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CAT 2012 : Top 3 tips for the preparation of DI


Most DI questions will consist of a bunch of statistics, numbers & diagrams that might look scary at first instance but are actually not at all difficult to solve. In fact the trend has been: the scarier a DI set/caselet looks, the easier it is to solve. So before you lose heart & move on to an easier-looking set/caselet, scan that scary set & the list of questions in it. There will be at least of couple of “sitters” (questions that can be easily answered).

The Data Interpretation section is calculation-intensive. And by “calculations” we mean stuff like 556/874 and not 2*9=? Such calculations can eat up your time. It is imperative, therefore to get very, very comfortable with calculations. Learn shortcuts that will help you calculate in your head or better still; figure out how Vedic Math works.

When you have been practicing DI questions for a while, you will begin to notice that there are different types or formats of questions in this section. There will be bar charts, tables, pie charts etc. 

Try reading business newspapers which have articles that are data-intensive & have graphs & pie-charts etc. After reading the article, try to mentally collate & analyze the data provided in them. 

Such activities will help you get into the “DI mode” & stay in that mode always to get success and achieve mission CAT 2012 !!




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CAT 2012: Useful tips for QA Preparation


CAT 2012 seems to be approaching faster than the speed of time and Quantitative Ability (QA) section of CAT gives the impression to be the favorite of the exam setters. It seems as if over 50 per cent of paper setting efforts is devoted to Quant sections.

Perhaps, that is the reason why solving techniques and the ultimate solutions to this logical, tricky and seemingly lengthy form of aptitude problems have been consistently changing. Hence, it's a must for us to identify and strengthen the strategies in the quantitative that can help us maximize our score in this section as much as possible.

Please stick to the following in particular for QA:
  • Practice the new online format adequately
  • Identify sitters in the exam first
  • Avoid making random guesses
  • Put maximum emphasis on accuracy 
Practice will make you perfect. Working hard on one’s fundamentals and focusing on one’s accuracy will only go to increase your chances of belling the revamped CAT 2012 and achieve success !


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CAT 2012: WAT after CAT


Written ability Test (WAT) is gaining importance in the admission criteria of IIMs’ the main concern is the time limit. While writing WAT for admission to a top B-school, the focus should be on the time. 

IIM B gives 30 minutes for WAT, while IIM L gives 15 minutes and the time for WAT is as little as 10 minutes in IIM A 

Here, the key will be to write as fast as possible in order to finish the topic. Don’t waste much time on thinking and planning the structure of the essay, else you will not be able to complete it. For this, you will need sufficient practice. 

The best way to practice is by picking up one current-affairs topic every day and writing as much as you can for 10 minutes. Your focus should be on starting the essay and putting in as many important points as possible. There is no compulsion to present the matter in impressive or flowery language. Instead, accuracy and correctness of spelling and grammar take precedence.

It is important to develop the ability to think and articulate quickly. For B-school panelists, WAT is a tool to see how you structure your thoughts and produce them in the least amount of time. 

It is advised to start practice on WAT also in time to achieve mission CAT 2012.




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CAT 2012: What are Para Jumbled Questions and why they are important in VA?


Para Jumbled Questions consists of a group of sentences that have been jumbled up. The goal in these types of sentences is to rearrange the sentences in the original sequence. In para-jumble questions, you will be given a paragraph made of four to five sentences whose original sequence has been changed and you have a few minutes to figure out what that original sequence was.

Para-jumbles are significant because they have been regularly appearing in the CAT and other MBA entrance tests. There is a good chance of three Para-jumble questions appearing in the 20 questions of the Verbal Ability (VA) section.

Secondly and more importantly — PJs are one of those questions of the CAT in which you can improve your skills dramatically within a short span of time.

CAT 2012 aspirants can make note of it that it is probably one of the few areas of VA section in CAT where the scope of ambiguity is limited.



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CAT 2012: 15-20% of questions in any CAT paper comprise of Arithmetic in QA


CAT 2012 aspirants must note that 15-20% of questions in any CAT paper comprise of Arithmetic in QA

Major topics that you need to cover are Set Theory (especially Venn diagrams) and problems on Time, Speed and Distance, both of which are always asked. Both of these topics are covered as part of the school syllabus, but may need some brushing up on. Sometimes, questions on topics such as Linear Programming are also asked.

Miscellaneous problems are rarely asked, and even when they do appear in a CAT paper they do not number more than one or two. They are purely tests of mathematical aptitude, and you cannot learn how to solve them. The advice, for dealing with these problems, is to try back-substitution of answer choices, or to avoid these problems altogether.
Some Useful tips for Quant Preparation can be:
  • Practice the new online format adequately
  • Identify sitters in the exam first
  • Avoid making random guesses
  • Put maximum emphasis on accuracy 
The age-old saying ‘Practice makes a man perfect’ is still applicable here. Working hard on one’s fundamentals and focusing on one’s accuracy will only go to increase your chances of belling the revamped CAT 2012. Good luck!