In an exclusive online chat with readers on November 16, CAT 2010 topper Vidit Agarwal from Indian Institute of Management-Lucknow addressed reader queries related to cracking CAT and also guided aspirants on the way ahead. For those who missed the live chat, here's the unedited transcript.
iimlucknow asked, is IIM-lucknow good for finance? how is the faculty? which other institutes in india you think are good for pursuing finance?
Vidit Agarwal answers, at 2011-11-16 15:00:35Definitely, IIM lucknow is catching up pretty fast with ABC in terms of placements in finance field. The summer placements attracted lot of PE and asset management firms which is a very good indication. Faculty are experts in their field and make sure that students become pretty strong with their fundamentals . apart from IIMs some other institutes good in finance are Jbims, spjain etc.
catquestion asked, hi vidit, could u pls share some strategies to crack IIMs? how should one prepare for the exam to get a call from IIMs?
Vidit Agarwal answers, It depends how much u have on your disposal. If u r studying then u have much more time to prepare vis-a-vis if u are working. So strategies for each differ.I would like if u could be more clear on this.
abhinav asked, how would you compare 1 year courses with 2 year courses. which ones are better for learning.
Vidit Agarwal answers, A 2 yr course is always more helpful in getting adequate learning as it gives more time to explore options and then adapt yourself accordingly. Generally in 2 yr course u don't have to choose specialization straightway at the beginning of course. that is a big advantage.
abhinav asked, other than CAT, what all exams should be worth taking..
Vidit Agarwal answers, xat, iift,snap would top the list
catquestion asked, what mistakes did u make in ur first two attempts?
Vidit Agarwal answers, in 1st attempt i gave cat for the sake of doing it and was not prepared at all. In 2nd attempt i got stuck with difficult questions and thus wasted a lot of precious time. u should be smart while selecting questions.
abhinav asked, does not doing one's MBA from the top bschools affect one's career adverse. recently i have seen job postings where they are looking for candidates from IIM/ISB though they may not have relevant work experience.
Vidit Agarwal answers, IIMs and other top b schools do give big push to your career but in the ends its your skills and aptitude which takes you far in your career. A degree from IIM is not a sure shot way to success.
arvind asked, hi vidit, what should be the ideal time to prepare for CAT? and any particular strategy to be adopted?
Vidit Agarwal answers, i personally think 5-6 months of regular and focused preparation would be handy. But then there is no set rule. better u start preparing early so that u can gauge yourself with time in hand. focus on gaining concepts first and take mock tests seriously as they play a vital role in fine tuning your preparation
Mark asked, Hi, Vidit,I want to give my GMAT in July-2012 and then CAT too in 2012.How different is preparation of CAT against GMAT? Is it possible to capitalize on GMAT preparation for CAT.
Vidit Agarwal answers, GMAT and CAT follows very different pattern. So, their preparation requirement is different. I think for CAT you have to focus more on quant and speed with respect to GMAT.
Vidit Agarwal says, for verbal ability section start reading up articles on a variety of topics like science, philosophy, social issues from various magazines and newspapers. This will not only increase your speed and familiarity but u will also grasp some important concepts
Vidit Agarwal says, DI tip: large amount of data may be redundant for questions so be smart while solving. when i gave cat last year lot of questions have one set of data which was very different from rest and was usually connected with answer. this saved huge amount of time for me.
manish asked, How one (from non mathe background) should start preparing for Quant?
Vidit Agarwal answers, start with number system. its fun and requires just logic. once u get familiarity with numbers move on to work- time, combinations and speed related questions. finally u can target questions from integration ,differentiation and trigonometry. Not to forget Geometry . It is very high scoring and require least amount of time
prashant asked, why did you opt for IIML & not IIMA
Vidit Agarwal answers, To put it simply i didn't got the call from IIMA. Anyhow IIML too provides some very unique advantage. it course structure is very rigorous and have a very holistic environment for learning. Finally it depends on your perception, there is not much to differentiate between ABCL.
'Mark unfamiliar words and make it a point to find their meanings'
manish asked, How does one master vocab for CAT?
Vidit Agarwal answers, Read as much as you can. articles on philosophy science, art, social issues help in increasing your ease with RC, Norman lewis' " word power made easy" is very good to begin with. mark unfamiliar words and make it a point to find their meanings
guru asked, hi vidit congrts for success
Vidit Agarwal answers, thanks a lot :-). wish u also achieve the same success.
Sayantan asked, I am a graduate engineer and working in a software compant for 4.5 years..I have had enough of coding and want to enter in a decent B-School..for the last three months I am preparing myself for Cat'12 but i am alittle sceptical as I am already 26....can this be a issue...
Vidit Agarwal answers, i don't think so it would be an issue. It's never too late. we have people with 6-7 years of experience and they are doing great up here.
guru asked, how u have managed ur concentration???
Vidit Agarwal answers, its obvious that one might lose concentration over time. In that case take a break for 2-3 days and then start over again with fresh mind
alok asked, suggested books for quantitative aptitude......????
Vidit Agarwal answers, if u are taking coaching the material provided by them would be more than sufficient. In case u want to practice more u can refer book by Arun Sharma on quantitative aptitude
pps asked, Hi Vidit, my brother has attempted 20 questions in section A and 23 Q in sec B this year in CAT. If all are correct, what are the chances?
Vidit Agarwal answers, it depends. If the overall difficulty level of that particular day was high then he has a good chance.
gfdfg asked, hi , can you please give tips for GD andPI
Vidit Agarwal answers, GD/PIs are still long way ahead. but u start preparing on social and contemporary issues to reduce workload at the end.
gfdfg asked, which section is better to be attempted first and how many questions we should aim at for securing admissions to IIMs
Vidit Agarwal answers, you can give mock tests to identify the sections that you are most comfortable with. In an exam like CAT, time is a constraint and it's always a good idea to be at ease with all the sections.
prash asked, What all calls did u have ?
Vidit Agarwal answers, I had calls from all the IIMs apart from Ahmedabad.
Rajesh asked, Hello Vidit, Does your acadamic background needs to be good for admissions in IIM. I got 72% in 10th standard, 59% in 12th std and have done BCA from IGNOU....What do you think? Please suggest...Thanks!
Vidit Agarwal answers, Each IIM has a different selection criteria. A good academic is definitely helpful, but getting a good CAT percentile is a prerequisite and you should focus more on CAT rather than worrying about your past performance.
guru asked, How was ur GD exp
Vidit Agarwal answers, The topics were related to social and contemporary issues. Keep yourself updated and practice a lot before the final GDs.
Sayantan asked, Vidit,Can u share some tips with of Quants as i am facing a little proble with higher math...arithmatic and number systems are fine...
Vidit Agarwal answers, do practice a lot, specially in the areas where you are facing difficulty. you still have a lot of time and i am sure with consistent effort, you will definitely crack these problems.
vidyut asked, Why do we need to give exam or test to crack CAT? Can't we do it by hammer or some rock?
Vidit Agarwal answers, i know these mocks are pain sometimes but then u also have to remember that all the effort u put in now will only make your life easier on the D-day.
sreenath asked, I'm working and not too sure on how I can make up for classes. + I would like to take the CAT next year..Does a person really need classroom training to take on CAT or can one really pick this up at home??
Vidit Agarwal answers, If you are sincere and regular with your preparation at home itself then you stand an equal chance wrt any other aspirant. but I would sincerely recommend to take sufficient mock tests before going for the final exam.
Sayantan asked, Vidit..what do you reckon about the newer IIm's...will they be able to live upto the expectation???
Vidit Agarwal answers, every initiative takes some time to settle up. So u cant expect them to straightaway perform at par with other IIMs.
Ranjit asked, suggested books for quantitative aptitude......????
Vidit Agarwal answers, already answered. U can refer the chat for this
Vidit Agarwal says, Thank you all for an active conversation. Hope i answered some of your queries well. Best of luck for your future endeavors. See u all in IIMS soon :-)
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh
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