kali : i am zero at quantz, whether TIME material is sufficient to get thorough in basics? or should i need 9th & 10th maths book Please do let me know
kranthi : Our material is sufficient.But 9th and 10th books are a good reference material.

kali : i have scored single digit score, can i clear crack with 90 percentile? if yes Please give me instructions?
rajeshsaraf : yes ofcourse..provided u multiply ur efforts, quantity and quality of time invested in ur studies...

kali : Please do let me know how much it takes to complete numbers, geometry assume i am zero in these two chapters.
rajeshsaraf : Numbers and Geometry in general have lots of properties...You still have almost 150 days to go for CAT.. No point in putting undue pressure on yourself by fixing the timelimit...You just need to learn whatever you can learn on a daily basis...But if you put in adequate amount of practice, it will not take more than 20 hours to complete everything in one chapter (Theory + Solved examples + Exercise problems)

karan : Good evening sir, Please suggest should we attempt Quant 1st or DI 1st?
viveknair : Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. Please try out different strategies during the AIMCATs. We typically advise students not to keep DI sets towards the end as the time pressure sometimes makes people rush into the wrong answer options.

333 : dear sir, what sort of efforts does one need to put in to fair well in QA and DI..??.
sandeepkaushik : you need to put in atleast 4-5 hrs daily from now as there are only 3-4 months left

shuv : Dear Sirs..I got 83 percentile in AIMCAT 1420(25 in each section,QAnDI section-25(10 right,5 wrong).According to me it is not a good score.What do you think?
viveknair : It is an OK start. Try improving your accuracy. 1 out of 3 being wrong can be improved.

refah : sir please help me on preparation for DI .......i dont know how to start and how to take forward my preparation regarding DI
kranthi : Attend our classes.They will take you through in a very structured manner,starting with basics and moving to more complicated ones.

08 : sir i have done di from time material which is provided but when solving mock tests it takes much more time and i even find it harder ? please suggest some tips to improve sped in di
sandeepkaushik : You should practice doing approx and calculating fast.

indu8 : How many Questions can we expect in Quant and DI each?
rajeshsaraf : Put together -30 Qs. May be around 9 Qs in DI... But then its not official. Be prepared for any surprises..

samidhasahoo : Sir, quant somehw has always been a problem for me..i know concepts and even able to solve the same questions at home but during d exam..i simply go blank...what to do?
shivabhaskaran : yar its only a question of practise with time management..now START

kartik : hi everyone..!..i am literally very poor in maths..but i know i can improove on it..i would like to know whether the BASIC STUDY MATERIAL(only)provided by TIME is sufficient to get a good score in quant in the CAT??
rajeshsaraf : Yes ofcourse...You need to go through each and every concept, each and every solved example/exercise question..Good luck !!

kartik : hi everyone..!..i am literally very poor in maths..but i know i can improove on it..i would like to know whether the BASIC STUDY MATERIAL(only)provided by TIME is sufficient to get a good score in quant in the CAT??
sandeepkaushik : Yes the material provided by time is enough

ram : hello sirs, am quite weak in quant.....is the time material enough to get 90+ percentile in cat ?
viveknair : Yes. Stick to basics for now. Finish the material. Mark few questions that you can use for revision later. Then the AIMCATs and online sectional tests will help improve your timing and give you new types of questions.

saumya : I have just completed my graduation and will be joining a company next month. Will it be viewed negatively by the interviewers that I wish to leave the company within a year to pursue MBA?
kranthi : Do it gracefully by intimating them sufficiently in advance.

kira : I scored 88.47 percentile in Quant\DI in Aimcat 1420 but in sectional tests of Quant and DI i m scored below average. What should i do? are these sectional tests more difficult or i am lacking somewhere?
saurabhjaiswal : Sectional tests are not more difficult than aimcats, its d aimcats wich r more difficult dan sctional tests. mite b u hv dn more of quant than DI! u r not lacking anywhr, jst keep on slogging

atul : I am good in quants apart from two topics - Functions, geometry. What would you suggest to improve them?
rajeshsaraf : Practice from Study material..For instance, in Geometry alone start with basic concepts like properties of straight lines, then triangles, circles etc... The more detailing you do, the better it will be for a smoother preparation....

karan : Sir, how to distinguish between easy and tuf DI sets? (usually 2 out of 3 are doable).
sandeepkaushik : Try to find your comfort Zone in DI i.e. u are good in tabular form, pie charts, bar graph, line graph and target those caselets in your tests and also practice the online sectional tests

aditya : Hi, what areas should I be looking for if aiming at XAT, NMAT, IIFT ?
shivabhaskaran : DI FOR XAT, DECISION MAKING , GK FOR iift IS IMPORTANT.

karan : how would you arrange Bar chart, Pie chart, line chart and tables according to their difficulty level (in case such a comparison exists)
kranthi : No such comparision can be made.

abhi : How to improve speed for DI section?
rajeshsaraf : Go ahead with basic calculations like addition, subtraction, comparison of fractions, % calculations. Do spend around 15 minutes on a daily basis ( spread over 3 time intervals of 5 minutes each where you need to do calculations mentally)...Additionally, learn the multiplication tables, squares, cubes, core fractions like 1/2 to 1/12 and all its multiples...

nupur : good evening sir,i would like to know whether i could rely on time material 4 preparation of di/lr or shud put in sm xtra efforts?
kranthi : Answered already.

kartik : thank you so much teachers..!!
asim : On behalf of everyone , you are welcome Kartik.

kartik : thank you so much teachers..!!
asim : On behalf of everyone , you are welcome Kartik.

vinay : hi sir when i solve quant in my free time i made evry question easily but in mock i m unable to solve most esy qustion what sud do now pls help me
asishtiwari : may be you are not able to solve the questions in limited time. This will come only if you practice solving questions in a time limit. This happens to many student. If you practice then you will be able to overcome this problem.

akash : Sir, in case of geometry our faculty mainly focused on triangle, circle and quadrilaterals , is it enough or should I prepare sphere, cone n prism also ?
rajeshsaraf : These solid objects are very much a part of syllabus...Btw, Sphere, Cone, prism, strictly speaking, are apart of Mensuration and NOT Geometry...

saumya : @kranthi, I meant the interview panel of MBA colleges.
kranthi : You can answer that convincingly.

indu8 : Can we expect Data Sufficiency questions in Section I or II?
kranthi : Ds usually in quant di.

harsh : hello sir, my accuracy in quant is fairly well but I am not able to atempt more than 15 questions anytime, can you please suggest how to improve the speed?
viveknair : There are short and easy questions, and long and easy questions. In a few AIMCATs, try finishing the easy and short questions, keep the long and easy ones pending for a while. Try the others. You might be spending too much time on the ones that you know you can solve through the longer route. Make sure you go through AIMCAT solutions for shortcuts, fastest approaches etc.

tarun1787 : Sir plz help me out as Quant is my Horror Section and i cannot remember the concept if revised after some time
rajeshsaraf : Practice... The fear factor will go away with perfect practice.. Start with one chapter and do it thoroughly...and then move on to the next one..

vj : sir my verbal was good in aimcat 1420. But my quant section was really bad. Did not clear the cut off in that.
kranthi : Find out the reasons for your mistakes,and start addressing them.The mistakes could be because of haste,lack of conceptual knowledge,difficult problem etc,.

ram : thank you sir , i dint score well in the recent aimcat suggest me? how to improve that score
asim : First of all work on your basic concepts, in case you have doubts discuss them with the faculty members. Analyse your Aimcat performance, identify areas that troubled you and work on them.

samidhasahoo : Sir I Always Find myself Looking For solutions of A question if am Not Able To Solve In 1 Or 2 Attempts...this doesnt Let me think more...help
rajeshsaraf : Try not looking into solutions. In case, after 2 attempts you are not able to figure out the relevant concepts, you may circle that question number and then move forward to the next question. In the end, you can come back to all the questions you have circled

aditya : Hi, what core areas would you say in DI would be
shivabhaskaran : calculation based DI is the main area that needs to be practised

anurag : Dear Sir, I am comfortable with the DI sets which are calculation intensive (based on graphs, tables etc.). However have been scoring low and consuming a lot of time in reasoning based DI sets. Please advice on how to improve in this area. (AIMcat1420 score : QA:85.8%ile, VA:99.36%ile OA: 97.8%ile)
asishtiwari : There are many reasoning based DI set given in the material given by TIME. Try to solve those sets. Moreover look into CAT 2005,06,07,08 papers, you will find most of the DI sets were reasoning based. Solve those papers.

anurag : Dear Sir, I am comfortable with the DI sets which are calculation intensive (based on graphs, tables etc.). However have been scoring low and consuming a lot of time in reasoning based DI sets. Please advice on how to improve in this area. (AIMcat1420 score : QA:85.8%ile, VA:99.36%ile OA: 97.8%ile)
sandeepkaushik : The only way to improve in this area is to solve more and more questions of this type. You can find them in our study material as well as in past CAT papers from 2000 to 2008. But these type of reasoning based DI is not so frequent since last 2-3 years.

nupur : also tell me how much time should b given to each of di n lr if u r giving AIMCAT or so?
asishtiwari : It depends on your proficiency in QA,DI,VA, LR and the level of questions in a particular paper. Ideally you should spend about 30-40% time in DI and LR.

nikhil : Hi, I have given CAT two times before also . And the percentile in section 1 was 89 & 88. Still not able to match the level of toppers.Please guide.
asishtiwari : Go to fundamentals. Identify areas which create problem for you. Solve every question that you can find from those topics i.e; CAT question plus material questions.

333 : sir, would the questions revolve around the concepts give in DI ?? there are seven different types ..?? would there be anything beyond that ??
rajeshsaraf : Be prepared for any surprises..

atul : how much questions should be attempted/correct for 96+ %ile in Quant section?
rajeshsaraf : It depends on the difficulty level of the slot/paper.. In general, you need to do 20 questions correctly(in a section) for more than 97 percentile..(Caution: It is just an estimate based on earlier years' data..It purely depends on difficulty level and the quality of group)

vj : how do i improve on my quant? I had a fiasco in quant, got more wrong than right. How to avoid negative marking?
vjs : go by topic during preparation start from basics review concepts,ex a&b and take the sectional tests then check performance in mocks

aditya : @bhaskaran: Can you expand more on exact what areas in DI ?
shivabhaskaran : XAT there is DI questions where the numerical values are numbers of large magnitude..concentrate on calculation based di and then move on to reasoning based DI.

karan : I scored 100 in class X maths and 95 in XII, but to be honest i don't ENJOY maths and dealing with numbers. How should i make my CAT quant prep more fun and as exciting as DI,LR and Verbal? (it goes without saying that i have prepared for everything but Quant) .
rajeshsaraf : You need to start from some point ..Just try to browse through different chapters and see which chapter, relatively, is more fascinating comparatively...It could be equations, numbers&444; TW, TD, P&C , Geometry or may be anything... Even if all the chapters are boring, start with something which is the least boring and march ahead..But the key is to START and move ahead...

kali : can you let me know the approx min and max time to finish chapters like speed and distance, avgs & simple interest. Thanks in advance
saurabhjaiswal : TSD is very imp frm exam point of view, moreovr it has many things involved in it like races, trains, clocks etc! So it shud b given more time as compared to average n SI, CI

samidhasahoo : Do u recommend solving a comprehensive test sheet or is it ok if we revise with basics first?
kranthi : Start with basics after a diagnostic test.

vikas : Hi everyone, Please suggest me a way to prepare for Verbal section for the next remaining days for CAT. I am very weak in VA and currently i am reading ET,economist,Hindu doing 2 RC's and CR's almost daily. But still i don't feel any difference.
kranthi : Also take time out to read something which you find interesting and engrossing,like works of Sherlock Holmes etc.Practice on our T.I.M.E.material.Attend all VA classes.Discuss your problems with faculty.

minti : i got 62 percentile in the first aimcat
kranthi : Do not give up.Things can get better.

harinit : What % of DS is going to be asked in exam? How should I prepare for it? Any tips and tricks please.
kranthi : Cannot be predicted.Strengthen your quant fundamentals and attempt a lot of ds questions.

ldhguy : Sir/Madam, in how much time should an avg quant exercise (abt 35 ques.) be completed?
saurabhjaiswal : In almost all exercises 1st 10 ques are easy n last 10 ques are difficult! So try 2 complete at least 80% of the exercise in around 75 min! i think that wud b nice

minti : my DI section is very weak.. plz give me some tips to improve on dt one
sandeepkaushik : Practice the sets from study material and start giving sectional tests online

uttu : Can you please suggest some good book for practicing DI apart from the usual TIME material?
asim : T.I.M.E. material is more than sufficient for cracking CAT, still if you insist, you can refer to Trishna publication's book on DI. It is available at most of the T.I.M.E. offices.

indu8 : At times in Venn Diagrams, we get questions which have more than 4 variables, how to solve them?
rajeshsaraf : Yes !! There have been questions in the past with 4 variables..Refer to the study material/HOs..

arjun : The handouts given cannot be solved in 30 min as mentioned on them im worried about the real cat exam what are precations neccesary sir to speed up quant....
sandeepkaushik : In real CAT also you need to try solving about 15-20 que and not all depending on your speed but at the same time u need to get them correct

aditya : What is the ideal number of questions to be attempted for 99.9 percentile
asishtiwari : For 99.9%ile depending upon your accuracy you should try to solve more than 26-27 questions

sri : Hello Sir, Identifying the easy qs is the common topic spoken by the faculty, i was wondering if i can really do that by the time i take the CAT. sir, how actually can it be mastered?
asishtiwari : Before solving any question you should be clear about how you are going to solve it. If you do not know the method then don't touch that question. Whenever you are writing any test or solving any exercise, try to categorize questions in following manner. 1.Questions that can be solved mentally or with very little calculation. 2.Questions that you know how to solve but is lengthy 3. Questions, you are not sure how to solve Type 1 & 2 questions will be doable questions. you should waste you time in 3rd type of questions. For next 4-5 months Your goal should be reducing type 3 questions and converting them in type 1 or 2.

garvita : kindly rate as per rank IIM L,FMS, MDI and XLRI.
shivabhaskaran : FMS,XLRI,IIM L, mdi

samidhasahoo : Sir..hw to divide time for practise between quant n di in these last 3 to 4 months
vjs : update with class room teaching as topic is concern and cover all other material in respective topics.2.

sahil : sir please suggest me which topics should i focus more. ex. AP GP ,Geometry ,numbers etc.
viveknair : No area can be a major weakness. All areas mentioned have important. There have been different slots where more than 3 questions have come from each of these areas. Hence, prepare for all.

nupur : plz suggest what should be my strategy to get good marks in these sections?
asishtiwari : Firstly focus on fundamentals. For quant and DI basics should be covered. Try to improve your calculation speed. You should solve the questions from handouts and books.

bhuvanesh : how to improve english required for CAT
samthomas : practice nothing but practice

sacrox : is there is any short cur to solve DI QUESTION quickly........??
rajeshsaraf : Speed Maths, Exposure to different models of questions (for that you need to go through different handouts), Analysis of each and every question type.

kartik : I have been given the basic study material by TIME.are there more books others than the basic materials??
kranthi : Yes.

ram : sir was the standard of this aimcat as tough as the actual would be ?
sandeepkaushik : No as per me it was same as some of the papers that came in slots that was towards the end of CAT 2012 but tougher than most of the slots in CAT 2012.

karthik : sir wat are all the topics that must be covered for AIMCAT1419 regarding QA and VA
saurabhjaiswal : Since AIMCAT 1419 is starting in about 7 days from now, so u can revise numbers, geometry, TSD, T&W n few topics of LR like venn diagram, deductions n connectives! All the best!

shiva : Hi Sir, I'm really week in DI. Could you help me in which areas i need to improve so that i can be flexible enough in solving?
shivabhaskaran : Yar this is a common issue many candidates have, first thing to be done is to practice speed maths, then work on percentages calculation then u can improve u r speed and then di will be more comfortable to handle..

garvita : Sir 2 days back only i decided to take Cat. I am working so leave a little time for me to prepare, could you plz tell me how to prepare for it, I m correspondent student of TIME.
sandeepkaushik : As per me you should definately give nearly around 15-20 hrs per week to your prep from now, give and analyse all the sectional tests and AIMCATs. I think you can definately do it if u are serious for your prep in the rem 3-4 months

sacrox : in the section 1 the QA and DI carryimg eual weightage....??
viveknair : No. Typically we have observed that Quant has more weightage. No strict rule though.

garvita : Sir if i Start my Prep. now can i get into FMS?
shivabhaskaran : sure u can get into fms,, they consider cat score for the first stage and then they hav GDand interview..Believe that u can make it to fms and concentrate on cat,,all the best yar..

navin : i have already completed number system & geomtery.but not able to solve some remainder problem.in geometry part circle problem is a concern for me.what should i do?whether i should move into some other chapter or revise this two chapter again?
rajeshsaraf : There is NO hard and fast rule that you need to complete all the sub-topics before moving into some other chapters. You may give those sub-topics (which are your areas of concern) a break and can revisit those topics later on.

indu8 : Could you please give some tips to improve calculations/speed in DI?
rajeshsaraf : Go ahead with basic calculations like addition, subtraction, comparison of fractions, % calculations. Do spend around 15 minutes on a daily basis ( spread over 3 time intervals of 5 minutes each where you need to do calculations mentally)...Additionally, learn the multiplication tables, squares, cubes, core fractions like 1/2 to 1/12 and all its multiples... Each and every such aspect, if done, diligently, will help a lot..

ankit : Hello sir,i just started the regular class,so kindly plz tell me how many time is require to study to crack cat exam
rajeshsaraf : You have around 150 days at your disposal. You need to use this time period judiciously.

arjun : Daily what time should we devote for study sir.... as should too much study kills please advice sir....
vjs : Focus on quality hours not on quantity. interact with other test takers to motivate yourself

sidhu : I have finished my concept understanding in quans. I am actually scared of DI. I am uncomfortable because CAT presses us all for speed in that section. How to improve my speed in that, what all the foundations i should be strong while tackling DI qwuestions?
rajeshsaraf : Practice basic calculations like addition, subtraction, comparison of fractions, % calculations. Do spend around 15 minutes on a daily basis ( spread over 3 time intervals of 5 minutes each where you need to do calculations mentally)...Additionally, learn the multiplication tables, squares, cubes, core fractions like 1/2 to 1/12 and all its multiples...All these will help a lot in tackling DI..and YES, exposure to lots of models of questions (from the handouts as provided by TIME)

samidhasahoo : Hw to improve in areas like p & c and Probability....considering I find them A little tricky n difficult Than othrs
viveknair : They are indeed tricky. Practise solving all the different types of problems that are there in the material plus the sectional tests and AIMCAT. They are pretty comprehensive. If you are comfortable with those, every chance you will find the CAT questions solvable.

kali : hi
asim : Ho KALI, what is your query?

vj : sir i have 91 % in 10th ,74% in 12th and 9.0 cgpa. Is there a chance for a call from anyone of IIM ABC, provided I do well in CAT? and what percentile should i target?
kranthi : Yes.99 plus.

sacrox : the material provided by times and level of question of practises is more then enough for the quality and quantitative prep......??
vjs : yes,Look at entire material an d prepare.Every possible theme is covered.

nikhil : Sir , How wouldd u suggest starting with Section 1 ? DI n den QA or vice versa???
asishtiwari : I would suggest that firstly familiarize with numbers. I mean speed maths and percentage. Then solve DI sets. You will have to solve both the things togather because both are interdependent

ankit : sir/mam...i m not so good in calculations so kindly give me some tips for that....
shivabhaskaran : work on speed maths and for that use the speed enhancement book given to u

kali : @saurabhjaiwal- Please let me know approx time to finish those chapters
saurabhjaiswal : Its not about time to finish those chapters! It is about how much practice u do on a regular basis! there are some big topics n some small topics! But u ensure to finish them all! No time constraint

karthik : sir wat are all the topics that must be covered for AIMCAT1419 regarding QA , DI and VA
saurabhjaiswal : U must finish Numbers, Geometry, T&W, TSD n a few topics from LR like Venn Diagrams, Deductions n Connectives

karan : Sir, almost the entire serious CAT aspirant community is attacking Arun Sharma books for quant, while i am of the opinion that completing coaching class material religiously would suffice. Am i wrong in doing so? Am i missing something by not making Arun Sharma a part of my quant prep?
saurabhjaiswal : I am happy to know this from u! Pls avoid Arun Sharma book as it has many errors n its completely unsolved! Its a complete waste of money n time! Absolutely useless book!

kiran : can u please tell me the important topics in quant.i know that there will be no important topics for cat but tell the basic and easy learning topics in QA$DI
kranthi : Unfortunately there are no such topics ,i will only be misleading you by suggesting them.

namrita : Sir sorry to post this question but it worries me the most: My X-57 XII-58 and BBA-72 with 3.5yrs work exp. If i score very High percentile in CAT, can i make it to IIM or FMS?
saurabhjaiswal : Ya sure, u can definitely make it to FMS n a few new of the IIMS! work very hard n u cud land up there! All the best!

akash : Sir, according to priority basis , can I skip indices,surds and logarithm ?
sandeepkaushik : I would not recommend u to leave it completely but you can just do the basics of these topics so that if a easy que comes on this topic u can sove it.

sacrox : the qustion i post 2 blog it's not showing....??
asim : Refresh the page

raj : Hello, I study at IIT Bombay, I have started with my preparations a week ago. What approach should I practise to quickly master QA and DI ?
viveknair : Pretty much the usual. Finish Material. Try online sectional tests. Write and analyze AIMCATs thoroughly.

deepali : which chapters in quant should i focus more..as i am preparing for gmat also..?
asim : Do not leave any chapter, make sure you prepare for all the chapters available in T.I.M.E. material

katherine : Dear sir i face problems in reasoning based DI. how should i improve?
rajeshsaraf : You need to get as much exposure to different models of questions pertaining to Reasoning based DI...That, alone, will help..

namrita : sir is Time material is sufficient for Cat?
rajeshsaraf : YES!!

ms : Iam very good at quant. I could solve 15 quant questions. But i am not even daring to attempt di in fear of losing time. should i follow the same as iam getting good score?
rajeshsaraf : NOT at all..This could be disastrous.. You never know. In the actual exam, some of the questions pertaining to Quants may be ultra difficult and questions pertaining to DI may be very easy. So, the challenge is to be more flexible.

kira : are these remainder questions that much imp from CAT perspective? I am not able to solve them and doesn't understand the Euler's and wilson theorems..
rajeshsaraf : Nothing can be left out (including Remainder concepts). Before getting into Euler's and Wilson's Theorem, learn the basics pertaining to them. That alone will help you in arrival at the answer..

nikut : Sir, i normally forget certain concepts in Quant after a month or two. Its reallt been an area of concern cos even if I'm wrkin hard, the results aint that futile. Any suggestions from ur side??
shivabhaskaran : yar its only a question of building up the interest in the area that stay in u r mind always..try to revise the concepts regularly..learn the funda's thoroughly then u will not forget them any more..

bhuvanesh : in time and work,which method works fast unitary or eff method
viveknair : Depends on the question. Use the method that you are more comfortable with.

arjun : the handouts which are given after 406 does not have solutions in time material given what should i do sir...????
saurabhjaiswal : U can talk to the faculty about it n take the answers from the faculty! It wont be a problem! Go ahead!

karthik : these AIMCATs question papers are the same type as CAT ?
sandeepkaushik : Yes they are similar to most of the CAT papers that were there in the slots that had tough papers

sacrox : m nt get the reply solution of my query.....??
asim : Please check all the queries have been answered by me and my colleagues.

deepali : sir even if i know the concepts.. i take too much time in solving the questions...how should i increase my speed..?
sandeepkaushik : Only practice can improve your speed i.e if u r solving a type of que for the first time u will definately take more time but if u r solving a type of que that u did earlier then u should not take much time to solve it. Also analyse all the sectional tests and try to get alternative sol of the que i. e using options

sacrox : thx asim
asim : Welcome

ggavm : sir, in aimcat exams i get little tensed. Dont know why, so that i am able to do only 50% of questions which i can actully do in somewhat relaxed manner. how to manage/overcome this?
saurabhjaiswal : Dont wry, it was just 1st aimcat which was of very good level! So ur first target should be get those 50% questions correct rather than getting tensed due to less attempt! u hv nothing to loose, all to gain! so just go ahead with all aimcats without much of wry n stay calm n composed! All the best!

namrita : Sir How is FMS? Does it shortlist on basis of profile or purely on basis of CAT score+GDPI? Plz tell, Thanx in advance
asim : V.good, the shortlisting is based on your performance of CAT ( for GDPI), this year the overall cutoff was around 98.5 with 50 percentile sectionals

abbi : Hello Sir, I appeared for CAT 09 but scored only 70 percentile. Then I was placed in Infosys and working here for the past 2.5 years. Planning to appear for CAt 2014 when I would have about 4 years work exp. Will so many years of Exp in IT field cast a negative shadow over my profile?
viveknair : No. The amount of work ex you have is fine.

karan : Sir, ideally in how much time should one complete a DI set of say 3 questions? Going by 2 minutes per question, is it supposed to be done in 6 mins?
vjs : Depends, if you save some time in other questions you have the luxury of spending more time at DI.Many cases you save time i DI questions.

minti : sir , i hv this problem.. i cant solve most of the quant section problem widout looking into thier solution and after some time i even forget that also... how shoud i improve my skills in quants section.. also my DI section is very poorr.. plz give me some tips to follow.. th'd b very much helpful..
saurabhjaiswal : 1st of all, solve all CRQs of all exercises from the book n learn squares upto 40, cubes upto 25 n tables from 12 to 19! also learn %ages to fractions! dis wud help u a lot!

kali : i am 0 at quantz, Please suggest which chapters to start first? please let me know
rajeshsaraf : Any chapter.. But to give you a guideline, you may start with Equations, Ratio, Proportion, Variation..

lokesh : what topics to be studied in quants, that needs more concentration.
asim : A similar query has already been answered, please check

ms : i scored 81%ile in aimcat20. what would be my cat percentile if i continue the same?
asim : Its too early to comment, work hard and aim at 95+ PERCENTILE in the future AIMCATs.

samidhasahoo : Sir Considering That the Exercises In Sm hv a Repitition of questions ...cn we go for A selected Number of Questns Or might Just solve The tougher questions? Will This Help?
viveknair : It is advisable to do all the questions once. For revision of course, you would do only one of each type of problem..

bhuvanesh : can you quote some fastest methods to solve qa in some topics
vjs : Revise Speed maths concepts go through numbers and ppl. these topics will give start for great go...

raii : Good evening,sir! my weak area is DI...I really dont know how to master this part..I am a regular time student..I attend all the classes.. but still my performance on DI is poor.. plz sir tell me what i should do now considering the fact that cat is just 4-5 months away.
rajeshsaraf : Your performance in DI is poor. You need to identify your grey areas. Are you facing problems pertaining to Calculations based questions or reasoning based Di questions ? IS the understanding flaw there based on misinterpretation of data or not being able to understand the chart ? In majority of the cases, questions are geared around calculations (% calculations). So we suggest that you go through the concepts of percentages ..

katherine : so should i refer any other books sir??because i found very less reasoning based DI in the DI booklet provided by time
kranthi : Our material is sufficient.

2013 : how to practise QA and DI????
kranthi : ATTempt with timelimit,analyse without time limit.

08 : according to you which quant topics are most imp keeping in mind that not even an single topic can be left out ?
saurabhjaiswal : Numbers, Geometry, TSD, T&W, P&C, PROB, Coordinate Geometry n Functions

nikut : Sir, i normally forget certain concepts in Quant after a month or two. Its really been an area of concern 4 me cos even if I'm wrkin hard, the results aint that futile. Any suggestions from ur side??
vjs : You need to touch each topic once in a wk.Sure, you need not to spend same time for every revision.You need to have a glance.

akash : Is data sufficiency also part of QA and DI and so kindly give me the approach to solve those as I haven't started that part yet..
kranthi : Strengthen your qa/di basics and practice on our material.

ms : how can we quickly identify the given di question is easy or tough?
kranthi : Sufficient practice.

sacrox : as in QA we get the question in spt, and probabiltiy and funtion and graph or geometry but qustion coming related to permutation and combination we can't diagonose the q...?/
saurabhjaiswal : For this, u firstly clear ur basics of these topics! Without the basics n questions done from the books, u would surely face problem in analysing the ques type n its topic as well

karthik : first session will hav DI and QA and second session VA ??
viveknair : Yes.

aditya : @ashish: Sir, what is the accuracy you have taken up while saying that 27-28 questions are needed to get 99.9% ? I have an accuracy of 60-65% correct answers and rest wrong(so negative marking)
asishtiwari : If you are talking about quant and DI your accuracy should not be less than 90%. Analyse every wrong question and see where you committed mistake. Categorize mistakes in following 3 areas 1.Calculation Mistake 2.Wrong understanding of the question 3.Any other reason Work on these areas and you should be able to achieve 90% accuracy.

punya : Sir i m very nervous as Cat is approaching and i m working so cannot devote too long hours for my prep. Kindly help me out.
rajeshsaraf : This is one exam where lakhs of candidates across the country would be feeling the same. The key is to understand that and let not your nervousness spoil your chances. You need to use this energy for better results.. Additionally, if you carefully plan your time out, you would be be able to squeeze much time out for your CAT preparations even from your working hours..

indu8 : If I get around 90 percentile in AIMCATs does it mean 99 percentile in CAT?
viveknair : With consistent 90 percentile and above with good sectionals, you can expect 96 and above. Not necessarily 99.

abhi : My percentile score was 82 in QA/DI in AIMCAT20, how much time do I need to devote on a daily basis? I have recently started to practice the time material
sandeepkaushik : At least 2 hrs daily

karthik : how should i prepare myself for VA ??
saurabhjaiswal : Must focus on improving vocab by learning new words from newspapers etc! also work on grammar so that u can crack ques on sentence correction n completion! Practice hard on para jumbling as well! also u can improve LR also to improve ur score in SEC II of CAT! U have to practice a lot! Only then it would work! All the best!

indu8 : Thanks a lot "rajeshsaraf" for your Tip!!
rajeshsaraf : Welcome !!

samidhasahoo : How to improve in the topic numbers...?
sandeepkaushik : First make yourself comfortable with the theory i.e. all the formulae related to numbers as they are the first step to sol and then keep practicing the que from this topic in sectional tests and full length tests apart from study material.

nikut : @shivbhaskaran: Thank You for your inputs sir, but its really demoralizing to solve all the problems and finally end up forgetting the concepts in exam.
shivabhaskaran : yar..one thing that may happen is when u r in an exam there is stress and time managment is also a factor. so next time onwards start doing questions based on time frame and this will surely improve u r confidence and hence u will definitely improve yar...u have started thinking about u r weekness and the areas to improve which is a good sign of an good manager..all the best yar

sras : Numbers topic is getting very much difficult for me.Can u pls suggest how should i prepare this topic?
kranthi : Go through the basics once again and attempt the exercise.

karthik : is the material provided enough for preparin VA ??
kranthi : Yes.

cataspirant : for improving RC,plz tell me some online website..
saurabhjaiswal : There is nothing like any website for improving RC! Pls solve all sectional tests of RC n analyse them throughly! Practice n practice n more practice is the key to success! Go ahead!

nikut : @shivbhaskaran: For example Geometry. I have completed the exercise 2 to 3 times but still at times i'm unable to apply the concepts in exam. Kindly suggest???
shivabhaskaran : yar only if we understand the basics thoroughly we can apply the same in problems. The problems are not confined to the two exercises in the text book, u have to apply the concepts in many different types of problems...get the funda's strong then u will definitely do better..just try this ..u will have good results

ankit : which topics in quant are most imp. for cat??
vjs : Very difficult to take chances.

indu8 : How many questions can we expect in Numbers and Geometry and Mensuration?
rajeshsaraf : There is no such fixed number. But these are important topics..

sacrox : sir , m solving variable q on numbers still m nt able 2 proceed single step in solving. so then sir wht will i do..??
vjs : First focus on accuracy then speed( while practicing)

harsh : sir, are there any books we can refer to particularly for increasing the speed in quant or practicing more and analysing aimcats is the only way?
vjs : RE do the concepts of speed maths. you can look at puzzles to sharpen your thought process.

kiran : @KRANTHI PLEASE ANSWER MY QUERY
kranthi : Answered.

timmy : Hi I got 96 percentile in AIMCAT...what percentile can I expect if I perform similarly in CAT?
viveknair : It is a very good performance. Consistent performance like this should get you multiple IIM calls..

kira : Hi sir, my acads are 10th-82.8, 12th-83.6, b.tech- 71.6, work ex- 16 months. category NC-obc. Scoring above 90 percentile can fetch old iims calls? scored 87 percentile in this aimcat. So hoping that this goes up only with the coming AIMCATs..
viveknair : Keep improving from here on. Then, you have a good chance.

raii : @rajeshsaraf: sir,the bars and charts intimidate me.. I am gradually building up my strength in quant.. but di remains my nightmare.. plz tell me what points to follow while preparing for AIMCAT 1419...
rajeshsaraf : So, there lies the starting point. Get exposure to different models of questions pertaining to Bar charts or pie charts. For e.g, DIHO1001402, DIHO1001403 deals with specifically these models of charts. Go through EACH and every question. Analyze that in terms of different approaches which may be adopted to solve the question. Do less but do it very comprehensively.

santoshkautilya : i am facing issues with goemetry related questions suggest me to improve in geometry
rajeshsaraf : Identify the areas where you are facing..IS it with respect to triangles, or circles or quadrilaterals, or in general polygons.. In Triangles alone, there are multiple properties like Similarity of triangles, proportionality theorem, centres etc. You need to get into the details of the same. The more analysis you do the better output will emerge..

2013 : how to maintain timelimit
viveknair : once you are comfortable with a topic, take a sectional test to time yourself. That and the AIMCATs should help you be alert and not waste time.

hin : does accuracy and speed change our %ile score??
viveknair : Yes! with more Number of attempts and correct answers %iles will improve..

hin : sir approx. how many marks r there for DI q. in Sec 1 ??
viveknair : It has been observed as approx one third... But there is no strict guideline like this. Things can change.

indu8 : My accuracy was 65%, please suggest me to improve it?
sandeepkaushik : Reduce your attempts by 2-3 que and analyse all the que and try to find your problem i.e concepts, calculation or silly mistakes and then improve it.

karan : Sir, i have always observed that in any mock, Number System always has 3-4 questions. Seeing its importance, i have decided to devote an entire week to attack, understand, practise and master only No. system. Is my strategy ok or wastage of time?
sandeepkaushik : It is ok but give importance to other topics also.

akash : Is speed test booklet helpful for enhance the better performance on time ?
vjs : Surely!

aaa : is cue cards are sufficient for vocab ques in cat??
samthomas : it the best way to get started

hin : @ vivenknair - can it also decrease our % ile score??
viveknair : Lower attempts and accuracy will lead to lesser %ile score..

sacrox : how much minimum no of qustion of each QA, DI, LA ,VA to get above 90%tile ......??
sandeepkaushik : Min 20-22 attempts in each section with 80 % accuracy.

bhuvanesh : max hrs required for qa,di per day from now to crack cat?
rajeshsaraf : At this stage, not much about the time factor but more about learning concepts. In general, for this section, you got to spend around 5 hours, at least, a day..

kiran : do mba offer govt jobs with good salary
kranthi : There are some Govt.Organisations which recruit MBAs.

nikhil : Sir, sometimes i am not able to solve easy questions of quant from TIME material booklet in 2 or 3 attempts then what should i do?? i should try it further or I should see the solution?
sandeepkaushik : You should see the solution and try to remember the trick to solve it so that you can cover more type of que in this way in the rem months

teja11m : sir i have completed all the di material and sec tests on it can you provide me any link for further practise.
vjs : Practice DWOS, DATs And DEXs

krish : Hi sir, same case with me. I am working hard. But i am got able to put my show when it comes to percentile. Bot able to match with toppers
rajeshsaraf : Results will come !! Have faith in yourself !! The important factor is don't give up !!

2013 : how to calculate bigvalue in DI???
viveknair : Speed maths helps a lot in this. Also, options can provide clues sometimes.

asprint : if some one not able to speak fluent english thats put a bad impact in gdpi???
rajeshsaraf : While clarity of speech is an important factor, clarity of thought process is far more important..A solid content will help and cover up your deficiencies, if any, in other areas..

santoshkautilya : Numbers seems to be tough and many difficult problems and few are very new and related concepts and problem are not discussed. Any suggestion to improve in numbers related questions?
rajeshsaraf : First go through all the concepts and solve all the questions (CRQs, exercise problems)pertaining to Numbers chapter from BSM. This should be coupled with careful analysis of questions coming across in AIMCATs..

raii : @rajeshsaraf: one more question,sir.. how many di questions should i attempt in order to get a good score in this aimcat considering the fact that this would the first exam where I will actually attempt a di qs..?
rajeshsaraf : Flexibility is the key !! I would suggest don't go ahead with a prejudiced mind set. Approach and attempt the questions on the basis of its merit. If it is easy, do it other wise leave it. But the most important point is you need to read through the questions before taking a call that you want to leave the questions or not.

karthik : thank u all !!!!!!
kranthi : OK.

bhuvanesh : accuracy,speed should run in paralell from initiation-when solving exercises
kranthi : Yes,they keep improving with practice.

sras : Was cue cards really help?
viveknair : It does help some. Try it out and decide for yourself..

roopali : Sir Is IIFT Delhi worth joining?
kranthi : Yes.

hin : Sir the preparation gor cat and nmat same ??
kranthi : Lot in common.

kartik : i have completed the BASIC study material of QA.Is the basic material sufficient??
kranthi : NO.You should solve ALL our material.

khan : @kaushik sir cutoff for converting iims or iits i mean the converting their calls..what is the percentiles needed for sure conversion of iits...and do iits take only b.tech graduates?
sandeepkaushik : Converting the call is not only the function of your %ile and hence you cant be sure at 100%ile also to convert the IIMs but at the same time higher ur %ile more are the chances to convert the call as 30-50% of your written score is taken in your final score. No IITs dont take only B Tech they also take BE or M Sc as per my knowlege

akash : thanks to all faculty members ! Had a good n helpful discussion with u all !
kranthi : OK.

roopali : Sir if one has to choose between XLRI and FMS? Your Advice?
shivabhaskaran : BM is the best program in XLRI though HR of xlri is best rated in Asia. mba in fms is also very course, it u r interest finally to go for HR or MBA. Both the institutes are very good.The investment for FMS is very less compared to XL

chayan : i am not strong at di what should i do?
viveknair : That is fine. Find out how much time does it take for you to attempt DI questions. Then make your QA strong enough so that you can do that quickly enough to give DI all the remaining time. With time and practise, the scores will improve.

roopali : Sir if i start my prep. frm 2day, can i think of landing in IIM or FMS?
kranthi : Possible.

08 : sir i have completed the material provided by TIME now for revision i attempt one test daily please suggest something else as i am not much satisfied with same till now for di
asishtiwari : That's good. I hope you have already solved actual CAT,XAT papers. If not please do so.

deep1234 : Sir 1 month after finishing a chapter I am not able to perform well in sectional test .So what can be done to retain whatever tricks we learn .
viveknair : Regular practise. All topics should be revised at least once a month so that one can quickly recollect the tricks that one had learnt.

zoozoo : sir from where will v come to know about those few diffences in the type of question asked in cat, nmat zat etc??
kranthi : From our website we have put analysis of ALL major MBA exams.

shikha : Hello Sir, I am done with the basic material once. Shall i need to do it again or do some other material. Please suggest how should i proceed with my further preparartion.
sandeepkaushik : You should start with the second lot of material as well as sectional tests and their analysis

chinmay : The topics important from CAT point of view(Quant): Numbers,Geometry & Mensuration, T&W,T&D,Progressions,Quadratic Eqns,Averages & Alligations Kindly let me know anymore(I haven't neglected them just spent more time on those mentione)
rajeshsaraf : While these topics are important, you may be at a serious disadvantage if you ignore other topics like Functions & Graphs, P&C, Probability..etc. At this point of time, don't confine your preparation to select list of topics..

akash : IIFT, FMS , XLRI , MDI please rate according to placement and infrastructure
sandeepkaushik : XLRI, FMS, IIFT and then MDI is my take

harsh : sir I want to get into iima but have an average profile(10th-84%,12th-74% and bba-73%) what percentile in cat would be enough? in cat12 I had 85percentile and sectional were 83each.
samthomas : for IIMA you need to target 97+

roopali : sir pls tell which topics in quant should be taken first? i m in confusion.
vjs : start with the topic which is easy for you so that will develop interest and gain confidence then go for difficult topics. ( easy to difficult)

abhi : The CAT and the XAT pattern of asking Questions are quite different, How to take care of the two?
kranthi : We will provide the material and training.

surya : how can remember the formulas in qa
kranthi : Try understanding them too apart from memorizing.

hd : where can I get more of DEX/ DAT/ Workshop level questions for DI and LAPE/ LAT/ Workshop level questions for LR? i've enrolled for enhanced aimcat this year. was an ex full time student so have old handouts, and i practically know the answers even for those handouts :)
vjs : these handouts are going to be discussed in class.

cataspirant : Sir how does one improve upon geometry, P&C and Number system ?
sandeepkaushik : Try to understand the application of formulae and therom in these topics. Also analyse each and every que of these areas in all the tests that u will write

raj : im not able to find the sectional test in the website please help
viveknair : Please contact your centre. They will help you.

sunil : do cat preparation helpful for any other xams other than mba?
viveknair : cat preparation helps for almost all other management entrance tests. Though other tests have other sections like GK as well.

chinmay : In CAT its said If one attempts around 70% ques correct(no incorrect attempts) likelihood of getting 99 percentile is high is this worth emulating in any AIMCAT to judge our performance?
viveknair : The correct number of attempts in any exam depends on the relative ease of the question paper. Easy paper, more attempts needed. It is an OK thumb rule though.

abhi : Sir how to increase my speed inDA
samthomas : practice with arithmetic. remember multiplication tables, squares, reciprocals etc. try to familiarize with as many patterns as possible

surya : sir how can we get the interest in cat preparation please tell me the tips sir
shivabhaskaran : make mba u r passion and getting into the top b_schools u objective u will get interested yar..

karan : sir, i also heard this that if you are done with your coaching class booklet, DO IT AGAIN !! (for even better conceptual clarity and grip). Is it advisable or should we pick up some new assignments and hit them?
shivabhaskaran : once u gain confidence..in the areas start going for old cat, xat questions and try hitting the difficult questions..and different types of questions

1 : I know that every topic is important in QA.But please tell me form which topics were the maximum number of questions given in the past 5 years of exam.
asishtiwari : Numbers, PPL,Geometry, T&W,T&D,ERPV

hd : @vjs sir: i think i couldn't convey what i wanted to. i'm asking for sources where i could solve more of Dex/Dat/WS level problems. i was an ex-TIME student and now practically know the answers to most problems in those handouts. Hence asking for resources where i could find more such level problems. thanks!
vjs : you may approach near by T.I.M.E office and ask for book on DI.

abhi : sir is it necessary to work on all chapters of QA
asishtiwari : If you are not comfortable in one or two topics then you can leave them. However topics like %age,P&L, Numbers, Functions, ERPV T&W, T&D cannot be ignored.

08 : after basic material provided by time will we get any more material for practice if yes then by which month ?
samthomas : there are lots coming your way. check with your centre for distribution details

mithilesh : sir NITIE,IITB,SPJAIN,IIFT,NMIMS, please arrange .
sandeepkaushik : IITB, IIFT ,S.P Jain, NITIE, NMIMS as per me

: sir i am preparing for cat, if i wont get good percentile then what other exams i can write? and which are better?
samthomas : you should write XAT, CMAT and MAT . better .. depends on which institute you get in from a test. All exams have some very good institutes attached to them

sunil : HOW MANY AIMCATS WILL BE CONDUCTED IN 8 MONTHS DURATION?
viveknair : There will be 19 more AIMCATs till CAT

cat13 : whats do for improve GK for cmat and other exam....plz advice some books also for gk??
shivabhaskaran : time magazines, gk handouts, , competition success review, news papers. if possible economic times..

abhi : in an average each DI question has to be solved in how many minutes or seconds
vjs : around 2 mnts but you you save time in other questions that can invested in difficult areas.

xyz : hello sir, i have prepared a bit for the cat13 but i have not started the actual preparation. i read newspaper, books, work on my speed everyday but have nhot worked on chapters thoroughly as such. how should i proceed now & by what time my all the chap should be done?
asishtiwari : By this time you should have covered most of the topics. Start preparing seriously and finish all the topics in minimum possible time.

mithilesh : sir i have a different query i am from nagpur time student cat 13 in our area the hindu newspaper is not available and also in nagpur time office it is not available.can anyone poke the time nagpur office for the, the hindu newspaper.
viveknair : Read the online version. That should be quite easy..

prasad : Sir , for a fresher is the remaining time for CAT2013 sufficient to get 90% ? If so how many hrs are to be spent for each section every day ?
samthomas : join a regular ( week day batch). spend 5 hrs a day on an average

xyz : which books/magazines should i approach for articles on various topics other than politics and science... i dont really find good articles on philosophy etc
viveknair : Our homepage and magazines will keep having articles on all topics. Keep reading those.

ashish : heyy! I had asked a question earlier, cudnt fid a suitable answer in any of the other question so will post again "Hello sir, I scored 98 percentile in AIMCAT 20. When I did my analysis, I realized I lost over 18 marks(including couple of negatives) in DI section in quant paper. I have seen TIME as well as Arun Sharma DI but the one in the paper were really good! Can you please suggest any book or online material where I could get such questions."
viveknair : Past CAT question papers and future AIMCATs are perhaps the best sources for such questions..

08 : in 24 hrs how much time at an average should be given for an average student ?? and will it be a good idea to just complete one subject complete and then go for other or its not ?
sandeepkaushik : There is no limit to the time that u should give to ur prep but still try to give min of 6 hrs per day with 2 hrs each to QA, VA/RC and DI/LR

anil : sir i am doing small mistakes in calucalations so that the entire problem is getting wrong in quant,how can i overcome from that?
sandeepkaushik : If u r doing mistakes in calculation then first thing is to practice it daily and second thing is that u should not be in too much hurry while calculating till u become good at it

surya : what are the basic methods to get good marks in QA AND DI
asishtiwari : Improve speed and accuracy. Identify easy questions and not get struck in difficult questions.

abhi : sir can u please suggest any material for QA other than time material
asishtiwari : TIME material is sufficient. If you want to solve extra questions, solve past years CAT papers

swapnil_kul : Hello sir, I got 92 % le in cat 12- quant 97 va 72 but since then I didn't even touched Quant still scored 97 in xat and 98.5 in first aimcat. So I am not able to identify the areas which I may have forgotten in Quant how to find such areas ?
asishtiwari : Open books given by TIME and try to solve the questions from different topics. You will find out your weak areas.

karan : Though it's not germane to today's topic of discussion, i would like to ask that i am following PAGALGUY site quite diligently (for being 'in' the game). Should i try solving QA/DI questions that people discuss over there also? (most of them are advanced level questions)
viveknair : Not necessarily needed, but wouldn't hurt to try them..

abhi : Hi, how to prepare for Geometry section ?
asishtiwari : Solve TIME material. Try to think if the shape or angle were different then how it would have affected the answer.

swapnil_kul : @sandeep sir : sir what is the right time to go for DI set ? because it is said that it should not be attempted just at the start ...also I missed one whole set just because I couldn't find one value in 4-set venn diagram
sandeepkaushik : As per me Swapnil you should start with Quant, find and solve the sitters in the first 30 min, then give 20 min to DI and again solve Quant in rem time

dsm : Sir, As I am working.I don't find much time to practice... I only get Sunday.. In the week days, I only find 2-3 hours.. How should I prepare..
viveknair : That is enough. Finish the material, then the online tests and AIMCAT analysis. If things go a bit slow, consider taking some time off from work..

vishal : sir do we need to practice more than our time materials?
asishtiwari : No. TIME material is sufficient

raja : sir i can solve max ques of snap and iift..but not able solve the cat ques ..what to do..???
shivabhaskaran : iift and snap questions bit easier than cat yar. when the number of questions is more the difficulty level is less and vice versa..practice more questions of cat type from old cat papers..u will do better in cat also

bk : what are next to IIMS?
samthomas : xlri, mdi, bajaj

dsm : Sir, As I am working.I don't find much time to practice... I only get Sunday.. In the week days, I only find 2-3 hours.. How should I prepare for all sections..
asishtiwari : You can practise one section in one day. Make sure you are able give time to a section atleast twice a week. By one day i mean giving atleast 3 hours.

karan : Vjs Sir, you said 2 minutes per DI question. But we need time to read and interpret the charts given for a minute. So is it that after reading the paragraph and chart, we need 2 minutes for each question?
vjs : if ask about the set then depends up on the number of questions.

mithilesh : sir for va i read a lot of words but when test comes then every time i saw new words. how can be manage
asishtiwari : Keep learning new words. In some time you will start finding new learned words in AIMCATs

abhi : Sir u asked me to be familiar to maximum no.of models, where do i get them exactly? there are very limited ones in our material
samthomas : you will come across more in aimcats and the materials given to you as part of lot 3 materials