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With just a couple of months to go for the CAT, are you spending enough time preparing yourself?
How can you improve your scores in English or Data Interpretation?
To answer these and many other CAT-related questions, R Shiva Kumar, director -- R&D, Career Launcher, hosted a chat with GA readers on August 29. For those of you who missed the chat, here's the unedited transcript:
R Shiva Kumar says, Hi! This is Shivku and I'm ready to take your questions.
partha asked, Hi Shiva, Partha here well grooming myself for the tough battle ahead. Could you let me know as to wat sud be the ideal strategy for studying during these final few months. Also to add I am not faring that well in my mock CATs wat sud be my approach. I am weak at Verbal
ankur asked, sir can u tell me that ubs of pu is good fr mba?
devendra malviya asked, hi sir, how to score best mark in cat-08.And how to solve cat paper.plz give me suggestion. bye
pratik asked, I am actually struggling with my mock cat scores just about 60 -70 percentiles wat should i do to get into a top b school
hanu asked, hi shiva,how should i prepare for cat-08 so that i can get a seat in IIM,please advice me
Jay asked, Hello sir,Good afternoon. Could you please suggest me some points for DI section. I find every question is new in DI... I think the questions are not repeated or even pattern is not repeated. So in this situation do i need to practice huge number of problems in DI or i should i utilize that time for the quant preparation.
Saurabh asked, Dear Shiva, PLZ ANSWER : what can be the expected cutoffs for OBC?
vivek asked, i m earning 5 lakhs per annum and working on the post of asociate manager...do i need to appear in cat n doing mba
Akshay asked, Hi Shiva , I am Akshay .. I have been scoring 95+ %ile consistently .. But , I am having a problem with English ... Can you suggest how can I improve my scores in English
gursewak asked, sir can u tell me that PSMS of punjabi university patiala is good for mba?
raj asked, sir what about newly opened dept for mba by pu that is uiams....i have taken admission in mba pharma in uiams...
sunny8911 asked, hi sir, i have problem in da quant section, although i m well versed wid most of da concepts , i have problem in application, when there r sme twists is da question, although i practise a lot bt nt getin favourable results
Vikram asked, Hi..please let me know how to prepare for Geometry questions in quant
manu asked, I think a general question from lots of guy How to prepare nest for English.
absolute asked, How many test one should take in these 3 months?
RADHIKA asked, I AM APPERING FOR TYBCOM. FROM MUMBAI UNIVERSITY & IAM NOT THAT MUCH GOOD IN STUDY .I AM WORKING IN A LTD CO. AS A ACCOUNT ASST. FROM 1 YR.SO WHICH COURSE IS GOOD FOR ME ETHER I SHOULD CONTINUE THE ACCOUNT ASSIS. JOB OR I SHOULD CHANGE IT
sachin asked, Hi Shiv am taking CAT this year,but am not prepared at all I need to start, can u please tell me which section to start with
ml asked, sir,i am B.Tech in Ece from GNDU,Amritsar.i gave mat in May 2007 anad got 93 percentille.how much u think i could get in CAT?
piu asked, atleast tell me how do prepare for quant as i have been getting negative scores in quant section in mock cat
alok asked, tell me how to improve score in verbal section within 2 months
Varsha asked, hi Shiva, i would like to know as far maths is concerned, any particular topic i need to pay extra attention to for fairing well in CAt
Gaurav saxena asked, Sir how to improve Nimber of attempts in the Exams?
Varsha asked, Also if you could guide me where can i take the mock tests for CAT
Ram asked, how i improve the accuracy of answer??
sachin asked, Hi Sachin here am apearing CAT this nov, am not yet started,con u plz tell me which section to start with is better?
Ank asked, How many min questions sholud be attempted & wht is min score for eacxh section for a seat in IIM
saum asked, Sir,GA. how releavant is the essay in XAT for institutes other than XLRI, which accept XAT score.
lucky asked, Hello Sir, How to control the urge of attempting more questions? You should do that because it will give you and edge over others which could as well put you in those 99.x's and in process am loosing all my marks.what should I do?
amyt.patil asked, is it advisable to leave my current job for preparation of CAT ??? i wish to commence my MBA next year for sure !!!! i had given XAT & CET last year & held a call from LIBA,chennai thru XAT but couldn't go thru rest of the procedure under unavoidable circumstances
Aparna asked, hi shiva,I have a kind of fear for quant.for most of the time i practice quant and i solve the questions in the material really well.but wen it comes to the actual xam, i am not able to choose questions properly which leads to low scores.what shud i do abt it? i score decently well in verbal though...
Aman asked, Which College in Mumbai is good for MBA?
manoj asked, hi shiva manoj here i just had complete my grud. this year. can i give cat this year.
Ajay asked, Hello sir, I am an electronics engg with 55% in engg. I have over 5 yrs of exp till date and am trying for a good b school. will my low acads in grd be a hindrance in getting a call? I am currently scoring between 65 and 82 percentile in mocks. can u give me some advice on how to maximise my score. Also, when I come out of exam hall and see the solution set, I realise that i could have answered 7-8 qs more and cleared the cut-offs easily. How do I improve on this?. pls guide.
DEV asked, HI SHIVA I am an IIT graduate too but I am concerned about my Son who got between 93-97 percentile without preparation in CAT2007 but scored 19 in DI?How wud you like to guide him now?
vivek asked, how they give weightage in cutoff n interview for experience holders in different institutes like iim
Gretchen asked, Sir,how good is the one year mgt. program from IIM, XLRI, SP JAIN etc for a working executive. How good it is in placement and in long run compared to 2 year program ?
Mohammed asked, Hello Shiva...any idea about the percentile score required for getting calls from non-IIMs like MDI, FMS, SPJain etc ?
manoj asked, hi manoj here sir. wats my chances in cat
atul asked, Hello sir, i am very weak in Quants and as you know that only 2 months are left for the CAT, can you please tell me few topics on which i shud concerntrate to clear the cut-off. I will only prep. few topics in quants now and will try to make myself comfortable in those topics only. Thanks
vivek4u_swamy asked, hi i am S/W engineer i would like to do MBA from the Top University is ISB an gud college
Ank asked, How many min questions sholud be attempted & wht is min score for eacxh section for a seat in IIM
raju asked, hi shiva i got 88% in my quant and poor %tiles in Verbal & DI i need ur suggestions on how to improve these sections . Thanks
pavan asked, what will be sufficient score to get iim or other equivalent institute?
kunalsingh asked, Hi Shiva, What kind of profiles do B Schools look for while selecting candidates for their programmes. I know some top schools look for strong extra-curriculars as well. I wish to know what kind of activities would be eligible for such consideration.
Jay1 asked, Hello sir, How should i attack for the verbal section. What should be my strategy?
Rampris asked, Hi Siva, I missed the deadline for purchasing the CAT application form. Is there a way out I can get an application form?
jagat asked, Do u agree that CAT questions are unnecessarily difficult and not designed properly like GMAT?
shadab asked, i hv been preparing since a yr,my prob is,i can solve the questions when there is no time frame,but i cannot solve the same during the mock tests,how can i improve??
ayushi asked, heloo sir,my quant is bad and everytime i take up a new question,i never get the logic behind it,howmuchever i crack my head, it strikes me after i see the solution how can i make myself more focussed on to getting different types of methods for each problem.
geo asked, Hi Shiva .. is there any age cap for writing the CAT ..?
pavan asked, sir, is mit pune good for mba
Vinny asked, I appeared for CAT in the last two years and both the times got 94% overall and just 70% percentile in VA/RC. I have joined TIME test series also but my score is still very poor in VA/RC. I dont know how to improve and what to do know. CAT is only 2 months far and I am still at the same situation in VA/RC. Please suggest or which books to consult or what to do.
venkat asked, Hello Sir,I am KedariNadh,I am a software professional.I like to do MBA as a part time.Can u plse suggest me the best institute which offers best part time MBA and added good value to the Certificate.
raju asked, hi shiva i got 88% in my quant(mock cat) and poor %tiles in Verbal & DI i need ur suggestions on how to improve these sections .Any books u suggest. Thanks
heros asked, GOOD AFTERNOON SIR,I WANT TO KNOW HOW TO DO WELL IN GEOMETRY & RC SECTIONS?
monkey asked, how to make top marks in all subjects?
ish asked, sir,i am B.Tech in Ece from GNDU,Amritsar.i gave mat in May 2007 anad got 93 percentille.how much u think i could get in CAT?
Jeeva asked, What is the diff in the salary package, which an above avg student can get in either IIM A,B,C vs the rest 7 of top 10 ?
jim asked, plzz answer this.I have 73% in ssc , 69% in hsc and 59.57 in graduation. I have two years full time work exp in IT. What are my chances for Getting into IIMs if i score CAT well? Plz answer
Worried asked, I appeared for CAT last year without any preparation. My score was 82.4 percentile. Do you think preparation will help in improving the score further. My uncle says that prepartion can only improve the score by 5 to 6 percentile. Is that true?
rupan asked, Though common, but still to ask. Sir, how many hours should an average student put in to get around 90%ile? Please help.
uma asked, hello sir, am looking at a career in operations...which college is best suited for tht. my backgrd being am an electronics eng, on passin out got into ICICI thru campus but into trade operations was thr for a year and then got thru one of the leading telecom companies and am into planning. as i said i am looking at getting into the operations steram. kindly receommend which colleges i shud be targettin and also the growth prospect
shantanu asked, hi there, what you call as a good attempt in cat?or after attempting how many questions with a good accuracy should i move to the next section?
Sgotra asked, hi Shiva i'm B.Tech NIT 2008 passed out and have not joined any company as i wanted full time prepration and also my acedmic is average, will this reduce my chances to IIM's ?
shantanu asked, hi there, what you call as a good attempt in cat?or after attempting how many questions with a good accuracy should i move to the next section?
R Shiva Kumar says, Ok bye everyone! Hope the short time we spent together was of value to you. All the Best!
R Shiva Kumar answers, Hi Partha, You should target the following institutes according to your percentiles: IIMs, XLRI, ISB, MDI, SPJain, NMIMS.
R Shiva Kumar answers, UBS is a decent college for doing MBA. It comes in the A category according to Career Launcher rankings
R Shiva Kumar answers, You need to have: a) Strong fundamentals in verbal, Quant & DI b) Good test taking skills like question selection, time management etc. All the Best!
R Shiva Kumar answers, You need to analyse your mocks thoroughly preferably sit with your mentor and identify areas of improvement. It could be weak fundas in a particular topic, fear of a particular subject, wrong strategy...
R Shiva Kumar answers, You need to have: a) Strong fundamentals in verbal, Quant & DI b) Good test taking skills like question selection, time management etc. All the Best!
R Shiva Kumar answers, Try to focus on the concepts and fundamentals involved rather than specific situations or cases in which they are applied in questions. as you improve your comprehension of the data things will get easier...
R Shiva Kumar answers, It'l be different for different institutes
R Shiva Kumar answers, Doing an MBA has less to do with your present and more to do with your future...so it depends on what are your aspirations
R Shiva Kumar answers, The best way to improve scores in English is to develop a good reading habit and make ample use of the dictionary as you go along
R Shiva Kumar answers, Not that well known but depends on what are the kinds of scores u r getting in mocks and what is your current job/ job prospects.
R Shiva Kumar answers, Any newly launched course can only be commented upon after observing the first few batches' placements
R Shiva Kumar answers, try to solve CAT level problems from mocks etc. and then thoroughly analyse where you slipped in your thinking process after seeing the solution
R Shiva Kumar answers, 1. Study fundas 2. Attempt solved questions. 3. Attempt more difficult unsolved questions
R Shiva Kumar answers, The best way to improve scores in English is to develop a good reading habit and make ample use of the dictionary as you go along...
R Shiva Kumar answers, At least 20
R Shiva Kumar answers, Prerferably you should gain work experience of 2-3 yrs. before MBA
R Shiva Kumar answers, You should start with the section you feel most comfortable with.
R Shiva Kumar answers, Its a different ball game, ideally you should get 80+ percentile
R Shiva Kumar answers, You need to thoroughly revise your fundamentals and progressively increase the difficulty level of practice questions
R Shiva Kumar answers, The best way to improve scores in English is to develop a good reading habit and make ample use of the dictionary as you go along... Also take some mocks and analyse your answers thoroughly
R Shiva Kumar answers, number Systems, Algebra & Geometry are th three pillars of CAT quant
R Shiva Kumar answers, Try to limit your time spent in first round to under 1 minute per question
R Shiva Kumar answers, You can contact any Career Launcher centre
R Shiva Kumar answers, Make sure your answer is right before marking it, think thoroughly, don't do guesswork!
R Shiva Kumar answers, You should start with the section you feel most comfortable with.
R Shiva Kumar answers, You should attempt around 40 questions approx. Sectional cut-off is generally around 25-30 in each section
R Shiva Kumar answers, not much
R Shiva Kumar answers, Meditate and try to develop a relaxed temperament.
R Shiva Kumar answers, it is generally difficult to justify a career break on grounds of CAT preperation
R Shiva Kumar answers, Attend a "Don't Fear CAT" seminar! :) Talk to any CL mentor, he should be able to guide you...
R Shiva Kumar answers, SPJain, NMIMS, Sydenham
R Shiva Kumar answers, You can but last date to buy CAT form is over
R Shiva Kumar answers, It will be a problem for some institutes like IIM-B which gave high weightage to past acads. Try to focus on question selection by not wastinng time on tough questions
R Shiva Kumar answers, He should prepare and practice thoroughly different kinds of DI questions
R Shiva Kumar answers, please check out our catblog at http://careerlauncher.co.in/catblog for details
R Shiva Kumar answers, It is very good if you have >5 yrs. of experience and want to save an year.Placement salaries are very good
R Shiva Kumar answers, MDI-98.8 FMS- 97 SPJain - 97
R Shiva Kumar answers, I wish I were a psychic! :) Pls. provide more data like your mock performance!
R Shiva Kumar answers, number Systems, Algebra & Geometry are th three pillars of CAT quant
R Shiva Kumar answers, Yes
R Shiva Kumar answers, You should attempt around 40 questions approx. Sectional cut-off is generally around 25-30 in each section
R Shiva Kumar answers, Develop a good reading habit and solve lots of puzzles!
R Shiva Kumar answers, 100-120
R Shiva Kumar answers, A good well - rounded personality. preferably good organization and communication skills
R Shiva Kumar answers, Improve you vocab and reading speed through a good reading habit
R Shiva Kumar answers, No
R Shiva Kumar answers, No, the point is to spot and attempt the easier questions
R Shiva Kumar answers, You basically have a test fear. Try to practice by taking timed tests at home to get used to it
R Shiva Kumar answers, Practice with patience and determination is the only way out
R Shiva Kumar answers, No
R Shiva Kumar answers, Not too good, not too bad
R Shiva Kumar answers, pls. join a CL short term course and take guidance from CL faculty/ material
R Shiva Kumar answers, You can do it from one of the IIMs
R Shiva Kumar answers, Read a lot, solve a lot of DI questions
R Shiva Kumar answers, Practice Geometry and do a lot of general reading of diverse subjects and topics
R Shiva Kumar answers, work hard and get good guidance
R Shiva Kumar answers, shud get 80+
R Shiva Kumar answers, 2-3 lacs p.a.
R Shiva Kumar answers, Very good!
R Shiva Kumar answers, Preparation helps a lot especially a good test series
R Shiva Kumar answers, 4-5 hrs.
R Shiva Kumar answers, Any top rung institute wud be gud, NITIE & IITS are well known for ops
R Shiva Kumar answers, 30-35 questions overall, 10-11 questions per section
R Shiva Kumar answers, Its tough to justify a career break on grounds of CAT preparation
R Shiva Kumar answers, 30-35 questions 10-12 questions per section