The 2014 CAT exam, to be held in November, has undergone further changes to make it more aspirant-friendly. While the syllabus remains the same, the time to attempt the questions has gotten reduced since the number of questions per section has increased. However, experts tell SHAlINI SAKSENA that the latest changes have more positives than negatives
The countdown for MBA aspirants has begun the dates being announced by the conducting body of the Common Admission Test (CAT). The test will be held on November 16 and November 22, 2014.
This year, the number of aspirants is expected to be more as the exam will be conducted in 99 cities as opposed to 40 last year. Also, the CAT 2014 will start a month later (November) as compared to last year (October). This will give an extra month to the aspirants to prepare for the exam. The fact that the format has changed this year, means that the aspirants taking the exam need to adapt themselves.
“They have to increase their answering speed with maximum accuracy. A 100 questions now need to be attempted in 170 minutes. So time management will be the key to success. Practice sessions on the same pattern are required to be incorporated in preparation by aspirants. During the exam, candidates should focus more on the questions which they know well and avoid wasting time on lengthy questions,” Dr Charu Shri, associate professor, School of Management, ITM University, Gurgaon, says.
She also tells you that the candidates should be ready to sit for three hours continuously without break and solve CAT questions, a prospect which is not too easy. “It is advisable to work on both sectional percentiles as one extra month is available with aspirants to work on their weaker section. The extra time can also be used to study topics that have not been touched upon. This is because increase in number of section questions means more questions from smaller topics with different types of questions,” she explains.
The perception may be that the questions will be easier because their number per section has gone up. The truth is that the paper may be more challenging to attempt. “This is because the first batch always faces problems with the changed format. For example, Quantitative Aptitude (QA) and Data Interpretation (DI) will consist of 50 questions. Now, one doesn’t know how many questions will be assigned to QA and how many to DI. That part has not been revealed deliberately and is possibly the only negative aspect of the exam this year. However, there are some positives in this as well. The aspirants can now move from one section to another. Earlier, that was not allowed. Also, the exam days have been reduced to two instead of 21 days and 42 sessions,” Sai Kumar Swamy, director, Triumphant Institute Of Management Education, points out.
Industry experts say that the biggest positive that CAT 2014 has introduced this year is the flexibility to shift through sections, something that was not allowed in the earlier format.This, they say, will enable aspirants to use their time properly — attempt questions which they know and ponder over the ones they couldn’t solve in first go.
The students may feel that the change in pattern was not needed, fact is that CAT 2013 had no strategy. This year, strategy plays an important role. Also, this is not the first time that the change in format has taken place. Before CAT went online in 2010, the change in the exam pattern took place every two years.
“However, since 2011, no changes had been made. But the aspirants need not be wary of the changed format. The exam will not be too tough as it will test the students’ ability to attempt it. Therefore, if a candidate completes 50 per cent to 75 per cent of the questionnaire with approximately 85 per cent accuracy, he has a good chance to qualify,” Kumar says.
Changemakers
The exam time has been increased to 170 minutes. Earlier, the time limit was of 140 minutes. But the syllabus remains the same.
There will be no tutorial before the exam.
Candidates have been given the flexibility to switch between sections at any point of time during the exam. Earlier, this could not be done.
The number of questions per section has been increased to 50. Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation will consist of 50 questions and logical Reasoning and Verbal Ability will have 50 questions each. Earlier, there were only 30 questions each.
Aspirant now has to attempt a total of 100 questions in 170 minutes. Earlier, it was 60 questions in 140 minutes. Hence, the time per question has been reduced to 1.7 minutes per question in the new format.
With reduced minutes per question, candidates need to be very choosy and sure which question to attempt and which to leave as attempting wrong will waste time.
The increase in number of section questions means greater representation of smaller topics and different types of questions. Aspirants now don’t have the liberty to leave any topic aside for their CAT preparation.
With the increase in exam time, candidates must adapt to sitting for three hours looking at the computer screen.
The CAT 2014 exam will be held in November this year as opposed October in earlier years.
The exam will be conducted on a two-day testing pattern on November 16 and November 22 in four sessions of morning and afternoon instead of 21 days and 42 sessions in the earlier format.
The exam is set to be held in 99 cities at 354 testing sites instead of 40 cities with 76 testing sites.
CAT 2014 may not offer the facility of purchasing the off-line vouchers.
Aspirants can’t schedule their test on the preferred date, nor can they finalise their choice of centre or session at the time of on-line registration and filling up the application.
Admit cards will be available on or after October 16, 2014, irrespective of when one registers.
The results for CAT 2014 will be declared in the third week of December 2014 instead of January 2015 as was the pattern in previous years.
Ace it
Start with basics: Go through all the sections and topics. Analyse the previous year’s CAT question paper and get an idea about the difficulty level of the examination.
Plan to study section wise: For the two sections of CAT paper — Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability & logical Reasoning analyse the important topics. Regular practice is advised for logical reasoning section.
Mock test: Once the basic preparation is done, take mock tests. It will help the aspirant to understand his strong and weak area.
Analysing mock test: The basic idea to take the mock test is to analyse the mistakes and learn from them. Take time to analyse the test and learn alternatives to solve the problems.
Time management: The motive is to get the conceptual clarity and learn how to devote time section wise. CAT 2014 has 67 per cent more questions and there’s need for time management.
— Prof Kirti Sharma, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon