amit: Sir,by then the whole syllabus should be completed?
dhruba: Dear Amit I think you should be able to finish all basic booklets by mid-september and then try full length tests

amit: my accuracy is good in quant.but speed is not good. how to improve this?
dhruba: Are you trying to find alternative ways of solving questions like option judging etc during practice. If not strat trying.also consult a faculty member

rajan: i want to knw which chapters need special practise in quant for cat.
sai: all topics are important.

ajith: hello sir
dhruba: good evening ajith..ask ur question

nik: Hello Sir, What is the best strategy for preparing for Quant? I feel that extensive practice would work... would it?
dhruba: Sure practice is the best way..concentrate on basic concepts and applications of them

rajan: i am weak at percetage ques,how should i prepare them.
sai: practice a lot of questions invol.persistence will give comfort.ving percentage increase and decrease and comparision of fractions

varun: Hi sir ,i m good in coordinate geometry , progressions , any more more topics , but not in number systems ..can u suggest me some tip to score good marks in quany
dhruba: Have you tried TIME material and SM booklets. Kindly refresh your basics.Numbers is as easy as any other chapter.So you just need to practice more and come out of the fear

ajith: sir i have been preparing only for quants for the past 3 months ....got only 7 in quants last aimcat...got 47 in di and 37 in va....... without any preparation ..
dhruba: The absolute score is no representation of ur preparation.wait for percentile..low score may be because the paper was on tougher side

malurpal: which are the areas to be focused on in Quant? I'm desperately in need of some advice, as i've never been able to score more than 4 in Quant...
kranthi: ALL topics are important.

kishore: hi sir ...im very slow in attempting the questions...
kranthi: if ur acccuracy is good and u are able to clear cutoffs comfortably u need not worry.

recalcitrant fr: sir,is it sufficient if i do the TIME provided materials for cat...shd i refer smthn else too??
sai: TIME material is sufficient.

ajith: wat can i do ......... finished all the basic chapters... i am thinking of leaving geometry ,prob,permutation. the paper was easy tats y iam worried
dhruba: Please don't leave any chapter as of now.All are equally imp.Try to build as much proficiency as possible

robin: How to kick out fear of quant from mind...it is a menace for me and my percentiles are shaking just because of quant. Rest are fine...
kranthi: develop familiarity with the subject by spending sufficient time on it familiarity gives comfort and comfort leads to confidence,.

pallokapoor: sir,i am very good in answering questions of maths in class but my performance is very bad in mock cats as far as quants is concerned
dhruba: Consult a faculty member with your test scores.Problem may not be knowledge but other factors like test condition and time pressure

asspirant: hello sir.... which book to be reffered for quant.
dhruba: Material from a good coaching institute is the best guide.TIME material has got best reviews from CAT takers year on year

rajan: is anybody there?
dhruba: rajan we are here from TIME..ask your question pls

surbhi: sir, quants is the weakest section of mine......... so apart from the material given by time... wat else i should do to have mastery over cat maths......
kranthi: time material is sufficient.

shalini: sir , i am aim to complete the basic booklets by mid september and then complete the additional TLB booklets along with aimcats from thereon till D-day....is it a good strategy?
dhruba: Yes perfectly alright..however don't forget the basic booklets to refer everytime

nikita: sir,which questions(like rider based,permutation,probability)etc should be avoided to get the quant section solved quickly?
dhruba: Dear Nikita, questions are tough or easy not chapters, so dnt leave any chapter

kishore: hi sir please reply to my question..how can i improve my speeding ability
dhruba: Dear Kishore i have answered part of ur question in some last question.Also try speed calculation as taught in classes

raj: do i start solving cat papers or prepare basics first and then solve later?
dhruba: Basics are very important. However in August September both can happen simulataneously

rajaditya: sir my percentiles in every passing mock cat are decreasing...i started off with close to 97%ile n nw i get around 85%ile...i am unable to increase my scores since...please tell me if there is a flaw in my preparation..?
dhruba: Get a personal counselling done with a faculty member.

ajith: sir iims hav said tat v can see the whole question paper in the screen.but y aimcats r not like tat
dhruba: IIMs have not said that in their official FAQ released

asspirant: is r.s aggrawal o good book for the prep?? how to increase speed????
kranthi: partially helpful.time material is comprehensive.

su: hi sir, is it feasible to start off with quants from now n crack it??
kranthi: yes but spend atleast a couple of hrs everyday on it.

kishore: hi dhruba sir can i find some tips from u?
dhruba: sure..pls ask questions

surbhi: is anybody there????
dhruba: Surbhi we are here from TIME..pls ask

asspirant: what are the basic books for quant....nd how long it takes to complete all those books???
kranthi: it takes around couple of months of sustained effort to complete time material satisfactorily.

elvis: Hello Sir, I wanted to ask about the level of questions in aimcats. Is it at par with the real CAT exam or below it or above it?
dhruba: there is nothing called CAT level ..papers are totally unpredictible..so TIME AIMCATs try to reflect that only

abc: sir,i am very weak at geometry.even after doing time material,unable to do aimcat questions.what should i do?
kranthi: procure school books from 5th to 10th and go through the geometry concepts in them for better understanding of geometry and other concepts.

kumar: Sir I've started preparing for CAT from today. Joined the classroom prog yesterday.took AIMCAT 16. Zero in quantz n DI. Verbal was around 60. I am very worried abt my quantz peformance. Can you please tell me how to start my preparation for quantz & DI?
dhruba: Don't worry as it was without preparation.Wait for one more and then assess your performance

apocalypse: Sir, i performed well in the DI section(42 marks) in AIMCAT 1016 and did pretty average in English too (32 marks)....but i performed poorly in quant...i havent started studyin much....do u think i should focus more on quant and va section now and do DI in the last 1-2 months?...I just can't find time to study all the three sections and I'm perplexed!
dhruba: You should consult a faculty member personaly with score card.The quant section was on tougher side so don't get depressed wait for results

rajaditya: also sir the questions asked in sm booklets are fairly easy but the ones asked in mock cats are really tough and never seen before...from where can we get practise of such difficult questions?
dhruba: AIMCATS are a collection of questions too..revise and analyse AIMCATs well

snk: sir i wanted to know if attempting all questions is wise.. and which topics u think are the most likely ones
kranthi: start with the easier ones and move to more difficult ones .do not overshoot the time limit u have kept for each section.

dpk: sir..i m jus messed up in following the any material..is the TIME material enough to score around 95%??what about arun sharma??
kranthi: time material is sufficient.

ganu02: Hi Sir I have just now started to prepare for CAT09.Could you tel me the mode of preparation
dhruba: First finish the basic booklets.From mid Aug can start with basics and tests simultaneusly.However you need to work extra hard as time is limited now

rpc9x757: Hi,Sir i was working for 2yrs .just left my job a month before,because i was into sales so i can hardly manage to put time for preparations.now i have joined the test series and doing the preparations at my home only..any advice is appreciated.
dhruba: Your preparation should depend on your performance in tests.How are AIMCATs going

ally: in the 3o min quant tests on the student homepage i score 20 to 35 marks each time..how gud or bad is it?
dhruba: Its good,,however it depends on difficulty level as well

nikita: sir,which chapters are to be focussed mainly to get a good score?
dhruba: all topics are important..as of now prepare all

richa: gud evening sir... i want to knw shoud we practice online or on pen paper?
dhruba: both..remember only CAT has gone online..

dev: Hello gud evg sir.im solving out problems in time material well.but in aimcats im facing some toughness.wat should i do
dhruba: practice previous aimcats as well..they are also a collection of questions..after aimcat do proper revision and analysis

pallokapoor: sir i have completed basic books for month once,should i repeat them?
kranthi: do only difficult questions while revising basic study material and then move to other material.

raj: sir if the paper is for 100 marks then how mamy minimum marks should i aim at so as to clear the cutoff with 95 percentile?
dhruba: depends on difficulty level..in CAT you can predict beforehand

nikita: sir,hw many questions should i generally attempt in QA section within a maximum alloted time of 50 mins to get a very good score?
dhruba: depends on difficulty level..don't prejudge..the papers are quite unpredictible

ally: while solving d time booklets..ideally how much time shud we allocate for a set of around 30 questions?
kranthi: depends on the difficulty level.

pallokapoor: how much time should i spend daily on quants section?
dhruba: depends on ur proficiency..if u r equally strong/weak in all sections then divide time equally if there are equal questions

rpc9x757: Sir,also to improve on basics of quant and VC .what should be my stratergy? looking forward for your reply.
dhruba: practice the basic booklets well

ankita: sir please help me out.i'm facing lot problems in quant.i'm not able to clear the cutoff in quant.
dhruba: get a counseling done.problems may not be only due to knowledge.it can be also due to other factors like improper time planning

johnsondsouza: Dear Dhruba,what is the likelyhood of Quant being comparitively easier this time compared to previous CAT exams
dhruba: cannot predict..i am sure online is not going to create any difference in the unpredictibility

sujith: sir how to start preparing for quantitative section in CAT?how to study?
kranthi: start with quant foundation and solve the material in the order we have given.attend the classes with thorough preparation to follow discussions better.

rohan: Which chapters have been historically more difficult than the others?
dhruba: no chapter..all have come in CAT..and anyway there is no relevance for history in an exam like CAT

ally: should we focus on completing the time booklets first and den moving on 2 the question papers given or doing dem along with helps better?
kranthi: complete the basic booklets first and move to tests.keep taking aimcats regularly.

kishore: sir im willing to get percentile more than 90...i joined the times one week back..can i get through my 95..how many hours require per day....please do reply for this question
dhruba: Sure you can and infact very close to it.Why aim only 95 try 100. It does not require a genius for that,juts directional hardwork

pallokapoor: yes sir test pressure is big problem for me and i always attempt maths first.how to get rid of this
dhruba: do experiment with other sections as well.don't be stuck to one strategy. Find out which works for you

sujith: how many hours of preparation per day is necessary from now for a fresh starter?
dhruba: depends completely on ur preparation level..generally 400+ hours of preparation is required for an average person overall

aaaa: sir which are the most important chapters on which we must concentrate so that we can cover aroun 10 questions or so
dhruba: all chapters are important..don't ignore any

raj: when i am 60% sure of a question do i mark it or not...
kranthi: mark it 60% of time.

sujith: out of 25 questions what is a good number to answer in CAT
kranthi: depends on difficulty level and ur accuracy level.

abc: sir,how much time should we allocate to quant section in aimcats so as to clear cutoff?
dhruba: Depends on whether its strong/weak for you

krish: sir,i am on course to finishing TIME quant material in a month. would you suggest trishna's after that?
kranthi: go ahead.but revise all difficult questions in the completed material.

bha: totally confused as how to start with quants prep. can u suggest strategy to get my basics strengthened
dhruba: Go through and solve basic booklets thoroughly

harsh: my acuuracy is fine enuf but my attempts are not gud enuf to clear the cut off ......wat shud i do? if i try to increase my speed then i am unable to solve the problems perfectly
dhruba: Have you tried alternative ways of solving questions while practice..if not do it now..consult a faculty member as well

32: 5 years of exp in IT field? should do 2 year MBA or 1 year and in which stream?
kranthi: depends on the institute and course.

32: 5 years of exp in IT field? should do 2 year MBA or 1 year and in which stream?
dhruba: Both are equally good if done from a top Bschool. Stream you can decide after knowing in detail about each of them

laltu: Sir i sored 80% and 51% in 10th and 12th.Now iam able to secured 7.5 to 7.8 cgpa in B tech.does my below par performance in 12th create problem for me to get a call from any of IIM or XLRI or Spjain or FMS
kranthi: u can compensate the same by good performance now on.situation is not irretrievable.

ramakant: sir i hve joined batches frm feb month so i hven't complete my study material becoz of other additional syallubus sir is it important that for getting percentile in aimcat we hve to complete study material first?????????
dhruba: yes that helps your basics to get cleared by a substantial extent..without that tests can be more difficult than what they actually are

bha: Is time basic quants material sufficient to get a hint on all cat probs even for a person who is bad at quants
kranthi: supplement it with school books in case u are starting from scratch.

abc: sir,how should i prepare for other exams like iift,jmet which have higher level quant questions?time material doesnt cover these chapters?
kranthi: we do cover those topics we give additonal classes specific to institute .

kishore: hi dhruba sir iam willing to get percentile more than 90...i joined the times one week back..can i get through my 95..how many hours require per day....please do reply for this question
dhruba: study and practice as much as you can..aim for nothing less than 100 percentile..you just need hardwork and desire to do it..not a genius

apocalypse: im confused between the book by Arun Sharma and the SM's provided by TIME...given the time I have at hand I don't see myslef completing both...what do i do?....Also, how different are the other quant exercise books provided by TIME from the earlier SM's?
kranthi: do time material that is sufficient.we have graded the difficulty level in such away that questions get more difficult progressively than basic material.

charms6384: sir, i'm average in quant, should i concentrate on ques from basic books like arun sharma or i should go for different institute mock paper..?
kranthi: a combo of both.

abc: preparation tips in quant for other exams like jmet,iift etc?please reply
dhruba: its more and less same as CAT..however calculus and complex numbers is an addition

surbhi: sir am really weak in funtions ..... so how i should go about preparing it....
dhruba: consult the TIME material basic booklets..also attend a class and consult a Faculty member

zombie: sir ,,the notifivation 4 CAT hasnt yet cum..its august almost now...wil the exam b in december???ani extenxion possile?pls reply
dhruba: CAT will be between 28th Nov to 7th Dec..its declared

krish: sir, my strongest section since last year has been verbal, hence i start the exam with verbal and then move on to QA.however my speed in solving quant is only half the speed with which i go about verbal. this causes a lot of anxiety during the exam and i tend to spend 10-15mins worrying and doing nothing else.pls help?
dhruba: why not try and experiment with other sections as well..you never know which strategy suits you without trying them

cat: do we need to start attempting the questions as soon as i get the paper or look the paper once and select the questions of my choice?
dhruba: You should scan the paper and try to recognise easy questions. Get a counseling done by a faculty member

hitesh0410: Sir, I am very weak in Numbers.Although I have read the basic material abt Numbers but i fail to crack Ques.Pls help me out.
dhruba: Get a counseling done with a faculty member.It may be because you fail to recognise the application of a learnt theory

surbhi: sir can tell me some exams other than cat which has comparitively less difficult quants question.......
dhruba: CAT questions are not necessarily tough..pls don't have any such mindsets..its the competition which is fierce but you also get to go to the best Bschools in India

hitesh0410: Sir, what strategy should be used for D.S quest.in Quant
dhruba: DS is almost same as quant.Its the algorithm which matters.Consult our basic DS booklet and practice a lot

glory: Hi Sir I have just started preparation for cat 2009 last month and persuing my btech final year .It really a great pressure on me to study engg subjects as well to prepare for cat.plss sugest me some tips for cat
dhruba: i understand your concern.engineering is surely the priority.study for CAT only when you can manage to.Regularity is the key

dev: sir, i m a commerce student.. n from last four years i m not in touch with maths... so how should i do..?
dhruba: You should brush up basics thoroughly.Don't worry it just requires knowledge till class tenth level for most of the questions

apocalypse: yes...so if i dont end up finishing the latter books give n by TIME, wouldn't I be at loss?....because all I must have done by then is solve below par questions from the SM's.....also there are lots of group tests and cat replica tests(pink cover booklets) given as a take home package....wats the difficulty level of these....which among all of these should I give more priority...thats the dilemma!
dhruba: Finish the basic books first..you can try the other tests from mid to end August.CAT is unpredictible about difficulty level so don't worry about that

rini: sir wat all r the portions which is frequently covered in cat or mat or any other xams
dhruba: no such portion.prepare all topics well

sbk: sir will is the aimcats in par with actual cat or less tougher than that or more tougher...
dhruba: there is is nothing called CAT level as it is unpredictible. AIMCATS reflect that only

ajith: sir if i can finish basic books by august and start other books and tests by sept will tat be ok.
kranthi: ok.but do not forget to revise.

dev: sir, my basics are little bit weak so, how should i make it strong..?
kranthi: revise and solve topics from school books apart from time material.