himz : Hi,
chandrajyoti : What's your question?

rooney10 : good evening si,how to improve accuracy in logical reasoning?most lr sets given in aimcats seem to be tough.how to solve them?any tips for lr?
chandrajyoti : Lr problems normally given in AIMCAT are of good standard. They require lots of concentration. The most important thing is that you get to know the variety of questions. Keep your basics very clear. That will help you a lot. Try to solve different types of problems within time limits set by you.

nike : my performance is poor in sec 1..i'm concerned about it,how do i fare well in this section,assuming my preparation till now is pretty rudimentary..provide me a concrete road map and plan please :) ..tq
ramasamy : Section 1 consists of Quants & DI. Ensure you have done all the questions in the SM. Then go through the online sectional tests, CRTs & Mock cats.Finally go through your AIMCATs and past cat papers

anantha : Hi, I am trying to maximize my marks on VA and LR. I almost get 50% correct and 50% wrong in VA and LR. What is the best stratergy?
tssmurty : For VA: One of the first steps to improving in VA is to improve your familiarity with the use of English. You must use all your reading, writing and speaking as practical applications of the grammar and vocab that you learn. Try to write and speak as correctly as possible. For LR: The effective steps in the handling of any LR question - recognise the situation, work out the reasoning, ie. identify the connections between the premises, the conclusions they lead to, and the assumptions that fill the gaps in the logic - then look at argument evaluation.

himz : Hi Good Evening, I am terribly weak in English Grammar. I want to ask few questions. 1) How strong one need to be in Grammar to ace CAT. 2) Is there enough time left to work on Grammar separately from the scratch? (CAT 2013) 3) If answer is NO then in what manner I must proceed to ace CAT 2013 ( over 90% accuracy)
sridharan : There will be about 3 questions in Grammar. THese will be on sentence correction. So if you are through with the basic rules which aretaught in the classes you can easily ace them.

im : how to improve accuracy in parajumbles
vijayalakshmipal : para jumbles are of different types working with the options is a good idea

ritu : good evening teachers. give some tips for rc passages. what is the correct pattern of reading passages?
tssmurty : Ritu, in the exam, run through the question lines related to each passage (this will give you a rough idea of the content of the passage, and of the types of questions). Review, prioritise in order of relative comfort, and attempt. Read through the passage picked, quickly but carefully and completely, making notes as suggested. This will get you the (i) organisation of the passage (ii) the key ideas and thought-flow (iii) the central idea (iv) the style and (v) the tone. You may then be able to answer questions on these aspects, if any. For the other questions, you may require careful re-reading – the notes you make will help you identify, quickly, the bits that you want to re-read (from a little above to a little below). Consider meanings, implications (through vocab, grammar and structure), possible assumptions and possible derivations. Most important, don’t get stuck on a question. If it’s taking you too long (say, more than double the time you normally take) move on. Come back to it later if you have the time.

nike : i'm sorry ..i think i got the wrong chat session..for asking quant q's.
ramasamy : still your question was answered, please check

chinni : what is the preparation strategy for verbal ability
tssmurty : Chinni, a similar question is just answered. Please go through the chat transcript.

nick : sir...i am getting good percentile in qa-di(99.xx)...bt getting screwed in va part...my lr is good..please suggest me ways to improve my va part...
prakashrajput : 1. Have a clear plan for verbal Qs 2. Practice Criticial Reasoning - will improve in RCs. 3. Solve the SM and Handouts for Grammar. Look for a practical understanding of the rules. 4. If needed, mug up the word list as well.

rosh : Hi Sir, since now we have hardly 3 months left for the CAT'13 exam, whats the best strategy to prepare for VA and LR. Once we prepare for QA on a daily basis and also do the AIMCATS, we hardly get time for preparing VA. What is the best method to prepare in our case.
ramasamy : VA and QA Are equally important in your preparation for CAT. Ensure you give sufficient preparation for both of them. With respect to LR, RC & VA section. Go through the sub areas in VA And see how good you are in them.

viraj : which book is to be referredfor VA ??
prakashrajput : The study material is more than comprehensive. Solve classroom handouts, SMs, online sectional tests. Will do.

chinni : sir i'm very weak in this verbal ability section
tssmurty : A similar question is just answered. Please go through the chat transcript.

rishisingh : hi sir,i am having accuracy of around 90 in PJ but when it comes to PJ odd one out it reduces to 60 what can be reason for that and secondly what words i should look for to get better in word usage question
sridharan : Understand that the odd sentence question is on the particular aspect which the other sentences deal. It is not the subject which in fact will have relation to all the given sentences. In words usage questions it will generally be on colocation and certain grammar points like phrasal verbs etc.

raii : Good evening,sir! is the difficulty level of the qs in the lr practice book given in the 2nd slot same as that of those in the advanced level in the online sec tests?
prakashrajput : yes. more or less.

charu : hello.. i get problm with r.c passages.. even after understandin them i get confuse in the opptins
vijayalakshmipal : it is not about just understanding the passages you need to understand the focus of the questions as well there are different types of inference based questions ......do a couple of critical reasoning questions to get a knack of how to tackle a particular type of question

krishna : Sir, not able to cross cutoff in VA section.Problem is only with my VA.Any tips to secure decent marks in VA?
prakashrajput : in the exam, run through the question lines related to each passage (this will give you a rough idea of the content of the passage, and of the types of questions). Review, prioritise in order of relative comfort, and attempt. Read through the passage picked, quickly but carefully and completely, making notes as suggested. This will get you the (i) organisation of the passage (ii) the key ideas and thought-flow (iii) the central idea (iv) the style and (v) the tone. You may then be able to answer questions on these aspects, if any. For the other questions, you may require careful re-reading – the notes you make will help you identify, quickly, the bits that you want to re-read (from a little above to a little below). Consider meanings, implications (through vocab, grammar and structure), possible assumptions and possible derivations. Most important, don’t get stuck on a question. If it’s taking you too long (say, more than double the time you normally take) move on. Come back to it later if you have the time.

rks : Hello sir/Madam, My performance in AIMCAT is not good. My accuracy in VA-LR section is very less. What should be my strategy for VA as only 3 months are left....
prakashrajput : Pl go through chat transcript. There are specific suggestions.

charu : what should i do when i get confused between two option.. and this thing often happens with me
tssmurty : Caught between 2 Choices: It's a typical dilemma, we call it two choice dilemma! Unlike what most students think, this is easy to overcome. If you are stuck between two choices, DON'T DO WHAT MOST STUDENTS DO—take one choice at a time, check with the passage whether it is a strong contender and then consider the other—THIS IS WRONG! INSTEAD, identify the difference between the two choices—now, there will be some difference, be it specific, or general. After noting the difference, recheck/reconsider as to what the question seeks; surprisingly, the answer becomes clear here. If it is not clear yet, keep the 'difference' and 'what' the question seeks in mind and re-read the passage to check what it 'says' about the difference. If the answer still does not 'reveal' itself to you, YOU MUST BE STUCK BETWEEN TWO 'WRONG' CHOICES!

sai : is the difficulty level of verbal section in aimcats same as that of cat?
vijayalakshmipal : i wouldnt say that the difficulty level is the same as CAT . the aimcats are designed on the CAT pattern and maybe tougher than the CAT sometimes just to prepare you in such a manner that you are a step ahead of the exam the aimcats are very well designed with varying levels of difficulty

priyanka : Good evening sir ,I am weak in this section
tssmurty : A similar question is just answered. Please go through the chat transcript.

pur : Sir i have practiced lr from the time material and seemed fairly confident as i could solve questions. However in the aimcats i fail to solve lr questions many time. Pls suggest what should I do
chandrajyoti : Lr problems normally given in AIMCAT are of good standard. They require lots of concentration. The most important thing is that you get to know the variety of questions. Keep your basics very clear. That will help you a lot. Try to solve different types of problems within time limits set by you.

dlcb3d565 : GOOD EVENING SIR I AM RISHI SINGH MY PROBLEM SOMETHING I AM HINDI MEDIUM STUDENT.
ramasamy : Reasonable communication level English is sufficient to clear CAT, that too at mostly the written english level.

mathaddict : sir when the video analysis of aimcat will be 1415 uploaded?
prakashrajput : Its already uploaded. pl check.

rishisingh : Sir,I also want to ask you that as i have not been in English speaking group for a long time i have lost my fluency in this language.rite nw my major concern is to crack cat and tough to improve my fluency after cat paper will 3 months be sufficient for it.
sridharan : It si not exactly a question of time . It is more about the intensity. Further fluency in language is not critical right now,as you should have the skill only when you start getting calls.

cat2013 : i am facing problem with lr?how increase speed in lr?
chandrajyoti : Systematic time-bound practice of problems of all variety on a regular basis is the only solution. You should not have any doubt about the basic concepts.

cat2013 : if one starts preparation from today what is the procedure to be adopted?
sridharan : Prepare for atleast 4-5 hours daily consistently. Read newspapers daily. Attend all AIMCATS and understand solutions .

bjbj : hello sir,wht i'm asking is not related to this section but i'm asking because of my curiosity.will nmims mumbai give any reservations
bharat : Nope

pooja : Hi Sir,
tssmurty : Please post your question.

sriramk : Hello Sir, Can you just tell us how to go about solving logical reasoning questions involving maxima and minima concepts say ( atleast,atmost....) involving venn diagrams and tables? And what are all the common type of questions that we can expect in logical reasoning?
chandrajyoti : Minimization and Maximization problems are always comparatively difficult . The figures given in the questions work like constraints within which you need to minimize or maximize. At least mentions the lower limit where as at most mentions the upper limit. Solve problems from the practice exercises and follow the approaches adopted in the solved problems.

rahul8826 : What can i do to improve my vocab?
ramasamy : a good regular reading habit of the editorial section of a good daily newspaper like "The Hindu" is a good start. Also, the books like Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis and All About Words by Nurnberg & Rosenblum will help

cataspirant : Goodevening Sirs!!! How to learn Grammar in better and efficient way...Please tell us the best strategy as we have less time...
vijayalakshmipal : hi your handouts follow a pattern beginning with nouns and articles ..... the best way to do justice to grammar is to revise the very same chapters from the TIME material then from the Wren Martin and dont memorise the rules pick up the rule and create your own example and you would have understood the usage of the rule

priyanka : i can't read RC passages and understand them . i can't attempt verbal ability questions which are vocabulary based what are the books preferred for VA section of CAT to start from the base level
prakashrajput : Ok go through the chat transcript.

krishna : @prakashrajput Sir I am reading HINDU and aldaily for the past 3 months but no significant improvement in VA
prakashrajput : Right now, focus on the study material. Newspapers is a long-term strategy.

cataspirant : How to learn Idioms and Phrases,foreign words and get familiarize with them?
tssmurty : There are exercises given in your SM & HOs. In addition to those, look at "Practical English Gra. & Composition" by Thomson & Martinet for Idioms.

raii : Good evening,sir! is the difficulty level of the qs in the lr practice book given in the 2nd slot same as that of those in the advanced level in the online sec tests? i am aking this becoz i am fairly comfortable while solvcing from the practice book... but i can do only 3-4 in the advanced level..
bhimsen : if u r able to ans the ques, this hows u r preparing well/hav prep well. The level increases with slots. just keep doing in the same way.

hvn : what is the min cat and cmat cut off for JBIMS. Please do let me know
bhimsen : it seems u r setting ur limited targets. PLEASE ANS ALL QUES U KNOW. Pl dont bother abt cut offs. They vary.

pooja : Sir, Last year when I gave CAT there was a new type of question - "If u were the interviewer of the author of the passage which of the following question would u ask him?" Sir, please guide me as to should I approach tis Q.
sridharan : It should be the question which touches the subject but not given as the view of the author without ambiguity.

freak : sir , i have startd prep in july. till nw i have covered first set of SM.my strategy is like dis: i study each subject thrice a weak.so generally each day i study three subjects along with newspaper and vocab. i dnt get time for (extensive reading )novels,articles,passages nd all.. as a result my va and rc is very weak. i end up having more negatives in aimcats.is my planning wrong? please help
ramasamy : Your strategy is fine. Just ensure you give adequate time in your preparation for all sections. A little more time to the weak section. A good reading habit of the editorial sections of a newspaper is important for RC.

pooja : Sir, Last year when I gave CAT there was a new type of question - "If u were the interviewer of the author of the passage which of the following question would u ask him?" Sir, please guide me as to how should I approach tis Q.
sridharan : Try to understand the main theme. The author would have explained his views on the various aspects of the subject. Where he ahs not clearly spelt his view should be your question.

dlcb3d565 : SIR HOW I DO BEST?
tssmurty : Rigorous practice and constant analysis of all tests that you take.

mounica : good evening sir.i am mounica.i am scoring very less marks in questions pertaining to vocabulary.can you please suggest me how to prepare for this?
vijayalakshmipal : hi do not memorise words while you read a lot to prepare for RC pick up the contextual meaning of new words and create sentences by relating it to your surroundings

raii : @prakashrajput sir: but sir,i am pretty comfortable while solving qs from the lot 2 prac bk..but most of the time i get stuck in the advanceds level qs... what shall i do?
prakashrajput : Most questions in the tests are of the same difficulty level as lot-2 qs. Probably its pressure of the test which is leading to this loss of accurancy. Practice should help.

bjbj : bharat sir i have done my b.tech this year and i am interested in finance then how will be m.sc finance and how to prepare for it.will it be useful for the b.tech students and how will be the placements(plzzz do answer this question sir...)
bharat : It depends on where you do the course; always remember the quality of education makes for the quality of learning. Most finance roles land in the lap of engineers. If you study financial management at a top school (whatever be the name of the program) and work hard, then landing a cool job should not be an issue.

cataspirant : Apart from reading Word Power and Hindu Editorial could you suggest us any other means for developing a strong vocabulary and How to tackle the RC passages which are not at all interesting.
vijayalakshmipal : read the lead articles of the Hindu not the editorials and try the speaking tree of TOI and Oasis of Deccan herald ..... consistency in the reading habit is a must

bjbj : m.sc finance in jbims mumbai
bharat : Its a highly specialised course; entry is tough. If you make it to the course, then take it!

rishisingh : @sridharan ya sir i understand it not question of time but i just wanna know that will 3 months after cat will be sufficient to get fluent or should i need to work on it from now onwards.
bhimsen : wht is imp is ur mind set. Are u bent upon cracking CAT ? If yes, u will find the ans.

vikram : how to tackle RC. what should be the approach and how much time we can spend maximum in this section. Pleas help.
vijayalakshmipal : RC read the Hindu lead articles on a daily basis as far as time is concerned 70 mins for the section and 9 to 11 questions for 3 passages ..... no choice attempt all 3 passages and ideal time would be 12 mins per psg prioritise the passages based on subject matter the jargon used in the passage should help you do that

durga : is 2 months is enough for cat preparation ?
chandrajyoti : CAT is an aptitude test exam. Hence, if you have the requisite aptitude, 2 months should be enough. You must use best of it with utmost honest effort.

rks : i am really poor at English grammar. If i will start today how much time will it take to achieve the CAT level competency in grammer?
ramasamy : The answer depends on how good you are presently and how well you can learn. The answer will change from person to person. Ensure you put your best effort and meet a faculty at your centre to help you

ujjawal : sir,the problem lies in analogies.especially the biological classifications,tools and workman etc.everytime something new shows up.are there some particular topics leaving synonyms,antonyms etc from which it is usually asked???
tssmurty : A variety of vocab questions can be given. In fact the the topics you mentioned are easier provided you know the words. These are normally given in the form of a table. You can get them even through an online search.

cataspirant : What are the most important logical reasoning topics one should be thorough with before writing CAT 2013?
ramasamy : The most important topics are given in your study material and also covered in our classes.

kartik : hello sir/madam,..in VA(double fill in the blanks,PJs) i generally get confused between two options..and in that confusion i always mark the wrong answer ..only to know that the other option was right!..how to overcome this??
vijayalakshmipal : like you everyone gets confused the tone of the sentence positive negative supportive derogatory should help you get the right option infact place your own simple words in the blanks first before moving to the options understand the sentence

kartik : hello sir/madam,..in VA(double fill in the blanks,PJs) i generally get confused between two options..and in that confusion i always mark the wrong answer ..only to know that the other option was right!..how to overcome this??
bhimsen : pl improve ur vocab..pl c d context and then choose the words. Practice is needed

kartik : hello sir/madam,..in VA(double fill in the blanks,PJs) i generally get confused between two options..and in that confusion i always mark the wrong answer ..only to know that the other option was right!..how to overcome this??
chandrajyoti : Don't attempt by guessing answers. You should mark the answer when you are certain about its correctness. Otherwise, negative marking will always create trouble for you.

kartik : hello sir/madam,..in VA(double fill in the blanks,PJs) i generally get confused between two options..and in that confusion i always mark the wrong answer ..only to know that the other option was right!..how to overcome this??
tssmurty : Caught between 2 Choices: It's a typical dilemma, we call it two choice dilemma! Unlike what most students think, this is easy to overcome. If you are stuck between two choices, DON'T DO WHAT MOST STUDENTS DO—take one choice at a time, check with the passage whether it is a strong contender and then consider the other—THIS IS WRONG! INSTEAD, identify the difference between the two choices—now, there will be some difference, be it specific, or general. After noting the difference, recheck/reconsider as to what the question seeks; surprisingly, the answer becomes clear here. If it is not clear yet, keep the 'difference' and 'what' the question seeks in mind and re-read the passage to check what it 'says' about the difference. If the answer still does not 'reveal' itself to you, YOU MUST BE STUCK BETWEEN TWO 'WRONG' CHOICES!

kartik : hello sir/madam,..in VA(double fill in the blanks,PJs) i generally get confused between two options..and in that confusion i always mark the wrong answer ..only to know that the other option was right!..how to overcome this??
bharat : Please do not span; post your question only once.

aryan : good evening sir,
bhimsen : good eveng aryan..

kartik : hello sir/madam,..in VA(double fill in the blanks,PJs) i generally get confused between two options..and in that confusion i always mark the wrong answer ..only to know that the other option was right!..how to overcome this??
sridharan : Pls understand that CAT is mostly about picking the correct answer of the last two which are almost equally correct. PLs go through the solutions to understand the logic behind such answers. Slowly you will start giving the correct answers.

aryan : good evening sir, I have two questions
ramasamy : Please ask your questions

123 : sir, it is a long story, however somehow i havent stdied , atleast in detail, logs, surds and indices, quad&special..
ramasamy : All topics in quants are equally important.

raii : sir, every time i miss the sec 2 cutoff by just a few marks... plz tell me some way to come out of this situation.. i am getting demoralized..
chandrajyoti : I think, you are talking about AIMCATs. They are for your preparation and for self analysis. Don't be demoralized. Use the for your benefit. Go for objective analysis of your performance. I strongly believe you shall do much better in the final exam.

megha_13 : In one f the aimcats there was a question regarding the different uses of the word "profile", and i got stuck between 2 options,...how can i then proceed such questions, and how do i practice these questions ?
vijayalakshmipal : hi megha there is no hard and fast rule to understand these words and as you rightly said it is uses so the more well read you are the more will you be able to eliminate the wrong options

aryan : good evening sir, i have 2 questions.. 1. how important are the words related questions (synonym/antonyms), can they be ignored without affecting the score much? 2. what is the difference between the word "everyone" and "every one"?
ramasamy : All question types are important as we do not know how many questions will come from each type. The indefinite pronoun everyone (one word) means every person or all people. The phrase every one (two words) refers to each and every person or thing of those named.

pooja : Sridharan Sir, does 'Question on the subject' include unexplored areas for the topic under discussion as well? or should we again stick to questions relating to the passage?
sridharan : It is not unexplored areas. It is about unexplained areas.

gaurav89 : good evening sir, I have not crossed the cut off till now in any one of the aimcat in VA and LR section. will I be able to cross the cut off in actual CAT???
ramasamy : It is possible to clear cutoffs in CAT. There is a lot of time. Ensure you put the remaining time to good use

rodricks : IS IT NECESSARY TO KEEP TRACK OF BUSINESS EVENTS WHILE PREPARING FOR CAT??? IF SO WHICH BUSINESS NEWSPAPER SHOULD I FOLLOW???
bharat : Reading business affairs helps in improving enhancing your understanding of economic issues; this will come in hand in tackling economics RCs, GD and essay topics, and interview questions. Try reading any of the following: Economic Times/Business Line/Financial Express.

123 : equations, inqeualites and mod, P&C, ..have tried NCERT, SMs, Arun Sharma, however the level of satisfaction is not upto the mark..in fact it is a serious hamper...kindly, help me with this..
ramasamy : What help do you want from us?

freak : bt sir how do i get time for extensive reading at dis point of time..i have started late and i need to cover all d material first.( i cant help worrying abt uncovered topics in sm so cant read anything on a regular basis).at least give me a rough schedule or sumthing .
cherian : well what i feel is that you have to make a proper study plan wherein you are able to cover all the SMs and HOs. the reading you should ideally do when you have time to spare. once you execute your study plan you will be able to find out where you can spare some extra time to squeeze in reading.

charu : thankyou sir
tssmurty : Good luck!

harsh : hello sir,
bhimsen : hello harsh

cataspirant : How to learn the TIME CUE cards given to us in best way...Do we also need to memorize the GRE Most frequently used words...How much time do we need to allote for these daily and How to remember them till the D day?
vijayalakshmipal : the CUe cards are designed to be memorised while travelling i would say understanding the usage of the word makes more sense so once you get a hang of the meaning try and use it in a sentence of your own relate the sentence to your surroundings

cat13 : what is ideal time for all va section,and on its parts such as rc .pj ,sentence correction
sridharan : You have totally 70 min for Verbal and reasonig. You can spend about 30 min for RC, 25 min for reasoning 15 min for other areas.

hvn : please do let me know that i heard that last 10 days of cat schedule will be tough than first 20 days. is it true?
bhimsen : pl do not listen to such talks. pl focus on ur studies

sankalp : I would like to know ideal time one should spend on LR section during AIMCATS .Usually it happens either i get stuck up in LR or i end up leaving LR questions unread.
sridharan : Always try to alternate between questions. If you attend 1 LR set, 1Rc, 1 set of other areas and continue like this. the no is bound to increase.

harsh : sir, please tell how to prepare for Sentence correction questions, find the wrong usage of the word type questions.
tssmurty : Harsh, when you read the sentence that you have to correct, please ensure that you first divide it into its components - main ideas and subordinate ideas. Examine these components for errors. Look at the placement of the subordinate ideas to see if that needs correction. Look at the connectives ( relative pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions) to see if they need correction. Then reassemble the sentence and check it against the choices that you have. Practice in this manner will give you the familiarity that will help you combine this process with choice elimination, so that you get quicker at dealing with such questions.

purvi : Good evening sir, I am not able to figure how should I start with my preparation for cat exam. Can you help me out in scheduling with which I can complete my portion in a time span of 30 days atmost.
chandrajyoti : Make self analysis and find your strong areas and weak areas. Distribute your time accordingly among the strong and weak areas so that you can bring a balance between them. Relying too much upon very few topics may be fatal. You should have basic ideas of the relevant areas in each section.

vikram : how to identify incorrect usage? like incorrect usage of phrasal verb, co-location, etc. is there any source book specifically for this. please reply
shirishjugare : there is no book as such. u need practice. do it from the study material. Do practice to the extent that u can at least do the easy questions.

im : my accuracy in va and lr section varies from 50 to 75 %... over the last few aimcats my number of attempted q has increased.. how ever along with right q number of wrong q has also increased how do i lessen my wrong q
sridharan : The accuracy level has to be improved. Concentrate on accuracy first and then on increasing no. of questions.

123 : how to prepare for GK
cherian : you can use the study materials provided for a base and then build on by following newspapers like hindu and economic times

bjbj : bharat sir i have done my b.tech this year and i am interested in finance then how will be m.sc finance and how to prepare for it.will it be useful for the b.tech students and how will be the placements(plzzz do answer this question sir...).and finally will it have any reservations for the mumbai students because i am from hyderabad
cherian : Doing an MSc in finance gives you a deeper insight into finance and prepare for hardcore finance roles. on the other hand an MBA has more varied subjects and gives you wider opportunities. as regards placements it depends on individual colleges and the state of sector when you graduate.

megha_13 : What strategy shud be adopted to solve para-completion questions ?
bhimsen : pl improve ur reading skills. pl ty to find out the opening/closing sentences. Then u may check for grammar links..pl practice more of such ques. u will get it

kanishka : What are the ideal no of questions with a reasonable accuracy one should attempt to score above 99.5 percentile in cat 2012
ramasamy : This question cannot be answered because there were many slots with different question papers and normalisation was done to equate the papers across slots

ujjawal : sir the question of clauses like....
tssmurty : It comes under Sentence Correction. First try and understand the basics given in V102 Booklet. Then, when you read the sentence that you have to correct, please ensure that you first divide it into its components - main ideas and subordinate ideas. Examine these components for errors. Look at the placement of the subordinate ideas to see if that needs correction. Look at the connectives ( relative pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions) to see if they need correction. Then reassemble the sentence and check it against the choices that you have. Practice in this manner will give you the familiarity that will help you combine this process with choice elimination, so that you get quicker at dealing with such questions.

tan08 : gudevening sir/madam..LR is my strength, but my i see my perfomance detriorating since 1st aimcat ..i am now getting dbtful to whether give much attempt in it..pls tell me how do i tackle with this problem..
sridharan : Lr questions can be pretty tricky.If you practise, you can increase your score.

jagrat : Sir,I have just joined AIMCAT, I have got fair vocabulary & Verbal ability. What should i do from this point of time to ensure good many marks from this section.
shirishjugare : Fair vocabulary - which means u should not have much problem in getting easy questions. After every Aimcat , analyse it. See whether u have all easy questions. It is very important to estimate the difficulty levels of the questions. See if u can do it. Try to identify the trend in your mistakes. If you analyse ur performance in every Aimcat, you can improve your performance greatly. All the best.

megha_13 : I omit questions based on "wich sentences are gramatically correct " How can I ace them ?
vijayalakshmipal : omitting questions you cannot afford it in CAT with 30 questions in the VA and LR put together instead create a study plan for grammar wherein you master the rules of basic chapters like nouns verbs tenses and then you will see identifying errors is easy the study plan should be such that you dont get bored with too much grammar take it in small portions

prajjwalj : sir,what was the level of va and lr in aimcat-1414 compared to previous aimcats?
bhimsen : how does it matter. aIMCATS rae prepared keeping in view the latest trends. Hw did u feel? Pl make sure u r able to do many/all ques. This is the need of the hour.

gaurav89 : how much time should I spend each day from now onwards till CAT in English???
ramasamy : As many hours as you can allocate will be good. At least 2 hours daily

niklesh : hello sir/madame.. could you please suggest few books(other than cat materials) for VA and LR?
bhimsen : go through the gram bk by michael swan.. in fact TIME mat shud be enough. Am sure u took all the sectional tests too. There is so much at home, why search elsewhere..

raii : sir, my accuracy in the rc is 70%.. is it enough? if not,plz tell me what shall i do to improve it?
bhimsen : why do u set 70 or 80 percent as ur target. target for full 100 pc. just crush it.

freak : sorry for dis irrelevant question.. do i have to take both cmats for jbims? i have heard it considers score of both sep nd feb cmat.. bt do I HAVE TO APPEAR IN BOTH OR APPEARING IN FEB WILL DO ??
shirishjugare : I think, u have to appear one. The condition of appearing both cmats looks weird.

123 : sir,at this point of time, what should be our status of preparation...
ramasamy : It depends on when you started, where you want to reach.

kartik : hi everyone! which slot will be ideal for giving the CAT paper..october or november??
bharat : Take the test in a slot you will be best prepared for. Your comfort level in terms of preparation and mental make up should decide the IDEAL slot - be it in October or November.

aryan : Ramaswamy sir, then "everyone" should be used as plural and "every-one" as singular?
sridharan : Each, every , everyone in whatever way they are used is to be treated as asingular only.

mounica : can u please give me the schedule to score above 90% in sec 2.i am good at reasoning,problem is with va.can u please suggest me?
ramasamy : It depends on what score you are getting and what are your strength and weak areas

harsh : thanks tssmurty sir. kindly also tell how to prepare for the questions in which one word is given and we have to mark wrong sentence usage of the word from among the options.
tssmurty : Your regular reading helps you here. In addition, go through all such questions in the HOs, SM and Tests. You can also try the Phrasal Verbs exercises online.

brahma : What are the best books for preparation of verbal ability and RC ?
vijayalakshmipal : TIME has given you enough study material to prepare for VA and RC ....take the online section tests .....attempt and analyse your AIMCATS this should do

brahma : What are the best books for preparation of verbal ability and RC ?
sridharan : As the time is short dont bother about books.Read newspapers.That would do. AND ATTEND ALL OF OUR aimcats.

kitten : i have found the lr questions in the aimcats to be tough...are they usually this tough in the actual cat?
ramasamy : Go through the past CAT papers and find out the answer for yourself. Some one who is good will be good in both

cat13 : i wasnt able to attend va classes in time properly so started studying arun sharma and solving its ques on daily basis following its rules ,should i continue it
sridharan : Attend classes atleast now. There is no substitute for classes.

abc : Hi sir....is weekday more preferable or weekend for giving CAT?
chandrajyoti : That depends on your own schedule and available seats in the centre you are looking for. Obviously, weekend days shall be booked earlier.

megha_13 : ma'am vijayalakshmipal, Let us take this word only "profile" ... we hardly see its other usage anywhere ,apart from its primary meaning,.. So now we cant now make a probable guess if we are stuck between 2 options.
sridharan : Buy a good thesaurus . You will get all possible meanings of such words.

123 : sir i started in july beginning and m still left with the 2nd sm buklet of lr...in va m left with 20 -25 exercises
bhimsen : Just go on studying and in a staedy maner. What matters is the focus and passion. Ur passion will take u through.

cataspirant : I am just starting to use Video Solution of AIMCAT for analysing...Could you tell the best way with which we can analyse and learn in a fast manner? How much hrs would be good enough for a AIMCAT analysis?
shirishjugare : Give quality time. Not quantity. Make sure u analyse ur performance in every aimcat. Try to identify the difficulty level of the questions. Try to develop a method or approach for each type of question.

kanishka : How many questions would be considered a good attempt in an easy paper and a tough paper?
bhimsen : ha ha.. ur prep will decide whether it is easy/tough. pl make sure u attempt all ques which u know correctly

gauz : Hello Sir, I have been on and off with my preparation due to my job, now I finally have sometime to prepare before the actual CAT so should i go for the crash course or will I be able to sync up with the regular classroom course (I am a TIME student at Hyderabad)
cherian : since you are already a student if you are able to pick up the areas you have not attended then it is better to sync up with your regular classes

gaurav89 : It happens most of the time that I get confused which word should go with the first blank and which word in the second though I knew the meaning of the words.. How to handle such type of questions???
bhimsen : pl understand the context. This wil help u to choose the right word.. Pl dont rush with the ans. One way would be to eliminate the wrong ones.

niklesh : how much time should i take to solve 9 LR questions in CAT?
ramasamy : Verbal Ability consists of 3 areas; RC, LR & other questions. So, you should be able to spend around 20 - 25 minutes for the 3 verbal sets

cosmonaut : Hi Sir, Plz suggest me names of the books for practicing LR.
chandrajyoti : You must finish all the materials provided by T.I.M.E. They are sufficient for preparations. Still if you have time, go for your choice.

ujjawal : tssmurty sir,what would be the clause(adjctv or adverb) in the sentence...he reached the place WHEN THE SUN HAD SET..........please explain that is it actually qualifying the place or telling us an extention to the verb reached.
sridharan : It refers to the time of happening of the event . So it is an adverbial clause of time.

kitten : @ramasamy sir, from where can i get past cat papers?
ramasamy : from our website

cataspirant : Was the Blood relations topic missed in Logical Reasoning SM...How to get a perfect understanding of the topic and face even the most confusing questions in that..
chandrajyoti : Questions related to Blood relations can be found in LRHO1001402 which is for OMET. You can relate your own family members and try to decipher the relations among the members of the problem in real life context. Be careful about in-laws viz., brother-in-laws or sister-in-laws. You must know their different meanings.

nik : How different is the AIMCAT VA/LR sectional cut-off percentile from CAT? I seem to comfortably cross the cut-off mark, but am skeptical since the cut-offs are based only on the performace of TIME students and there will be a lot more giving the exam.
sridharan : The cutoff level may be fairly representative though you have to give allowance for the proportionate numbers.

abc : I have directly started with "verbal ability practice exercises" instead of "verbal ability basics"...I'm able to do it till now ...I have done some 5 exercises of it....? Will it suffice for leaving out the basic book...due to time constraint?
bhimsen : it would be better if u do the basics too. Thias will surely help u.

harsh : @tssmurty : please suggest what should i read sir?
tssmurty : After understanding the basic concepts in grammar (V102 Book), go through the material for practice of the variety of questions that you have asked for.

raii : sir, i refer to sm1408 in lr for understanding the basics and the prac bk given in the 2nd lot as for practicing...is my way of prep correct?
chandrajyoti : You should follow the materials as it is given in order. Use the materials given and solve every problem. That will definitely work.

brahma : Thanks Sir but i want to ask you that whether Verbal ability by Arun Sharma is a good reference book for verbal abilirty and RC or not ?
vijayalakshmipal : i dont think it is right to comment on any book but then you have enoughj material from TIME the handouts the SMs the online section tests and the AIMCATS when you have so many things of good quality with you if I were you i would look for some other material only if i am done with what i have

rahul : sir,I have two questions
bhimsen : Hello Rahul ask

rsing : Sir/Ma'am, apart from time material what other books for logical reasoning can be referred so as to get enough practice as I am unable to solve reasoning questions on time and coverage on all the topics ?
sridharan : Time material is quite exhaustive. Read along with AIMCAT papers and solutions it is enough.

abc : I asked weekday and weekend question because of the normalization process and that it is assumed that people turn up more on weekends due to obvious reasons ...but then that scenario has the potential of altering our score due to relative normalization??
bharat : Put all these aside; focus on the prep for the test... take the test when you are prepared for it. Best wishes.

rahul : my first question is how to do well in verabal ability section
shirishjugare : VA has three areas: Reading, Grammar and vocabulary. Reading area is the most important. It has three types of questions: Reading comprehension, jumbled paragraph and para completion. Most questions will be on these three types of questions. Solve questions on these areas from study material and aimcats. Learn from your mistakes. Ask more specific questions - the specific problem u are facing.

jagrat : Thank You shirishjugare Sir !!!
shirishjugare : u r welcome

cataspirant : Should we learn Greek Mythology for improving vocabulary and to which level should we learn it...I searched in Wikipedia and it is very vast...Please help me...
bharat : Stick to the words of foreign origin listed in the study material; try to know the story behind these words. This would help you remember them better.

anil : hi sir, i am not doing well in verbal section, even i am not clearing cut off, so please tell me how to improve my verbal ability section,i can spend 4 hours time daily, what should be the strategy to get better results.
vijayalakshmipal : just spending 4 hours without a proper plan is futile understand the 4 areas you are tested on Grammar Vocabulary Verbal structures and RC then analyse as to which area needs more effort and then plan your schedule

raii : sir, is the level of difficulty of qs in the rc prac bk of the 2nd lot same as cat?
bhimsen : It is slighlty below that. Moreover, things depend on ur ability to read and comprehend.

kitten : @ramasamy sir, can u please give me the link?
ramasamy : We have only past cat papers till 2008 in our website

abc : If I happen to choose the day of CAT exam in last 3-4 days ...is it okay ? or should I choose a little earlier in nov ??
ramasamy : For a candidate who has prepared well, the slot must not matter

arjit : rc options seems very close ,how to tackle with it and jumbled questions also
tssmurty : For RC: In the exam, run through the question lines related to each passage (this will give you a rough idea of the content of the passage, and of the types of questions). Review, prioritise in order of relative comfort, and attempt. Read through the passage picked, quickly but carefully and completely, making notes as suggested. This will get you the (i) organisation of the passage (ii) the key ideas and thought-flow (iii) the central idea (iv) the style and (v) the tone. You may then be able to answer questions on these aspects, if any. For the other questions, you may require careful re-reading – the notes you make will help you identify, quickly, the bits that you want to re-read (from a little above to a little below). Consider meanings, implications (through vocab, grammar and structure), possible assumptions and possible derivations. Most important, don’t get stuck on a question. If it’s taking you too long (say, more than double the time you normally take) move on. Come back to it later if you have the time. For Para Jumbles: Basically, a paragraph is a set of sentences which, together, express an idea or an idea-set. While there are the occasional exceptions, paragraph structure usually follows a certain thought pattern, depending on content and purpose. (See the 'note on paragraphs' that follows). With recognition of paragraph structure, identifying the opening sentence (sometimes the closing sentence, sometimes the clear link between 2 sentences) becomes possible. Using these and a combination of recognition of thought flow, recognition of grammatical connectives used (pronouns, relative pronouns, demonstrative adjectives, conjunctions, prepositions) and simultaneous evaluation of choices for elimination, you should be able to arrive at the correct formation of the paragraph.

gaurav89 : sir, Is the level of aimcat in VA and LR section higher than that of actual CAT??
sridharan : Aimcats in general are of a slightly higher level in the sense that they are of all more difficult levels whereas CAT is almost of a mixed variety of difficulty levels.

123 : sir, by that date the syllabus of all the areas(quant,lr,di,va etc ) should be completed .. my syllabus is till not complete.. m very tense..
bhimsen : If given a date, hw much time would u take ? Should I say, ur proposed date of completion should be , say 31 Aug ? is it ok ? Pl don t worry.. Pl b steady in what u study

123 : by what date*
ramasamy : At the earliest possible date. Prepare a plan and stick to it. That is the best you can do under the given circumstances

kiran : THIS QSN IS OUT OF CONTEXT BUT PLZZ REPLY .... I GOT SELECTED IN WE SCHOOL MUMB AI CAMPUS ... I NEED TO PAY THE FIRST INSTALLMENT BY 27TH OF JUN PLZZ SUGGEST ME THAT WHETHER IT IS A GOOD BSCHOOL IN TERMS OF ROI AND WHAT IS THEIR AVG PACKAGES ?? OR SHALL I WRITE CAT THIS TIME ALSO? I GOT 80 IN PREVIOUS CAT
bharat : Go for the CAT 2013; put in a better effort... plan... put in a great deal of practice across all areas, including taking the Online Sectional Tests on your student home page. Best wishes!

raunak : Good evening sir/madam can you please guide how to tackle with very long rcs ....
bhimsen : pl choose the one wich suits u. Pl read para by para..Read the ques aft u have read a para or two.. u will b able to do.

kitten : sir, the link?
ramasamy : It is in your student home page

rahul : my second question is how to solve circular arrangement questions with less time
chandrajyoti : Accuracy and time is practice dependent. Focus on the basics like - 1) Are all the people facing the center or away from center, 2) 3 places away means 2 persons in between, 3) Direction of right and left, 4) Keep note of every little detail mentioned. I hope, if you keep these things in mind, you shall improve both in terms of accuracy and time required.

ujjawal : sir,what is the difference in interpretation of these three sentences,since all have there different meaning...1. IF SHE COMES TO MY HOUSE,I WILL GIVE HER YOUR BOOKS......2.IF SHE CAME TO MY HOUSE,I WOULD GIVE HER YOUR BOOKS.....3.IF SHE HAD COME TO MY HOUSE,I WOULD HAVE GIVEN HER YOUR BOOKS...(THE DIFFICULTY SEEMS IN INTERPRETATION OF SECOND SENTENCE.)
vijayalakshmipal : please look at the verbs in the 3 sentences comes came and had come comes present came past had come past perfect read the sentences keeping the tense and the modal would in mind the meaning will be clear

subh : good evening sir.In last AIMCATS i was able to solve LR questions.But while doing VA it was tough for me.How can I score more in this area?
cherian : analyze the paper and see which specific areas were tough for you and practice more on that areas.

abc : Sorry to ask that but I am not that well prepared and that's why I asked wether choosing amongst last 3-4 days poses a prob?
chandrajyoti : It should not be. Try to book your slots at the earliest so that you can book the same as per your choice.

raii : sir, i am facing major difficulty in understanding calendar probs.. is the chap imp for cat?
sridharan : You may get about 1 question from the chapter but it will be easy to crack.

cataspirant : I find Cubes topic little bit confusing...Can u tell an efficient way to get a good grip in that...How to do well in the difficult questions asked from that topic in a quick manner?
sridharan : A good way would be to buy a cube and attempting questions with its help.

zy31 : Sir/Ma'am While giving the AIMCATS, specially in the Quant section I often get stuck in the Q's and is not able to solve even easy Q's which I'm easily able to solve while reviewing the test. What is my problem?? Please suggest some steps.
ramasamy : Answering a question is different from answering a question in an exam under pressure. That is why, it is important that you practice with as many mock cat papers as possible

arjit : i m quite weak in quant how to approach from scratch for it in next 3 months ,given i can give quant only couple of hours
sridharan : You may to spare more time if you are weak in QUANTS.

brahma : How to prepare for verbal ability and RC section of cat-14 from now ?
tssmurty : Brahma, in the test run through the question lines related to each passage (this will give you a rough idea of the content of the passage, and of the types of questions). Review, prioritise in order of relative comfort, and attempt. Read through the passage picked, quickly but carefully and completely, making notes as suggested. This will get you the (i) organisation of the passage (ii) the key ideas and thought-flow (iii) the central idea (iv) the style and (v) the tone. You may then be able to answer questions on these aspects, if any. For the other questions, you may require careful re-reading – the notes you make will help you identify, quickly, the bits that you want to re-read (from a little above to a little below). Consider meanings, implications (through vocab, grammar and structure), possible assumptions and possible derivations. Most important, don’t get stuck on a question. If it’s taking you too long (say, more than double the time you normally take) move on. Come back to it later if you have the time.

gaurav : sir, i used to solve the v.a. section with 70-75% accuracy but i the past couple of aimcats my accuracy level has come down to the early 60s.. why is it happening even though i am attempting more or less same no. of question....
vijayalakshmipal : have you been analysing you AIMCAT performance if not identify the areas In VA that is pulling down your percentile grammar vocab RC then you need to prepare on those topics more then you will move beyond 75 percentile

sankalp : While practising the SM materials or practice exercises there is no defined time limit for solving questions and i some how end up solving them but during AIMCATs usually i end up short of time..Can you please provide details of time Limit of solving practice exercise oF SM Materials.
shirishjugare : For 10 questions u should take around 20-25 mins.

: i have scored 11 percentile in English last time how can i improve it
cherian : Develop your basics, do extensive English reading to improve vocabulary and comprehension, make full use of the material provided and practice a lot.

sai : for vocab based fill in the blanks- are the high frequency words enough
sridharan : Yes because CAT questions generally are contextual.

nitroxy : sir there is no improvement In PJ ques in spite of doing a lot of practice. i do well in books(in PJ ques) but in aimcat till now all my PJ question got wrong. how should i approach to these ques? pls help
tssmurty : Try this way. It helps. Basically, a paragraph is a set of sentences which, together, express an idea or an idea-set. While there are the occasional exceptions, paragraph structure usually follows a certain thought pattern, depending on content and purpose. (See the 'note on paragraphs' that follows). With recognition of paragraph structure, identifying the opening sentence (sometimes the closing sentence, sometimes the clear link between 2 sentences) becomes possible. Using these and a combination of recognition of thought flow, recognition of grammatical connectives used (pronouns, relative pronouns, demonstrative adjectives, conjunctions, prepositions) and simultaneous evaluation of choices for elimination, you should be able to arrive at the correct formation of the paragraph.

sss : how to memorise new wrds to improve vocab???
chandrajyoti : Learn in a systematic pace on a regular basis. If you learn a new word, don't just memorise them mechanically but utilise them as much as possible. Then only it becomes part of your vocabulary.

kiran : @ BHARAT SIR BUT WHAT IS THE AVG PACKAGE IN WE SCHOOOL MUMBAI? ----- THANK YOU
bharat : About Rs7 lakh

na : i have difficulty in solving questions on circular arrangement when there are more than 8 persons
sridharan : Whatever be no of persons the basic concepts are the same. Draw diagrams and practise with them . CAT questions usually are not very cumbersome.

sss : how to improve vocabulary???
tssmurty : Vocab Development Tips: Tip One: READ A LOT! Most words can be learned from context. The more you read, the more words you shall get exposed to and the more words you get exposed to the better vocabulary you will have. Hence, read, read and read. Pay especially close attention to unfamiliar words while reading. Look, as to what the context is and try to guess the meaning. (DO NOT, AT THIS POINT, REFER TO THE DICTIONARY.) Go ahead and complete the reading matter and then, you may refer to the dictionary. Well, then, read a LOOOOOOOOT! Tip Two: REFER: Well, I mean, you must refer to the dictionary for the meanings of the new words you came across. Now, if possible make a note of the words, their primary meanings, secondary meanings and especially their contextual usage. Refer to any Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Tip Three: LEARN: This is a technique that I gathered from my twelve-year experience as an English lecturer. Really, a sincere effort to learn the meanings of the difficult words we made note of along with their usage DOES HELP. Tip Four: REPEAT: Only learning the words, their meanings and usage won't help because there’s the danger of forgetting. Our memory is short-lived, unless, of course, we make efforts to counter this. One method is to repeat the words as many times as possible during the period immediately after learning them. I read about a research which said that if one repeats a word 10 to 15 times, it will never be forgotten. So, repeat by using it general conversations, by writing the word in sentences, by conducting self-memory-tests, by making flash cards of your own. Tip Five: Take the help of Vocabulary development books. There are quite a few vocabulary books in the market. The ones that I recommend are: STUDENTS’ COMPANION by Wilfred D Best or RUPA’S ENGLISH MANUAL by Rupa publications (for those who believe they need to begin at the basics); WORD POWER MADE EASY by Norman Lewis (for those who believe vocabulary is boring and also for those who believe they past the basic stage); ALL ABOUT WORDS by Maxwell Nurnberg, Morris Rosenblum (there are many more books by these two authors) and INSTANT VOCABULARY by Ida Ehrlich (for a very systematic approach to the learning of words). Tip Six: Play Vocabulary Development Games: Yes, games do help. Browse the net for the games, select the ones that suit your level and enjoy learning words like never before. TIP ABOVE ALL THE TIPS, THE SEVENTH TIP: ATTEND ALL THE VOCABULARY CLASSES. Do never miss the opportunity to learn new and difficult but very important words under the expert guidance of the faculty. Every vocabulary class should be the starting point of a learning session in your preparation for CAT.

145 : whats the imp of simple interest & CI in CAT?
sridharan : 1 to 2 (max) questions may appear in SI/CI.

pinky : sir how should i improve my vocab
ramasamy : a similar question has already been answered, please check

raii : @bhimsen sir: sir, i find philosophical passages and passages containing financial terms more difficult than others.. plz provide me any website from where i can prac specifically these type of qs..
bhimsen : These are abstract topics.. one generally has problems. Pl read one such topic/para a day. This will help u to get6 used to such topics. Pl hav a cool mind while reading. Moreover, just enjoy reading such paras. U wil find a change.

sai : are the para jumbles and para completion questions always solvable?
vijayalakshmipal : not always.......the level of difficulty matters a lot......sometimes 2 options for a parajumble can make perfect logic like it happened in CAT 12 making an educated guess also is difficult....i will not advise you to leave the question but do not spend too much time on it look at the other questions and in case you are left with time you can give it one last try

sudhanshu5575 : Sir, I am able to score good in quant though...around 40-45 but my VA section scores are very less and inconsistent(15-20). This thing troubles me. Kindly help me.
bhimsen : Neednt worry. A wide extensive study on a regular basis will help. Just start and with fondness.

brahma : Sir,will a student who has done his graduation in distance education format be able to appear cat exam and get a good regular b school ?
shirishjugare : I think, u should eligible for CAT. And if u preapre well, and u can justfiy why u have done gradution in the distance format, u should make it to a good b school. Best luck.

niklesh : sir, in all my previous aimcats in section 2 i have scored my marks only in LR(1 or 2 in VA).. should i concentrate on my accuracy or attempt the questions in which i cn eliminate 2 options but have to guess 1 in the remaining in order to attmpt mre number of questions
shirishjugare : Of course u should concentrate on accuracy. Guessing can work only for a few questions. Overall it seems u r struggling in VA sections. First pick the easy questions from all types and practise them hard. Find out a method to tackle easy questions first. then slowly go the next level questions. For Reading related questions like RC and para completion- make sure u get the main idea of the passage. Most questions can be handled successfully, if u get the crux of he passage. The crux of a paragraph generally lies in one key sentence in the para. Try go seperate statments which are having informatin and statements where the author's opinion lies. The main idea lies the opinion. Words like 'but' 'however' are helpful in choosing the main idea.

sss : atleast how many new wrds should be known to us for cat???4
sridharan : Though there are thousands of words in English CAT concentrates only on about 1000 words at the max. So if you learn about 600-800 new words probably it may suffice.

vk : Sir, I am totally confused how to solve the Logical Reasoning questions in the AIMCATs... I have joined TIME a few days back... Tell me how to start my LR preparations... I have Arihant book of Logical Reasoning... Is that enough...?
ramasamy : You have mentioned you are a T.I.M.E student. You have joined us for which product?

naimi : sir wat is the %ile needed for imt-gzb???
bhimsen : U NEED 100 PERCENTILE, acording to me. I have set the target for u. Pl achieve. Nothing can stop u from gettin a seat .

neha : Sir I am able to eliminate two options but I get stuck in the remaining two options and finally end up marking the wrong answer. Please guide me
tssmurty : Neha, This question is answered twice today. please go through the chat transcript.

kitten : what is the max time i shud spend on a lr set?
sridharan : about 10 min.

nitroxy : can you suggest some books apart from TIME material(bcz i had solved it already) for verbal ability section..
ramasamy : Our material along with our faculty inputs are more than sufficient.

niklesh : sir, if i read 2 hours a day(articles,novels etc) and practise grammar for 1 hour a day from now on.. is it enough to crack the Verbal section?
bhimsen : What is imp is the quality of time spent , not the amount of time. Pl ensure u learn more in less time. keep motivating urslf.

niklesh : sir, if i read 2 hours a day(articles,novels etc) and practise grammar for 1 hour a day from now on.. is it enough to crack the Verbal section?
vijayalakshmipal : just reading will not help ....novels no.....lead articles yes read them summarise them and answer 3 questions what is the primary purpose of the writer in the passage, what is the tone, and what is the logical structure. Grammar again follow the handouts and revise the same from the TIME material and also from Wren and Martin

145 : Sir I feel permutation & combination Qn. confusing while attempting, please help OR can I leave this chapter all together & focus on other chapters?
ramasamy : It is advisable not to leave any chapter. Your proficiency level in various topics may differ but you must not leave out a topic completely

gaurav : but sir the problem is i tend to score in one area in one aimcat by cant score in the same area in the second one... like i used to get the odd sentence out in paragraph type of question correct all the time but from the past couple of aimcats i cant do it... is it because of the varying toughness level... or is there something wrong with my strategy
sridharan : Nothing wrong with strategy. It is only that the difficulty level must have gone up.

naimi : i alwayz had the problm in solving di, rc ...... wat to do with these?
bhimsen : just find out what exactly is the problm. Look at this way - u hav some knowledge already.. u just need some more. Get ur doubts clarified and start preparing.

sai : in verbal section, should we go for an attempt when we dubious about two answers?
tssmurty : Sai, this question is answered thrice today. please go through the chat transcript.

nikks : Sir,in section 2 on which type of ques shld I concentrate more 2 get a gd score?
bhimsen : pl focus on the one u CAN ans.

rahul : what are the main chapters on which i should focus in quantative aptitude.I had solved all my exercise questions on circular arrangement and linear sequencing, but when i start doing what happens that my performance become lowest .I am getting very tensed about how i will do better in main cat exam.
shirishjugare : Topics to focus: geomtry, numbers, p and c, probablity , functins and graphs, time and dicstance. Practise them . Don't get tensed. CAT is not the end of life. It is just a game, play it playfully. Don't give up but don't get discouraged at all. Best luck.

nitroxy : thank you sir
tssmurty : Good luck.

raii : sir, i started preparing for va and rc seriously only two months back..and i am seeing good improvement in these areas.. but sir i started prep fro quant almost 6-7 months back.. but still it is the only area which is posing probs.. plz tell me where i am going wrong..
sridharan : This means that you are generally better in verbal than in quants which is quite possible.Concentrate on higher logical concepts of quants.

kalp : hello sir! my question is that i fing sentence arrangement really diffcuilt. can you suggest me some ways to tackle it?
tssmurty : If you referring to Para Jumbles, read the following: Basically, a paragraph is a set of sentences which, together, express an idea or an idea-set. While there are the occasional exceptions, paragraph structure usually follows a certain thought pattern, depending on content and purpose. (See the 'note on paragraphs' that follows). With recognition of paragraph structure, identifying the opening sentence (sometimes the closing sentence, sometimes the clear link between 2 sentences) becomes possible. Using these and a combination of recognition of thought flow, recognition of grammatical connectives used (pronouns, relative pronouns, demonstrative adjectives, conjunctions, prepositions) and simultaneous evaluation of choices for elimination, you should be able to arrive at the correct formation of the paragraph.

sss : in time study material,about 3000 words are given....should i need to memorise all???bt it is very difficult..
ramasamy : Always have a few cards with you and try to go through them. Try to learn the meanings of words in context

ash_rockz : sir i can do Rc's only when i read slowly ...so i generally end up in answering less questions ...what to do???
sridharan : PLs note that reading the passage per se doesnt provide you any score. Read it as fast as possible to understand1)the main theme2)tone and tenor 3)to have amental map of the arrangement of the passage.

cataspirant : How to do well in a quant based LR topic like the one based on CP,SP,Profit that appeared in last AIMCAT? Is there a possibility of these type of ques in CAT? I
chandrajyoti : Yes, you are right. Some of the LRs can also ask questions based on very basic concepts of profit, loss, simple interest, compound interest, etc. It should not be a problem for you as you are already preparing for the same topics for 1st section.

pree : Sir..in all the aimcats i am scoring 30-50 in section 2 but very poor around 11-12 in section 1. However, my accuracy level is not upto the mark in both the sections. Please suggest.
ramasamy : Avoid guesses. Look at where you went wrong and why

vk : Sir, I am totally confused how to solve the Logical Reasoning questions in the AIMCATs... I have joined TIME a few days back... Tell me how to start my LR preparations... I have Arihant book of Logical Reasoning... Is that enough...? I have joined CAT 13 Classroom course... I haven't taken any LR class yet...
ramasamy : We go through a step by step process of covering LR concepts with various handouts and study material. There is no need to use any material other than our material

sss : what r the questions should we attempt first in cat exam in va section??
vijayalakshmipal : it depends on each ones strong arteas some prefer RC some vocab some para jumble please analyse you AIMCAT performance to take a call on which area of verbal to begin with

sss : how much max tym should be given to solve an unseen passage given in cat exam??
bhimsen : Would u like to leave anything ? Pl solve one psg at a time in just 8 to 10 mins and thn go to othr ques. U can alwys come back. B cool while raeding/answring the psgs. Wht is imp is acuracy.

gsi : my scores in AIMCATS keep on fluctuating...but always lie in range of 81 to 84 percentile....sometimes I dont even cross cuttoff in a section and score very high in other section...plz help...driving me crazy...
bhimsen : Just chill.. ur scores are good. U just need some more improvement. List out ur weak and striong areas and work acordingly. U will do it. Cheer up.

rahul : how to tackle reading compression section keeping in view the time
tssmurty : Rahul, it is Reading COMPREHENSION. In the exam, run through the question lines related to each passage (this will give you a rough idea of the content of the passage, and of the types of questions). Review, prioritise in order of relative comfort, and attempt. Read through the passage picked, quickly but carefully and completely, making notes as suggested. This will get you the (i) organisation of the passage (ii) the key ideas and thought-flow (iii) the central idea (iv) the style and (v) the tone. You may then be able to answer questions on these aspects, if any. For the other questions, you may require careful re-reading – the notes you make will help you identify, quickly, the bits that you want to re-read (from a little above to a little below). Consider meanings, implications (through vocab, grammar and structure), possible assumptions and possible derivations. Most important, don’t get stuck on a question. If it’s taking you too long (say, more than double the time you normally take) move on. Come back to it later if you have the time.

naf : i am getting problem in arranging more than 8 persons in circular arrangement can you please help?
chandrajyoti : Focus on the basics like - 1) Are all the people facing the center or away from center, 2) 3 places away means 2 persons in between, 3) Direction of right and left, 4) Keep note of every little detail mentioned. I hope, if you keep these things in mind, you shall improve both in terms of accuracy and time required.

totallearner : Hello sir,
shirishjugare : hello....

raunak : what should be the maximum time to be spe nt on every rc? i tend to take a lot of time on rcs and in the end dont get time to solve other questions ... can u suggest how do i work on it ?
cherian : the way to go about an rc has already been detailed in this chat. try it out and see if you can improve your times.

pree : Sir..what should be the approach in answering lr va section...wich one should be answered first...i have seen each rc takes around 10mins approx..is that a good time or i do i need to work on speed..
sridharan : RC 10 min is ok.Do the questions which are generally easy for you first.

sss : my reading speed is very slow??how can i improve it??
tssmurty : A similar question is just answered. Please go through the chat transcript.

niklesh : thank you sir.. I ll be positive and work hard the way you suggested me and i ll give my best and crack it.. thank you once again
sridharan : You are welcome. Wish you all the best.

naimi : sir dont u think that the pattern of aimcat is unnecessarily tough ??
sridharan : No. It is to prepare the students for all eventualities.

brahma : Sir,what news papers,magazines and novels you will recommend for va and rc section ?
sridharan : Any standard newspaper. As there is less time you need not concentrate on novels etc.

megatron : what should be the plan 4m now for stdn for gtng atlst 250marks in cmat sept2013?
bhimsen : Pl make a time tabl of ur own.. stick to it and analyse ur progress. Pl take mock tests and improve upon ur weak areas.

naimi : sir dont u think that the pattern of aimcat is unnecessarily tough ?? i score nearly 40 55 marks in these aimcats...
shirishjugare : It is not tough. U need to work hard. Many students are scoring well. DO self-analysis. U will surely get a way. Cheers.......

ash_rockz : In sec 2 my accuracy level is only 50%...I do all LR correct only problem is with VA & RC...How to improve this??
cherian : you need to practice more and try using techniques mentioned here earlier.

cataspirant : Sir One of three the LR SET must be easier. how to quickly find it? please help
chandrajyoti : Easier or difficult is a relative term and depends on the person who is solving it. Scan through the questions which you find easier and attempt it first.

pree : for va...i am referring Norman Lewis and Time Material...is that enough?
shirishjugare : First finish both of them. And then ask the question again.

gsi : plz suggest me a way not to be nervous after looking at that ticking clock ...it scares me...and i cant concentrate then completely...
bhimsen : Hello, the clock is there only to befool u. U better scare the clock. Just keep doing ur job. In fact, the clock is to help u. Just change ur mindset. U will do well.

mohit : i am able to score in maths but va and lr seem to be the worst,,i just can't solve va and rc,, and lr is based on luck,,if its done its done but if its not,, then the real problm arises,, wat to do for va sir?? plzz can suggest something sir,, I am scoring in single digits in this section and the accuracy is less than 50%...please sir help me..!!
shirishjugare : Don't worry about the results. Analyse ur performance. Analysis of the questions that you got wrong is the most important. Don't give up but gon't get discouraged. How to improve RC and VR- this question has been answered in detail... please see.

totallearner : I find sentence completion really tough. It eats away most of my time. How can i improve on that? please suggest something
bhimsen : Pl c d flow of the sentence. Eliminate the choices Ex- one that is contradicting the psg/ beyond the scope of the psg, can be eliminated. Also c, wht is the focus on.. The last line must b concluding in nature.

john : the link to rc in the student's homepage has not been updated since the past 2 months
tssmurty : John, please go through the following link given in the 'Current Week', the article dated - Thursday 25 July 2013: -- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9673137/Give-Philip-Roth-the-Nobel-Prize-as-a-retirement-present.html

kartik : hi sir/mam..i generally take half of the time in the RCs..while other types take more than 20 mins..now i am harldy left with enough time to do LR questions..how to overcome this??
vijayalakshmipal : you need to work on your reading speed and varriety of subject matter please read the Hindu lead articles on a regular basis work on section tests and the SMs for RC

arjit : how to approach for quants in next 3 months?
sridharan : Pls concentrate on our books. Do them at least twice. Also attend all AIMCATS and also go through solutions. You should revise the Aimcats once more after a lapse of a few days.

rahul : my performance in last aimcat was that i scored just 30 percentile.how can i can i improve my performance which should be the areas where i should focus.
ramasamy : Stick to the basics. Prepare from study materials and go through the basic concepts. Attempt the section tests, mock cats, crts. Also give AIMCATs and past CAT papers. Consistent planned preparation is the key

ujjawal : what is the probable score of the 99.9 percentiler...i mean the no. of question that went right with 100%accuracy???
ramasamy : Due to multiple papers and the process of normalisation, we will not be able to find this out

145 : In all my previous AIMCATS ,my performnce is: (In secton 1 I attempt around 10 Qns & 9 are correct) but (in section 2 I attempt around 18 Qns with confidence but result is 8 correct & 10 wrong)...please suggest ways to improve.
shirishjugare : Concentate on accuracy. Don't solve too many questions untill u reach a fairly good accuracy level. Analyse the wrong the questions. Compare the wrong answer with the correct answer. See if u find a trend in your wrong answers. Understand the mistakes u have done and make sure u don't repeat them. Best luck.

sanks : its not possible to remember all the words from cue cards provided by time....so hw to improve vocabulary????
vijayalakshmipal : its not possible if you are only memorising ....one cannot use all the words in day to day conversation....but you can understand the meaning of the word and create a sentence of your own where the meaning is evident because of the way it has been used in the sentence

sss : sir which questions in va section is to be answered first to make 99% attempt??
bhimsen : First of all.. tru to put in 100 %. Ans those wich u are sure of. Pl have a proper frame of mind throughout.

gsi : I am also giving cmat and nmat...how do i study for those along with CAT...what pattern of study should be followed???
chandrajyoti : Standard preparation for CAT should be sufficient for them, too.

naimi : sir i m weak in vocab. nd time is not enough to enrich my word list........ wat else can i do to score in the second paper ??? or is their any way i can improve my vocab ????
vijayalakshmipal : vocab cannot be built overnight i am sure you are reading a lot and coming across new words instead of looking up a dictionary for the meaning of these words try and understand the contextual meaning and try and relate that word to your surroundings

brahma : what is the process of useing the vocabulary cards TIME has provided n?
bhimsen : It is upto u to use. Are u really interested to improve ? If yes, take a few words of ur choice and just learn/see, Pl dont mug up. Fall in love with words.. they too will love u.

cataspirant : I have a difficulty in 20 practice passages in the RC SM...When i complete my reading i understand the passage but i am not able to write more than 2 or 3 pts in the Summary of the passage...I tend to re read the passage which is suggested to be wrong...Kindly help me out...
shirishjugare : In cat, summary is not asked to write. Don't fret. Summary wiring helps in solving 'main idea' questions. If u can get these questions correct, then u don't have to worry about summary writing. For main idea- remember, the main idea generally lies in the key sentence of the paragraph. As u start reading the para, u try to find out whether the passage is moving from 'strong point' to 'supporing- subordinate details'. If the flow is from 'main' to 'supporitng', then the main idea will be in the first part of the paragraph. if the flow is from 'supporting ideas' to 'strong idea' then the main idea will be in the later part of the passage.

rom : sir i m getting 85% percent in last 2 aimcat..in this too i have scored 55marks.Am i doing good & wat r my chances of getting around 95%ile in cat ..but i am not able to get the cutoff marks in Va.
bhimsen : steady efforts, sprucing up ur weak ares r the ways to improve. U wil do well. Do it passionately.

raii : sir, i find 2 sets of lr(max) in the aimcats very difficult and leave them most of the times.. the other 3 qs are always correct.. what shall i do to improve my prep level? plz tell me where i am lacking.. i want to attempt all lr qs and get them correct..
chandrajyoti : Focus on your basics. Practice variety of problems with different difficulty levels. AIMCATs are for your preparations. Do not feel demoralized. Try your level best. You shall definitely do better.

sss : para jumbling seems quite tough to me...how can i improve it????how can i solve it in minimum tym???
tssmurty : Similar questions are just answered. Please go through the chat transcript.

subh : While solving some LR questions like selection,arrangement etc.. I get 3/4 alternatives from which 1will be correct according to the question.I used to struck up there to choose the right option.Please suggest.
sridharan : LR questions will have unique solutions . If you get the answer wrongly it must have been because of your missing some point orv misinterpretation of some point.

totallearner : Thanks for your suggestion. Can you suggest some good strategy for attempting Sec-2 for those whose LR part is good and Verbal part is weak, sub-sec in the order of RC-PJ-grammer-SC, SC being the weakest.
bhimsen : pl read a para or two on certain abstract topics like philosophy, religion, psychology etc.. This will help u. Pl take sectional tests. Spruce up ur basics in grammar. Nothing is impossible.

pree : how many question should we attempt for good score??
ramasamy : Your Aimcat performances will guide you as to how many questions to attempt.As a rough estimate, you can try around 21 - 23 questions in quant with almost 100% accuracy and around 24 - 27 questions in verbal with atleast 90% accuracy

ritu : SIR I GET CONFUSE IN PARA JUMBLES AS TO WHICH WILL BE THE OPENING LINE WHEN 2 SENTENCES HAVE EQUAL PROBABLITY
sridharan : It is not always that only one sentence is fit to be the first sentence.It depends on the entire answer choices.

vk : Sir, I have given only one AIMCAT, And, I can solve around 20 questions (60 marks) correctly overall in the tests... But, due to negative marks, my scores were 33 and 18... I am very confident during the AIMCATs that most of my answers are correct, especially in the VA sections, but I end up getting them wrong...
cherian : Confidence is good when you take the exam. However you need to analyze the paper to see where and why you went wrong and also identify if there were questions you could have easily attempted. Once you identify the errors made, try to rectify them.

megatron : sir, how wud u compare the aimcats and the cmat papers...i mean to say if i am getting around 40 in aimcats what would be my marks in cmat(approx.)
shirishjugare : Both are different exams. AIMCAT is specifically designed for CAT. nd it has been observed that people who have got a very high score in CAT couldn't not perform well in CMAT. So the performance in every exam is diff.

cataspirant : What must be the sequence one should follow to do the best in VA and LR even in the most difficult CAT slot? Could u suggest the devil strategy for this...
bhimsen : U become the devil who will gobble every thing. Do the one which u r strong at.. then go to a weaker one.. with high energy level, u will tackle the difficult one.. then do the one wich u a strong at. This will allow u to maintain ur high energy levels. U need to be happy throughout.

naimi : sir, which newspaper i should read???? the hindu or toi ??? till now i did not read any newspaper on rgular basis...
chandrajyoti : Any standard news paper circulated nationally will be sufficient. The true issue is whether you read or not. Reading news paper on a regular basis (daily) is required. If you are not doing so till date, please, Immediately START it.

sanks : so is it possible to finish 3,200 words in 3months????...as told about forming the sentences!!!....@vijayalakshipal
vijayalakshmipal : nobody can do that aand these 3200 words does not set a limit every day neologisms get added i have suggested one good way to improve vacab now you can explore other options memorising does not help words are not tables you can learn root words and derive more words from the same root which is already a part of your classroom training

mohit : can u please explain me the difference between 'its' and it's...??it confuses me a lot..
sridharan : its means belonging to it . For ex. the dog wags its tail. It's is the shortened form of it is or it has.

abc : Hi...I am having a problem with keeping consistency,....I am not able to cover up all the sections everyday hence ...there comes a feeling that what I prepared in past might have faded by some time.....ne tips to break this thing?
bhimsen : Learning NEVER goes waste. U are building up slowly and steadily. the last lap is alwys difficult. Pl get going . U hav alrdy acumulate a lot of wealth(CAT wealth).. some more is needed. Get going. Pl dont entertain doubts

dlcb3ha30 : Sir,I find it very tough to find out errors in grammar section though i have gone through the concepts but I'm finding it difficult to apply them.Any suggestion?
sridharan : Rules plus constant touch with contemporary English is necessary.Pls read newspapers regularly.

sairam : hello sir
bhimsen : Hello sairam

cataspirant : I am writing NMAT on Oct 23rd...How to deal with NMAT's VA and LR...Will there be major difference in preparation...Please give us tips Sirs!!!
shirishjugare : NMAT has no negative marking. The level is also low as compared to CAT. So the speed matters. CIf u r goot CAT LR, u don't have to worry about NMAT LR. And in VA, vocab and grammar are questions are more in number than in CAT. So be prepared to solve more grammar and vocab questions in NMAT. Overall the level is low. Don't get stuck with one particular question.

gsi : is there a mechanism by which I can discuss aimcat papers in detail with respective faculty in time centre...on one to one basis...plz tell me the procedure to do so...
bhimsen : AIMCAT discussions take place. pl make use of that. Pl contact ur centre.

rahul : time has provided the cue cards how to learn new words from them
vijayalakshmipal : CUE cards will help you get the meaning of the new words learning them can happen only when you relate to the words by making sentences or relating it to situations

raii : sir, i find 2 sets of lr(max) in the aimcats very difficult and leave them most of the times.. the other 3 qs are always correct.. what shall i do to improve my prep level? plz tell me where i am lacking.. i want to attempt all lr qs and get them correct..!
ramasamy : Divide your 70 minutes into 3 parts, around 25 - 30 minutes for LR questions, around 25 - 30 minutes for RC Questions and around 10 - 20 minutes for the other VA questions

pavan2prac : Sir,I m Pavan, My problem is that I'm not able to efficiently divide my time in the VA section,If I start with answering VA first,I end up leaving some of RC's unattempted and if I start answering RC first I am not able to concentrate on the Logical reasoning.Please suggest any method for improvement.
shirishjugare : I think, u problem is- u must be getting stuck with one or two particualr questions for a long time. See u should learn to move from questions to questions. Try to recognise difficulty level of the question.

pm : sir, my P&C and probability and geometry areas are weak, i have solved all the examples of our books but every time when i see the questions in the exam i am not able to solve them. please suggest what to do for that. and also suggest if there is any perticular book available for this.
ramasamy : Understand the underlying concepts being tested in each question. Try to look at the various models in CAT exam. Try to change a part of the question and see the impact on the answer. Try to frame your own questions. Look at past CAT and AIMCAT questions. T.I.M.E materal along with faculty inputs are more than sufficient

sairam : what are the basic things we need to prepare for va and lr
sridharan : Grammar, vocabulary through reading and LR through practice and logical understanding of conditions.

rahul : which are the sections i should practice to get 95+ percentile. also i want to the study plan which i should follow
sridharan : Getting above 95 percentile would require concentrating on all sections without any omission.

brahma : @bhimsen thanks sir
bhimsen : good luck

soumyaprusty : Sir, Please tell me what pattern should I follow for the VA & LR section
ramasamy : a similar question is already answered in terms of taking the exam. For any other query, please post your question

gsi : how to improve GK section for cmat and xat???
ramasamy : read newspapers and weekly magazines regularly. Go through our magazine and a good general knowledge book

soumyaprusty : I mean from the 30 questions which questions should I answer first
tssmurty : Those that fall into your strong area. Those that you can answer confidently.

cosmonaut : Experiencing lot of problems in P&C.. the more questions I do ,the more I think I get confused.. plz suggest what must be my approach..
sridharan : the basic concepts if you understand P&C is like any other topic only.The confusion comes because all the questions are of different varieties.

raii : sir,when i read a word i try to understand its meaning and in what context it is being used.. but after suppose 1 wk i tend to forget the word completely.. is it possible to revise all the words as well as study some new words every day??
sridharan : Words will remain in memory only through usage. So try to use the words you have learnt in speaking , writing etc.

sairam : can u guide me the way to excel in va and lr??
tssmurty : Sairam, several questions related to these areas are answered in today's chat. Please go through the chat transcript.

cataspirant : Sir i Could not see the CAT previous year question papers in our website... PLease provide the link...
shirishjugare : We don't know questions of the previous year of CAT. CAT is online, there is no way we can get the questions of online CATS

sss : tym material doesn't provided me cue cards.. i m a correspondance (cat 13) time student...what r cue cards???nd what is its purpose???
bhimsen : Dont worry.. now is the time to improve. Cue cards are cards on which there are words / meanings and usage. Pl pick up a few words fm dictionary and learn.

brahma : sir hoew to use the news paper article to b strong in rc ?
vijayalakshmipal : write a para wise summary of the article and then answer 3 basic questions what is the primary purpose of the writer what is the tone what is the logical structure

sss : how can i get the cue cards??
shirishjugare : contact ur centre.

abc : Hi...can we get TIME magazine (mba education and career) subscription from our centers becoz online link for payment (OPIN generation) is not working ....And are these magazines sufficient for GK ?? (GK is aske din IIFT and other papers and also for insight for GDPI if applicable)
bharat : Hi, for subscribing to ME&C, please send a mail to mec@time4education.com

dlcb3ha30 : Sir, how can i improve myself in the usage of phrasal verbs & idioms as there are many?
sridharan : Look for their usages by reading newspapers,magazines etc.

soumyaprusty : ok sir, one more thing how can I divide the 3 RC passages while answering
sridharan : First take the passage which you are comfortable with .Then go for some other section and again come back for a slightly more difficult one, then again go for some other section and again for the most difficult one according to you.

sanks : thanks for the suggestions...sentence formin dint strike me b4...@vijayalakshmipal
vijayalakshmipal : you are welcome best of luck guess the meaning of this word The apocryphal promises that politicians make fall flat the moment they are elected

rahul : is logical reasoning question asked in cmat and mat different than cat
chandrajyoti : Obviously, difficulty levels may vary. However, the materials of T.I.M.E. for LR are sufficient for preparation.

raii : sir, is there any major diff in the va + lr portion of nmat and cmat as compared to cat?
shirishjugare : CMAT has more argument and critical reasoning questions. NMAT tries to cover all areas quite extensively.

aman : CAn you please tell me from where to practice RCS?
bhimsen : There are so many in ur study material.. u will also find them in ur sectional tests. Allthese apart fromj the handouts given to u.

hari : sir, what all things of english do va cover in CAT??
bharat : Already answered! Check transcript!

abc : ne good book or site for essay writing section of XAT?
bhimsen : there are many books avlbl. ur knowledge wil help u. U may buy any book on essay.

sss : are the cue cards included in time correspondance package??
bhimsen : pl ask the centre.

raii : sir, is the time magazines given to us enough for the Gk part of cmat,iift or xat?
shirishjugare : GK section is an unpredictable section. TIME Magazine helps a lot, but u should not completely rely on it. Read news papers and other GK books too. See for GK, no material can be exhaustive.

aman : Sir, I am not a TIME student , i have only joned the test series..can you please tell me the from where to practice RCs , aprt from sectional test?
bhimsen : If u look at the tests, u will have many pasgs.. u may also google search. Paper reading wud also helkp.

cataspirant : @Bhimsen Sir: Thank you 4 ur response...Could u suggest what no of ques and what type of ques should we attempt in different time frames(like first 30 min)? Is it better to attempt the RC's at the last or Lr ques at the last?
bhimsen : Initially u will be highly motivated.. go wide the ones u can ans correctly. Then take a weak area.. thn a strong one.. make sure u sustain ur entu levels. This will help u.

aman : How to getr previous year AIMCAT's solution?
shirishjugare : U cant get. For more info, contact ur centre manager

sairam : sir,can u please tell me how to attend rc??ifeel it a little duff to do it??
tssmurty : Sairam, in the exam, run through the question lines related to each passage (this will give you a rough idea of the content of the passage, and of the types of questions). Review, prioritise in order of relative comfort, and attempt. Read through the passage picked, quickly but carefully and completely, making notes as suggested. This will get you the (i) organisation of the passage (ii) the key ideas and thought-flow (iii) the central idea (iv) the style and (v) the tone. You may then be able to answer questions on these aspects, if any. For the other questions, you may require careful re-reading – the notes you make will help you identify, quickly, the bits that you want to re-read (from a little above to a little below). Consider meanings, implications (through vocab, grammar and structure), possible assumptions and possible derivations. Most important, don’t get stuck on a question. If it’s taking you too long (say, more than double the time you normally take) move on. Come back to it later if you have the time.

sam : SIR PLZE RLY
bhimsen : wht is ur ques.. pl tell again

mahiii : sir,in VA what are the parts that should be concentrated more to get a good score ?
vijayalakshmipal : everything needs to be concentrated on VA Rc Grammar and verbal structures please dont give yourself a choice you have only 21 questions of english the rest is Lr cannot afford to pick and choose

abc : @bharat...And are these magazines (mba education and career) sufficient for GK ?? (GK is aske din IIFT and other papers and also for insight for GDPI if applicable)
bhimsen : there is nothing like enough. Just become greedy for knowledge. There is no harm if u get some bits and poieces from here and there. Evry bit of info is like an additionalo bonus

subh : In lat 3 AIMCATS my score is 60-70 percentile.How can i improve upon this?Although my accuracy is good i'm unable to solve many questions.
sridharan : You have to time your answers and conciously increase the no. of questions answered.

sanket : Being a working professional I don't get much time. Also I am getting around 90-95 percentile. Pls help in making a plan which will help me the most considering my constraint of time
cherian : you are already scoring close to 95 percentile which is good. analyze your aimcat papers to see which areas you are weak in and which areas you can score more with minimal effort. concentrate on those initially and then build on from there.

ipsita : Please tell me the books from where I can practice LR as i am unable to attend most of the questions in the AIMCAT's. I think the material doesn't contain the LR as asked in the AIMCAt's.
chandrajyoti : Please practice from T.I.M.E. materials.

ka : sir, i always get data sufficiency ques wrng, hw shud i imprve dat
ramasamy : Data sufficiency questions strongly test the quants concepts. See where you have gone wrong and why

cosmonaut : I know it is completely a relative question but plz try and give me an approx time figure to completely finish reading a newspaper..
sridharan : It is better you concentrate as of now only with a few articles as the objective is to improve English. You can spend at the max. 1/2 hour right now till you write CAT.

cataspirant : @Shirish: Could u tell me where to find the CAT previous papers from 2005 to 2008 in TIME website.
shirishjugare : I think, direct papers not available on ur website. But questions from these cat papers are given on ur homepage.

ipsita : How to improve my RC's as most of the time i am confused between two and end up making mistake
tssmurty : It's a typical dilemma, we call it two choice dilemma! Unlike what most students think, this is easy to overcome. If you are stuck between two choices, DON'T DO WHAT MOST STUDENTS DO—take one choice at a time, check with the passage whether it is a strong contender and then consider the other—THIS IS WRONG! INSTEAD, identify the difference between the two choices—now, there will be some difference, be it specific, or general. After noting the difference, recheck/reconsider as to what the question seeks; surprisingly, the answer becomes clear here. If it is not clear yet, keep the 'difference' and 'what' the question seeks in mind and re-read the passage to check what it 'says' about the difference. If the answer still does not 'reveal' itself to you, YOU MUST BE STUCK BETWEEN TWO 'WRONG' CHOICES!

mahiii : sir, please do answer my previous question
ramasamy : It is already answered. Please check

cataspirant : @ All sirs: Thank you for spending your valuable time in answering all our questions...
shirishjugare : U r welcome. And best luck.

ipsita : what are the books which i can refer for increasing my score in grammar
tssmurty : V102 for all basics. In addition, you can refer to Wren & Martin, Rajendra Pal & Prem Lata Suri, etc.

comrade : apart from the study materials provided by time which book is good for verbal
vijayalakshmipal : no book attempt your section tests

sairam : thank u sir for kindly answering my doubts.....
tssmurty : Best wishes!

raii : sir, what is level of snap and iift exam?? Same as cat?
shirishjugare : The level of SNAP and IIFT will be slightly lower than CAT