mamma mia: sir , what do we need to do in a very tough di paper like that in aimcat1005.i tried to attempt all sections one by one.gave 7-8 min trying to understand each section and leaving out thereafter since could not crack it.this way i tried out all the sets but couldnot do even oneeven after giving 45 min.finally did 2 ls questions and got just 6.my avg aimcat % is 94-98.
abhisheik: in these papers..the approach you taje is good,,only reason it cudnt have worked is bcoz the paper was exceptionally diff.. what i would suggest is that in these papers after 20-25 minutes whne you relaise the level of diff..then stick to whtever set you feel is easiest and try to solve however much it may take,,i mean..at most 20-25 minutes

itsme: Is it possible that the cut- off in Quants would be more than 50 % of Max marks ,keeping in mind that Paper is very easy ?..
raghunath: Generally no However it depends on the paper and performance of the students

rahul: Sir, In all the aimcats i have got 2 90 percentiles and other tests around 85 percentile .I have completed the basic quant material DI ( doing only AIMCATs),n because of lack of time i am skipping TPB, I have started AIMCAT analyses of previous years and plan to do those for the entire month of october, and then revise the basic material and aimcats in nov. Sir, is it possible to get 99 percentile ,from this stage.I am putting in my efforts but it is not reflectin in the scores i am getting
raghunath: Should be possible for you to get a percentile of 99 If you do complete revision of all the topics.I think that TPB should not be missed . DO these tests which would strengthen your basics and would stand you in good stead.Find why efforts do not get reflected in Good scores.Take the assistance of a faculty member who will be able to identify minor corrections needed in your approach . Wishing you all the best

dilip: Sir, I am clearing the Verbal and Quant sectional cutoffs comfartbly but not DI. To clear the cutoff in DI, is it enough if i am perfect at all the DI sets covered in all the AIMCAT papers ?
abhisheik: DI: 1) Go through all DI questions that have been done in TIME; 2) Do the toughest questions you come across from prvious years CAT and AIM CAT paper; 3) Try group study as in DI approach is important and easiest way to learn is to replicate;4) In the exam try to cover all sets and not necessarily do all the questions of one set;5) take an organised approach in mind as well as paper; 5) In LA cover all possibel situations; 6) DONT PANIC; as even the best students often get stuck in DI/LA sets

kj: Sir, I used to clear the VA cut off quite often, but now i am getting very lowscores like 7,15. Please suggest what kind of prep is needed for verbal.I read the news papers regularly working on vocab.What else is required and is there any material to prepare from. And are AIMCATs good source of prep for VERBAl too
abhisheik: RC: mindless practice; just one set after another; challenge yourself; try to attempt more and more; touch all RCs; even the toghest ones;; at least try to go through the ques; grammar: do only if yoyu are v sure; otherwise skip; all other verbal questions; try to attempt all in minimum poss time; in prep nothing much can be done abt vocab; you may go through grammar; specially if the questions are rule base; it might help; reading specially beyong my comfort zone, online reading and focussed reading with the idea of understanding; learn to summarize and organise when you read; ignore unnecessary words;

anand_omar: Hello Sir, How are u???
abhisheik: i m fine..how r u

hjk: Sir, I have been getting percentiles in the range of 85 to 90 consistently.Since one month i have started serious preparation ( 6 to 7 hours a day) but the scores are not improvin, with only 50 days to go can i get to 99 percentile range, Please suggest what can i do regarding this.
raghunath: Please note that actual %ile can be more than AIMCAT %iles. It would be possible for you to get 99 %ile provided you put in efforts as you have indicated and believe that you will achieve.May be one or 2 questions more and 1 or 2 less error in each section you would already be at that level

neha: sir i have completed all the study material but my percentile is not going above 70..wat shall i do??
abhisheik: change aim cat stratgey; focus on strnagth area; give more time to fav section; while prep revise maths again and again; basic parts of all QA chaps; di: in a way memorize all sets of AIM CATs; do toughest di and la sets from previous years aim cat and cat papers..english: read; maximise attempts in englis; focus on accuracy in qa; di: take an organised, steady approach

nishitmehta: Are papers of Test A Day, TPBs, TGs and MCs of cat level or higher/lower than that of CAT? Are papers of Test A Day, TPBs, TGs and MCs of cat level or higher/lower than that of CAT?
abhisheik: diff to define cat level; as cat is diff not only coz of content but also coz of associated factors like pressure; design of the paper n all; however the standard os these questions is quite high

sanjay: Sir, I have been getting around 85-90 percentile but not getting more than that, is it possible that getting scores around this range and still scoring 99 + in the real CAT and getting a call from IIMs?I am low on confidence sir, if there is any chance of gettin a call from this stage , then it ll give me confidence .
raghunath: Confidence is the key to success.85 to 90 %ile in AIMCATs could translate to 99 %ile if you plan your act activities the next 45 days. Please take all practice on line tests if you have not done them already. Study Basic Material and AIMCATs together chapterwise in quants, area wise in Logic & DI & Group wise in Verbal.Wishing you all the best

kart: hi, wat wud b the rite approach for LDI section with CAT going online. I feel i m losing an ample amount of time moving back and forth looking for doable sets?
abhisheik: in la and di; virtually the same approcah; most of the time in la you would need to make a table or some structure for organising the info; in di, note down imp info..

shabnam: sir, how to revise quant , di/lr?? should i do all SM's again?
raghunath: Quants : Collate all questions chapter wise from TGS AIMCATS Test a day and studey them together and identify the underlying thread in answering the questions.Logic & DI sets: Classify them as games set, Venn Diagrams, Pie Charts,tables and logic set evolve a strategy in dealing with any set of questions in these areas.Basic Study Material should be revised. IF you look at AIMCAT questions or actual CAT questions , every question has a root in the fundamentals.Last year 8 questions in CAT had come form Basic Study Like SM 101001, SM 101009.Wishing you all the best

shabnam: sir, i plan to give and thoroughly analyze 15 mocks before cat 2009. is that enough?
pcr: while 15 would be good, a few more would be even better. Remember, however, that the analysis and revision must be thorough. All the best !

meghana: sir,how to do well in sentence correction questions
pcr: please remember, sentence correction is not only about rules of grammar, but familiarity with application. Revise the basics and, along with that, turn some of your reading practice into grammar practice (perhaps 2 or 3 paragraphs in a week) by trying to work out all aspects of sentence structure in what you read - recognise clauses and phrases, identify main clauses and subordinates, look at structure in each clause, look at connectives, look at punctuation, look at placement. When we do this with your reading, familiarity increase, and with that, you get better at SC.

hrithik: hello sir...i want to knw how to go abt quant revision, this is one area where i m getting 95%lie n above...but recent mocks i have seen a plung in the score dude to silly mistakes...i think i need to start revising now..but how shud i maintain my momentum in it pls advice..thnxx
abhisheik: revise nall chaps: do basic, fundamental stuff and again and again; solve previous years' papers; in the exam focus on accuracy in QA; dont mind rechecking the answers; spend 20-30% time in selection of questions;

srk: Sir, Please suggest the sources of prep during these last 50 days for all the THREE sections.I have completed the basic material of quant , one book of DI , and now doing AIMCATS analsys of prev years , is this enough
abhisheik: beside this: 1) Solve as many AIM CATs as possible;2) Revise imp MATHS chap;basic n fundamental parts 3) go through all DI and LA sets of TIME

nikki: in rc& di a lot of time gets wasted in scrolling mouse what shod be the startegy will it is good to note ques 1st in rc then read pass
abhisheik: yes..note down imp points of all ques..n thn go thru the passg...

anand_omar: We can not achieve the target cutt-off in AIMCAT in DI & Verbel. How can I do it???
abhisheik: Verabal: Maximise attempts; RC is your bread n butter; practice huge number of RCs;Maximise attempts in non RC, non Grammar, non Vocab section...within same time..DI: choose sets carefully; organise info; invest time in understanding the info...in prep..go thru all DI/LA sets that v have done till now..do the toughest questions of prev years papers..

itsme: i have last 3 year' s AIMCAT papers.....and past 15 years CAT papers....iam practising these papers alone thoroughly,is this sufficient to crack CAT 2009 ?
raghunath: I have always found that doing simple questions is the easiest way to understand the intercacies of a chapter or an area.You ould found out by every question in CA or AIMCAT has a connection to a very simple question in our basic study Material. Please study AIMCAT & CAT Papers along with basic study Material Wishing All the best

ri: sir/madam i wish to improve my percentile to a great level just not able to make out a strtegy my marks hv fallen in english as well which used to be one of my gud areas,di and quant are a difficult area.pls help
abhisheik: in the last 2months focus shud be more on stratgey n approach..thn nething else..revise everything..however focus more on the 2 hr 15 mins management part..academics part is almost done..u must display managerial traits..decision makinh, prioritization, pressure handling, resource constraint etc..its a dynamic situation and there is no scientific aapproach..whtever u do is right..work on ur temperament..it plays a crucial role

anky: sir, in aimcat 1006 I got 895tile,whereas in other I have been getting around 75%tile.Is it bcoz the 1006 was an easy paper or that i have improved.what should I do to get above 95%tile.?
abhisheik: 1006 was one of the togher papers..so giv urself credit..do whtever u dud un 6..incr attempts n manage time properly..select ques judiciously..

neha: sir, for an average of 70 %ile in aimcats, wat is the expected %ile in CAT?
abhisheik: at least 75..though u shd target to incr it to 8+ at least by the time CAT comes..this is not so diff..with proper dedication n planning this can be done

55 days to cat: sir my VA section is very weak(cleared 2/13 aimcats that i took), i am not good in any topic in va, but found myself confortable in areas like para jumble, sentence completion can u suggest which area in VA sud i concentrate more considering only few days are left for for cat
pcr: please remember, general verbal ability is not only about vocabulary and rules of grammar, but familiarity with application. Revise the basics and, along with that, turn some of your reading practice into grammar practice (perhaps 2 or 3 paragraphs in a week) by trying to work out all aspects of sentence structure in what you read - recognise clauses and phrases, identify main clauses and subordinates, look at structure in each clause, look at connectives, look at punctuation, look at placement. When we do this with your reading, familiarity increase, and with that, you get better at SC. Use all your reading for vocab building - look up meanings and remember their context. The more you see in use, the more you remember.

uma: Sir, I have started my Quant preparation only a week back. I was concentrating on DI and Verbal all these days. So given around 50 days to go how should my modus operandi be for clearing Quant cutoff ? Please answer..
raghunath: It depends upon how much you can spend on quants per day and your background. You should quickly go through te basic stidy material and AIMCAT questions. Take on line practice tests. SIt with a faculty member to have proper guidance.If you have the neccessary focus & determination , you should be achieve a fair amount of confidence in dealing with quants. Wshing you all the best

ram: sai sir ihad an increasing graph(perfect)and scored an 87%ile in 1007.but scored a 60%ile in 1006 though i was a little out of sorts on that day?what should i do?do i hav a relistic chance of getting into iims?
sai: Such variations are expected. Dont worry about them. Work hard and everything is possible.

anand_omar: What it good streategy for not missing a easy question and clearing the cut-off???
abhisheik: invest time in question selection..in QA more so..at least 20% of time..CAT does nt give xtra marks for doing tough ques..try to go thru maximum no of ques..dnt estimate cut off during the paper..u r unlikely to come up with the right figure ans will only increase pressure..

shoubhik: sir,wat's d way out 2 break d jinx of verbal marks?my verbal percentile is generally in between 60-80.not more than dat.actually d percentile of maths section & reasoing section is quite high dan dat of it.so it's heavily affecting my total percentile.please suggest me.
pcr: don't look at it as a jinx. Concentrate a little more, revise through application rather than through rote - please remember, general verbal ability is not only about vocabulary and rules of grammar, but familiarity with application. Revise the basics and, along with that, turn some of your reading practice into grammar practice (perhaps 2 or 3 paragraphs in a week) by trying to work out all aspects of sentence structure in what you read - recognise clauses and phrases, identify main clauses and subordinates, look at structure in each clause, look at connectives, look at punctuation, look at placement. When we do this with your reading, familiarity increase, and with that, you get better at SC. Use all your reading for vocab building - look up meanings and remember their context. The more you see in use, the more you remember.

srk: Sir, generally in previous CATs with a score of around 30 percentage students used to get 99 percentiles but this year in the AIMCATs even with 40 percent of scores it is sometimes diff to score the cut offs, will it be the same in the real cat too?
abhisheik: 1) AIM CAt r generally far tougher thn CAT..idea is to prepare u for every eventuality..2) NOn serious students join in CAT and hence provide the cushion and inflate percentile..3) Everybody's score drops in CAT coz of pressure n all

nikki: within how many days after start of cat we will get anlysis of cat paper on time web. please post it by night of 28th nov
sai: Please wait for the analysis plan from TIME. By the way the analysis will make no difference to your CAT as every slot will have a different paper.

radhika: Good evening sir,Can you please tell me that how is the cut off for all sections determined ??
abhisheik: Bsed on the performance of everybody and overall dif level of the paper

itsme: iam aiming to score 60% of marks in each of the sections and in Total score as well...Is it sufficient to get a GDPI call from IIMA..?.
abhisheik: v diff to comment though likley to get a call..percentile is more accurate indicator..

pratik33: sir i belong to s.c. category ,clearing cut offs in quant and d.i. in all most every aim cat, but not able to make it for verbal even in a single aimcat,i am done with cue cards ,and done grammer book,please help me to improve in verbal.what is the approx cut off for varc for iims for s.c.
pcr: while there is some relaxaton for your category, please appreciate that, in the competition you face, the advantage you get is negligible. Please concentrate on your verbal preparation these last few weeks - remember, general verbal ability is not only about vocabulary and rules of grammar, but familiarity with application. Revise the basics and, along with that, turn some of your reading practice into grammar practice (perhaps 2 or 3 paragraphs in a week) by trying to work out all aspects of sentence structure in what you read - recognise clauses and phrases, identify main clauses and subordinates, look at structure in each clause, look at connectives, look at punctuation, look at placement. When we do this with your reading, familiarity increase, and with that, you get better at SC. Use all your reading for vocab building - look up meanings and remember their context. The more you see in use, the more you remember.

ram: what could b d cutoff in omet-snap for sibm?i scored 54
sai: Around 85-90

ri: how can one prepare for iift?is the prep any different from that for cat
sai: Not different. work on GK/Economics

55 days to cat: sir can u suggest some source to practice questions on DI/LA,i have completed the material provided by time in this two area but i cant find problems of the level which we usually get in aimcats and real cat.
abhisheik: solve last 10 years CAT papers..2 years AIM CAT papers..5 years XAT papers..more thn sufficient material

kapsy: i am able to score near about 70%ile...bt i am not able to increase it...what whould i do to increase my score??
abhisheik: ATTEMPT MORE..FOCUS ON STRNAGTH AREA..SIT DWN WITH A FACULTY N IDENTIFY THE APPROACH..DO GRP STUDY..DNT CARRY UR DBTS..GT THM RESOLVED..REVISE QA CONSTANTLY..

anand_omar: Beside IIM, In other AA or AAA Colleges, Is sectional cut-off is applied everywhere there is some college based on %ile w/o sectional cutt-off ??
abhisheik: sectional cut off wud be thr also..hwever lower u come in rankings less imp it becomes..they r less stringent abt it but they dnt ignore it totally

wall: I lack consistency in DI&LOGIC.Most of the times i get stuck in logic caselets and them finally end up getting around single digit scores.But when i have been able to crack logic caselets my scores go upto 40.1.How to be judicious? and 2.how to improve ability to solve logic caselets
abhisheik: everybody gets stuck in LA sets..u share this aiulment with 100% of cat aspirants..idea is ruthl;ess decision making..once u realis u r stuck how fast u come out of rut..i will sat at most 10 mins..so display ur decision making skills n realise this is abt stratgey n nt talent or content

daniel: Sir, even after puttin much efforts in preparing im not able to secure percentile morethan 50 :( from now on i've decided to concentrate much in solving AIMCATS and previous CAT papers. is that a wise idea?
pcr: in the time left, that would be a good thing to do PROVIDED you revise your basics and concepts alongside, AND you analyse your performance in each paper that you do, work out your areas of strength so that you can make the best of them in the exam, and recognise your weaknesses so that you can work on them for

rijita: sir,for va part other thn rc whether 3 yr aimcat papers r enough or we hve.to do simcat papers also.
pcr: please work on the aimcats as well as the other mocks (CRTs and MCs) we've provided to you. WHat are simcats ?

itsme: Please mention what was the least composite score, out of 22 (Max score ) in the criterian.that was set by IIMA ,last year ?..
sai: Around 19

satwik: Sir i have devised a policy to go thrrougha all the aimcats and the previous Cat papers as well revising the basics of maths and Di twice before the actual thing...?what else should i do.I m putting 8-9 hours a day is that going to be enough?
raghunath: This should be good enough and keep your confidence level high and keep your cool on the day of the exam. Wishing you all the best

anand_omar: How can we speedup in Quant & DI
sai: revise and practice

preeth: Dear sir, Would the work experience be considered while giving a call for GD/PI. I have about 3 yrs of work experience in an MNC. What overall cutoff should i aim at to get calls from atleast 2 to 3 IIMS ?
sai: CAT score is the major determinant of CALLS. If you have 97%ile then even if you are the CEO of a company it will not give you a call. Work towards the 99+ mark in CAT.

aparajita: please suggest me some prep tips for DI.
sai: Analyse all AIMCATs

heloooooooooooo: sir hw to revise quants + practice it...i have completed the test a day...wat next? pls suggest
abhisheik: revise all basic concepts..imp chaps of maths again and again..at freq intervals..practice prev years cat papers..

ri: i am still not through with my basic material in quant...how can i do the best in the given time?
raghunath: Please prepare a plan to complete basic material within next week or so and start revision of all chapters starting form an easy question to complexly worded question. Next 45 days prepare meticulously and perform well in the CAT. Wishing you all the best

anky: hi sir. I m never able to clear the cut off in english.in aimcat1006 i got 9. i always get wrong with correct the sentences,choosing of words. and also with jumble sentences.however, I m comfortable with rc and whatever marks i get is mostly bcoz of that.so do u suggest that I should concentrate on rc more in actual cat
abhisheik: yes..focus more on RC..try to do all the passages..give 60 to 70% of ur verbal time in RC..do grammar only if ur v sure

itsme: My 10th , 12th , graduation scores are 81% ,85% and 73%.. respectively and i have 6 years of work exp.. If IIMA follows the same criteria this year ,as last years' , and if i score above 99 tile in CAT ..will i get GDPI call from IIMA ?.
sai: YES. Quite possible

chetan: SAI SIR.......i often vascillate i di.....initially on seeing a caselet i think i can but afterwards i feel i should quit and thus waste a lot of time.........pls suggest.....and wht wud b d best strategy now to have a good grip on di
sai: Work out all AIMCATs, advanced SM and Online sectional tests and you will feel fine.

ram: if i get 85%ile in aimcats,do u think i hav a chance in other entrances like jmet snap iift fms and xat?
sai: YES

dreamyboy: Sir I am just clearing the DI cutoffs(85-90%ile) and scoring 99+%ile overall consistently. How can I improve my DI in the given time?
raghunath: Have you alloted sufficient Time for this section in the AIMACTs.Look at sets whch take time while solving. Develop an eye for identifying easy questions in each set and try to answer these questions. Avoid getting in a question. Revise all the areas in DI and evolve a frame work for answering any question. Wishing you all the best

yaseen: Sir, My nemesis has always been the DI section. My question is whether the actual CAT DI paper would be on the lines of our TIME AIMCAT DI papers(I know its hard to speculate but just out of your experience as u have been seeing the pervious original CAT papers ) ?
sai: It s been seen that the actual CAT DI is quite easy compared to the AIMCAT DI

rahul2july: In last 5 aimcats my %ile are 86,87,90,95and 96.but i am able to clear in only 2 sections.Kindly advice me what to do clear cutoff;s in all the 3 sections.That is really frustating as the sections in which i clear is different in each aimcats.
abhisheik: manage time properly..every sec shd rec due importance..

chc9c943: I have got good scores in Quant and Verbal but I am finding DI tough in some papers. Please suggest what should be my strategy since very less time is left
abhisheik: DO DI AT THE VERY END OR 2ND..GIVE 2 HR AIM CATs..JUS FOCUS ON GTNG THE CUT OFFs IN DI..PRACTICE AT LEATS LEAST 10 YEARS CAT PAPER's DI..GO THRU ALL SETS DONE IN ALL AIM CATS..I FPOSS GT HOLD OF PREV YEARS AIM CAT PAPERS N SDO DI FRM THR..HOWEVER DNT CROSS SUBSIDISE DI FRM QA OR VA

pinky: sir,i am getting around 52-55 percentiles in most aimcats-my VA marks are always horrible-i am at home now completely free so please suggest me how many hours should i study everyday from now so that i can get nearly 96 percentile in cat-my cat is on 6th december
abhisheik: IMPOSSIBLE TO PRESCRIBE NUMBER OF HRS..FOR VA..READ A LOT..ATTEMPT MAX QUESTIONS..FOCUS ON RC..INVEST MORE THN 60% OF UR VA TIME IN RC..DO GRAMMAR N VOCAB ONLY IF V CONFIDENT..PRACTICE RCs..DNT WORRT TOO MUCH ABT ACCURACY

jazzyt: sir,my comprehension power in RCs and other question is going below par.my %iles hover around 80.i m getting depressed.what to do??
abhisheik: i dn think this is the case..u r atking a v small sample size of 1 or 2 aim cats..so dnt panic..comprehension power cn only go up..in the history it has never gone down for nebody...so unlikely tht it will go down for u..ur competition is u..better urself..score higher thn prev aim cat..

sai: I am getting 80-90 percentile range. what colleges are possible for these marks?
sai: IMI, IMT, BIM, TAPMI, MICA, KJS, LBS, SPjain

nikki: i have poor record 68% b.tech 65% 12th 86% 10th what shod be min cat% i shud target to get 2-3 iim calls also i m in final year & dont want to do mba other than top 10 if dont get this year shod i take next year another chance or get in any college this year only. avg aimcat 92-98% till date
abhisheik: u r gtting xcllnt aim cat scores..dnt worry too much abt prev academic record..they dnt care much of it..thre are numerous examples to recount..jus try to maximise cat scores..u dnt need to compensate nething..

krish: sir, nitie has come out with notification for PGDIM and other programmes,but not for their flagship programme PGDIE. can you throw some light on this?
sai: Wait for the notification for PGDIE to come out.

iimaspirant: sir ....i am giving cat fr d second time..and am scoring 80 percentiles.... not reaching dat par level...what shud be done?
sai: Keep working hard and analysing the AIMCATs. A few mistakes less in each section and you will get to 95+

rahul: I have completed the basic quant material DI ( doing only AIMCATs),n because of lack of time i am skipping TPB, I have started AIMCAT analyses of previous years and plan to do those for the entire month of october, and then revise the basic material and aimcats in nov.As you suggested will try to include the TPBS as well, is this strategy good for the next 50 days?
abhisheik: seems like a fair strategy..only try to include as many AIM CAts as possible..as it si imp to focus on managemnt part the examination..how to mange the 2 hr 15 mins exam is imp..

55 days to cat: sir plz reply.. my overall percentile ranges from 89 to 99 in all the aimcats that i took but my va percentile ranges from 1.24 to 97, very inconsistant. qa and di are always above 80. so wat sud i do in the next one month, concentrate only in VA section and try to clear the cut off or sud give importance to all the 3 to maximize my score(which might end up in me not clearing the cut off for VA).
abhisheik: in va jus try to cleAR THE CUTOFFS..FOCUS ON STRNAGTH AREA..N MAXIMIZE OVERALL SCORES..

sambitsecret: hello sir, i am securing around 70-80 percentile in aimcats.My percentile in english is always 98-99,in maths i am able to do 5-6 question correctly but in di i can never do more than 4 questions correctly. i have almost completed all times di matereial.what more should i do at this point to improve my di so that i can atleast do 6 di question correctly in cat..
abhisheik: m sure u r nt giving enuff time in DI..take hlp frm faculty immediately..sit dwn with thm n try to replicate their approach..DI is largely abt approach..take a structured, organised approach...in LA deal with all poss cases..alos wrk on QA as u shd attempt more thn this..

sourabhrai: Hello sir, I had the worst AIMCAT of this season today AIMCAT1005 and I am very depressed..........please let me know if the section you always score more is attempted first and unluckily thats the toughest setion of the paper.....DI n LR ......wat should I do ....my paper ended almost in initial 2o minutes of the test n I could not help it...the after effect ruined everything
raghunath: Tough DI paper is tough for everyone who takes the test.While it could be frustrating that you are not able to score in one of your favorite areas, it should depress you and affect you so much that it prevents good performance in other sections.CAT does not and should not end in first 20 minutes.As they in boxing getting hit and alling down is not a problem but how quickly recover and face the remaining fight is important. Keep this in mind. Had you kept cool during the test who knows you could have cleared all the sections not withstanding the fact that you may not maximised your score in Logic & DI section but done enough to clear the cut off Wishing you all the best

nikki: in rc the option are very near to each other and mostly based on authors view so a lot confusing how to improve accuracy and more attempt
pcr: here are some suggestions - a quick look at the question lines will indicate what the passage content is and what kinds of questions they are. Prioritise and pick the passages you would atttempt in order of relative comfort. A quick but careful reading should get you (i) the organisation of the passage (ii) the key ideas in each paragraph (iii) the idea-flow (iv) the central idea or them (v) the author's style and (vi) the author's tone. Make short and quick notes so that you can identify ideas in paragraphs without having to scroll around too much. With these in mind, look at the questions and the answer choices carefully - you will recognise where in the passage you'd need re-reading to answer the questions. re-read carefully, a little above to a little below - consider meanings, implications and reasoning. Don't get stuck on a question. If it's taking too long (say more than double the time you normally take) move on and come back to it later if you have the time.

chetan: SAI sir how to attain an accuracy of 70% in va.......is it advisable to attempt all Qs.i have prblm in parajumbles and to pick out inappropiate usage of d given word in sentences
abhisheik: v diff to gt 70% accuracy in verbal..incr attempts..parajumbles r nt tht diff..with practice n faculty help u cn bcome gud at them..u shd always attmpts all non RC, non VOcab, non Gramamr part in min time..Focus more on RC..

r12: sir,i am scoring only 50-70% in mock cats.i am able to do problems at home but in exam i am losing my accuracy levels. can u give me some suggestions.
abhisheik: ITS JUS THE TEMPERAMENT ISSUE... I THINK SO..AMWHERE U NEED TO RETAIN UR PRESENCE OF MIND N BAILITY TO TAKE RATIONAL DECISIONS IN A V EMERGENCY LIKE SITUATION..ITS A FIRE FIGHTING SITUATION...A GD MANAGER WILL NEVER PANIC..DNT RUSH UNNECESSARILY JUS COZ IT IS AIM CAT N NT PRACTICE EXER..WHT WRKS FOR U AT HOME WILL WRK HERE ALSO..

anshul: sir in one test i m scoring 94 percentile and in the other it go down to 60 .what should i do?
raghunath: Assess how did you get 94 %ile and why did you get 60%ile. Is it because of familiarity of questions in one AIMCAT & lack of the same in the other AIMCAT. Be thorough with all areas chapters in all these areas and iddentify the areas which are responsible for such huge fluctuations. SIt with a faculty Member and seek his help in overcoming the obstacles.Put in at least 6 hours in the next 45 days.Wishing you all the best

rahul: is the analysis of only 1000 series enough or can we analyse the last two years aimcats, will tat make any difference, or aimcats of one year are enough
sai: One year is enough if done properly

amit4aka: sir how to maximise score in verbal section as in this section there is a lot of ambigity. usually i stuck between 2 options in most of the questions.
pcr: please remember, general verbal ability is not only about vocabulary and rules of grammar, but familiarity with application. Revise the basics and, along with that, turn some of your reading practice into grammar practice (perhaps 2 or 3 paragraphs in a week) by trying to work out all aspects of sentence structure in what you read - recognise clauses and phrases, identify main clauses and subordinates, look at structure in each clause, look at connectives, look at punctuation, look at placement. When we do this with your reading, familiarity increase, and with that, you get better at SC. Use all your reading for vocab building - look up meanings and remember their context. The more you see in use, the more you remember.

wall: Sir uptill aimcat 14 i use to get around 85-90 percentile .But in previous 5-6 aim cats i have been getting 93-95 percentiles with one 50 percentile in aim 1008.How to push my percentiles further and how are my chances.Is 99 percentile realistic?
raghunath: Good chance.keep practising wishing you all the best

anand_omar: how cal i cull & kill the easy questions without westing time in understanding the difficult one ???
abhisheik: invest time in selection..at least 20-30% OF TIME IN qa..

mamma mia: abhishek sir,sir what could be the cutoff in di for aimcat 1005 considering u suggest to stick to one easiest set.will oe set make me clear the cutoff?
abhisheik: HVNT GN THRU THE PAPER..SO CNT COMMENT..BUT CUTOFF IS LIKELY TO V LOW...AS PER THE FDBK I GT FRM OTHER STDS..ONE SET MAY OR MAY NT..BUT BTTR THN PANICKING N ENDING UP WITH 2 ATTEMPTS..U HV TO MK THE MOST OF A V BAD SITUATION..THR IS HISTORY OF CUT OFF REACHING ABYSMAL LEVLS IF THE PAPER IS V TOUGH..ALSO DNT THINK ABT CUT OFF N ALL DURING THE PAPER..U WILL NVR GT THR RIGHT ANS..N WILL ONLY INCR THE PRESSURE..

ri: i have a problem in solvng the ds ques. in the paper nd they r generally incorrct...wht can i do?
abhisheik: DS is to be dn v conservatively n slowly..as thr is nt much text so u r unlikely to take much time newways..mark ur ans only if u r reasonably sure..otherwise dnt..

cat10: sir please suggest me how to prepare for di section and also for grammer ??? I have completed the first material of di , but sir can't able to crack the di sets in the aimcats ?????
pcr: about grammar - please remember, sentence correction is not only about rules of grammar, but familiarity with application. Revise the basics and, along with that, turn some of your reading practice into grammar practice (perhaps 2 or 3 paragraphs in a week) by trying to work out all aspects of sentence structure in what you read - recognise clauses and phrases, identify main clauses and subordinates, look at structure in each clause, look at connectives, look at punctuation, look at placement. When we do this with your reading, familiarity increase, and with that, you get better at SC.

chaya: sir i am fluctuating in my aimcats my scores are never consistent. what to do
abhisheik: FLUCTUATION IS OK..MORE SO COZ OF ONLINE THIS YR..WHT IS THE RANGE..

anand_omar: CAT is the mingle of speed and accuracy. How can we do that???
sai: Hard work and regular practice

kapil: sir i have been consistently getting 95 %ile in aimcats but still i have few weak topics like geometry mensuration. so how can i improve them
sai: You have a great chance of multiple IIM calls. keep working hard and weeding out weaknesses. Practice the weak areas several times.

nikita: wht special focus should i gve on snap and jmet preparation other than cat preparation??
sai: Higher maths areas for JMET. Focus on GK for SNAP.

sumitkumar: sir how can i score better in DI?
abhisheik: take an organised structured approach..nt necessary to do all the ques in every set..cover all sets..in LA>.most of the time u need to make a tbale or sm kinda strutucre..take the help of ques..dnt panic if u gt stuck..happens to best of us..tk hard decisiosn like quitting a set if unable to solve in 10 mins..rem u can always cm bk to it..its nt like ur wl forgt everything..u will start frm the pt u left

amit4aka: sir my aimcat percentile hovers between 83-86. do i have any chance of getting through iims
sai: Work hard and anything can happen on D-Day. You are within striking distance of an IIM call.

daniel: Sir, even after puttin much efforts in preparing im not able to secure percentile morethan 50 :( from now on i've decided to concentrate much in solving AIMCATS and previous CAT papers. is that a wise idea?
sai: Work on concepts as that seems to be the problem

chetan: SAI sir......if IIMs have already disclosed d approx no. of Qs...why there are some MCs having 150 Qs.....wouldn't it be better if those are similar to AIMCATs??
sai: They were uploaded much before the IIMs came out with the pattern.

kidder: Sir, I am currently working and the travel and my work pressure is not allowing me to have time to study more than 2 hrs a day and i am very low in confidence. Kindly advice me how should i prepare.
abhisheik: 2 HRS PER DAY IS NT SO BAD..USE TIME JUDICIOUSLY..PLA FOR 3-4 DAYS..NT BEYOIND THT AS U WL NEVER STICK TO UR PLAN..REVISE ALL MATHS TOPICS..GO THRU ALL DI/LA SETS OF TIME..PRACTICE RCs N VA..REST JUS DO AS MANY PRACTICE PAPERS AS POSS..READ..

r12: sir how to attempt rc sections with more accuracy and with good speed?
pcr: here are some suggestions - a quick look at the question lines will indicate what the passage content is and what kinds of questions they are. Prioritise and pick the passages you would atttempt in order of relative comfort. A quick but careful reading should get you (i) the organisation of the passage (ii) the key ideas in each paragraph (iii) the idea-flow (iv) the central idea or them (v) the author's style and (vi) the author's tone. Make short and quick notes so that you can identify ideas in paragraphs without having to scroll around too much. With these in mind, look at the questions and the answer choices carefully - you will recognise where in the passage you'd need re-reading to answer the questions. re-read carefully, a little above to a little below - consider meanings, implications and reasoning. Don't get stuck on a question. If it's taking too long (say more than double the time you normally take) move on and come back to it later if you have the time.

nikita: when will the omet papers for other mba exams be distributed??
sai: This month...Contact your local centre

sufana: myscore in math in not improving although i was good in math during school & college
abhisheik: ITS CAT MATHS..SELECTION OF RIGHT QUES IS V IMP..AS THR IS A TIME CONSTRAINT..

anky: sir initially i used to attempt quant>va>di.in this i used to devotearnd 50 mins to quant thinking that it is my strongest section.for past @ aimcats, I hav changed my strategy.I attempt rc>di> va>quant.the result is that my %tile has improved. i m comfortabke with di now than with quant.so should i continue with this strategy or change it to score more.
abhisheik: ALWAYS START WITH UR STRONGEST SECTION..ALSO FOCUS ON UR STRNGTHS NOW..NOW IS THE TIME TO MAXIMISE UR OVERALL SCORE..STICK TO THIS STRAT

daniel: wats the last yr percentile for ncobc candidates in colleges like BIM,LIBA,IFMR? Pls reply sir!
sai: Around 85-90

nikita: for snap and jmet exams wht preparation should i take apart from cat preparation??
sai: Answered

wakeuptime: Sirs,the chat app is great effort to help students...please suggest alternative method to the 40-40-40 buffer tech....i dont cross 50marks...and the scores get distributed somehow in the sections randomly in every mock...also i wanna know TIME's view on SIIB,SCMHRD...the placements and the fee....i was at IBS till august but withdrew since its a distance degree and not recognized...is SYMBI group just filling in students or its got a good value for its degree.
sai: 35-35-35 + 30 buffer. SIIB and SCMHRD are very good instis. Apply.

anand_omar: Suggest some site for RC.
sai: www.magportal.com

nitish: from where can i practice tournament n other complex problems of DI??
sai: AIMCATs

chinu: sir in aimcat1005 i got 44 ,wat percentile r u predicting?
abhisheik: DO APPEAR FOR MAT

hi5: sir,i am getting around 52-55 percentiles in most aimcats-my VA marks are always horrible-i am at home now completely free so please suggest me how many hours should i study everyday from now so that i can get nearly 96 percentile in cat-my cat is on 6th december
pcr: study as much as you can but remember, more important than just putting in study, you must analyse your mock test performance alonside, so that you can know your strengths, for the exam, and pay attention to your weaknesses. As for Verbal - remember, general verbal ability is not only about vocabulary and rules of grammar, but familiarity with application. Revise the basics and, along with that, turn some of your reading practice into grammar practice (perhaps 2 or 3 paragraphs in a week) by trying to work out all aspects of sentence structure in what you read - recognise clauses and phrases, identify main clauses and subordinates, look at structure in each clause, look at connectives, look at punctuation, look at placement. When we do this with your reading, familiarity increase, and with that, you get better at SC. Use all your reading for vocab building - look up meanings and remember their context. The more you see in use, the more you remember.

arc: sir what is the level of quants in iift and snap. how do i prepare for those q's besides cat prep?
sai: Very basic. Work on speed and you will get a good score

anky: sir if the question pattern is like va-25,di-20,qu-20.how many questions should i attempt in va to clear the cut off
sai: Depends on difficulty level of the paper

nitish: from where can i get last year's aimcat papers??
sai: Do the Online sectional tests..they have quite a few Qs from the AIMCATs

wakeuptime: Sirs,how much % marks(of any MOCK/CAT paper) would be sufficient for an IIM call for a general candidate...
sai: Around 45-50%

anand_omar: as only 50 remaining days in hand, if we are going with 25 MOCK strategy, it takes 1 mock on alternate day. Is this strategy works???
sai: OK

paul: SIR, how many mock papers in total should given along with thorough analysis before CAT 2009?
sai: Around 20

ju: I always got 90+ percentile in both quant and ldi section and overall 92+.....i m from vernacular backgrd so i have a lot of prob in English.....i used to score in single digit in it 2,4...in RCs i used to give enough time but have no confidence.. some all got wrong... sometimes i cant understand passage at all...in grammar part i m scared of that as 90% of them always got wrong.i m even ready to work for 20 hrs a day in remaining days ... sir plz give some concrete advice
pcr: don't lose heart - refocus. please remember, general verbal ability is not only about vocabulary and rules of grammar, but familiarity with application. Revise the basics and, along with that, turn some of your reading practice into grammar practice (perhaps 2 or 3 paragraphs in a week) by trying to work out all aspects of sentence structure in what you read - recognise clauses and phrases, identify main clauses and subordinates, look at structure in each clause, look at connectives, look at punctuation, look at placement. When we do this with your reading, familiarity increase, and with that, you get better at SC. Use all your reading for vocab building - look up meanings and remember their context. The more you see in use, the more you remember.

ju: I always got 90+ percentile in both quant and ldi section and overall 92+.....i m from vernacular backgrd so i have a lot of prob in English.....i used to score in single digit in it 2,4...in RCs i used to give enough time but have no confidence.. some all got wrong... sometimes i cant understand passage at all...in grammar part i m scared of that as 90% of them always got wrong.i m even ready to work for 20 hrs a day in remaining days ... sir plz give some concrete advice
pcr: here are some suggestions for RCs - a quick look at the question lines will indicate what the passage content is and what kinds of questions they are. Prioritise and pick the passages you would atttempt in order of relative comfort. A quick but careful reading should get you (i) the organisation of the passage (ii) the key ideas in each paragraph (iii) the idea-flow (iv) the central idea or them (v) the author's style and (vi) the author's tone. Make short and quick notes so that you can identify ideas in paragraphs without having to scroll around too much. With these in mind, look at the questions and the answer choices carefully - you will recognise where in the passage you'd need re-reading to answer the questions. re-read carefully, a little above to a little below - consider meanings, implications and reasoning. Don't get stuck on a question. If it's taking too long (say more than double the time you normally take) move on and come back to it later if you have the time.

amit4aka: sir how many questions should i attempt to clear sectional as well as overall cutoff for scoring 99+ percentile &to get calls from all iims
sai: depends on the Difficulty level of CAT2009

r12: sir what sir we were informed tat the ques will be answered in queue,but u are not going in order.
sai: Qs are being answered in queue.

anand_omar: As I am correspondence student in ruler area, How can i achieve OLD Mock Paper??? Is it available online?? If not, kindly provide them in electric forms for correspondence students.
sai: OLD MOCKS are not available.

amit0387: I SCORE BETWEEN 85 TO 93 PERCENTILE IN AIMCATS. MY 10TH, 12TH, GRADUATION IS 72%, 79%, 77% RESPECTIVELY. I M AN OBC CANDIDATE. WHAT R MY CHANCES FOR ANY OF THE IIM CALLS?????
sai: Good chances. keep working hard.

neha: i have done all the study material...from where should i practice now??
sai: AIMCATs, TPBs and Online Sectional tests

cat10: sir scoring around 30-40%tile in aimcat's , Can i think of clearing the cat ??? If yes, then what should b my strategy to improve my %tile ????
abhisheik: go for MAT..CAT calls r unlikely..thr r sm excellent insti in MAT

aman john: isn't this aimcat 05 lrdi sction the toughest one and so much above the cat level
sai: NO it is not.

madhav: sir, my %ile r around 85-93. i have consistently cleared cutoffs in QA &DI. but not in VA. it is hard even to score 10 marks. i spend 30-40 min in VA. please suggest me what to do for the last 50 days
pcr: please remember, general verbal ability is not only about vocabulary and rules of grammar, but familiarity with application. Revise the basics and, along with that, turn some of your reading practice into grammar practice (perhaps 2 or 3 paragraphs in a week) by trying to work out all aspects of sentence structure in what you read - recognise clauses and phrases, identify main clauses and subordinates, look at structure in each clause, look at connectives, look at punctuation, look at placement. When we do this with your reading, familiarity increase, and with that, you get better at SC. Use all your reading for vocab building - look up meanings and remember their context. The more you see in use, the more you remember.

anand_omar: In RC, we have the habit of underlining imp. points. This is failure in Digital Exam. what will be our new strategy??? as it is impossible to memorize all the important points...
sai: Regular online reading practice is the key. Please note that NOBODY can underline hence the disadvantage is the same for everyone.

ju: I always got 90+ percentile in both quant and ldi section and overall 92+.....i m from vernacular backgrd so i have a lot of prob in English.....i used to score in single digit in it 2,4...in RCs i used to give enough time but have no confidence.. some all got wrong... sometimes i cant understand passage at all...in grammar part i m scared of that as 90% of them always got wrong.i m even ready to work for 20 hrs a day in remaining days ... sir plz give some concrete advice
abhisheik: Dnt worry much abt accuracy in RC..maximize attempts..RC is a function of practice..a worker type approach..mindless practice..touch grammar if only if ur reasonably sure of the answers otherwise quit grammar..rest all like sentence arrangment, critical reasoning..do all..in minimum time..dnt worry abt accuracy..even 50% is acceptable if the attempts are good..also english in nt english in real sense..m ost ques are logic baseed..its a management entrance exam..in the last 2 months..focus on strnagth areas..in english largely look at clearing the cut offs..dnt compensate by taking time frm other sections..n last dnt lose confidence as temperament plays a v crucial role..

kapsy: please answer my question........ :(
sai: What is the Qs?

paul: Sir any good COlleges Under MAT....in or around DELHI?
sai: NDIM, AMity, IILM, Asia Pacific

feline: My percentiles in 12 aimcats have been between 80-99 with 98.5+ 3 times with all cut-offs cleared.Overall i was in 90s for 7 out of 12 times. My QA is weakest where i have cleared cut off only 5 times and highest being 96%tile in QA.Reasons for not clearing cut-off largely include getting stuck on questions,panic and strategy problems.What should be my strategy for QA prep for last 50 days.I am planing to use SM10011,TPBs,AIMCATS(previous+current)
sai: Your plan is appropriate. Work hard and you will surely get 3-4 IIM calls.

nitin: wat shud an ideal preparation plan at this stage be??
abhisheik: Analysis, Revision n AIM CAT practice..introspect..mental prep..

mamma mia: sir is there any insti in top 30 that doesnot consider sectional cutoffs.plz name.
abhisheik: V DIFF TO SAY NT CONSIDER..BUT FOR SAY IMT, IMI, XIMB, IT MAY BE LESS IMP..

kapsy: hello sir....in the aimcats m able to attempt about 30 questions overall bt the problem is i m not able to maintain accuracy in my attempts n bc0z of this m not able to score above 70%ile....please suggest me wt should i do to increase my accuracy...thanX M still waitin.......
abhisheik: IN MATHS U NEED TO BE V ACCURATE..LIKE 80-100%..IN DI REASONABLY ACCURATE BUT IN ENGLISH FOCUS ON ATTAEMPTS..IN QA..SELECT THE RIGHT KINDA QUES..CROSS CHK UR ANS IF NEED BE..ANALYSE UR MISTAKS..MOST OF THE TIMES THRS A PATTERN..

sohini: SIR, i want some tips regardin iift rcs...they r so long n qs r detailed
abhisheik: THOSE R THE EASIEST RCs..GO THRU QUES FIRST..IDENTIFY KEY PTS..GFO THRU RCs AS IF U R LOOKING FOR INFO..MAKE IT A SEARCH OPERATION..THESE KINDA RCsU CN BCOM V GUD BY SHEER PRACTICE..MINDLESS PRACTICE..JUS LEARN THE TECH..WHICH U CN LEARN ONLY BY PRACTICE..CHALLENGE URSELF..TRY TO ATTEMPT MORE N MORE..

cat10: How can i maximise the score in the paper like SNAP >>/???? Please give me some useful tips and i promise that i will follow it ......
abhisheik: MAXIMISE ATTEMPTS..PRACTICE RC N SPEED MATHS..

monisha: sir,jst dont mind b8 still asking how is sibm,pune compared to instis like sp jain and mdi--i mean in matter of bschool ranking and placements-sir plz answer this question.
sai: ranked lower than them but it is a very good insti.

jazzyt: sai sir...my %ile hovers around 80.and what to do to push it to 95?and sitting for 2 hrz at home becumz a pain..wid soo many disturbances at home.....plz...help meeeee
pcr: perhaps the lack of concentration is really your problem. try to get everyone at home to co-operate, to recognise your private space, and to give you the time you need for study without disturbance. And, most importantly, focus and try not to get distracted. you mentioned 2 hours. you'd need o put in a lot more than that. try not to think of the time - just the goal you have

tr: i am getting avg. 90%iles in the last 3 aimcats. Can i still have chance to get into iims?
abhisheik: V SERIOUS CHANCE..ENSURE ITS NT LOST

monisha: SAI sir,is it sufficient to do da gk book given by time last yr and time --mba education and career magazines of dis yr for snap
sai: YES Monisha....Also look up Yojana and a Yearbook (read the India related info)

ankitalunawat: Maths is my area which is pulling me back.What shall i do to improve?
abhisheik: cover all chaps..basic part n all..but frm here on dnt compensate by tking time out frm other sections..this is the time to focus on strnagths..improve ur wkness..but only a limited improvement is poss..so jus focus on clring cutoff..in QA select ques properly n focus on accuracy

tr: i am getting avg. 90%iles in the last 3 aimcats. Can i still have chance to get into iims?
sai: Very Very Very good chance

tr: i am getting avg. 90%iles in the last 3 aimcats. Can i still have chance to get into iims?
sai: Absolutely!!!

ajeet singh: i have some problems in Permutations and combinations,which book is best for this lesson and is time material sufficient for cat exam 2009 ?
sai: Check the TIME material

xyz: how much time one should devote for each section in a day
sai: Around 2-3 hrs per section

dlc9h254: hello sir! i got placed in CTS. im gettin percentiles ranging frm 40-50 oly. Can i crack the CAT this yr or shud give a try next yr? please reply!
abhisheik: try this yr if u dn mk it thrs always nxt yr..but try this yr as if thrs no next yr

kapsy: i AM GETTING AROUND 70-75 PERCENTILE....WHICH COLLEGES SHOULD I APPLY FOR??? ANSWER ANSWER ANSWERR..................
abhisheik: CAT: IMT NAGPUR, FORE, UBS, TAPMI, IISWBM, NIRMA, BIMTECH, ITM; XAT: LIBA, XIME; JMET (BTECH); SNAP; IBSAT;