CAT 2013 Day 1 Slot 1: Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning Analysis

by Manish Harodia in MBA in India • 16 October '13

---

In Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning, it was a standard paper again with no major changes/surprises.

Logical reasoning had much easier questions compared to most mocks. However, quick data analysis and data arrangement would be the key here. There were three caselets with three questions each. Most of the questions were on Sudoku style and basic matrix-based arrangement. One caselet was based on conditional data arrangement and would require more than normal time to crack. But, again, CAT wants you to ensure that you get the LR questions spot on.

With English, we never know. (Do we?) The biggest surprise was from the Verbal section. There wasn't a single question on grammar. The section was averagely difficult. The section had all the conventional questions from Verbal Reasoning and Reading Comprehension. There were 11 questions from Verbal Reasoning: two on Word Usage, three on Para jumbles, two on Fill in the blanks, two on Sentence Exclusion, and two on paragraph completions.

The Word Usage questions were pretty straightforward and a candidate with decent English grasp could have easily spotted the errors in the usage in both the questions. The "Fill in the blanks" questions were easy; the vocabulary used was not very uncommon and the reasoning element involved was not all complicated. Both the para completion questions were of higher difficulty. More than one option seemed to appropriately complete the paragraph and leaving the questions unattempted would have been the wisest thing to do. The Para-jumbles were of moderate difficulty level. The sentences in the paragraph were long, but the ideas were expressed in a clear and a lucid language. Eliminating the options would have taken time, but would have definitely paid off. Out of the two Sentence Exclusion questions, one was easy and one was a little difficult.

There were three Reading Comprehension (RCs) passages: one each from Sociology, the Arts and Natural Science. Unlike last year, there weren't many tone questions. One tone question in the Sociology passage was tough. The passage from Natural Science (coincidently, today was the World Ozone Day today) was the easiest and had straightforward factual questions spottable in one reading. The Sociology passage was difficult to understand and as a result, time-consuming. Skipping this passage to focus on an easy LR set would have been prudent.

Strategy Lessons: Selecting questions is supremely important. One must scan the paper in the first five minutes and quickly solve the sitters. This will not only motivate, but also give a general idea of the overall difficulty.

PS: I hope none of the non-disclosure norms have been violated. If any, please bring to my notice and would edit immediately. Also, please do not ask me or anyone in the forums to divulge questions, I'll just ignore such requests.

Manish Harodia is an MBA from IIM Kozhikode and has been a CAT and GMAT trainer since 2004. He is also the founding director at Genesis Mentors, Pune. from Pagalguy

CAT exam on schedule in Odisha and AP, those affected can ask for a reschedule

The Common Admission Test will be conducted as usual in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, despite Phailin. Even while this article is being filed, cyclone Phialin is creating havoc in coastal areas in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh making it certain that it will take days for normalcy to return there.

When asked, Prometric officials said that while a final call will be taken tomorrow or day after (October 13,14) as of now there are no plans to reschedule the exams or shift centres.

"However, if any candidate from those areas is affected by the cyclone, , and wants his exam rescheduled he needs to contact the CAT helpline and it will be done," said the official.

From the of list of CAT centres, there appears to be only one CAT centre in Bhubaneshwar. However, there are quite a few in Andhra Pradesh, particularly Hyderabad and one each in Vishakapatnam and Vijayawada.

Incidentally, Prometric had sent in a press release yesterday indicating a change in schedule arising out of the political situation in Andhra Pradesh. This is what is said:

Due to political unrest in Andhra Pradesh and in the interest of protecting the safety of all CAT candidates, Prometric is contacting candidates scheduled to test in Vishakapatnam and Vijayawada and rescheduling their appointments to later dates in the same city as their original appointments, or providing a wide set of locations for rescheduling including Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai and Kolkata. Candidates are asked to login to their CAT profiles, print their latest admit cards, and bring their revised schedules on test day.

Watch this space for further developments.

Source: Pagalguy

Rise in Female applicants for CAT 2013

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have announced registration data for the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2013. A total 1.96 lakh candidates have bought vouchers this year and 1.94 lakh have registered, according to a statement issued by Prometric.

“While overall registration has declined, the percentage of female candidates has continued to steadily increase, to 29% over last year,” said Professor Rohit Kapoor, CAT 2013 Convenor.

“The rise in number of candidates with two or more years of work experience, registering for CAT, has risen to 16% over the same span, while candidates with little to no work experience have declined to 66%, down from 68% last year,” added Prof Kapoor.

Female aspirant registrations are up from 27% in 2012, and candidates with two-plus years of work experience are up from 13% last year. Across all IIMs, 115 seats have been added for b-school admissions this year, a total of 3,335 seats.

Candidates from technology/engineering backgrounds comprise 70% of the total test takers, an increase of 6% from last year, continuing a two-year increase. Candidates from economics, management and science backgrounds form 23% of the total test takers, while all others make up the remaining academic backgrounds. There is a 2% rise in DA candidate registration.

By region, Maharashtra has the highest number of CAT registrations, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

XAT: 2013 Notification

XAT 2013 will be conducted on Sunday 6^th January 2013. Last date of Registration : 5th December

XLRI conducts test on behalf of the XAMI. For more than 60 years XLRI is conducting test at all India level to select the most appropriate for management education. The test score is being used by more than 100 institutes for the admission.

XAT 2013 would be conducted across India in the following cities.

Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Berhampur, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Cuttack, Dehradun, Delhi, Goa, Greater Noida, Gurgaon, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jammu, Jamshedpur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Noida, Patna, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Surat, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum, Vadodara, Varanasi, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam.

XAT 2013 would also be conducted across the following three international cities.

Dhaka, Dubai, Kathmandu.

Official Website:  http://xatonline.net.in

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When does the Registration for XAT 2013 Start?
   • Registration for XAT 2013 starts on 20^th August 2012 and ends on 30^th November 2012.
2. What is the last date for receiving XAT Confirmation Page ?
   • Last date is 5^th December 2012
3. What is the eligibility criteria for taking XAT 2013?
   • A bachelors degree under 10+2+3 system from a recognized university or a deemed university.
4. I have less than 50% in graduation, am I eligible to apply for XAT 2013?
   • Yes, you are eligible to apply for XAT 2013.
5. I am in the final year of my graduation, am I eligible to take XAT 2013 for applying to XLRI or more than 100 other XLRI associated Management Institutes?
   • Yes, you are eligible for admission to XLRI. You need to complete your final year examination by June 10, 2013. Other XAT Members Institutes may have a different date regarding the completion of the final examination

XAT 2013:Participating Institutions

Source: http://xatonline.net.in/instweblist.aspx

1.	Acharya School of Management	Bangalore	www.acharya.ac.in
2.	Andhra Loyola Institute of Management	Vijayawada	www.andhraloyolacollege.ac.in
3.	APG Shimla University	Shimla	www.apg.edu.in
4.	Aryans Business School	Punjab	www.aryans.edu.in
5.	Asia Pacific Institute of Management	New Delhi	www.asiapacific.edu
6.	Bengal Institute of Business Studies	Kolkata	www.bibs.co.in
7.	Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Usha & Lakshmi Mittal Institute of Management	New Delhi	www.bulmim.ac.in
8.	Bhavan's Centre for Communication and Management	Bhubaneswar	www.bvbbhubaneswar.org
9.	Birla Institute of Management Technology	Greater Noida	www.bimtech.ac.in
10.	BLS Institute of Management	Mohan Nagar	www.blsim.org
11.	Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Institute of Management and Higher Studies	Kanpur	www.dduinstitute.org
12.	Delhi School of Professional Studies and Research	Delhi	www.dspsr.in
13.	Desh Bhagat Institute of Management & Computer Sciences	Amloh	www.deshbhagatinstitutes.com
14.	Disha Institute of Management and Technology	Dist. Raipur	www.dimatindia.com
15.	Driems Business School	Cuttack	www.dbs.ac.in
16.	Entrepreneurship & Management Process International	New Delhi	www.empiindia.com
17.	Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI)	Gandhinagar	www.ediindia.org
18.	Faculty of Management Studies, Goa University	Goa	www.unigoa.ac.in
19.	Fortune Institute of International Business	Delhi	www.fiib.edu.in
20.	Gitam Institute of Management	Visakhapatnam	www.gitam.edu
21.	Gitam School of International Business	Visakhapatnam	www.gsib.org
22.	Globsyn Business School	Kolkata	www.globsyn.edu.in
23.	Goa Institute of Management	Goa	www.gim.ac.in
24.	IBMR - Business Schools	Bangalore	www.ibmrbschool.org
25.	IFIM Business School	Bangalore	www.ifimbschool.com
26.	IILM College of Management Studies	Greater Noida	www.iilmcms.ac.in
27.	IILM Graduate School of Management	Greater Noida	www.iilmgsm.ac.in
28.	IILM Institute for Higher Education	Gurgaon	www.iilm.edu
29.	Indian Institute of Finance	Noida	www.iif.edu
30.	Indus Business Academy	Bangalore	www.iba.ac.in
31.	Indus World School of Business	NCR	www.iwsb.in
32.	Institute for Financial Management and Research	Chennai	www.ifmr.ac.in
33.	Institute for Technology and Management	Navi Mumbai	www.itm.edu
34.	Institute of Business Studies and Research	Navi Mumbai	www.ibsar.ac.in
35.	Institute of Management & Information Science	Bhubaneswar	www.imis.ac.in
36.	Institute of Science & Management	Ranchi	www.iismr.org
37.	International Academy of Management & Entrepreneurship	Bangalore	www.iame.org.in
38.	International Institute of Business Studies	Bangalore	www.iibsonline.com
39.	International School of Business & Media	Pune	www.isbm.ac.in
40.	International School of Management Excellence	Bangalore	www.isme.in
41.	Invertis Institute of Management Studies	Bareilly	www.invertis.org
42.	ISBR Business School	Bangalore	www.isbr.in
43.	Jagran Institute of Communication and Management	Bhopal	www.jicm.edu.in
44.	Jaipuria Institute of Management	Indore	www.jimindore.ac.in
45.	Jaipuria Institute of Management	Lucknow	www.jaipuria.ac.in
46.	Jaipuria Institute of Management	Noida	www.jimnoida.ac.in
47.	Jaipuria Institute of Management	Jaipur	www.jimj.ac.in
48.	Jindal Global Business School	Sonipat	www.jgbs.edu.in
49.	JK Lakshmipat University	Jaipur	www.jklu.edu.in
50.	Kejriwal Institute of Management & Development Studies	Ranchi	www.kimds.in
51.	Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies	Harihar	www.kiams.ac.in
52.	Kohinoor Business School & CMR	Khandala	www.kohinoor.ac.in
53.	Krupajal Business School	Bhubaneswar	www.krupajalbschool.org
54.	Lovely Professional University	Phagwara	www.lpu.in
55.	Loyola Academy	Secunderabad	www.loyolaacademy.ac.in
56.	Loyola Institute of Business Administration	Chennai	www.liba.edu
57.	Management Education & Research Institute	New Delhi	www.meri.edu.in
58.	Mangalvedhekar Institute of Management (MIM)	Solapur	www.mangalvedhekar.org
59.	Mar Athanasios College for Advanced Studies (MACFAST)	Kerala	www.macfast.org
60.	Marian Institute of Health Care Management	Panaji	www.marianinstitute.in
61.	MATS Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship	Bangalore	www.mats.ac.in
62.	MIT School of Business	Pune	www.mitsob.com
63.	MIT School of Telecom Management	Pune	www.mitsot.com
64.	Mount Carmel Institute of Management	Bangalore	www.mountcarmelinstitute.org
65.	MVRR Institute of Business Management	Krishna	www.mvrribmgudlavalleru.ac.in
66.	National School of Business	Bangalore	www.nsbindia.org
67.	New Delhi Institute of Management	New Delhi	ndimdelhi.org
68.	Praxis Business School	Kolkata	www.praxis.ac.in
69.	Prin. L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research	Mumbai	www.welingkar.org
70.	Pune Institute of Business Management	Pune	www.pibm.in
71.	Ravenshaw Management Centre	Cuttack	www.ravenshawuniversity.ac.in
72.	Regional College of Management Autonomous	Bhubaneswar	www.rcm.ac.in
73.	S P Jain Institute of Management & Research	Mumbai	www.spjimr.org
74.	School of Management Sciences	Varanasi	www.smsvaranasi.com
75.	School of Management, KIIT University	Bhubaneswar	www.ksom.ac.in
76.	SDM Institute for Management Development	Mysore	www.sdmimd.ac.in
77.	Shiva Institute of Management Studies	Ghaziabad	www.shivaims.edu.in
78.	SIET Institute of Management	Bangalore	www.bsim.in
79.	Siva Sivani Institute of Management	Secunderabad	www.ssim.ac.in
80.	Sri Shrada Institute of Indian Management Research	New Delhi	wwww.srisiim.org
81.	Sri Sri University	Bhubaneshwar	www.srisriuniversity.edu.in
82.	St. Aloysius Institute of Management and Information Technology	Mangalore	www.staloysics.ac.in
83.	St. Berchmans College	Kerala	www.sbmba.org
84.	St. Francis Institute of Management and Research (SFIMAR)	Mumbai	www.sfimar.org
85.	St. Joseph's College of Business Administration	Bangalore	www.sjcba.edu.in
86.	St. Joseph's Iinstitute of Management	Trichy	www.jiim.ac.in
87.	Suryadatta Group of Institutes	Pune	www.suryadatta.org
88.	T A Pai Management Institute	Manipal	www.tapmi.edu.in
89.	Taxila Business School	Jaipur	www.taxila.in
90.	The National Management School	Chennai	www.nms.edu.in
91.	The School of Business, Alliance University	Bangalore	www.alliance.edu.in
92.	Training & Advanced Studies in Management and Communications Ltd (TASMAC)	Pune	www.tasmac.ac.in/wales
93.	United World School of Business	Kolkata	www.unitedworld.in
94.	Vanguard Business School	Bangalore	www.vanguardbschool.com
95.	VIT University	Vellore	www.vit.ac.in
96.	WLC College India	Noida	www.wlccollege.org
97.	Xavier Institute of Development Action and Studies	M.P	www.xidas.in
98.	Xavier Institute of Management	Bhubaneswar	www.ximb.ac.in
99.	Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship	Bangalore	www.xime.org
100.	Xavier Institute of Management & Research	Mumbai	www.ximr.ac.in
101.	Xavier Institute of Social Service	Ranchi	www.xiss.ac.in
102.	Xavier Labour and Relations Institute	Jamshedpur	www.xlri.ac.in

CAT 2012: focus on your weak areas

With less than a month to go now for CAT 2012, most students would be wondering if they really have it in them to make it through the CAT exam. If you identify your weak areas and put in focussed effort to improve upon them, you will increase your chances to crack the CAT. Let us look at each of the areas in CAT and discuss how one can improve on them in the coming one month.
Verbal Ability:
Reading Comprehension: CAT has traditionally been an RC centric paper. The number of passages varies from 3 to 4 with three to four questions per passage.

If you identify your weak areas and put in focussed effort, you will increase your chances to bell the CAT.

A few critical factors in RC preparation:
Reading on diverse topics: Increasing familiarity with the kind of topics that appear in CAT will help the students save reading time and also get better on comprehension
Target all direct questions first followed by the inferential questions.
During the Test: Ideally not more than 10 minutes are to be spent per passage and it is to be ensured that all passages are looked at.
Verbal Ability: This includes grammar and word-based questions. For grammar, ensure you practice on the rules of Grammar using your study material or any book like Wren & Martin.
For word-based questions spend 30 minutes everyday on going through a list of most commonly misused words like homophones etc. The root-prefix-suffix method for word learning can help solve fill in the blanks questions in CAT.
Verbal Reasoning: This includes Para Jumbles and Para completion questions. Following are a few approaches to answer these questions:
Identify the introductory statement (this statement would tell us what the paragraph is all about)
Then identify links that would connect the two sentences. These are called connectives. These connectives can be conjunctions (but, and) or can be content connectives like cause–effect, generic to specific etc.
Remember that there are no short cuts to improving upon your VA skills. Practice is the key to success in this section. Spend at least an hour on regular reading every day and another 30 minutes reading CAT kind of passages from various online sources.
Quantitative Ability:
List out the areas/topics to focus on: As the time on hand is only one month, it is imperative that the students choose only those topics for preparation which would give them the maximum return for their time. A two pronged approach needs to be adopted for this
1. Mock-CAT Performance Analysis: Students should have a clear understanding of their comfort level in all Quant topics. Mock-CAT performances should be analyzed at a topic level. The areas where the students have been scoring below par consistently and the areas where the scores have been fluctuating should be the areas of focus.
2. Previous CAT paper analysis: The areas which have been consistently contributing to the CAT exam over the years should be identified and attention should be given to them.
Follow these simple steps while preparing
Understand the basics concepts of the selected topic thoroughly
Write down all the formulae and concepts related to the topic on a chart to use as a ready reckoner
Ensure that you know when a particular formula is to be used
Solve at least 30-40 questions (CAT level) from the concept
Logical Ability
The questions in logic can be broadly said to come from three areas viz. Puzzles, Venn Diagrams & Cubes, Deductions & Logical Connectives.
Of these, the questions on puzzles have been most common followed by Deductions and Venn Diagrams. Working out problems from the Study Material Booklets is often the best way to prepare for the different varieties of Questions that appear in CAT. Puzzle books like those by Shakuntala Devi, George Summers etc. provide exposure to high level logic puzzles and the approaches to tackle them.
The often-repeated word "Practice" is the key to crack the questions based on logic and reasoning. The students should put in as much time as possible in practising questions of different types, both online and on paper.
Data Interpretation:
The skills required to crack questions in DI are
1. Ability to analysis and understand difficult / complicated data
This is a skill which one can acquire through regular practice. The practice needs to involve questions of various difficulty levels and types. One approach would be to start solving all the DI sets from your study material. Once this is done, it is time to move online using 'Online Practice Tests'.
2. Ability to do calculations quickly
Speed of calculations is where the students should focus on, along with practising different sets. Acquiring this skill is often easier said than done as it is difficult to get over the old habits of scribbling numbers on a paper even for simple additions.
The point to be kept in mind when students practise sets as mentioned above is that, they should not only focus on the learning approach but should work out the answers themselves. This should be done in timed manner. The advantage of solving questions under time constraint would be that the students would be forced to increase their speed of calculations.
All the steps discussed above will help in increasing the level of preparation of the students. These, combined with the appropriate test taking strategy will go a long way in belling the CAT.
All the best
The writer is course director of CAT at Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd (T.I.M.E.)

(For updates you can share