With CAT exam slated for December 4, 2016, Ankur Jain lists some last-minute tips for the aspirants and the importance of time management
The CAT exam, for admission to the coveted IIMs and other top-rated B-schools of the country, is scheduled for December 4, this year. let’s understand the importance of time management for the same.
Is the CAT different from school/college examsIJ
The CAT is radically different from school and college exams. It features a large number of questions in insufficient time thus forcing the aspirant to choose which questions to do and which to leave. The questions’ marks and difficulty level do not correspond with each other which is not so in other exams. So if you spend more time doing difficult questions, you will lose marks. Thus, choose less time-consuming questions. Additionally, due to insufficient time, too much focus on accuracy or attempt s means that you tend to lose marks. Focus on both simultaneously.
How should one manage time in the sectionsIJ
Before starting a section, spend some time in scanning it. Scan each question or each set quickly and judge its level. In the case of QA and VA, you can start attempting the easiest questions on the spot. Questions that are extremely lengthy or unsolvable should be left altogether. Questions that lie in the middle of these two extremes should be bookmarked. Once you have scanned the entire section, go to the review bookmarked option and attempt the bookmarked questions. This will ensure that you have read the entire paper and not left any easy question, and that you are not wasting your time on extremely difficult questions.
In the case of RC, DI and lR, you will need to judge the set as a whole and not just a question. This should be done by focusing on time required to solve the sets based on familiarity and question type. Scan question types to see which sets contain more of what you are comfortable with and is less time consuming. In a set, feel free to leave a question out of a set of four-five questions if it is too time consuming.
Conversely, free to pick up one-two questions out of four-five in a set, if they are the only doable ones. Many people waste time by thinking that if they have picked up a set, they must finish it completely. They also lose opportunities by thinking that if they have not picked up a set, they must leave all the questions.
How should one manage time in the questionsIJ
Before starting the examination, make sure that you have a clear idea of average time available per question/set in each section and have an exit-time for each question. For example, if you have 1.5 minutes per question in the QA section, you can begin by devoting 1 minute initially and at the end of such time, see if you will be able to solve the question in 30 more seconds or not.
If not, then drop the question and move forward without worrying. Alternatively, you can solve for 1.5 minutes and then check if you are close to solving. If yes, at most, 30 more seconds may be devoted but then you must drop the question if you are nowhere near solving the question.
Having this stop-loss strategy (a terminology from the stock market), will make sure that you do not waste time over any one question. Since it is difficult and impractical to judge time for each question, you can divide the questions of the section and the time available in three-four parts and then devote not more than that time per part. This also ensures that time is not wasted.
For question types that you are good at, don’t have unnecessary ego about them. Many aspirants tend to have an ego-battle with favourite question types and spend endless time solving them trying to prove to themselves that they can solve it. Move forward if you find a tough question, irrespective of your infatuation with that question type.
How to manage the time for the type-in-the-response questionsIJ
The type-in-the-response questions are attractive to aspirants because they have no negative marks. These questions have no options and hence these are much more time consuming. Also because the probability of getting them right is much less, the common mistake is to spend way too much time on them and lose time while not gaining much. Ideally, attempt them towards the end of the section, so that time is not accidentally wasted.
How do I become better at judgementIJ
This requires extensive practice of questions and sets after you are clear with basic concepts. Such practice should be always under time pressure. That will replicate the paper pressure.
(The writer is Chief Knowledge Expert,TIME, New Delhi)