cattie: sir , when will the aimcat 1015 paper and percentile be uploaded?
sai: Today evening

cattie: sir what should b the criterion for selecting a di set?
sai: Familiarity and comfort level

kumar: sir, I belong to the BC community ,do i come under OBC(non-creamy) category in iim admissions,if so what is the minimum percentile i should get to ensure an iim call
sai: Around 95+

n: sir i got negative score in di & quant in 1015 and in english i got 23 score ..wHat do you suggest? what should be my approach...
sai: Analyze the paper and see what went wrong

aman: HELLO, SIR PLZ SUGGEST ME CRITERION 4 SELECTING DI SET?
sai: Answered

sbcd: sir,DI is my weakest section...can you please to tell me how to select the sets to attempt and how much time should wwe spend on DI section
sai: Answered

jj: is d book pearson nishitsharma goo for di..
sai: Its OK but not better than the TIME material

nn: sir it is DI that brings down my % , LR sets in 101008 study material are easier compared to those in exams , how to select the right set? sometimes sets are very big and by the time we read n see that it shouldnt be done , lot of time will b wasted..kindly help , i suffer a lot in this area
kk: Move on to TPBs and then take up the 6 AIm CATs plus those of 2008

chocolateguy: if i start my preparation now,wat is the order should i follow.shuld i do the SMs first or tpbs and all?i'm asking this because we hv a little time left for cat.regards
sai: Sms first and then the TPBs

mahesh: Good evening sirs
sai: Good evening...whats your Qs?

kumar: sir, how do i convince my friend not to opt for iipm,he is misled by the advertisements
sai: You have been a good friend so far...leave it at that!!

deepak: sir i do work out DI problems it has never been systamatic .its because of my job.Can you suggest how to actually proceed for next two months
kk: Time management....Need to find time on a daily basis for studies and that too when you are not too tired after work

jj: me2 got -ve scor in di...1015.....flabbergatsed hv neva gon below 9 in di
sai: There is a first for everything!! Analyze the paper and see what went wrong and how you could have solved the DI sets

sbcd: Sir,In AIMCAT 1015 my scores was 67 ,how do you rate it?
sai: Decent score but not enough for a call

godismyhelper: sir,among these 3- advanced study material (SM11-15),TPB,Daily Tests n AIMCATS which should be given highest priority?i am almost done with basic study material...
sai: AIMCATs>Sectional tests>TPBs>Advanced SM

joyg: sir when i attempt di as last section then my accuracy falls due to panic of time in my mind any suggestions
sai: Follow the 40-40-40 and 30 minute buffer time strategy to take care of the panic issue

nn: DI: calculations are a bit tough , especially interlinked calculations . also, our "rough" calc approach doesnt work as options are very close, sometimes figures are too huge , kindly advise on how to select DI sets and tackle tough calc.
kk: Please attend the discussions of AIM CATs and get the faculty to help you on questions where you have a problem. Also tell him how you tried to do approximations. He would be able to correct the approach if required

jj: is arun sharma good???fr di
sai: If you do the AIMCAT DI sets, TPBs and the Online Sectional tests then you wouldnt require any other book.

cattie: sir my di is very weak but i hv solved all lr sms. yet in exam sm lr ques i cant do.what should i do?
kk: Move on to the Test Paper Booklet and then to the AIM CATs of 2008

yuvraj: what sort of di questions to pick and answer?
sai: Answered

kartik: hi.. pls suggest some book with cat level qestions for di
sai: Answered

aman: SOME SETS APPEAR TO BE EASY BUT THEY ARE NOT LIKE IN AIMCAT 1015. HOW CAN RECOGNISE AND AVOID SUCH SET?
sai: The AIMCATs will give you the practice to recognise such sets. In any case you will avoid an unfamiliar set the first time you see it in an AIMCAT but after having practised such a set during the analysis of the AIMCAT, you will NOT leave out such sets in future AIMCATs.

nn: tests:performance in di is pathetic sir :( , end up spending a lot of time on DI cutoff : my friend told me that she attempts as many questions as needed to clear the "cutoff" , is there any way to roughly approximate the cutoff ?? kindly tell me overall startegy for a weak student to improve in DI,LR thanx
sai: The ONLY strategy for a weak student is to become strong in that section. STRATEGY is NO substitute for concepts.

deepak: Do i actually solve aim cat papers and Time material thoroughly apart from what do you suggest
sai: YES

mahesh: Sir!.............. did anyone is answering????
sai: Yes we are dear Mahesh

srt: how many questions should i attend to clear the cutoff in DI?
sai: depends on the Difficulty level of the paper

deepak: Sir is this CAT(DI) gonna be stressing more upon calculation or logical resoning
sai: Cant predict anything about CAT2009 pattern or Qs types that will be asked. prepare for everything.

becks: sir, will practising 2 LRDI sets a day from TIME AIMCATS suffice?
sai: It will be good...suffice would depend on what you understand of the concepts.

lkdsf: Sir,what are the sources for DS preparation
sai: TIME booklets

satwik: sir i scored 53 in the 1015 test..is that a gud score...??
kk: Yes

godismyhelper: sir,I m gud at calculation n observation sets in DI which doesnt involve much logic...and not gud at questions that are fully logic based..But is it advaisable to make a habit of answering only such questions in AIMCATS for getting better percentiles..(though it is the best thing in CAT)
sai: What if CAT gives only Logic based Di sets? prepare for all kinds of eventualities and not just to clear the cutoff in an AIMCAT

aman: I HAVE DONE BASIC TIME MATERIAL 4 DI PLZ SUGGEST ME SOME GOOD BOOK...
sai: Answered

cattie: sir after trying out all combinations , i found dat the order qa,di,va suits me the best though my strength is in order va,qa,di.di being my weakest , i sandwich it between the two.qa needs my fresh mind so i attempt it first.iva is strongest hence can manage it even at last(scored 41 in va in aimcat1015).yet in di scored only 18 in 1015(5c,2w and time=45+10min).what should i do?
sai: 18 is a good score though short of the cutoff.....the strategy is good dont change it. Focus on understanding the Di sets in AIMCAts as this would stand you in good stead in the actual CAT

mohitmayank: sir i wanted to ask u abt wat shud be the strategy while dealin with di/ds sec....??? is time material sufficient for this......???? and sir wat is the normal weightage assigned to reasonin in a standard cat paper.........???
sai: Identify familiar Qs and concepts and attempt those sets only. TIME material is more than sufficient. Weightage for reasoning changes from year to year...on an average it has been around 10-20%

achiever: sir, i have this phobia of DI...looking at a lengthy DI question. i get nervous and confused as to how to approach the question. i fail to attempt even 1 whole set of questions correlctly.wat to do?
kk: Length of the question need not necessarily mean that the question is difficult. (same holds good for other sections like RC, LA..). You should try and overcome this mindset. Attend discussions of AIM CATs and understand the approach to such qns

bebot: is time material sufficient??
sai: YES

sumit: sir please give some tips for DI.for question based on table form
sai: Work on speed Math calculations to do well in Table based Qs

gryffindor: hello sir......my problem is that out of 3 sections di is weakest...please help me out...and the best part is that almost everytime i clear cutoffs of quant and eng(or come very closer to both) but in di i screw up(getting only 50 perc).....
sai: rework you time allocation strategy

ravi: sir, in the past years what is the least percentile one(he belongs to BC community)has secured and secured admission in an iim
sai: 95+

mohitmayank: and sir my score in 1015 was 24(all 6 correct.... your suggestions on improving my performance??
kk: Your accuracy level suggests that you can go places if you take work on TPBs and AIM CATs of the past two years

mahesh: hi sir my DI score varies over a wide range sir. in the last aimcat1016 i was able to clear cut off but this time went to negative score... how to deal with DI?
sai: Analyze the paper to find out what went wrong and then speak to a faculty to understand the fixes to your problem.

myzone1705: Sir i have been scoring good in DI till now,but there has been no improvement in my scores.Infact aimcat1015 has brought my scores way down.So how should i analyze this mock paper and what should be my strategy now.
kk: Thoroughly analyse what when wrong. When you go through the paper now, you will find that you could have attempted more qns. After the review, attend the discussion of the paper

chocolateguy: does evening mean after 10 pm?
sai: In France it does!

lkdsf: Sir, what is the range of score for a paper of difficulty level similar to that of 1015...enough for a IIM call
sai: Around 90

jj: m bc how do i know i come under obc...pl fr heaven sake answer plpl
sai: Ask your parents if you belong to the OBC category and check with the Mandal revenue Office or the Municipal office if your caste is included under the OBC category

cheeky: im good at speed calculations but i cant think quickly; can i clear DI
sai: Possible if CAT focuses on speed maths...and you do not know if that is going to happen this year!

rohit: sir...i m mech engg...i am placed in accenture and mahindra & mahindra ....which should i join????
sai: Accenture is a global brand and is great on your resume....M&M if the job pertains to your core are then M&M would be a better option.

jj: m bc how do i know i come under obc...pl fr heaven sake answer plpl
kk: answered

mahesh: sir how to deal with the tournaments problems, i am not getting the logic correctluy
kk: Pl fix up an appointment with a faculty at your centre and work on qns relating to league and knock out tournaments

rohit: anybody ANSWERING?????
sai: YES

shady123: good evening sir i am not able to crack di sets dont know what happens when i am giving aimcats my aimcat score for di is truely pathetic am done with di material of time and taking test a day regularly but no use i am getting exactly 0 marks since last two aimcats what shoud my strategy is there still time to make to some good college :(
kk: You said you are done with di material. Are you comfortable with the DEX and DAT papers and the TPBs? If you are doing well in the DI sectional tests, then you should do much better than what you ahve indicated. While going through the mocks at home are you able to attempt at least a couple of sets? If yes, then it is a question of your approach during the exam. Strongly suggest that you attend the discussions of AIM CATs

cattie: sir how will familiarity be the key?i am quite familiar wid bar graphs.bt yet d bar graph in 1015 was quite tricky and i couldnt do it.plzz suggest.
sai: That was because the concept was different....you need to work on the concepts and the way data is represented doesnt actually pose too much of a problem.

bebot: are there some specific topics in quant n Di from which more ques are asked in cat paper??
sai: NO

goya: is IRMA GOOD IS IT DIFFRENENT THAN REGULAR MBA...
sai: IRMA is a very good insti and the program is quite different from a regular MBA

sumit: Please suggest some good books for DI(For CAT exam)
sai: AIMCAT DI sets, TPBs and the Online Sectional tests provided on the Student Home Page on T4E.

mohitmayank: and sir i have completed 101005 and presently doin 101012.... and ofcourse sum handouts have also been completed in the class(upto diho 03).... sir i wanted to ask u whether i need sum more practice or is it fine from cat point of view?????????
sai: Do the TPBs and the sectional tests as the Qs are of very high quality.

sagar1109: Sir, I am not finding any similarity in the difficulty levels of the TIME study material and the AIMCATS, esp in Quant. Any other books which u suggest I refer?
kk: Worked out SM 101011, TPB and the mocks of 2008?

siddharth: hello sir i've been very inconsistent in my performance in di... i have secured a high of 99.99 %ile in di and a low of 65 as well..what shud i do?
sai: Dont worry about such drops in performance. It happens with a lot of the IIM call getters every year. Focus on analyzing what went wrong and to make improvements for the next MOCK.

prasad17j: Hello Sir.. I am finding a huge difference in my performance in DI (pp vs cbt). It drops a lot in cbt.. is there a diff way that u can suggest
kk: You need to get used to the CBT like alternating between the mouse and the pencil. Do take the online DI test a day

neeha: IF i complete the basic test for DI and 6 DEX handouts,will i be able to crack DI??Is it a good start??
sai: It is a good start.....but you need to work on AIMCATs, TPBs, Online sectional tests, MCs and CRTs as well

kart: sir mostly i get stuck in a aprticular di set and loose a lot of time in such a situation should i leave the set or should i go for another set
sai: Go for another set if you are not able to get the idea even after 5-7 minutes

maniac: Sir sets can be solved by me easily but when it comes to logical reasoning i become lil slow. CAn you suggest what to do about it. Shoul i solve more puzzles from outside or should i stick to time material only
sai: Try some puzzle books which are available in the market

mkl: Sir my accuracy in di is very low !!!! please tell me what to do ???
sai: Low accuracy in DI indicates a problem with the basic concepts...work out the SMs and address this problem first.

deepak: You are not able to see entire question in CBT format and it take time to take a quick glance through all question.What do you say Is it difficult to pick the right questions
sai: That is why one should spend around 2 minutes to glance through the Qs

genextgk: sir , there are a few quetions which on PP format can be answered comfortably but in online case it's really difficult to solve (big table ones).how can we minimize this difference?
sai: By practicing more such Online sets from the Online sectional tests

mohitmayank: and 1 more question sir..... how do u rate di sec of 1015... in comparision to cat???? ie was is at par wid cat level... or tougher than that.....???
sai: Slightly more difficult than the DI of CAT2008 but on par with some of the very difficult DI sections of past AIMCATs

goya: HAV COMP GRADUATION NO JOB....WT SHUD TEL IF I GETSELECTED FR NTERVIEW.....SHUD I TRY FR JOB I WANT TO CONC ON CAT.....PL ASWER DON TEL CONC ON XAM NOW
kk: with 3 months to go, concentrate on CAT

laxmi: Sir, Can you please tell me the timeframe when I should start taking full length tests every alternate day?
sai: Starting from the last week of Sept-1st week of October

bebot: i need an answer
sai: I agree with you.....and you have been answered

mj111: any advice on how to calculate faster?
sai: Work on the Speed Math booklet

eugene: please suggest some techniques to solve deductive DIs
sai: PRACTICE PRACTICE and more PRACTICE

neeha: How much time(avg) one should spent for 1 set??
sai: About 5-6 mins before calling it quits

fedex: Good Evening Sir, what should be the minimum accuracy level for DI and LR ?
sai: Around 70%

ross: Sir..it takes a hell lot of time for me to understand a particular DI set..then after understanding maximum no of times i can solve only half questions of that set...so it is quite discouriging that after investing this much time ..i cant complete a di set...it happens almost all the times...cnan u plz elaborate what needs to be done? and are time DI set particularly of higher difficulty than actual cat...bcoz there are lot of maxima and minima questions...almost in every paper....
sai: refer to the chat transcript....This has been answered

bandhu: apart from cat topic,any other topic specially for iift , is needed more attention except gk ,what is di lvel in iift, compare to cat
sai: Since competition is quite high IIFT requires a high score and Diffiuclty is on par with CAt as the time limit is what restricts one from getting a good score

eugene: how much time should we spent for 1 DI on an average and if we are stuck with some DI then what should be the max time spent on it?
sai: Answered

cattie: sir what should b the approximate time to solve a binary logic set?
sai: Around 7-8 minutes if it is a particularly difficult one

vishallunavath: Sir, how much would puzzle solving help me in the DI section?if yes what kind of puzzles are to be solved more?
sai: YES it would help. puzzles from the SMs, TPBs and AIMCATs. In addition puzzle books like Shakunta Devi etc. help quite a lot.

kart: sir since cat wiil be a cbt wont it become more cubersome to solve di as we cannot jot any points on graph or underline important lines in case of caselets so shouldnt we expect a lower cutt off this time as compared to previous years pp(paper pencil)
sai: Quite possible but then students are working on this handicap and they will get better in 3 months time and the cutoffs might not be very different from a Paper pencil test!

shahid : sir i am a muslim (syed)do i fall under obc category.IS there any reservation for me in iims.
kk: Yes, provided you are in the non creamy layer category

cheeky: can i say DI is mostly based on instinct?
sai: YES...but good instincts come with practice and familiarity!

eugene: if someone is not so good in DI, should he start the paper with this section
sai: NO

mkl: my accuracy is very low in di .. What to d o ????
sai: Answered

ak: sir, should we spend time on reading all set before answering, and how much time before leaving a set completely
sai: spend around 2 minutes looking at all sets before deciding on the sets to tackle first

eugene: if there are 25 questions of 4 marks each in DI, then what should be a good number of successful attempts?
sai: depends on difficulty level of paper

neeha: Sir,Is TEST A DAY qns are of CAT level difficulty??Or is it same as in materials??
sai: Test a day is quite on par with some previous CAT papers

aman: SIR WHILE GIVING AIMCAT ONLINE DURING THE LAST FEW MIN. I START LOSING MY ACCURACY DUE TO LOOKING AT THE COUNTDOWN OF TIME..WHAT SHOULD I DO TO OVERCOME THIS PROBLEM?
sai: Dont look at the countdown clock if that is upsetting you.

cat_killer: wen will be paper(aimcat1015) available for analysis????
kk: It is available on yr student page

saurabh: sir , i have taken basic test series of times.. but i am not practising with daily test as like in advanced one.. will it effect me
sai: YES it will.....practice immediately

fedex: Good Evening Sir, what should be the minimum accuracy level for DI and LR ?
kk: Target should be 80% with decent level of attempts

sri: Sir, can u please say vat kind of shortcuts can be used in DI for better speed ......??
sai: Speed math concepts to aid in faster calculations

milind: good evening...how to approach DI related questions (graphs,tables etc) now that CAT will be online?? i consume a lot of time interpreting data as compared to a paper pencil test also, how many sets should be attempted to clear cut-offs in cat assuming that 50 mins is allotted to DI thank you!
sai: Cant predict anything about cut-offs. It would depend on the Difficulty level of the paper. Targeting a preset number of Qs is NOT a good strategy

mahesh: sir should i do the MCs on the net only after preparation since i have joined for cat 09 june batch. or do those simultaneously ? which is suggested?
sai: Do them in mid October

becks: Sir, how to master tournament qns, especially rankings, no of matches etc?
sai: By practicing as many of those Qs as possible

mkl: The paper like in aimcat15, attempting 4-5 ques is suffice or more to b ayyempted to clear the cutoffs !!????????
sai: You need to attempt atleast 10-12 Qs with 70% accuracy to stand a chance of clearing the cutoff in a paper like that

jj: m bc candidat.by birth....my parents dunno whether i cum under obc... my dad mor get than 5 lacs pa du i cum under obs
sai: Check with the concerned authority

neeha: Minimum how many DI sets one should spend in a day for practice???I am not really good in DI???
sai: Around 5

sushant: is it sufficient work on time material for DI?
kk: Yes. Suggest that you review the DI sets of the entire mock CATs of 2008 also

neeha: I saw notification for IBSAT??What is that all about??
kk: It is the entrance exam for ICFAI business school - some 12 centres across the country

indium: Between DI/DS/LR which region should one give more stress??I mean what should be the percentage of focus among these 3 sections
kk: More focus on DI and LR

mahesh: are the sectional tests on the homepage the previous cat questions? and is it suggested to do those along with the preparation?..i will be completion the basic studymaterial only after a week
kk: Have uploaded CAT papers from 1999 on your student page. Sectional tests are our questions. Tackle these tests after completing the basic study material

meow: Sir how will u rate the difficulty level of daily tests in TIME sites in a 1-5 scale? DOing pretty gud in these tests.Jus to know how much it will b useful?
sai: around 3-4

sundu: sir last year in cat i got 98%le in di but this year i'm finding it difficult seeing the questions on the computer?? wat kind of preparations i need to do??
kk: The computer is only a medium of delivering the test to you like the paper. It is just a question of getting used to the new setting by doing all those online sectionwise tests. With so many online AIM CATs/ CRTs and MCs plus the past 10 years actual papers being provided by us, you will get familier with the computer test

satwik: will the difficulty level in cat be like that in AIMCAT 1015?
sai: Cant predict but it is quite possible

aman: SIR I HAVE COMPLETED MY GRAD. AND STILL DOING NO JOB ,,,,WILL THIS CAUSE ANY PROBLEM AT THE TIME OF INTERVIEW?
sai: NO

kac9l202: Sir, i read your artilces in the monthly magazine given out by TIME. I have strictly followed it till now and can see my socres improving. Can you please suggest how many mocks should i be solving going forth ( on a weekly basis) before i start revising from mid october.
sai: Around One a week with proper analysis should be good enough

kart: Sir i got 88 in 1015 but got only 10 in di dont know why becuase i thought all my answers were correct attempted 8 questions so should i leave some time to recheck my answers
kk: No time to re check answers in CAT. Have to move on. Use the time to try and do a couple of extra qns

ak: Sir, Scoreline based (game of footall/hockey) sets take up lot of initial time and involve some trial and error, so if our initial assumption goes awry, it could lead to wastage of 5-10 mins. So is it best to attempt data based caselets first and then logic
kk: Attempt what looks comfortable to you without keeping a bias towards either DI or LA. CAT 2008 ahd two sets of LA sitters. Take up questions based on knockout tournamnets and league and get your concepts clear

rahul: sir when will be the paper of aimcat1015 be available ? only analysis is available now
sai: Answered

shravan: sir , do OBC'S have reservation sir
kk: Those with annual family income below 5 lacs fall under the non creamy layer category and are eligible for OBC reservation

ankit: is there shortcut in DI for many places after decimal calculations..cuz teq given are guess to near by value not for exact anser
sai: NO

ashwingeorge: will d difficulty level of cat b same as dat of 1015...pl respond...it will usefull to analyse myself n find out wher i stand ...
sai: Prepare with the assumption that it might be more difficult than AIMCAT1015

mkl: The paper like in aimcat15, attempting 4-5 ques is suffice or more to b ayyempted to clear the cutoffs !!????????
sai: Answered

cattie: sir in binary logic sets(tt,liar,alternator), if our initial assumptions go wrong , we will need 2 solve it again.this will take more time than 7-8min.???
kk: Some sets could take more than 7-8 minutes. Depends on the level f difficulty. Revew the binary logic chapter in SM 101008 and then take up similar qns from SMs, TPBs and AIM CATs

rrrr: sir,i am from BC community do i have reservation,my family annual income is more than 5 lacs
kk: answered

aman: WHAT IS NON CREAMY LAYER AND WHO ARE COVERED UNDER THIS?
kk: answered

vikky: What is the expected sectional cut-offs in all the three sections this year.
sai: Will tell you after CAT2009 is over!!

eugene: please suggest some techniques to solve deductive DIs
sai: Practice those kind of Qs and understand the logic used to solve them

jj: M CREAMY LAYER ANY OTHER COL THAN IIIM I HAV RESERVATION
sai: Check the notifications of other colleges

mkl: sir my %tile fluctuate very much . Sometime max ques got correct and sometime only few of them is correct . What to do ???
kk: This is a problem that most students are facing. Two basic reasons (a) Since your level of comfort at this point of time is not the same across all the types of qns/chapters, your performance is dependent on whether most of the doable questions are from areas which you are familier with or not (b) percentiles/performance of all the othes are fluctuating which has a bearing on your percentile. As you get more familier with diffetent types of qns, it will get better

avj: wat exactly are the MCs and CRTs?? are they just full length tests
kk: Mock CATs and CAT replica tests which are full length online tests

mahesh: and how about a test a day ? shall i do those now?
kk: Certainly

bad: IS ITM GOOD LAST DATE ON AUG 25
sai: Yes

tuhin: how r da standard of mc n crt given in da student page.same 2 cat ??
sai: CRT are replicas of Original CAT papers...MCs are one level lower than CRTs

neeha: So sud I attend IBSAT??Is those B-schools are good
sai: YES....ICFAI Hyd is quite good

nishu: sir is there still time to prepare for di as we are left with 2 months
kk: More than 3 months to go. Ample time

avj: wat is good score in test a day
sai: Depends on the paper

hari: i belong to BC but family income more than 5 lacs....do i select OBC(non creamy) or general in iim application
sai: Yes..but wait for the notification to come

rahul: sir when will be aimca1015 solns and percentile be put on?
sai: By today

hxdh: HOW TO PREP FR GK IN IIFT
sai: MBa Education and Careers and GK books like Manorama and India Yearbook

avj: I am getting lesser marks in quants after each AIMCAT is it bcoz I am unable to solve or questiona are tougher?
sai: Qs are getting tougher and you should keep pace with the learning to continuously improve till the day of CAT

priya: sir how should i prepare for DI
sai: Answered..check transcript

wall: Sir i m getting 90 percentile in mock cats.On the basis of these results shud i fill iift form.what is ur advice
kk: Definitely yes