

  59. Sir,
    Is your sqc to be held in Dhanbad….
    If not , what is the estimated date to be held in Ranchi….
    I am eagerly waiting for you sqc

  60. Sir,
    Why does the old unproctored mocks removed from sis account…In your video The New Decoding Cat 2014, you have said that difficulty level of questions does not changes..I had taken only one unproc mock, thinking to take rest later

    • Ankit, the old Mocks that you have taken will be available to you along with the analysis and the remaining will be reconfigured to create new pattern Moocks for additional practice.

  61. Sir, as you said in the video that previous questions which we had attempted or practiced in the past will remain useful for the future and need to be REVISED regularly but on the other side on CL’s SIS account, the previous proctored and unproctored papers that we had attempted are no longer available.
    Please see to it and please make sure that at least proctored papers are available on SIS as it will be very helpful.

    • Achal, the papers that you had taken will be available to you shortly and the others will be reconfigured as per the new pattern and then will be provided for additional practice.

  62. as the change in pattern of cat, you have also chenged the way “analysis” was provided earlier.
    I as well as others like me are facing a problem.
    For doing analysis of mocks given , one is supposed to attempt all questions again especially the “unattempted ” questions in the mock.
    but now as you are not providing pdfs, how can one attempt questions when in analysis,right after the correct option,there is a correct marked after it. So one can not do analysis of the mocks nor attempt those questions later with answers marked against them.
    so i request you to please at least provide, “preview whole paper” as provided while giving the mock, so that we can attempt those questions without being biased.
    thanks

  63. Sir,
    I am still not able to access the new unproctored mocks. Old ones are removed as well. Please help.
    Thank you

    • Dear Chavvi,

      The new Proctored and Unproctored mocks have already started. The first proctored mock was made live on 1st August and the 1st unproctored mock was made live on 8th August.

  64. Sir,
    their seems to be some technical problem in the timer of un proctered mock cat 1 new . I just took the test but it get auto submitted in less then 2 hours (around 130 min) . Also timer was fluctuating alot in between.

  65. Hi Sir..
    i scored 93%ile in quants in last years cat n 73 %ile in VA.. in mocks this year..i am constantly scoring above 95%ile in CL mocks but my quants performance is dwindling.. from 70-95%ile.. i know more or less all basics and whenever i try sitting with a single chapter..it makes me sleepy.. how can i improve my quants section..please suggest…

    • Dear Prateek,

      If you have access to Test Gym Adaptive, use it as much as you can. This will ensure conceptual clarity as well as improve your accuracy. Solve as many problems as you can. This will ensure that you have high speed and good accuracy. This will help bring consistency in your scores.

  66. 1. Sir, in first mock based on new pattern, I attempted 47 ques with 70% accuracy. I don’t know if it’s good or bad considering difficulty level. Can you please share your views ?

    2. Can you explain the criteria on basis of which students are selected for bootcamp ? And as the pattern has changed now, will the percentiles of previous mocks be still considered for it ?

    • Dear Nishant,

      This is a very good attempt for your first mock as per the new pattern. As you attempt more mocks, try building up your speed and accuracy so that by the end of October, you have around 65 attempts with 80% accuracy. Students who perform well in their mocks are considered for the boot camps. We will let you have further details about this year’s boot camp later.

  67. sir i was curious to know the number of attempts that should be targeted for a reservation category student ..!!
    the new pattern is hectic .. in 60 questions test .. 30-35 odd correct questions would have fetched 95+ percentile .. so should we accept a big jump in the no of correct answers that a 95+ percentile student would do in cat 2014 ..??

    • sav-9, in the earlier pattern about 25-26 net correct attempts would have resulted in an overall score of 95%ile.
      We will be coming out with the raw score to percentile co-relation after analysing the data but my estimate is that in the new pattern around 38 net correct attempts could lead to a 90%ile.

      • yes sir, that is my point … 25-26 correct in 140 min was 95+ .. we r nw getting 30 min extra now .. so how can the correct no of question jump to 10-12 questions in those 30 mins, when we were able to do only 26 correct in 140 min…!!
        i am eagerly waiting for your new video on the no of attempts category wise ..
        thanks for answering my query..!

        • sav-9, if the level of difficulty of the paer does not change then the number of attempts/correct will go up by at best 25% but my expectation is a lower average level hence the attempts can go up by a greater number.

          • thank you sir …!! waiting for your video on no of attempts as per difficulty level and category wise ..!!

  68. Sir,

    In these Mocks , will you also be providing the CAT PERCENTILE PREDICTOR also , so that we can have an estimate for the real Cat percentiles.

    • Koustav, The percentile predictor will be activated for the new pattern mocks also but will be done after a couple of papers.

  69. Sir, there is a request, please make the analysis of proc mocks available just as we give it, because we tend to forget about the questions afterwards

  70. Sir, you had asked us to practise the questions of the old mocks rigorously and revise them every week. But today, the analysis of all the old mocks have been removed. I am really disheartened. I had a number of analysis left and was looking to practise them. I had heard that the unproctored tests would be removed. But this was a nasty jolt. I had called the customer care but to no avail. Please do something about it.

    • Sayan, these papers are being reconfigured and will be available in some time. None of the questions will be deleted.

  71. Dear sir
    Last year CAT overall percentile was favoring those who scored more in verbal section i.e if one score Qa 95 percentile and VA 96 percentile one was getting around 99 overall percentile and if in reverse order QA 96 & VA 95 ,one was getting 97-98 overall percentile.
    why this partiality??
    Isn’t it better out of 170 min to dedicate more to verbal section as scoring more in verbal section will lead to more CAT overall percentile???

    • Dear Deepak,

      There is no partiality in this. VA cutoffs are generally higher than QA cutoffs. Hence, the overall score of a candidate getting 95 percentile in QA and 96 percentile in VA is likely to be higher than the overall score of a candidate getting 96 percentile in QA and 95 percentile in VA. This higher overall score will translate to higher overall percentile. There is no partiality involved in this.

      As regards your CAT, do remember that you need to clear the cutoff in both the sections. Hence, allot your time across both the sections in a balanced manner so that you do not score less than the cutoff in either section.

  72. Sir,
    Just noticed the old mocks that I had taken so far are also removed from sis shp? Will we not have those mocks for review?

  73. Hi Sir,
    I wanted to enquire about the preparation for the CAT’14.
    For topics such as Number System, Algebra, Arithmetic ( naming only the topics which i have covered in class) referring to CAT papers from 2000-2008 , Test Gym and the Proctored or Unproctored mock would be beneficially in covering the bulk of the question types that present themselves in the CAT
    OR does one need to refer to xyz books for more practice?
    The similar argument holds for verbal.
    Regards,
    Abheek

    • Yes Abheek, The material that you have mentioned is good enough to practice these question types. You do not need any additional material.

  74. Hi sir,
    With reference to the CL mock cat’s, i have a few queries
    1. When will the Unproctored mock tests in the new format be available on SIS?
    2. As you had suggested, the questions from previous mock test are still important for practice and have to be revised. So, I want to go through the unproctored mock cats i have not yet taken (previous format) but they are not available on SIS anymore.
    Will it be possible to view them or will they be removed from SIS once the unproctored mocks are structured according to the new format?

    • Dear Abhay,

      Proctored and Unproctored mock CATs will be available on alternate weeks. The first Unproctored Mock CAT became live on 8th Aug. Older mock CATs may become available later on. For now focus on the mocks as per the new CAT pattern.

  75. Greetings Sir ,
    On the website iimcat.ac.in , their is a tab titled scoring and equating process. So far they have only uploaded that these details will be provided before exam. I had emailed CAT helpdesk regarding normalization and scoring pattern for which they again replied that it will be declared on the website . Now registration process has started and still no declaration in this regard has been made. Can we expect some more suprises? Whats your take on this?

    • Dear Vaibhav,

      It is quite likely that the IIMs are yet to finalize these details. They may not be planning any more surprises. However, it is always best to keep abreast of any new developments/news so that you are aware of any further changes/surprises.

  76. Hi Sir!What bracket of score should one be aiming at for a 99%ile in this CAT ? U did say,65 attempts with 50% accuracy by end of Oct.What percentile did u imply by these many attempts ??
    Also sir,given that CAT 2007 was the closest in terms of the total number of questions asked ( i guess 90 ? ),what was the cut off that year and will the cut offs this time be more similar to CAT 2007 ?

    • Dear Nakul,

      By the end of October, you should target 65 attempts with 80% accuracy (not 50%)! This should be good enough for 99 percentile+. CAT 2007 had 75 questions worth 300 marks. This was a tough paper and the cutoff for calls from IIMs was estimated at 100+. CAT 2014 may not very similar to be this paper. Hence, using CAT 2007 as a benchmark for making estimates about CAT 2014 may not be justified.

  77. Hello Sir,
    Good Morning.
    Could you please give me some information regarding MBA AGRI-BUSINESS and ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT from SIIB, Pune? I’ve 3.5 years experience in IT sector and now wanted to shift my career in the rural development sector. What was the previous year’s cut off?
    Kindly help me sir.
    Regards,
    Joy

    • Joy, given your work experience these two programs are not recommended. My suggestion is to target the Agri Business Management (ABM) program of IIM A and L and also consider the Program in Rural Management of IRMA.

  78. sir i m doing btech from iit guwahati and also appearing cat2014 plz guide me what percentile i have to score to any of top 3 iims. i also belong to sc category and everywhere i got above 80% marks.

    • Avnish, with a good academic record, as a SC candidate you can get calls from all IIMs at an overall score above 85%ile but my suggestion is to target a sectional score of over 85%ile and an overall score of 90%ile.

      • thanku sir
        one more ques in order to get 90 percentile how much ques i hav to correctly attempt according to this new format of cat 2014.??

  79. After completing the whole application form( after paying for form), I found out that my picture was in sign section, although i have uploaded signature in signature section.

    So, can you please advice me the next steps so that above case can be rectified.

    If it can not be rectified, Do I need to reapply?

    Also, Can i reapply?

  80. hi Sir

    I was filling Cat 2014 form. In NC OBC catagory I have to upload document’s scanned copy. My documents are in hindi. Its stated there that there should be no name mismatch, and there is no solution given at FAQ section. So sir what should I do. ?

    • Dear Saurabh,

      The best approach would be to contact the IIMs and seek their response to your situation. It is expected that there should not be any problem due to this. However, it will be best to confirm this.

  81. Hello Sir,
    This yr,as we have to upload our obc certificate also while filling out CAT form,is it necessary to get the obc certificate in the same format as provided by iim’s or the original certificate issued in 2014 in govt. format wud also suffice??

  82. I resigned from my job (Industrial) due to some issues.

    My profile
    10 -78.00%
    12- 70.00%
    Btech NIT Raipur 83.00%
    Work ex- 16 Months

    Nc obc Category.

    How much to aim in cat to get good iims?

    • Himanshu, as a NC OBC candidate with decent acaemic record you should target a 97%ile for a call from all IIMs, you could get call from thee new IIMs at a score of 92-93%ile also.

      • thanks sir for your precious comments.

        Kindly have a look on my another
        I scored 33 in new mock what plan should i adapt to get good percentile and also let me know some short term goals then long term to get good %ile in D-Day.

        My VA is also terrifying as while solving Test gym adaptive VA tests.

      • sir,
        despite devoting an enormous amount of time behind para completion,am getting most of them wrong.they are pulling my performance down in section 2 as well.can i safely skip(not even read) para completion questions ,given that am reasonably good in the other areas of VA/LR.
        awaiting your kind reply.

        • Dear Abhay,

          Para completion questions typically accounted for just 2 out of the 30 questions from Sec II of CAT as per the previous pattern. Even in the new pattern, it is not likely that they would account for more than 4 to 5 questions (out of 50 from Sec II). Thus, leaving such questions is a viable option. However, to be on the safer side, it would be better to be well prepared in para completion as well. In your actual exam, you may have 1 or 2 easy questions from para completion. So at least reading through the para completion questions can be useful at times. I have posted a blog about para completion as well. DO go through that. It may help you.

  83. Sir,

    I want to ask you if a work experience of 8 months will fetch me any marks in the IIM’s shortlisting process?
    Or is it equal to having no work experience?

    Regards,
    Nikita

    • Nikita, 8 month work experience may not give you any marks in the shortlisting process. However the criteria is different for each IIM and they also do not keep it constant. Will need to wait for the IIMs to come out with their shortlisting criteria.

  84. Sir, CAT 2013-67 Percentile.
    changed proctored mock 1-61 percentile.
    How many hours shoudl i devote on different sections in a day for the remaining 100 days
    in order to assure a minimum of 99.9 percentile? N test gym should be done after or before the fundabook??

    • Dear Prateek,

      Certainly you should attempt practice problems only after going through the basic concepts of a topic. So you must finish your fundabook before moving on to Test Gym. Analyse your performance across sections and then allocate your daily hours to various topics/sections. Do ensure that you do not ignore any topic.

  85. Sir
    I am final year engineering student. Can you please mention which all programmes i can apply for while filling the CAT application form ?

    • Akshay, you should apply for:
      IIM Ahmedabad PGP and ABM
      IIM Bangalore PGP
      IIM Calcutta PGP-PGDM
      IIM Indore PGP
      IIM Indore PGM Mumbai
      IIM Indore PGP UAE
      IIM Kashipur PGP
      IIM Kozhikode PGP
      IIM Lucknow PGP
      IIM Lucknow PGP-ABM
      IIM Raipur PGP
      IIM Ranchi PGDM
      IIM Ranchi PGDHRM
      IIM Rohtak PGP
      RGIIM Shillong PGP
      IIM Tiruchirappalli PGP
      IIM Tiruchirappalli PGPHRM
      IIM Udaipur PGP
      IIM Udaipur FPM
      IIM in Andhra Pradesh PGP
      IIM in Bihar PGP
      IIM in Himachal Pradesh PGP
      IIM in Maharashtra PGP
      IIM in Odisha PGP
      IIM in Punjab PGP

  86. sir i have a query regarding cat application filling sir is it mandatory to give our work ex details while filling the application form itself because i have certain doubts regarding work ex to mention and does this plays role at the time u are given call or is added later on as once if we get calls we need to fill their individual forms separately which are provided by them .

    • Aparna, while registering for CAT you need to give only the sector in which you have worked and the number of months of work experience. The other details are required at the time of the interview.

  87. Sir,
    I am CL Dhanbad, Jharkhand student.I am filling CAT, XAT ,IIFT, SNAP this year…..
    But my confusion is that will I fill CMAT or CET….If yes which is better.As i know CET accepts JBIMS,KJ somaiya etc but CMAT accepts JBIMS , KJ Somaiya, XISS Ranchi, SP Jain Goa Inst .of Mgt etc and all AICTE approved….Also suggest any other entrance exams fruitful for me

    • Dear Ankit,

      I am assuming that you are an outside Maharashtra candidate. Thus, you will have very few seats available for you in good b-schools through MH-CET. Therefore, CMAT provides better opportunity for you than MH-CET. SNAP, NMAT, XAT, IIFT are some of the other entrance tests that you should aim for.

  88. Sir, this is the first time I am giving Cat and other exams. And I am getting too much weighed down by the fact that there are umpteen other students giving the same exam. SO much so that I am not able to concentrate any single day. What should I do to change the perspective?

    • Dear Siddhartha,

      Your performance in CAT and other exams is going to determine which b-school you make it to. Other candidates do not matter. Focus on improving your own preparation and know that your success depends entirely on your efforts and your preparation.

  89. Sir, I have scored 86.4 in 10th and 88.6 in 12th but my graduation marks are 72% which i think are quiet low. How much percentile should i target to get through IIMs.?

    • Diksha, your graduation marks are not a problem, this year IIMA has relaxed its academic profile criteria and IIMC does not consider graduation marks for shortlisting. A CAT score of over 99.%ile will get you calls from top IIMs while the other old IIMs will need over 99%ile. The new IIMs are possible at 97.5%ile

  90. Sir,

    Thank you for the brilliant analysis.

    I would like to know about the various cut-offs (percentile in CAT) required for getting (and converting) a call in the top 20-25 institutes, for General, male, engineer candidates (with 90% in 10th, 80% in 12th and 75% in B.Tech) with :

    1. 1 year of work experience (in core engineering industry)
    2. 2 years of work experience (in core engineering industry)

    Which institutes in general prefer candidates (without any bias against general male engineers) with work experience?

    • Dear Pradeep,

      A CAT percentile of 99.5+ is a good bet to secure calls from all of the six older IIMs. Cutoffs for the top 25 b-schools through CAT would be around 95 to 97 percentile. In the top 25 b-schools, engineers comprise over 80 percent of students generally (in a few institutes, they may comprise nearly 90% of the batch). Further, people with work experience generally make up around 60 to 70% of the batch in most top b-schools. Thus, you need not worry about any bias against you.

  91. Sir, I am enrolled in CL and i want to know about the pricing of Smart CAT Cracker for CL students and minimum duration required for completing it ?

  92. sir,
    I am ex-cl student and i wasnt able to clear cat this year with 80%ile
    my profile:
    xth:87.5
    xiith:88.3
    Btech:7.27(mechanical)
    will my low acads dent my chances for top iims and also with
    with 1-2 yrs of IT expereince will my chances be improved.what else should i do to improve my profile?

    • Sudheer, you have decent academics and go for CAT this year itself as the earlier you do an MBA the faster your career growth. In any case IIMA has relaxed its academic criteria this year.

      • sir,
        Thanks a lot for the previous reply.I also want that how normalisation of the acads effect my application rating as my 10th and 12th grades are from state board? And which all iims consider normalisation of the acads?

        • Sudheer, only IIMB has a normalisation process and you will gain from it since most of the state boards are stingy in terms of awarding marks while CBSE is liberal.

  93. Hi Sir,

    I have a big problem and i don’t know how to solve it. Actually, the problem with me is my psychological state during the exam. What happens is, during the exam half of my mind is on the time which is running and i can’t concentrate completely on the question. This results in silly mistakes which leads to negative marking. But i can do the same question if there is no time running, i.e., with no time constraint at home. I am sure that i can score good if i don’t get bothered about time, but that is not happening. Sir, can you please help me as this is the only obstacle i am facing during mocks.

    Waiting for your reply,

    Thanks

    • Dear Nitish,

      Focus on a sound test-taking strategy. Before appearing for a Mock, think about how you are going to allot your time during the Mock test and the number of questions that you would seek to attempt in either section. Once you have this plan ready, time will not be such a major concern during your mocks. At this stage, you should be able to attempt at least about 40 questions in your mocks (across the two sections combined). This means that you have over 4 minutes per question that you would solve in your mock. So, plan ahead as to how you would allot your time during the mock. That should solve your problem.

  94. Hello Sir,

    Your blogs and videos are always a source of information and inspiration.
    I have one question regarding accuracy:
    Previous CAT exams with normalization, have shown us that CAT awards good percentiles to higher accuracy while punishes severely for wrong answers. I have seen people scoring higher percentiles at 12-13 attempts with almost all correct than those attempting 20 questions with 2-3 wrong. Even though raw score happens to be more in the latter case. What according to you would be impact of wrong answers in new format? Should we aim for more ‘raw score’ (with more attempts and less accuracy) or more ‘accuracy’ (with less attempts and sometimes low raw score).
    Please throw some light on accuracy factor.

    • Dear Swapnil,

      The negative marking and other similar information regarding CAT ’14 has not yet been released. It would be best to wait for this declaration rather than speculate on the basis of CAT ’13. There was a lot of controversy over CAT ’13 results and hence, the IIMs may not persist with what they had implemented in CAT ’13. As far as your preparation is concerned, aim for good accuracy and a reasonably good number of attempts. Ideally, by the time you appear for CAT, you should be able to attempt around 65 questions with 80% accuracy.

  95. Hello Sir,
    Please explain to me the difference between a PGDM degree and an MBA degree?

    Thank you in advance!

    • Aditya, only Universities can offer a degree and hence autonomous institutes give an AICTE approved Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) which is equivalent to a degree.

  96. Hi Sir, I am cl student from IIT Delhi at SDA centre Can I get your email id.
    Also I would like to inquire if a student has any chance of getting into IIM A or B if he has not secured a 90% in 12th boards(89%, also he has >90% in 10th and >80 % in college) If yes , how much percentile should he target?

    • Ankit, yes you have a chance of getting into both IIM A and B with 89% in X and over 90% in graduation. As a general category candidate, your target score in CAT should be around 99.25%ile for IIMA but for IIM B and C you should target over 99.5%ile.
      My email ID is gp@careerlauncher.com

  98. Hi Sir,
    Thanks for giving us the insights of new CAT pattern.

    Sir I attempted the new sample CAT mock…

    Attempt QA/DI Correct Score VA/LR Correct Score
    43 17 12 31 26 13 26

    Total Score 31 + 26 = 57 arnd 60%ile

    Sir I am really worried now what to do…
    since I am not able to score good in mocks…

    Could you please help me understand and make a strategy for improving my score in mocks…
    I am losing confidence now and not able to focus..

    • Arpit, a poor performance is expected from most of the students in the first 2-3 Mocks of the new patter because you will take time to adjust to this pattern. Most of the students goof up on the time management due to which one section suffers (in terms of attempts) or make a mistake of trying to work very fast due to time pressure and suffer on account of accuracy. What is your reason for poor accuracy in VALR?
      My suggestion is that in the next paper go with a target of about 20 questions in each section and give sufficient time to each section.

  99. Hi Sir ,

    A few days before , all the mocks from my CL portal were removed because I was told that everything will be updated as per the new pattern and the new UI . I was also told that now the test series will start again with 10 proc and 10 unproc as per the new pattern and the new UI . But when i logged in the SIS today , i found that all the past mocks are returned with the old UI . Only a couple of mocks are present with the new UI . Is it some problem with my account ??

    Thanks and regards ,
    Rahul

    • Rahul, thee old questions are still relevant for and the old papers will remain till the new ones are uploaded. The UI will change for all new Mocks.

  100. H! Sir,
    One thing, which I want to discuss with you this time is about ‘inference based questions’ of RCs. Sir, actually I have made a approach to solve these kind of questions, & that is, immediately eliminate those all options, which are replicated same as the passage & this method, I find it,also working in the right direction,maximum time, but not every time. Recently, in my last attempt to RC, I have gone through a question, I applied this method, but was narrow missed by the right option. So then, I started thinking about some different approach, for these kind of questions & so, I decided a new one, & that is, to read first all options, memorize & understand them for some seconds, keeping them in mind, reading the passage, & searching for the same fact or relation in the passage regarding options. Is this is one of the correct way or should I do something else to handle these type of questions.

    Regards. .

  101. Sir,

    I earnestly need your guidance in a matter.
    I’ve 3 yrs of Work ex & a B.Tech.(Civil) from a NIT.
    I’m now planning to do an MBA and am confused whether to go for a 2 Yr Full time program or wait for one more year and then go for MBA-Executive. Please guide me on this.

    And will Non-construction companies take me after having this much experience (4Yrs by the time I join MBA) ??

    • Samarth, go for both this year itself since preparation for GMAT and CAT is similar. Target the IIMs, XLRI, FMS, ISB and SP Jain. Non-construction companies will also consider you after an MBA.

  102. Hello Sir,

    I wanted to know what you think about, certain rare question types making a comeback in the new CAT pattern.

    For example : Deductive Logic,
    Analogy type questions in VA section, etc.

    What is your take on this ?

    Thanks in advance..

    • Dilip, I will not rule out Deductive Logic but it has a lower probability but analogy questions are unlikely. The reason is that if we look at the CAT papers of 1995-2008 (papers created by IIMs) analogies are missing and deductive logic has also not appeared in the last 5-6 papers.

  103. Dear GP sir,
    Thank you for your insight on the changing pattern of cat. I went through the video analysis and it was simply amazing. Just had two queries:-
    1.When you say cutoff for QADI section would be 15 Que and for VALR section would be 18 Que then you are referring the cutoff as 85 percentile or what??
    2.If i am looking at a score of 120-130..then what percentile range i am looking at?? I k now its a bit early but still wanted to have an idea of it..kindly reply sir..

    • Sidharth, the sectional cutoff would be around 87-88%ile.
      Will be coming out with a raw score vs percentile co-relation in some time but my estimate is that a net score of 120-130 is likely to be around 93-95%ile.

  104. hello,
    respected sir
    section 1 is my strong point but sec 2 is weak when it comes to RCs specially (it takes a lot of time & still not confident). Since this year we can switch to the sections…..so, which should i attempt first ?
    plzzzz help…..so that i can test the new strategy in my upcoming mocks.

    • Krishna, While there are 2 sections there are 6 different types of questions types – QA, DI, LR, RC, Grammar and Verbal Logic and you should look at sequencing these question types rather than the two sections. My suggestion is to start and end with your strong areas and keep the weaker ones in the middle. You should however try various combinations in the next few Mocks and have a clarity by mid-Sept.

  105. Sir i wanted o have a little information about the deadline for submitting the marksheets of my graduation ..sir i hv still got a paper to clear ..and i am in a serious dilemma here coz i m doing gud in my mocks and i dnt want to ruin my hardwork coz of one silly subject i cudnt get gud marks in .. !! (ur suggestions would be helpful )

  106. Dear Sir,
    Thank you very much for the very first insight into the CAT’14.
    The 3 Round method to attempt the older version of CAT, can that be applied too for CAT’14? If not, can you please write something on how to attempt this new pattern, like the 3 round method?
    The reason I am asking you this because I attempted proc mock 1 today and could not think of any strategy for that.

    Thanks in advance Sir.

    • Sachin, the 3-Round method will work better in this new version of CAT. Suggest that you follow the same methods in the subsequent mocks.

  107. Hi Sir,
    Thanks again, it’s always great hearing you and your analysis. I didn’t read or watch anything prior to this because I knew whenever It’d (your analysis would) come it’ll be bull’s-eye.
    I tried getting video of your SQC but it was not available though I’ve attended it in person and found extremely beneficial would there be any option to see it again.
    Thanks again for your time and concern. 🙂

  108. Sir,
    My question is regarding LR. Sometimes, it takes me around 6-7 mins to fill in the table to a reasonable extent. After this I might not be able to complete the table and answer the questions and thus causing me to try for some more time which may end up not being fruitful and thus cause me to waste more time. Also, I do not want to abandon the set after wasting 6-7 mins as I am sure that I am not going to get a call from top IIMs if I spend 8 mins without marking any answer. I have no clue how to counter this conundrum. Please advise me on how to deal with such a situation.

    Regards,
    Roshan.

    • Roshan, the only way of resolving this conundrum is to choose the sets carefully and attempt only those that you are reasonably sure of solving. This would mean a good understanding of the kind of data sets that you can solve for which my suggestion is to attempt all the LR data sets of Mock CATs a couple of times and revise the difficult ones at least once a week. This will also help you identify the type of data sets that you should or should not attempt in the paper. Do the same for all other LR sets that you come across and do not forget to practice LR from old CAT papers.

  109. sir can u pls give me how many question are there in quant and verbal this….and pls also give me the important topic for this time CAT….

    • Yogesh, our (CLs) estimate of the breakup of QADI and VALR questions is given in the video. While the number of questions in all topics will go up, the specific topic which could be important in CAT’14 QADI is Arithmetic and you could also have Data Sufficiency questions. In VALR you can expect more questions from Vocabulary, Fill in blanks, Summary and Critical Reasoning.

  110. Sir

    My mail has regards to the test gym-classic.

    I have a feeling that old sectional tests (QA & VA) have been put in the new format. Same old sets of Qs but the time has been brought down from 70 to 30 mins for each test in test gym classic.
    If my observation/feeling is correct, do you suggest me to practise test gym classic anymore? I am asking this question because solving 30 Qs in 70 mins and soling the same set of Qs (same difficulty level) in 40 mins are not same. Results are very undermining .

    Sir,requesting you to take note of the issue and look into this matter. Your response regrading this will help me to assess myself.

    Regards
    Kaustav Das
    ID : 1015159

    • Kaustav, you are correct that these 30 questions in 40 minutes are difficult papers and an attempt of around 22-23 can be considered very good. The plan is to add 20 more questions to these and get them to the right difficulty level.

  111. Thanks for your previous reply sir. I have one more query, I can solve basic level geometry and mensuration questions but not those which are slightly tougher. How can i improve in this area? I hadn’t done vocab earlier what should be my strategy to improve in vocab in remaining 100 days?

    • Ankit, for geometry it ill have to be more practice and revision, it will be useful to focus on geometry questions in the past CAT and Mock CAT papers. Similarly for Vocabulary focus on old CAT, XAT, IIFT and FMS papers.

  112. hello sir ,
    thanks for the last reply .but here i have one more question , sir im planning to give GMAT also….so wanted to know how how is gmat test pattern is different then the CAT exam pattern?
    thank you.

    • Dear Neha,

      The GMAT comprises 4 sections – Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative section and Verbal section. Analytical writing comprises one essay writing task which requires you to analyse an argument. You are allowed 30 minutes for this exercise. Integrated Reasoning (30 minutes) comprises 12 questions from areas such as graphs, tables and other areas of reasoning. The Quantitative section (75 minutes and 37 questions) and the Verbal section (75 minutes and 41questions) round off the test. Thus, the GMAT is a 4 section, 3.5 hour long test while CAT (as per the new pattern) will be a 100 question, 170 minute long, 2-section test.

  113. hello GP sir,
    as we know sir only 100 days are left for cat’14 i want to ask how many mocks should i take during these 100 days to get a good score in cat

  115. Hi Sir…
    I would like to know about normalisation..suppose 1 person attempts 19 questions n get all right n thus has a score of 57.. while another person attempts all 100 n gets 40 correct n thus his marks would be 60.. who will have a higher percentile ??
    will the person who has higher raw score always have higher percentile now that there are only 4 slots ???

  117. hello sir,
    i am having a problem with my stamina while attempting mocks. While studying too i am unable to concentrate for more than 2 hours at a stretch. Can you please suggest a way to increase my stamina?
    thank you.

    • Savvy, the only way would be to do shift more preparation to the computer. Do more of Test Gym and also read only the e-newspapers. About 3 hours daily of Test Gym and e-newspaper will hopefully develop your stamina and make taking Mocks easier

      • thank you so much sir…. i read e-newspapers all week long and it did help me during this mock…but still need to do more because when i jumped to the quant section after completing the verbal section i had a target of 20 but was able to do only 18 with not so good accuracy…. but verbal i was able to do quite well… thanks again sir !!

  118. Sir, I face lot of problems in VA section (perfectly fine with LR though). Every time I attempt a mock, I get only 3-4 correct of 9-10 attempts whereas in LR its about 8/9 correct .As per analysis there would be around 15 ques of RCs.Please suggest me some way to excel in it. This section has always been a nightmare for me.

  120. Sir,
    Are the previous years’ papers to be done?
    I am asking this because RC passages used to be a bit different in terms of length and difficulty level in the offline CAT.

    • Soumak, yes CAT 1990-2008 papers should be attempted. From a RC perspective, CAT 2003-08 papers should be the focus.

  121. I lack good speed for solving DI questions so, i normally skip every DI set in the paper.Can this strategy work in new CAT paper ? or should i start practicing DI ?

    • Shivani, with 3 months in hand you should start practicing DI. Out of the 4 DI sets at least one (most probably 2) will be very easy, a good speed in calculation will help you in QA also.

      • Sir, could you suggest how to determine the level of difficulty for the set in minimal time?
        Even I lack the speed required for DIs and would want to avoid difficult sets.

        • Saroj, go through the data and the numbers associated with the data. If the data is difficult to understand or the numbers are difficult from calculation perspective then it is a difficult set. The order of preference should be:
          1st Preference: Data is easy to understand and numbers are easy to work with.
          2nd Preference: Data is easy to understand but numbers are difficult.
          3rd Preference: Data is difficult but numbers are easy.
          4th Preference: Both numbers and data are difficult.
          In the 3rdd and 4th preference since data is difficult to understand attempt only those questions that are easy like %age change between two items or years.

  122. Sir, what will be safe strategy now to score around 96-97 percentile ? I mean in no of attempts ! How many questions with around 80-85 percent accuracy will fetch 96-97 percentile ?

    • Rajat, will come out with these numbers after analysing more data. Right now let your target be as given in the video – 65 attempts and a net score of 50.

  123. Hello sir,

    I m Sipun. I am facing prob in DI, Grammer and RC. What will i do for those area plz suggest me sir.

    • Sipun, while you can ignore grammar since it is unlikely to contribute more than 3-4 questions you should practice DI and RC and with over 3 months you can improve significantly in these two areas.

  124. sir thanks for your analysis on cat’14 topic wise question strength .
    i am regularly in touch with you and discuss about my issue that i am not good in qa and worst in algebra.But as i have around 100 days left so i am looking on easier portion of algebra too good in di.My question what should be minimum attempt to be targeted in cat’14 paper to clear the cut-offs of IIMS+FMS .As u recommended to attempt 65-70 with 80% accuracy?

    • Shashank, we have data of around 15 years and will study them in detail to come out with the raw score – percentile co-relation after studying the data. Till then you should keep your target as 65 attempts and a net score of over 50%.

  125. Hello sir,Thank you loads for the analysis. I am weak in Geometry and have picked up a fear for it. So even if it is an easy question, i tend to overlook it. Sir will it be prudent to just go through the basics done in the class and not engage in a lot of practice for geometry?

    • Manish, you should go through the basics in the class and through the MCQs in your fundabook. Practice using Test gym Adaptive which will give you practice of your level of geometry questions, after all at least 2-3 geometry questions are likely to be very easy and you should not miss out on them.

  126. Sir,
    If we are strong in a particular section say VA, should we start with that section or should we go for our weaker section first so as to get the weaker section out of our mind?

    • Divay, there are positives of both – starting with your strong and starting with your weak section. You need to try out both the approaches and decide what works best for you. Also you can go for a mix and match, while there are 2 sections there are 6 different types of questions types – QA, DI, LR, RC, Grammar and Verbal Logic and you should look at sequencing these question types rather than the two sections. I prefer to start and end with a strong question type and keep the weaker ones in the middle. You should however try various combinations in the next few Mocks and have a clarity by mid-Sept.

  127. sir what would be your strategy to take new cat.what would be your order of sections,time given to each section and the approx. number of ques. from each section

    • Akshat, While there are 2 sections there are 6 different types of questions types – QA, DI, LR, RC, Grammar and Verbal Logic and you should look at sequencing these question types rather than the two sections. My suggestion is to start and end with a strong question type and keep the weaker ones in the middle. You should however try various combinations in the next few Mocks and have a clarity by mid-Sept.

  128. Hi GP sir,

    What should be the individual sectional cut-offs for both QA/DI & VA/LR ? And how many questions from each section is a good attempt ?

    • Pranjal. at present work on a net score of 15 and 18 as the sectional cutoffs for QADI and VALR respectively. Will come out with a data driven number in a couple of weeks.

  129. Hi Sir ,

    Please tell me what will be the number of questions asked from calc based DI and logic based DI seperately . I am very poor in logic based DI but reasonably good in calc based DI and Quants . Should I work on logic based DI ( actually not only am i week in them , I hate them . It is very hard for me to motivate myself to solve these ) . If I should be working in these , please suggest me complete strategy with material .

    Will eagerly wait for reply .

    Thanks and regards ,
    Rahul

    • Rahul, this cannot be confirmed but my estimate is that at least half the DI questions will not be logic based because the LR questions in the VALR section will take care of them. You do need to work on them keeping in mind the LR questions.

      • Sir , seeing your reply I am getting a feeling that you have confused logic based DI with Analytical reasoning . Logic based DI is DI caselet based on averages , weighted averages, etc . While Analytical reasoning is questions on linear arrangement , circular arrangement , group making , characteristic and traits , etc — these have been the part of the VALR section since last 2-3 years while calc and logic based DI is part is part of the QA section . Based on this terminology/naming convention i had asked whether i should be working on logic based DI . kindly reply

        • Rahul, not more than 2 logic based DI sets are likely in the paper. If you check the past CAT papers you will find that a majority of the DI sets are calculation based and very few are logic based.

  130. excellent analysis gp sir…for set based questions like DI,LR,Rc..can we expect 2 out of 4 sets in each to be of easy to moderate level?

  132. Greetings Sir,
    As usual you have come up with a through analysis. I had following queries:
    1. With increased in time i think RC may be less complex perhaps more akin to XAT. In general i have observed that in speed test RC tends to be long but simpler. I am not sure whether computer based reading should decrease RC length. Do we have any precedence for this logic in past CAT papers.?
    2. I have heard that while conducting GATE , TCS uses a normalization scheme . Their was some formula given for same on their website also. There also test was conducted in 2 slot (for mechanical). By that logic can we expect that the scores of paper (2 or 4) will be normalized or since sample size for each slot is sufficiently high, CAT-14 will provide %tile purely based on raw score of that slot test taker.

    Regards

    • Vabhav, Agree with you that RC in CAT’14 is likely to be simpler than that in CAT’12 and 13, in general an aptitude test uses simpler questions than a subject test and tries to force student to make quick decisions. What you have suggested can be confirmed by past CAT papers. In the 1990s CAT had over 150 questions and simpler questions but in the 2000s with the decrease in the number of questions the complexity level of the questions and RC increased.
      I am not aware of the normalisation processed used by TCS for GATE so it will not be proper for me to comment on the same but in case of CAT my feeling is that th number of students in each slot will be big enough to provide percentiles based on the raw score itself.

        • Vaibhav, 10 Unproc Mocks in the new pattern will be available from 8th Aug’14. Initially a new paper will be added every two weeks and then it will be once a week.

      • Greetings sir,
        Thank you for ur inputs. Some people have updated on PG that they called toll free no. regarding paper pattern and scheme and they get among other responses, that this year there will be no negative marking in CAT. Is this some hoax or true. Please advise ?

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