cat09aspirant: Sir, as CAT will be computer based.Should reading be more done on computer, rather than traditional magzines and newspapers.?
kranthi: do both.

karanshah446: hello sir, now that cat is going online how do we make ourself used to the computer screen?
sai: Take the TIME Online Tests and it should be fine

cat09aspirant: Sir, is there any procedure that we can download the test from TIME4EDUCATION.COM and give it off line then submit out scores. Online consumes a lot of internet time,inflating my phone bills.
sai: Currently thats not possible

gm: How is the difficult level of AIMCAT questions set? T4E said some of the questions were difficult while I found many to be easy/moderate, while some questions branded as easy by T4E were difficult for me.
kranthi: if u are finding many questions in aimcat easy u can pat urself on the back.however be onguard agaist complacency.

krish: given that i have all the time in a day to prepare, how many problems should i ideally solve in a day(assuming i am doing quant and DI on that day)
kranthi: one test of each if it is the level of difficulty of aimcat is fine.

cat09aspirant: Sir, in case I miss a proctored AIMCAT ? Will it still be available at my student homepage?
sai: No..just like an AIMCAT it will not be available if you miss it

karanshah446: solving a question on paper is far more simpler than solving it on computer. what are the tricks that we should be using to make the computer based test more friendlier?
kranthi: we have been conducting seminars addressing the issue please attend the same.

vivek: sir good evening...........
kranthi: same here.

ashu: hello sir
kranthi: hi.

nanu: sir my percentage in 1& 2 year is 49 in aggregate i will appear in final b.com in coming session frm this point of view can i is eligible for cat exam. and any other which cannot attend
sai: Only if you have more than 50%

cat_ion09: Sir in have completed my mba this year only from a mediocre institute i wanted to prepare for cat but couldn’t coz of some problems but i want to write cat this year.i haven’t join any coaching institute yet so if i do from july wud i be able to do well in my cat exam??
kranthi: join the institute is only the first step.working hard requires more dedication which makes things possible.

nanu: for which exam i can go thought i have not got 50% in 1 & 2 year of graduation
kk: XAT and MAT require only a graduation

krish: is it necessary to fininsh all the TIME material if time is on my side? if not how much is good enough
sai: Atleast 70%

sekhar: sir, if the model of the paper is changed this time it may have influence on avg scores on 10th day and scores on 1st day(as 10 days are allotted for exam).1st day it will be a surprise for test-takers while on 10th day they would have already worked out their strategy.so can we expect the model of th paper not to change in these circumstances?
kk: Likely that the IIMs will outline the structure of the exams, like in GMAT

sam: sir which chapter for quant i target first for mat nmat mhcet mp cet iift
sai: All chapters are important

cat_ion09: my academic profile is 10th-67 12th-57 grad.-69 wud it affect in getting calls from a reputed inst?
kranthi: from some of them yes provided u do well in the written.

krish: given that the number of Q's on DS are not too many, is it worth solving all the DS material that has been given to us?
kranthi: definitely it will greatly improve ur quant and reasoning skills which have a great weightage.

atulchatid=1: sir, is a better to join a low grade b school this year or join and continue a low paying job with ok work profile. ALso how much work exp is gud for MBA, if i choose to continue job?
kranthi: second option looks o.k.grab the first good oppurtunity coming your way while u are working.

pur: hello sir, how to enhance marks in verbal part???? how to increase vocb????
kk: We have provided a daily vocab learner of 3 words per day on your student page. Take up the scho papers and strengthen your grammar points. Work on the different types of qns from yr verbal SMs

sam: sir i hav join time frm last year i m student of commerce background i have not comleted any chapter of quant of s m because i am getting difficulty in solving this s m it is getting hard for me every question i m getting to ask frm faculty what should i do . can i go for books like survesh kumar or r.s.aggrawal
kk: Looks like you have a mental block against QA. Need to understand that you need not do a lot of quetsions in QA in CAT to get a good QA percentile. For eg 20 marks in QA (1 qn was 4 marks) in CAT 2008 with 25 QA qns meant 77 percentile in QA. So, you need to pick out some questions from the CAT paper and solve them. Start with one or two basic topics, spend time to understand concepts and work all all the qns in SM 101001. Seek the help of the faculty only as the last resort. Once you start working out qns on yr own, your confidence will increase

karanshah446: sir in which field (eg: hr, agri, finance, etc.) should a mba be the best looking at the current and future scenario? suggest college names also?
sai: One in which you are interested because you are looking at making a career and you need to be happy with whatever choice you make

prashant: hi sir my academic profile is 10th-64 12th-77 grad.-70 and i have completed my graduation in 2008 and i have done nothing from june 08 to june 09 b'coz i have not got a good job i have done only study for cat 09 wud it affect in getting calls from a reputed inst?
kk: Not if your CAT score is good. Even some of the IIMs like C did not give any weightage to mwork exp

sam: is d i sm is sufficient for cat and other exams like mat nmat fms mh_cet or i go for any other material also
kranthi: more than sufficient.

mba_iim: sir, i have low marks in class 12 and graduation.Can that be compensated with work ex to get into a gud b school provided I get a good score in CAT.Will 1 year wrk ex suffice?
sai: Work ex of more than 12 months will have some weightage. A good CAT score will help you get calls irrespective of your low marks so stop worrying and start preparing

pur: sir, how to prepare for xlri???? is there any diff b\w xlri & cat exam pattern?????
kranthi: xlri occasionally gives a liberal dose of higher maths questions i.e. +2 level.it also has an essay .apart from these cat preparation is sufficient.

cat_ion09: if i perform very well in written wud it assure me of getting calls from iims though having such a low acad. profile?
sai: YES

mba_iim: we just have 3 proctored aimcats till start of october. will there b overlapping of the 10 day window slot later during the year.
sai: Yes

karanshah446: i am working since last two mths for a helicopter pilot trainning firm as a project co ordinator? how would this job help me? do you suggest me to take up some other job? i do not mind working in any field. i am prepared for any of the options. which field do you suggest me? please be specific.
kranthi: your present job in itself will not be a hinderance for ur selection.

suv: sir i m prepare for passage frm editorial or learn words frm barrels gre which is better though if i m going for cue cards than i am not able to lean it so retheir than q cards any other option i can go for. for English i m going for only for sm
kk: We have provided a daily vocab learner of 3 words per day on your student page

pur: sir, if i will start my prep now, can i get admission in good b-school?????
kranthi: yes but a lot of preconditions attached to the same.

raajamurugan: so cat 09 gonna be a computer adaptive test sir???
kranthi: wake up.

suv: how much time i devote to every section i m spending 5 hrs at time classes i.e frm 3 to 7 5days a week it is taking time for me to clear concept of every chapter and to solve the question with the help of faculty i m getting very nervous though i m setting 7 to 8 hrs a day for preparation
kranthi: learning to cope with nervousness is very much a part of the preparation.try relaxation techniques.

pur: sir, can gre and cat preparation go simultaneously???????
kranthi: two separate ball games .while there are commonalities customised preparation is needed.

mouse1: sir my academic details are 10th-88 12th-94 graduation-82 and i'm a 2009 passed out student what should be my cat %ile to get a call from iim's
kk: 98.5 + in gen category

manu: sir any tips to prepare for NMAT.i want to take admission in NMIMS.from where i can get last year papers of NMAT.wat kind of pattern they follow in this exam??
kk: Pl check pattern of NMAT for the past couple of years on yr student page. U will get patterns of NMAT and all the other exams as part of the course material, at T.I.M.E

prashant: hi sir while reading the RC i forget mostly what i read before what should i do for rembering it?
kranthi: you are not expected to byheart a rc.only comprehend.

cat_ion09: if i dont join any coaching insti. how can i prepare and make a schedule for self study.like what should be the mini. working hours and how much time should be given to each section. i am in a habit of doing one section say, english for the whole week without touching other sections is the strategy ok or wrong?
kk: No; of hrs per day would vary from person to person depending on your level of preparedness.Suggest you take an all India mock CAT (our AIM CAT on 28th June is free) to check out where you stand on a national basis. Structure yr studies in such a way that you cover a mix of topics/areas during a week

ajay: sir will u please just tell me how the test will be conducted. How the authorities are going to take online test for more than 3 lakh aspirants. I can understand GRE(VERY FEW ASPIRANTS), BUT THIS SEEMS INFEASIBLE TO ME, pls let me know
kranthi: do not take the burden of conducting the exam on yourself. leave it to administrators who will back up plans for things going kaput.

krish: can you suggest some good material for preparing for XAT? the verbal section in XAT last year stumped me. it had more of business decision making and some weird verbal based reasoning. it was quite unconventional compared to CAT.
kranthi: time material is sufficient.for business decision go through some business cases on net.

pur: sir, right now u said that i can admission in good bschool if i will start my prep right now.... can i know what r the preconditions??????
kranthi: hardwork dedication required levels of learnability proper strategy and execution.

suv: i m getting 10 to 20% in aimcat should i prepare first all the chapter and than go for aimcat %ile which chapters of all topic or section i complete first and upto when i should i complete my s m though i hav started frm this week for preparation
kk: Complete one QA chapter thoroughly every 3 - 4 days (along with prep in other areas). In AIM CATs, go for qns from those areas unless they are of the difficult level. Review the qns after the AIm CAT and see whether there are any gaps in yr prep in those areas

kanika: sir,wat courses/work/activities can be done along wid CAT prepration in a gap year if one does not get a job in these times to make a better profile
kk: work exp has to be full time and paid to be counted. Extra currics play a very important role during the interview but cannot substitute for work exp

rghav: sir as i m not eligible for cat due to less than 50%ile can it is better to go for s m or to prepare quant frm survesh kumar , k.kundan,and r.s.aggrawal
kk: You can appear for XAT and MAT. For MAT which is the easiest, you need the capability to solve at least SM 101001.

cat_ion09: maths is my nemesis so which sections i should work more on and can i leave some sections like probability,coordinate geometry and calculus??
kranthi: learn to solve basic level problems in them at least.

pur: sir, will high academic profile be beneficial for selection in good bschool?????
kk: It definitely helps

oxymoron: what is the cut -off for iifm
kranthi: can fluctuate between 70 to 80.

ram: sir ....we have only 4 months for cat 2009.....can u give me some tips how to improve vocabulary & grammar in this period.....
kk: Daily reading (apart from news papers, use the suggested links to RC passages on yr student page). Also online editions of dailies like the Washington Post. Get used to words and usage if these words (more important from the CAT point of view). Work on grammar points by reviewing the SCHO handouts. Add on to them as u work on other VA material

pur: sir, my acadecmic details is 10-87% 12-73% and i m in final year... wat is %needed to get a call frm good bschool????????
kk: A CAT percentile of 75+ will get you a call from some of the top 50 B schools. The higher yor percentile, the better will be the level of B schools from where you get calls

ram: sir.....please tell me other than time maTERIAL....WHAT should I prepare for Quant section & Reasoning section...?
kranthi: puzzle books.

pur: sir, my acadecmic details is 10-87% 12-73% and i m in final year... wat is %needed to get a call frm good bschool under obc quota????????
kranthi: over 95 to begin with.

pranu: will the online format of CAT effect its difficulty level
kranthi: prepare for the toughest then other things will become acceptable.

ram: sir please give me advice to improve my score.....although Iam studying the materials...Iam getting just 30% in Aimcats....
kk: Suggest that you meet the faculty at yr time centre, spend time with him on this issue and get a very personalised advice

pranu: is the study material of TIME sufficient to prepare for quant. do we require any other books as well
kk: Very much, if you can work out all of them including the test paper booklets and by doing review of each AIM CATs in detail. Trishna's book on Qa would be a good back up

cat_ion09: plz guide me to prepare for quant and di in this four month time period.
kk: Pl see my responde to a similar query on QA. For DI, take up the basic book SM 101005 and the four DIHO papers. Then, move on to the DEX papers. After that, take up the DAT papers and the DI test paper booklet. Review the AIM CATs and ensure that you understand the concepts behind each and every DI set.

ram: sir I have 80% in 10th class....81 % in Inter ....&73% in B.Tech...whaT ARE my chances to get a seat in IIMs
kk: Depends on yr CAT percentile

rahul: i want to know how should i prepare for gk
kk: Read our monthy magazine management education and careers and a good national daily. Supplement these with books like GK today annual or manorama year book

rahul: i want to know how should i prepare for gk
kranthi: read a general and bussiness newspaper daily .go through time magazine and material.

cat_ion09: thank you for all your responses:)
kk: Thanks. Happy prep and good luck

ram: kk sir ....I have a strong aim to get seat in IIMs....can u tell me the important personality traits those are required for cracking cat...
kk: Focus and determination, confidence, ability to think on ones feet during the exam and a positive attitude, backed by smart work at studies

mahes: how to prepare for cat 2010
kk: Suggest you start with a long term coaching program, which will help you to work on the basics of each test area at a leisurely pace without hampering your regular academics.