This year’s test will be ‘demanding’: CAT 2016 convener Prof Rajendra K Bandi

For lakhs of CAT 2016 aspirants, there's a reason to feel relieved but no time to relax as although, the exam pattern and marking system remain unchanged this year, the test is going to be tough.

CAT 2016 convener Professor Rajendra K Bandi says that this year, the question paper is going to be ‘demanding.’ So, the key is to perform well in all the three sections. In an e-mail interview, Professor Bandi shared with us what should be the approach of the aspirants to tackle CAT 2016, India’s biggest management entrance exam.

Question 1. What should the students expect from this year’s question paper?

Professor Rajendra K Bandi: They should be ready for a demanding test which tests their problem solving abilities and their raw aptitude.

Question 2. What would you suggest should be the approach of the aspirants for this year’s CAT?

Professor Rajendra K Bandi: IIMs look for candidates with good competencies in all abilities. Hence, the aspirants need to do well in all the three sections of CAT - Section I: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Section II: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Section III: Quantitative Ability (QA). They also need to remember that CAT score is just one of the many parameters considered for admission to the IIMs.

Question 3. The exam pattern remains unchanged from last year. Do you expect the campuses to see more students from non-engineering background than last year?

Professor Rajendra K Bandi: CAT aims to ensure that questions in the test do not give any specific advantage to candidates from any specific academic background or for a particular gender. Every question is carefully reviewed to ensure that it is academics and gender neutral. At the same time, we would like to see an increase in the number of applicants from the non-engineering background and from female applicants. Gone are the days, when the best students only opted for engineering education. The reality today is that a number of bright students opt for a whole range of non-engineering disciplines as well and we would like to encourage more of these candidates to appear for CAT. We believe that having a good mix of candidates, and from all academic backgrounds, enriches management education.

Question 4.  What was the thought behind keeping CAT 2016 as a single day exam?

Professor Rajendra K Bandi: Over the years, we have systematically reduced the number of sessions of the test, and last year we conducted the test on a single day in two sessions.  We would ideally like to conduct the test in a single session, but for several operational reasons we have decided to continue with the option of two sessions on a single day.

Question 5.  Lastly, would you like to advise the students on minor points that they tend to ignore during CAT?

Professor Rajendra K Bandi: Performance in each of the three sections is equally important.  You cannot compensate the weakness in one section with your strength in the other section, as the sections are timed. Remember that some questions in the test will not be of multiple choice type. Instead, direct answers are to be typed on the screen. Also remember that, we will allow use of basic on-screen calculator for computation.

Candidates should also pay attention to the details they enter while registering for CAT 2016, especially while entering the Aggregate Marks in the academics section. Any inaccuracies in data, detected at any stage will lead to the cancellation of the CAT 2016 application & scores.

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