ICET 2011 – Analysis

 

For the third time in a row (2009,2010,2011), ICET was conducted by Andhra University

The ICET paper pattern has remained the same over the last eleven years. This year’s test was in  similar lines of  ICET 2010. To help you understand this year’s test paper better, we provide you with a comprehensive analysis, below.

 

Exam Pattern
No. Of Questions	200
No. Of Sections	3
No. Of Choices	4
Time Alloted	150 minutes
Total Marks	200
Correct Answer	1 Mark
Negative Marking	No

 

Data Sufficiency

 

The questions in Data Sufficiency were from a wide range of topics including topics from pure maths and reasoning. This can be seen clearly from the table that is given below. There were traps here and there. Some questions were tricky. But, on the whole, it was a good mixture of concepts and logic.

 

More than half of the questions were easy. On the whole, the data sufficiency part can be rated as  easy to moderate. There were a few questions which required thorough conceptual knowledge of the topic. There was one question with two correct answer choices. The question, where one needs to check whether ‘a’ is greater than 'b' or not, can be answered either from statement alone or statement alone. In such a case, the answer choice can be (1) or (2).

 

Chapter wise break-up of questions in Data Sufficiency

 

S.No	Topic	Easy	Moderate	Difficult	No. of questions
1	Simple Equations	2			2
2	Profit & Loss	1			1
3	Numbers	4	2		6
4	Geometry	1	1		2
5	Mensuration	2	1		3
6	Time & Distance		1		1
7	Indices & Surds	1			1
8	Sets	1			1
9	Functions	1			1
10	Coordinate Geometry	1			1
11	Blood Relation	1			1
	Total	15	5		20

 

Data Analysis

 

This part had one DI set of five questions and Venn Diagrams set of five questions. Usually one DI set and one Venn diagram set appear in the ICET. For the past few years, giving two sets on DI in this part has become a tradition but this time questions on Venn diagrams have come back with a vengeance. The questions on Venn Diagrams were difficult to comprehend and solve in the examination.

 

As far as the DI is concerned, one set based on a Pie-chart was given. All the 5 questions on DI were easy.

 

Overall Data Analysis can be considered to be of ‘moderate’ difficulty.

 

Reasoning

 

(Problem Solving, Coding-Decoding and Date, Time and Arrangement)

 

There were 49 questions in reasoning, including one question in DS.

 

The 15 questions based on series and analogies which were on expected lines and were easy compared to last year. Among the 10 questions on odd man out, there were 2 to 3 questions which were difficult. A question on quadratic equation in this section was difficult.

 

An oddity that can be observed in this part is the type of questions based on coding-decoding. Instead of the traditional varieties of questions (r-model and so on), new models of questions have crept in. There were two sets with 5 questions in each set. The set based on n^th letter being coded to k^th letter where K ≡ 3n + 2(mod 26), 1  K  26, was similar to the one given last year. This type of set was given for the first time in ICET2010. Even if one understands the pattern, answering the questions would still be time consuming. The students who have practised this model would have found the questions easy to answer. The second set was relatively difficult when compared to the first one. In this the nth letter of an English alphabet is coded to f(n)th letter is given and it is defined in the set based form which would take students by surprise. The students would have found it difficult to understand the pattern and also  answering the questions would have consumed a fair amount of time.

 

The questions on miscellaneous topics on clocks, calendar, symbols and notations etc. were on expected lines.

 

The reasoning questions were tougher when compared to previous years.

 

This section contained two questions from maths topics(Ratio & Miscellaneous)

 

S.No	Topic	No. of questions	Easy	Moderate	Difficult
1	Number Series	6	3	2	1
2	Letter Series	4	4
3	Number Analogies	3	2	1
4	Letter Analogy	1	1
5	Verbal Analogy	1		1
6	Odd man out :
	Number Based	8	4	1	3
	Letters Based	1	1
	Verbal Based	1	1
	Venn Diagrams	5			5
7	Coding & Decoding	10		5	5
8	Calendar	1	1
9	Clocks	1	1
10	Seating arrangement	1		1
11	Blood Relations	2	2
12	Directions sense	1		1
13	Symbols Notations	2	2
14	Ratio	1	1
15	Miscellaneous	1	1
	Total	50	22	12	14

 

Mathematical Ability

 

Arithmetical Ability: Most of the questions in Arithmetical Ability were direct. About half of the questions were easy. This part had a good mixture of questions from different topics.

 

There were surprises in the question types like the ones on parallel tangents,Profit % on Marked Price etc. When compared to previous year’s ICET paper, we observe that this year there is a decrease in the number of questions from the topics of Numbers and Geometry Mensuration. 

 

Though there was a slight variation in the weightage given to topics, when compared to previous years, the dominant topics were PPL,Time&Work.

 

Like last year, this part was not time consuming.

   

Chapter wise break-up of questions in Arithmetical Ability

   

     

S.No	Topic	Easy	Moderate	Difficult	No. of questions
1	Laws of Indices	1	1		2
2	Surds	1			1
3	Simple Equations	2			2
4	Ratio and Proportion	2	1		3
5	Percentages	1			1
6	Profit & loss; Partnership	3	3		6
7	Numbers	1	4		5
8	Time and Work	3	3		6
9	Time and Distance	2			2
10	Plane Geometry		2		2
11	Mensuration	3	1		4
12	Averages	1			1
	Total	20	15		35

 

Algebraical / Geometrical / Statistical Ability :

 

This part was easy, when compared to ICET2010 paper. Questions with medium and higher levels of difficulty were spread across the section, making the students a little anxious. 

 

Out of 10 questions on probability and statistics, most of them were standard formula based questions. There were no questions on Inequalities and Modulus. The weightage of questions from the rest of the chapters was on expected lines.

                                                         

Chapter wise break-up of questions in Algebraical / Geometrical / Statistical Ability

 

S.No	Topic	Easy	Moderate	Difficult	No. of questions
1	Co-ordinate Geometry		2		2
2	Trigonometry	2	3	1	6
3	Matrices	1	1		2
5	Binomial,Remainder Theorem		1	2	3
6	Sets,Relations	3			3
7	Functions	2			2
8	Maths logic			2	2
9	Limits	2			2
10	Derivatives		1	1	2
11	Statistics	5			5
12	Probability	3	1	1	5
13	Progressions	3			3
14	Quadratic equations		1	1	2
15	Numbers			1	1
	Total	21	10	9	40

 

Communication Ability

 

Sections C on Communication Ability followed the usual pattern of the ICET that is familiar to us from the past years.

 

The English section of the paper followed the usual pattern of 25 verbal (vocabulary and grammar) questions and 15 questions on reading comprehension. The verbal section had questions on synonyms (6 Q). Fill in the blanks (4Q – 2 verbs, 1 noun, 1 adjective) conversation (2 Q), meaning of a sentence (2Q), active to passive (1 Q), idioms (2 Q). Apart from this, in the fill in the blanks (with phrases/verb/preposition) also, the emphasis seemed to be on idioms and phrases. Of the 8 Q here, 1 was an noun, 1 on conjunction. The others (6Q) had words or phrases based on idioms or accepted usages.

 

One question on conversation was tricky because while the conversation had the word 'disappointed' (also a choice) the right answer was 'understanding'. The verbal section was not difficult and students who were careful to read the question and all the options and think before answering could have done well here.

 

The Reading Comprehension passages were 200-300 words long and not difficult to read. The passage on stamps was interesting to read and the questions were easy to moderate. The only thing the students had to infer was that stamps reveal the past and deal with history.

 

The passage on multiple intelligence was a little difficult. Three questions here were tricky. The question on 'kinaesthetic' was difficult since the students may not have known the meaning. The question on the number of intelligence was difficult, since the passage says seven and them adds one more. The question on trouble with understanding poetry was difficult since the passage mentions verbal intelligence as related to poetry.

 

The passage on museum had fairly simple questions that could have been answered by those who understood the passage. Two questions here were difficult because they had close options. The question on provision of loan boxes of objects was difficult because the passage says the purpose is to be accessible to more people. But extends it with the example of treating the elderly which shows that the objective is to serve society. Similarly the choice between 'lay persons' and 'general public' is difficult regarding whom the museum makes its collection accessible to Overall the section can be said to be on expected lines of moderate difficulty.

 

Computer and Business Terminology:

 

The business terminology section in ICET2011 was a mixed bag. There were some easy questions like the one on deed and the one on Benchmarking. The difficult question was the one on the concept of 'gangplank'.A score of 3 out of 5 would be decent.

 

If one looks at the questions on computer terminology, there were two questions on abbreviations which are easy to answer. There were two questions, one on installation wizard of windows and the other on series of graphic frames, which would require basic conceptual knowledge. Overall 3 questions can be rated as easy,1  moderate and 1  difficult.

 

T.I.M.E. students, who had strictly adhered to the strategy recommended by experts, would have done exceedingly well in ICET 2011.