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5 Tips To Clear The Cat Exam Without Coaching in 2019

The CAT examination is arguably one of the most difficult, yet most reputed exams in India. This entrance exam focuses on delivering results using conventional methods that cannot be adopted via rote learning and requires out-of-the-box thinking. Considering the CAT exam is the first and most crucial step to getting into 20 IIMs and around 100 B-schools, it’s not surprising that the competition is immense. According to Careers 360, more than two lakh candidates have applied for this examination in 2019.

One of the most reputed entrance exams, CAT is challenging to crack; however, with a little perseverance and hard work, passing with a high score in this exam is not impossible. It is crucial to use smart tricks while preparing for this exam, instead of relying on conventional studying methods and beaten-down methods learnt from textbooks. Keeping this in mind, all aspiring CAT takers have their strategy when it comes to preparing for this exam, and there is no right or wrong way to crack this test while some may choose to learn through books and prepare for the exam themselves or opt for online CAT coaching classes.

If you’re one of those who have decided to skip the infamous CAT coaching route and have taken upon the responsibility of preparing yourself, here are the top 5 tips that could help you succeed in this exam:

1. Know What You Should Study For

The first thing you need to do after you have decided to take the CAT exam is to get an in-depth understanding of the pattern of the paper and the syllabus. Generally, this MBA entrance exam is in a multi-choice format, which tests your knowledge in four primary areas; Quantitative Ability, Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. Sometimes, the exam would also include a section for General Knowledge. Multiple sites provide information on what type of questions you could expect by analyzing the previous years’ papers. You could refer to such sites.

2. Know When You Should Study What

Once you know what you’re studying for, you need to create a time-table that dictates what you should study when. Before this, it is recommended to take a mock-test for you to gauge your existing knowledge and which subjects you’re well-versed with and in which you need more improvement. After this, distribute your time among each section, depending on which area you need the most work in versus the one in which you need the least. You must stick to this schedule as procrastination doesn’t work well when it comes to the CAT exam.

3. Know What You’re Prepared For

Once you have reached mid-way in your preparation, it is recommended to start taking mock tests. These are tests that help to condition your mind to work under pressure, and it also enables you to understand if you’re able to grasp the topics that you’ve studied for adequately and how much more effort you need to invest in to be prepared. It is recommended to take at least 30 mock tests before the final CAT exam. After you take a mock test, you should also analyze your results and make changes to your time-table accordingly if required, depending on how you perform in your mock test.

4. Know Your Speed

Time management is an essential aspect when it comes to CAT; however, most candidates often forget to prepare for it! As students are not prepared to deal with the pressure of taking the exam and are stressed about completing on time, they often select the wrong answer even though they know the right one. Hence, you should try to increase your speed of thinking and accuracy by attempting different questions in a time limit that is lesser than the limit in the actual exam.

5. Know Successful CAT Takers & Aspirants

Another great strategy that has worked well in the past is to build connections with people who have scored well in the CAT exam previously. They can give you personal advice that could prove extremely useful while giving the exam. Moreover, you could also seek their guidance for topics where you have doubts. You can easily connect with these people on social media; for example, there are multiple groups on Facebook with aspiring CAT takers and a few successful CAT takers, who share information and relevant material.

In conclusion, all you need to do is be disciplined while preparing and work on building and increasing your knowledge. Understand your weaknesses and work on overcoming them.
Lastly, regardless of how you decide to prepare for your exam, there is a straightforward strategy everyone should follow is to stay positive! At that point of the exam, everything is practically out of your control, but you can still control and attitude towards your test, which can work wonders for you. After all, if you believe in yourself, anything is possible!

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A Guide to MBA Admission Interview Preparation

Personal Interview can be a deciding factor as part of your admission process.

You have done everything right. Your CAT score (or any other entrance test score) is here yet there’s one last hurdle in the way of you getting into your dream institute. Personal Interviews can be tricky and it is even trickier to prepare for the same. It is essential, however, that you be vocal about yourself, your ideas and what you want to do.

Personal interviews have to be taken seriously for sure but at the same time, try to enjoy the process of conversation. Maintain a level of seriousness with excitement to avoid being monotonous. This balance will definitely work in your favor as an interviewee.

 

Primary Questions:

  • Tell me/us about yourself.
  • Why did you choose to do an MBA?
  • What would you say are your weaknesses?
  • What are your strengths?
  • Give us an instance where you faced a challenge and how you overcame it.

The idea is to be confident and assertive while answering during the interview. There need not be any rigidity to the answers as that can kill the spontaneity element in your responses. Practice is the key to succeeding and you can employ different tactics and approaches to your interview preparation. One of them is recording your answers and listening to your voice. You can look for enthusiasm, eye contact, smile and ease of answering in your interview while evaluating.

About your decision to pursue an MBA, mention the rationale behind your choice of stream and go about detailing your background with respect to the scope in the industry for management professionals. It is an almost certain question in an MBA admission personal interview.

Secondary Questions:

The set of questions here may become specific in terms of your application form and you may as well be facing situational questions, for example,

1. How would you deal with an employee who walks in late to work daily?

OR

2. A potential client and one of your vendors walk into the office at the same time? Who would you address first and why?

Such questions need a little bit of thought behind it and you must think on your toes in the interview. Note that there are no right or wrong answers to this one! So be upfront and answer logically without analysing too much. Here, the interviewers are only trying to gauge your approach and thought process which means there is no “correct” response.

Comparative questions from your profile are also quite probable to pop up during this phase. For example, you have mentioned your work experience or city, such questions are likely:

1. Tell us 3 things you would do differently in your previous company.

OR

2. 2 things your previous company did to distinguish itself from market competitors.

It is important to critically analyse all possible questions that can arise from the information provided on your application. This would truly prepare you for certain question types which may have been unimagined otherwise.

Besides the above mentioned interview preparation guideline, you must research the institution thoroughly and do your homework by gathering as much information possible to increase your chances. Remember to add how you would be of value to the institution’s systems, events and course as a student in case there is a window for the same. Prepare to ask relevant questions just in case the interviewers ask if you have any questions at the end. This is a simple measure that you can take to swing the perception slightly in your favor.

 

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MBA Admission Interview Preparation

Why and How to take a CAT Mock Test?

Timeliness is one of the most important takeaways from your MOCK CAT Tests.

CAT has to be one of the most defining exams of your life and how you fare in those three hours determine your future admission prospects. Needless to say, enough hard work is put into preparation by way of lectures, study hours and mentor sessions. However, if these steps are not sealed with exam practice, the candidate will have left out a crucial part of preparing for CAT in itself. With a complex and highly competitive exam like CAT, the more exam practice one puts him/herself through, the better are the results. Familiarizing yourself with the actual test is a vital step in your preparation and the mock tests give you just what you need.

 

Reasons for Taking the Mock Test:

  • Helps you identify your strong and weak points in quick succession. This is one of the primary steps in exam practice.
  • Gives you exam practice as maintaining speed and accuracy is one of the key components of cracking the test. Striking this balance will take you to the next level in your preparation.
  • Develops a skill in you to pick the right questions to be solved first. The ones that consume time will be put off for later.

There are a few websites that will allow you the opportunity to take two to three (sometimes, up to five) free Mock CAT tests. You can sign up for a package of tests with one of these websites to regularly practice before the big day. These tests will help you evaluate your strengths and weak points better. Taking as many Mock Tests as possible is recommended as practicing this will give you real time exam experience which becomes an unparalleled preparatory step for cracking your CAT. Choose the dates from the available slots for a Mock test and you are all set with your candidature.

You can either, answer, skip or mark a question for review while taking the test and when it comes to non-MCQs, you will be required to put in numbers as answers. Reviewing the entire paper is an option for candidates once they finish their test.

Let’s look at how one should go about taking Mock CAT Test:

  • Like CAT, the mock tests also do not allow any intervals or pauses during the three hour exam period. Gear up for your Mock test!
  • Have a basic idea of your strengths and weaknesses with respect to the 3 sections and have a strategy in place accordingly. The allotted time limit for each section is 60 minutes. Hence, it is advisable for candidates to finish one section before time
  • Attempt the easier questions first so as to utilize time. As you gain confidence in this phase, start moving over to the questions that take relatively more time.
  • CAT toppers have suggested two to three mock tests a week in the last month or two to prepare better.
  • The most important part of the mock test is to conduct a thorough analysis of your performance after the exam. This will help you re-strategize your exam plan or make crucial amends in the nick of time to get you ahead.

 

Often, due to our conditioning in exams, we tend to neglect mock tests as part of the preparation. It is prudent to spend your time preparing with Mock tests rather than studying concepts and other such theoretical parts in the final weeks leading to the exam.

 

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Cat Mock Test

CAT Preparation 2019: Tips, Pattern and Syllabus

MCQs and non-MCQs form a 70-30 ratio in CAT.

CAT is right around the corner and with around two months to go for the big day, preparation time is in full swing! The CAT 2019 has a revised pattern consisting of 100 questions. The pattern will include the 3 sections- Verbal Ability (VA), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative aptitude skills (Quant) to be solved in 3 hours, one hour allotted to each. 70 to 75 of these 100 questions are Multiple choice questions where a correct answer earns you 3 marks and an incorrect answer earns you negative marking (-1). 25-30 questions are Non-MCQs where there are no negative marking.

 

Here are a Few Handy Tips for Cracking the CAT:

  • Coaching:-

Though self-study might be the preferred path for many, coaching classes can train you in systematic ways. CAT exam pattern has many dimensions and experts can give you a clear picture for evaluating your strengths and weaknesses. Your preparation thereon will become more focussed and streamlined with a study plan. It also helps you with ready study materials giving you a section-wise approach to your preparation.

  • Mock Tests:-

As the exam date approaches closer, it makes better sense to focus on solving sample question papers and mock tests over spending time learning concepts. Mock tests familiarize you with exam dynamics and take your preparation to the next level. Previous toppers of the CAT exam attribute a large part of their success in the exam to taking mock tests.

  • Section-wise Preparation:-

If Verbal Ability Reading Comprehension (VARC) happens to be your problem area, you can counter that by reading English novels, newspapers, conversing in English whenever possible. Also watching English movies and listening to podcasts can improve your preparation. Say, Data interpretation section is your weak part, then, you could start by practicing DI questions with approximation techniques as they help with quick calculations.

  • Time Management:-

CAT is not only about analytics and how well you fare in the sectional preparation. There is a lot of weightage on how you manage writing the question paper. Time is precious and it is best to solve the easy questions first and then move on to the more time-consuming ones as you proceed. Managing this efficiently will optimize your exam performance.

  • Revision & Practice:-

Like in any other exam, revision is key for CAT as well. In the last few days leading up to the exam, you need to ensure that all your concepts are brushed up once again. To gain an added edge, practising questions from different sections also holds its share of importance. With consistent practice, candidates can remain in top gear before the exam. Revision and practice will keep you updated with the questions that are likely to be asked. Devoting more than two minutes on a question is strictly avoidable to maintain your performance.

CAT 2019 can be your launching point to the career of your dreams. Try to ensure that you follow these easy guidelines to make the most of your preparation.

 

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How to Improve MBA Profile for Top Business School Admissions?

The inquiry springs up on different gatherings as often as possible and there are two classes of folks who need to know about it. The primary set is a couple of months from application due dates and have as of late understood that their rivals look and sound way better on paper over they do. We aren’t discussing this class in this post. For the present we center around the other classification – the individuals who have begun their GMAT MBA prep early and need to delve into every possibility to guarantee that their profiles fit into the ‘perfect MBA’ candidate system.

There is a lot of qualities that most Adcoms would discover intriguing in Indian competitors. Here are a few pointers to enable you to stand out:

Business Understanding:

You need not be Bill Gates, however, you do need an essential comprehension of how organizations work. You pre-MBA performance is a decent method to feature that. On the off chance that you’ve had a solid expert foundation, you’ve been exceptional than your friends and you’ve carried a greater number of obligations over and above the expected set of responsibilities – then you are doing great.

Mind:

This is the crude mental intellectual prowess that drives most activities in your personal or professional lives. What’s more, on the off chance that you aren’t discovered failing in the assigned division it would be generally alright for managers and Adcoms to accept that your endeavors would be the correct way and that would profit the associations and organizations that you are related with. Your scholarly evaluations, your GMAT score and the way that you are genuinely dedicated to sharpening your business aptitudes and system, would also act as great signs.

Communication Abilities:

Ultimately everything comes down to your capacity to absorb every single accessible datum, structure your musings in your brain before your vocal cords uncover your splendid personality to the enthusiastic world waiting for you out there. For B-school applications, they will utilize your papers and your interview to pass judgment on this.

Innovativeness:

This is a territory where even the best business college won’t most likely be able to assist you. Be that as it may, it’s that 1% motivation that you must muster without anyone else’s input so it helps you facilitate the rest of the 3 resources. For the remaining 99%, it descends to your capacity to design, plan, convey and execute the arrangement. Utilize your additional curricular experiences to show angles where you’ve been inventive, taken initiative, and whatever else that makes you an intriguing competitor that your schoolmates would love to spend time with after your MBA classes are finished.

 

On the off chance that you have time staring you in the face to shape your profile, have a go at these 4 territories and see where you are in need some work.

 

Also Read:

Top tips to prepare for MBA/PGDM GD & PI

MBA Admissions Question Types and How to Tackle Them?

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MBA Admissions Question Types and How to Tackle Them?

Although euphoria is the first feeling applicants experience upon receiving an interview invitation from the business school of their dreams, what follows is often a mixture of anxiety, nervousness and, in extreme cases, dread.

If you tank your MBA interview, your odds of admission plummet. You can help ensure that doesn’t happen to you by thoroughly preparing for the exchange and the hardball questions that await.

Some schools are known for asking their applicant’s out-of-left-field questions such as, “If you were a tree, what kind would you be?” Most of the time, unexpected questions are deployed to elicit more clarity, honesty, and substance, which makes the conversation more interesting for both of you.

While you can’t know what your interviewer will ask, you won’t feel as flustered if you practice delivering concise, calm and thoughtful responses to all manner of unexpected questions. If you lose your composure, it’s hard to get back. At the moment, you can always take a sip of water or short pause to breathe, then redirect.

 

Here are seven tough questions you should be prepared to encounter:

 

1. Give an Example of a Failure.

This question invites you to consider the circumstances and pivot points that shaped you into an ever-wiser human being and challenges you’ve faced and overcome along the way. What’s most compelling to the admissions committee on the topic of failure is what you’ve learned from your experience, whether you’ve had to face your fears, and whether you’ve demonstrated the grit and persistence to bounce back and forge ahead with new awareness.

 

2. What are Your Weaknesses?

Like the question of failure, frame weakness examples in a way that allows you to demonstrate growth. For example, describe what initiative you’ve taken to work on overcoming the weakness and what you have learned from this experience. One way to talk about a weakness is to provide a situational weakness (as opposed to a character weakness). However, be careful not to sidestep the question. Showing humility and self-awareness is critical.

 

3. What Other Schools are You Applying To?

Every school wants to know they’re your first choice. But under this question is a subtle test of your deep understanding of this school’s culture, values and unique offerings. Of course, they also know that you’re applying to other programs – they expect that and it’s a sensible thing to do. But to win their acceptance, show them the love. This means going the extra mile to prove you understand a school’s unique culture and values, and that you’ve given considered thought both to how you’ll contribute to their community and what you hope to gain from it.

At the same time, you want to show reasoning for why you’re applying to other programs in the context of why this school is still number one. If you’re interviewing with Columbia, for example, consider contextualizing in this way: “Given my interest in doing my MBA in NYC, I am also applying to Stern. While Stern could also provide me with a strong finance education, CBS remains my #1 choice due to its unique value investing program.”

 

4. Explain a Project you worked on as if I was an 8-year-old child?

This is a great communication exercise showcasing your ability to convey complex information to laymen. Be clear, concise and focus on the big picture. Avoid using any industry jargon.

 

5. What Do You Dislike About your Job?

Think about your short and long term career goals, and make sure your answer doesn’t clash with them. For example, don’t say you don’t like office politics if your goal is to become a GM. Instead, you could focus on what you’re currently missing, and what you’re doing about it.

 

6. Give an Example of a Time you Worked with a Difficult Team?

Again, emphasize what you learned from this experience and avoid a lengthy explanation of the scenario. How did this experience impact your more recent team experiences? Or how did this experience help you define your leadership style? If asked about a difficult boss, focus on how this made you stronger (e.g. more autonomous, making your search for a mentor, etc.).

 

7. You Don’t need an MBA to Achieve your Goals—Why are you Applying?

Here you want to show you have thought of length about what business school will provide and how it will help you go further and have a bigger impact than if you did not have an MBA. It’s also not uncommon to be quizzed on something your interviewer finds intriguing in your application, such as undergraduate education paths in your country. Left-field questions can be an interviewer’s way to stay engaged in the conversation or satisfy a curiosity. (It can also be a sign your interviewer is not an expert at interviewing; this can happen more often with a second-year student or alumnus.) Don’t be thrown off by these types of questions, and embrace the spirit of the conversation. Focus on articulating clear and concise answers, and, more importantly, frame the interview by remembering to proactively insert your key selling points.

 

Finally, don’t miss your chance to turn the tables – especially if you’ve been fielding questions from an alumni interviewer. This is your valuable opportunity to ask those nitty-gritty questions that only someone who has gone through the program can respond to. When it’s your turn to ask questions, use the opportunity wisely.

 

Apply to one of the top MBA colleges in India that also gives you an opportunity to study abroad (U.S.A) in the second year!

 

Also Read:

Top 25 MBA Group Discussion Topics for 2019

Top tips to prepare for MBA/PGDM GD & PI

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Time Management Strategies for the CAT

Common Admission Test or CAT, as it is commonly called is a demanding exam. It not only tests your potential to answer tough questions but also your mettle to overcome time constraints and ability to perform under pressure. Time management is considered a crucial aspect of the CAT exam. Poor time distribution for each section can either result in poor preparation or unattempted questions during exams that can seriously hamper the overall CAT score. Keeping this in mind, it is vital that MBA aspirants learn time management skills to manage time effectively before and during the exam, to ace the CAT.

Here are a few points that CAT aspirants must remember before appearing for CAT:

 

1. The CAT format will consist of three sections that would include 30 to 35 questions per section.

2. Candidates appearing in CAT will have 60 minutes to answer those approx 30 odd questions in a particular section before moving on to the next section.

3. If we consider basic math in this scenario then an aspirant gets roughly about 2 minutes to solve each question. This might pose as a challenge for the students and also enhance the difficulty level of the CAT exam.

4. Even seasoned candidates who have put their best foot forward during the preparation stage would require 3-4 minutes to answer each question.

 

While the sectional time limit sounds like a limitation but it is actually a boon in disguise for all the MBA aspirants. As future business leaders, CAT candidates are expected to adopt and evolve to changing times and this is a similar challenge for all of them. If you are looking for a simple answer to tackle this challenge, it all lies in EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT. Below, we have decoded how to handle the challenge of time limit that you face while appearing for the CAT.

 

Time Management Tips for the CAT Exam Day

  • Don’t spend much time on one question – Keep maximum two to three minutes for a question. If you are not able to figure out the way to solve it, move ahead to the next question. As NamanSinghal, 99.93 percentile in CAT 2016 and FMS Delhi student shares, “My strategy was not to spend much time on non-MCQs as these have a high probability of going wrong. I rather utilised the time in solving MCQs.”
  • At times, test takers must tend to spend too much time on a time-consuming section like RC. Mayank Raj, CAT 2017 and 100 percentiler shares how he tackled this section. “On the day of the exam, for VARC, my strategy was to focus more on comprehension part than on non-comprehension part. I gave approximately 10 minutes to every passage in reading comprehension. After that I invested the last 10-15 minutes I had left in doing non-comprehension part” he says.
  • Start with your comfortable areas – The thumb rule of attempting any exam is to start with the comfortable questions as it is expected to be less time consuming. YashThakker, IIM Kashipur student with 99.37 percentile in CAT 2016 shares his strategy as, “First, I did the Reading Comprehension part in VA & RC sections as it was my strong point. I knew that I could finish RC quickly and move to VA. For Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DI & LR), I recommend aspirants to target 15 correct questions if the paper is difficult. And for QA, mark easy questions and solve them first to save your time.” AvinashIyer, CAT 2017 topper and 99.61 percentiler shares his time management strategy which worked out well for him. “My strategy for solving the QA section was to skip questions that I knew but would take a long time; tried my hands on the unknown questions and completed the short questions. Then returned to solve the long unattempted questions. To solve the VARC section, I first took up all the reading comprehension, completed them as they take a substantial amount of time. Then I solved the fill in the blanks followed by jumbled paragraphs” he says.
  • The art of leaving – Learning the art of leaving is actually one of the most important tricks you should have up your sleeve to crack CAT. You have to let go of the rotten eggs (read: taxing questions) so you go to the golden ones which are easy to crack.
  • Save time for revision – Revision is equally important for ensuring a good percentile. After the completion of the test, revise the answers to ensure that there are no mistakes. Allot at least 10 minutes at the end of the test for the revision of each section.Tanya Gupta, an IIM Kozhikode student who obtained 99.47 percentile in CAT mentions, “I made sure that I attempted all the questions that I was sure of. After this, I revised my answers in whatever time I was left with.”
  • Go back to marked question in the buffer time – Mark the time-consuming questions for review and revisit them once you complete the section. After a thorough revision, try and solve those questions. “In the first step, I solved all the questions which I could do at one go till the end. In the second step, I attempted those questions which I thought I would be able to do after giving it a try. After attempting all such questions, if there was some time left, I attempted those which I thought were the hardest for me,” mentions CAT topper ShubrajyotiSaha of IIM Shillong.

Also Read:

How to improve Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation skills for CAT exam

Top tips to prepare for MBA/PGDM GD & PI

 

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Time Management for CAT

Top 25 MBA Group Discussion Topics for 2019

Have you ever appeared in the GD Round of an Interview or going to participate one. If yes then you will definitely find it interesting.

 

Are these Top 25 Group Discussion Topics Really Helpful?

You must be thinking that how these Top 25 Group Discussion Topics can be useful. These are not the exact one that interviewer will choose to test me. Maybe you are right these are not that exact but these will definitely help you in getting an idea about how to prepare for them.

 

Group Discussion Topics

These are Top 25 Group Discussion Topics that usually get chosen by MBA colleges to check the GD Power of the candidate.

  1. Demonetization of old 500 & 1000 rupees notes – Is it a good move?
  2. How to reduce NPA?
  3. Merger of PSU banks – Is it really necessary?
  4. ‘Digital India’ – How far was it a success?
  5. Is GST beneficial for the common man?
  6. Should Triple Talaq be abolished?
  7. One Belt One Road – Impact on India
  8. Can ‘One Belt One Road’ improve developing world?
  9. Role of digitization in banking
  10. Will GST be a success?
  11. Present Education System in India
  12. Women Empowerment in India
  13. Youth in Politics
  14. SBI merger with associate banks – Good or Bad?
  15. Impact of Demonetization on Indian Economy
  16. Donald Trump’s presidency – Impact on India
  17. Donald Trump Presidency – Impact on the world
  18. Why are many startups failing in India?
  19. Union Budget 2017-18 – Is it beneficial for the common man?
  20. Unique identification number for every Indian
  21. Is India ready to be a Cashless Economy?
  22. Is ‘Make in India’ a success?
  23. How can we deal with increasing Cyber Crimes?
  24. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan – How far was it successful?
  25. Should India accept Rohingya refugees?

 

Also Read:

Top Tips to Prepare for MBA/PGDM GD & PI

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Group discussion

Top Tips to Prepare for MBA/PGDM GD & PI

Nowadays, there are so many management entrance exams for admission to MBA/PGDM courses in colleges and universities in India. Every year lakhs of students prepare for them and hope to get an admission in a reputed business school of their choice. After intense preparation of entrance from good coaching institutes and experts, you can definitely get a good percentile.

But, the real test is when you have to face the interview panel for Group Discussion and Personal Interview. Here, your talent is judged.

If you have been an outgoing person in school and college taking part in extracurricular activities, debate, extempore, theater, dramatics, dance etc. then your verbal communication skills would be good.

But, that alone, is not enough to crack GD/PI.

 

Group Discussion (GD)

First understand the objective of a group discussion, which is to appraise a candidate’s ability to critically analyse a given piece of information and collectively work in a group to arrive at a solution or develop a perspective. In this process, the students will reveal some of their personality characteristics, which is what the panel wants to check.

 

How to Prepare for a GD?

Your preparation should start the day you start preparing for your entrance exams.
READ NEWSPAPERS daily, especially the business sector. Keep reading Economics Times, Mint or Business Standards on daily basis. Do not forget the editorial sections of newspapers. This will be helpful for ALL THE ROUNDS!!
Improve your conversational skills by speaking in English.
Mock GDs are the best way to prepare.

Evaluation is done on the following criteria; so make sure you exhibit most of these:

  • Group Dynamics
  • Ability to analyse situations
  • Thought process
  • Presentation style
  • Personality: Decision making and leadership skills

Topics

Institutes usually give a general topic to the students but a few institutes prefer to check the current affairs knowledge of the candidates in the GD round itself by assigning a topic based on recent news.
Be up-to-date with recent events around the globe. Reading good books/articles always come handy as they provide ideas/content to speak/write in a GD.
Every B-school follows a pattern when it comes to their selection process, hence it is advisable to follow online forums to gauge the institutes specific pattern for the selection process and prepare accordingly.

 

Topics can be Actual or Factual:

Abstract: In case you are given an abstract topic, think in a creative way, and come up with as many interpretations as possible. Many examiners like to hear different perspectives and innovative ways of thinking.

Factual: Knowledge is the Key. Provide a structure to the GD, be sensible, think of pros and cons, apply PESTLE framework, be crisp and smart.

 

Personal Interview (PI)

The objective of the personal interview with a candidate is to evaluate if s/he has the capability and skills required to successfully pursue and develop a career in management.

Everyone will have grades to show-off and certificates in extra-curricular would be dime a dozen. It will eventually come down to these below-mentioned aspects in you that will separate you from others. A candidate will be tested on the following

  • Personal Introduction
  • Verbal communication
  • Eye contact
  • Body language
  • Interruptions
  • Content

There are no shortcuts. Only through relentless practice can one get better at all these aspects. Personal Interviews are a highly subjective assessment and so there is no concrete way to ace them. There a few hygiene questions that one MUST prepare for:

a) Tell me about yourself: Briefly refer to past education, life journey and future plans. It is all about a STORY.

b)Why MBA? : Answer such questions keeping in mind the holistic development you’ll get during MBA

c) Where do you see yourself five years from now: focus on skills development, increased responsibility while highlighting on your goals as achievement.

d) Apart from the above prepare for the following:

  • Personal Information: yourself, family, city, etc
  • Education: scores, favourite subjects, selection of specialization
  • Extracurricular, Academic Achievements, Co-Curricular Activities
  • Work Experience and Internships: learnings, job role, challenges faced,
  • Hobbies, Interest
  • Future Plans (Why MBA, Specialization)
  • Current affairs and your opinion about them
  • Introduce yourself in a very brief and formal way.
  • Limit introduction to entirely yourself. DO NOT speak about parents, siblings and family, unless asked by the interviewer.
  • Give straight and simple answers to the questions asked by the interviewer.
  • Answer in small sentences.
  • To the point and precise answers are far better than beating around the bush.
  • Don’t try be aggressive, overconfident. And definitely, DO NOT try to impress the panel by using some cheesy mugged up lines. It won’t work.
  • Dress formally
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How to improve Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation skills for CAT exam

1. Solve Previous CAT papers

First things first, the best source of question sets for LR and DI for CAT are the previous years’ CAT papers. I know it’s a cliche and you’ve probably already heard this multiple time, but it is the single most important thing that any serious CAT aspirant MUST do religiously!

CAT papers can not only familiarize you with the kind of questions and the difficulty level you can expect in the actual paper, but it is also an excellent question bank with a large number of good questions.

You can get the previous CAT papers

  • Either online for free, which most people prefer (Here is the link: CAT Previous Question Papers with solution 20 Years free download pdf)
  • Or buy a book like this one – ‘Previous Years Solved CAT papers’ by Arun Sharma. Although you will have to buy this, it is a preferred option as it allows you to have all the questions compiled topic-wise, so that whenever you need to focus on a particular area, you can solve questions from that topic itself, rather that searching from the complete set of previous CAT papers. Remember, the book is not just for LR-DI. It is for all the sections (Especially useful for QA and VA, not RCs since the RCs of yesteryear papers were too long)

 

2. Analyse

Having solved a decent number of question sets from previous CAT papers as well as mock tests, you’d realize where you’re falling short.

The usual scenario is:

  • DI can be solved, but it sometimes takes too much time
  • LR can sometimes take too much time, or you just don’t get the logic at all.

It is recommended to make categories of problem types in each of these sections and then identify which ones you are comfortable & not comfortable with. This can help you recognize which are the ones you need to work more on.

Examples of categories can be:

  • LR: Cubes, Rankings, Arrangements (Linear/Circular), Table based LR sets, Games, SET theory based etc.
  • DI: Line and bar charts, Pie charts, Tables based etc.

3. Improve

DI: To improve your speed, you have to be quick with you calculations. This is possible through.

1. Learning:

  • Squares at least till 30
  • Cubes at least till 20
  • Sq. roots till 10
  • Fractions to percentage conversions

 

2. These will help you increase your calculation speed and save a good amount of time.

3. Try options or do approximate calculations wherever possible. Remember, you just have to tick the right answer.        CAT is not a subjective exam.

4. Choose your question set wisely

LR Improvement areas:

  1. Invest some seconds over a question and study the question carefully. A brief explanation of why each choice is correct or incorrect should run through your mind. If you can practice this tip in sample reasoning questions, you will do well on the actual assessment.
  2. NEVER assume or use any information that the question fails to give you. This is NOT an assessment of how much you know about a subject in general! Consider ONLY the information given in each reading passage when choosing among the alternative responses.
  3. Read both the factual passage and the sentence completion instructions carefully. Both must be considered when making a choice.
  4. Be sure to read all the response choices carefully before eliminating or choosing one of them.
  5. In questions that ask you to select a valid conclusion, always choose the one conclusion that must definitely follow from the information you are given. In questions that ask you to find the invalid alternative, choose the one conclusion that does not definitely follow from the information.
  6. Pay special attention to words like “all,” “some,” or “none” when you read the factual information each question gives you. Other qualifying words such as “other than,” “only” or “unless” are important, too. These words can play a critical part in precisely specifying the facts to be used when reasoning.
  7. Pay attention to negative prefixes such as non-, un-, or dis-. These can be crucial to specifying the basic facts in the paragraph.
  8. You should also be very careful of any response choices that contain the quantifiers “all” or “none”. Generally, in both the sample practice questions and in the actual CAT assessment, these words are NOT signs of incorrect response choices. They will appear in both correct and incorrect response choices.
  9. Pay close attention to the word “ONLY” and to the phrase “IF AND ONLY IF”.  Saying “The car lock will open IF AND ONLY IF original keys are used” sets up a highly specific condition that must be met. There is exactly one way to open the car lock – you must use the original keys of the car. By contrast, if the sentence says, “The car lock will open if the original key is used,” there may be several ways to open the car lock beside by using the original key.
  10. The questions in the assessment will vary in difficulty level, and difficult questions will be mixed in with easier ones throughout the CAT Paper. When you encounter a question that is difficult for you, try to draw diagrams or other schematic notes on your “scratch” paper that is provided to support and confirm your thought process. Also, bear in mind that you can stop working on a difficult question temporarily and return to it later but that’s possible only if you have not changed sections.
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