Two days to go for the Common Admission Test 2005.
Wondering what you should do before the paper starts?
CAT trainer Asan Dasari suggested these tips in a recent chat with Get Ahead readers: You will be given the Question Paper booklet 15 minutes before the start of the test. Ensure that you mark your personal details correctly. Read the instruction page; it will tell you the structure of the test. Realign your strategy as per the instruction page and, once you start, stay focused.
CAT guru Asan Dasari of IMS Learning Resources answered these queries in a chat with Get Ahead readers on November 17.
Asan is an engineer and has an MBA from IIM-Calcutta. He is the product manager for CAT at IMS, and guides students through their CAT preparation.
Here is the transcript:
Part II: 'Aim for accuracy'
abhinesh: what should we do in last two days, revise all things or still practice mock papers
Asan Dasari: Today, try to revise. At the most, take a test. Refer to questions in which you are strong. On Saturday, take time out and relax.
manish: hello sir wat would be approximate score for gettin 90 percentile in cat? and at what percentile UBS chandigarh gives calls?
Asan Dasari: Hi, last year UBS shortlisted students with a 90 percentile and more. This year, looking at the competitiveness, I expect the cut-off to be in the range of 90-92.
Mitesh: Please enlighten on last minute tips to crack CAT.
Asan Dasari: Hi, the last-minute tips. Focus on your strengths, be relaxed, ensure that you mark the ovals properly.
Do not get stuck with questions.
Vinay: Goodafternoon Sir! When do you think is the best time to pursue MBA? immmediately after graduation or after a few years of work experience?
Asan Dasari: Hi, in India, both are best options as long as you do not compromise with the college you are applying for. Aim for the best always.
V: sir what to do in the last 20 minutes before the exam starts
Asan Dasari: Hi, you will be given the Question Paper booklet 15 minutes before the start of the test.
Ensure that you mark your personal details correctly. Read the instruction page; it will tell you the structure of the test. Realign your strategy as per the instruction page and, once you start, stay focused.
manish: sir i m clearing cut-offs in DI and english but not gettin more than 5-6 marks in quant..but still gettin 90+ percentile ..will it stop me frm gettin calls frm UBS,IMT,IMI etc
Asan Dasari: Hi, usually most institutes do not insist on sectional cut-offs. However, to score more, you have to be good in all sections. That is the mantra.
prasadvs: Hi Asan,I am getting 90-93 percentile in Simcat.How much do you think it will translate in CAT.Also I am not able to clear cutoff by couple of marks in these.How shud I rectify them
Asan Dasari: Hi, we have seen a positive swing in the actual CAT for our students. Therefore, go with a positive bent of mind and crack it and you can make it to the 98+ percentile.
Shaan: Hi Asan I took up IMS coaching for CAT and found it very refreshing.My preparation were in full swing.
Recently I got a job with a decent profile "PRODUCT MANAGER". I have a total work experience of 4 years.Since 2 months I am unable to focus much on CAT due to job demands. Suggest me what should I do?
Asan Dasari: Hi, you should focus on the list of colleges you should apply to. You may have to take a CAT/ GMAT. With four years, you should not compromise with the list of colleges. Aim for the best!
Aastha: good afternoon sir!. i am securing about 88 to 95 percentile in ims mock cats...what are my chances?also do tell us what u are expecting in cat 2005
Asan Dasari: Hi, in the last three days, ensure that you aim to give you best on the 20th. You are a good student, so aim for a good score.
ville: how should one attempt quant if he is weak in it
Asan Dasari: Hi, aim for a score in a section. Let's say that you strive for a score of 10 in Maths. You should now try to aim to score these 10 marks first. This automatically will help you to overcome your apprehension.
Sanjay: Sir what to do to resist the temptation of not leaving a question 'unanswered'?
Asan Dasari: Hi. There is only one mantra. Your aim is to score in the test. Do not get stuck with questions.
Mitesh: Please suggest the colleges I shud luk out with more tha 90 p.c
Asan Dasari: Hi, with three days to go, I would advise you and others to focus on the CAT. After the CAT, based on your performance, we can then help you to shortlist the colleges you should apply to. Till then, it's only CAT and CAT.
NISHA: Sir,WHAT SHOULD ONE DO ON SATURDAY TO REMAIN CALM N MENTALLY ACTIVE?
Asan Dasari: Hi, on Saturday, try to relax. May be go for a walk or a game of squash. It will help you refresh your mind. Sleep early so that you wake up fresh on Sunday morning.
Prahalad: sir,what do you think we should do for the next 2 days?work on brms or tests?
Asan Dasari: Hi, I have answered this question. Please check the chat forum. Bottom line, focus on CAT and CAT alone.
Sumit: Hello Sir, can you confirm that to get call from NITIE, the percentile in Quant should be more than 95? What about overall cutoff for NITIE?
Asan Dasari: Hi, for NITIE is should be in the range of 95+ for overall percentile cutoff
mohit: what is the date of cat exams
Asan Dasari: Hi, CAT is conducted in the penultimate Sunday of November.
arindam: Hi,i am securing around 95% in mock catshow much can i score on the BIG day??what is a good score to get calls from the TOP 10 institutes
Asan Dasari: Hi, you are doing good, so continue with your performance. On the D-Day aim for a score of 65+.
Shaan: Hi Asan is it possible to do a PART time MBA from any top 10 Schools on major fields like Marketing, finance etc. with decent CAT Scores? What would you do if you are half prepared for CAT but want to do MBA but in a decent position professionally.
Asan Dasari: Hi, yes you can pursue part-time MBA too. IIM-C, L and B offer part time MBA programmes. For more details, you can log on to their Web sites.
Shabbir: When I attempt 100+ questions in 2 hours, My score is between 58 to 62 (around 30 to 35 errors) and when I go for accuracy I am able to attempt 65 to 70 questions and my score is 45 to 50 ( 15 to 16 errors) , so which strategy should I use? The former or the latter?
Asan Dasari: Hi, you should aim for a 65+ score and to do that, realign your strategy in the next two days so that you perform on this Sunday.
ashish: what can be the cutoffs in a 4 section test?
Asan Dasari: Hi, cut-offs are announced after populating all data. If you have taken the SimCATs, we had given 2 4-section tests. Analyse them again.
Mitesh: How shud I allot the max time for a question carrying one mark and the one carrying 2 marks??shud i follow a defined strategy on that?
Asan Dasari: Hi, do not worry about marks per question. Try to solve the questions you can solve. This will help you to improve your score and overall percentile. Do not get stuck with two mark questions.
kool: which is better ?? 99+ overall and less then 90 in 1 of the section or 98+overall with 90+ in all the sections
Asan Dasari: Hi, in the next three days, try not to speculate. Make a strategy which will help you to get more than 95 percentile in all sections. That's the mantra.
vishnu: my age is 30 yrs. i flunked twice during graduation i dont have good work exp. what are my prospects for GD $ PI if i get a call on basis of cat score
Asan Dasari: Hi, that should not be a problem. Usually the panel will be interested to know what you learnt from that experience. So, do not worry about it.
AJAY: wHAT WOULD A SimCAT percentile of 95 translate to in actual CAT
Asan Dasari: Hi, you should be able to aim for a 98+ in the actual CAT with a SimCAT score of 95 percentile.
great: Sir Besides IIM,XLRI,MDI,NITIE which colleges you think are worth for which I can go,I have done B.Tech This Year and right now working in HCL TECH in softwares I have six months of experience so far
Asan Dasari: Hi, you can aim for FMS too. In case you do not make it to any one, then I would suggest you to continue working so that you can apply again next year. Do not compromise with your choice of college.
ashish: how high can one attempt in CAT? what should be a good attempt to get 99+ percentile?
Asan Dasari: Hi, an attempt of 85-95 questions with an accuracy of 85 percent should be a good attempt.
prince: is Alliance Business Academy better option ? is Alliance Business Academy better option ? is Alliance Business Academy better option ? is Alliance Business Academy better option ? is Alliance Business Academy better option ? is Alliance Business Academy better option ? is Alliance Business Academy better option ? is Alliance Business Academy better option ? is Alliance Business Academy better option ? is Alliance Business Academy better option ?
Asan Dasari: Hi, I would suggest you to focus on CAT now. After CAT, speak to any counsellor or your parents about the choice of colleges. Choose your college based on your academic background and the success history of the B-School.
reco: Plz answer. My avg mock CAT score was around 90%tile and I m going to give my best on 20th NOV. My Qs is : I have 2 yrs of work-ex and my salary is 3.6 (take home 24)
shd I join inst like IMT/SCMHRD/IIT KGP , if I cant make it into a good b school.
Asan Dasari: Hi, my advice. Do not! I would advise you to take the CAT and apply to the best schools next year. Do include XL, NITIE, FMS, SP Jain into your list. IIT-Bombay, IIT-Kozhikode and IIT-Delhi should be a good choice too.
Shaan: The SIMCATS conducted by IMS from being tough intially to easy as each test went by.
Can you justify why? I felt so because the cut-offs were pretty high in the last few tests.Was this a part of confidence building program or what other reason could be it?
Asan Dasari: Hi, interestingly, this year we believe that the students were very serious. More students started scoring though the level of difficuly was never easy. I would urge all students to continue with their performance and bell the CAT on Sunday.
Part II: 'Aim for accuracy'
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