Chat Transcript

Awadh: Hello Sir.. is it advisable to keep DI in the end?
Arkss: It really does not matter what you keep in the end. You have to give sufficient time for the same so that you don't get panicky.

HARSHU: IF THE PAPER CONTAINS DIFFERENTIAL MARKING LIKE SOME QUESTIONS OF 1 MARKS AND SOME OF 3 MARKS IN EACH SECTION THEN WHAT SHOULD BE THE STRATEGY?
Arkss: Look at giving time for the amount of marks in that section rather than for questions.

pinky: sir i am feeling very nervous and tensed!!! please help
Arkss: Hi Pinky, Welcome to the CAT examinees club. Everyone of them would be feeling the same. Go to a movie and chill. If you have worked hard till now, then there is nothing to worry.

smartcat: Can we be learning, revisng quant formulae omorrow.. or should we just be blank tomm??
Arkss: Don't worry. You can do what you want. Forget that there is CAT on 18th. Enjoy your 17th.

billi: what would be some important topics in quants which i should look up b4 the CAT?
Arkss: Now, nothing is important. Your confidence is.

Sahoo: sir, how is CAT 2007 going to be ?
Arkss: like a normal CAT paper :) Just chill friends.

Tanvi: Should each section be attempted at one go..or should the easier questions from each be done first
Sai: Spot the easy questions and answer them straightaway

shikha86t: Sir , I always followed the order DI-QA-VA-QA in my AIMCATs.But I just thought that in real CAT , I should start with QA.Like do QA for 10 min and then move to DI.Because I would be really nervous in the beginning.So is it advisable to do some easy questions in the beginning and then move ahead with usual order?
Arkss: How would you know what are the easy questions. I do not think that they would give you any star mark against the easy questions. Yes, if you can find some then do it, but there will be enough of them anyway so don't have to worry for the first 10 min

goosebumps: hello sir i dont seem to detect the easy questions i all the sections any suggestions??
Arkss: Read all questions and attempt those which you are familiar with. And afterr 30 sec to 45 sec, if you are not getting that, drop that question and move on. This way you will read every question and you will then not miss any easy one.

CAT07__: Hello All I have a question, if we get a paper wherein we have negetive marks for Not Attempting questions should we resort to Guessing or just put same option as asnwer for all questions we can't attempt?
Sai: Look at the quantum of negative marking and decide. if the negative for leaving questions is say 4 times the negative for incorrect only then guess otherwise do not guess!!

Sahoo: sir, how is CAT 2007 going to be ?
Sai: Dont worry about the pattern or number of questions. The surprise is the same for everyone.

ambisagar: hi sir can the cat paper have three sections of mixed questions from di qant va?
Sai: Highly unlikely.

viks: sir with all the ups and dows looking in the aimcats..what are the things to concentrate in the last 32 hours to cat.
Arkss: Now is the time to take complete stock of your strenghts and ensure that you spend time on those strenghts in the exam. Spend a little time on checking the AIMCATs and the strategy you would follow if a similar paper comes in the exam. Do what you routinely do on a saturday. this is no exception.

ramesh: what should i do for tomorrow
Sai: Watch 'Jab We Met'. heard that it is a great movie. Just chillout and relax. You have slogged really hard....destress for atleast a day.

juhi: sir if there are more than 120 questions then what should the approach be ?
Arkss: division of time will depend on the marks per section. whether there are 120 questions or 150 or 75, the basic strategy will have to remain same. Except that you have no time to waste when there are more questions,

smartcat: Does differential marking have a bright chance of reappearing this time?
Sai: CAt is known for its surprises. Anything is possible. Wahtever it is it will not be a greater surprise or tougher than the AIMCATs that you have taken!!

varungupta: how to select the sequence of different sections ?
Arkss: Make sure that you start with your Stenght area and ens with a strenght area. The weak area (if any) should be between the strenght areas.

alokmba: sir, in all my mocks i secured just 70 percentile in language, can i make it into iims, can i clear cutoff in language, am very strong in quant n di.
Arkss: Remember that IIMC has given only 10% mark as the cutoff. That would be less that 70%ile. There is very much a chance as long as the overall is high.

manish: what are the stratgy for DE section.
Arkss: DI you mean? Spend time on each set. After about 2 to 3 min decide whether you want to do it or not, if yes, given another 8 to 10 min else drop that set. Continue till all the sets are over or the time you set is over.

pavan: Is it advisable to attempt a lengthy (but solvable) question during the 15-minute Buffer time ?
Sai: Attempt whatever you think can fetch you the critical marks required to clear the cut-off or increase your score. Sometimes the verbose questions have a very easy logic to solve and hence one cannot discount them.

Rachumalla: How should i spend my time on 17th Nov ?
Sai: Watch a movie, play a game of chess or carroms. Get loads of sleep and absolutely no studying!!

pinky: sir do u think FIJs would appear this time?? what is your opinion??
Sai: Dont speculate. Even if it appears you have had enough practice through your mocks. So take it positively.

thahir: Sir, In your experience, What was the percentiles of the students who got selected to IIMs in Time Mock cats?
Sai: Anyone from 70 percentile plus can count himself/herself in with a chance. the difference in the scores of someone at 95%ile and one at 70%ile is sometimes as less as getting an 5 questions correct.

anshuman: Sir quant is my strongest area and DI weakest so far I've been doing DI as 2nd section but in one of AIMCATS i went for DI first and quant last and managed good score should i persist with this for CAT...
Arkss: Hi Anshuman, Basically go with your instinct.

ambisagar: hi dear sir i am a 75%iler in aimcats , which instit. i look for finanance mba?
Arkss: after the CAT, you can know where you would stand, it makes sense to discuss about the same then. All the best for CAT.

das: is it advisable to scan thru the whole paper or section wise after getting the question paper
Arkss: yes, in couple of minutes

meenakshi: sir m feeling very nervous...plz can u telme howmuch difficult cat 2007 will be
Arkss: it is expected to be easy that you are feeling!

Rajendra: Sir, There is such a long list of questions here, will all the questions be answered?
Sai: Though you cannot post after the alloted time we will still answer the important questions even after the chat session ends. Please check the transcript of the chat to see if your question is already answered before posting your question.

alokmba: sir what is ur opinion regarding d format of paper?
Arkss: 3 section

goosebumps: i ddint get above 60 percentiles in aimcats what should i do again join time for coaching i was on a short term program ;)~???
Arkss: 18th is another day. Just do the best you can.

girish: sirs,good evening 28 months work ex,sc category what should be the minimum target in each section
Arkss: 20% marks

CatchingCAT: What one should do if there is negative marking for unattemted quess ? Is it advisable to guess the remaining ques ?
Arkss: YES

prits: since english is my strongest section,do i try 2 maximize my score in dat section during da buffer time,or do i go 4 da other sections,since english increases da chance of negative marks?
Sai: If you are sure that you have crossed the cutoff in the other two sections then go for maximising the score in VA/RC

HARSHU: IS IT ADVISABLE TO SOLVE A SECTION FOR SOME TIME,THEN ANOTHER AND THEN COME BACK TO THE ORIGINAL SECTION OR SOLVE ONE SECTION AT A GO
Arkss: Hi Harshu, whichever way you et maximum marks, you should do it that way

HARSHU: WHILE SOLVING JUDGEMENT INFERENCE ANF FACTS RELATED Q IN VERBAL,I HAVE A lot of cinfusion in differentiating between inference and judgment..what should the approach be
Arkss: don't worry about these now

Amit: Sir should i focus on maximizing my overall score or should i look to clear cut offs in each section as many institutes other than IIMs dont consider sectional cutoffs?
Sai: The really good ones have some minimum cutoff requirement. ensure that you get a respectable score in each section while trying to maximise your strongest area.

varungupta: sir, in all the given Aimcats, i cleared my VA cutoff just 3-4 times can i stand any chance of clearing it on 18th?
Arkss: ABSOLUTELY

manish: straty for next 30 hours./
Arkss: Just relax and be normal.

nitin_jain_cat: Sir do u think we should change our strategy means order of attempting questions that we are following in AIMCAT for 18th Nov even if one does so?
Sai: Do what you have been doing in the AIMCATs. DO NOT TRY OUT SOMETHING new on the CAT day!!

goosebumps: i got a cousin who is there in iim and im expected to do the same can i im hopeless???
Arkss: do it for yourself, not for your cousin

Sahoo: Sir, Tell us to how to make best out of the paper within limited period of time.
Arkss: check the basic strategies that we have said all the while. just ensure that you don't do harakiri in the paper

Kiran: For how much time should i read on this Saturday?
Arkss: whatever time you feel is ok.

alokmba: sir d history of TIME says aimcat 2 pattern is d same as cat pattern. is it true? what about this time?
Sai: The CAT pattern could be on the lines of one of the AIMCATs you have taken.

Prateek: Sir i highly appreciate the efforts put in by you guys to ease our tension...thanks a ton :o)
Sai: Read the write up on the tips for D-Day. Will help you relieve the tension a lot more and help you focus on what needs to be done.

ji: sir, i am weak in quant. please give me some advice to tackle it
Arkss: read all questions and answer the ones that you are confident. Even if you know 20% of the questions (1 in 5) then it is sufficient.

aquanili: if i can tel tht m not abl2 clear the cutoff in a particular section,shud i persist or shud i try 2maximise my score int the remaining section.
Sai: maximise score in the remaining two sections

bhavana: hi sir..how do u think CAT 07 going to be??
Arkss: like one of our AIMCATs

sunny: how should i spend tommrow??
Arkss: treat it like a normal day except don't cram too many things. Eat light in the evening. Sleep early if you can.

goosebumps: can i have choclates like diary milk on 18th bfore the exam???;))
Sai: Absolutely!! Rocher chocolates are also very good for the day before CAT. Chocolate gives you a high and makes you fell confident. so go ahead with chocolates.

nitin: hi sir should i give an aimcat this sat..
Sai: Absolutely Not. relax man you have punished your body and mind enough for the last 3 months.

in_earch: Sir,i know the that unpredicability of Cat is unquestionable....but is apart from the question types in Aimcats....are there any other formats which we might be able to expect realistically...for eg...IIFT 2006 pattern.....etc....thank you for support ....whether i do well or not on 18th i have learned a lot from time....tnku
Arkss: Theoretically Yes. But then the areas and the types of questions won't change and hence you would be better equipped anywhich way.

ahmadm: Hello sir, I have a question regarding the cut-offs ... If in my weakest area I manage to clear the cutoffs, and increase my overall score using the other two sections... will I be missing on calls from IIMA or B if my percentile in that particular section is low but my cut-offs are clear
Arkss: unlikely

Prateek: Hi Sir...im not going for the iim's...so will it be advisable to put stress on two sections??
Arkss: decide in the exam if you are really in a bad shape for a section and then concentrate on the other two

Nani: As normal tension& nervous increases while we go to exam, how to avoid it?
Sai: Just remind yourself that everyone else is also feeling the same. That slight amount of tension is good for you, keeps you on your toes and the adrenaline rushing. Which means you will be fast and alert!!!

bhavana: i herad that english i.e VA questions are going to be more this time??is it true??
Arkss: i would like to know where you have heard this :)

monu: what is the cut off percentile for fetching 1 call for SC/ST
Sai: In the range of 85-90 depending on the IIM.

goosebumps: what was yr srataegy when y cracked the iims???
Arkss: we have said those things umpteens times in the classes. Just follow the basis advise that we have given you.

Kiran: Sir, I have not gone through SM100818 (special questions given to us) yet.Can i go through them tomorrow?
Arkss: yes

nick: sir, have you had experience with anyone getting a duplicate admit card?i have not got my admit card till now, and as per the website i will bw going to the centre tomorrow to get my card.have you had experience with other students facing this issue? do officials do stay at the centre aT the appointed time?
Sai: Dont worry. if you can see your center in the website then go ahead as per the instructions given and collect your HT. The officials will be there. No need to panic.

alokmba: sir is there a chance of negative marking 4 left out questions
Arkss: yes, but less likely

Sahoo: for OBC what should be the percentile ?
Sai: As of now there is no indication of any reservation for the OBC category.

harshita: I have had very fluctuating performances in english section. I'm worried because of the ambiguious options... please advise.
Arkss: u just need one good performance on 18th. all the other ones are of no consequence

mohan: what would be the approximate cut-offs for iim's other than A and B? could you tell the approximate percentile cut-offs based on your experience???? thanks in advance
Arkss: 98.5+

purvi: hie .. firstly i wud thank for comin up with for those 36 hours thing.. my questn is wat shud b d strategy for d last day as in wat shud we do for d last day dts 0n 17 ???
Arkss: please read up the article on time4education or on rediff (written by me)

Toddler: Hello SAI, I want thank you for the brilliant mocks .... I want to know from where does TIME come up with these DI Sets of AIMCATs ... is there any book which you follow or would like to advise us to follow ? ... I would really appreciate TIME if you could come up with a book on DI with the kinda sets you give in AIMCATs.... for more practise .. i know that the DEX and AIMCATs are enough but still if you could get all such sets into one book .. it will be gr888 Thanks
Sai: Thanks a ton Toddler. It is only that we have a great team working on the AIMCATs. We do not take questions from any book/online source etc. this is our own copyrighted mnaterial. The AIMCATs should be enough to cover every question type in CAT!!

goosebumps: am i asking the right questions???
Sai: Aap yaha hain yahi kaafi hain. The questions are perfect!!

rana: sir how to start d paper with which section?
Arkss: ideally with the strong area

ROCKY: SIR, IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET 90 PERCENTILE IN CAT WITHOUT ANY PREPARATION?
Sai: Highly unlikely.

BGC7X842: I AM VERY ANXIOUS AND VERY EXCITED ABOUT CAT 2007 ..........JUST HAVE BEEN READING LOT OF ADVICES AND SURFING NET RELATED TO CAT .....HOW TO BEAT THIS EAGERNESS AND ANXIETY
Arkss: Stop reading them. Just get your basic stuff ready for the day after. Hall tickets, Pencils, erasers, watch, sharpners etc. Read some good book or listen to music. Forget that there is CAT on 18th for a while. it would do a world of good for you.

deoarshi: Thanks for the Time for having LIVE CHAT . Best wishes to all . I think perhaps all queries have been asked ....
Arkss: Thankd Deoarshi. Wish you all the best for CAT.

GIRISH: WHAT COULD BE THE CUT OFFS( SECTIONAL) FOR INSTITUTES LIKE MDI NITIE SPJMIR AND IMT
Sai: Last year for MDI arnd 98, NITIE arnd 97, SPjain arnd 94-98 (depending on workex), IMT around 96

winvin: sir, how to select questions in quant.. should we just look for questions based on our comfortable areas or read and select each question on its merit?
Arkss: Read every question and select those that you can do. Do not waste time on any one question for more than a minute.

sonu: My performance get drop considerably in last 1 hour , How I can Improve it and which section would be better to do in last 30 mins as there will be lot of pressure at that time
Arkss: In CAT you won't think of the last 1 hr. Also, just take a wet tissue paper and wipe yourself to get fresh if required.

nitin_jain_cat: Sir is it possible that one performs well on 18 NOv by learning from their learnings in the AIMCAT even if one has been able to score between 70-90 percentile in AIMCAT?
Sai: Yes very much possible. How cool a mind one has is what is tested. If you keep your cool it is certainly possible.

ROCKY: SIR , CAN U TELL WHAT WILL BE THE NUMBER OF QUESTION IN CAT THIS YEAR
Arkss: on 18th.

vinay1809: sir,do the iims consider accuracy%?
Sai: In these days of transparency we havent got any indication from the IIMs that accuracy is a factor being considered. We stress on accuracy as it saves precious time that can be used in answering additional questions.

aquanili: i am grrt at english n almost same at both quantz n di.wht shud i attempt first.i hav noticed tht if i go4 quantz n di first i tend 2waste a bit more time thn i shud.
Arkss: do what is most comfortable for u then! as u urself say u spend mroe time if start with DI or QA...so then start n spend time on VA-RC first!

harshita: Sir... a request, please answer all the queries that u receive by 8:30pm. This session seems to be very helpful. Thanks for the support and valuable guiadance.
Sai: Yes Harshita. I will try and answer as many Qs as possible.

g_leo: sir i a bit tensed have not perform that well in cats with scores varying from 83-99 in mocks followed a strategy of quant ,ver,di always some time ears fruit n some times nt depending on th initial 1 hour confidence level wic sours with an easy quant paper...i m nt tht good in ver as well with my scores always shrt of cutoff recommend me some advice,thanx
Arkss: if you did get 99%ile , you are good. Just remember that day and go to the exam with that confidence.

mohan: what would be the approximate cut-offs for iim's other than A and B? could you tell the approximate percentile cut-offs based on your experience???? thanks in advance
Arkss: 98.5%ile +

kk: Good evening Sir, I am quite weak in quant and have often found that I'm rarely able to answer more than 2-3 questions in quant in AIMCATS (and thus unable to clear the cut off). If the difficulty of questions the same in CAT what would be your advise in such a scenario? Thank you.
Arkss: spend less than 40 minutes and read all questions and decide which ones you can do.

Tanvi: are there sectional cut-offs for MDI and IMT also? If yes,what are thet?
Arkss: yes there may be, But will be less that that for the IIMs. MDI could be at the 80%ile level in each section.

tami: Can we expect the cat 2007 to be similar to one of the last 10 mock cats? Hope my question makes sense?
Sai: Yes very much. It does make sense and that is the reason we give 20 AIMCATs so that you are ready for any pattern.

vinay1809: sir,i have my semester exam on monday..should i go thru the basics..or prepare for my sem exam?
Arkss: prepare for sem exams

rahul: hi sir... my average percentile is 20-30 in all the aimcats.... what can i xpect from the cat xam..... plz make me clear.....
Arkss: just do the best that you can

hyc7p235: Seeing that the solutions for English section varied drastically from coaching institutes to the IIMs, is there any such possibility this time too? Or would u atleast be able to comment on such a thing after the CAT exams is analysed?
Sai: The sad thing is that the coaching institutes have to justify their key and not the IIM's! In fact every disputed question could easily have 2-3 correct answers depending on what lens you use to look at the question with.

harsh: sir acc. 2 u which section will b the toughest n which will b the easiest..just make a guess..
Arkss: harsh, it depends on who is writing it. A quant strong guy may always find the verbal tough and vice versa :)

batty: Sir, roughly what percentage of the people scoring 99%ile and above in AIMCATs (or if possible in previous CATs too) make the cut in all 3 sctional cutoffs?
Sai: A very large percentage. Infact the relevant indicator is how consistently has one cleared the cutoffs in all 3 sections of our AIMCATs. if one has manged to do that say 80% of the time then you have a brilliant chance of being in the 99+ile category.

Sahoo: I am still could not work properly on my weakness area. i.e on DI and Quant.. But i pretty feel good in handling english.. so how to do best of the remaining sections.
Arkss: give atleast 45 min to the two sections and maximise the score in english. if you get the cutoffs in DI and QA then you will be in with a chance for the IIMs

winvin: sir, is there any way by which we can approximately decide on the cut-offs for each section, after looking through the questions and understanding their difficulty level; and then allocate time accordingly ? Any rough estimate also would be really helpful..
Sai: Try to benchmark the paper against one of the AIMCATs and then estimate cutoffs by recollecting the cutoffs for that particular AIMCAT.

ram: sir, i belong to the resvered category(SC) ...can you just tell me what would be appropriate sectional percentile and over-all percentile to get a couple of iim calls
Sai: Check transcript. Already answered.

manish_iimc: hello, is attempting your weakest section first a good idea or attempt strongest section?
Arkss: depends. ingeneral it is advised to start with the strongest section

chetan: can i b sure of a call from iimb if i score 91%ile and i am a university topper....and have cleared CA Inter.... as i could comprehend the same from the process mentioned by them
Sai: You also should have cleared the overall cutoff to get a call from B. being a CA helps but the necessary condition is that you have to fare well in CAT.

shikha: I have a serious problem.I have a very bad sleeping habit.I usually sleep at three in night and wake up at ten/eleven in the morning.I will try to sleep early tomorrow.But,is there any chance that my performance will suffer 'coz the test is at ten in the morning and my body is not accustomed to such timings? Please suggest.Thanks a lot.
Sai: The tension will not help you sleep so much. Since you have taken AIMCATs in the same timeslot i think you are already accustomed to such a schedule. No issues at all

pankaj: sir i m not feelin nervous.... but it doesn't mean that i've studied so much....... i m thinking that when i havnt studied for the last 5 months so wot can b done in just within 2 days..... and my preparation is average..... what should i xpct....?????
Arkss: dont speculate bout the exam so much..anyway its a bag of surprises.. u just go prepared to suit yr method or strategy to wotever paper pattern u find that day :)

rajdip: hello sir. can you give me any suggestions what will be the best strategy if -ve marks are alloted for unattemted questions also like aimcat 805
Sai: Answered. Check transcript

alokmba: sir in last aimcat i spend around 30 mins in 2 quant questions by which i just secuerd 85p. so what shoud i do?
Arkss: that's just one aimcat. Doesn't seem to be a great strategy

CatchingCAT: Hi sir..mostly I hav been scoring 83-87 %le in AimCATS..couple of times 93 and 98..quite a few times 79-80...u can see how inconsistent I am..Do I stand a chance ?..
Sai: It is all about having one great day. From your percentiles it is quite obvious that the potential is certainly there it is only about getting everything right this Sunday. Give it your best shot and you will surely CAtch the CAT.

aswin: sir my major drawback is in english sir...i am not able to do the passage well...i have even practiced a lot...is there any shortcut in answering the questions for the passage
Arkss: look for direct questions at least see if you can answer those by looking for words from the question in the passage text.. u can choose to do only any one passage and concentrate on VA questions..RC isnt the only thing!

hyc7p235: Then in a case where solutions of sizeable number of questions are disputable, would it be wise to mark the answers of instinct when in we too aren't sure of the answer or is there some other tip we should follow?
Sai: Dont touch the disputed Qs (if you are indeed able to spot them in the heat of the exam). The CAT committee has never given bonus marks to students who have attempted them. every year they have simply ignored the Qs for the purpose of evaluation.

monu: the test paper given by the institute in the end- given only 2 those who submitted their cat admit card copy.. how important it is???
Sai: Dont worry if you havent even touched it. It was meant for additional practice and it doesnt contain anything that the AIMCATs have not already touched on.

gaurav: should i go predicided about the order of attempting the sections?
Arkss: to an extent stick with ur practised strategy of attempting sections yes...but depending on how it is this year be prepared to quickly adapt!

shikha: For how many hours should one sleep on 17th night?Thanks a lot.And,this is ,indeed,a very great initiative by the TIME people. You people really rock!!
Sai: Atleast 10-11 hours. Thanks for the compliment.

prabhs: sir, generally speaking wat does a 90-95%ile in mock cats correspond to in the actual CAT taking into consideration all the competion ?
Sai: You should be in the 95-99 range in the actual CAT!! Do well Prabhs!!

varungupta: what should be our strategy if paper has abt 135 to 150 questions? as we all r almost banking upon lesser no. of questions?
Arkss: spent lesser time per question in such case of more questions...so that u can attempt more number of q's naturally..

pratik: hello sir , i have solved till mc100805 and crt100802 i wish to solve one more mock cat paper which should i solve, so that i can go for cat with confidence.
Sai: Not the time for any more mocks but indeed if you have to do one more ..then do the CAT2006 paper.

vignesh: sir i have 98.69 as my highest percentile that too in the last aimcat.But i m stil a bit low in confidence.wat all should i go through tom
Sai: 98.69 is a fabulous score. Go ahead and conquer the world is your oyster!!

way_to_go: have a quest regarding IIMB strategy : How could you check last two years performance at Xth and XIIth level and apply it to everyones' case. The CBSE borad exam results used to be a lot screwed up around 7-8 years back when eben 85% used to be a great score. Have i understood the IIMB strategy correctly?
Sai: They will compare you with the 90th percentile in your own board and it is but one of several such parameters. All in all more parameters mean a more balanced evaluation. Dont worry about IIMB - If not B there are 5 others to consider.

akash: sir,what percentage of questions should be attempted from each section provided it is a paper based on the lines of CAT'05 or somewhat of that difficulty level???
Arkss: attempts will depend on difficulty of paper..in '05 50 marks wud've got u call(s) so will depend on yr accuracy of attempts

alokmba: sir what is d least percentile 2 get at least one iim call?
Sai: The least percentile from the general category would be around 96-97 (IIMB and IIMK)

sunny: sir,if cat appears more tuff than last year cat what should be a ideal stratedgy
Arkss: difficulty level of paper will apply to all taking it...and will determine cutoffs also accordingly..so dont worry about the difficulty level ! give enuf time per question..

pk: Spent all of today just getting psyched up.I feel on top of the world.Slightly offended that IIM C has declared only 10% as cutoff for verbal but other than that , life is good. If I carry this through I am confident I'm in. (I just hope I have a pretty girl next to me - because that invariably increases my performance :) ) Thanks a lot to both Arks and Sai for reading through what may seem like nothing , but I really think this is all that you need on Day 0 :)
Sai: Thats the Spirit PK!!

chip: you have mentioned that IIMC has 10% marks sectional cut off.. i don come across this info earlier. where do i find the sectional cut offs for all iims
Sai: In the CAT bulletin. however not all IIMs have revealed their criteria.

Subhash: Hai Sir, i am able to cross the cut-off in verbal section when i spend about 1hour in that section, you tell me is it a good idea spending an hour in only one section.
Arkss: if the other two are getting done in 45 min, then yes.

Nani: On average How many easy questions we may get in three or four sections?
Arkss: every year there is a change. just remember there would be enough to get you thru.

patu: wat shuld be the strategy if cat pattern turns out to be like iift
Sai: For starters everyone will be zapped. the attempts will be lower as everyone will concentrate on accuracy over speed. Attempting a few Qs is OK but getting all possible answers would be the endeavor (for the uninitiated IIFT2006 had multiple answers for each Q and one had to mark all answers to get the marks alloted to that section)

ankur: which section to start with?
Sai: Anything that you are comfortable in and have practiced over the last 4-5 AIMCATs

alokmba: thanks sir 4 spending ur valuable time wid us? my last question is there a link between time and iims? i think d succsess rate of time is really amazing?
Sai: I wish there was!! I could have shared the pattern of the paper with all of you!!!

rex: hi sir, i have revised all the important portions of mock tests n just left wid revising formulae n a few quant topics. any special suggestions on wat to do n wat not @MORROW!!!!!
Arkss: nothing new. just complete the same and see some of the things that we have given in the chat today

shikha: I used top perform average in AIMCATS.But,my performance is really good in MCTs and CRTs.Are these papers easy as compared to AIMCATS? Also,i haven't written CAT 2006.Should I write it tomorrow?thanks.
Sai: MCTs are easier but the CRTs are of a very good level as they are replicas of previous CAT papers. I suggest you relax tomorrow. If anything take the exam tonight.

alokmba: sir is there a chance of one more section that is gk in cat 07?
Arkss: NO

nidhi: sir i have lot of fluctuations in my aimcat percentiles from 70 to 98.7. What would be my likely score in CAT 07?
Arkss: hi nidhi, please get back with your key and then the scores so that we can tell you the percentile

Lakshmi: am unable to clear verbal cutoffs sometimes...Please give me some last minute tips to improve the same.
Sai: Spent the buffer time on Verbal. If the trouble is with accuracy then try and cut down on speed

mohan: what would be the approximate cut-offs for iim's other than A and B? could you tell the approximate percentile cut-offs based on your experience???? thanks in advance
Sai: Mohan check transcript. Have answered this.

Bharath: I have not cleared cut offs in Quants in any of the AIMCATs... I tried to attempt it in the middle between my strengths DI and VA but that made the section last attempted worse. What should i do for clearing in Quants. My whole prep for CAt was for Quant. My basic problem is missing out easy Q's. I am seeing only 14/25 Q's in that 50 min period. How to move on faster ?
Arkss: read every question. If you can solve any question in less than a minute then great otherwise leave that question.

shipu: sir..nobody aims for less accuracy if i havnt evr score well in verbal rest all is good wat shud i do?
Arkss: just try maximising your attempts (without guessing)

nirgarvi: Wht type of papar pattern is expected this time?
Arkss: just try maximising your attempts (without guessing)

Ramesh: Hi sir,Could You please guide me, How should i approach for english Section (like CAT 2006), iN Every Mock CAT I used To attempt ParaJUmbles..FIJ and Praragrapgh Completion..and RCS But In Rc Some Times Im Getting All wrong ?
Arkss: hi ramesh, do the way you have done in the mocks (especially the ones in which you got good marks). also, getting corrects and wrongs also depends on the difficulty level and hence don't worry. if it is difficult for you it would be for others too

iimasandeep: sai sir how to manage time in DI and based on what parameters
Sai: If there are 5 sets then try and look for an idea/breakthrough in the first 2-3 minutes if not then move on with the next set. The selection should also be based on your comfort areas i.e Di or Reasoning. In DI is it Pie charts , tables or reasoning caselets.

Bharath: I have one concern. I have cleared Cut off in DI section for 14/15 AIMCATS even without a single bit of preparation. I am just worried that the lack of any prep would haunt me in mains. Can you please advise if i have to do something ??
Sai: Dont do anything right now. If you crack the very difficult DI section without any practice then you must be good. Tell yourself that the IIMs need you more than you need them!!! Best of Luck Bharath

himmat: sir u r giving the advice to relax tomorrow,but sir when i relax 1 day before the exam and do nothing then that create trouble for me on the day of exam.so wt i do? can i revise quant formula or write any mock or crt?
Sai: Do both if that suits you.

V: how to handle the shock in the cat?
Sai: The paper is given 15 minutes before the actual start and the directions and paper details are available on the first page. 15 mins should be more than enough to plan for the shock and recover from it.

rajdip: hello sir can the answer key which will be published on 18th by TIme be blindly trusted?
Sai: Yes you can.

winvin: Dear Sai and Arkss... Thanks for your spending your valuable time.. Time has done a really gr8 job... Hope all the IIM admits this year, are from time.. ATB to all
Sai: Best of Luck Winvin and thanks for the kind words.

rajdip: sir which one is better ? a score of 65 10 4 or 21 23 31 if the cutoffs are 24 31 33
Sai: NEITHER!! But if you force me to choose one then probably the one with the balanced score is preferable to the skewed one as this indicated proficiency across the test areas though you missed the cutoffs

rohit: what could be overall cut off for top 3 IIMs and rest of the three? what could be the cut off for IIM shillong?
Sai: For A and C it is 98.3 and 98.8 respectively. B gives profile based calls and this could go as low as 96-97 percentile. The other 3 would be in the 97+ range.

manish: how to select the Q in DI.........
Sai: Answered earlier.

harsh: hello sir...wats the most expected pattern of cat-07??
Sai: Lets not speculate. But the trend points to something similar to CAt 2006 with some minor variations for the surprise element.

ROCKY: PLEASE ARRANGE THESE IN DESCENDING ORDER OF TOUGHNESS 1. CAT 2. AIMCAT 3.MCAT 4. CRT'S 5. IIFT 6. 1CFAI 7. SNAP 8. NMIMS 9. XAT
Sai: AIMCAT>CAT>IIFT=XAT>CRTs>MCs>NMIMS=SNAP>IBSAT. I think is the order of toughness!!

nidhi: Sir i have lot of fluctuations in my AIMCAT percentiles ranging from 70 to 98.7%. How much can in expect in CAT 2007?
Sai: If you keep your cool and manage the surprise you should expect a superb percentile. The potential is evident from your 98.7 in an AIMCAT which is no mean achievement.

narcissistic: I have normally attempted all the AIMCAT's without the buffer. Allocating time based on the section difficulty and my overll comfort. Should I stick with this tartegy or keep a buffer in the actual CAT?
Sai: The buffer helps you mitigate the ill effects of a paper full of surprises or one where a particular section is far tougher than the other two. So please budget for a buffer. Adopt a 45-45-45 and 15 min buffer strategy.

goosebumps: what time do time people take in solving cat paper once it is over;)!!!!
Sai: We take our T.I.M.E as the endeavor is to be the most accurate and not necessarily the fastest to be out with the key. Remember that over the years we have been the institute with the best record when it comes to the Key or to the Cut-off prediction. Log on to www.time4education.com for the best analysis and the msot accurate key.

Ritu: Sir, how much is it beneficial to solve two mocks simultaneously.
Sai: It is like trying to bowl and bat at the same time!! Very few mortals have managed this feat!!

thahir: Sir, From your past experience what had been the percentiles of students who got selected to iims in time mocks?
Sai: Anywhere from 70 to 99.99!! The students had been inconsistent just like you guys now. So remember that you are not alone on the 'inconsistency' front.

shipu: should i pick more test papers tomorow or just revise some of my concepts
Sai: Just relax no more prep at this last stage.

Sahoo: Sir, in all the mock cat i feel good when i start the paper but in between if i m stock i tried my best to come out from the question i could not but if possible if i leave the question i feeling morally down in handling other questions. this happens lot of time in all my mock cats and i m unable to cope it. Basically in quant and DI Sections. I hope such thing will not happen in main exam.
Sai: Keep looking at the watch frequently and thus arrest the decline immediately.

ket: Sir according to you, wht should consist our last 1 day preparation
Sai: Answered.

hyc7p235: My average percentile in 20 mocks is around 93 percentile with twice in 99s and most of the times in 96s... Am a fresher in engineering. If i don't get through this time, would it be worth to repeat next year or would it be wiser to join any of the top 20 B-schools (as indicated in TIME website)?
Sai: First convert your calls. You cant leave something that you dont have right now!! The experts at T.I.M.E will help you take the right decision!!

Anshuman: is the cat %ile decided on the basis of overall score or depends upon the cut-offs cleared?
Sai: It depends on the performance of the whole group of 2.3 lac students taking CAT this year!

nitin_jain_cat: Sir should we be bothered about the IIM-B coming out of its selection criteria maintaining that they need better score in English. I'm a little bit weak in English as compared to other sections. Should I change my strategy at this point?
Sai: IIM-B criteria only looks at the language component post you getting the call i.e. only for the GDPI stage. So dont worry and concentrate on maxing the score tomorrow. Best of Luck Nitin.

Prateek: i have got 85.55 as the highest %ile in 19 aimcats....can i get 99.99 on 18th? silly question i know..but you cant expect anything else 36 hours b4 CAT .... :o)
Sai: Certainly! this is the right Qs to ask 36 hrs before CAT for last minute cramming doesnt help.

crusaders666: Are there any sectional cut-offs for colleges like S.P.Jain,MDI,IMT,MICA etc.?
Sai: MDi certainly does. the others look at your overall percentile. However keep in mind that a minimum competency is expected of you in every section considering the reputation of the colleges in question.

tarun: History says one of the DI caselet will be an almost repetition of a DI question in an Aimcat. What you expect this time sir?
Sai: Hope the IIM profs are 'inspired' by our papers.

hello hello: what should i do tomorrow
Sai: Relax relax and more Relax. Ok folks thats all for today and log in tomorrow i.e 17th for the chat on 'Last Day tips' with the experts from T.I.M.E. - Sai and ARKSS