vijay : HOW CAN I START MY VA/RC PREPARATIONS? WHAT MATERIALS SHOULD I READ?
lakshmymenon : Start with the reading material provided by TIME. Also, read at least one newspaper editorial daily. Then gradually progress to other resources such as Aeon Essays and Arts & letters Daily. Read articles on a variety of subjects such as history, sociology, political science, culture, literature, philosophy, psychology and science.

bhcbb5a058 : HI , HOW TO DIVIDE OUR TIME BETWEEN THE RC AND THE VA SECTION?
darshanamishra : Take the mocks and identify your strengths and weaknesses and depending on that you could dedicate 25-30 mins for RC and 10-15 mins for VA. However, this shall totally depend on your comfort so identify what works for you based on every AIMCAT that you take

shraddha : I HAVE NOT YET STARTED MY VARC PREP. HOW DO I START
philipthomas : Start by revising your Grammar and Vocabulary hand outs thoroughly, that will give you the foundation to work upon the RC passages and the Verbal Reasoning questions

mucab5a388 : AS A BEGINNER READER, WHICH BOOKS SHOULD I START THAT WILL ESCALATE MY VOCAB ?
darshanamishra : You could read upon the editorials from The Hindu, The Indian Express, RC links on SHp. RC passages in your SM.

disha : HOW TO APPROACH THIS PARTICULAR SECTION IN CAT, LIKE WHAT SHOULD BE THE STRATEGY?
govindrajan : Which section are you referring to VARC or DILR?

ankita : HI ALL - I HAVE TWO QUERIES :
govindrajan : Please post your queries. Post queries about different subjects in different questions.

ugs : WHAT READING MATERIAL WOULD YOU SUGGEST FOR IMPROVING RC MORE AND DOING WELL IN RC
rajesh : Have you started reading the RC from our material as also have you started doing sectional tests

mostlycloudy : HI I'M HAVING TROUBLE WITH VOCABULARY! ALSO THE COMOLICATED ARRANGEMENT AND PERMUTATION PROBLEMS ARE CAUSING ME HEADACHES HOW DO I APPROACH THEM? TRICKS?
rajesh : Have you tried to speak to a mentor at your centre

anoushka : HOW TO SELECT THE CORRECT ANSWER WHEN THERE MORE THAN ONE POTENTIAL ANSWER?
lakshmymenon : The good thing is that you understood there can be more than one potential answer! In such a case, you need top pick the answer that is more aligned with the author's perspective. for each question, eliminate the obviously wrong questions first. Then revisit the relevant part of the passage and compare each confusing option. Try to spot distortions, exaggerations, irrelevance etc. in one of the options. before making an inference and picking an option, ask yourself - can I understand this from the passage, or am I imagining something? If you're still confused, just leave the question!

muskan : I AM NOT ABLE TO DO THE INFERENCE QUESTION..ALSO I GET DISTRACTED IN READING THE LAST PARAGRAPH AND THAT'S WHY I GET PANIC AND FORGET THE ABOVE PASSAGE WHAT WAS IT ABOUT AND ALL THINGS....
rajesh : Please don't panic How much of practice is over

vijay : I'M FACING TROUBLE IN READING THE PASSAGES AND ANSWERING THE CORRESPONDING QUESTIONS. WHAT SHOULD I DO TO IMPROVE MY SCORES IN THIS SECTION?
darshanamishra : Read across subject areas from your RC links on SHP. Practise CR questions well. Practise RC passages from SM followed by sectionals on RC followed by Full length mocks.

amrit : WHAT CAN BE THE IDEAL SCORE TO IN DI-LR AND VARC TO GET INTO THE 99 PERCENTILE GROUP ?
abhishek : It is difficult to answer. Depends on the difficulty level of the test. Generally speaking score in 50-55% range is sufficient.

manya : WHAT CAN BE THE PREPARATION STRATEGY OF SECTION DILR?
abhishek : Start by solving one set each of LR and DI. Be consistent, by solving more number of sets, our ability to think about such sets/ability to develop approaches improves.

mucab5a388 : CAN YOU PLEASE SUGGEST ANY PARTICULAR NEWSPAPER THAT MATCHES ENGLISH LEVEL OF CAT?
lakshmymenon : The Hindu, Guardian (Also New York Times and The Economist - but these require a subscription)

ankita : HI - WHAT IS THE BEST WAY OF APPROACHING LENGTHY QUESTIONS IN LR - CASE IN POINT, ARRANGEMENT BASED QUESTIONS WHERE THE PERSONS ARE FACING DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. WHAT IS THE RIGHT WAY OF SELECTING QUESTIONS TO ATTEMPT
abhishek : Can you clarify as to what do you mean by selection of questions?

sunilesskay : I HAVE BEEN PREPARING FOR THE LRDI, FROM THE HANDOUT WHICH TIME HAVE GIVEN, CAN I GET THE MOST WEIGHTAGED CHAPTERS THAT WILL BE REPEATEDLY ASKED ON THE CAT EXAMS
abhishek : LR and DI areas in CAT can be classified as miscellaneous. They are generally not the usual topics like arrangements, distribution etc. There is one topic which is relatively more important -Venn diagrams.

srivatsan : GOOD EVENING SIR, HOW SHOULD WE PROCEED TOWARDS THE PREP FOR VARC AND LRDI SIR.
govindrajan : Start with classroom handouts followed by online foundation tests and then exercise (a) of each chapter. After covering a few topics you may start attempting online intermediate tests. Simultaneously solve questions from Self administered AIMCATs. You may start solving exercise (b) and online advanced tests. After a couple of months you start practicing questions from lot 2 material.

muskan : I GET THE WHOLE COMPREHENSION BUT STILL NOT ABLE TO MARK THE CORRECT ANSWER.
amitpoddar : Pls practise some critical reasoning questions from the RC booklet.The question types are based on CR in most RC passages.

abhay : SHOULD I PRACTICE PYQS WHILE COMPLETING THE STUDY MATERIAL OR SHOULD I LEAVE THEM FOR LATER IN DILR?
abhishek : Answered. Please check chat.

sanskriti : COULD YOU PLEASE SHARE SOME EFFECTIVE PREPARATION STRATEGIES AND RESOURCES FOR QA, DI, AND LR? I'M LOOKING TO IMPROVE BOTH MY ACCURACY AND TIME MANAGEMENT IN THESE SECTIONS.
abhishek : In QA:- 1. Be regular with the classes. 2. Make a plan for syllabus completion. 3. Focus on learning the concept and irs application. 4. Regularly revise. LRDI:- 1. Practice one set each of LR and DI. 2. Be consistent with practice. 3. Keep solving random puzzles, understanding random concepts/methods. Hope this helps.

dlcnb5q043 : HI, THOUGH I GET FEW OF MY QUESTIONS IN VA CORRECT LIKE BUT MOST OF THEM GO WRONG WHICH BRINGS MY MORALE DOWN. CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME ON HOW TO IMPROVE VA?
darshanamishra : Identify your pain points. Practise those from SM and take sectionals on the same before you take the full length mock next time.

ugs : IAM VERY WEAK IN RC AS I PICKED LAST YR PAPER AND TRY TO SOLVE I COULD NOT EVEN UNDERSTAND THE RC SINGLE LINE HOW TO IMPROVE MY RC SKILLS WHAT BOOKS OR READING MATERIAL U SUGGEST
philipthomas : Suggest that you do some work on grammar and vocabulary before working on RC. After the initial sessions on grammar and vocab ,you will find it easier to work upon RC. For RC start by summarising the passages given in Exercise 1 of your SM.

disha : BOTH SECTIONS, BUT PARTICULARLY DILR.
govindrajan : Start with classroom handouts followed by online foundation tests and then exercise (a) of each chapter. After covering a few topics you may start attempting online intermediate tests. Simultaneously solve questions from Self administered AIMCATs. You may start solving exercise (b) and online advanced tests. After a couple of months you start practicing questions from lot 2 material.

dlcnb5q048 : HII PLEASE TELL HOW WE TAKE TIME FOR DILR AND VARC WHEN I AM FACING SO MUCH ASSIGNMENT WORK PRACTICAL EXAM FROM COLLEGE
philipthomas : Spend only a maximum of 2 hours every day on CAT preparation, this will give you enough time to focus on your course work.

muskan : I AM DOING THE PRACTISE AS WELL AS I'M TRYING TO IMPROVE MY VOCAB...BECAUSE I THINK IT WILL BE BETTER TO UNDERSTAND THE PASSAGE EXPLICITLY.
lakshmymenon : Yes, vocabulary is definitely important. While doing daily reading practice, look up the meanings of new words and note them down in a book. You can even note the sentence in which this word appeared, so that you understand the contextual application. Then revise the list regularly. You can also use our cue cards for daily practice. Another good resource is Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis - you can check out the free PDF version first.

mohit : HOW TO START DILR QUESTIONS
govindrajan : You may build a systematic approach to sets. Once you read the initial few lines of a puzzle/DI set, you will get to know what kind of puzzle/DI set we are going to solve. This does not take more than 30 to 40 seconds. Give a quick read to the given data spending about a minute time. Do not try to analyse the information at this stage. Spend a couple of minutes to read the questions and the type of answer choices. In case the questions have "If" conditions, it indicates that we get more than one possible solution. The questions let us know how to use the given information. All these should happen in about 3 minutes. Then start going through the information carefully. While doing this decide which statement to be picked up first and the order in which the other pieces of information are to be used. This way we can have a smooth flow of thought process and take less time to solve.

sunilesskay : HOW MUCH TIME SHOULD I PARTITION JUST ONLY TO GET THROUGH THE CONCEPTS OF THE LRDI AND VARC BECAUSE I HAVE AN IDEA OF ONE MONTH TO COVER THIS LRDI AND VARC SO THAT I CAN ABLE TO TRY MORE QUESTIONS TO SOLVE AND MOVE TO QUANTS CONCEPTS AND SOLVING UP THE PROBLEMS. CAN YOU PLEASE SUGGEST ME SOME IDEA OVER THE PREPARATION PLUS WITH THE TIME ALLOCATION
lakshmymenon : I would suggest that you allot a little time every week for all the 3 sections since there is nothing like 'finishing the portions' for any section in CAT. You need to keep taking mocks, analyzing them, modifying your strategy, identifying weak areas, practising more questions related to these areas etc. Of course you can allot more time to your weaker subjects based on your overall availabilty of time.

nandini : WHAT ARE THE EASY AREAS(TOPICS) OR MAIN AREAS(TOPCIS) WE CAN FOCUS IN VARC. I'M ACTUALLY VERY WEAK IN VARC, SO THIS WOULD REALLY HELP ME
darshanamishra : The areas that you get tested on are RC passages, CR questions through RCs and Para Jumbles, Para Summary, Sentence position and out of context. Practise these question types from SM and take sectionals on your SHp followed by AIMCATs

benysha : WHAT FOR DILR, WHICH QUANTS TOPICS SHOULD WE ALSO EXPECT TO SEE MERGED?
govindrajan : Percentages, Ratios and Averages are required to solve DI sets. Spee dmath will help in faster calculations.

mucab5a388 : I AM PREPARING FROM TIME CLASSES NOTES ...LR ONE TOPIC AT A TIME BUT I FEEL I AM SLOW. I NEED TO COMPLETE MY SYLLABUS BY JULY. CAN YOU PLEASE PROVIDE MONTHWISE TOPICS FOR LR I SHOULD COMPLETE FROM APRIL TO JULY?
govindrajan : In the initial stages it appears you are slow, as you practice with consistency, your reaction time in interpreting the given clues reduces. You may simultaneously practice from Sm1002615, AIMCAT-SAs and online sectional tests. LR sets test intelligence of candidate. The more you practice the speed improves.

dlcab5a423 : I AM STRUGGLING WITH CIRCULAR ARRANGEMENT QUESTIONS BECAUSE FIRST I USE THE CONCEPT OF WHETHER THE PEOPLE ARE FACING TOWARDS THE CENTER OR AWAY FROM THE CENTER AND THEN I TRY TO FULFILL THE CONDITIONS SPECIFIED BELOW THE QUESTION BUT I STRUGGLE TO FULFILL THOSE CONDITIONS.IS THERE A BETTER APPROACH TO THIS
govindrajan : If nothing is mentioned about the direction, it implies all are facing the center. In circular arrangement, it does not matter where you place the first person. But choose the first person to be placed carefully so that you will be able to link to other conditions. If there is no direct clue, try possible cases simultaneously. If the statement A is next to B. Try both possibilities simultaneously, A on the left of B and A is on the right of B. If some people are facing inward and some are facing outward, pick one person and try two cases, one facing the center and the other facing outward. Do not try to check all possibilities in the same arrangement.

shreyaz : IN LR QUESTION SOLVING TAKES A LOT OF TIME AND SAME HAPPENS DURING MOCKS. SO HOW TO INCREASE OUR SPEED.
govindrajan : You may build a systematic approach to sets. Once you read the initial few lines of a puzzle/DI set, you will get to know what kind of puzzle/DI set we are going to solve. This does not take more than 30 to 40 seconds. Give a quick read to the given data spending about a minute time. Do not try to analyse the information at this stage. Spend a couple of minutes to read the questions and the type of answer choices. In case the questions have "If" conditions, it indicates that we get more than one possible solution. The questions let us know how to use the given information. All these should happen in about 3 minutes. Then start going through the information carefully. While doing this decide which statement to be picked up first and the order in which the other pieces of information are to be used. This way we can have a smooth flow of thought process and take less time to solve.

ankita : FOR VA - OFTEN TIMES, IT IS QUITE HARD TO CHOOSE ONE AMONG TWO OPTIONS AS BOTH SEEM PLAUSIBLE. IS THERE A WAY OUT OF THIS?
amitpoddar : Yes, based on the demand of the question ,supply the answer. If the question asks for an inference ,try to locate certain facts in the from where you can infer the answer;if it is based on assumption then try to figure out the conclusion and then see which option leads to that conclusion. Keep analysing your wrong attempts by looking at the explanations.

satyam : IT'S DIFFICULT FOR ME TO COMPREHEND THE PASSAGE. PLEASE SUGGEST SOME TIPS.
darshanamishra : Read across subject areas that are your pain points from the RC links provided on SHP. Editorials from The Hindu and The Indian Express and eventually progress to Aeon essays. Also, read upon the passages given in RC books in SM. These should help.

ugs : HAVE YOU STARTED READING THE RC FROM OUR MATERIAL AS ALSO HAVE YOU STARTED DOING SECTIONAL TESTS YES SIR I JUST STARTED,I DIDN'T GAVE SECTIONALS BUT I GO THROUGH PYQS SIR
rajesh : How much have you finished

muca5a172 : WHAT IS THE IDEAL TIME NEEDED IN A DAY TO PREPARE FOR VARC
rajesh : You have to discuss it with your mentor and form a plan

shreyaz : IN PARA JUMBLES I KNOW WHICH IS INTRO AND CONCLUSION. BUT WHILE WRITING THE FINAL SEQUENCE THE SENTENCES IN THE MIDDLE I AM UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THEIR ORDER. HOW TO INCREASE MY ABILITY IN IDENTIFYING SEQUENCES.
philipthomas : You need to identify the logical relationships like cause and effect , data - conclusion , problem - solution , question - answer , time sequence etc. This will enable you to fix the order of the sentences.

vijay : ONCE I READ THE PASSAGES, HOW DO I APPROACH IT? HOW CAN I CONNECT THE PASSAGE WITH QUESTIONS ASKED?
rajesh : Have an open ended approach to reading any type RC TRY to go through all aspects Everything will fall in place

ugs : WHICH AREAS ARE TO BE CONCENTRATED IN LR
govindrajan : While the material provided has chapter names for the convinience of building logical thought process, DILR, as such, does not have a defined framework. There is nothing like a chapter or a particular model. It does not involve any formulae or concepts. They test candidates, intelligence levels. You need to build logical thinking skills by practicing as many different types of DILR sets as possible. Lot 2 study material, AIMCAT-SAs and online advanced sectional tests provide good exposure to higher difficulty level puzzles. You may build a systematic approach to sets. Once you read the initial few lines of a puzzle/DI set, you will get to know what kind of puzzle/DI set we are going to solve. This does not take more than 30 to 40 seconds. Give a quick read to the given data spending about a minute time. Do not try to analyse the information at this stage. Spend a couple of minutes to read the questions and the type of answer choices. In case the questions have "If" conditions, it indicates that we get more than one possible solution. The questions let us know how to use the given information. All these should happen in about 3 minutes. Then start going through the information carefully. While doing this decide which statement to be picked up first and the order in which the other pieces of information are to be used. This way we can have a smooth flow of thought process and take less time to solve.

dlcnb5q048 : HII I AM TAKE TIME TO SOLVE QUESTION IN DILR AND QUANTS PLEASE TELL HOW WE REDUCE THESE ISSUE AND HOW TO IMPROVE OUR READING SKILL
ashwinvariyar : If you are facing issues with topic based Qs. then go through the topic and the solved examples again. After you solve a time consuming question, look at the solution provided in the SM and try to understand the approach used in that solution

benysha : DURING MOCKS, I HAVE NOTICED IT TAKES TIME TO IDENTIFY THE METHOD VIA WHICH A DILR QUESTION NEEDS TO BE SOLVED. IS THERE A CERTAIN STRATEGY FOR THIS?
abhishek : Yes. This strategy can be developed over time. Keep taking/practicing more tests.

vijay : HOW DO I PREPARE FOR THE VA SECTIONS, SPECIFICALLY SORT THE OPTIONS TO CONSTRUCT A PASSAGE?
lakshmymenon : Practise the questions from our study materials. For all VA questions (other than summary), idea flow is the most important thing. Look for patterns of idea flow - usually, the passage starts with a general sentence and then goes to more specific details. Also try to identify mandatory pairs of sentences by linking connectives, prepositions etc.

dees : PARAJUMBLES IS ONE PAIN POINT HOW TO IMPROVE?
amitpoddar : Focus on the key words of the sentences given and try to make possible pairs. Do not be very rigid on the pairs you make.Keep reviewing it based on other sentences.Identify the general topic of discussion and put that at the beginning as an intro sentence. Anything that gives you a solution,reform,etc.,try to fit that at the end. Keep analysing your wrong attempts by looking at the explanations.

ugs : IN OUR TIME CENTER THE VARC WAS NOT YET STARTED NOT EVEN A SINGLE CLASS IS TAKEN ON IT AND IT BEEN A MONTH SINCE MY BATCH IS STARTED
lakshmymenon : Please check with your centre. In the meanwhile, you can start going through the study materials - especially RC practice passages.

muskan : HYY CAN YOU SUGGEST ME SOME TIPS LIKE WHAT TO DO FIRST COMPREHENSION OR VERBAL....
darshanamishra : This will totally be your call basis your strengths and weaknesses. Mocks are a good way to identify this. However, Last time the questions were randomly distributed across section. So, through mocks identify the strategy that works best for you.

sunilesskay : CHAPTER 1 - NUMBER AND LETTER SERIES, CHAPTER 2 - NUMBER, LETTER, AND VERBAL ANALOGIES, CHAPTER 3 - NUMBER, LETTER, AND VERBAL ODD MAN OUT, CHAPTER 4 - CODING AND DECODING, CHAPTER 5 - SYMBOLS AND NOTATIONS, CHAPTER 6 - DIRECTION SENSE, CHAPTER 7 - BLOOD RELATIONS, CHAPTER 8 - INPUT AND OUTPUT, CHAPTER 9 - DECISION MAKING, CHAPTER 10 - CLOCKS.
govindrajan : These are for other management entrance tests, like SNAP, NMAT, CMAT, Maharashtra MBA CET etc

satyam : WHEN SHOULD I START SOLVING PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTION PAPER?
abhishek : It is suggested to solve the PYQs in the final few months of preparation. However, you may start in April too, if you are done with all the basic concepts.

mucab5a388 : TOTAL HOW MANY SYSTEM ADMINISTERED TEST (SAT) WILL BE AVAILABLE ON SHP? I HAVE STARTED SOLVING THIS MOCKS AND NEED TO KNOW FREQUENCY AT WHAT NEW TEST IS UPLOADED ON SHP.
abhishek : Total number of self administered AIMCATs is around 30. There are 20-25 AIMCATs too. AIMCATs are scheduled by us, you need to schedule the SA AIMCATs.

muskan : SHOULD I PREPARE NOTES IN QUANTS OR I'M JUST WASTING MY TIME...SHOULD I DO MORE AND MORE QUESTIONS OR REVISE MY NOTES
ashwinvariyar : Preparing notes will help you understand the formulas and concepts. But you need to practice questions to effectively apply those formulas and concepts

lncbb5a071 : I AM STRUGGLING IN RC AND TIME MANAGEMENT. SHOULD I PROCEED BY READING THE PASSAGE 1ST OR BY READING QUESTIONS IN RC
darshanamishra : Reading the questions first by taking the preview and looking at the spread of the paper would be a good idea in terms of deciding the order of preference of solving the paper. However, try this out in your mocks first and see if this suits you. If not, then go by the passage first approach. Do what works best for you after having tried both ways.

yok : HOW MUCH TIME TO ALLOCATE FOR EACH AND WHAT DO I START WITH
amitpoddar : Devote 5-6 hrs daily on at least two areas-2 hrs to VARC and 3-4 hrs to QA/DILR. Start from the basic booklets and foundation level tests.

sunilesskay : NUMBER AND LETTER SERIES, NUMBER, LETTER, AND VERBAL ANALOGIES, NUMBER, LETTER, AND VERBAL ODD MAN OUT, CODING AND DECODING, SYMBOLS AND NOTATIONS, DIRECTION SENSE, BLOOD RELATIONS, INPUT AND OUTPUT, DECISION MAKING, CLOCKS THESE ARE THE TOPIC THERE IN THE SECOND HANDOUT FOR THE LR SHOULD I ALSO COVER THESE TOPICS FOR THE CAT PREP OR ONLY THE SM1006205 BOOK-1 IES ENOUGH FOR THE LR PREP FOR CAT. CAN YOU PLEASE CLARIFY THIS OUT.
govindrajan : SM1002605 is for CAt and other management entrance test, while SM1002607 is for other management entrance tests only. SM1002615 in lot is 2 of higher difficulty level and is exclusively for CAT.

ankita : IN LR QUESTIONS, OFTEN TIMES MORE THAN ONE ARRANGEMENT IS POSSIBLE AND EVERY NEW PIECE OF INFORMATION (OR STATEMENT) HAS TO BE TESTED IN EVERY ARRANGEMENT WHICH TAKES A LOT OF TIME. IS MY APPROACH CORRECT OR IS THERE ANOTHER WAY TO SOLVE FASTER?
govindrajan : You may build a systematic approach to sets. Once you read the initial few lines of a puzzle/DI set, you will get to know what kind of puzzle/DI set we are going to solve. This does not take more than 30 to 40 seconds. Give a quick read to the given data spending about a minute time. Do not try to analyse the information at this stage. Spend a couple of minutes to read the questions and the type of answer choices. In case the questions have "If" conditions, it indicates that we get more than one possible solution. The questions let us know how to use the given information. All these should happen in about 3 minutes. Then start going through the information carefully. While doing this decide which statement to be picked up first and the order in which the other pieces of information are to be used. This way we can have a smooth flow of thought process and takes less time to solve.

jrcnb5q017 : IS IT IMPORTANT TO LEARN NEW WORDS DAILY WITH MEANING FOR VARC ?
amitpoddar : Yes,very important.Whatever new areas you read on a daily basis,pls try to pick some new words/jargons from there and note it down. Doing this will enhance your comprehension skills as well as your reading speed.

asmi : HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO STRENGTHEN ALL THE CONCEPTS AND GATHER CONFIDENCE? IS PRACTICING STUDY MATERIAL THE FINAL LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY IN QUESTIONS, WHEN ITS COMES TO DILR?
govindrajan : SM1002605 provides basic level and intermediate level LR sets. SM1002615 provides intermediate and higher difficulty level sets. It is important to solve sets from AIMCAT-SAs and online advanced tests.

mucab5a388 : IN LR QUESTIONS RELATED TO CIRCULAR ARRANGEMENTS, I ALWAYS COME ACROSS MULTIPLE SEATING COMBINATION. IT IS TIME CONSUMING SO MOSTLY I LEAVE SUCH QUESTIONS. CAN YOU PLEASE LIST DOWN SOME CUES THAT I CAN LOOK IN QUESTIONS TO ELIMINATE POSSIBILITY? ONE SUCH CASE IS A IS SITTING RIGHT TO B. I PLACED A IMMEDIATELY RIGHT TO B BUT ANSWER HAD IT PLACED LEFT BUT LEAVING 1 SEAT BETWEEN THEM.
abhishek : It is difficult to answer. I suggest you get in touch with the faculty at your centre.

sunilesskay : I HAVE AN APPROCH FOR GETTING THE QUANTS, CORRECT ME IF IM WRONG. I HAVE WENT THROUGH THE QUANTS CONCEPTS AND SOLVED PROBLEMS IN THE ARITHMETIC, NEXT I WAS HAVING A DOUBT IN WHICH SHOULD I START WITH EITHER THE GEOMETRY OR ALGEBRA COULD YOU PLEASE CLARIFY THIS
abhishek : You may start with Algebra.

ar : HI,PLEASE TELL THE TIME I NEED TO INVEST ON DAILY BASIS TO IMPROVE MY VA SECTION
lakshmymenon : That will depend on your current level of competence and confidence. You must read at least one article or newspaper editorial daily, and try to understand the central idea. Also try to learn 10-15 new words.

mucab5a566 : I AM STARTING MY CAT PREP FOR LRDI, KINDLY SUGGEST STRATEGY FOR THE SAME AND DOES I NEED EXTRA MATERIAL APART FROM TIME LRDI RESOURCE??
abhishek : Strategy has been shared already. As for the question on additional material, No, you do not require any other material.

tanishka : HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COMPLETE THE FULL VARC COURSE
lakshmymenon : There is nothing like 'finishing the portions' for any section in CAT. You need to keep taking mocks, analyzing them, modifying your strategy, identifying weak areas, practising more questions related to these areas etc.

sunilesskay : AS YOU SAID SM1002615 THIS HANDOUT WASNT THERE IN MY STUDY MATERIAL. COULD YOU PLEASE SAY WHERE CAN I FIND OUT THAT HANDOUT @GOVINDRAJAN
abhishek : It is not handout. SM is study material.

ar : HOW MUCH I NEED TO INVEST FOR VARC SECTION AND QUANTS ON DAILY BASIS, I HAVE JUST STARTED PREPARING FOR CAT
amitpoddar : Devote 5-6 hrs daily on at least two areas-2 hrs to VARC and 3-4 hrs to QA/DILR. Start from the basic booklets and foundation level tests.

abhi : AS I AM FROM NON MATHS BACKGROUND,I HAVE LOST TOUCH IN MATHS
abhishek : No problem, CAT has quant question mostly from class 10 mathematics.

tanishka : PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO MANAGE ALL THINGS AT ONCE COLLEGE EXAMS INTERNSHIP CAT PREPARATION?
govindrajan : Have a fixed time for CAT prepration in the day. If you do not have a fixed time, there will not be visible progress in preparation. Let us say you can spare only two hours for CAT preparation each day, fix nay two hours of the day at your convinience. Pay attentgion to one subject each day. This way you will see a definite progress. Initial it may appear that you are going to slow, but a consistent preparation for a month will surely result in good preogress. Keep a track of progress. Keep checking day to day improvement. Do not worry abour left over syllabus to be covered.

ayushi : HOW SHOULD I PREPARE FOR DILR ? I ALWAYS CAT QUESTION BUT I'M NOT ABLE TO SOLVE THEM
abhishek : Answered already.In QA:- 1. Be regular with the classes. 2. Make a plan for syllabus completion. 3. Focus on learning the concept and irs application. 4. Regularly revise. LRDI:- 1. Practice one set each of LR and DI. 2. Be consistent with practice. 3. Keep solving random puzzles, understanding random concepts/methods. Hope this helps

sunilesskay : NOW WHAT IM DOING IS CONCENTRATING ON THE LRDI AND VARC THEN I AM PLANNING AGAIN TO START FROM ALGEBRA. WAS THIS A GOOD APPROCH LIKE CONCENTRATING THEM SEPRATELY AND FINALLY TAKING THE QUANTS IN HANDS GOING FOR THE PENDING CONCEPTS LIKE GEOMETRY, NUMBERS AND MORDERN MATHS. CAN YOU CORRECT MY APPROCH AND SAY WHERE SHOULD I MAKE THE CHANGES IN MY PREP @ABHISHEK
abhishek : In my opinion, tackling areas one after the other is not a great approach. I would suggest you to go for all the areas, distributing time as per your comfort areas

pushpalatha : SUGGEST ANY BOOKS FOR IMPROVING MY VOCABULARY WHICH MATCHES THE FULENCY LEVEL OF CAT EXAM
darshanamishra : Editorials, RC links on SHP any and all of these are a rich source of vocab

ram : I AM NOT ABLE TO FIND ANY CLUES IN LRDI AND I ALSO DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START
abhishek : Keep going for these sets. Be open to look at the solution and learn from it. Keep doing it regularly.

abhi : AS I AM FROM NON MATHS BACKGROUND ,I NEED TO REFRESH MY MATHS CONCEPTS FIRST. CAN YOU SUGGEST IF I SHOULD BE GIVING AIMCATS NOW AS PER SCHEDULE ?
abhishek : Yes. The purpose of taking AIMCATs is beyond scoring high. Through AIMCATs one can learn test taking skills.

ugs : SIR HOW MANY SETS OF LR NEEDED TO BE SOVED ON A DAILY BASIS TO GET USED TO IT AND PERFORM WELL IN EXAM
ashwinvariyar : Atleast 3 to 4 sets

sunilesskay : I COULD NOT FIND THE SM1002615 IN THE STUDY MATERIALS @ABHISHEK
abhishek : You will be given it in a different lot. I think it is still not given. I suggest you get in touch with the centre management team.

ayushi : HOW MUCH TIME DO I NEED TO INVEST ON EVERY SECTION??
abhishek : Depends on your comfort levels in different areas.

ugs : SHOULD WE JUST SOLVE LR SETS IN SM OR SHOULD WE GO THROUGH PREVIOUS YEARS LR SETS
govindrajan : Solve LR sets from SM1002605, 2615, AIMCAT-SAs and online sectional tests. AIMCAT-SAs are at the previous year difficulty levels.

abhinav : I HAVE SCORED 72%ILE IN 2ND AIMCAT GIVEN IN THE MONTH OF MARCH. I AM HANDLING LITTLE AVERAGE IN VARC BUT NEED TO UPGRADE MORE, PLEASE SUGGEST WHAT TO DO AND COMMENT ON THE ABOVE SCORE ALSO TO IMPROVE. PLEASE.
lakshmymenon : The percentile is fine - just keep taking mocks regularly, analysing your performance, learning from your mistakes, revising your strategy etc. Also, start paying attention to question selection. Continue practiising daily.

ayushi : CAN YOU PROVIDE ME WITH A SCHEDULE TO START PREPARATION OF CAT FROM THE BEGINNING??
abhishek : In QA:- 1. Be regular with the classes. 2. Make a plan for syllabus completion. 3. Focus on learning the concept and irs application. 4. Regularly revise. LRDI:- 1. Practice one set each of LR and DI. 2. Be consistent with practice. 3. Keep solving random puzzles, understanding random concepts/methods. Hope this helps

sunilesskay : WHILE SOLVING THE QUANTS IM GETTING THE CONCEPTS BUT THE ISSUE WITH ME IS I CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEMS WHICH ARE ENTRY LEVEL BUT WHEN I SOLVE MORE QUESTION AND IM LIKE THE CONCEPT WAS 2+2=4, BUT THE QUESTION WHICH I TRY TO SOLVE AFTER SOME MODRATE LEVEL WAS FAR MORE THAN THE CONCEPT THAT IT THOUGHT IN THE SM...HOW CAN I GET THROUGH THIS
govindrajan : Questions may involve multiple concepts.We are providing material classified into various difficulty levels. There are different SMs - basic level, intermediate level and advanced level. Once you practice from these you will observe improvement. Be consistent in practice rather than trying to improve speed. The more you practice, your reaction time in understanding/interpreting the given information.

abhinav : ALSO I'M NOT GOOD IN QA/DILR IT'S KINDA A FEAR FOR ME, SOMETIMES IN LRDI I SOLVE SOME QUESTIONS OF A GIVEN SET CORRECTLY BUT IT TAKES LITTLE EXTRA TIME. PLEASE HELP WITH SOME INPUTS.
abhishek : In QA:- 1. Be regular with the classes. 2. Make a plan for syllabus completion. 3. Focus on learning the concept and irs application. 4. Regularly revise. LRDI:- 1. Practice one set each of LR and DI. 2. Be consistent with practice. 3. Keep solving random puzzles, understanding random concepts/methods. Hope this helps

pushpalatha : HOW MUCH TIME IN A DAY SHOULD BE SPENT ON EACH SECTION TO SCORE WELL
lakshmymenon : Depends on the time you have at your disposal, and your current levels of preparedness/confidence in each section

ram : IS THIS REMAINING TIME IS SUFFICIENT TO CRACK CAT WHIT ZERO
amitpoddar : There is enough time, pls start giving at least 5-6 hrs on a daily basis.Practise from the booklets and the SHP.

ashutosh : HOW TO INCREASE OUR FOCUS WHILE READING AN RC? I TEND TO LOSE MY FOCUS VERY SOON.
lakshmymenon : A counter-question - do you lose your focus while solving a lengthy DILR question? Why not? Because you know everything adds up to the solution. So you keep your brain active connecting the dots, making notes, drawing tables or flowcharts etc. RC is also data - it is just that it is 'encrypted'! So, follow the same approach. For every para, focus on the central idea and make physical/mental notes of the key points. Do not waste time on minute details - you can always revisit the passage to check when you answer the questions. While reading each para, note connectives, transition words such as 'but' etc. which will help you comprehend the author's perspective. And yes, make quick flowcharts or tables if that's your style!

asmi : I BELIEVE I AM STILL STRUGGLING WITH SPEED. IS THERE ANY WAY I CAN IMPROVE ON THAT OTHER THAN JUST PRACTICE? SECONDLY, HOW TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF RC PASSAGES OVERTIME? ARE THERE ANY STRATEGIES TO ACCOMPLISH ACCURACY?
darshanamishra : Practise makes perfect. Work on CR. Take mocks and sectionals regularly.

nikhil : HELLO, I AM CURRENTLY ADJUSTING IN A CORPORATE LIFE, CAN YOU ADVISE ME ON HOW TO START MY PREP FROM THE BEGINNING AND HOW TO MANAGE WORK LIFE BALANCE AS I AM NOT ABLE TO GIVE TOO MUCH OF A TIME FOR STUDIES. I HAVEN’T STARTED SERIOUS STUDIES YET, CAN YOU PLEASE PROVIDE ME WITH A ROADMAP ON HOW TO START FROM THE BEGINNING AND TARGET TOP B SCHOOLS. AM I TOO LATE FOR STARTING THE PREPARATION FOR CAT EXAMINATION?
govindrajan : You need to have a fixed time for CAT preparation. HWhen you have fixed time, there will be a systematic progress in preparation. Keep checking day to day progress. Do not worry about the remaining syllabus to be covered, instead keep a track of day to day progress.

ugs : AS A FRESHER IN RC HOW MUCH TIME SHOULD I SPEND ATLEAST IN READING AN ARTICLE OR SO
darshanamishra : Everyday around 40 mins at least

ugs : HOW MANY QUESTIONS NEED TO BE ATTEMPTED IN VARC TO GET 99+%
philipthomas : 80 percent of the questions with 80 percent accuracy

dlca5a157 : HOW MUCH TIME TO SPEND DURING COLLEGE EXAM TIME WHICH ARE HAPPENING IN MAY?
govindrajan : Your priority should be college exams. Till the college exams are over, spare more time to college exams.

jay : SIR HOW TO IMPROVE IN VARC MY ACCURACY IS JUST 50% AND THE VARC AS A SECTION DOESN'T CREATE AN INTREST TO SOLVE CHALLENGING SETS LIKE OF DILR OR QUESTIONS OF QUANT ? HOW TO CREATE AN INTREST WHILE PRACTICING THESE SECTION
ashwinvariyar : The passages can be dry. So try to process a passage para by para or part by part and try to understand the idea flow - how the points in the paragraphs/parts are interconnected. Once you can get this for a passage, Majority of Qs from that passage will be doable.

charan : I WANT TO IMPROVISE MYSELF IN VARC ALSO MY READING SPEED COULD YOU GIVE ME SOME TIPS AND I WANT TO KNOW HOW DO WE KNOW OUR ACADEMIC PROFILE 10/8/8 OR LIKE THAT
amitpoddar : Keep reading regularly and keep solving 3RCs from the RC booklet on a daily basis. Also , take some sectional tests every week. Your academic profile looks good, now focus on your CAT exam.

subu : HOW MANY PARAGRAPHS NEEDED TO BE DONE PER DAY FOR BETTER RESULTS?
lakshmymenon : Depends on your current level - take a few mocks so that you can assess it.

ugs : FOR IMPROVING OUR RC SKILLS HOW SHOULD WE READ AN ARTICLE LIKE AUTHOR PERSPECTIVE OR GENERALLY BY KEEPING WHAT IN MIND WE SHOULD WE ARTICLE THAT IMPROVES OUR SKILLS IN EXAM POINT OF VIEW
ashwinvariyar : The passages can be dry. So try to process a passage para by para or part by part and try to understand the idea flow - how the points in the paragraphs/parts are interconnected. Once you can get this for a passage, Majority of Qs from that passage will be doable. For articles follow the same process try to understand how the different paras/parts are connected to one another

pncn5q006 : CAN ONLY READING RC'S DAILY AND PRACTICING PARA JUMBLES, PARA SUMMARY, ODD ONE OUT ETC
lakshmymenon : Your question is incomplete

nikhil : HELLO, I AM CURRENTLY ADJUSTING IN A CORPORATE LIFE, CAN YOU ADVISE ME ON HOW TO START MY PREP FROM THE BEGINNING AND HOW TO MANAGE WORK LIFE BALANCE AS I AM NOT ABLE TO GIVE TOO MUCH OF A TIME FOR STUDIES. I HAVEN’T STARTED SERIOUS STUDIES YET, CAN YOU PLEASE PROVIDE ME WITH A ROADMAP ON HOW TO START FROM THE BEGINNING AND TARGET TOP B SCHOOLS. AM I TOO LATE FOR STARTING THE PREPARATION FOR CAT EXAMINATION??
lakshmymenon : It's not too late, and it's not about how long you study but how smartly you utilise the time available to you. Take mocks regularly to understand your strengths and weaknesses. Do some practise every day from the Study materials in your weak areas. Then, start taking a couple of sectional tests especially in your weak areas every weak.

ugs : SIR WOULD U SUGGEST TO WRITE SHORT SUMMARY OF THE PARA AFTER COMPLETION OF A SINGLE PARA BOTH DURING SOLVING AND DAILY READING ARTICLES?
lakshmymenon : Yes, that will help. For each para, try to summarise the central idea/argument in just a few words. After reading the whole passage you can summarise the central argument in 1 sentence.

ram : SHP? AND HOW TO DEVIDE THESE 5-6HOURS FURTHER FOR EACH SECTION
amitpoddar : Based on your strengths and weaknesses you can divide the time available to you-2 hrs to VARC 3-4 hrs to QA/DILR

dlca5a157 : HOW MUCH TIME SHOULD I DEVOTEE TO CAT EACH DAY DURING COLLEGE EXAMS? ALSO TO WHICH SUBJECT SHOULD I DEVOTEE MORE TIME TO?
amitpoddar : Pls devote more time to your weak area. Daily reading should be continued even during your college exams.

drcab5a065 : I AM WEAK ALL 3 SUBJECT IN HOW CAN I IMPROVE
amitpoddar : Answered.

drcab5a065 : I AM WEAK ALL 3 SUBJECT IN HOW CAN I IMPROVE
amitpoddar : Attend classes regularly and take doubts. Pls start giving at least 5-6 hrs on a daily basis to your studies. Practise from the booklets and the SHP.

ram : SIR HOW CAN I GET CONNECTED WITH MY MENTOR
govindrajan : You may send qyueries catdoubts.hyd@time4education.com. Soon, one on one doubt sessions will also be scheduled.

hocd5a550 : FROM WHERE TO PRACTICE PARAGRAPHS TO GET ENOUGH AMOUNT OF PRACTICE QUESTIONS
ashwinvariyar : Go through the Exercises in the SM. Also solve any questions from handout designated as HW.

yogi : SIR FROM WHERE WE CAN I GET MOCK TEST ?
ashwinvariyar : Available on your SHP

drcab5a065 : HOW CAN IMPROVE ENGLISH I AM BOOKS BUT NO CHANGE
darshanamishra : It is a gradual process. It shall happen over a period of time. Be patient with yourself

sunilesskay : CAN ANYONE ANSWER MY QUESTION! PLEASE
ashwinvariyar : Answered

hocd5a550 : SIR YOU EXPLAIN HOW COURSE IS DESIGNED OR FROM WHERE I GET THIS?
govindrajan : Classroom handouts, basic study material, practice study material, online sectional tests (foundation/intermediate/advanced), Self administered mock tests (AIMCAT-SAs) and All India Mock CATS (AIMCATs)

ram : THAK YOU SIR INFORMATION AND ANSWER ARE REALLY HELPFUL
abhishek : You're welcome

db : SIR I AM NOT ABLE TO SCORE MARKS IN DILR AND I TEND TO GOOF UP IN QA EVEN AFTER KNOWING THE PROCESS WHAT TO DO?
govindrajan : Mock tests should be used to build a strategy. Do not try to get good score from the first mock test onwards. Try the following strategy. For the next mock test, decide to attempt only 7 to 8 quant questions, 7 to 8 VARC questions and one set in DILR. But make sure to be 100% accurate by utilising the entire time for those few questions only. It does not make sense if you try to attempt a greater number of questions and most of them being wrong. Instead attempt only a few questions and see that there are no wrong answeres. You will clearly notice that your score is improved.Once you are able to achieve this continue the strategy for the next two to three mock tests. Later increase the number of attempts progressively. Do not compare ypur score with other students. Compare scores with your previous mock tests.

manish : HOW MUCH PERCENTILE TO AIM FOR AS A TIER 3 BCOM STUDENT (DUE TO CA COURSE I JOINED TIER 3 CLG WHICH HAS ATTENDENE EXEMPTION) BUT NOW I DROPPED CA AFTER CLEARING GRP 1 CA INTER LEVEL ONLY . MY GRADES 10TH 94% CBSE , 12TH TELANGANA BOARD 97%, BCOM CGPA 8.5, I WILL BE GRADUATED IN THIS YEAR , FINAL SEMESTER EXAMS GNG ON.? AND WILL THE BRAND VALIUE OF CLG MATTER EVEN IF WE SCORE GOOD PERCENTILE/?
ashwinvariyar : Aim to score the maximum you can. A good CAT Percentile will go a long way in boosting your chances of admission in a top level college

ishika : BY WHAT MONTH SHOULD I START GIVING MOCKS DAILY?
amitpoddar : By October end or Nov you can start taking mocks regularly.For now pls follow the AIMCAT schedule. It is not just about taking mocks,one has to analyse it thoroughly and work on all the mistakes done.

sanchi : SIR AS I HAVE ENROLLED IN MARCH AND BATCH IS ALREADY IN CONTINUATION , THOUGH I HAVE BEEN ATTENDING BACKUP CLASSES BUT I FEEL BLANK IN CLASSES MANY A TIMES . HOW TO SCHEDULE AND STUDY THINGS AT OWN WHICH HAVE BEEN PASSED AWAY AS VIDEO LECTURES AREN'T DETAILED ENOUGH?
amitpoddar : You can take individual doubt classes. Pls contact your centre.

hocd5a122 : IS IT RIGHT TO MEMORIZE TOUGH WORDS IN THIS MONTH?
philipthomas : Suggest that you improve your vocab by working upon the vocab exercises in your SM and also by doing the sectional tests.

manish : HOW TO GET GUIDANCE ON MY PROFILE FROM OFFLINE CENTRE HYDERABAD? WHOM TO CONSULT FOR THIS?
govindrajan : Send a mail to info@time4education.com

drcab5a065 : BY MAKING NOTES I AM NOT ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT PROPERLY SHOULD I MAKE THE NOTES OF THE CLASSES
philipthomas : Yes you should

d : IN VARC SECTION, I GET AN AVERAGE ACCURACY OF 55% WITH 75 PERCENTILE, WHEREAS I SCORE A PERCENTILE OF 97+ IN LRDI AND 85+ IN QAUNTS, ALTHOUGH THE OVERALL PERCENTILE IS 94.44. I AM WORRIED ABOUT THE VARC SECTION. IN THE LAST AIMCAT, I ATTEMPTED 14 QUESTIONS IN VARC WITH 8 CORRECT AND 6 INCORRECT. HOW CAN I PERFORM BETTER IN THIS SECTION? ALSO, ARE THERE ANY STRATEGIES WHILE PERFORMING IN VARC?
ashwinvariyar : There are two ways forward. Maintain same level accuracy but attempt close to 20 Qs Or attempt close to 15 Qs but get your accuracy to 75% or 80%. Keeping the same accuracy - Aim to attempt atleast 3 passages.