The single-most unpardonable, gravest sin you can commit in CAT

Here is the ugly truth that no one tells you about taking the CAT – in your quest of attempting as many questions as you can, you are actually giving yourself more chances to screw up. The more questions you attempt – the greater the chances of silly mistakes and of missing the sitters. Which brings me to the most unpardonable sin you can commit in CAT – the greed of attempting more and more questions.

To address this, you will have to attain nirvana from this greed of “I will attempt as many questions as possible” or “I will attempt all 32 / 34 questions”. And for this I present to you a simple solution: Leaving questions improves your score.

Of course, like everything else in life, this is not as easy as it sounds. You cannot indiscriminately skip questions and hope to improve your score. To make this work for you, we’ll first have to analyze your performance pattern in the last few mocks.

What you’ve been doing till now

In the CAT 2015 pattern Mock CATs that the students have been taking till the CAT 2016 pattern is released, the number of attempts for most students is around 18-20 in each section with 12-15 of correct answers leading to an accuracy of around 70% even after spending over 4 minutes per question. There’s your next serious problem – the definition of an attempt.

Most students (and faculty) define attempts as the numbers of questions for which an answer was marked. But my definition of attempts includes:

  • The QA questions in which around 100 seconds were spent in forming equations, doing calculations and no answer marked
  • The DI/LR sets in which you spent time making the table but were unsuccessful and abandoned the set without marking answer(s) to the questions
  • The RC questions whose answers were not marked after reading the passage
  • The Critical Reasoning, Para Completion & Para Jumbles question that were left unmarked after a couple of minutes of working

The correct definition of ‘Attempts’ is the number of questions in which you spent at least 100 seconds, whether you marked the answer or not is not important. In each section there would be at least 5-6 such questions hence most of the students are attempting 25+ questions with 12-15 answers marked correctly, 6-8 incorrect answers and 5-6 questions for which the answers were not marked even after spending time or most students have an accuracy of 50%.

Pick up any Mock CAT (Proctored or Unproctored) that you attempted recently and identify the questions that you spent the most time on, you will be surprised to discover that:
• The 12-15 questions that were answered correctly took only around 25 minutes.
• The 6-8 questions that were answered incorrectly took around 20 minutes and at least half of these were unforced errors (or silly mistakes) that happened because of rushing through the question or the calculation. Spending another 30 sec in understanding the question or in calculation would have converted a -1 to +3
• The 5-6 questions for which no answer was marked even after spending time took around 15 minutes. These were the speed breakers that derailed you. Most probably, if these questions had not been attempted, the unforced errors would have vanished.
• This leaves 10 odd questions including 4-5 sitters that you did not notice in the paper. You did not have time for these questions because you were not willing to leave those 5-6 speed breakers. This means that to do well in CAT (and other MBA entrances) you have to leave difficult and time-consuming questions.

IIM Call-getter Vs Others
IIM call-getter: Exercises choice, attempts the easy questions, leaves questions that are difficult to crack and thus would have been a waste of time. Because (s)he picks and chooses questions to leave, (s)he does not miss out on the sitters and scores precious marks. S(he) makes the full use of the one hour by selecting the questions judiciously and ends up with an attempt (answers marked) of 22-25 questions in a section.
Misses out on IIM call: Attempts whatever comes his/her way and is forced to leaves 10 odd questions anyways – some of these are bound to be sitters that lost him precious marks, while critical time was wasted on difficult questions which would have resulted in zero or negative marks. Also attempts 22-25 questions but is able to mark answers to only around 18-20 questions with 6-8 wrong answers and misses 4-5 sitters.

The Proof

CAT 2011 to 2013: These papers had two sections, QADI and VALR, with 30 questions in each section.
• For a sectional score of 95%ile, one needed a net correct attempt of 15 or an attempt 20 questions with 3 – 4 incorrect answers.
• For an overall score of 99%ile, one needed a net correct attempt of around 35 in the paper or a total attempt of 40-42 questions with 4 – 5 incorrect answers.

CAT 2014: If you feel that CAT 2011 to 2013 should not be considered as the pattern has changed and the level of difficulty of CAT 2015 is expected to be lower then have a look at CAT 2014 which is possibly the easiest CAT paper in the last 15 years. This paper also had two sections QADI and VALR but with 50 questions in each section.
• For a sectional score of 95%ile, one needed a net correct attempt of 28-30 in QADI and 25-27 in VALR. This translates to an attempt of 35-40 questions in each section with 80% accuracy.
• A 95%ile in each section typically translates to an aggregate score of 97.5%ile thus a net correct attempt of around 55 was sufficient for a call from the new IIMs for a general category candidate.
• For an overall score of 99%ile, one needed a net correct attempt of 62-64 in the paper or a total attempt of 80 questions with 85% accuracy.
Remember that CAT 2014 was the easiest CAT paper in 15 years and in this paper too leaving 10-12 questions in each section was not a problem! With CAT 2015 expected to be slightly tougher leaving about 10 questions per section leading to an attempt of around 70 should be fine. Given that every question carries equal marks, you should be leaving the most difficult question types to ensure zero time wastage.

In the next article of this series, I will discuss the four reasons as to why is it diffuclt to leave questions. Stay tuned.

All the best!

GP

 

 

266 Comments

  1. Sir,I am sc candidate with 68% in 12th and 84% in 10th and 7.8 cgpa I’m graduation(BE) how much should be my cat percentile to secure a seat in top b school?

  4. sir,class x-56,XII-78,B.COM-52……sir, i really want to do MBA from good b-schools.so kindly suggest me from where i can expect my call.sir,i am really very nervous.

    • Mohit, given your marks in X, XII and graduation, call from the top IIMs, MDI and IIT Mumbai are not possible. However almost all other MBA institutes have a low/no weight for past academics and hence are all possible for you.

    • Sahil, after the introduction of online exam pattern for CAT in year 2009, IIMB has not conducted this exam even once.

  6. sir, please evaluate my profile that can i get call and convert from iims and other top b schools like fms,iift,xlri,mdi
    10th (65) 2007 bihar board
    12th (69) 2009 bihar board
    Bcom(h) (65) in 2012
    cate- gen male
    sir after huge gap i have started my job in march 2016 now i am working
    now. but i am worried about that even after getting good percentile would
    i be able to convert my call?
    actually i had worked for 1 year 2014-2015 but i dont have relevant certificate of that job.
    so i decided to show my work ex from march 2016.
    am i taking right decision?
    please give your valuable advise.

    • Avnish, you can hope for B-schools like FMS, XLRI and many other B-school where a low/no academic records are considered for admission. You have bleak chances for top IIMs. If you have decided to show your experience from march 2016, then you should be able to give a logical reason for gap year during the interview.

  7. Respected Sir,
    My profile details are as follows
    10th – 87%
    12th- 62%
    Grad (B.E.) – 68.8%
    I’m an OBC candidate. As you can see, my 12th & Grad scores are too low. I got 87%ile in CAT 2015
    and got a call from new IIMs but didnt make it. I just wanted to know if all this is worth it? Will I be able to get into any of the IIMs (even the new ones) if I score well in CAT 2016, considering my poor profile?

    • Sumit, given your profile you have bleak chances for IIMs. However, if you score high in CAT’16 then there are some chances to get calls from new IIMs and other B-schools. There are some B-school that consider a low or no academic scores while giving admissions.

  8. Sir,
    I am taking CAT this year..my preparation is going well but my real concern lies in the LRDI section. Even after taking 6-7 mocks my score is hovering between 75-85%tile..Sir what to do….and what is the ideal attempts in this section to get par 90%ile….

    • Dushyant, practice sectional tests as many as possible. So, out of 32 questions, a range of attempt of about 20-22 should be good attempts.

  9. Dear sir,
    As IIM Banglore is conducting CAT this year, what kind of a paper should be expected?
    (In terms of section wise, difficulty)

    • Shobhit, IIM Bangalore has released a notification that CAT 2016 will have the same exam pattern as that of last year. With absolutely no changes in the CAT 2016 pattern, one could expect a slightly more challenging and intuitive paper.

  10. Hello Sir
    I have secured 89% in 10th 85% in 12th but 54% in graduation and also have a backlog. Thus my graduation got extended by a year. Will i be able to get into a good b school?

    • Denzil, considering your low academic score in graduation you have bleak chances for top IIMs. However, if you are able to score good percentile in CAT, then you are likely to get selected by top B-schools. This gap year will not create any hindrance if you can give logical reasoning for the same. You should target FMS, XLRI, JBIMS as academic scores are less considered by these institutes.

  11. Hello Sir, First look at my profile

    Xth (82%)
    XIIth (59%)
    i was a bright student till class 10th but after 10th my percantage tells my story.. i am very sad when i see my 12th grades.. I am currently pursuing BCA(2ndYear).. i am doing lots of hardwork to get a good grades in my graduation and i am sure i will get above 7
    i just need your help.. i really want to do MBA.. many people laughs at me.. that no you cannot crack cat.. i want to prove myself..but my class 12th performance makes me nervous.. should i go for CAT ?

    • Prabhat, you cannot change the past and thinking about it will only lead to de-motivation. Focus on your graduation to ensure good grades and start your CAT preparation asap. While some of the top IIMs are not possible for you due to 59% in XII but most of the other institutes including FMS, XLRI have a low/no weight for class XII marks so admission in a good MBA institute is possible with a good CAT/XAT score. Call me at 9811155160 in case you want to discuss the issue.

  12. sir tell me how many number of correct attempts require in order to 99%tile without any mistake in each section in cat 2016

    • Ashish, it is a relative question. The answer depends on the difficulty level of CAT exam. Since there are no major changes in CAT 2016, the exam is expected to be more difficult and intuitive. The net correct answers between 64-66 out of 100 should be enough to fetch you a percentile of 99+ .

  13. Sir , I have 10th 67% , 12th 71% , Grad. (B.Tech) 72% 2015 Gen. Cat. I will give CAT 2016 2nd attempt …I am preparing now …tell me expected score or %tile in CAT 2016 …to get call from most of IIMs or at least 5+ IIMs? I am scoring all India mock test about 85+%tile …how much is this ..and my quant is strong …In mock test I get 95+%tile quant …but varbal is so poor …tell me steps to improve this ….please help …thank u
    🙂

  14. Hi sir,
    I have seen in few websites that for BIM Trichy scoring of 70 percentile for TN-OBC candidate is enough(without sectional cutoff). Cat 2016 will be my first attempt and also i have to clear it this year. I already have more than 2 yrs experience in IT firm. Is it a good idea to quit my job in july and prepare, will this have any effect in my experience score or selection process/Interview.

    Looking forward for your reply sir.
    Thank you.

    • Vignesh, since it will be your first attempt, it is advised to target top B schools. BIM Trichy is decent, but you should aim for top B-schools. As long as you can give logical reason for the gap, leaving job should not be a problem. You should try to prepare along with it.

  15. Hello Sir,
    I am preparing for CAT 2016, I am very interested in MBA Finance and want to work in Investment Bank after MBA. Currently I am working in Telecom Sector as Network Engineer.
    Will this experience is considered during Admission and PLACEMENTS in Investment Bank or else I switch job in some Finance field and get some experience.
    Looking forward to your reply Sir.
    Thank you

    • Mohd. Parvez, your current work experience will be counted during placements. There is no need to switch job.

  16. I am a girl with 85% in 10th 95% in plus two, 73% in Bcom. I expect a raw score of 80-85 in CAT. I am writing SNAP and XAT as well. What percentile I can expect in CAT. Any good college that will consider me based on Profile in south india…..thanks….

    • Ravvichandran, please check your percentile using the CL percentile predictor. The score is too low to get get colleges. Focus on SNAP and XAT to get the best out of it.

    • Sir,
      I have secured 92 percentile in CAT(VA-95.26, LR/DI-84.35, QA-83.45)
      10th- 92%
      12th- 83%
      Engg- 80%
      Should I apply for IISc, NITIE or any of the IITs??

      • Diya, NITIE and most of the IITs won’t be possible. Slim chance for IISc. Apply for IMT, IMI, TAMPI and KJ Somiayya

  18. sir what would be percentail for 110 according to cl key iam getting 110 suppose if i estimate around 90+ marks than what would be my percentile if score is 90 if itz 100 or 105+ in 2015 cat thanku..

  19. sir im getting verbal 40 , inquant 25 to 30 and in dilr i attempted 9 questions with 100% and a score of 27 and total around 92 + what could be my percentage this are according to cl key and i am having reservation (st) any chances of getting call from iim’s thanku sir..

  20. sir
    i have given CAT exm this year i have attented 20 questions in VRC, 10-15 questions in QT and 10-15 questions in DI&LR so what will be my expected percentile and can i get a call from any IIM’s.
    Questions attented in VRC is rite but i am not sure about the other 2 sections.
    If i don’t get a call then should i wait for next year for the CAT exm .
    please let me know the approximate percentile

  22. Sir i can able to score in nmat upto 115 marks in QA as my strength is arithmetic i am unable to solve algebra and geometry que of cl mock what shoud i prefer to maximize my algebra and geometry score?

  23. Hello GP Sir

    I can’t over emphasize the correctness of your articles. And the section illuminating the reasons why we chase a particular question can’t reciprocate more with my approach till last month when I first read this article. Now with practicing the “Art of Leaving”, I am able to improve my overall Mock score by at least 20. This is a huge confidence booster, especially in QA section.

    Thanks a lot for such informative article.

    Just one question regarding percentile in CAT-2015 based on your views and analysis of CAT till date. Assuming the same LOD as CAT-2014, what do you think should be sectional and total scores for:
    90 percentile in each section
    95 and(or) 99 percentile overall

    My accuracy varies wildly between 60% to 95% across sections.

    Thanks
    Nikhil

    • Nikhil, thanks for appreciating the “Art of Leaving”.
      Assuming the same level of difficulty as CAT 2014, my estimate for 90%ile level in the three sections would be VRC 40-45, DILR 35-40, QA 45-50.
      Overall 95%ile would be around 135 and 99%ile around 170.

    • Deepak it depends on your accuracy and the Level of difficulty of the paper.
      Assuming 90% accuracy and LOD equivalent to that in CAT 2014, you can expect 85%ile, 85%ile and 65%ile respectively

  25. Sir, is there a specific strategy to scheduling the NMAT test that you can enlighten me about? Should it be taken before or after the CAT?

  26. Hi Sir,

    Can you please tell me a rough estimate as to how many questions I should attempt and get right in order to secure about 95 percentile in CAT 2015? Thanks a lot.

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

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

  27. hi sir ..i am nc obc candidate.
    10th- 93 percentile.
    12- 97 percentile.
    mbbs-67 percentile
    i have just completed my mbbs with no work exp..how much should i score to get calls from iims?
    as you mentioned, i couldn’t resist my temptation to answer all qns that comes..and eventually end up answering less qns…how can i improve my strategy??

    • Raja, please use the IIM Profilizer to check your eligibility for all the IIMs.
      In order to understand which questions you should attempt, always analyse your mocks to check which topics you are comfortable with.

  28. I have graduated in 2014 and have no work ex. What sort of colleges should I target? how should I justify the two year gap? In those two years I was preparing for competitive exams like GATE, civil services preliminary etc. My profile is 10th-90 %, 12th- 80%, graduation(B.tech)- 69% and category OBC-NCL. Igave CAT last year and scored around 90 percentile.

    • SB, as a NCOBC candidate you should apply to all institutes that have reservation. If you can get around 95%ile then a call is possible from almost all institutes that have reservation (except the top IIMs).
      You can’t justify the gap, the only thing you can do is to tell the truth. It will not be a problem as every year many students with gap year(s) make it to top MBA institutes.

  29. Hi Sir,
    I am not very comfortable with modern maths questions especially PnC and Probability and usually leave such questions. What is your advise on it? Should I cover these topics till a certain level.
    Also, IIM Ahmedabad is conducting CAT this year, what are the expected changes? Also it would be helpful if you can tell which year CAT paper were set by IIM Ahmedabad earlier.

    Looking forward to your answer.

    • Ashish, you can cover a great deal in PnC and Modern Math just by analysing the mocks well and seeing the solutions. This can be teamed up with a few tests on test Gym which you should take every second day. The key changes would possibly be that QA will be easy but VRC will certainly be a little tough.
      IIM-A had conducted CAT 2003, 2006 papers of which are available in your SIS.

  30. Hi Sir,

    My performance in the Mocks is really poor inspite of covering the concepts. I am able to solve questions while practicing but when it comes to the mocks, my efforts are futile. Despite a lot of efforts, I am not improving at all. Please guide me how to improve over the same.

    Thank You.

    • HK, you must analyze your mocks to understand which areas are the weak areas for you. You must revise these specific questions and these specific topics regularly. Start using smarter techniques of solving questions.

  31. Sir, I am doing this same mistake.I attempting 18-22 ques in quants with 12-14 correct.
    During analysis I can attempt 10 more questions(including the ones which are wrong)
    Sir what should I do.How should I decide which question to leave.

    • Soumyadeep, please revise these questions again every week. You may use CAT Score Booster and the Booster Analysis to know how well are you doing in your areas of strength and weaknesses. Please Revise concepts whenever required.

      • Sir, I am not in a position to buy any more due to some reasons.Can you please tell how to decide which ques to attempt in first round?..And yes how to exactly know my area of strength

        • Soumyadeep, you can find your strength areas by analyzing the last few mocks and finding out the areas you’re comfortable in. This would also give you an idea about the areas that require improvement.

  32. Sir I am doing my .b. com. and expecting around 70 percentage in it….can I get an iim with such marks as many people told that 80 percentage is required to get an iim….. Also I am in my second year.. How should I start preparing for cat… Plz help….

    • Shivani, please use the IIM Proflizer to check your eligibility at the IIMs.
      Make sure that you are taking 2 mocks per week with proper analysis. This clubbed with daily use of Test Gym can do wonders.

  33. sir thanks for such a wonderful article.
    I need you help for a particular problem of mine that while doing QA section if I mark first 7-8 question for round 2 or decided them to leave than with the timer running i feel pressurize that i have not attempted any question and this at times waste my initial 10-12 minutes in QA which forces me to attempt wrong question .Can u please guide how to overcome this and make QA my strong section for CAT, as i have cleared my QA cutoff in only one of the mock in the rest i am falling short of 3-4 marks.
    Regards
    Devashish

    • Devashish, I do bot recommend apending 7-8 minutes in marking question for R2. My suggestion is:
      1. Read Q1 and attempt it only if you are 100% of being able to solve it within 3 minutes.
      2. If you think you can solve the question in 3-5 minutes then mark it for R2 and move to the next question.
      3. If you think that the question will take more than 5 minutes or if you are not sure of solving the question then leave it and move to the next question.
      In this process you will attempt all the R1 questions and also simultaneously mark the questions that you can attempt in R2.

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

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

  35. Sir,I have started my full swing preparation since a month.My main problem is that i am not able to apply my brains while solving QA section.Even when i have gone through the entire theory.My question solving ability is very poor.I am just being able to solve direct formula based sitter problems.This is a problem with the entire QA section covering all the chapters.What should I do?

  37. Sir, in my mock tests my wrong answers are higher than my right answers bt during attempt am unable to know that my procedure is wrong can u plz tell me how to overcome this problem

  38. Wat are the marks to be scored in both the sections to ensure that u get a 99% altogether and wat is the minimum no of questions to be attempted plz help me

  39. dear sir
    i have 50 % in 10th and 62% in +2 and 51% in degree and i have cast reservation (SC) sir
    need few points to be cleared out from my head before giving my CAT exam:-
    1.) can cat exam be given with out coaching and with perfect knowledge till degree subjects
    2.)what is the minimum %ile i have to score in CAT for call
    3.) finally how many questions i have to attempt to get minimum score for a call from iims as per my profile…your knowledge is valuable for my decision take….

    • Raghav, CAT checks your logical thinking ability through X class English and Maths. Thus knowledge of degree subjects does not play a role in clearing CAT, however in the interview stage your knowledge of your degree subjects and/or work is extremely important. If one is disciplined and does not need faculty guidance then classroom coaching is not required for CAT preparation, a correspondence program along with a test series is sufficient.
      A SC candidate can get calls from some IIMs at a CAT score of over 8%ile (or a raw score of 100+) but to be sure you one should have over 90%ile (score of 110).
      Given your low marks in X, XII and graduation you should target over 90%ile especially for the top IIMs.

  40. Sir,
    Firstly, Your stats are fascinating. I am Impressed 😉

    Now I would like to ask for 99+ percentile in SC Category for CAT 2014.

    How many Questions I’m supposed to attempt @ of 85% accuracy in each section and overall.

    Seeking for a positive feedback.
    Thank You.

    • Sumit, as a SC candidate a 90%ile should get you a call from all IIMs which will need an overall score of around 110. Based on your accuracy and target score you can work out the attempts.
      My estimate for 95%ile is 120, for 98%ile it is 130 and for 99%ile it is 140. Also a score of 50 marks in any section is likely to be over 85%ile.

  41. Sir,
    If it is possible please let me know the required percentage of marks one has to score to get 99.5+ percentile in CAT. I imagine it may vary from year to year depending on the difficulty of exam but if you could give some rough idea.

    I ask this because my academic profile is not brilliant and in order to get calls from IIM-A,B,C and FMS.I have to get a 99.5+ percentile otherwise the whole exercise will be futile.

    My academic profile for your reference:-
    10th-90.2%
    12th-69.8%
    ENGINEERING- N.I.T JAMSHEDPUR 80.4%
    WORK EX- 1 YEAR AT MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LTD.

      • THANK YOU SIR!!!!

        i m sharing my mock scores of some recent test … please let me know if i m on the right track—

        MOCK CAT 5-
        QA- 46 VA-58 TOTAL-104

        MOCK CAT 7-
        QA-76 VA-68 TOTAL-144

        MOCK CAT 10-
        QA-52 VA-69 TOTAL-121

        MOCK CAT 12
        QA-39 VA-62 TOTAL-101

        MOCK CAT-13

        QA-44 VA-76 TOTAL-120

        Sir none of the scores are past 150… i m trying hard but face a lot of calculation mistakes…

        If you could suggest something i will be greatful

        • Aditya, these are good scores and you can go by the CAT Percentile Predictor for an estimate of what you can expect in CAT. In a couple of weeks we will come out with better estimates of raw score to percentile conversion.

          • Sir,

            I saw the CAT test day video on the official website and the test interface shown in the video is an exact match to the CL test platform so no surprises on the test day.

            Thank You

  42. Sir, What should be the attempt in this new pattern CAT’ 14 to score a %ile of atleast 85-90. I attented your Smart Quant Cracker Workshop and found it quite helpful and i solved and revised that booklet 10 times but in the Mocks i am still hopeless. what is ur suggestion on this! Thank You.

    • Rishabh, my estimate is that one would need around 50-55 marks in each section to clear the sectional cutoffs which is usually at 85%ile and hence a score of 105-110 is likely to be around 90%ile in CAT’14.
      In addition to the SQC booklet you need to identify questions in the Mocks and the past CAT papers also that can be solved using these techniques. Also as suggested in this post, when taking the paper you have to leave the difficult or the time consuming questions also. Please also refer tot he post Are you choosing the right questions in your Mock CATs? to check if your question selection is upto the mark.

  44. Sir how many question to attempt in each section to score bet 90-95 percentile now that no. Of question is 100..sir I m v.weak in quant, n I m worried about crossing the sectional cutoff now.in new pattern mock 1.i got 93 percentil (cat percentile predictor) so I was desperate to do better than that in 2nd one..bt I rather landed with a 70.quant is a huge problem 4 me.i do fine in english.what should I do to improve score rather than deprove.

    • Dear Shristi,

      Ideally, you should attempt around 30 questions in either section (with 90% accuracy) to secure 90-95 percentile in CAT. Use Test Gym Adaptive as much as you can. This will ensure that your preparation is complete and that you have good practice of solving questions quickly, which is essential to perform well in mocks/actual test consistently.

        • You guys are kidding right? You think a score of 78 (27C 3W) will get 90-95 percentile..i.e a net score of 150+ will get one a 95 percentile? Don’t you think that’s way too high, unless of course the CAT is humongously easier than the past years.

          • Dexter, a score of 150 in CAT is likely to be over 99%ile and and the sectional cut off is likely to be around 50-55 in each section, thus a score of 100-105 is likely to be over 90%ile in CAT. These are obviously estimates and will come out with better estimates closer to CAT.

  45. Sir,
    I am currently pursuing B.Com(h) from Sri Venkateswara College,New Delhi.My academic record has been as follows:Class X-93%,Class XII-95.5%,UG-72%.I am in my third year and therefore without work-ex.I am scoring decently in CL mocks and AIMCATs by TIME(around 90-95%ile).Do I stand a chance to make it to IIM-A and IIM-B owing to the fact that I have no work ex and average marks in graduation.Your guidance will be highly appreciated.
    Thanks

    • Dear Sanchit,

      Your overall acads scores are quite decent. Aim for a good CAT percentile (99.5 percentile +). This will give you a good chance of getting into the top IIMs.

  46. sir,
    all the old mocks have been removed from the SIS account proc and unproc both.
    will mocks be uploaded again so that we can analyze our performance in last mocks ?

  47. Sir,
    I am a CL student and I get around 90-92%ile in the cat %ile predictor. So, do you think my CAT %ile will be more than this or less?I also dont understand how to come out of this 90%ile mess. I am stuck here for the last 2 mocks and I cant seem to improve it to something above 95 %ile which is very important for a good MBA college. Please reply 🙂

    • Rohan, with almost 3 months to CAT you should be able to convert the present 90-92%ile to a 98-99%ile. In addition to practicing Mocks and Test Gym you should also identify important questions in Mocks, Test Gym and among other MCQs and revise them once a week, this will help increase our speed and accuracy. I will be posting an article on this tomorrow.

      • Thank you for the advice sir.
        I got 95 %ile in the last mock. But now I am worried about this new format of CAT. I seriously think it has become even more difficult. They have increased 40 questions but increased only 30 minutes. Now speed and accuracy is even more important than ever.

      • Sir,
        Would you kindly tell when will CL change the format of the mocks? Because we need to practice in the new format else we will suffer in the main exam.

        • Rohan, a sample CAT’14 paper in the new pattern has already been uploaded in your SIS and the Mock CAT scheduled for 1st August will be as per the new pattern. A new CAT’14 test series will be made available.

  48. GP sir, I am a CL student.
    Sir,I have few question of which I am not able find understandable solutions from numbers and TSD.Can you provide me with the easy solutions ?
    Sir, How can i mail you the scanned copy of that questions ?

  49. Hi Sir,
    I am giving proc mock. My percentile ranges between 50 and 65. I manage to core 79 percentile only in proc4.
    I gave proc 7 .My attempts are :
    QA – 14A 8C 6W
    VA – 18 A 8C 10W.
    My raw scores are also miserable. I have given CAT last year.
    But this time I started preparing from Feb and giving Adaptive Test Gym.
    I am able to solve at least 8 questions after mock. Time factor is becoming crucial for me . I really want my raw score to touch 100 which will get me more than 99 percentile.
    Please suggest. I doubt whether i can at least clear cat this time.This is a vital year for me. I am having two years 3 months of work exp in IT field.
    Thanks in Advance!!!!

    • Soham, your attempts are good but it is your accuracy that is an issue. It might be worthwhile to reduce your attempts by a couple of questions in each section and get almost all right. To begin with target 10-11 attempts with 1-2 wrong in QA. In VALR while you can target 6/6 (or 9/9) in LR in usage you should be selective and attempt only those questions that you are sure of. When in doubt, leave is the principle to be followed in English. Apart from LR you can consider attempting Para Completion, Para Jumbles and 1 RC passage.

      • Thank You Sir!!
        I will try to keep all these things in mind.
        My focus will be on accuracy that will my score and percentile.

        • Sir,
          With less than 3 months to go for cat,
          I have completely devoted to the following .
          1. QA –
          a)Revising Sarvesh K Verma
          b)going through time material once again
          c) going for TEST GYM ADPATIVE (now intermediate level)
          d) revising mock paapers on weekeends.
          2. DI –
          will start with TEST GYM
          and revising mock papers
          3.) Verbal /LR
          going through mocks and gym

          I have given 7 proc mocks and the percentile averages 65
          and barely crossed 80 once.
          So apart from question selection which you have mentioned earlier
          1)what should be my focus from now on ,what to study and revise or do i need to practice some thing else
          2) When i start giving mocks almost i feel some sort of panic and that has impacted my mock results. I am desperate this time.
          so what to keep in mind for that 140mins duration.
          Thanks in advance

          • Soham, your preparation appears to be on track and it is your desperation to do well that appears to be the reason behind your inability to do well in the Mocks. When you are desperate you tend to be over cautious, you read the questions more than once check and recheck your calculations all of which waste time and also does not allow you to think clearly. You need to relax a bit in the paper and tell yourself that CAT and MBA is not the end of the world and one can have a successful career without MBA also.

  50. Sir,
    I have started preparing for CAT 15 and Cet 15 since last week. I have been spending 4 hours dedicatedly everyday. At this point are the no.of hours that I am putting fine or should I study for more hours???

  51. Sir, till now i have given one proc mock and one Aimcat. The proc mock i gave was Proc Mock 2. I scored around 96% in VA+LR and only 50% in QA+DI. I have tried since then to improve my QA but due to my slow calculations, it’s showing no improvement, What should i do, since it’s just 3 months for the exam?
    Also i am a final year b.tech student. I have an excellent record in extra-curricular activities. My academic credentials are:
    10th: 92%
    12th: 90%
    B.tech (agg. till now): 74% ( 🙁 )
    Category: GEN/ Female
    I was going through the selection criteria and i found out that they don’t normalize b.tech percentages according to various universities. They are giving like 13 marks for above 90% aggr. in btech. That’s insane for a UPTU student like me because even topper can’t fetch that marks here. 75%+ is considered decent here. And they are giving 7.5 marks for that. So under these circumstances, what should i do to fetch a call from IIM-K or IIM-L atleast?

    • Anisha, the only IIM that has a normalisation process for marks of X, XII and graduation is IIMB, the others take the absolute marks which is incorrect but it is their prerogative. The good thing t=is that apart from IIM A and B the others have a low/no weight for graduation marks. The marks for gender diversity (for females) by some of the IIMs will be to your advantage. Your academic performance is a factor that is beyond your control and the only thing that is you can work on to ensure a call from IIMs is your performance in CAT.
      As a general category candidate you should target over 90%ile in each section and an overall score of over 99.5%ile for IIM A/B/C, over 99%ile for the other old IIMs, FMS & IIT Mumbai, over 97%ile for new IIMs, MDI, NiTIE and other IITs.
      To improve your calculation speed mug up tables upto 20×20, squares upto 30, square root upto 10, cube roots upto 5 and reciprocals of numbers from 1 to 30. The requirement of calculation can be reduced by use of choices. Please refer to the video analysis of the QADI section of the Mocks for guidance.

      • Thank you sir! Will go through the QADI analysis and will let you know incase i have any more doubts regarding my preparation.

  52. Dear Sir,
    I gave CAT & XAT last year and scored very poor:
    –>CAT 2013: 62.62 %ile
    QA/DI: 77 %ile
    VA/LR: 34%ile
    –>XAT: 67 %ile
    QA: 84 %ile
    DM: 96%ile
    LR: only 6%ile

    My Acads:
    X: <60%
    XII: <60%
    Grad (BE): 69%
    WorkEx: 12 months (in a marketing company with cash as salary with slips, nothing else as tax liability and all)

    I'll be giving this year CAT/XAT again;
    My question is will this sort of workex be eligible to show in the form as i only have Call letter, Experience certificate, and salary slips with no ITR (as we know under 2 Lac tax is not applicable) ?
    And how much %ile score would get me a call in old IIM's ?
    Which colleges to target considering my poor acads ?
    Kindly guide as this MBA season i really want a feather in my cap! 🙂

    • Rahul, with less than 60% in X/XII and a 69% in graduation the old IIMs are not possible unless you get a 100%ile in CAT. Your CAT/XAT score in the last attempt are also not very encouraging and hence this year in addition to CAT/XAT you should take SNAP also which is an easier paper.
      With respect to work experience, Call letter, Experience certificate and salary slips are sufficient.
      Take an initial target score of 90%ile in mock CATs and once you achieve this move the target to 95%ile. Look at incrementally increasing your scores from your current level.
      Most of the non-IIMs do not consider past academics for interview shortlisting and hence you should consider most of the colleges mentioned in the post Jayein toh jayein kahaan 2014: Which Institute?

  53. Sir, this year TCS is going to arrange the CAT exam. What new developments or changes we may see this year and also strategies for them as well ?

    • Nayana, thanks for pointing out the error. This is why I am cautious while attempting the grammar questions 🙂

  55. Brilliant article, sir. Thanks for this.
    I have two questions.

    1. For getting a call from the IIM’s (apart from ABC) and for FMS, MDI etc, is it alright to AIM at attempting 17 and 24 ( QA and VA) and getting about 15 and 21 correct ?
    2. Should i be looking to aim higher ?

    My VA is better vis-a-vis QA hence I am looking at just clearing the sectional cutoff in QA and maximizing the overall score via VA.

    Kindly reply. Thanks!!

    • Abhay, with 14-15 net correct answers you will comfortably clear QADI and and with about 35 net correct answers in the paper you should be able to get calls from all the institutes that you have mentioned.

  56. Thank you sir,
    Whenever i give any mock my no. of wrong attempts are like 6 out of total 18 attempts in a section and they are because of my silly mistakes as to solve quickly and feeling that this would be the answer.
    I have tried a lot to reduce this thing but in vain.Plz sir suggest me something to reduce this thing.

    • Mohit, 6 errors out of 18 attempts is very high. The only way to improve accuracy is to not work very fast in the paper. Read the question carefully and do not rush through the question, it will hopefully help in reducing the errors.

  57. Hello Sir
    Here is my profile details
    10th-94%
    12th-92%
    Grad(Bsc)-82%
    No work ex
    Category:NC-OBC
    What are my chances and what percentile I need to aim?Sir also tell me what minimum questions I should target to attempt correctly yo ensure IIM call.
    Thanking You

    • Ankur, with an excellent academic record and NC-OBC category you can expect calls from most IIMs at 95%ile but my suggestion is to target a 97-98%ile to be sure of calls from the top IIMs.

  58. My academic details: X-76%(ICSE), XII-77%(Jharkhand Board), B.Tech.-7.12(CGPA)
    What percentile do I require to earn a coveted call from the old IIMs and FMS, Delhi? Is IIM-A, B and C possible? Also, with my pathetic credentials should I go for any work experience to better my chances of gaining an IIM berth?

    Also inquisitive, whether IRMA would be considering CAT scores this time yet again(I tend to have some interest in rural management)?

    • Debosmita, with less than 80% in X, XII and graduation, IIMA and B are unlikely unless you get almost a 100%ile in CAT. IIMC is possible at a score of over 99.75%ile, FMS, IIT Mumbai and most of the other old IIMs are possible at 99%ile while the new IIMs, MDI, NITIE and most IITs will need over 97%ile.
      Difficult to predict what IRMA will do this year but my view is that CAT is not a good paper from IRMA’s point of view.

  59. sir i am planning for cat ’14 and i want to get admitted in FMS as its near to my home.So what is the minimum percentile require in QA&DI as i was of B.COM student from CCS,meerut?

  60. Hello Sir, my graduate score is 52%. And my class X and XII scores are 80%+. Sir, what should be my score in aptitude exams for admission in top 20 or top 25 b-schools?

    • Siddhartha, 52% in graduation will rule you out from IIMA and B but most of the other IIMs (including Calcutta) are possible. Almost all top MBA institutes outside the IIMs have a low/no weight for past academics and hence are not a problem. For IIM C you should have a CAT score of over 99.5%ile, other top IIMs, FMS and IIT Mumbai will need over 99%ile and the new IIMs, MDI, NITIE etc will require a 97%ile. The top 30 institutes are not possible below a CAT score of 95%ile.

      • Thank you Sir, and will extra-curricular activities add some value in the interview rounds?

  62. Dear Sir

    PI shortlist for iim indore mumbai campus is out I require CL help regarding wat and pi.

    Regards
    Ashish

  64. Hello Sir
    Please suggest some ways to improve number of attempts. In CL Proc Mock-6, I could attempt only 5 questions in QA, while my average number never exceeded 10. I find myself spending lots of time on Geometry Questions which I am uncomfortable with but CL Mocks has majority of questions from this section only. Please, suggest something sir.

    • Anshul, out of the 21 QA questions in CAT about 6-7 questions are from each of Algebra and Geometry and the Mocks are only reflecting the CAT pattern.
      To improve your attempts in the next paper ignore the geometry questions and attempt the questions from the topics that you are comfortable with. Please refer to the blogpost 7 Rules to Excel in CAT QA

  65. Hello Sir,

    This is very interesting insights. But sir in CL proctored tests,I am getting near about 93 percentile with 30 attempts(26-27 correct,3-4 wrong).Don’t they reflect actual Cat??

    • Nishant, your net correct correct attempts are 25-26 (-1 on account of 3 incorrect answers) and till CAT’12 it would have resulted in a score of around 92-93%ile only.

  66. hello sir,

    Sir i am currently working with work ex of just 1 yr.I am Scoring 90-93 percentile in mock tests.But due to my job, I feel that i have not been able to give enough time to my studies(Max 2-3 hours).Should i quit my job???Please help me to sail through this dilemma

    With Regards
    Samay

    • Samay, suggest that you continue with your job. You can compensate by spending more time on holidays and taking an off on a couple of days a month.

  67. Hello Sir
    In the above post u mentioned
    “Given that every question carries equal marks, you should be leaving the most difficult question types to ensure zero time wastage.”
    Sir I thought that a more difficult question fetches us more marks during scaling and normalization process, Isn’t this true.
    Please clear my doubt.

  68. Hi Sir
    I have taken 5 Proc Mock till now…
    But m not able to make any strategy from scores
    My scores are – 60 65 75 85 35 %ile
    Could u please help me how do I analyse my mocks ?
    As of now I am scoring better in VA…

    • Arpit, I will be posting an article on the analysis of a Mock and what all should you do after the paper shortly.

  69. hello sir
    my score in X was 86 %, XII was 80% and btech. 61%
    i will writing my cat 2014 for first time. how much min percentile i would be required to score for getting calls from IIM’s

    Regards
    ROHIT

  70. Sir, I have 92.2 in class 10 and 89.8 in class 12. I have around 70 in graduation from a top notch govt. college in food technology. Can u please tell me cat percentile required to get gd-pi call from iim Lucknow for agribusiness management.

    • Ankur, PGP ABM in Lucknow will require at least 98%ile however due to your food technology background ABM of IIM A is possible at 90%ile also despite your 70% in graduation.

  71. SIR CAT’13 WAS MY FIRST ATTEMPT AND WITHOUT ANY SERIOUS PREPARATION .AND I GOT 80.74% IN QA .and a mere 33%in verbal AND overall 58% .now i want to prepare seriously. what should be my strategy in verbal.and time allocation for this. Iam a working prof.

    • Hello

      The verbal section requires consistent practice. Start by allocating more time to reading, especially newspapers. Go through the previous years’ questions to know what all you can be asked.

  72. Sir awesome article and I liked ur all mentioned problem and most of them ‘Flirt with danger; don’t start a relationship with it’..

  74. sir I belongs to OC Category. My marks in 10th nd 12th is above 80% nd in graduation above 70%. How many total question ( also sectionwise) should I attempt to get into IIMA. nd what percentile do I need.

  75. Sir,
    i belong to SC category nd got 82%, 78% and 70% in my 10,12 and grad. As we generally say their is comparatively less competition in sc but when we see the past results, the competition in sc has shown it as a hard nut to crack.
    how much attempts(only right) should i take to ensure a call from iim a and b.

    • Sunil, getting into IIMs is difficult for students of all categories but the cutoff for reserved category students is significantly lower than that for general category students so yes competition is lesser. Based on CAT’12, a SC candidate with around 12-13 correct answers in each section can get a call from the top IIMs, obviously the higher you go the easier it will be and suggest that you target 15 correct answers in each section.

  76. Hi GP Sir,
    I’m a 2013 pass-out currently working in an MNC. Profile : X= 79.8, XII= 79.8, Grad- 7.94, engineer, male, OBC-NC. I guess IIM – A n B are impossible considering my average acads. I’m targetting IIM L, IIM C and FMS. What is the % ile i Need in cat to crack the above 3(not to just clear the cut off) ?. FMS did call last year at 85 %ile but i guess its of no use.. . Also marks I should aim at (out of 180) considering the last 3 years trends ?

    • Kshitij, with the change in the criteria this year IIM A is not ruled out based on academics and a NC OBC candidate can expect calls at around 93-95%ile. Your target score based on last couple of CATs should be be 95+

  77. Sir, I belong to the SC category..i have 87% in my 10th(CBSE).., 66% in the 12th(WB Council) and 64% in my graduation…is it possible to get calls from all the older iims with these academic inputs………..and if yes, what is the minimum percentile I need to secure for the the final selection??
    Hoping a prompt reply…..

    • Ranjana, As a SC female candidate you can get calls from the older IIMs with your academic performance. while you can get calls at a lower score, you should target a minimum of 90%ile in CAT with a minimum of 80%ile in each section.

      • thank you very much sir……will you please tell how many attempts are required to get into the 90+ and 95+ percentile scores?

  78. 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.

  79. Hi Sir,
    I took 4 TIME AIMCATS with nil prep.My percentiles are 58,62,72,84.I consider subscribing to your virtual sessions for Quant apt & Reading comprehension.Kindly throw some light on how they would help me and Are they equivalent to the classroom sessions?? Also,about their availability on student home page..(I observed that it’s designed for 60 day execution..but I want to take all the MBA exams some of which are scheduled in the next year too.. )

    Thanks in advance sir…

    • Dear Raghu, Smart CAT Cracker is a alternate to the traditional brick and mortar classroom. The program is build for learners who are looking at alternate/unconventional approach to problem solving, and concepts are build through problem solving. With CAT being this close, SCC would surely help complete your preparation. At this time you should look at completing your preparation before CAT and then take mocks for practise.

      You can get in touch with Arun Mittal at arun.mittal@careerlauncher.com or call him at 9871114188 for more details.

  80. sir pls throw some light on NMAT and IIFT papers.
    how complex are they..sectional cut offs and the G.K section

  81. Sir,
    From the point of view of CAT, How should we use the different section tests’ levels on test gym?
    like.. Most of the time, while practicing from fundabooks and test gym i skip level 1 questions..

    Thanks

    • Gunjan, do attempt the level 1 questions once, you may find a few interesting questions. Also they will check your understanding of the basic concepts.

  82. This is the best article I have ever come across….and I have read a fair share of articles regarding prep advice…..Never paid heed to analyzing the mistakes with an eye to the time being spent per question..to my surprise I encountered these
    1. QA – 90 percent of my wrong questions took less than 90 seconds (moving too fast) or an upwards of 300 sec(OMG – totally misplaced optimism , particularly in questions concerning my strong areas)
    2.VA- This section almost all the errors in usage section took a lot of time .Personally I think that over-thinking plays spoilsport.
    Reanalysing mocks [AGAIN 🙁 ]
    Thank you for a brilliant article.

    • Prashant, glad that the article has helped your identify a dark spot. Reanalysing the mocks along with identification and revision of important MCQs will lead to better scores. All the best.

  83. Hi Sir,
    I am comfortable with few topics in QA like TSD,time nd work ..etc
    and I m little uncomfortable with some topics like P&C,geometry.
    My questions while categorizing the questions into Round-1 or Round-2,shall I read the question, try to understand and then categorize or blindly if it is a geometry(example) question I ll categorize into Round 2 question?
    And I m uncomfortable with DI also. So how many attempts(correct) in DI would be better?

    • Preetham, categorize the questions not topic wise but on the basis of type of questions. For example in TSD is a topic but it has many different type of questions eg linear races, swimming pools, circular races (clockwise & anti clockwise), boats, trains etc. R1 questions are those question types that you are most comfortable with and will be able to solve fast. DI and grouped questions are R2 items for me. You should target around 20 questions in QADI.

  84. Sir,
    Let us say i have followed your advice and chosen my attempts carefully. With 5min to go, i am left with 12 questions. Now if i blindly mark all the questions, the most probable outcome would be 3 correct and 9 wrong leaving me with a net gain/loss of 0. My question is should i not back myself in marking these questions looking at the choices alone? Does my past experience of mock not give me even a slight edge and thus a positive score in these 12 questions.

    • Sarath, this is a personal choice but not my recommendation. If you think that with 18 out of 30 attempts out of the race for your target institutes then marking an answer for the remaining questions can be considered because you have nothing to lose. Else this could be counter productive.

  85. Sir does the CAT ask questions that requires application of formula of higher mathematics? like in many a number theory questions I have seen application of formula drastically reduces the solving time. Also in geometry its not always possible for me to apply the exact method to crack the question..There are some great innovative techniques u apply to solve such questions but possibly I can never devise such a technique instantly. so what should be my approach?

    • Akshat, you are eligible for all colleges. A drop year does not debar you and also does not reduce your chances.

  87. Thanks Sir , I am looking forward to read your blog on how to choose on questions or recognize the easy ones .

  88. Hi sir,
    I have very peculiar problem. I was CL student for CAT 11 in the year 2010-11. That year I failed miserably in my CAT with 83%ile.
    Left with no choice I started working with the thought of gaining 2 years of work exp.
    I took CAT again in 2012 with nil preparation and scored 96%ile out of the blue. This year it will be my third attempt and an all important one. I am regularly taking the procs and the unprocs but with some uncertainity.
    My VA scores have consistenly been over 50 ( able to cross 60 more often than not) but my QA is proving to be a thorn in the flesh. If I am to go by my recent performance in proc 6, I scored : 9 in QA (5/11) and 63 in VA (23/29). Can you please suggest any immediate measures I can take to increase my QA scores and also TRUST my VA scores? I fear that on the D-day my VA scores will also plummet.
    Regards,
    Aditya.

    • Aditya, you can trust your VALR scores. For QADI is an issue, please call me at 9811155160 to discuss and find a way forward.

  89. sir, i have a consistent score of 40+ in the frst section while i am unable to score more than 25-30 in the second section.
    also the ratio of correct attempts to the incorrect ones in second section is consistently 1:1! and that is what is troubling me.
    i haven’t started doing any separate practice for the second section.
    how can i curb the problem in remaining 60 days?

    • Purvi, you need to plan your section 2 better. It consists of three parts – VA, LR and RC. Which one out of these is your strength area? Ensure that you attempt only those questions that your are sure of and do not go for any guesswork in your weak areas. Also possibly you are not revising which would lead to poor accuracy. Please go through the blogpost “Are you choosing the right questions in your Mock CATs?”, it should help you in identifying your problem area.

  90. Hi Sir

    My attempts are very less i.e. 8-9 ques( 2 wrong) in Quant in Proc Mock 6 and 11 attempts(2 wrong). I want to increase my no. of attempts in both sections. Pls suggest me way to IIMs.

    I will be grateful if you can help.

    Thanks

  91. it is difficult for me many a times — how to know whether a question is a strength or weakness?
    Please process your advise here or in your next article soon..

  92. hello GP sir,
    sir, i am an ex student of CL(CAT 2012) and a regular reader of your blog.
    sir, CAT 2012 didn’t go well for me, and i havent started preparing for CAT 2013 yet.
    sir, i will be joining my company in november this year (TCS), so now i am thinking to write CAT 2013. sir, i wanna ask, is it enough time to crack CAT?? and should i go for it or wait for next year and gain some experience..

    • Sunny, for a retake, 3 months are good enough to crack CAT. In the next two weeks brush up your concepts by going through the section tests and Mocks that you took last year and start taking this year’s Mocks immediately. Fortunately your joining is in November which allows you to spend the next 3 months only on CAT preparation.

  93. Sir , I am worried about my performance in mock tests , i always fail to choose questions and in this process i waste more than 15mins of time which leave with the attempts of around 14-15 questions in QA-DI , i am able to clear cut-offs for VA section but not for quants . And , when i attempt questions from test gym adaptive i see better results .

    • Neha, the good thing is that you have correctly identified the problem. Please go through the Mock CATs that you have taken so far and try to categorize all the QADI questions into three groups – (a) to be definitely attempted (b) not to be attempted at all (c) Rest. This will hopefully hep you identify the right questions to attempt in the paper.

  94. sir I belongs to SC Category. My marks in 10th nd 12th is above 80% nd in graduation above 70%. How many total question ( also sectionwise) should I attempt to get into IIMA. nd what percentile do I need.

    • Rupali, a SC candidate can get calls at 85%ile but my suggestion will be to target an overall score of 90%ile with at least 85%ile in each section. Based on the past CAT papers you should target a minimum of 15-16 attempts in each section with an aggregate attempt of over 35.

  95. Hello Sir,

    Im a cl student. My percentile in mock tests vary between 65 to 70. Sir, can you please tell about my position for actual CAT. Im very worried for my CAT. Moreover, im a two year student and i have completed my fundamentals. Tes gym needs to be done. I dont know why i feel that im far far behind my good score. Good score means to get admission in top colleges. Looking forward to your reply. Thanks in advance.

    • Ashana, 65-70%ile is a low score for admission to a good MBA institute but you still have 3 months to increase your score to around 95%ile. Please focus on MCQs only, start with the MCQs in the fundabooks and start with the Test Gym immediately. Do analyse all the Mocks that you have taken so far as suggested in my blogpost “Things you must-do after every mock you take”. Also do read the articles – “7 Rules to Excel in CAT QA” and “7 Rules to Excel in CAT VA” for guidelines on how to attempt the paper.

      • Thanku sir for your reply. But you have scared me. Just wanted to say that i have complted my fundabuk including mcqs twice nd i have also strtd with my tst gym. My main problem til nw is my revision. I analyse my every test from d video. I never did revision as u always say. I Wntd to ask does revision means to resolve ques or just revising the sol which you have already fixed for a particular ques. Nd how much percntile in cl mock test shud i get for gud college. If i start doing my revision will that affect my score. Thanks in advance.

        • Also sir i get very much pressurized in my exams. But the worst thing about CAT exam is that i dont feel that im giving my paper under pressure. If i feel that im in pressure i reduce my pressure by taking a few minutes break. whenever i do analysis i found 2 to 3 questions in each section which i screw up. Can you please give me any tip to reduce my pressure.

  96. Sir I always have this fear of ‘What Lies Ahead’ whenever I give mock cats. sir what should I do to abort this mentality?

    • Harman, just remember that questions are not given in an increasing order of difficulty but are arranged in a randomly so what lies ahead could be an easier question.

  97. k.sir will i be eligible for IIM A call if i have work ex? and yes if is then minimum how much work ex?..IIM A ruled out because i have <80% in grad? i read somewhere that if you have above 80 in atleast 2 out of 10,12 and graduation,there is a chance of getting IIM A call.is it not possible at all?

    • As per IIMA admission criteria for 2013-15 PGP, with your acads(>60% but <80% in grad) and no work ex, a score of 352 out of 450 (which is close to 99.92%ile) would fetch you IIMA interview call. If you have 2 years work ex, a score of 340 would be needed. Hopefully, if the criteria doesn't change, you still have IIMA chance.

  98. GP sir, This article is very useful as you have clearly pointed out the mistake we do and also given the way to avoid it. Thanks a lot for the article.

  99. sir,i joined cl test series late.so proc-4 was the 1st i gave.and then 5.in both i could manage only 80%ile overall.i havent yet started attempting unproc tests.I have started doing test gym.also in each of these procs,i havent been able to attempt even a single Q on DI,inspite of the fact that i’m good with percentages,ratio etc.I have solved previous year DI questions of CAT and was able to do them.But the kind of Qs coming in the mocks are very very complex.Sir,my only targets are the top IIMs.Also sir i have 91% in 10th,88% in 12th and 73% in grad.(B.Tech,’13 batch).Sir if i get a good score in cat can i get a call from A and B,considering my grad. marks are low?
    Looking forward to your reply sir.

    • Also sir i’m able to solve atleast 18-19 questions on my own without looking at the solutions,in QA&DI section.Logical questions are not a problem and i have been able to solve almost all in the exam itself.In proc-4 i got 96% in VA&LR which dropped to 82 in proc-5.my attempts are around 25-26.So basically my accuracy was low in proc 5.

      • Jaspreet, You have taken only two Mock CATs till now and your performance will improve with the subsequent Mocks.
        Since you are able to solve 18-19 QADI questions in Mock CAT papers without checking the solutions, your fundamentals are in place and inability to solve them in the paper and/or poor accuracy indicates lack of practice and revision. similarly in VALR it appears to be an issue of practice and revision rather than lack of fundamentals.
        Suggest that you take a few section tests, Unproc-Mocks and practice questions from Test Gym. Analyse the Mocks and sections tests as suggested in my blogpost “Things you must-do after every mock you take” at https://www.gpkafunda.com/?p=205. Revision is essential to improve accuracy.
        DI possibly looks complex because you are not exposed to these kind of data sets. It should look okay after you have practiced a few sets of data from Test Gym or the Mocks.

        • thank you for your guidance sir!..looking forward to attending your workshop on 12th August.I’m sure there’s a lot yet to be learnt.

          • also sir about my profile,you think it’s sufficient enough to get calls from IIM-A & B,if i get a high score,even if my graduation marks are below 80%.i have above 91% in 10th and 88% in 12th?

          • Jaspreet, IIM A is ruled out if you are a general category candidate and B is difficult. But all the other IIMs (including Cal) and other top MBA institutes are not a problem.

  100. Sir, I usually have around 15 questions in each section for which I did not mark any answer even after spending few minutes on each(as per your definition of attempts above). Moreover, I have around 8-10 correct answers and 2-3 incorrect answers in each section. How can I increase the number of correct answers?

    • Tushar, are you able to solve the 30 unmarked questions (15 of each section) after the paper? If yes then it is a question of revising these question types, if no then you should not have tried attempting these questions. The time saved by not attempting a few of these questions would lead to reduction of errors.

  101. respected sir,
    really enlighting blogs of yours….
    sir i am a TIME student.though i am giving AIMCATS but my percentile ranges in 70 to 80 and even after 5 or 6 aimcats there is no improvement.more over regarding the lr section level of difficulty is really high.so always messes up.due to this till now am not able to devlop a test taking stratergy.i have decided to start giving cl mocks at home and start analysing them .sir whats the level of difficulty of aimcats.why is it that i manage to do cl mocks and analyse better as compared to aimcats.

    • Nikhil,
      I have not seen the the Mock CATs of Time so ill not be able to comment but in the past its Mock CATs have been of significantly higher level of difficulty than CAT which is counter productive for most of the students. In CAT’12 LR was very easy and one could have comfortably attempted the 3 sets in around 20-25 minutes. In CAT’11 R sets were a little difficult but still 2 sets in 15-20 minutes was possible. My suggestion is to work on the basis of CAT’11 paper for LR.
      The CL Mock CATs are designed to have a last 3 years CAT+10% difficulty level and hence will provide you with a more realistic estimate of your performance.

  102. I have a question, GP sir. you said “Given that every question carries equal marks, you should be leaving the most difficult question types to ensure zero time wastage.”
    Isn’t it that if we do more difficult questions in CAT ,our percentile will boost up. They would certainly give some advantage to people who have solved difficult questions. If this is true, then what should be our strategy. Excluding most of the diff questions is fine ?

  103. sir, approximately, how much time should one devote to Round 1 in quant and VA/LR section? going by the methods suggested by you, i.e doing familiar and short questions first..

    • Gunjan, it depends upon the type of questions that you attempt in R1.
      In QA my target is 25-30 minutes each in R1 (10-12 questions) and R2 (8-10 questions) and 10 minutes in R3 (2-3 questions).
      In VALR, my target is around 20 minutes for the VA questions and around 25 minutes each for LR and RC.

  106. Sir
    where is the link to the follow up article on this?
    It is usually difficult to locate follow up articles here 🙁

  109. Hello Sir

    I have been going through your wonderful articles and they have helped me rectify some stupid mistakes i was making in the mocks all the time.As a result,my mock scores have seen an upswing from 90 odd to 110 .So,thanks a tonne for these pearls of wisdom.

    Also,my academic profile might induce a heart attack in most of the IIMs as of now with only IIM C/L being the 2 IIM s where i have a realistic chance.As per my applicant rating for IIMC,i need to secure a score of around 310+(as per last years data)
    to get a call from C.How many questions should i ideally target and get correct to achieve this?

    Regards

    Rishi

    • Rishi, in CAT 2011 eacch correct answer meant 7.5 marks and incorrect answer -2.5 marks, hence 310 marks would mean an attempt of 44 with 42 correct. For every additional correct answer you can have 3 incorrect answers – eg 48 attempt with 43 correct.

      • sir, as you mentioned “310 marks would mean an attempt of 44 with 42 correct. For every additional correct answer you can have 3 incorrect answers – eg 48 attempt with 43 correct.” . does that mean there is no progressive negative marking and more numbers mean better percentile irrespective of accuracy

        • Anand, there is no data to suggest that there is progressive negative marking in CAT hence higher net score (after normalisation) will mean higher percentile.

      • Hello Sir
        Sir, this is what creates the greed in me. I think say if I attempt 4 questions that I am not fully sure of, but if at all 1 becomes correct then the -ve marking would get nullified. But what if 2 got correct there would be an increase of 10 marks!!!!
        So how to get rid of this greed sir??
        Waiting for your reply 🙂

        • Shubham, please check if this usually works in your favour in the papers that you have tried this technique – if yes then go ahead else forget it.

  110. very helpful sir..thanx
    sir can i know what exact is 42+ cutoff..?? for single iim call or 99%ile.. yet confused.. !!

  111. What a fab article… !!!! While reading this, UNFORTUNATELY, i could soooo much relate myself to all these things.. Every single line that you mentioned Sir, holds true for me..
    The problem is that i am facing most of the time in R1 questions and getting stuck on some of them as u pointed out correctly.. Just needs to reduce this and make them into solvable questions.
    Waiting for the next post when you actually tell us on how to fight this problem..

  112. Thank You Sir for your advice..
    But Sir.. As you have mentioned that for IIM Calls we would need to ensure 42+ correct answers. I would assume you mean to say that 42+ correct answers would ensure that we get a 99%ile plus in the actual CAT.

    Then Why is that in the CL Mock Papers people are getting 99+ with just 35 or 36 correct answers? Isn’t that kind of misleading to us all?

    • Exactly.
      Does that mean that MOCKS don’t give us the clear picture???
      Is CAT easier than CL Procs ??
      Also, how much difference is there in CL percentiles and actual CAT percentile on an average …

      Would love to know about these things sir..
      Waiting for your reply.. 🙂

    • Ankit,
      Absolute score is a function of degree of difficulty of the paper and the level of preparation while percentile score is the rank. You can get the same rank at different scores. The degree of difficulty of CL Mock CATs is by design around 10-12% more than that of CAT hence you will get a higher percentile at a lower score. Unlike others including “He Who Should Not Be Named” CL does not believe in giving very difficult papers as such papers would be irrelevent and students would end up wasting time in doing things that are ulikely to appear in CAT.
      To ensure we are able to create Mock CATs which are very close to the actual papers, almost all faculty members of CL take CAT every year to understand it especially because since CAT 2009 the paper/questions are not available in the public domain.

  114. Thanks for a brilliant post!
    Sir, (according to your post) attempting a total of 39 questions would help in clearing the overall cutoff too?? Or that by attempting 21-18 questions in respective sections would result in clearing the sectional cutoffs ONLY???
    If your answer is no to the first question then please tell that in the past three years of the online total cat how many total attempts have been required to get an IIM call??
    Please reply.. awaiting your answer

    • Thanks for pointing out the miss in the article, have updated it.
      For the paper as a whole, an attempt of 46 – 50 with 42+ correct answers should ensure interviews calls from the IIMs.

    • Anivesh,
      For the paper as a whole, an attempt of 46 – 50 with 42+ correct answers would have ensured interviews calls from the IIMs. Thus it is assumed that you would be scoring more than the minimum cut off in at least one of the two section. This can also be gauged by the fact that while the sectional cut off is typically not more than 95%ile the overall cutoff is in the region of 98.5-99%ile for general category candidates.

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