How to change preparation strategy for CAT 2015?

 

By Pratik Gour

CAT 2015 notification has sprung a surprise as it changed the Common Admission Test (CAT) format once again. It also introduced a completely unheard set of questions, changed the time limit, changed the structure of the test and made some changes which indicate that the IIMs may want to go back to the good old paper-based structure.

Now once you guys are well versed about the changes, what next?

What do we understand out of the changed CAT exam is that the sectional timings and the Type In The Answer (TITA) questions shall play a pivotal role in fixing a student’s CAT score & percentile.

 

CAT approach:

A student should not change his approach, his preparation strategy and study plan for the CAT. However what he does need to change is his test taking strategy.

The overall CAT test structure and format has changed but for any student that shouldn’t be a matter of concern. The student should continue his preparation the way he was but with a focus on the test taking strategy. He should devise a plan for the sections which are now time bound.

 

Section Time Bounding:

The test shall now test a student’s ability in all three sections within the timespan. This might create a problem for students ignoring one section and scoring well in others, particularly for students who were dependent on LR sections and ignored VA sections. However the same applies to students who ignored QA and scored well in DI. The strategy for each section shall now be maximizing scores within the given time limit.  

 

Screen Calculator & TITA questions:

Having a calculator may somewhat be advantageous but it makes no difference in one’s understanding. It’s not that CAT was very Calculative Intensive (barring some sets of DI in some years). CAT always has been and will still be a test of one’s concepts and applications of the concepts. Hence having a calculator on the screen can be advantageous if you know what to calculate. It might help in approximations.

 

As far as the TITA questions are concerned, they do not have negative marking and should be attempted. It is probably introduced to get the students to reduce intelligent guessing and use logical reasoning in the choice of answers chosen.

 

Will the CAT help Non-Engineers?

Diversity in a classroom is directly proportional to the want of the Industry in case of all B-Schools. In fact B-School curriculum is also inspired by existing industry trends. Currently an e-Commerce companies doesn’t care if the student has an engineering background. They are looking for people with great business acumen, which was never the case with Investment Banks who want students with great number crunching abilities.

The new format does help students to crack the test but doesn’t necessarily mean that it is advantageous for a particular section of students.

 

What to do for CAT 2015?

Everyone should focus on the preparation. The IIMs have been very clear about the Test. They have shared the order of the sections and even the marking scheme. This has been a very transparent procedure. We would expect students to solve the IMS Test Series and be prepared for November 29.

About the Author

Pratik Gour is the National Product Manager of MBA at IMS India.