Online preparation for CAT exam

The developments made in the field of technology have made the job quite easier for the CAT aspirants. Students can now take CAT preparation online as enough study materials are available on the internet for the students. Be it the sample question papers or vocabulary exercise books one can come across a wide variety of options to choose from. Online CAT preparation materials available are quite popular among both students as well as working professionals.

CAT Preparation Online Books

Students can learn a lot about books which are of great help for those preparing for the Common Admission Test. There are a wide variety of books available written by eminent authors which provide proper preparation guidance to the students. Moreover, students can also learn about the type of books that they should read in order to do well in the common admission test. Students can also order for CAT preparation books online. Most of these books cover all the major portion of the CAT syllabus. Solved handbooks are also available for the students to buy online.

CAT Preparation Blogs

CAT preparation tips can be collected from the blogs written by students who have earlier appeared for the examination. Personal CAT preparation experiences given on the blogs help the CAT aspirants a lot. Browse through (http://iimcat.blogspot.com/) to collect useful CAT preparation tips. You can learn a lot about the best CAT training centers and the name of the books available.

CAT Model Test Papers

You can download model test papers from the internet. There are some online resources like IndiaBschools.com from where you can download test papers as well as solved ones. The model test papers are framed following the pattern of questions set in the CAT exam. Some of the websites also offer free CAT model test papers for the students to download. Students need to register first with the sites to avail the offers.


CAT Online Mock Test

There are some online resources like koolkareers.com (http://www.koolkareers.com/careers/category/cat-preparation/) which offers you an opportunity to test your general knowledge. There are some paid resources as well which conducts mock tests for CAT aspirants. Candidates need to register first to take the mock tests. Students can take these tests at their own convenience by sitting at home. You can also browse through the site Examzbuddy.com and take the online Mock CAT tests provided by the site. The duration of the tests offered is quite flexible. The site also offers analysis of the questions asked which is very helpful for the test takers.

CAT Preparation MBA Learning Centers

The MBA learning centers groom the students by providing them with the necessary study materials and making them aware of the mistakes to be avoided during the CAT exam. They also take Mock Tests to evaluate the potential of the students and give them the feedback. Some of these learning centers are -

SHARPMINDS
T.I.M.E
Career Launcher
Top Careers and You
Prime Tutor
Bulls Eye IGNOU Tutor
Planetetutors

CAT Papers Pattern

The CAT question paper has four different segments, namely, Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, Problem Solving and Data Interpretation. These multiple choices questions and are required to be answered only with a HB pencil on a computer coded OMR answer sheet. For each incorrect answer you get negative marks. Every year, the IIMs change the question pattern to prevent predictability. You should therefore have a deeper understanding of concepts and their applications to succeed in the CAT. It is to be noted that you have to perform well in all the three sections of the CAT as the test evaluates the overall aptitude of the student.

CAT 2010 Results :

CAT 2010 results would be available from January 2011. CAT results can be accessed on www.catiim.in and also by using sms facility or by sending a mail. SMS should be sent to 57333 after inserting ‘CAT test registration number date of birth (dd mm yy)’ or ‘CAT test registration

Obtaning the CAT Application Form :

The Common Admission Test application form and the bulletin can be obtained from the selected branches of Axis Bank on payment of Rs. 1300/- (Rs. 650/- for SC/ST candidates). Under exceptional circumstances, CAT 2010 application form and bulletin can also be obtained from any of the IIMs by sending a crossed demand draft of Rs. 1300/- (Rs. 650/- for SC/ST candidates) drawn in favor of the respective IIM. Request for the bulletin should be accompanied by a cloth lined self-addressed unstamped envelope of 12” x 10”.

CAT 2010 pattern fee and other details

Those who are preparing to study in any of the reputed MBA institutes in India, they are well aware of the Common Admission Test, better known as CAT. This is a test held annually for the admission to the Post-graduate and Fellow Programs in management courses of several management institutes in India. This is a written examination organized by the IIM  and it is on the basis of CAT result that the eligible candidates are short listed and called for a Group Discussion and Personal Interview.

CAT is considered to be a major requirement for a candidate seeking admission to the prestigious management institutes of India. The percentile secured in CAT is assessed by the B-Schools in India for short-listing candidates for admissions to their various MBA Programs.

CAT has become one of the most competitive exams to judge the potential of the candidates willing to pursue their career in business administration.

CAT Eligibility Criteria

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For applying to the CAT 2010, a candidate must hold a Bachelor's Degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA [45% in case of candidates belonging to SC/ ST or Persons with Disability], of any of the Universities or Institutes recognized by the UGC or the Ministry of HRD, Government of India. The Bachelor's Degree or equivalent qualification obtained by the candidate must be of minimum three years duration after completing Higher Secondary schooling (10+2) or equivalent. Candidates in their final year of graduation/ equivalent qualification and those who have completed the exams and are awaiting results are also eligible for the CAT 2010. They must produce a certificate from the Principal / Head of the Department/ Registrar/ Director of the University / Institution certifying that he / she is currently in the final year awaiting final results.

CAT Preparation Tips

Discipline is very important. Plan your preparation, maintain a fixed schedule and stick to it. There are three basic areas which arc tested in the MBA entrance exams.
They are verbal abil­ity, quantitative ability and data interpretation and logi­cal reasoning For verbal ability, read a lot. Since reading comprehension is an important part of this section, try speed reading (you have to train how to read and comprehend fast)
For quantitative ability it is most important to get your basic concepts right. Solve questions on arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, mensuration etc from the Class X books of CBSE and ICSE boards. For the data interpretation and logical reasoning sec­tions, refer to well known CAT preparation books from TATA McGraw Hill. R S Agarwal, S Chand. Pearson Education, etc.
You should also solve crossword and sudoku puzzles every day as this will improve your accuracy and aptitude. After you gain some confidence with your preparation, you can join lest series so that you get an idea about your current level of preparation.
As far as QA is concerned, algebra and geometry should be given the maximum priority. They should cover more than 50 percent of the paper. Give algebra 15 days and geometry six to seven days. Do them at a stretch. You have to spare some time doing three to four DI sets even,’ day. That would definitely push the comfort level in this area to a far more satisfying level.

What is IIM's CAT (Common Admission Test) all about?

CAT - The Common Admission Test to the six IIMs is also the entrance test for few other top B-Schools such as SP Jain, MICA, and T A Pai. CAT tests your skills in five broad areas viz

1. Verbal ability and reasoning
2. Reading Comprehension
3. Quantitative skills
4. Data Interpretation
5. Analytical and Logical reasoning.

The test comprised 90 questions divided into 3 sections in the year 2005. Typically this test can be expected to comprise between 75 to 150 objective type questions and is usually divided into three to four sections. Each question has a question statement followed by four alternate answer choices and the candidate has to choose the best answer for each of the questions and mark it on a special Optical Reader answer sheet.

Over the years, the number of questions being asked in CAT has been decreasing steadily. While the early 90s witnessed 180 to 200 questions, the late 90s, specifically CAT 1999  and CAT 2000 had 165 questions each. CAT 2001, CAT 2002 and CAT 2003 had only 150 questions each and these 150 questions were divided into three sections of 50 questions each. There were 123 questions in CAT 2004 and only 90 in CAT 2005. CAT 2004 and CAT 2005 both had differential marks to questions. There were 0.5 marks, 1 mark and 2 marks questions.

The duration of the test is of 120 minutes. This literally translates to answering a CAT question in 48 seconds. Most successful aspirants do not attempt anything more than 120 plus questions. And quite a lot of them attempt between 70 and 90 marks worth of questions. The key to success, therefore, lies in two important parameters

1. The accuracy or strike rate

While each correct answer carries 0.5 or 1 or 2 positive mark, each incorrect question carries 1/3rd of the marks allocated to it as negative marks. Hence, it is important to get a strike rate of over 85% - that is reduce the number of negatives.

2. Smart Selection

As it is clear that you will not be generally able to attempt all 150 marks question, and you skip between 60 to 80 questions, key to success lies in selecting questions properly. Hence, there are no kudos, nobel prizes or awards waiting for attempting the tough questions. Be smart to choose, the easiest of the questions and the ones that you have practised a lot and smash them. Do not venture into unsafe territories or to questions which you only have a vague idea.

CAT and entrance tests of other top B Schools are a unique breed of entrance exams. They focus on testing some of the basic qualities essential for managers - the grit to work hard, smartness to choose the best alternative, quick thinking and above all perseverance.

Exams like IIT JEE test the depth of your knowledge, while the Civil Services exams test your width of knowledge. CAT evaluates your presence of mind and the ability to perform under pressure. You cannot prepare for CAT during the last 10 days, as one generally does for semester exams. A minimum of 3 to 9 months of regular preparation is essential.

Ascent's CAT classroom courses are designed to help you maximize your potential gains from these exacting entrance exams. You can choose from the different courses that Ascent offers.